Chapter 177: Martial Siblings
Among the three paths of cultivation, Monasticism was the least explored path.
Instead of relying on cultivation manuals and techniques that harness nature’s power into extreme forms, Monasticism was centered around fashioning a scheme of progress out of self-actualization.
From his deep dive in the archives, Han Xuhan had discovered that this path was the only direct legacy of the primordial civilization of cultivators.
In the ancient times, there was no Celestial Court supervising the progress of cultivation of all beings. There was no fixed realm of cultivation, no heavenly tribulation, and no recorded cultivation techniques. Enlightenments were the only way to access powers beyond mortal grasp.
Mystic Arts and Martial Arts were just byproducts of powers explored by successful Monastics. Most cultivators weren’t even interested in gaining such abilities. Perfecting themselves in their understanding of the world was the common goal.
However, the concept of pursuing success in Monasticism was itself an erroneous path to set oneself on. Obsession with power and longevity conflicted with the goal of gaining inner peace and outer harmony.
This meant that most cultivators in the monastic path gained very little success, and those who focused on the byproducts—Martial prowess and Mystical abilities, began to rise in both numbers and strength.
As time passed, the primordial civilization became fragmented, and the laws of the cosmos shifted, making it harder for Monastics to grow in comparison to Mystic Artists and Martial Experts.
So, when the Celestial Court was born with the cooperation of unimaginably powerful cultivators from the other two paths, the legacy of Monastic cultivation became a dusty road.