Once he had thought all this through, Jiang Chen's mood suddenly became clear.
The lingering gloom left from the last great battle was swept clean in an instant.
What did temporary success or failure matter?
On the path of the martial dao, encountering life and death was common. If one brooded over a momentary setback, how could one face greater storms and navigate the path ahead?
The moment of enlightenment on the martial dao was precisely the best way to overcome such distracting thoughts and sweep away inner demons. This was why half of the martial dao was cultivation, and half was meditation.
Meditation could clear the mind, banish inner demons, and usher in various enlightenments. This enlightenment might be regarding a martial technique or a cultivation method, or it could be a breakthrough in understanding.
With his enlightenment regarding this "Twelve Meridians True Qi," all of Jiang Chen's comprehension barriers within the True Qi Realm were swept away.
In other words, from now on, he could focus his entire being on charging toward the Spirit Dao path.
However, Jiang Chen was not anxious. With his understanding of martial dao cultivation, he knew that charging into the Spirit Dao was not difficult. The real challenge lay in how wide and how far the Spirit Dao path could extend!
The martial dao physical body was like a plot of soil.
Then the Spirit Dao spiritual power was the sapling growing upon that body.
Martial dao power had endless variations.
The Three Thousand Great Daos, limitless Divine Abilities. But ultimately, it all boiled down to the various attributes of heaven and earth, the primordial qi of heaven and earth.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—these were the five most fundamental attributes, the base attributes that constructed all things.
Wind, Thunder, Light, and Darkness were derivative attributes.
All in all, it was the nine major attributes.
As for a Spirit Dao powerhouse, how many types of spiritual power could be opened within their Spirit Sea determined the width of their Spirit Dao path.
And how far one could travel within the Spirit Dao realm determined the length of their Spirit Dao path.
How wide could the Spirit Dao path be extended? How far could it go?
Many people in this world believed that this all depended on the development of one's potential after entering the Spirit Realm.
This was not actually the case.
What truly determined how wide and how far the Spirit Realm path could go was not what happened after entering the Spirit Realm, but precisely before entering it.
It was this "one" that plagued the world's martial artists.
It was the countless possibilities contained within the bridge between the Eleven-Meridian True Qi Realm and the Spirit Realm.
Martial talent comprised both innate and acquired factors.
Yet the people of this world could only see the innate half, paying scant attention to the acquired.
Long Juxue, for instance—a born Innate Constituted Body, showered with all the adoration the world could offer.
Meanwhile, Princess Gouyu possessed a martial heart of iron resolve, yet could never win the favor of any sect.
"A sigh—even the sects, when choosing disciples, value innate talent over temperament. It says a great deal about the state of martial understanding in this world."
Jiang Chen exhaled softly, though he did not dwell on the thought for long.
Even if the martial knowledge of this world was backward, even if it was riddled with constraints, what he needed to do was refuse to be shackled by its rules or corroded by its shortcomings.
He, Jiang Chen, would walk a path no one before him had ever walked. He would carve out a road through the martial world that had never existed before.
And that road—perhaps in a few hundred years, perhaps in a few thousand—would inevitably overturn the martial rules of this world. It would inevitably become the new rule, the new benchmark!
When he emerged from seclusion, the morning sunlight fell upon Jiang Chen, lending him an even brighter, more vibrant air.
"You're out, Chen'er?"
"Father, have you gotten used to these leisurely days?" Jiang Chen asked with a grin.
"I wish they were leisurely, but worldly affairs have a way of finding me. The Marquis of Gold Mountain and the Marquis of Tiger Hill came by a couple of days ago—old brothers, all of them. I had to show them around."
"Oh? They came? Now that the kingdom's situation has just settled, aren't the new Four Great Marquises supposed to be helping the royal house manage affairs?"
Jiang Feng smiled ruefully. "Isn't that exactly what their visit was about—helping the royal house?"
"They came to probe our Jiang family's stance?" Jiang Chen smiled. He was not the least bit surprised. With the Jiang family's current reputation, it was only natural for the royal house to feel uneasy.
"Mm." Jiang Feng nodded. "Chen'er, I've been thinking about it too—where does our Jiang family go from here?"
Jiang Chen had actually considered this question long ago.
Regardless of anything else, the Eastern Kingdom was a place they absolutely could not remain. First, under this political climate, the Jiang family's presence in the kingdom would forever be a thorn in the royal family's side.
The second reason—one Jiang Chen had never voiced—was that half-spirit plot of land in the Zijing Prefecture.