Glancing at Zhu Bufan, who was full of confusion, Elder Zheng smiled slightly and said, "From the First to Third Rank, a martial artist tempers their skin and flesh. From the Fourth to Ninth Rank, they temper their bones, and from the Seventh to Ninth Rank, they temper their internal organs and bone marrow! You have already reached the early stage of the Ninth Rank and can feel the changes in your body, right?"

Zhu Bufan thought about the process of cultivating the Cold Ice Technique and suddenly realized that everything was indeed as Elder Zheng described and couldn't help but nod secretly.

"The cultivation of postnatal martial artists, to put it simply, is the strengthening and training of the body, allowing various organs and functions within the body to receive the greatest enhancement. The process proceeds from the outside to the inside, gradually advancing. Of course, the difficulty between each level increases geometrically, especially after reaching the Seventh Rank, when one begins to strengthen the internal organs and bone marrow. The internal organs are fragile, and the bone marrow is hidden deep within the bones, making it very difficult to strengthen, requiring massive amounts of Inner Qi. Hence, breakthroughs after the Seventh Rank are very difficult." Elder Zheng said with a smile.

Hearing this, Zhu Bufan's heart stirred, but his face showed no difference.

"Ah, in ancient times, martial arts thrived, far surpassing today. It is said that innate experts back then were as common as postnatal martial artists are now!" Even Elder Zheng's face showed a longing expression as he spoke.

"Oh! Why is there such a gap?" Zhu Bufan asked in confusion.

"Cultivation techniques!" Elder Zheng solemnly uttered. "In ancient times, there was only one form of martial arts cultivation, which was body refining techniques!"

"Cultivation techniques?"

"That's right, cultivation techniques! In ancient times, humans created countless techniques in encounters with fierce beasts to survive. What we now call the three classes and nine grades were considered the most inferior back then!" Elder Zheng scorned the categorized and rated techniques. "The body refining technique utilized the harshest environments to constantly squeeze the body's potential, along with various Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, to transform the body. Therefore, the cultivation in the postnatal realm was like a smooth sail for them, allowing them to cultivate to the peak of the postnatal realm with ease." He looked at Zhu Bufan and continued, "Do you know how long it took them to cultivate to the peak of the postnatal realm?"

"How long?" Zhu Bufan calculated secretly.

Taking families and clans as an example, children would have foundational training from the age of three, formally start cultivation at five, and it would be considered outstanding to reach the Ninth Rank before turning nineteen. To reach the peak of the Tenth Rank, it would be challenging without thirty years of arduous cultivation. Most who reach the Tenth Rank are elderly and gray-haired.

Of course, Zhu Bufan didn't count himself in, as he was considered an anomaly.

"Twenty years?" Based on his current state of cultivation, Zhu Bufan conservatively mentioned a number.

"Twenty years?" Elder Zheng shook his head, "Twenty years is too long, they only needed nineteen years!"

"What? Nineteen years! Is this... is this even possible?" Zhu Bufan exclaimed in disbelief, even with his unique existence he couldn't believe it.

"Hm, this is still due to physical limitations, as before reaching adulthood at nineteen, the body is still growing, and body refining causes unavoidable harm! It impacts future growth and advancement significantly. Hence, in ancient times, there existed a very miraculous elixir called the Growth Acceleration Pill, classified as an Earth Rank elixir back then, with a simple and singular effect. One Growth Acceleration Pill could instantly boost the body's functions by one year. For example, if a newborn child took a total of fifteen Growth Acceleration Pills, they would grow to a nineteen-year-old adult in three months, with all body functions and organs completely mature, just like any normal person!" Elder Zheng sighed as he explained.

"Growth Acceleration Pill?" Hearing Elder Zheng's description of the Growth Acceleration Pill's miraculous effectiveness, Zhu Bufan was skeptical, unable to believe such a heaven-defying thing truly existed.

Seeing Zhu Bufan's disbelief, Elder Zheng only smiled slightly, unconcerned, as he himself also found it hard to believe.

"Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, there's a historical gap between ancient times and the present, during which the entire body refining technique almost completely vanished, while the internal qi cultivation technique emerged afterward." Elder Zheng shook his head and said.

"Oh, I've seen some records, although body refining techniques are rare, they're not as valuable as you say. I think the Zhou Family should have them, right?" Zhu Bufan smiled slightly.

"Haha, whether any ancient body refining techniques have been passed down, I don't know, but the body refining techniques cherished by various sects now are mostly newly created over the past thousand years, and their efficacy is quite apparent!" Elder Zheng explained with a smile.

"By the way, Elder, you just mentioned the Ninth Rank, but haven't yet spoken about the Tenth Rank and the Innate Realm!" Zhu Bufan reminded, thinking to himself, "I wonder if the Hanhai Tide Skill is a body refining technique passed down from ancient times?"

"The purpose of reaching the Tenth Rank is still two words: accumulation! There are many things to accumulate, including essence, qi, and blood, strengthening and enhancing them as much as possible! And the Innate Realm is a breakthrough from solid to void. When essence, qi, and blood are abundantly full, you have the capital to impact the innate. The solid is the clearly visible continuous enhancement in physical qualities and strength, while the void is the understanding, the comprehension of soul, spirit, and nature, a very subtle realm that I cannot fully describe," Elder Zheng said.

"What is Elder's current realm?" Zhu Bufan asked curiously.

"Between the postnatal and innate, although there's only a one-word difference, there's an insurmountable chasm. Among this chasm, some martial artists have differentiated into another realm, called pseudo-innate, referring to those who have maxed out accumulation of essence, qi, and blood and can influence a certain range of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. I am what's known as pseudo-innate!" Elder Zheng said with a bitter smile.

"I see!" Zhu Bufan nodded secretly.

"I could break through to the pseudo-innate realm after consuming a Purple Spirit Pill, completely pushing essence, qi, and blood to the peak. However, hoping to go further is nearly impossible!" He glanced at Zhu Bufan; through these days of observation, although Zhu Bufan was somewhat rebellious, his cultivation was diligent, and what made Elder Zheng value him more was his affection for Aunt Rong. "Young Master Feng, I've been through it, let me give you some advice: when cultivating in the future, don't focus solely on cultivating inner qi. Insights into other things, including the nature, five elements attribute, and spirit, will greatly benefit in breaking through the Innate Realm, possibly elevating several folds at once."

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