Human Clan Defender

Below the grand hall, Shen Changqing listened to Dongfang Zhao's words, his anxious heart not relaxing much. Outwardly, however, he remained composed, waiting for Dongfang Zhao to continue. At this moment, both Defender Envoys turned their gaze upon him.

"Rumors have it that you have reached the realm of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. Now that I see you, it is indeed no falsehood—your blood and energy are vigorous beyond comparison to ordinary people," Dongfang Zhao nodded in approval. In his perception, Shen Changqing's blood and energy were indeed terrifyingly robust. Having said that, Dongfang Zhao seemed to perceive the changes in Shen Changqing's heart and continued, "In less than three years, for you to have come this far is astounding. Had I not felt the absence of Demon Evil in you, I might have almost believed you had colluded with them.

"In the Demon-Subduing Division, everyone actually has their own secrets and fortunes. Without fortune, unless one truly has extraordinary talent, it's difficult to advance very far. You have your own fortune, which you rightfully deserve; there's no need to worry about the Demon-Subduing Division prying too much. Besides, some matters are not as easy as you might think."

The last sentence left Shen Changqing with many doubts. However, Dongfang Zhao's words allowed his initially anxious heart to relax quite a bit.

As long as they don't probe into my own fortune, then we can all be good friends. If they did ask, then there would be nothing more to say.

Fortunately, the Demon-Subduing Division's approach on this point was surprisingly consistent: not to inquire, not to probe. In some respects, one could say it was quite humane.

"It's rare for us to have a chance to meet. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask. As long as I can provide an answer, I will not conceal anything—it's also part of your reward for slaying Mairba," Dongfang Zhao said, his tone shifting.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing did not hold back. Since everyone was speaking openly, there was no need for reservations. Moreover, he indeed had many questions he wished someone to answer. Now that Dongfang Zhao was willing to speak, he would not need to go to the Scripture Pavilion and slowly search for answers himself.

"May I ask, Defender Dongfang, how exactly is the Grandmaster Realm classified, and what stage does Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar belong to?"

"Indeed, let me explain it to you clearly." Dongfang Zhao was not surprised by Shen Changqing's first question, as if he had anticipated it. After a moment's reflection, he began to speak. "Just as the Innate Realm is divided into Inner Gang and Outer Gang, the Grandmaster Realm is also divided into several stages. The first stage is Cultivating True Intent, where every newly promoted Grandmaster resides.

"In this stage, a Grandmaster must polish the newly cultivated True Intent and strengthen it further. Once True Intent becomes strong enough, you will naturally be able to step into the second stage of the Grandmaster Realm: True Intent Manifestation.

"True Intent Manifestation refers to the materialization of True Intent. Originally, True Intent is a kind of spiritual attack, invisible to the human eye. However, once it reaches the level of True Intent Manifestation, it becomes visible, and its power strengthens. The Mairba you defeated was at such a stage.

"The third stage is called Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, which is a unique state manifested when a Martial Artist's blood and energy reach a certain limit. Martial Artists in this stage possess the power of a Dragon Elephant and are not easily resisted by ordinary people.

"The fourth stage is known as Great Sun Furnace, which is a further transformation beyond Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. Only in this stage does a Martial Artist's Flesh truly reach its limit."

Cultivating True Intent! True Intent Manifestation! Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar! Great Sun Furnace!

Shen Changqing silently noted these four stages and suddenly felt something odd. "How come these four stages of the Grandmaster Realm do not seem interconnected?"

"It seems you have noticed." Dongfang Zhao's smile of appreciation became even more pronounced. "You're correct. In fact, upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm, a Martial Artist's path is divided into two systems: the Spiritual System and the Physical System. The True Yuan in a Martial Artist's Dantian, strictly speaking, also belongs to the Physical System."

Two systems? Shen Changqing's doubts grew deeper. However, before he could voice his question, Dongfang Zhao had already begun the next part of his explanation.

"The Spiritual System involves walking the path of Cultivating True Intent, then progressing to True Intent Manifestation. Upon completing True Intent Manifestation, that is regarded as one pinnacle a Martial Artist can reach!

"The Physical System involves walking the path of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, and then advancing to Great Sun Furnace. When this final step is taken, it is also considered a pinnacle a Martial Artist can reach.

"Strictly speaking, the two systems do not interfere with each other. However, the threshold to enter Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar is vastly more difficult than entering the gate of True Intent Manifestation. Almost all Grandmasters who have reached Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar have also crossed the threshold of True Intent Manifestation.

"Hence, many misinterpret the two stages of the Spiritual System as equivalent to the early and middle phases of the Grandmaster Realm, while the two stages of the Physical System are seen as equivalent to the Grandmaster's late and peak phases. This notion, however, is imprecise. In truth, there is no inherent disparity in strength between the two systems."

Having said a great deal in one go, Dongfang Zhao paused, giving Shen Changqing time to digest it all. What he had said was both a secret and not a secret. Any Grandmaster-level expert—nine out of ten, in fact—would understand this, unless they were the sort of Grandmasters who developed their skills in isolation, which was another matter entirely.

Spiritual System! Physical System!

Combining Dongfang Zhao's words, Shen Changqing had a great epiphany. So, after breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm, one has to pursue two systems: the Spiritual System and the Physical System.

However, Shen Changqing again felt something was amiss.

"If this is the case, my breakthrough into Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar means I've just stepped onto the threshold of the Physical System for Grandmasters. Meanwhile, Mairba had achieved True Intent Manifestation, which is considered reaching the second stage of the Spiritual System. Logically, his strength should have been greater than mine, but in fact, he was no match for me at all."

"That's because the strength of the Spiritual System only shows its advantage when it reaches a truly advanced and profound level," Dongfang Zhao answered patiently.

"When a Martial Artist achieves True Intent Manifestation, their strength doesn't increase much compared to others at a similar overall level. Its primary effect is significant suppression over those who have neither entered the True Intent threshold nor possess blood and energy strong enough to form Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar.

"Conversely, once a Martial Artist steps into the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar stage, their strength will grow significantly, allowing them to, in turn, suppress those focused only on the Spiritual System.

"Whether one is Cultivating True Intent or has just entered the gate of True Intent Manifestation, they are both essentially at an initial phase. Only when True Intent Manifestation is cultivated to a highly advanced and profound degree will it unleash truly transcendent power. At that point, an expert at the peak of the Spiritual System is not at all weaker than one at the peak of the Physical System.

"However, the difficulty of reaching that point is immense. Many merely manage to cross the threshold of True Intent Manifestation and can progress no further. So, they opt for the next best alternative and begin to walk the path of the Physical System.

"This is why the commonly accepted classifications of the Grandmaster Realm circulate in the Jianghu."

Understood! Fully understood! It's not that the Spiritual System isn't strong, but rather that very few can reach the level where its true strength manifests. Almost all Grandmasters just barely cross the threshold of True Intent Manifestation before giving up on the Spiritual System and switching to the Physical System instead. As a result, this has led to the common understanding—or misunderstanding—that all Grandmasters who achieve Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar have also passed through True Intent Manifestation, creating the illusion that the Physical System is inherently superior to the Spiritual System. Mairba had reached the second stage of the Spiritual System, True Intent Manifestation, but alas, he had merely lingered at the entrance and never delved deeper. That's why he was beaten to death by me. To put it simply, that Barbarian Clan General hadn't truly tapped into the potential power of the Spiritual System. On the contrary, I, with the help of the panel, was the one who first stepped into the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar stage.

"So, it seems the Spiritual System is easy to enter but hard to master, while the Physical System is difficult to enter, but once one gets in, the subsequent progression is easier than that of the Spiritual System?" Shen Changqing summarized.

"That's precisely right." Dongfang Zhao looked gratified, as though appraising a teachable student.

Having received confirmation, Shen Changqing temporarily set this matter aside and focused on another issue raised by Dongfang Zhao's words.

"Are you implying, Defender Dongfang, that the culmination of True Intent Manifestation is the Martial Artist's spiritual limit, and Great Sun Furnace is the limit of a Martial Artist's Flesh?"

Limit! What defines a limit is when no further progress can be made! If Grandmasters represent this limit, then what about the Heaven Rank Demon Hunters and Defender Envoys? Are they all individuals who have transcended these limits?

Shen Changqing was not sure, so he wanted to get an answer from Dongfang Zhao.

"Indeed, those represent the limits for Martial Artists."

"In that case, may I ask, Defender Dongfang, after breaking through these limits, what kind of realm does one enter?"

"Breaking through the limits?" Dongfang Zhao shook his head with a wry smile. "No one has ever been able to break through these limits. Since the establishment of the Martial Dao, the Grandmaster Realm has been the ultimate limit for all Martial Artists. Perhaps someone will be able to break through these limits in the future, but as of now, there is not a single one."

Dongfang Zhao's words sent a tremor through Shen Changqing, his expression turning to shock.

What does that mean? Grandmasters are the limit? If the limits cannot be broken, then what sort of power does a Defender Envoy possess? Are they also merely at the Grandmaster Realm? And what about the Demon Evils? Demon Evils are superior to Strange Monsters and far beyond what ordinary Grandmasters can compare to. If the Human Clan has no one who has broken these limits, then how do they contend against the Demon Evils?

For a moment, Shen Changqing found Dongfang Zhao's words somewhat ridiculous. Yet, observing the Defender Envoy's solemn demeanor, he knew this was no joke.

In response to Shen Changqing's unspoken turmoil, the smile on Dongfang Zhao's face vanished. His eyes became profound, and his expression turned melancholic. "Heaven Rank Demon Hunters are not as strong as you imagine. The Grandmaster Realm is the limit for Martial Artists, but very few truly reach that ultimate limit."

He paused, then added, "Actually, with your current stage of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, you have already qualified to join the ranks of Heaven Rank Demon Hunters."