Chapter 4: The Four Innate Realms

This is strange... Hmm! That's not right! I wasn't mistaken; this indeed works...

Even though the fierce winds at high altitudes are strong, they cannot sway the seemingly dim and yellowish sword light of Bai Sheng in the slightest; this sword light is as straight as a line and as steady as a rock

Some individuals achieve a breakthrough in their cultivation almost instantaneously, aligning themselves with the mysteries of the universe and successfully passing the stage of perception. If one's innate talent is not exceptionally gifted, it may take several months or even years to surpass this level, which can still be considered as possessing above-average aptitude. For those with slightly lesser talent, it may take thirty to fifty years to overcome this hurdle, which can be regarded as having some fortune. As for those with even poorer innate abilities, it is not surprising if they spend seventy to eighty years, or even an entire lifetime, without being able to pass the stage of perception. Such individuals are often seen as having no success in their cultivation; they either remain at the sect to perform menial tasks or are sent down the mountain to manage the mundane affairs of the sect.

In "Shushan 2," there are many who share the same thoughts as Bai Sheng; however, those who can persist in not using system sword techniques and have developed their own unique swordsmanship are exceedingly rare. These individuals are the true masters in the game "Shushan 2," and often among ten thousand players, there may not even be one such prodigy.

Bai Sheng, however, is unaware of the books; his experiences differ from those of Duan Gui, and naturally, their mindsets are also different

As for the higher levels of condensation, refining, and elixir formation, among many other realms, they are almost akin to those of true immortals for ordinary people, no longer belonging to the realm of common mortals. This is also one of the reasons why the last realm among the four innate stages is referred to as that of celestial beings.

In the Daoist tradition, the phenomena of fetal movement and entering the orifice are collectively referred to as postnatal means, while the level of perception is termed innate, further divided into four minor realms: namely, Qi Control, Spiritual Communication, Alchemical Practice, and Celestial Being. These four minor realms are collectively known as the Four Innate Realms, with each stage exhibiting a distinctly significant difference from the others.

With Bai Sheng's long howl, the dim yellow sword light suddenly transformed into countless variations, swiftly slicing out over a hundred feet, spiraling and striking, blending hardness and softness, demonstrating various exquisite sword techniques rarely seen in the mortal realm. However, due to Duan Gui's limited cultivation, Bai Sheng could only manipulate this low-quality flying sword to circle within twenty to thirty steps around him, unable to freely employ the various advanced sword techniques from Mount Shu, let alone wield the sword over a thousand miles.

Upon reaching the level of sensing the cosmic energy of heaven and earth, practitioners and scholars can develop an awareness of celestial changes. They can perceive when clouds gather, when it rains, when winds arise from the east, and when snow falls from the north; any shift in their thoughts allows them to notice these phenomena. They can also gain a faint understanding of the unpredictable mysteries of the future, sensing potential disasters or good fortune, enabling them to anticipate signs in advance. For sects that focus on the cultivation of flying swords, reaching this level of sensing the cosmic energy is crucial as it marks the beginning of refining flying swords, allowing practitioners to manipulate them with precision and ease.

The entire world suddenly became vivid in Bai Sheng's heart; even without using his eyes to see, he could feel the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers, the green grass like a carpet, the ancient trees towering into the sky, and the flourishing vitality all around. This vibrant life made Bai Sheng's lingering attachment to the past and his worries about his new identity, accumulated from his time of transition, completely vanish.

He had just traversed from a Xianxia game, still carrying a hint of the game's lightheartedness, akin to the pure heart of a child in cultivation, perfectly embodying the essence of the Chicheng Heart Method. However, Duan Gui was scolded by his master every day, watching as his senior brothers who entered the sect before him and junior brothers who entered after him became increasingly stronger, while he remained stagnant, making no progress at all. The intensity of his obsession had already severely hindered his cultivation, completely deviating from the mindset of a true cultivator. Moreover, Duan Gui's innate talent was not particularly good; although Bai Sheng was somewhat reserved, his personality was lively and spirited, and he was ten times smarter than Duan Gui, quickly mastering anything he learned since childhood. Of course, without the foundation laid by Duan Gui's twenty years of hard work, Bai Sheng would not have easily broken through the so-called first major hurdle in cultivation, the perception realm.

Within the sword light, Bai Sheng's Chicheng true energy oscillated repeatedly, transforming into layers of gentle force that mitigated the fierce winds from the sky. This was one of the sword control techniques Bai Sheng mastered in "Shushan 2," known for its stability in sword control. Almost at the moment of breaking through the sensing realm, Bai Sheng successively broke through two levels, surpassing the Qi Control realm within the innate four realms, and stepped into the stage of spiritual communication, barely able to summon the sword light.

Indeed, this mnemonic is flawless. Why has that fool Duan Gui failed after trying thousands of times? If it were me practicing, I fear I would have long achieved the unity of body and sword, soaring into the heavens with a long howl. He has actually wasted so much time on such an easily surmountable hurdle. No wonder his master looks down on him; he is nearly thirty and still has not found a wife.

After he let out a soft reprimand, the unique true energy transmitted from the Chicheng Sect surged through his body like the Yangtze River. The inferior flying sword resonated with the true energy, akin to his sword control in "Shushan 2," emitting a faint sound and transforming into a dim yellow light several feet long, standing upright in the void

Duangui, the unfortunate disciple of Chicheng, practices with an intensity that is hard to fathom. Every small advancement he makes comes at a tremendous cost of hardship and effort, making the process of cultivation seem incredibly arduous. In Baisheng's view, Duangui's mind is akin to being filled with glue; he clearly does not need to take so many detours, as the straight path is the correct one. Yet, he seems to engage in self-torture, insisting on taking several completely unnecessary twists and turns, only to ultimately stumble and fall.

After Bai Sheng absorbed all of Duan Gui's memories, he could not help but want to experience what it truly felt like to be a sword immortal. He recited the Chicheng Heart Method in his mind several times, and to his surprise, it was unexpectedly easy. His true energy naturally broke through the barriers, dispersing into the heavens and the earth, creating an indescribable resonance with everything within a radius of several dozen miles. This effortless flow was in stark contrast to the arduous struggles in Duan Gui's memories, where he could not disperse his spiritual thoughts into the world despite his countless hardships. The indescribable resonance with everything around him within a radius of several dozen miles was a completely different experience from the difficulties faced in Duan Gui's memories.

In "Shushan 2", most people utilize system sword techniques. By setting these techniques as shortcuts, one can effortlessly execute splendid sword moves during combat with just a light tap, requiring no mental effort and saving time and energy. However, Bai Sheng believes that the essence of swordsmanship lies in the phrase "freedom to act as one wishes". Although the system's techniques are magnificent, they lack variation and adaptability, leading to a significant waste of true energy. Sometimes, a single variation could secure victory over an enemy, yet the system's techniques rigidly complete all seven variations. Even when a mere three points of descent could slay a monster, the system's sword light remains mechanically precise, with no deviation even after a thousand uses. Only by mastering one's unique sword techniques can one truly grasp the essence of swordsmanship.

Bai Sheng in "Shu Mountain 2" became famous for his swordsmanship. He is unaware of how much effort and time he has spent dissecting the sword techniques of various major sects in the game, and then recombining them to find the moves that suit him best