BXBX NOVEL Chapter 81 What Is Sense Realm?
"Choose Well."
Feng Yan's words rang in his mind like a bell ringing at a shrine. They enlightened him and made his path clear.
There was no need for him to think any further. He went down on one knee as if a knight greeting his lord. He bowed to the young man with his fist on his heart.
"Please accept me, this Gu Dan as your Employee, young master!"
Ikasa looked lost at his actions, and then annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"What's with this elaborate formality? I am not knighting you! Just get up; you just need to sign a Contract!"
He said in exasperation, pinching his nose bridge. He was already getting a headache from the short time he spent with the man.
'I should just let Chu Kuang manage this guy!'
Gu Dan did not pick himself up. He looked at Ikasa and Feng Yan and asked in a hopeful tone, "Can you tell me more about the Sense realm now?"
The two visitors exchanged glances.
"Old Man, there is no harm in introducing the basics of Sense Realm to him right now, is there?"
Feng Yan looked at Ikasa and then the guy who still refused to get up from the floor. With uncertainty in his eyes, he complied with Ikasa's implied request.
"First of all, you need to know the answer to a fundamental question; What is Sense Realm?"
"Isn't that obvious? Sense realm is heightening your senses to the point they can actively perceive the energy!"
Gu Dan replied from the floor. He was sitting comfortably in a lotus position, receiving the knowledge coming from this Expert.
Feng Yan smiled but shook his head.
"That is a common perception. Before I broke through, I thought the same. However, my worldview turned upside down when I advanced."
Feng Yan reminisced about the time when he advanced.
"When I was breaking through, my mind operated by pure instinct! I felt the energy move in my surroundings. At that moment, I was not just seeing with my eyes but also with my mind. Nowhere did my senses receive augmentation during the breakthrough."
He disclosed the condition of his mind, but he hid the catalysts.
The raging battle, the looming threat of death, pain from losing his loved one… Each one of them was a catalyst. And at the same time, the events were personal, and he was unwilling to divulge them to an outsider he had just met.
What Feng Yan described contradicted what Ikasa read in the Mid-Grade Sense Realm Manual. But that did not mean he was wrong.
"Is that it? Then why do Sense Realm experts have Superior reflexes? Why are their sensory organs multiple times more sensitive?"
Gu Dan voiced his doubts, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction. Feng Yan's explanation went against everything he knew about this realm.
"And that brings me back to the question; What is Sense Realm? As long as you find an answer to this…."
Not only was Gu Dan frustrated by now, but so was Ikasa. He was also trying to seek information from what Feng Yan had to say.
"Old Man, stop beating around the bush! If he dares to go back on his word, we will ensure he never sees the sun rise again!"
Ikasa assured, understanding Feng Yan's scruples.
Gu Dan looked horrified at the casual way Ikasa spelt his doom.
'And here I assumed he was a naive young master...'
Once he got the go-ahead, Feng Yan stopped running in circles.
"The question I mentioned is important, and now I will give you my answer. The goal of the Sense Realm is reawakening Spiritual Sense."
Gu Dan was still confused, but Ikasa was reminded of the theory of the two bodies, Physical, and Spiritual.
When he heard Feng Yan explain what he meant, he confirmed that Feng Yan had drawn inspiration from this theory.
"When we are born, our Spiritual Senses and Physical senses are balanced. As an infant, you see not only an object but also its energy signature."
Feng Yan explained the theory further with more examples.
"When hearing, your ears may not hear the words of those beyond the physical realm, but your Spirit can. It can hear the needs of the energy and lure them to your body for your growth."
"The same goes for your olfactory, tactile and gustatory sense. Your Spirit helps you smell, touch, and taste what is beyond the material."
The passionate lecture of the Sense Trainer Feng reached it's core.
"And there are not five different spiritual senses that help you do this! There is only one! The Sixth Sense! It coordinates with your physical, sensory organs and elevates them to the realm of Spirituality!"
The eyes of the speaker darted between his two listeners. Ikasa had no trouble accepting it since he was familiar with the theory of Spiritual Body. That was not the case with Gu Dan.
He couldn't believe the explanation.
Heatedly, he asked, "Are you saying that everyone is born a Sense Trainer?"
Feng Yan laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the question.
"No, of course not! Everything that happens when you are a baby is involuntary! To progress in the Sense Realm, one has to obtain mastery over the Senses and recreate those same phenomena consciously. Why else would they call Sense Realm experts 'Sense Trainers'?"
The two students silently digested what they had learned. As they delved deeper, they understood how profound this knowledge was.
"If our spirit could perceive energy as a baby, but it cannot as an adult, does that mean we devolve as we grow?"
Ikasa voiced the extremely disturbing thought in his head. Feng Yan retorted immediately, as if he expected this thought from either of the two.
"Who says it cannot? The energy you absorb from the food and nature is all because of this Spirit. It is just that your Physical growth far surpasses your Spiritual growth."
"When you become completely dependent on Physical senses, your Sixth Sense becomes dormant. The cultivation is about bridging this growth gap by first clearing energy channels in the Spiritual Body to stimulate growth and then reconnecting the Sixth Sense with the other five."
The moment Feng Yan finished speaking, Gu Dan jumped to ask his question.
"Does that mean we can use better Path Forging arts even after we reach the Sense Realm to cleanse more Energy Channels?"
Feng Yan rubbed his scraggly beard and submerged into a quagmire of weird ideas.
'If the low-grade technique is upgraded to a higher grade, the energy path will be longer, but the cultivation base will also fall because of lower cleansing rate….'
'Still, that is not necessarily a bad thing… Longer energy paths also mean higher growth potential.'
'How will it affect Spiritual Sense? The stronger the spiritual body, better it can exercise the spiritual sense. So even though, it might suffer a bit early, it will recoup and even get better as the cultivation base is recovered.'
Feng Yan reached a conclusion. Gu Dan and Ikasa looked at him with eagerness, awaiting his verdict.
"Unless you reach the Chakra Sensing Realm and start mapping your Chakras, you can change and enlarge your Energy Paths!"
Gu Dan turned his greedy eyes to the High-Grade manuals on the countertop while Ikasa narrowed his eyes at Feng Yan.
The Old Man suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The reason for his unease hit him.
'Oh no! I can't refuse the manual he will give me now! Is this bastard going to be stronger than me?'
He felt a crisis in his heart. He may be weaker than him in an actual fight. Still, he had protected his dignity before his daughter by lording the higher cultivation base.
He saw Ikasa approach him with sedate steps without drawing the attention of the room's other occupant.
Feng Yan silently mourned his dying self-esteem.
'My Dignity… I will miss you….'
Ikasa stopped right in front of him and whispered, "Old Man, after the Tribute Tournament, you better use the Top Grade Manual I give and live up to my standards."
Feng Yan sighed in resignation. He cursed in his heart.
'I already have a domineering daughter… Now the husband she found is also dominating me! Fuck my life!'
He decided to play his Sense Realm Card to find the slightest sense of superiority.
"Do I need to introduce my Sense Realm Technique? I created it myself, after numerous trials and errors."
Feng Yan proudly stated, trying to show off.
Before Ikasa could respond, another voice exclaimed with a yes.
"Yes! Please!" Gu Dan replied excitedly, plopping his butt on the ground before Feng Yan.
Feng Yan looked at Ikasa with anticipation.
Ikasa wanted to say no, but he couldn't let the old man be disheartened.
'It's not like this forger can actually use what he will teach, right?'
He thought and agreed with reluctance.
Feng Yan smiled triumphantly at this small victory in his eyes.
"To restore the connection with my Spiritual self, I have chosen the path of first dulling my physical senses and using my Mind's eye to amplify them. It allows better communication and control over the energy we absorb since birth."
Taking a brief pause, he checked whether the two pupils followed what he meant in his introduction. He saw them listen attentively, eager to take in new knowledge.
Nodding with satisfaction, he proceeded to instruct them.
"Now close your eyes and try to SEE!"
Ikasa almost snorted. 'What kind of instructions were these?'
If this was how Feng Yan taught, he had an absolute guarantee that the Forger would have no choice but to use manuals he provided to break through to Sense Realm!
"Visualize your surroundings through your mind and…."
Before Feng Yan could finish his sentence, a sharp knock sounded on the closed door of the shop.
"Blacksmith Gu, The Hu Clan is here to collect taxes!"