There are two types of extreme physiques, innate extreme physiques and acquired extreme physiques. Innate extreme physiques are those that a person was born with. They carry a fragment of the heavenly dao law that an ancestor of the bearer had once comprehended. That said ancestor must have also at a period of his life also owned the physique inherited.
The second type, the acquired physique,only comes after one meets the heavenly merit conditions and survives the seven colored extreme tribulation. After this tribulation, the heavens accept the newly formed physique and offers a clear path to cultivate that said physique to the peak.
In Ling Aotian's first seven colored extreme tribulation, heaven refused to accept his supreme jade physique. Only offering the name without clearly displaying the path of cultivation of this physique. Due to this, Ling Aotian's overall cultivation always hit bottlenecks when he was to advance to the next major realm. The main reason being that an extreme physique has to be cultivated in tandem to ones own realm cultivation. This means that if one acquired the physique in the core formation realm, the owner of the physique also had to cultivate it to a realm similar to the core formation realm.
For clarification, the cultivation realms are ..
Spiritual Qi awakening
•Qi Refining realm
•Body and soul tempering realm
•Core Formation realm
•Essence seal realm
•Void Shattering realm
•Heaven merging
Since Ling Aotian acquired his physique in the core formation realm, his realm would stagnate and not break through essence seal until his physique also reaches a realm similar to core formation.
The realms of each physique were unique to each other. Each physique has its own realms, and it was because of this factor that Ling Aotian's realm in his previous attempt stagnated in this stage for a hundred while years. This state was all due to heaven not acknowledging his physique, hence not clearing Aotians path by guiding him through his physiques realms.
Presently however, things were different. Ling Aotian was smiling ear to ear as he studied new knowledge given to him after heaven acknowledged his physique.
" It seems that the Supreme jade physique requires a perfect awakening to fully become complete. This should also be the reason why my path was hindered when I first cultivated this physique."
" Wait.. if it was not fully complete, how did heaven accept the realms I came up with before..?" These so called realms Ling Aotian came up with were his own creation. In his previous attempt, he had used the spirit Jade refinement technique as a guide to cultivate the supreme jade physique.
" Oh .. I see. The spirit Jade refining arts is just one half of a full. It only enabled me to refine my spirit and soul while the supreme jade physique also requires one to refine the body. Does that mean the second half of the technique is ..the Jade body refining arts..!!"
Aotian came into realization as he stared at the information transmitted to his mind via the heavenly daos. The realms information was chronically arranged , prompting Ling Aotian to read them Aloud.
" JADE QI FOUNDATION REALM."
"JADE BLOOD ESSENCE "
"JADE FLESH NOURISHMENT"
"JADE BONE MOULDING"
"JADE SPIRIT REBIRTH"
"JADE SOUL REALM"
"THREE PILLARS OF JADE.."
Below this catalogue was a mantra..a guide in the cultivation of the supreme jade physique..
"From comprehension stone, the jade light breathes.A rune awakens, and Jade Qi seethes.The world bows low where footsteps fall.As mortal breath heeds heaven's call.
Jade Qi stirs the silent strea, Blood refines in spirit's dream.Essence burns with emerald flame,Divine veins whisper an ancient name.
Flesh is fed on essence deep.Sinews stretch where spirits sleep.Viscera shine with jade's decree.A body forged in purity.
Yet flesh alone is not the peak.The spirit yearns, the soul must speak.Jade Qi entwines with unseen thread,Where dreams awaken what once was dead.
Spirit sheds its worldly haze,And soul ignites in astral blaze.What once was scattered, now is wholeThree lights conjoin in jade control.
Essence. Spirit. Soul. Unity.Three thrones in immortal jade. The heavens tremble, earth holds breath, As jade invites the Dao of death.
But death shall pass and truth shall rise, beyond the veil of mortal skies.When heaven kneels and cosmos weeps, immortality wakes from its sleep. "
Ling Aotian stared at this mantra for hours and hours, trying to understand his next step forward. This mantra gnawed at his mind. He felt like he understood what was to be done but not how he should do it. In his previous attempt in cultivating the Supreme Jade Physique, his Qi did not change. Nor did his spirit, essence or soul. He was puzzled.
Later on that day, he he decided to meditate on it. He meditated outside in the cold snow near the collapsed cave. Beside him was an egg. A bear's egg. Something that also racked his brains but he had decided to put that matter aside for now.
Ling Aotian circulated his Spiritual Qi. From his spirit body to his twelve primary meridians. From his twelve primary meridians to his Extrodinary meridians. At the convergence point however, Ling Aotian was astonished as the spiritual Qi he was circulating vanished. Never to be seen again. He was literally stunned. What did that mean...? Was his Supreme jade Physique only allowing him to use the twelve primary pathways..? That could not be the case right..!! If so, why would awakening this physique require a perfect awakening..??
He continued to send Qi to this convergence point for almost an hour. Questions pilling up as Qi vanished every time he tried forcing it to his Extrodinary meridians.
For context, for a cultivator to use skills and techniques, Qi must be circulated from one of the primary meridians to one of the Extrodinary meridians depending on the circulation requaremeny of that said skill or technique. The twelve primary Qi meriads circulate around major organs while Extrodinary meridians are spread throughout the body, interconnecting every fibre of ones being.
This meant that if Ling Aotian could not circulate his Qi into his Extrodinary meridians, he would not be able to use any battle skill or cultivation technique.
It was a disaster.
"Wait..!! Let me try using the physiques mantra."
Ling Aotian took a breath, trying to calm his mind and get into a meditative state.
" From comprehension stone, the jade light breathes
A rune awakens, and Jade Qi seethes.
The world bows low where footsteps fall,
As mortal breath heeds heaven's call." He started chanting, his voice low as he circulated his Qi.
At first, no visible change could be seen. When the Qi entered the convergence point however, hundred of thousands of narrow green meridians appeared. They were hanging in the middle of two planes. Ling Aotian could see them in the spiritual meridians plane while also in his blood vessel plane at the same time. He was utterly astonished. His mind suddenly increasing his comprehension of his physique and he uttered .. " Jade Qi stirs the silent stream, Blood refines in spirit's dream."
From this, a small droplet of jade Qi entered his Extrodinary meridians, full of vitality and condensed might. Another drop also appeared in his blood, making him invigorated. He felt his fatigue from longtime meditation drip away. He was ecstatic.
He suddenly circulated his Qi according to the Spirit Jade refining technique that his father had left for him. The results were marvelous. He saw that the speed at which the jade Qi was being produced doubled in quantity. He was further excited, to the point where he even jumped around like a young maiden. His spirits raised and his laughter soaring through the heavens.
Just what did this mean..? He couldn't wait to find out. His physique's realm was now at the ....Jade Qi foundation realm !
That same minute, he stopped circulating according to his spirit Jade refining technique and circulated a battle skill. This was a copper ranked battle skill.." the sunblade slash."
Aotian stood up, his ragged clothes waving because of the wind. He used fire attributed Qi and circulated in through his Extrodinary meridians. He positioned himself in a slashing stance and with a shout he casted.. " sunblade slash!! "
A huge semicircle of concentrated fire Qi erupted. It's wave melting aways all snow in it's path. The trees in the visinity becoming charcoal as the land became barren. Ling Aotian couldn't hold back an evil laughter.
" This power... It's comperable to a silver grade battle skill..!! " He couldnt help but exclaim.
However in the next moment, he frowned. All the jade Qi he had condensed had been used up. He circulated more and noticed a discrepancy. Via his experience as someone who had once been in the heaven merging realm, a cultivator with myriad battle skills and techniques. A cultivator carrying the whole inheritance of the Ghostly shadow sect, he noticed that the circulation of producing jade Qi was incomplete.
Ling Aotian was at a loss. The circulation being incomplete meant that forming the jade Qi and ussage rates were different. Meaning that jade Qi formation may take hours of circulation for only a few battle skills eruption. And that would also mean that the higher the grade of the skill, the more jade Qi he would use.
He needed to find a solution as soon as possible. He racked his brains,Ling Aotian thought of coming up with the circulation himself,he rejected this solution. Just how many meridians paths were their...?? If he started now, even a few lifetimes would not be enough.
The only thing he could think of was ... The jade body refining arts..!! The other half that most likely contained the second part of the circulation paths. But where would he find it. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"My father found the spirit Jade refining technique at the underground ruins of Lingfeng city. There must be some clues in that ruin.. when I get a bit stronger, I must visit that place." He stood up, his spirit reignited as he looked at the egg in his hands.
"The demon snow sect's disciple trials are soon to begin. If am not wrong, I have about a week to get to demon snow mountain." He walked through the snow, his hands holding a huge egg as his thoughts began to scheme,making mental notes about his immediate plans.