Chapter Eighteen: Light and Shadow Know No Precedence, Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Cleansing May Proceed in Tandem

Sunlight poured through the window, filling the entire balcony with its warm glow.

Chen Xian stood there bare-chested, his tall and slender frame bathed in the sun, his bronze skin radiating a healthy sheen, as if forged and polished by the passage of time.

He crouched in the Dragon-Tiger stance, his feet firmly planted on the ground, as though rooted to the earth itself, merging seamlessly with it.

With each breath, his body rose and fell gently, exuding a steady, grounded aura.

Several pots of green plants adorned the balcony, their vibrant colors still blooming in this early autumn month, releasing a captivating fragrance.

A warm breeze drifted through the window, softly brushing against Chen Xian, bringing a gentle warmth that made him squint his eyes in quiet enjoyment.

“Dragon’s roar and tiger’s howl refine the organs; tiger, leopard, and thunder cleanse the essence; the dragon and tiger together embrace the golden elixir.”

As he guided the surging flow of his vital energy, Chen Xian pondered silently.

Ordinary martial arts, like the White Crane Fist he had learned, followed a progressive cultivation path through stages of brightness, darkness, transformation, elixir, energy, and spirit—practicing the bright energy before the dark.

But the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture was different. It stated plainly:

“Brightness and darkness hold no precedence; the path lies in suitability.”

According to the scripture, bright and dark energies had no fixed order. Some are naturally fierce and robust, their bodies strong and their vigor abundant—such people excel in cultivating bright energy, grasping it far more swiftly than dark energy.

Others are inherently gentle and supple, with flexible tendons and soft bones, better suited to begin with dark energy cultivation.

Dragon-Tiger Mountain, relying on the inheritance of the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture, was able to tailor teachings to each disciple’s nature from the very start, allowing them to choose the path best suited to themselves.

Its disciples were already gifted individuals; with such enlightened guidance, they could avoid many detours at the outset, making their cultivation far more effective.

This individualized instruction was a rare privilege not afforded to ordinary martial artists.

Naturally, their cultivation speed far surpassed that of other practitioners.

Reflecting on this, Chen Xian recalled the Ten Beasts Martial Hall’s Ten Beasts Divine Fist. As another transmission of enlightenment, he doubted it lacked a similar cultivation method.

“The Ten Beasts Divine Fist is a pictorial style, imitating the forms of myriad beasts.”

Just as humans possess hardness and softness, beasts do as well—the elephant’s strength, the tiger’s ferocity, the crane’s grace, the ape’s agility...

“In that case, the Ten Beasts Divine Fist must also have specialized methods for cultivating bright and dark energies, and within the hall, there must be a transmission akin to that of Dragon-Tiger Mountain.”

“Alas, such teachings are a rare treasure, possessed only by a select few core disciples of the Ten Beasts Martial Hall.”

“Still, progressing step by step, following the order of bright then dark energy, though not perfectly aligned with one’s innate talent, is nonetheless a grand and noble path.”

“Besides, now having obtained the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture, I can practice according to its recorded methods.”

Chen Xian felt increasingly fortunate for having taken risks in the past.

Had he not, he would never have acquired such a millennium-old great sect’s enlightened transmission, nor discovered that martial cultivation need not rigidly adhere to the order of bright followed by dark energy.

Moreover, the Great Profound Martial Way emphasized enhancing one’s vital energy, refining tendons and bones, transforming the physique, awakening potential, and pushing the body beyond its limits toward a progressively superhuman state.

Its division of bright, dark, transformative, elixir, energy, and spirit stages was based on the manipulation of energy, not on physical transformation.

This was because enlightened martial cultivation was about control—the human body itself being a microcosm, harboring a powerful divine reservoir.

To tap into this required mastery over oneself.

Only with sufficient control could one break through inner and outer barriers, perceive the subtlest aspects of one’s being, repair one’s deficiencies, and thus maintain a perfect, unblemished state.

Although brightness and darkness held no order, transformation followed after them, so no one could first comprehend transformation energy before cultivating bright and dark energies.

Even a transmission as enlightened as the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture could not alter this.

Chen Xian’s gratitude stemmed from the scripture’s declaration that physical transformation could proceed simultaneously.

For him, this was one of the greatest gains from obtaining the scripture.

Martial cultivation and physical transformation were not limited to bone and tendon refinement or marrow cleansing, but encompassed comprehensive metamorphosis of skin, flesh, bones, blood, organs, and marrow.

Most martial arts had clear priorities: tendon and bone refinement followed by marrow cleansing, with skin and flesh transformations occurring passively after.

But the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture was different, detailing methods for forging skin and flesh, refining organs, and renewing blood, explicitly stating these could be practiced simultaneously.

Such secrecy was invaluable to Chen Xian.

While ordinary martial artists were still refining bones, great sect disciples had already advanced to parallel transformations of skin, flesh, and tendons.

Over years and decades, the gap between them was immense.

It was no wonder that great sect disciples produced outstanding talents, while ordinary martial artists struggled to rise.

The path of cultivation emphasized progression and order—first tendons and bones, then marrow cleansing.

The Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture, however, allowed for simultaneous cultivation without hierarchy—a truly extraordinary method and an unimaginable opportunity for Chen Xian.

The various martial techniques and training methods recorded in the scripture were exquisitely profound.

Since acquiring the book, Chen Xian had been immersed day and night in unraveling its secrets, yet even with extensive annotations, comprehension was no simple task.

“All the cultivation methods recorded in the Dragon-Tiger Dan Scripture have been tested by time, refined through endless trials; they must be supreme arts.”

“Though I have just stepped into the bright energy stage, my foundation remains shallow. Fully understanding its mysteries is not something achievable overnight.”

“Such cultivation methods must be the cornerstone of great sects like Dragon-Tiger Mountain.”

“How I wish I could master all the transmissions within this scripture immediately!”

Chen Xian sighed inwardly, a burning determination filling his gaze.

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