Chapter 21: The Bamboo Child and the Art of Joint Ascension

“A few years earlier? Could there be even younger martial masters?” Lu Sheng asked curiously.

“Of course there are!” Lu Hai replied with certainty, then began to recount the story of a legendary figure from history:

“According to the ‘Martial Way Annals’ compiled by the Spring and Autumn Pavilion—known in the martial world as the Spring and Autumn Rankings—the youngest martial master was Bamboo Boy, who lived over six centuries ago.”

“He possessed an innate spiritual constitution and was born into a family of martial sages. Under his grandfather’s tutelage, he became a martial master at the age of three. From then on, he cultivated tirelessly, achieving martial sage perfection before reaching thirty, and simultaneously claimed the top spot on both the Heroic Ranking and the Celestial Ranking.”

“This honor remains his and his alone to this day!”

“To become a martial master at three years old, and to top both the Heroic and Celestial Rankings!” Lu Sheng, recalling what he knew about the Heroic Ranking and the Celestial Ranking and understanding their significance, could only marvel.

------------------

Within the martial world, there are three recognized rankings of strength: the Celestial Ranking, the Earth Ranking, and the Human Ranking. The Human Ranking, also called the Heroic Ranking, lists young martial artists under thirty; the Earth Ranking includes active martial artists under sixty who have not reached the martial sage level; while the Celestial Ranking, regardless of age, only features martial sages.

That Bamboo Boy was simultaneously first on both the Heroic and Celestial Rankings signified that he not only became a martial sage before the age of thirty, but was also foremost among all martial sages. Such talent and strength at such a young age is truly unprecedented in history.

“Did Bamboo Boy always appear as a child?” Lu Sheng asked, curious.

“Certainly not!” Lu Hai shook his head and explained:

“Bamboo Boy was optimistic and never minded his appearance. It wasn’t until he fell in love with a dazzlingly beautiful woman at thirty that he began to care about how he looked. Later, after breaking through to martial sage and becoming a grandmaster, he created a technique to remedy his physical shortcomings—a method to increase his height without harming his foundation: the Joint Extension Technique.”

“The Joint Extension Technique? Is it inspired by the growth of bamboo nodes?” Lu Sheng immediately guessed and inquired.

“Yes, the Joint Extension Technique has nine levels. Each level mastered increases height by three inches, and upon reaching the ninth level, the total height gained is two feet and seven inches. After Bamboo Boy mastered this technique, he quickly grew from a three-foot child to a robust man of five feet seven inches, thereby fulfilling his romantic destiny.”

“You must have heard of his wife’s name: none other than Grandmaster Lu Ninghua, the twelfth descendant of Emperor Jing, renowned as the Pill King and creator of the ‘Primordial Pill Sutra’!”

“Grandmaster Lu Ninghua! Is she the one who invented the Primordial Sphere Mind Refining Method?” Lu Sheng exclaimed in astonishment. After receiving the inheritance of the Primordial Sphere Mind Refining Method, though he hadn’t begun practicing it, he had skimmed through its marvels. He never expected that Bamboo Boy would be connected to the Lu clan of Great Jing, and even more, be the husband of Lu Ninghua, the creator of the Primordial Pill Sutra.

“Indeed! The couple, both serene in temperament, retired to the mountains after achieving grandmaster status. It was only when internal turmoil nearly caused the collapse of the Great Jing court that, at Emperor Xiao’s earnest request, they emerged to stabilize the situation.”

“If not for their tireless efforts, Great Jing might have perished then, and there would have been no later resurgence under the Heavenly King Lu Zhengyang!” Lu Hai sighed. As a descendant of the Lu clan of Great Jing, though not yet formally recognized as such, he held deep respect for Bamboo Boy, who had helped preserve Great Jing, and was well-versed in these historical anecdotes.

“Well, enough digression. Let’s return to the Joint Extension Technique!” Realizing he had wandered too far from the topic, Lu Hai refocused:

“The Joint Extension Technique is remarkable. As long as there is ample essence to supplement during cultivation, it not only avoids harming the foundation, but actually increases strength as the body grows taller.”

“Although it requires one to reach martial sage and be capable of infusing profound energy into the bones to practice, after its invention, many pursued it enthusiastically.”

“For a time, the martial world teemed with child martial masters, and all sorts of techniques and skills tailored for children emerged endlessly. At its peak, a quarter of those listed on the Heroic Ranking appeared as children!”

“What happened later? Did the scarcity of child martial sages cause this kind of technique to fall out of favor?” Lu Sheng wondered aloud, recalling that few formidable martial artists ever appeared in childlike form.

Lu Hai nodded slightly. “That’s exactly right!”

“Compared to normal cultivation, becoming a martial master in childhood is earlier, but due to their young age, many lacked emotional maturity. Combined with the disadvantage of small stature, those less skilled often mocked and provoked them, leading many child martial masters to develop problematic temperaments.”

“This temperamental instability is extremely detrimental for martial sages, who must gather their spirit. As a result, the path to becoming a martial sage was often arduous for these children. Most spent their whole lives unable to reach martial sage and remedy their physical shortcomings, causing much turmoil in the martial world.”

“Thus, after a period of prominence, child-based techniques gradually faded. Especially after Bamboo Boy died peacefully at 360 years old, such techniques nearly vanished. Only those naturally short in stature continued to practice them; few others did.”

------------------

“Passed away peacefully at 360? Is a grandmaster’s lifespan truly so long?” Lu Sheng exclaimed in surprise. He had long known that martial artists gained longevity upon achieving sage and grandmaster status, but never imagined they could live for centuries. If there were even higher realms above grandmaster, would immortality be possible? Lu Sheng found his anticipation for this martial world growing ever stronger.

“For grandmasters, 360 is considered short-lived!” Lu Hai explained. He then described the lifespans at various stages of martial cultivation:

“Ordinary martial artists, if they never become martial masters, suffer from excessive bodily wear and injuries that cannot fully heal, so their lifespan is usually fifty or sixty years, similar to healthy common folk.”

“But upon cultivating profound energy and becoming martial masters, they can open their senses and nurture their spirit, beginning to practice introspection. With introspection, not only do they understand their bodies deeply, but can use profound energy to repair injuries. Thus, martial masters and great martial masters typically live seventy or eighty years, and some even surpass one hundred.”

“Going further, those who reach martial sage can sense the harmony between heaven and man, constantly nourishing their bodies with environmental energy, compensating for wear. Martial sages not only maintain peak strength, but also reach their lifespan’s limit.”

“This is usually over one hundred years, most often around two cycles of sixty years. According to ‘Martial Way Annals,’ the longest-lived martial sage was a practitioner of Withering and Flourishing Profound Art from the Hundred Herbs Sect, who lived to 149.”

“As for grandmasters, their bodies undergo total transformation, achieving unity with heaven and earth. They can use environmental energy to replenish their vital essence, and generally live three or four centuries, typically around four hundred years.”

“According to ‘Martial Way Annals,’ the longest-lived grandmaster was Venerable Qingxu of the Great Void Sect in Youzhou. He cultivated his own Clear Heart Technique, derived from the ‘Great Void Canon,’ and frequently consumed Great Void Jade Elixir. His lifespan reached 626 years, witnessing the founding, decline, and resurgence of Great Jing.”

“Bamboo Boy’s peaceful passing at 360 years seems long to ordinary folk, but among grandmasters, it is considered short-lived. In fact, excepting those who died violently or from irreparable wounds, his lifespan is almost the shortest among grandmasters.”

“Whether by coincidence or other reasons, many believe that his Joint Extension Technique, which forcibly increased his height, may have damaged his vital essence, leading to his early death.”

“Thus, since then, child-based techniques have virtually disappeared!”

“If not for Lei Xuan’er achieving martial master status on her own, Lei Zun would never have taught her to cultivate so early. The consequences of her current achievements remain uncertain for her future!”