This is Swallowed Star, not Resident Evil.

Chapter 22 True Martial Arts, Proving Your Name

"Dual cultivation of the soul and body, right?"

With a single step, Old Guo instantly became younger. His muscles bulged, his previously wrinkled and loose skin quickly regained its elasticity and luster, and his white eyebrows turned black in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, he transformed into a tall, imposing young man with radiant eyes and an overwhelming aura, with a golden radiance thousands of meters long appearing behind him, causing all other magical forces to dissipate.

"My martial arts are engraved in my very soul! A martial arts that truly belongs to me!"

"No matter where you go, no matter how the laws of the universe change, you will never lose your martial arts principles!"

He looked down at Ye Yang at the same time as the thousands of meters of law.

Ye Yang felt as if time had stood still for a moment, with only a pair of ever-widening eyes, as if they were the ultimate end of the universe and the final destination of all things, drawing his consciousness involuntarily into them...

But in a moment of distraction, Ye Yang saw the white-browed old man smiling at him again.

"A body cultivator at the Great Completion stage..."

Ye Yang was shocked. That feeling, like the ultimate Dao, was definitely a realm below the True Immortal level, where the Dao had been truly realized!

A being who could become a true immortal at any time once he obtained a celestial position was farming in this courtyard?

It felt somewhat unreal to Ye Yang; it was too surreal.

"What you just saw was the 'real me'."

Master Guo laughed and said, "But that can't be considered true; it's more of a one-sided view. After all, the 'true self' cannot meet with the 'true self,' just like a king cannot meet a king."

"Your current level is too low. If you had seen the 'real me' just now, you would have been assimilated by me in an instant, then impurities would have been removed, and you would have become a part of my 'true meaning'."

Suppressing his shock, Ye Yang asked, "Teacher, what is the connection between what you call 'martial arts where one's realm is not lost' and the enlightenment cultivation currently practiced in the Immortal Alliance?"

"I remember that powerful immortal martial artists can condense special powers such as sword intent, fist intent, and saber intent. How is this different from the 'martial arts engraved on the soul' you mentioned?"

Old Guo nodded in satisfaction. Ye Yang's comprehension was indeed very high; he had asked the right questions.

He explained, "As we all know, there are three levels of spiritual practice: technique, method, and path."

"Techniques include those used in combat, cultivation, and production, as well as supernatural powers and spells. They are specific skills."

"Law includes the rules governing the operation of the universe and the transformation of the properties of matter. It is the theory for understanding and explaining nature."

"The Way is a path, a direction, a guide. Heaven has its Way, a country has its Way, and people have their Way. Every person has their own 'Way'."

"The common theory of enlightenment in the Immortal Alliance is to draw nourishment from the Heavenly Dao and the Dao of others to cultivate one's own Dao."

"Using this principle, one can govern the laws of the world. Once one reaches a certain level, one's own 'method' and 'technique' can be used throughout all realms."

"Even in worlds with different laws, they can adapt at the fastest speed. It's like the difference between normal cultivation and reincarnation, which is why the Immortal Alliance can invade countless dungeon worlds with few defeats."

"My statement that 'the realm will not be lost' is based on this."

"As for those things like sword intent, fist intent, and knife intent, they are completely different from my 'true intent'!"

Speaking of this, Elder Guo revealed a displeased expression: "One's own body is the most powerful weapon! And the 'True Meaning' I cultivate is to refine this most powerful weapon into the soul."

"If my soul punches you, it's the same as if my physical body punches you!"

"Others' spirits are weak and powerless, but mine can strike with overwhelming force!"

"Of course, if I weren't the dungeon master, or if the dungeon world's cultivation system couldn't effectively supplement it, my path would be rather mediocre."

"However! If your instance world is exceptional, for example, if it has a unique cultivation system or possesses a treasure that grants your avatar some incredible ability, then 'True Meaning' can imprint this ability into your soul through years of cultivation!"

"Any power belonging to your body, whether it's your true form in the Immortal Alliance or an avatar in a dungeon world, can be integrated with your true essence!"

"Any power that belongs to the body..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Yang's eyes widened.

Wait, what did the teacher just say?

Can those mysterious creations and innate secret techniques that devour the world be integrated into this so-called 'true meaning'?

However, Ye Yang wasn't immediately overwhelmed by his abilities. Instead, he continued to ask, "Teacher, since you're so skilled, why hasn't your path been widely adopted?"

Old Guo's face darkened, and he said, "It's not like we haven't tried..."

He looked helpless: "First of all, there are those stubborn old martial arts masters who insist that I've followed the essence of Qi cultivation and spiritual cultivation, but only put on the skin of martial arts, making me a hybrid, and they're trying to suppress me!"

"My master tried several times to find me a genius disciple, but he couldn't. Those mediocre people simply couldn't grasp the essence of my path."

"So how can I gain recognition if I'm the only successful case?"

"Furthermore, in the era after my rise to power, Immortal Martial Arts has completely declined in the dungeon-running community, and no dungeon runner is willing to take the risk."

Ye Yang figured it out.

This "True Meaning Martial Arts" is great in every way, but it's picky about who you play and which dungeons you run.

For a person to be considered, they need to have good talent, high comprehension, and most importantly, be able to connect with Mr. Guo.

For dungeons, the requirements are high potential, diverse cultivation systems, abundant opportunities, and numerous treasures.

The dungeon owners who meet the above conditions are all precious treasures, so why would a major power let Elder Guo test his path?

Furthermore, this path deviates from the "tradition" of immortal martial arts, which is disliked and unsupported by true martial arts immortals.

As a result, Master Guo was never able to find a suitable successor.

Ye Yang blinked, then said solemnly:

"Master, I want to practice 'True Intent'... No, Master, please accept my bow!"

He immediately knelt down.

Mr. Guo raised an eyebrow and burst into laughter.

……

"Hiss~"

Upon seeing the thousands of meters tall Dharma image, the three teachers from the Water, Fire, and Thunder Departments of Ziteng University all gasped in astonishment.

"Could it be that senior knew we were coming to poach his talent, so he released his Great Accomplishment Dharma Form to scare us?"

"Did anyone tip off Senior Guo?"

The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads.

"In any case, if Ye Yang is truly a promising talent with great potential, we must try to win him over."

"That's what the female teacher from the Department of Water Law said."

"That's right. The Immortal Martial Arts Department has been clinging on for so long, barely alive, and we don't even know if their teaching resources will be approved. If we retest the potential of the dungeons and prove its worth, Ye Yang should be able to make the right choice."

"Yes, even if he is a senior who has achieved the Great Perfection of Physical Body, which one of the leaders in our department isn't a master of Qi Refining and Dao Integration, or a Great Ascension of Divine Soul? In the end, it's still up to Ye to choose for himself!"

Speaking of their respective powerful backers, the three of them felt more confident and walked towards the small courtyard.

"Let's go, let's go and prove this little genius right."

……