"What do you mean by martial arts cultivation? How it is different from qi cultivation?" Duncan asked frankly.
"How do I put this? Let's see, your qi cultivation is the cultivation realm like the Qi Gathering realm, the Spirit Sea realm, and so on. However, martial arts cultivation is different."
"When it comes to martial arts cultivation, your qi cultivation doesn't have much effect on it. Martial arts cultivation is about how much of the essence of the martial arts you practice that you have grasped. There are several stages to it. When you go to higher stages, you would be even able to perceive the laws that govern the world."
"When two cultivators battle, the outcome is decided by several factors. Just the qi cultivation realm alone doesn't determine the victor. There are things like qi density, qi purity, battle experience, qi control, and several others that will determine the outcome."
"Among them, martial arts cultivation plays a major role. When you get to higher realms, the kind of law you have gained insight into plays a major role. Some laws might be weaker. Some laws might be stronger."
"Even someone who has comprehended a weak law can defeat someone who comprehended a strong law if the first person has completely grasped the weak law and the opponent has only gleaned a little insight on the strong law. Things like this are too difficult to explain accurately," the young man smiled a bit apologetically.
Duncan didn't mind. Even this small explanation the young man said now had broadened his horizons.
"So, cultivation realms aren't really that important," Duncan asked in confusion.
"No, they are important. No matter what kind of law you have comprehended, you can't beat me. The difference in our realms is too big. Think of cultivation realms like the amount of strength you put behind while swinging the sword."
"The higher the cultivation realm, the more power you could exert. Even if you know beautiful martial arts, if there is no strength behind your swing, then the martial arts wouldn't hurt anybody, will it?"
"Ah, I understand," Duncan nodded getting some of his doubt cleared away.
"But, if the difference is strength isn't that big, your martial arts can make up for that deficiency. It's all a careful balancing act. You can't just concentrate on one thing," the young man said a little excitedly.
Suddenly, the young man started coughing and blood came out of his mouth shocking Duncan. The young man spit out the blood in his mouth and smiled apologetically at Duncan.
"Sorry, I got a little excited. The poison within me acted up," the young man said calmly causing Duncan to raise his eyebrows.
"Poison?"
"Indeed," the young man smiled wanly. "I ran into my former fiancé and her bootlickers on my way here. We haven't been on good terms for some time now. This is her greeting gift."
"Looks like she wants you dead," Duncan commented blandly.
"No, if she wanted me dead, I would be dead by now. She has a way with poison. She is truly gifted with using them. I don't think my continued existence is a coincidence. She left me alive so I can guide her here," the young man said with a sardonic smile.
"You guys have a twisted relationship," Duncan grunted. "Really, here? This place is a wilderness. There is nothing here."
"Wait a few days and say that to me again," the young man said mysteriously.
"Whatever," Duncan shrugged. "Be careful. You have given me wine so I am advising you to be clear in your head. You look like you still have some feelings for her. But, it looks like she doesn't care. That kind of thing only leads to your death."
The young man looked surprised to hear Duncan say that.
"Why do you say that I have feelings for her?" the young man asked curiously.
"It's the way you smile when you mention her," Duncan pointed at the young man's face. "People in my town used to smile just like that when they talked about Bessa. Even I used to be like that when I was very young. But, I wised up."
"Why? Didn't you love her?" the young man asked curiously.
"Nah, I didn't love her. I lusted after her. Bessa was the number one whore in our town. She played people on her palms. She could make even the toughest man sing with her eyes. But, I knew better. Unless your purse opens, her legs stayed shut. If you want to have her, just bring coins. Roses and feelings don't matter to her," Duncan chuckled causing the young man to turn red.
"My former fiancé isn't a whore," the young man said indignantly.
"There are all kinds of whores. Granny Jiao used to tell me that. Some whores like gold, some like honeyed words, some like status, some like power, it all depends on what gets their legs to open," Duncan chuckled.
"Granny Jiao was wise beyond her years. I listened to her and woke up. You better learn before you become like one of those men who died in the streets pining after Bessa, while she fucked in the bed with someone else," Duncan shook his head.
The young man looked thoughtful hearing Duncan's words. Duncan didn't interrupt his thinking. This young man may be powerful, but he lacked a lot of common sense in Duncan's opinion. If he was left in the streets without his power, he wouldn't even survive a single day.
"You said was when you talked about Bessa and Granny Jiao. I take it that they are dead?" the young man asked trying to change the topic.
"Bessa, Granny Jiao, and everyone else in my town are dead," Duncan grunted taking a large sip of the wine. "They died a month ago. Some scuffle between a demonic beast and a few powerful cultivators. Their fight blew up the spirit mine I used to work in. The entire town went down in flames."
"Oh!" the young man looked a little guilty for bringing up such a subject.
"You don't need to feel sad. Their time is over, and they left. But, I am alive. I will find those men responsible and make them pay. It may take ten years, a century, or even more than that. But, I will find them and kill them with this sword Granny Jiao gave me," Duncan said looking up at the night sky.
"Do you think revenge and vengeance are the way to go? Wouldn't it form a killing cycle?" the young man asked softly as he was merely talking aloud.
"I don't know anything about that. All those questions are too far for me to think about. Only the loss I suffered is near in my heart. Killing them would make me feel good. So, I am going to do that. Whatever comes after that, I will take care of it then," Duncan shrugged.
The young man didn't reply. He looked deep in thought after hearing what Duncan said. Duncan didn't feel like interrupting the young man either. He could see that there was some personal stuff going on in the young man's mind. So, he kept silent and sipped his wine.
The silence between the duo lasted for a long time. Finally, Duncan wasn't able to hold on anymore. He looked at the young man and asked some stuff that has been bugging him for some time since the young man spoke about it.
"You said something about laws. Are they the highest realm of martial arts cultivation?"
"No, there is something called dao above that. As for the highest, no one in this world knows for sure," the young man shook his head and answered with a small smile.
"Dao? As in like Heavenly Dao, Demonic Dao, or the Righteous Dao?" Duncan asked in confusion.
"Not exactly," the young man scratched his chin and pondered for a moment before explaining. "The righteous dao and demonic dao are not actually daos. They are paths. A path is a way of life. Righteous path is about living upright and standing for good. Demonic path is about taking whatever you want with your strength."
"As for the Heavenly Dao, you can call it a dao, but I am not entirely sure about that. The Heavenly Dao we normally refer to it is a set of laws that regulate this world we live in. If you go to other worlds, the Heavenly Dao there would be different. So, it can't be exactly called dao," the young man replied calmly.
"There are other worlds out there?" Duncan blurted out unable to contain his surprise
"Ha ha ha… there indeed are other worlds. I have been to a few of them. Some worlds might be small, some might not even be complete, and some might be about the same size as us. There are countless worlds out there my friend. When you get stronger, you will get in touch with those kinds of information. Telling you about them now will only harm you," the young man laughed aloud driving away the gloom that has occupied the duo.
"I see," Duncan mumbled as he tried to wrap the concept of other worlds being present around his head.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
Make sure to add this book to your collection and vote with your power stones to show your appreciation for this work.
You can also check out my other book [Booking Glory] and see if it is to your liking.
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