ã€ŠWorld Transcending Dragon Paragon [HIATUS]ã€‹


 Prologue: A Mysterious Child

    Prologue: A Mysterious Child

    January 3, 2048, New York City

    The sun was setting and it was already evening. 6:00 pm. Jack Whitney, all of 22 years old, a HR Alliance Monster Spoils Traders, was reading a rather thick book while sitting on a soft plush chair. He had gained this well paying job at the age of 18 years old because his late father was a fighter for the HR Alliance. His job was to purchase monster spoils from fighters, but not many fighters came by to sell. Hence, he was usually left alone in solitude.

    ¡°The Grand Nirvana Period, huh? With the arrival of the global disaster, the true strength of humanity was exposed to the world. With the arrival of the apocalypse, the evolution of humankind took place¡­¡± As Jack read the words, his face wrinkled as he thought of the millions that had died during the ¡®Nirvana.¡¯

    Some praised it, believing it to be God offering mankind salvation.

    Some cursed it, believing it to be the Devil destroying humanity.

    But none could escape it.

    Grand Nirvana, the apocalypse of 2013 that reduced the human population to less than 20% in a single year.

    ¡­

    It was 7:00 pm. Jack was still leisurely reading the thick book. Just then, a small bell rang, the sound signifying the door being opened.

    Jack looked at the person who had opened the door. It was not a rugged fighter who had come to trade spoils of battle. It was a young boy, who looked to be around 7 years old.

    The young boy was wearing dirty clothes, and looked like he had never bathed once in his life. ¡°A street urchin? What is he doing here?¡± Jack frowned for a moment. The door to the HR Alliance Trading Store was guarded by two fighters. How had this kid entered inside?

    The kid stared at Jack for a moment. The stare unnerved Jack. Recovering his composure, he asked, ¡°What are you here for, kid?¡±

    The kid thought for a moment before answering. ¡°My name is Yulian. I want to join the HR Alliance as a fighter.¡±

    ¡°Young enough to suck your mother¡¯s tits and you want to a fighter? Go home, brat!¡± Without even thinking, he quickly answered. This kid wants to be a fighter? Was a fighter something a 7 year old brat could even dream of becoming?

    The kid, newly identified as Yulian, frowned for a moment. Then, he thrust out his palm. A simple twirl of his fingers, and the book that Jack had been reading speedily flew onto his palm.

    Jack¡¯s pupils narrowed in surprise. ¡°Y-you¡­ are a Spirit Reader?¡±

    Yulian smiled, a smug grin on his face. ¡°Still believe I can¡¯t be a fighter?¡±

    ¡­

    ¡®Oh, this guy quickly changed his track.¡¯ Yulian and Jack were eating in a restaurant. At the moment, Yulian was munching on some chicken cutlets while the Monster Spoils Trader was enjoying a sandwich. Both of them were waiting for the Spirit Reader who would verify Yulian¡¯s Spirit Reading skill.

    Yulian was now dressed in somewhat presentable clothes. He even had a nice hot bath to get the smell out of his body.

    As Yulian chomped on the chicken cutlets, he idly thought about how he had suddenly woken up in this futuristic world. ¡®It¡¯s been only 3 days since I woke up in this body¡­¡¯

    Previously, Yulian was studying as a University student. While he was returning home, he was suddenly caught up in a gang shootout and was killed by a bullet.

    Impossibly, he had woken up in the body of a 7 year old orphan with a telekinesis power! After some investigation, he realized that he had woken up in the xianxia novel, Swallowed Star!

    He had fantasized about being summoned as a hero in another world, but he never thought about being reincarnated in a xianxia! Every xianxia took place in a horrible dog-eat-dog world where the people were all crazy killers! And he was now born into this world, and would train to be a crazy killer¡­

    For a moment, he thought about getting himself registered in a orphanage, going to school and essentially living out his old life as a civilian¡­ After all, Swallowed Star took place in 2050, hence this world was relatively modern! But then, he realized that in this crazy world, something like getting killed by the aura of an extremely powerful person was actually possible¡­

    There were many ways of being killed, but the fact that he could die simply due to a person¡¯s overwhelming aura, like a mosquito who flew near a flame and was killed by the heat¡­ This type of death, would be the most horrible death!

    Yulian decided that since he was summoned to this world, it must be his destiny to become a fighter¡­ For what other reason would he end up being transported to this world?

    Yulian finished off his plate of chicken cutlets. ¡°Hey I want another plate!¡± Like a little brat, Yulian asked Jack to order another plate of chicken cutlets. The Monster Spoils Trader gave Yulian a bemused look, but still ordered another plate of chicken cutlets.

    Like this, half an hour went past. Yulian made some small talk with Jack, but mostly concentrated on eating.

    Suddenly, a black haired teenager wearing a trenchcoat came near their table. ¡°Are you Jack Whitney, the HR Alliance Trader? I was called here to check whether some kid was a Spirit Reader.¡±

    ¡­

    On hearing the cold voice of that teenager, a chill went through Yulian¡¯s back. He realized that this teenager was one of the most powerful people in the current world! ¡®This guy¡­ can turn me into dead meat with a single thought!¡¯

    Evidently, Jack Whitney also understood that. He quickly greeted the teenager and narrated the entire story of his meeting with Yulian. After hearing everything out, the teenager¡¯s lips curved into a half smile.

    ¡°My name is Catalan Paulinus¡­ I am an Advanced-level Wargod Fighter and also a Spirit Reader. I don¡¯t want to waste my time! Quickly show off your Spirit Force!¡± The teenager said that in a cold voice, sending chills through Yulian¡¯s back. Meanwhile, the name ¡®Paulinus¡¯ also seemed familiar¡­ Could it be the surname of some major character in Swallowed Star?

    In front of Catalan Paulinus, Yulian decided to give his best impression. Using his Spirit Force, Yulian delicately levitated 4 knives and cut the roast chicken on his plate to evenly sized pieces.

    ¡°You have impressive control over your Spiritual Force for your age!¡± Catalan was shocked. He thought that some kid was trying to pull a scam, but it turned out that he actually was a Spirit Reader.

    ¡°Now, I am going to check your amount of Spiritual Force. Don¡¯t move.¡± Saying this, the Catalan touched Yulian¡¯s forehead. For a moment, Yulian felt a tremor in his body as some foreign force scanned it. Knowing this was the teenager¡¯s Spiritual Force, Yulian allowed the force to scan his body without resistance.

    After the scan was complete, Yulian looked at Catalan. The extremely powerful teenager¡­ had an ugly look on his face!

    ¡°What a pity!¡± With his face like that, Yulian knew something was wrong. He braced himself for the bad news.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Your Spiritual Force is strong! Too strong, perhaps. It¡¯s a pity that your body is too weak. Due to the imbalance between your Spirit and Body¡­¡± Catalan¡¯s words were suddenly cut off in between.

    From the beginning, Yulian had been raptly listening to Catalan Paulinus¡¯s words. After all, this was the first time he was privy to information about his mysterious Spiritual Force!  ¡°Um, what do you mean by ¡®Imbalance between Spirit and Body¡¯ and ¡®Spirit Force¡¯?¡±  Yulian asked Catalan to elaborate.

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s expression, Catalan felt a wave of guilt roll through him. This kid was most likely an urchin who had accidentally discovered the ability to use Spiritual Force, and was optimistic about a new life, far from the streets! If he told the boy that he would most likely die in the next two years, the optimistic boy would certainly fall into the depths of despair!

    Even though Catalan Paulinus was an extremely powerful Fighter who had killed many people, destroying an innocent kid¡¯s dreams was still taboo for him!

    ¡°Kid, do you anything about the power you just used? It is called Spirit Force. Spirit Force is an extremely rare power, and nothing much is known about it. What is known, is that it awakens when a martial artist becomes extremely strong! Since you are a weak 7 year old kid, you can only use your Spirit Force for weak little tricks! That won¡¯t help you when you become a Fighter!¡± Catalan¡¯s words were watered down for a kid to understand, and the fact that Yulian would die if he failed to train himself was left unsaid!

    ¡°So what should I do? I live on the streets and can¡¯t get any martial arts training! Also, I have heard that powerful martial artists have to eat an extremely large amount of food. Even if I use my Spirit Force to steal food, I won¡¯t be able to get much!¡± Yulian was silently asking for food, shelter and training!

    ¡°Well, that isn¡¯t any problem! Jack Whitney! I heard that you live alone in an HR Alliance mansion by yourself, right? Not only are you not married, you also live alone in your mansion¡­ I think it won¡¯t be too much trouble for you to adopt one little kid, right? Also, arrange for his training! As a young Spirit Reader, his talent as a fighter is limitless! When he becomes a Warrior-rank fighter for the HR Alliance, you will gain many benefits too!¡± Saying this, the teenager gave Jack a credit card.

    Jack Whitney didn¡¯t want to adopt Yulian, but how could he disobey the commands of the Wargod Spirit Reader surnamed Paulinus? It was likely that this guy was related to the Paulinus Family, which was one of the members of the HR Alliance! To not obey him would be the same as courting death!

    ¡°As you say, it would be my good fortune to adopt Yulian! I will certainly take care of him!¡± Quickly, he accepted the responsibility of adopting Yulian.

    ¡°Thank you mister! One day, I will certainly become a strong Fighter like you!¡±

    ¡°Let me give you some advice. From now on, do not use you Spirit Force until your strength reaches Fighter-level. When you become a strong Spirit Reader and join the HR Alliance, I will help you to quickly rise through the ranks!¡± Catalan Paulinus looked at the young kid and secretly sighed. Long ago, he too awakened as a Spirit Reader at the age of 18. Fortunately, he was the son of two powerful Wargods and thus, his genes were strong enough to withstand his awakening! Most would-be Spirit Readers weren¡¯t so lucky! The Spirit Readers who awakened at a young age would generally die or turn into human vegetables during their awakening!

    Catalan, being a veteran Spirit Reader, could sense that¡­

    The kid before him hadn¡¯t completely awakened his Spirit Force! To be able to use his Spirit Force before his awakening meant that he had limitless potential as a Fighter!

    Unfortunately, this potential would never be realized!

    Catalan looked at Yulian. This boy could use Spirit Force with a 7 year old untrained body. Even if he was the son of Hong himself, with the bloodline of the strongest existence above a Wargod, he would still die when he awakened!

    But Catalan decided that he would allow the kid to enjoy his last 2 years of life to the fullest. After all, the thought of a Spirit Reader living on the streets and using the mighty power to steal food¡­ was simply too distasteful!

    ¡­

    The Wargod Spirit Reader left soon after that. He didn¡¯t even bother ordering anything. Yulian and Jack also finished their meals and left the restaurant.

    ¡°So kid, looks like I am going to be your father now.¡± Jack Whitney didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry as he thought about how he had abruptly become a father.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t call you ¡®dad¡¯ and you don¡¯t have to call me ¡®son¡¯. I¡¯ll say this, you just have to get me a martial arts trainer and let me live in your house and we¡¯re done. No need for the whole father-son thing, and you don¡¯t have to see my face if you don¡¯t want to. After I become a Fighter, I¡¯ll send you enough money that you don¡¯t have to worry about taking a job for the next hundred years. How about it?¡± Looking at the 22 year old man standing beside him, Yulian was sure that this guy really didn¡¯t need ¡®child-raising¡¯ on his task list.

    ¡°You don¡¯t really sound like a child right now.¡± Jack was shocked at the kid¡¯s tone. Hearing it, he felt that the childishness he had been showing before was just a fa?ade.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really feeling like faking childishness in front of you. After all, we are going to be living together for quite a while.¡± In his previous life, Yulian lived in a gang-torn slum in Detroit with his mother. His father had left her long ago, and like this, Yulian didn¡¯t really have a chance to have a childhood. When he was 13 years old, his mother died due to an illness and Yulian was left to survive all alone. He knew how to take care of himself.

    ¡°Well, you sound like you can take care of yourself. That¡¯s good for me, I suppose.¡± Earlier, he had the thought of raising Yulian like his child, giving him the love his father failed to provide him, but on a second thought, this kid wouldn¡¯t appreciate it at all.

    Jack whipped out his cellphone and tapped the screen a few times. Two minutes later, a taxi with an HR Alliance sign on it stopped before the two! Amazingly, the car did not have a driver!

    Yulian had difficulty keeping his face straight. This¡­ was a driverless car! In 2014, Google¡¯s HQ at Silicon Valley kept a few driverless cars running just to show that they could, but in 2048, it had actually been made commercial!

    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you going to get inside?¡± Jack motioned Yulian to enter the car.

    Yulian quickly entered the car. After him, his new ¡®father¡¯ Jack followed. The driverless car began moving. To Yulian¡¯s new home. To Yulian¡¯s new destiny.

 Chapter 2: Spirit Force

    Chapter 2: Spirit Force

    The next day, Yulian woke up at 6:00 am. In his previous life, he normally woke up at 7:30 am, so he thought that this must be something inherited from the previous owner of the body. Getting out of the bed, he did a few stretches and had a long look at his new room.

    Yesterday, after arriving at Jack¡¯s mansion, he immediately went to sleep. He really enjoyed sleeping on an ordinary bed after the two days spent on the streets.

    Having woken up, he got out of his room and looked around the mansion. Yesterday night, when he arrived at the mansion, he was filled with the desire to sleep and completely ignored the mansion.

    But as he looked around, he found that the mansion was extremely luxurious! There were no two words about it; it could probably compare to a five-star restaurant from 2015! Yulian decided that his first task in this new day was to find a bathroom in the giant mansion.

    Like a little kid, he excitedly explored every inch of the mansion. There were around 20 rooms in the mansion. Some were used for storage while some were completely untouched. After some time exploring, Yulian found an extremely large, quiet room with a simple Yin-Yang poster, some cupboards and machines. After checking the cupboards, Yulian found out that they were filled with metal weapons!

    Yulian did not dare to touch a single weapon. From what it looked like, this appeared to be a Fighter¡¯s training room. This room was once used by Jack Whitney¡¯s father.

    As Yulian looked around, the quietness was shattered by a few words. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would wake up this early.¡± The speaker was, of course, the owner of the house, Jack Whitney.

    ¡°This room is a specially built training room for fighters. My father used to train here a lot. I believe that you¡¯ll be using this room quite often. I¡¯ll show you everything here¡­ after you have a bath. Come, I¡¯ll take you to the bathroom.¡± With a wry smile on his face, Jack motioned Yulian to follow him.

    ¡­

    After a two minute long walk, Yulian and Jack made their way to a huge, luxurious bathroom. The bathroom could have housed around 20 people inside it.

    ¡°Why would someone build such a huge bathroom? This is simply a waste of space!¡± Yulian said this as a simple exclamation. He did not think that Jack would actually reply.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. Let me show you around this huge bathroom.¡± Saying this, Jack took Yulian on a tour through the ridiculously luxurious bathroom.

    ¡°¡­And in this cabinet here, we store the toothbrush and toothpaste. By the way, this box has your new dental cleaning implements.¡± Like this, Jack finished the tour of the bathroom by gifting Yulian a box containing said toothbrush and toothpaste.

    Opening the box revealed a nice, new kiddy sized toothbrush and some toothpaste. ¡®This guy actually went out to buy this toothbrush for me in the middle of the night after Catalan Paulinus intimidated him?¡¯

    Answering Yulian¡¯s unspoken question, Jack said, ¡°Martha bought this for you when she went shopping for today¡¯s breakfast. Oh, Martha¡¯s the maid.¡±

    ¡°Maid, huh? Of course, this extremely huge mansion must have a maid to take care of it. Of course¡­Wait a moment. This huge mansion only has a single maid to take care of things!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Martha is pretty strong! She is an Elite-level Martial Artist, a step away from becoming a Fighter! As a maid, she takes care of the entire house! She cleans, she cooks and if the need arrives, she can serve as my bodyguard too!¡± The stoic Monster Spoils Trader¡¯s expression has changed into a smile of admiration as he expounded on his maid¡¯s virtues.

    ¡°So you have fallen for your maid, huh? How immoral.¡± As he teased Jack, the image of a stereotypical anime maid wearing a cute French Maid outfit appeared in his mind.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t like that! Now quickly brush yourself and have a bath! And be quick with it, otherwise your breakfast will grow cold!¡± Jack blushed for a moment and rushed to the dining room for his breakfast.

    ¡°Heh. This guy is a total beta!¡± Yulian smirked as he finally squeezed out some toothpaste to apply it on his toothbrush.

    ¡­

    ¡°How long is that kid going to spend bathing? It¡¯s been half an hour already!¡± Jack complained as his maid picked up the dishes.

    Just then, Yulian walked into the dining room. ¡°Actually, I was done bathing 10 minutes earlier. I took the rest of the time to find the kitchen. This mansion is ridiculously large!¡±

    ¡°Speak the devil¡¯s name and he appears¡­ Well, quickly come here. Martha, our little genius has arrived. Reheat the dishes for him.¡±

    Martha finished picking up the dishes just after Yulian¡¯s arrival. Yulian had a look at the powerful maid who took care of the mansion. Dressed in a French maid outfit, Martha was a beautiful young woman. Due to her rigorous training she should have built up powerful muscles, yet Yulian could not notice such superficial signs of strength on her body!

    Yulian was clear with one fact! Even if she looked beautiful, she was also an Elite-level martial artist! She was certainly the strongest person among the trio!

    Yulian, feeling intimidated by looking at her, quickly took a chair beside Jack and waited for his breakfast. But just as Yulian sat down, Jack got up from his chair. ¡°My breakfast is done. Since I have been given a holiday for a week thanks to someone, I¡¯ll have a look at the newspaper now.¡± Saying this, he stalked away to look at his newspaper.

    Like this, Yulian ate breakfast alone, in the company of a dangerous looking maid.

    ¡­Breakfast was finished quickly.

    ¡­

    After this, as promised, Jack showed him around the training room. ¡°Every Mansion provided to a Fighter has such Training Arena. My late father was an Advanced-Stage Warrior, hence this Arena has better facilities.¡±

    Gesturing to the steel cupboards filled with weapons, Jack spoke. ¡°All these cupboards are filled with training weapons. The weapons won¡¯t last a moment against monsters. For that, you need Ke-Luo Alloy weapons. However, all these weapons have a large weight and good balance. They will suffice as training aids.¡±

    After this, Jack motioned him to a large machine. The machine had a large screen and a fist-pad which was intended for sustaining punches. Walking up to it, he spoke. ¡°This is a Fist Testing Machine. It measures the fist strength of a person.¡± He struck the fist pad with a casual punch.

    ¡°786 kg!¡±

    Seeing the number, Yulian was rather surprised. From his information about the world, the fist strength of 786 kg was high for a civilian, since the benchmark for a Beginner Fighter was 900 kg! Also, the punch was rather casual, which meant that Jack did not use his full strength. This young man who looked like an ordinary paper-pusher was actually quite powerful!

    ¡°Try it out.¡± Hearing Jack¡¯s faint words, Yulian walked up to the Fist Testing Machine and attacked with a firm punch.

    ¡°78 kg!¡± Seeing Yulian¡¯s fist strength, a crease appeared on Jack¡¯s lips. He appeared to be somewhat amused. ¡°This fist strength is certainly good for someone like you with a skinny, malnourished body and no martial training. So it is true that Spirit Readers have naturally powerful bodies.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ I need to train in martial arts and eat healthy food to recover from my malnourishment. That is the entire reason I needed to get employed by the HR Alliance.¡±

    ¡°What about school? I don¡¯t believe you have been attending any school. Are you planning to ignore education?¡± This was a world where strength reigned, but being uneducated and stupid was certainly a bad choice.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°For the moment¡­ I do not wish to attend school. I want to practice martial arts and recover the impact of malnutrition on my body. Therefore, I¡¯ll attend school from next year.¡± With a soft smile, Yulian conveyed his intentions.

    Yulian did not know the problem with his body, but since it had alarmed Catalan Paulinus, it would certainly be no small issue. To find more information about his condition would take some time. And any attempts to cure his condition would take even more time.

    In any case, Yulian certainly did not have time to attend school and revisit concepts he had memorized since a long time!

    Jack nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that, but I don¡¯t mind if you stall school for a year. But remember, education is extremely important.¡±

    After this, Jack introduced other training machines to Yulian, who eagerly memorized their functions.

    ¡­

    7:30 am. Yulian was browsing the internet in his own room. Since he came to this new world, he always wanted to have access to a computer. His previous world was the world of information explosion, and the main catalyst for it was the internet. This was year 2048. From what he knew from the story of Swallowed Star, there should be a site selling Genetic Energy techniques to Fighters.

    Before searching for Martial Arts to specialize in, Yulian wanted to know more about Spirit Force. Yesterday, during his meeting with Catalan Paulinus, he sensed that the veteran Fighter was hiding something about Yulian¡¯s Spiritual Force.

    Firstly, Yulian went to Google and searched for ¡®Spiritual Force¡¯. Surprisingly few results came up for that, and they were filled with obvious information. Next, Yulian searched for ¡®Spiritual Force Cultivation Technique¡¯. Zero results came up.

    ¡®Could it be that this information isn¡¯t available to normal civilians? Then what should I do?¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, Yulian decided that Jack Whitney, as an employee of the HR Alliance, might have clearance to access the information needed by him!

    ¡­

    ¡°Jack! I need your help!¡± After 10 minutes of searching, Yulian finally found the owner of the house, Jack Whitney.

    ¡°Why do you need my help?¡±

    ¡°As a civilian, my access to the information on the internet is pretty restricted. Even though you are a civilian too, you are also a Monster Spoils Trader and have regular interaction with fighters so I thought that¡­!¡±

    ¡°Well, you guessed right. I have access to Warlord-level threads on the HR Alliance site!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Come with me!¡± Yulian almost dragged Jack to his room. ¡°Geez! No need to be so excited¡­¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°So you were searching on Google.com, huh? It¡¯s a pretty old search engine without the latest AI algorithms¡­ ¡± As he said this, Jack almost instantly typed up the name of a site.

    ¡°Pretty fast typing speed¡­¡± Yulian could only watch on as Jack typed at a blindingly fast speed.

    ¡°That¡¯s the HR Alliance Search Engine. It¡¯s specially configured for Fighters belonging to the Alliance. As a Monster Spoilers Trader, I have the permission to view threads available to Warlord-level fighters.¡± Jack quickly logged in and typed up a User ID and Password. Now what topic do you want to search on?¡±

    ¡°Spirit Force!¡±

    In less than a second, the words were typed out on the monitor, showing quite a few numbers of results.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go away now. I have logged in with my credentials, so you can check all the threads you want to.¡± Saying this, Jack quickly left the room. For a moment, Yulian wondered why Jack left in such a hurry.

    Discarding the thought, Yulian quickly clicked on the first thread in the list. He carefully began reading through the information that had popped up. ¡°Spiritual Force is an extremely rare power possessed by Spirit Readers. It allows the fighter to use telekinesis powers to control objects! It is rumored that there are powerful Spirit Reader techniques that can directly attack the soul, killing without any physical damage! Also, Spirit Readers have a greater talent in cultivating Genetic Energy!

    Spirit Readers can access their mental realm in the space between their two eyebrows. Inside the Mental Realm of a Spirit Reader, there is a large amount of mist in the Mental Realm! This denotes the level of Spiritual Force available to the Spirit Reader! Also, very rarely, there is a liquid, semi-solid or solid object floating within the Mental Realm! This object denotes the latent Spiritual Force of the Spirit Reader! As long as the Spirit Reader continues cultivating his Genetic Energy, the object will gradually dissolve into gaseous Spirit Force!

    Unfortunately, powerful Spirit Readers are extremely rare! This is because most powerful Spirit Readers awaken early, before they begin training their body! When they awaken as a Spirit Reader, a huge amount of powerful spiritual force explodes in their sub-consciousness! If their awakening fails, they might become a retard or a vegetable!

    Fighters whose parents are also powerful fighters are born with stronger genes! If a child of two powerful Fighters is also Spirit Reader, due to his powerful genes, he will be able to withstand the powerful Spiritual Force! This person will suffer from migraines and might also fall into comas due to the large gap between physical and mental strength! When he begins training to be a Warrior, the headaches will gradually decrease until he finally awakens Spiritual Force!¡±

    After that, Yulian read the other threads about Spirit Readers and Spiritual Force. Mostly, the same information was copied in them. There wasn¡¯t any information about a Spiritual Force cultivation technique.

    ¡­

    After reading all the articles, Yulian fell into thought. He had wondered how the previous occupant of his body had died. From reading the posts, he could guess that his soul had departed the body during the awakening of Spiritual Force, allowing Yulian¡¯s soul to take over his body.

    During the three days that Yulian had experienced in the world, he didn¡¯t have the slightest hint if a headache. Yulian decided that perhaps, the failed Awakening of Spiritual Force which killed the previous owner of his body, had also significantly increased his strength to the level that his body could safely handle Spiritual Force!

    However, Yulian remembered Catalan Paulinus¡¯s words, ¡°Your Spiritual Force is strong! Too strong, perhaps. It¡¯s a pity that your body is too weak. Due to the imbalance between your Spirit and Body¡­¡±

    Catalan Paulinus specifically said that Yulian¡¯s body was weak! Thus, Yulian¡¯s previous hypothesis of the strength of his body having increased¡­ must be wrong!

    He tried to connect Catalan Paulinus¡¯s words to the information on Spiritual Force he had read on the internet. ¡®If a child of two powerful Fighters is also Spirit Reader, due to his powerful genes, he will be able to withstand the powerful Spiritual Force! This person will suffer from migraines and might also fall into comas due to the large gap between physical and mental strength!¡¯

    Slowly, Yulian began analyzing the information he possessed to form a new hypothesis.

    What will happen to a child possessing powerful Spiritual Force, who unfortunately does not possess powerful genes? Since his body does not have the ability to withstand Spiritual Force, he will not have migraines or fall into a coma.

    When a child of a Wargod might have a migraine or fall into a coma, the child not blessed with such genes will not be able to bear the strain of his Spiritual Force. He will simply die.

    ¡°Since my body isn¡¯t strong enough to weather my Spiritual Force, I¡¯ll simply die?¡± Yulian said these words with a numb expression on his face.

 Chapter 3: Nine Yang Thunder Fist

    Chapter 3: Nine Yang Thunder Fist

    After some time, Yulian managed to compose himself.

    ¡°Since my body isn¡¯t strong enough to weather my Spiritual Force, there is only one option if I wish to survive! I will have to strengthen my body! A body strong enough to withstand my Spiritual Force!¡±

    Bravely making this decision, Yulian put up a search query for ¡®martial arts techniques suitable for ordinary martial artists (not Fighters) to practice in¡¯.

    Almost instantly, a list of ¡®Foundation-level Martial Art techniques¡¯ came up. Foundation-level martial arts were techniques suitable for young martial artists training to be Fighters. These martial arts help to build a foundation for a career as a Fighter. Since these Martial Arts were targeted towards martial artists aiming to be Fighters, they were put up for free.

    In all, there was a large list of Foundation Martial Arts techniques, beginning from Grade E to Grade A. As expected, the absolute worst Foundation Martial Arts techniques were graded E, while the absolute best were graded A.

    Yulian had a casual look through the E-grade Foundation Martial Arts. Some martial arts from year 2014, like karate, judo, kickboxing, etc. were listed. For a moment, Yulian felt disappointed. He was an avid practitioner of kickboxing in his previous life.

    Yulian quickly scrolled down to the end of the page, where the Grade A Foundation Martial Arts were listed.

    ¡°Nine Yang Thunder Fist, Flame Destruction Spear Fist, Dance of Myriad Shadows¡­¡± Not surprisingly, these martial arts techniques had rather cool names. Yulian had a look at the first martial art technique, Nine Yang Thunder Fist.

    ¡°The Nine Yang Thunder Fist is an abridged version of the legendary ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯ technique, created by the legendary Fighter ¡®Thunder Lord¡¯. The Nine Yang Thunder Fist consists of two techniques, the breathing technique, ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ and the unarmed combat technique ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯.

    The Nine Yang Thunder Fist is a technique that can train the internal passages and the external body. Most importantly, it creates a good foundation for the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯ technique, allowing the user to train to a high level in the technique!¡±

    After reading the technique description, Yulian decided that he would train in this technique!

    The reason was simple! The protagonist of Swallowed Star, Luo Feng, trained in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! This meant that the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique was the best technique! And thus, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, the abridged version of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, was the best Foundation level technique!

    ¡­

    After downloading the technique manual and practice videos, Yulian decided to have a look at the list of martial arts instructors.

    It was possible to hire instructors to teach the Nine Yang Thunder Fist. Yulian decided that he would have a glance at the technique instructor profiles. If he found a person suitable for training him, Yulian would ask Jack to hire him. The price wouldn¡¯t matter. After all, it was a question of Yulian¡¯s life. In the end, if Yulian managed to survive, he would pay back Jack after he became a Fighter.

    Like this, Yulian began looking up the profiles of the instructors capable of training him in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist.

    ¡­

    Twenty minutes later, Yulian had a long look at the profiles of the instructors capable of training him. Unfortunately, most of them were crippled, having lost their eyes, arms, etc. Naturally, they all were retired Fighters, since having lost limbs made it impossible for them to fight.

    The best Fighter in the horde of cripples was an Intermediate Warlord level Fighter, Zhang Wei. In actuality, he too had lost his left foot, but he had it replaced with a prosthetic, so he was a capable, active Fighter.

    Name: Zhang Wei

    Age: 36

    Rank: Intermediate Warlord

    Status: Active

    Technique: Nine Stage Thunder Blade ¨C Stage 2 Mastered

    Note: Lost left foot during a battle, replaced with Bionic Armament Prosthetic.

    The man was a black haired, rugged Chinese man with powerful muscles. The coldness of his eyes caused Yulian¡¯s heart to skip a beat!

    This Zhang Wei was certainly the best trainer in the group. His skill with the Nine Stage Thunder Blade was the highest. Unfortunately, he had lost his foot, but since it had been replaced with a Bionic Armament Prosthetic, it wouldn¡¯t interfere when he was teaching the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique. After all, he would only be teaching an abridged part of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique.

    Yulian immediately called Jack and ordered him to his room! He had an instructor to hire!

    ¡­

    ¡°I want to hire this guy. How much does he cost?¡± Yulian pointed at Zhang Wei¡¯s title on the monitor. Jack quickly checked and replied, ¡°10 million!¡±

    ¡°Can you afford it?¡± Yulian didn¡¯t want to impose on Jack too much.

    Fortunately, Jack immediately replied, ¡°Afford it? 10 million is chump change for me!¡± While speaking, he even sounded as if he was insulted!

    Jack quickly sent a Private Message to the guy. Five minutes later, Zhang Wei replied. Fifteen minutes of furious typing ensued, and Yulian¡¯s training schedule was quickly hammered out.

    ¡°Zhang Wei will train you for every Sunday for this month, starting from tomorrow! This means¡­ that he¡¯ll only train you for four days! In this month, he will train you in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist! On the bright side, you can have him train you for as long as you want, so you must take full advantage of his assistance to train!¡±

    Yulian quietly nodded. For the next month, the Warlord expert Zhang Wei will be training him! In this one month, Yulian promised to himself, that he will certainly master the Nine Yang Thunder Fist to become a Warrior!

    ¡­

    Jack quickly left after the matter about hiring Zhang Wei was done. After Jack left, Yulian decided to practice the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique!

    The practice methods for the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique were freely available on the internet! He had already downloaded the videos and instruction manual! After some time watching the videos of Fighters performing the technique, Yulian began copying them!

    In most xianxia novels, cultivation involved refining the essence of Heaven and Earth into the Dantian, breaking through blocked meridians, purifying the internal body and other esoteric exercises. By reading such grand words, the enthusiasm of an aspirant martial artist would be nearly destroyed! Fortunately, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist was pretty simple to understand!

    The Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique consisted of a breathing technique and a barehanded fighting technique. By synchronizing the body movements and breathing technique, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist would train the body to surpass its limits. Theoretically, it was possible for a Fighter training in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique to comprehend the first stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique!

    Yulian sat down in a cross-legged posture, training in the Nine Yang breathing technique. All his concentration was focused on his breath.

    Breath in, breath out¡­ As Yulian practiced the Nine Yang breathing technique, he faintly began to feel the circulation of energy within his body. As Yulian carried out the breathing technique, his perception of the current of energy flowing through his body began to get clearer and clearer.

    Yulian, fascinated by the process, continued his meditation. Soon, he could completely sense the flow and circulation of the mysterious energy inside his body. Just then, Yulian flinched as a cold chill went through his feet. Yulian immediately stopped his breathing technique and stood up.

    Yulian immediately found out that under his feet, a pool of water had formed. Checking himself, he found out that his entire body was red! His body was as hot as a cooked chicken! The pool of water turned out to be sweat! He was sure that if he had checked his body temperature, it would have shown a large number.

    For a moment, Yulian flinched. While meditating, he was in a trance-like state. If he wasn¡¯t distracted by the cold chill from his own sweat¡­ perhaps, he would have exploded from the inside!

    Yulian immediately took a deep breath and calmed himself. Today, he had resolved himself to become strong enough to survive but somehow, he ended up having a near-death experience in no time at all!

    ¡°Before everything, I should have a drink of water. So much sweat¡­ I am pretty sure I am dehydrated now.¡± Surprisingly, the usual symptoms of dehydration were absent. Yulian did not feel even a little dizzy.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡­

    In the end, Yulian did not rush down to the kitchen for water. He called the Elite-Rank maid, Martha, and asked her to fetch him water. When Martha brought him a 10 liter canister of mineral water, he ended up nearly emptying it before his thirst was gone. When Yulian did that, Martha wasn¡¯t surprised at all. Yulian did not realize that the ¡®mineral water¡¯ from 2048 was more than ten times more effective than any ¡®sports drink¡¯ from 2014! After drinking it, Yulian¡¯s skin color turned from red to white again, and a refreshing feeling went through his body.

    In the end, Martha shifted 50 large packs of mineral water bottles to his room. The packs of water were stuffed in the room cupboards so that if there was another such ¡®emergency¡¯, he could be prepared.

    ¡­

    After checking the time and some simple calculations, Yulian found out that it was 10:30 am! He unknowingly spent two and a half hours in meditation!

    The Nine Yang Thunder Fist manual explained that it was difficult for most beginners to train in the breathing technique, yet surprisingly, Yulian ended up training for two and a half hours! From this, Yulian concluded that the fact he had read on the internet, ¡®All Spirit Readers are blessed with great talent in martial training¡¯, was indeed true!

    After searching on the internet, Yulian found out that the reason why his body began heating up! The ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique was basically a simplified version of the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯! As it turned out, the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique would internally train the body through the circulation of Genetic Energy. Even though it was impossible to cultivate genetic energy from the world without becoming a Fighter, it was still possible to sense and circulate the Genetic Energy within the body. Meanwhile, the ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯ technique trained the body externally, by strengthening the bones and muscles, to increase the strength capable of being exerted by the body.

    By training the two in tandem, the body would be trained from the inside-out!

    Yulian quickly went through some quick warm-up exercises! After that, he earnestly began training in the Thunder Fist technique! Before, when he was practicing the breathing technique, the circulation of his innate Genetic Energy filled him up with a large amount of energy!

    By training in the Thunder Fist technique, he slowly burnt this energy up!

    Fingers, fist, arms, neck, legs¡­ Every muscle in Yulian¡¯s body was strained to its extreme as Yulian trained in the Thunder Fist technique. As he switched between stances and shifted his body, the flexibility of his body was tested. Like this, Yulian continued his training.

    ¡­

    Two and a half hours had passed by when Yulian finished his training. Every part of his body had been fully exhausted. Yulian quickly wiped his sweaty body with a towel as he panted.

    It was 1:00 pm now. Yulian was astounded at the endurance level of his body! Bitter training for 2.5 hours with a 7 year old body¡­ This was something only a wuxia or xianxia protagonist was capable of.

    ¡®Well, I somehow ended up in a xianxia world, so I guess that I am a xianxia protagonist now.¡¯ Yulian wryly smiled as he thought about it.

    After training his body for two and a half hours, Yulian was filled with hunger. After wiping his body, Yulian put on his clothes and walked down to the kitchen for lunch.

    ¡­

    ¡°Yulian, you have eaten two plates full and you are still hungry? The ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ must be very taxing on your body!¡± The Elite-rank maid, Martha laughed as she once more piled Yulian¡¯s plate with food. Yulian quickly devoured it.

    ¡°Thanks! I am full now!¡± The meat was from monsters killed by Fighters! Eating it was very nourishing to the body.

    Yulian left the task of cleaning up the plates to Martha. He quickly ran back to his room!

    After performing a few flexibility exercises created to aid digestion, Yulian returned to his Nine Yang Thunder Fist training.

    Previously, Yulian had been independently performing the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique and the ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯ unarmed fighting technique. Now, he decided that he would combine the two techniques to train in the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ Foundation level martial art!

    An ordinary fighter would find it impossible to comprehend the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ and ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯ techniques in a day! Yulian was sure that he was a talented in martial arts and perhaps, a genius!

    All his exhaustion from his earlier training had disappeared. Yulian started using the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique. The Genetic Energy began circulating in his body. At the same time, he twisted his body in the stances of the ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯ technique!

    Performing two tasks at once was taxing to any mind. But surprisingly, Yulian could perform the two tasks of training his breathing technique and fist technique at the same time, with utter ease. For a moment, Yulian stopped training and wondered- could this be the ¡®Mental Dividing¡¯ technique famous in xianxia and wuxia novels?

    Immediately, Yulian decided to test that. He quickly searched around the room and found two pens and a notebook. He opened the notebook, grasped the two pens in his two hands and began writing.

    On the left page, he wrote ¡®Yulian¡¯. On the right, ¡®Starlighter¡¯. He wrote the two words, with different hands, at the same time!

    Seeing that, Yulian was amazed. The ability to divide his mind into two meant that he could simultaneously train in the two techniques of the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯. It also meant that his perception and comprehension in the field of martial arts would be extraordinary. But above everything, it meant that he could survive.

    Having identified his rare talent, Yulian was filled up by a burst of enthusiasm. He immediately returned to practicing the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯.

    ¡­

    Synchronizing the movements of the external body with the circulation of internal energy. When Yulian punched, he circulated his Genetic Energy to his fists! When he kicked, he circulated Genetic Energy to his feet! Due to this, the strength displayed by him was vastly increased! Due to the simultaneous training of his external body with his internal energy, his entire body was being slowly refined!

    Yulian could sense the slow evolution of his body as he trained his body! He couldn¡¯t help but immerse himself into the feeling. As Yulian concentrated and trained his body, he gradually lost all track of time¡­

    ¡­

    It was 9:00 pm. Soon, it would be time for dinner. Yulian Starlighter had fallen in an awkward position on the floor. He had carried out an astonishing 7 hours of continuous training! This was his first time training in martial arts in this world, and he ended up training for half the day¡­ Yulian did not know whether to laugh or cry.

    Yulian¡¯s sweaty body was splayed on the floor. Every inch of his body was strained by his ruthless training. Completely exhausted, Yulian did not even have the strength to lift himself up from the floor.

    Fallen on the floor and unable to move, Yulian fell into thought. Today, he trained for 12 hours! In his previous life, the longest Yulian had trained himself was for 5 hours, when he was practicing for a kickboxing tournament.

    The reason he trained for this long, was not only because of motivation from his imminent death if he failed to practice! He trained because it was amazingly effective! In his previous life, only after diligent training for decades would martial arts have a major effect on a person¡¯s fighting skill! Noticeable improvement of the body after a single day¡¯s training was impossible!

    But today, Yulian had diligently trained for the majority of the day, and he could clearly feel that he had improved! Just this simple fact made training especially addictive for Yulian!

    Pursue your limits, surpass your limits! After surpassing the limit of 900 kg. fist strength, Yulian would become a fighter with the ability to cultivate Genetic Energy! After that, he would awaken his Spiritual Force and become an unrivalled fighter!

    Just then, his cellphone (provided by Jack earlier) started ringing. Yulian forced his body to stand up and accepted the call. ¡°Yulian! Quickly come to the dinner room!¡± Jack¡¯s harsh voice sounded on the phone.

    ¡°Yeah, I am coming!¡± Yulian got up from the floor and went down for dinner. Having exhausted his energy in training, a good meal would be paramount in regaining it!

 Chapter 4: First Training Session with Zhang Wei

    Chapter 4: First Training Session with Zhang Wei

    It was 6:45 am, in the morning. In the large training arena of Jack Whitney¡¯s mansion, Yulian Starlighter was demonstrating his ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ technique to his new teacher, Zhang Wei.

    ¡®Peng!¡¯ ¡®Peng!¡¯¡®Peng!¡¯

    Small sounds rang out as Yulian¡¯s tiny fists struck a soft pad in the middle of a cupboard sized machine. The machine was extremely famous and used by all the fighters in this age¡­ the Fist Testing Machine! Genetic Energy circulated inside his body as his external body gracefully shifted between stances! As Yulian showed off his skill, numbers flashed on the machine¡¯s display.

    ¡®178 kg!¡¯ ¡®182 kg!¡¯ ¡®187 kg!¡¯ ¡®189 kg!¡¯

    Yulian was extremely surprised seeing the results. Unbelievably, his fist strength had risen by 100 kg overnight! However, he did not fail to cover his surprise and hurriedly cupped his hands in a martial salute as he eagerly awaited his new teacher¡¯s opinion.

    Meanwhile, Zhang Wei, Yulian¡¯s new teacher, was completely dumbfounded by Yulian¡¯s skill. ¡®Is this boy¡­ really a 7 year old kid? Since when has he been training in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist?¡¯ As a practitioner of the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯, Zhang Wei knew that training even in the abridged ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ was extremely difficult!

    But somehow, the 7 year old child in front of him had nearly mastered the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯! At this level, Zhang Wei¡¯s guidance was nearly useless! How was this even possible? Zhang Wei had no choice but to believe that the boy in front of him was a martial arts genius!

    In fact, the reason for Yulian¡¯s skill was the high amount of mental energy in his head, a remnant from the failed awakening of Spiritual Force which killed the previous owner of his body! The mental energy increased the cognitive processes of Yulian¡¯s brain, allowing him to even divide his mind!

    ¡°Your comprehension of the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ is extremely high! To speak honestly, at your current level, I believe my guidance will be meaningless!¡± Zhang Wei honestly stated his opinion on Yulian¡¯s skill.

    ¡°If it¡¯s like that¡­ then what can you train me in?¡± Yulian curiously asked Zhang Wei. Hiring a Warlord-level instructor for 10 million dollars and not having him teach anything would be too wasteful!

    ¡°The ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ is an abridged technique of the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯! The ¡®fist techniques¡¯ which are a part of the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯¡­ are in fact, techniques which are helpful in raising the amount of strength exerted while wielding a blade! Since it¡¯s like that, I will be teaching you basic sword techniques which will complement the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! Also I have noticed that even though your comprehension of the Nine Yang Thunder Fist is high, your overall strength is still low! Since it¡¯s like this, I will also help you efficiently train in the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯!¡±

    ¡°Now, are you willing to have me teach you martial arts? Think about it. With your amazing potential, even if you self-study, you can rise to great heights!¡± In a cold tone, Zhang Wei replied to Yulian¡¯s question.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll actually pass up a chance to learn martial arts from a Warlord-level fighter? Of course, I want to learn the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ from you!¡± Not even a second passed before Yulian reaffirmed his choice of training his martial arts under Zhang Wei¡¯s tutelage!

    Hearing Yulian¡¯s prompt answer, Zhang Wei was struck by pleasant surprise! In actuality, Zhang Wei certainly didn¡¯t want to pass up on training such a precocious martial arts genius! When Zhang Wei was offered 10 million dollars for training a 7 year old brat, he thought that it would be easy money. He would show up for an hour for a month, force some shitty brat to morning exercise and go home!

    The ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ is an abridged part of the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯ technique. Even so, it is ridiculously difficult! Even full-fledged Fighters have difficulty in training in the technique! But somehow, a 7 year old boy was perfectly performing the technique! It was obvious that when he grew up, barring some unforeseen circumstances, he would surely become a legendary Fighter, capable of shaking the land and the seas!

    Zhang Wei was a person who prided himself on his honesty. But for the sake of having a chance to be the first martial arts teacher of such a prodigy, he decided to lie!

    While the fact that the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ was a technique created to complement a sword was correct, Zhang Wei¡¯s remark, ¡®Yulian¡¯s overall strength is low¡¯ was a blatant lie!

    Fist strength greater than 150 was certainly top grade, even among 10 year old children! Most 7 year old children hadn¡¯t even started martial arts training! 10 years of age was considered the proper time to begin training in martial arts.

    ¡­

    ¡°Now, I will have to ask you¡­ which type of sword do you wish to train in?¡±

    Yulian had already made his decision. ¡°The weapon I want to train in¡­ is a heavy weapon! A two-handed great sword!¡±

    ¡°A two handed great sword? Since you are preparing to train in the ultimate blade technique ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯, choosing a heavy weapon which relies on great strength will certainly be optimal for you. To begin with, I will have you learn to handle a regular long sword before having you pick up a great sword.¡± Saying this, Zhang Wei opened one of the cupboards filled with weapons in the training room, and started searching for an ideal long sword for Yulian to train with.

    A few minutes later, Zhang Wei handed Yulian a blunt long sword.  He then walked up to a training dummy, drew his own sword from his sheath and took a posture. ¡°This long sword will be perfect for teaching you the basics. Now, I am going to demonstrate basic sword moves on this training dummy! Observe my movements!¡±

    Saying this, Zhang Wei began striking the dummy with basic sword skills. Slash, cut, stab, hack, cleave¡­ These basic sword skills were absolutely fundamental parts of true swordsmanship. As long as you perfect these moves, it possible to use any and all types of swords! Short swords, long swords, sabers, great swords, even knives¡­ all these weapons can be used at a basic level by training in these moves!

    As Zhang Wei showed off the basic sword skills, Yulian carefully observed. Every movement made by Zhang Wei was recorded by his eyes. Even the burly Fighter¡¯s breathing did not escape his eyes!

    Having finished his demonstration, Zhang Wei glanced at Yulian. There was no need to speak, the meaning was clear! ¡®Now that I have shown you the basic forms, what are you waiting for? Practice!¡¯

    Yulian immediately attacked a training dummy with his sword. Immediately, he began imitating the sword strikes carried out by Zhang Wei. Slash, cut, stab, hack, cleave¡­

    As he struck the scarecrow with his sword, Yulian found out that most of the times, his sword would lightly veer off from the targeted area. Getting a perfect strike on the scarecrow was surprisingly difficult.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Yulian asked Zhang Wei the reason why that was happening. With a pleased smile, Zhang Wei answered, ¡°Good question! The reason why you are missing an unmoving target is simple¡­ You haven¡¯t really adapted to using a sword yet! You must perfect your control over your body and train for a long time before you can even hit motionless targets! As for live, moving monsters¡­ the day is far, far off!¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t really care about perfecting my blade technique right now¡­ Before everything, I need to raise my strength and breakthrough to become a fighter! After that, I can greatly increase my strength with the Genetic Energy cultivation technique, and withstand the Awakening of my Spiritual Force!¡¯ Even though Yulian was thinking such things, he still continued to repeatedly strike the scarecrow with his blunt training long sword.

    ¡­

    Like this, Yulian continued training his sword on the dummy, with Zhang Wei observing his movements like a hawk. Whenever Yulian made a mistake, he would be loudly scolded by Zhang Wei¡¯s voice. After some time, he began using the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique to circulate the innate Genetic Energy inside his body, while simultaneously training his sword on the dummy. This helped Yulian to stave off his exhaustion and train for a longer amount of time.

    Of course, The ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique only helped to stave off Yulian¡¯s exhaustion. Three hours later, Yulian was so exhausted that he couldn¡¯t even stand up!

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s exhausted form, Zhang Wei felt a sense of satisfaction. His new disciple was a pleasure to teach. Not only was his understanding and comprehension of martial arts astounding, he had extreme willpower and diligence while training martial arts!

    Training continuously for three hours, until he couldn¡¯t even move! Which 7 year old child was capable of training like this?

    ¡­

    Soon after, Zhang Wei left. Yulian went to the dining room and ate some monster meat to replenish his energy.

    After that, he returned to his room. Yesterday, Jack Whitney gave Yulian an identical copy of his HR Alliance employee card, which allowed Yulian to browse the HR Alliance Warlord level forums! Yulian decided to immediately use that privilege, searching for videos showing Fighters using the Nine Stage Thunder Blade in battle!

    After searching for a while, Yulian found a video of an Advanced Warrior-level Fighter training in the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! He quickly clicked ¡®Play¡¯!

    The video began playing! A black haired Asian man wielding a long sword was fighting an F-rank Soldier class monster, Shadow Panther! No, rather than a ¡®fight¡¯ where the two sides were of equal strength, the Asian man was simply toying with the panther! Whenever the panther pounced on the man, the man would dodge with extreme agility! Instead of attacking the panther¡¯s vital points like the neck, the man would simply strike the panther at non-lethal points! Whenever he attacked the panther, his muscles would slightly bulk up, signifying his usage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! Five minutes later, the panther finally fell unconscious after being one-sidedly beaten! The video ended with the fighter packing up the panther into a black bag!

    Yulian was amazed by the Fighter¡¯s prowess! In reality, an F-rank Soldier class monster and an Advanced Warrior-rank Fighter were roughly equal in terms of physical strength! But the Fighter was using the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, boosting his muscle strength by 140%! This difference of 40% allowed the Fighter to get a one-sided victory!

    Yulian watched a few more videos of Fighters utilizing the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Some of them were Fighters battling monsters, while others were spars between Fighters. Watching those videos, he gaining some understanding of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, and through it, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist!

    Finally, Yulian decided to watch one more video before closing down the computer. To his surprise, the video did not show a Fighter battling using the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! Instead, it showed a Fighter practicing the ¡®Thunder Blade¡¯ sword techniques with a great sword! There were 18 sword forms which were a part of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. All of the looked extremely difficult to perform! At his current strength, Yulian¡¯s control over his body was insufficient to perform even a single sword technique among those 18 sword forms!

    This was a jackpot! Most Fighter videos on the internet showed experienced Fighters beating up monsters with their techniques! Also, the battles finished quickly, which made it difficult to observe the techniques!

    The reason for this was extremely simple! Technique Manuals were sold for ridiculous prices! If someone could easily steal techniques by watching free videos, it could end up with the destruction of the economy!

    Yulian carefully watched the Fighter train in those 18 sword forms. At every swing of the sword, the Fighter¡¯s muscles would be exerted! The core of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique was based on the Fighter¡¯s muscles! Hence, it is no surprise to say that the Nine Stage Thunder Blade is the best technique for training the body¡¯s muscles!

    At his current level, Yulian could not train in these sword techniques without adversely affecting his muscles. But when Yulian¡¯s fist strength reached 900 kg, and broke through to become a Prospective Fighter, he would be able to train in some of the forms without destroying his body!

    After downloading the video, Yulian renewed his resolve to strengthen himself! Once again, he went to the Training Arena to train on the dummy.

    ¡­

    9:45 PM. In the manor owned by the HR Alliance Monster Spoils Trader Jack Whitney, the occupants were happily enjoying dinner.

    ¡°Today, you have been holed up in the arena training all day long. Seeing that you are showing such diligence at a young age, you¡¯ll certainly become a great fighter someday.¡± The muscular maid, Martha, complemented Yulian as he dug through plates of food.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to see whether you can keep up the diligence for long.¡± Jack made a harsh comment as he ate from own plate of food.

    Breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner. During these times, Yulian had eaten up an enormous amount of food. Other than that, most of his time was spent in bitter training! Of course, when he was extremely bored, he spent some time watching videos and such. He also searched for some ¡®xianxia¡¯ genre novels, but he couldn¡¯t find any.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve eaten my fill. Thanks for the food.¡± Yulian thanked Martha and returned to his room.

    After doing some light exercise to aid digestion, Yulian immediately went to sleep. Today had been an exhausting day.

 Chapter 5: Second Training Session with Zhang Wei

    Chapter 5: Second Training Session with Zhang Wei

    A week passed before Zhang Wei returned to train Yulian. In that week, Yulian had kept up with his martial arts training. The coordination level of his Nine Yang Thunder Fist increased by a large amount!

    Zhang Wei and Yulian once again faced each other in the Training Arena.

    Zhang Wei had brought a bag with him. From that bag, he took out a black box and a small packet.

    ¡°In our previous session, I told you that I would help you increase your strength. These objects will help you train your body and your breathing technique!¡±

    Zhang Wei immediately began describing the objects he had brought with him.

    ¡°This is a Grade E skinsuit manufactured by the HR Alliance. When you put it on, your body will be weighed down by 15 kg! Since your fist strength hovers around 175 kg, I believe that a weight of 15 kg will not be detrimental to your body. This skinsuit has a zipper on it. By pulling it down, you can instantly take off the skinsuit! If you use it properly, this will help you to rapidly increase your strength!¡±

    ¡°Meanwhile, this is a Electronic cigarette! Before the Grand Nirvana period, cigarettes were the scourge of mankind! Smoking these cigarettes would have adverse effects on your lungs! Back then, if you took too many cigarettes, you might have even contracted cancer! Oh, cancer was a dangerous disease back before the Grand Nirvana period. Since 2014, there have been no cases of cancer in the world. Anyway, smoking this cigarette will accumulate ¡®tar¡¯ in your lungs. By using the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique, you will be able to remove the ¡®tar¡¯ from your lungs. This will train your body¡¯s internal passages.¡±

    ¡°This cigarette¡­ won¡¯t they have an adverse effects on my lungs?¡± Yulian was wary of smoking cigarettes. He was after all, a person from year 2015. The adverse effects of smoking cigarettes had been hammered into him from long ago.

    ¡°It is impossible for this cigarette to harm you! In reality, these cigarettes cannot even harm a person who does not practice any martial arts! Even if you do not practice your breathing technique, the ¡®tar¡¯ will be destroyed by your immune system!¡±

    ¡°Training with both of these objects is viable only as long as your strength is below ¡®Elite¡¯ level! Once you step into the ¡®Elite¡¯ level (750 kg fist strength), these objects will be useless to you! Using both these objects while training in the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ will help in training your body inside-out! Of course, your current strength isn¡¯t high enough to be able to do that. For now, alternate between using them.¡±

    Yulian suddenly remembered that Zhang Wei had paid for these items from his own pocket. With a casual expression, he asked, ¡°These items¡­ how much did they cost?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much, actually. In the end. these items can only be used to train new fighters. Using my connections, I was able to get these items for nearly free.¡± Zhang Wei dismissed Yulian¡¯s query. He showed Yulian the silvery Electronic Cigarette. ¡°Now, let me teach you how to smoke this cigarette! To begin with, press this button here. It turns on the¡­¡± Yulian carefully listened as Zhang Wei explained how to operate the cigarette.

    ¡­

    After listening to Zhang Wei¡¯s concise explanation, Yulian began smoking the electronic cigarette. In 2014, electronic cigarettes were used to suppress tobacco addiction. On the contrary, this electronic cigarette was created to deposit toxic fumes into the lungs for the purpose of training!

    5 minutes later, Yulian decided that enough tar had been deposited into his lungs. He immediately sat down in a crossed legs posture and began operating the Nine Yang breathing technique. For twenty minutes, a black mist was released from his nostrils!

    ¡°So how was it? Were your internal passages tempered by the cigarette?¡± Zhang Wei asked Yulian.

    ¡°This method of tempering internal passages is very effective. Generally, I can operate the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique for more than three hours! However, this cigarette forced me to conclude my ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ training after only twenty minutes!¡±

    ¡°Rest for a few minutes and recover yourself. After this, put on the skinsuit and train yourself with the added weight of 15 kg!¡±

    ¡­

    A zipping sound rang out as Yulian put on the 15 kg. skinsuit. After putting on the suit, he immediately lost his balance and fell down! The 15 kg. pressure suddenly exerted on his body made it difficult for him to get up from his fallen posture!

    ¡°Haah!¡± After a loud shout, Yulian finally stood up from the ground. He immediately began using the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique to circulate the Genetic Energy inside his body. A slight amount of the pressure on his body lessened, allowing him to walk with an extremely slow speed.

    With painstaking effort, he walked all the way up to the training dummy. Carefully lowering his body, he picked up his blunt sword off the ground and began training his basic blade technique.

    His every motion was painstakingly slow. With every punch, he could see and feel his muscles coil and loosen. With that, Yulian¡¯s understanding of his musculature increased. The insights he had gained regarding the Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡­ could be put to practice at this moment!

    ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha!¡± Slowly, but surely, the speed and strength behind Yulian¡¯s strikes increased. After every strike, he felt the desire to keel over, but he ignored the urge and kept on striking the dummy!

    Fifteen minutes later, he finally stopped striking the dummy. Yulian instinctively knew that if he pushed himself further, he might cause himself internal injuries. He unzipped the skinsuit and idly fell on the ground. Before he fell unconscious, he felt a pleasant sensation all over his body, as if he had fallen into a cool stream of water.

    ¡­

    Just when Zhang Wei was going to ask Yulian to stop striking the dummy in fear of internal injuries, Yulian stopped striking and stripped off the skinsuit. Overtaken by exhaustion, Yulian was lying on the floor in an uncomfortable posture. Zhang Wei walked up to him and shifted his body to a more comfortable posture.

    ¡°Heh, I thought that the weighted skinsuit was a bit overkill, but it was certainly effective¡­¡± Zhang Wei thought about how Yulian¡¯s blows suddenly gained in speed and strength midway.

    Zhang Wei looked at the sleeping Yulian and said, ¡°Well, I ended up training you for only 45 minutes today, but I¡¯ll let you take a break for now. After all, since you made a sudden breakthrough, you earned it.¡± Zhang Wei took his bag and walked in the door¡¯s direction.

    Just then, Yulian got up and stretched around a bit. Crackling sounds replaced the silence in the room, making Zhang Wei stop. His prodigious pupil had woken up. ¡°Ah, I took a bit of a rest. I hope you didn¡¯t mind, teacher.¡±

    ¡®A bit of a rest? You weren¡¯t even down for 5 minutes?!¡¯ Zhang Wei wanted to scream this out, but restrained himself.

    Instead, he said, ¡°Have you recovered your strength? If you have not, you can rest.¡± Yulian casually stretched his body and replied, ¡°No, surprisingly, I feel rather refreshed.¡±

    Indeed, it was rather amazing. Yulian felt surprisingly refreshed after the extremely strenuous 20 minutes of training! For a moment, Yulian circulated the Genetic Energy inside his body. To his amazement, his Genetic Energy had increased by a slight amount!

    ¡°To suddenly feel refreshed, after engaging in such strenuous training¡­ could it be¡­¡± Zhang Wei quietly muttered these words. ¡°Yulian, I wish to confirm something. Can you try out the Fist Testing Machine?¡±

    Yulian realized that Zhang Wei probably knew why he felt so refreshed. He quickly ran up to the Fist Testing Machine and aimed a firm punch!

    ¡®192 kg!¡¯ Yulian was astounded by the sudden increase in strength. He hadn¡¯t even circulated Genetic Energy to his fists!

    This time, Yulian used the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique and circulated Genetic Energy to his fist before letting out a punch! ¡®216 kg!¡¯

    ¡°How did my Fist Strength increase by this much?¡± Yulian asked this question to Zhang Wei.

    Zhang Wei, with a mystified expression on his face, began speaking. ¡°During the Grand Nirvana Period, humans gained the power to absorb Cosmic Energy from the universe and refine it into Genetic Energy by cultivating the ¡®Wu Xin Xiang Tian¡¯ Genetic Energy cultivation technique. Of course, it isn¡¯t the only way to absorb Genetic Energy. Sometimes, when a person trains to his limits through physical exercise, his body automatically refines Genetic Energy by absorbing it from the world. I believe that your body must have been driven to its limits by your training, allowing you to absorb a sliver of Genetic Energy from the world. This is the most likely reason for your increase in strength.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Hearing Zhang Wei¡¯s words, Yulian decided that it made sense.

    Smiling, Zhang Wei continued his explanation. ¡°Cultivating Genetic Energy by training in martial arts is rather difficult. In reality, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist is included among the best Foundation Martial Arts, simply because while training it, the probability of absorbing some Genetic Energy from the world is extremely high!

    Most people find it impossible to cultivate Genetic Energy before becoming a Fighter! Such ordinary people simply train the physical strength of their body until they break through the barrier of 900 kg. fist strength! If you rigorously practice any martial art, even the E-rank techniques like karate, etc., the strength of your physical body will slowly increase. At the age of 25, when the growth of the human body reaches its peak, their fist strength breaks through 900 kg! At this point, they gain the ability to cultivate the ¡®Wu Xin Xiang Tian¡¯ Genetic Energy cultivation technique, and rapidly increase their strength! This is why most people become Fighters at the age of 25!¡±

    Yulian was astounded when he heard this. ¡®That¡¯s right! In the world of Swallowed Star, there are no preteen martial arts prodigies! Even Luo Feng, the protagonist of Swallowed Star, broke through 900 kg. fist strength at the age of 18! Could it be that I am even more talented than him?¡¯

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s distracted expression, Zhang Wei tapped Yulian¡¯s forehead.  ¡°Pay attention to me!¡±

    Yulian scratched his forehead for a moment. ¡°What were you saying?¡±

    ¡°I was saying that absorbing Genetic Energy while training is a sign of great talent! However, you shouldn¡¯t get complacent! Keep on training!¡±

    Hearing Zhang Wei¡¯s words, Yulian felt like crying. ¡®Of course I¡¯ll have to keep on training! My damn Spirit Force will certainly kill me if I stop!¡¯

    Keeping his thoughts within his head, Yulian confidently spoke. ¡°Of course! I certainly won¡¯t let up on my training! I¡¯ll quickly break through 900 kg. fist strength and become the youngest Fighter in the world!¡±

    Zhang Wei, hearing Yulian¡¯s words thought that despite his great talent, Yulian was still a child.

    ¡°Well spoken! Now, since you have made such great improvements, I¡¯ll say that today¡¯s training session has concluded! Concentrate on training your sword technique! If your sword technique improves, next week, I¡¯ll train you in wielding a heavy sword!¡±

    ¡­

    After Zhang Wei left, Yulian went to the kitchen-cum-dining room. As expected, the beautiful maid Martha was cooking fresh monster meat for breakfast. By the way, the owner of the house, Jack Whitney was enjoying his beauty sleep. As Yulian entered inside, he was greeted by her.

    ¡°Good morning Yulian! How was your training session?¡± Martha smilingly asked as she deftly roasted fresh monster meat.

    ¡°Very successful! I broke through the bottleneck of 200 kg. fist strength!¡± Yulian happily replied to Martha¡¯s question. Today, Yulian had found out a way of quickly raising his strength! As long as he trained to his limits, he might be able to absorb some Genetic Energy! Every little bit of strength he could gain would help him survive the eventual awakening of his Spiritual Force!

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing progress. As for myself, I am stuck on the bottleneck of 863 kg. fist strength!¡± Martha¡¯s smile slightly shifted as she spoke.

    ¡°863 kg. fist strength, huh¡­ That¡¯s extremely close to the bottleneck of 900 kg. fist strength. My teacher told me that most Elite Fighters breakthrough to become Fighters at the age of 25, when their physical strength reaches the peak of 900 kg.! What¡¯s your age?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone teach you that asking for a girl¡¯s age is rude?¡±  Martha smiled as she saw Yulian¡¯s face redden in embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s a cute expression! By the way, I am 23 years old.¡±

    ¡®23 years old, with fist strength of 863 kg¡­ I suppose that means that Martha is talented in martial arts! If I get her to spar with me, it¡¯ll certainly prove beneficial to me!¡¯ As Yulian thought about it, Martha served him breakfast.

    In his previous life, eating an excess of meat was considered unhealthy. But in 2055, meat was the preferred dish for breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner! This was mostly because of the Grand Nirvana calamity. After the Grand Nirvana calamity, a fundamental change occurred in human DNA and genes. The base physical strength and resilience of the human body increased, the 5 senses were sharpened by many times, and humans gained the ability in further augment their strength by cultivating Genetic Energy! Another change was that the preference and taste for meat increased!

    ¡°Martha, which Foundation rank cultivation technique do you practice? I train in the A-Rank technique, Nine Yang Thunder Fist!¡± As he ate, Yulian casually asked about Martha¡¯s training technique.

    ¡°I train in the A-rank Foundation technique, Dance of Myriad Shadows!¡± Martha quickly replied to Yulian¡¯s question.

    ¡°Oh, both of us train in A-Rank sword techniques, huh? How about a spar?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you want to spar with me? After all there is a large difference between our physical strengths!¡±

    ¡°As long as both of us wield bamboo blades, there will be zero chance of any great physical damage. How about it?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll have a spar with you. Now, quickly finish your breakfast or it may get cold!¡± Martha smiled as Yulian scrambled to finish his breakfast.

    ¡­

    After finishing his breakfast, Yulian and Martha went to the large Fighter Training Arena. Martha picked out a bamboo sword with a longer blade while Yulian picked out a bamboo sword with a comparatively shorter blade.

    Both of them faced each other, bamboo swords drawn. Martha smiled upon seeing Yulian¡¯s small figure holding the short wooden blade.

    ¡°I¡¯ll repeat the rules for our spar! First of all, our fight is based on one rule: first strike wins! Attacking the vital points like eyes is forbidden! The aim of this fight is to improve your agility, reaction speed and sword technique!¡± Martha¡¯s eyes glittered as she explained the rules. Yulian clearly knew that due to the large difference in strength and experience between him and Martha, this was likely to be a one-sided fight! However, without actual sparring, it would be very difficult to train his sword technique! In exchange for a few bruises, gaining some valuable experience was a fair trade!

    After listening to Martha¡¯s explanation, Yulian immediately attacked! His sword was swung chaotically as he tried to strike her! Yet, everything was fruitless! Yulian could not hit Martha even once!

    Adjusting his breathing, Yulian quickly struck out with the wooden sword! But no matter how many times he attacked, Martha effortlessly glided away from his blade! Martha did not attack Yulian a single time, she simply kept on dodging!

    Finally, Yulian stopped attacking. He regulated his breathing, circulating the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ technique to recover his energy. After he recovered himself, he took up a defending posture. Now that he had finished attacking, it was Martha¡¯s turn to attack!

    Without even a word, Martha struck out with her long bamboo blade! Yulian, sensing that he was not fast enough to dodge, pushed out his bamboo blade to block the strike!

    Smash! Yulian was pushed back by a few feet by the single sword strike! Quickly stabilizing himself, he backed away to dodge yet another strike!

    Yulian was pressured by many rapid attacks. Nevertheless, Martha wasn¡¯t ruthless enough to actually strike him. The speed of Martha¡¯s attack was just enough to strain him.

    ¡®If she really wanted to hurt me, I wouldn¡¯t have lasted a moment against her! Thank God she is holding back!¡¯ Yulian thought this as he dodged Martha¡¯s relentless strikes.

    Like this, Yulian continued to fiercely train himself. To survive the awakening of his Spirit Force, he was willing to risk everything!

 Chapter 6: Genetic Energy Cultivation Technique, â€˜Spirit Immersionâ€™

    Chapter 6: Genetic Energy Cultivation Technique, ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯

    Five days had passed since Yulian¡¯s last training session with Zhang Wei. His daily spars with Martha helped him make fast improvements in his agility and sword technique. Along with that, he diligently trained with the weighted skinsuit and electronic cigarette provided by Zhang Wei! So, it was no surprise when Yulian found out that his fist strength had risen to 303 kg!

    Currently, Yulian was engaging in bitter training. Yulian had put on the 30 kg skinsuit! At the same time, the electronic cigarette was lodged in his mouth! Yulian internally revolved the Genetic Energy inside his body while training the forms of the Nine Yang Thunder Fist externally. While training the technique, he was being dually hampered by the toxic fumes and weight of 30 kg! This forced him to devote all of his attention in cultivating the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique!

    Hou! Hou! Hou! Shapeless black smoke gently flowed out of Yulian¡¯s mouth and lips as he trained. The toxic smoke was not even allowed to settle inside Yulian¡¯s lungs for a moment before being forced out!

    For 15 minutes, Yulian¡¯s body was tempered both internally and externally as he carried out this high intensity training! But after these 15 minutes of training, Yulian¡¯s body had nearly reached its limit! Yulian immediately stripped off his skinsuit and spat out the electronic cigarette! He continued to train the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique!

    After two more minutes of training, as expected, Yulian felt a cool sensation all over his body. When the human body was trained to its limits, it would unite with the universe and absorb Genetic Energy to strengthen itself! But now, Yulian was not idly observing as his body absorbed Genetic Energy! At this moment, Yulian was sensing and synchronizing with the Genetic Energy in the atmosphere, consciously gathering a sliver of it and utilizing it to get rid of the exhaustion in his body!

    The fact, ¡®when the body was trained to its limits, it would absorb Genetic Energy from the world¡¯, had aroused Yulian¡¯s interest! In the past five days, Yulian had researched about this phenomenon! As it turned out, after the apocalyptic RR Virus destroyed most of the human population, the remnants of humanity found out that their bodies had been strengthened by surviving the virus! It was found out that martial arts training had become more effective, and training the body to its limits would quickly strengthen it!

    Before the ¡®Wu Xin Xian Tian¡¯ technique was discovered, these techniques were used by Fighters to train themselves! As such, the widely known fact that the ¡®Wu Xin Xian Tian¡¯ technique was the only Genetic Energy Cultivation technique in existence, was nothing but a myth! Of course, when the ¡®Wu Xin Xian Tian¡¯ technique was discovered, it left all these techniques in the dust, relegating them to a forgotten part of history. This was simply because the ¡®Wu Xin Xian Tian¡¯ technique was easier to train in and a lot more effective!

    After long hours of searching the internet, Yulian accumulated a large list of such techniques! After carefully searching through them, Yulian decided that the best technique among them was the ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯.

    Yulian¡¯s reason for choosing it was simply because the ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique was the easiest to cultivate!

    Before activating the Spirit Immersion technique, it was necessary to train the body to utter exhaustion, so that it would be in a state where it could synchronize with and absorb Genetic Energy from the surroundings. After this, the Genetic Energy would be poured through the exhausted parts of the body, revitalizing them. A large amount of the Genetic Energy would naturally be wasted, but a small amount of it would enter the body, refining and nurturing it.

    The Spirit Immersion technique could be cultivated in any posture, sleeping or standing. It didn¡¯t conflict with the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, but rather complemented it. And finally, it didn¡¯t require anything like a large amount of fist strength or high control over Genetic Energy. It was certainly the technique most suited for Yulian¡¯s requirements!

    The ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique allowed any person, even martial artists with fist strength below 900 kg, to absorb Genetic Energy from the world! All he needed to do was absorb Genetic Energy until he broke through to 900 kg fist strength! After that, he would switch to the ¡®Wu Xin Xian Tian¡¯ technique.

    Yulian synchronized his mind with surroundings, observing the fluctuating Genetic Energy shrouding everything. Having synchronized with the world, Yulian felt an ecstatic sensation run through his body. He felt as if he was submerged in a sea of energy! A small amount of energy was drawn from the huge sea into his body. Yulian concentrated of the energy, circulating it through his body.

    A large amount of energy was sent to his arms, which were strained the hardest during his training. The energy seeped into his internal body, revitalizing his muscles which were the focus of the Nine Yang Thunder Fist. The remaining energy passed through the rest of his body, revitalizing it.

    The ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique was named as such because cultivating it felt like being immersed in a sea of energy. It was a rudimentary cultivation technique, unable to absorb large amounts of energy from the world. However, Yulian did not need large amounts of energy to make a leap in strength!

    After some time, his connection to the world faded and Yulian could no longer sense the Genetic Energy covering the world. Checking his cellphone, he exclaimed, ¡°Amazing! I managed to cultivate the Genetic Energy for ten minutes!¡±

    The ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique was simply too difficult! Yulian had difficulty in sensing the Genetic Energy around him and had to train to his limits simply to sense it! As for cultivating Genetic Energy¡­ it was difficult to cultivate for even two minutes!

    This time, he had cultivated continuously for ten minutes! This was more than five times his earlier rate!

    ¡°Every time I train to my limits, my strength gradually increases. Heh, I wonder how much my strength has increased now?¡± Laughing, Yulian left his room. He was headed for the Fighter¡¯s training room. It was time to check the Fist Testing Machine!

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡­

    Just as always, the large Fighter Training Room was unoccupied. Both Yulian and Martha were training to be Fighters, yet they never bothered using the Arena, except when testing their fist strength. They preferred to train in their own rooms.

    After activating the Fist Testing Machine, Yulian began by attacking with a firm punch!

    Peng! The sound of the fist striking was rather loud!

    512 kg!!

    Seeing the number on the screen, Yulian was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Impossible! How did my strength rise by this much?¡± His strength had risen by 200 kg! Such a large increase in strength was nearly impossible!

    To recheck, Yulian struck the machine with a quick volley of hits!

    504 kg! 506 kg! 499 kg!

    ¡°So this isn¡¯t a dream¡­ Amazing! I am an Intermediate Grade Martial Artist now!¡± Yulian jumped in joy. In the current age, nearly every citizen trained in martial arts! Ordinary citizens with fist strength below 500 kg were called ¡®basic level¡¯ martial artists. Ordinary citizens with fist strength between 500-750kg were called ¡®intermediate level¡¯ martial artists. Finally, ordinary citizens with fist strength ranging between 750-900 kg were called ¡®elite level¡¯ martial artists.

    ¡°Speaking objectively, this rate of advancement is amazing¡­ After all, I am a 7 year old, and haven¡¯t even been training for a month¡­ This rate of advancement is certainly because of my Spiritual Force.¡± Yulian thought about his Spiritual Force. He was sure that it would awaken soon, and when it did, it would bring calamity on himself!

    The only thing he could do to avert that future calamity was train! Every kg of fist strength, every sliver of Genetic Energy inside his body would help him save his life.

    ¡°Well, my rapid strengthening will probably end now. After all, the Intermediate Grade is of a higher level of difficulty compared to the Basic Grade¡­¡± As Yulian was frowning, thinking about his future progress, he suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°Aha! I almost forgot this! Now that I have broken through to the Intermediate Grade, I can train with the Reaction Testing Machine!¡±

    ¡­

    There were three types of training machines common to every Fighter Mansion: the Fist Testing Machine, the Reaction Testing Machine and Speed Testing Machine! From the very names of the machines, it could be understood that these machines tested fist strength, reactions and speed!

    The Reaction Testing Machine tested reaction speed of a Fighter by rapidly bombarding him with rubber bullets! The bombardment could be shrugged off by anyone with Intermediate Grade and above. If the strength of the person was lower than Intermediate Grade, he could be seriously injured or even killed by the impact of the rubber bullets! Hence, it was advised that this Reaction Testing Machine should only be used after breaking through to Intermediate Grade!

    The Reaction Testing Machine in the Fighter Mansion was located in a restricted 450 sq. meter space. The machine was rather large and an object that looked like a six-barreled gatling gun was connected to it! Yulian knew that this machine would rapidly spew out rubber balls to attack, forcing the fighter to dodge! This machine could be used to train reaction speed! Of course, there was another use for this machine. The rapid impact of the rubber balls could also be used to train sword technique!

    Now that his fist strength was 500 kg, the electronic cigarette and weighted suit was useless for him. He could only move to better training methods.

    Before training his sword technique, Yulian decided to measure his reaction speed. Yulian set the attack speed to the lowest, and started up the reaction testing machine. After he walked 10 m away from the machine, its screen flashed red and Yulian was pelted by a hail of rubber balls!

    Struck unaware, Yulian was hit by a few balls before he realized that the machine had activated and began dodging. Nevertheless, even at the lowest level, he was still struck countless times by the rubber balls.

    One minute later¡­

    Yulian¡¯s face had turned red due to being struck by countless rubber bullets. Dodging and avoiding this merciless hail of rubber bullets was too difficult!

    The rubber bullets scattered on the ground were automatically vacuumed up, reabsorbed into the machine. After that, Yulian decided to check his ¡®Reaction Testing¡¯ score.

    ¡®Within 60 seconds, 183 hits, Average!¡¯

    Seeing his score, Yulian lightly shook his head. ¡°I actually thought that I¡¯d be able to get a ¡®Good!¡¯ assessment on my first try. Looks like my dodging technique sucks.¡±

    Now, he decided to train his blade technique! Yulian retrieved his training sword, adjusted some settings on the Reaction Testing Machine.

    After completing the preparations, he walked 10 m away from the machine. This time, he cautiously awaited the rain of rubber bullets.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Yulian swept away the incoming bullets with a swing of his sword! Carefully observing the trajectories of the bullets, Yulian conserved his energy to beat away the wave of bullets.

    Finally¡­

    ¡®Within 60 seconds, 89 hits, Very Good!¡¯

    Yulian wasn¡¯t even surprised to see the difference in results. After all, he had extensively been training with the blade, while having little focus on his agility Even so he had still been struck 89 times by the fast rubber bullets. The rubber bullets did not injure his body even slightly, but they left a nasty sting!

    ¡°Now, I have to polish my sword technique to its limits! On my next session with Zhang Wei, I¡¯ll have him train me to fight with the heavy sword!¡±  With that goal in mind, Yulian began training harder. Only two days were left for his next training session!

 Chapter 7: Third Training Session with Zhang Wei

    Chapter 7: Third Training Session with Zhang Wei

    Two days passed away in the blink of an eye. It was yet another Sunday. Yulian¡¯s third training session with Zhang Wei had arrived.

    ¡°Not only has your strength has broken through the boundary of 500 kg, even your sword technique has reached the peak of the ¡®Basic¡¯ level¡­ Your talent has already surpassed the limits of a genius! I spoke with Jack Whitney and he told me that he isn¡¯t your father. He refused to give up further information about you¡­ Are you some Wargod¡¯s son? Or perhaps the child of an Existence above a Wargod?¡± The Warlord Zhang Wei had a mystified expression on his face.

    Yulian certainly couldn¡¯t blame him. His speed of progress was certainly high enough to leave most people in disbelief.

    ¡°Hmph, in any case, I don¡¯t need to know anything about you. All I have to do is train you so that you can fully express your potential!¡± Zhang Wei let out as a light snort as he spoke. Meanwhile, Yulian sighed in relief. He was really reluctant to reveal information about himself.

    ¡°Teacher, now that I have reached the basic level of proficiency with the sword¡­ can we get started with the heavy sword? I think my strength is enough to wield a heavy sword!¡± Yulian needed to train with a heavy sword! A heavy sword was a weapon which was extremely appropriate for physical training!

    ¡°Now that you have reached the basic requirements set by me, I¡¯ll begin teaching you! A heavy sword is a weapon which emphasizes more over strength than skill! That said, it is still a sword, and training with it is more difficult than other heavy weapons like maces, hammers, axes, etc. Since you are planning to train in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade in the future, it would be extremely suitable for you!¡±

    Zhang Wei immediately picked out a 4.5 foot long heavy sword for Yulian. The weight of the sword was around 20 kg. Yulian picked up the sword with some difficulty.

    ¡°To begin with, let me show you how to properly grip the blade.¡± Zhang Wei gently shifted the position of Yulian¡¯s fingers. To Yulian¡¯s surprise, he found out that the weight of the heavy sword bearing down on him had greatly lessened!

    ¡°Now, I am going to demonstrate the basic sword forms. Watch me and reproduce them!¡± The heavy sword in Zhang Wei¡¯s hands started dancing! Zhang Wei¡¯s heavy sword technique was perfectly recorded by Yulian¡¯s eyes, who strived to reproduce it.

    As Yulian swung the heavy sword, he found it extremely difficult to reproduce Zhang Wei¡¯s graceful technique. Zhang Wei corrected him more often than not. Even so, he persevered.

    Yulian circulated the Genetic Energy within him with the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique as he trained. This slightly alleviated some of the strain over his muscles!

    After only 20 minutes of swinging the sword, Yulian was tired to the bones! He immediately began circulating the Genetic Energy within his body to alleviate himself.

    ¡°Training with the heavy sword is really exhausting!¡± After this remark, Yulian did not waste a moment and began swinging his heavy sword! Yulian was extremely determined to train his heavy sword technique. This was the third day of his four days training session with Zhang Wei! He would be extremely regretful if he did not milk this for all it¡¯s worth!

    ¡­

    Two hours later¡­

    ¡®My arms are sore from swinging the sword¡­ The exhaustion I feel now is even greater than when I trained the Nine Yang Thunder Fist with the weighted skinsuit and electronic cigarette!¡¯ Yulian idly thought this as he concentrated on absorbing Genetic Energy. His entire body felt like it had been dipped in a cool, healing stream as he was immersed in the feeling of becoming one with the world.

    Slowly yet steadily, he siphoned some energy from the universe, absorbing it into his own body. He circulated the Genetic Energy through his energy channels and meridians, allowing it to settle into his body.

    Two minutes later, Yulian opened his eyes. Like always, he had cultivated for around two minutes. Yulian got up and stretched his body. He felt extremely refreshed. The Genetic Energy had wiped away all the stress his body had gone through!

    ¡°So you got up. Whenever we train together, you never lie down for more than 5 minutes¡­¡± Zhang Wei complained as he watched Yulian stretch.

    ¡°Every minute is important. Jack paid 10 million dollars for four training sessions, you know? Every minute wasted is money lost.¡± Zhang Wei laughed as he heard Yulian¡¯s answer. Even though the boy¡¯s voice was childish, his words were tinged with adult wisdom. Perhaps this was the natural effect of being a prodigy?

    ¡°So do you need my guidance for anything? If you don¡¯t, it¡¯s time to end this training session.¡±

    After pondering for a moment, Yulian answered, ¡° I¡­ think I have reached a bottleneck in my Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique. Can you show me your Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique? It might be helpful.¡± Since he had broken through the limit of 500 kg fist strength, whenever he practiced the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, he noticed a slight disharmony in his movements.

    ¡°So you have reached a bottleneck in your technique, huh? Well, let me demonstrate my technique. It will certainly help you increase your understanding.¡±  Zhang Wei immediately stripped off his shirt, exposing his bulging muscles. The Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique concentrated over the body¡¯s muscles! Thus, if Yulian wanted to gain insights into the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, he would have to concentrate on Zhang Wei¡¯s exposed muscles!

    ¡°Let me demonstrate to you¡­ the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique!¡± Saying this, Zhang Wei immediately drew his sword and began performing the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique!

    Whoosh! Zhang Wei¡¯s sword made a sharp noise as it cut through the air. Every time the sword struck, the air seemed to vibrate! He gracefully maneuvered his sword. Behind his every slash was an elegance which came from years of practice!

    However, Yulian did not pay the slightest attention to Zhang Wei¡¯s sword technique. His eyes were glued onto Zhang Wei¡¯s roiling muscles!

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique relies on a special way to exert force.

    When a regular person swings their blade, you could say they use 100% of their strength! But in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade training, only 70% of their strength is used in a swing. After unleashing the first stage of their attack, they''ll force themselves to unleash another stage, also at 70% of their strength. Two of these stages added together equals to 140% strength!

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Expand, Contract! Expand, Contract! Zhang Wei¡¯s muscles ceaselessly expanded and contracted as he practiced the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique.

    ¡­

    Yulian watched every movement of Zhang Wei¡¯s body. The muscles expanding and contracting, the sweat building up and dropping off Zhang Wei¡¯s body, the skin gradually reddening¡­ Yulian saw it all. He even saw the changes in Zhang Wei¡¯s breath, and through it, the circulation of Genetic Energy in Zhang Wei¡¯s internal body!

    As he concentrated on Zhang Wei¡¯s movements, he slowly gained some understanding into the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique!

    Five minutes later, Zhang Wei finished demonstrating the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique. Meanwhile, Yulian¡¯s understanding of the Nine Yang Thunder Fist had risen by a great margin!

    Zhang Wei watched as his young student¡®s eyes suddenly glinted. At that moment, Zhang Wei knew that Yulian¡¯s Nine Yang Thunder Fist had improved!

    ¡°I got it! To think that I was making such a simple mistake¡­¡± By watching Zhang Wei¡¯s demonstration, Yulian¡¯s understanding of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade rose by a great margin!

    Zhang Wei watched with astonishment as Yulian trained. The Nine Yang Thunder Fist Technique Yulian was demonstrating now simply could not be compared to the Technique he had been demonstrating before! T he difference was larger than the divide between Heaven and Earth! It could be said that before this, Yulian was simply flinging his arms and feet in an unsightly manner!

    That was only natural. Before this, Yulian was simply training the ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ breathing technique and ¡®Thunder Fist¡¯ barehanded technique simultaneously, and thus, there was no harmony when he trained the techniques! But now, Yulian had finally grasped the essence of the technique, and began training the two together! Thus, the large increase in Yulian¡¯s skill was no surprise.

    Two minutes later, Yulian stopped showing off the fist technique. ¡°How is my technique for now?¡± Yulian¡¯s childish voice was filled with inquisitiveness as he asked Zhang Wei.

    Hearing Yulian¡¯s questions, Zhang Wei was simply tongue tied! Finally, he managed to summon his gruff voice. ¡°Let¡¯s see your fist strength for now.¡±

    Yulian rushed to the Fist Testing Machine with Zhang Wei following behind.

    This time, he immediately used the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique to strike the Fist Testing Machine with a fierce punch! ¡®536 kg!¡¯

    ¡­

    Seeing the fist strength displayed on the machine, Zhang Wei was secretly shocked. ¡®Heavens! This child¡­ I knew that Yulian was talented in martial arts, but I never thought his talent would be so shocking!¡¯

    This time, he had to exert some effort to keep up his stoic expression.

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s face, Zhang Wei understood his unspoken question. ¡®How did my fist strength rise by such a high number?¡¯ Without any prompting, he answered.

    ¡°Your strength has increased by a large margin, simply because you gained insight into the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique. This is because the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique has hints of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s component techniques.

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade Manual is composed of the Blade technique ¡®Thunder Blade¡¯, the agility technique ¡®Flowing Light¡¯ and the Body Refining technique ¡®Pure Yang¡¯! The core of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade Manual is the Body Refining technique, ¡®Pure Yang!¡¯¡±

    ¡°The core of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique is the Body Refining Technique, Pure Yang? Wasn¡¯t the Blade technique Thunder Blade the core of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade Manual?¡± Yulian was rather surprised after finding out this information. Before this, he believed that the core of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade Manual was the Blade technique, Thunder Blade. After all, the name of the Technique Manual was Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    ¡°The Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique operates by controlling the muscle exertions of the body. Obviously, it is impossible to train your muscles to the point that you can fully control them by simply training in a blade technique. The Body Refining Technique, Pure Yang refines the strength and control of your body¡¯s muscles by infusing them with Genetic Energy!¡± Zhang Wei sounded rather annoyed when he was interrupted by Yulian. Nevertheless, he carefully answered Yulian¡¯s question.

    ¡°As I was saying, the breathing technique ¡®Nine Yang¡¯ is an abridged version of the ¡®Pure Yang¡¯ body refining technique. The Nine Yang Thunder Fist, when used perfectly, manipulates the innate Genetic Energy in your body by circulating it throughout the body and gathering it at the core. During the process, your body¡¯s muscles and other internal organs are repeatedly strengthened by the continuous circulation of Genetic Energy! Like this, your body¡¯s strength will rapidly increase!¡±

    ¡°Of course, this technique is only useful for training people who wish to become Fighters. For someone like me who can use the Wu Xin Xiang Tian technique to cultivate Genetic Energy, the Nine Yang Thunder Fist is pretty useless! Any random Dao Yin technique will be ten times effective than the Nine Yang Thunder Fist!¡±

    After hearing this, Yulian reaffirmed that the Nine Yang Thunder Fist was the best technique suitable for him to train in! A technique which manipulated the innate Genetic Energy inside the body to refine the body¡­ such a technique was many levels above ordinary kickboxing or karate!

    ¡°Not only are you extremely talented, holding great potential in the path of martial arts, you are also extremely diligent in your practice! If you keep on training, I guarantee that you will certainly become a great Fighter!¡± Zhang Wei unreservedly praised Yulian.

    ¡°Next week, it would be our final training session. After that, I will be leaving on a long term mission! So for this week, train hard! If you have any queries, next Sunday will be the last time you will be able to consult with me!¡± After saying these words, Zhang Wei left.

 Chapter 8: Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade

    Chapter 8: Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade

    ¡°Haha¡­¡± In the large training room of the Fighter mansion, a small 7 year old boy was panting from utter exhaustion. But even as he panted, the large blade in his hands did not stop moving. Sweat dripped down his tiny body as he frantically struck down the rubber bullets raining down from the Reaction Testing Machine with his heavy sword. Like before, he wasn¡¯t standing in the same place and blocking. Now, the boy was dodging the bullets with agile motions as he struck down the rubber bullets with his heavy sword!

    Around a minute later, the rain of bullets from the reaction testing machine stopped and Yulian was finally given the opportunity to rest.  His body immediately splayed down on the hard ground. Immediately, Yulian began using the Spirit Immersion technique to cultivate Genetic Energy.

    ¡°Aah¡­¡± Yulian¡¯s whole body was immersed in the cosmic energy of the world.  Using the ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique, Yulian drew a large amount of Genetic Energy and circulated it through his body into his Dantian. As his body was recovering its strength, Yulian¡¯s pool of Genetic Energy also rose.

    15 minutes later, Yulian finally rose up from the ground and stretched his body. Crackling sounds rang out as he did a few simple motions. Seeing this sight, anyone would be hard-pressed to believe that it was a 7 year old boy practicing martial arts.

    ¡°As expected, when I train my movement and sword technique simultaneously, my entire body is trained to its limits. When I do this, I can use the ¡®Spirit Immersion¡¯ technique to its full potential!¡± Yulian had made an important discovery about the Spirit Immersion technique. This technique operated by absorbing Genetic Energy and dispersing it throughout the body. Since it was like this, obviously the best way to train was to equally exhaust every part of the body while training!

    Yulian had searched the internet on ways to equally train the body. In this world of cultivation dominated by ferocious beasts, there were naturally many ways of fully training the body. However, most of these methods were restricted to Elite Martial Artists and Prospective Fighters. Since Yulian¡¯s strength was lacking, if he tried these methods, the only result would be him getting crippled!

    After some research, Yulian had set the Reaction Testing Machine to ¡®Beginner Warrior¡¯ level. The impact, speed and amount of the bullets had been increased so that it would only sting a Beginner Warrior-level Fighter, yet the impact of the rain of bullets would be just enough to train Yulian¡¯s body to the pinnacle! The rain of bullets would only fall for 60 seconds. Anymore, and Yulian¡¯s seven year old body would probably fall apart from the stress. Using this rudimentary technique, Yulian somehow managed to equally train every part of his body.

    Yulian picked up his practice heavy sword and attacked one of the training dummies. His sword technique was based on the ¡®Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡¯ and thus was a simplified version of the ¡®Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯. He naturally turned the disadvantages of the heavy sword into advantages with his technique. His muscles operated perfectly, building his strength to its limits. After all, the Nine Stage Thunder Blade and thus the Nine Yang Thunder Fist operated by strengthening and coordinating the muscles in the body.

    ¡°Haah¡­ this is too exhausting. Just when will I reach the stage where every sword swing causes my muscles to perfectly synchronize with each other?¡± Yulian knew that using the Reaction Testing Machine to train his body was only a rudimentary and imperfect way of training. That¡¯s why he was aiming to coordinate his heavy sword technique and Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique to create way to mobilize every muscle in his body.

    ¡°The Nine Stage Thunder Blade controls every muscle in the body to maximize the strength of the Fighter. Since the Nine Yang Thunder Fist is the simplified version of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t reach the level of controlling every single muscle in my body by building off it!¡± Yulian¡¯s eyes glinted with determination to fulfill his goals.

    ¡­

    At dinnertime, Yulian was enthusiastically eating the delicious Monster Beast meat. Seeing this amusing sight, Martha the maid who was serving him faintly laughed. ¡°Calm down. The meat isn¡¯t going to disappear.¡± Paying no attention to the laughing maid, Yulian continued eating.

    Fifteen minutes and four wiped plates later, Yulian¡¯s hunger was finally sated. He drank some water to aid his digestion. ¡°Hey Martha, let¡¯s have a quick spar in the training arena.¡±

    Hearing Yulian¡¯s words, Martha gave a wry smile. Yulian always had a quick spar with her after lunch. Even though she handily beat him every time, he would continue to request her. Even though he never overdid it, it still caused her to be worried. After all, most kids weren¡¯t used to repeatedly losing!

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. I have been at a bottleneck for a long while, so it isn¡¯t like wasting a few minutes will be a huge loss¡­¡± Martha smiled as she muttered these words. Yulian¡¯s hearing had risen due to his cultivation, and hence he clearly heard the softly muttered words. He simply frowned as he walked alongside Martha to the training arena.

    ¡­

    ¡°So, the same rules as always. No attacking vital points and head, this is training match, blahblahblah. Are you ready?¡± Yulian brandished his heavy wooden sword at Martha as he waited for her answer. Martha simply nodded as she held her slim wooden sword.

    Yulian immediately attacked Martha with a powerful swing of his heavy sword. Martha casually backed away to dodge the powerful attack. When Martha took the opportunity to attack, Yulian maneuvered his heavy sword so that her light blade only struck the flat of the heavy sword. With a quick movement, Yulian attacked Martha¡¯s waist with his blade. Martha hurriedly backed away.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to take the upper hand so quickly¡­ Even with that ridiculously large sword, your sword technique is amazing.¡± Martha gave a wary smile as she prepared to attack. In response, Yulian simply took a guarding posture.

    Like this, the two continued to spar. Ten minutes passed by in a blink of an eye.

    A sheen of sweat covered Yulian¡¯s forehead. Meanwhile, Martha was incomparably relaxed. ¡°Are you done yet?¡±  She calmly asked with a gentle tone. Inwardly, she was rather impressed. His movement, speed and strength had made a vast improvement since their previous spar. Actually, she was having trouble holding back now¡­

    Yulian simply shook his head before taking a stance. His body arched forward, Yulian gripped the heavy sword with his two hands, with most of the weight resting on his right hand. Then, with an extremely fast motion, he attacked.

    At that movement, all the muscles in his body synchronized with each other. The power behind the sword was incomparably strengthened. Facing his sword, Martha felt a hint of danger. She braced herself and hurriedly held the flat of her slim blade to guard.

    When the practice blades struck each other, the power behind Yulian¡¯s sword did not snap Martha¡¯s sword into half. In fact, Martha was surprised to find out that the impact of the hit on her blade was even lesser than usual! Needless to say, Yulian was even more surprised by this. Taking advantage of Yulian¡¯s state, Martha instantly disarmed Yulian and won.

    ¡°That previous sword strike was extremely weird. Forgetting about that, you have certainly made improvements. Getting personal instruction from that Warlord seems to be rather effective for your training.¡± Martha smiled as she said that. Actually, Martha had gained some advice from her seniors in the HR Alliance, yet nothing proved effective in helping her breakthrough her bottleneck. Yet, Yulian¡¯s weird sword technique which appeared strong yet was rather weak had given her some insight¡­

    Yulian didn¡¯t reply to Martha¡¯s words, as his astonishment hadn¡¯t worn off. Yulian wasn¡¯t stupid; he recognized the reason why the strength behind his blow had suddenly decreased.

    If an ordinary person uses 100% of his strength while attacking, a person training with the Nine Stage Thunder Blade uses 70% strength in his attack! After unleashing the first stage of the attack, they will force themselves to unleash another stage, also at 70% of the attack! Like this, the total strength behind the attack will be 140%! Since Yulian¡¯s blow held the strength of only 70%, Yulian had succeeded in using the Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡­

    After this incident, Yulian found out that the coordination between his muscles had risen by a lot. However, he could not recreate the technique he used again. He frantically trained and tried to recreate that state, yet it was impossible. Soon, hours passed by and it was 6:00 PM, evening.

    The small figure of a 7 year old was holding a comically large sword and smashing it on a training dummy. There was no real skill behind the attacks, and every attack was used to relieve frustration. Just then, Martha entered the training arena.

    ¡°Your attacks have gotten rather sloppy now. Looks like you are pretty frustrated, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just relieving stress. Why are you here? Interested in another spar?¡± Hearing Yulian¡¯s words, Martha simply laughed. ¡°I came to check my fist strength out.¡±

    Yulian recalled Martha¡¯s words. ¡°I thought you were stuck on a bottleneck?¡± Martha smiled. ¡°I was stuck on a bottleneck before this. Now I have broken through!¡±

    ¡®Wasn¡¯t she on the peak of the Elite rank before this? Does this mean¡­ that she has crossed over to the realm of a Prospective Fighter?¡¯ Only this single thought filled Yulian¡¯s mind. The difference between an Elite Rank and a Prospective Fighter was as wide as the gulf between Heaven and Earth. Most genius martial artist¡¯s fist strength would hover between 750-850 kg at the age of 18, yet they would only end up breaking through to a Fighter before the age of 21.

    Martha walked up to the Fist Testing Machine and attacked with a firm punch. ¡®922 kg!¡¯ Unexpectedly, the fist strength was firmly above 900 kg! ¡°Congratulations, Martha! It looks like you can be a Fighter now!¡± Yulian smiled as he spoke.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ll have to train my reaction speed and agility before I can become a certified Prospective Fighter¡­ though the biggest hurdle has been crossed. It won¡¯t be difficult to avail special training from the HR Alliance. From what it looks like, I won¡¯t be able to be a maid here for much longer.¡± Martha smiled as she replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s good... though it will be difficult to move to another maid. Also, I think Jack will be a bit disappointed¡­¡± Thinking about Jack Whitney, Yulian muttered a few words. It appeared that Martha didn¡¯t catch Yulian¡¯s mutterings. She continued to speak. ¡°Well, since I had breakthrough today after I sparred with, I¡¯ll give you a treat. Instead of the usual evening snack, I¡¯ll take you to a mid-class restaurant. Order anything you want, I¡¯ll buy!¡±

    ¡­

    Needless to say, Yulian quickly accepted. Both of them quickly got dressed and they set out for a nice restaurant. Instead of ordering a driverless car, Martha decided to walk. Under the light glare of the setting sun, Yulian and Martha walked through the roads of the metropolis of New York.

    This world was an anomaly where the ancient martial arts and advanced technology could exist together. The city of New York had changed in many ways. Giant electronic billboards flashed advertisements. All kinds of people walked the roads of the city. Some of them were teenage students. Some of them were middle aged workers. Few of them were fighters. All of them had a hidden edge, a wariness that had been engraved deep into their bones.

    This was something common to soldiers. In this chaotic world where the threat of monsters invading cities and massacring was a possibility, military discipline had been engraved into every single citizen. Even if you can¡¯t fight against monsters, at the very least, you should not obstruct those who fight them and rescue you. Based on this thought, every single person here had been trained and disciplined.

    Yulian explored his beloved city with new eyes. Almost everything had changed.

    ¡°Back in the Grand Nirvana period, New York was a harbor city. Of course, the ¡®original¡¯ New York was completely devastated by sea monsters during the Grand Nirvana period. This city of New York is quite a distance away from the original New York¡¯s location. Currently, the area where the ¡®original¡¯ New York stood has turned into an extremely dangerous location with Commander and Horde Leader level snake-type monsters covering it.¡± Seeing Yulian¡¯s inquisitiveness, Martha gave him some random tidbits.

    Martha¡¯s words brought Yulian back to reality. The New York he was exploring wasn¡¯t the New York he had been born in. But that was something he knew already. Martha¡¯s words brought another fact to his mind. Among the original residents of New York were his friends and family. If he had been sent to another world then his friends and family will be safe in his original world. But if he was actually sent to the future¡­

    Yulian¡¯s thoughts wandered to his family. He had a mother, a father and an elder brother. This was the stereotypical American nuclear family. If he had been sent to the future then it was likely that his family had died either when the RR Virus spread out or when New York was destroyed by the chaotic monster horde¡­

    Yulian immediately stopped his thought process. ¡®No matter what, I¡¯ll think about it after I break through to a Fighter and solve the disaster that my Spirit Force has brought upon me.¡¯ If he couldn¡¯t save himself, it would be meaningless to think of other things!

    ¡­

    Finally, they arrived at the restaurant. It looked somewhat posh, and Yulian knew that the dishes here would be somewhat expensive. However he didn¡¯t hold back. Martha was going to be a Fighter and even a beginner Fighter could make millions.

    Instead of meat dishes, he ordered vegetarian. He tried out numerous dishes, determined to leave Martha with a poorer purse. Martha too ordered some expensive dishes to celebrate. She focused more over desserts.

    Two hours later, Yulian had eaten until he could eat no more. Martha paid the bill with her credit card.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t too expensive, was it?¡± With a wry smile, Yulian asked Martha. ¡°I¡­ blew away months of my salary on these dishes. You went really overboard.¡± Martha¡¯s smile was extremely cold.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be a Fighter in no time at all. When you will be making millions, such small expenses will be the last thing on your mind.¡± With a childish smile, Yulian reminded Martha.

    ¡°Hopefully¡­¡± Martha muttered this lightly, yet her cold gaze did not cease.

    ¡­

    After hiring a driverless car, Yulian and Martha made their way back to the house. Unexpectedly, it was already 8:30 PM. Their ¡®date¡¯ had taken a surprisingly long time.

    Martha drew a keycard from her wallet and inserted it into a slot on the door.  After a short ¡®beep¡¯, the door opened up. Near the door, there was a small chair. A small black bag was messily thrown on it.

    ¡°Looks like Jack has already arrived home. How unexpected, I am usually the person who greets him home¡­¡± Just as Martha faintly muttered these words, Jack came over to greet them.

    ¡°Had fun, both of you?¡±  Jack said these words with a half-smile on his face.

    ¡°Yeah, Martha took me to a restaurant for free! I ate lots and lots of tasty foods with weird names like penne cotta, pizza¡­ You should have come too.¡± Yulian spoke like an ordinary, excited child. However, both Jack and Martha knew that this was a fa?ade. Jack clearly remembered the day he was maneuvered by this child into becoming his guardian. Martha knew that any child who could bitterly train for more than 12 hours could not be normal.

    But, both of them thought that Yulian was simply more intelligent than his peers, a genius. They could never have thought that Yulian was actually a reincarnated soul.

    Yulian casually smiled. ¡°Well, I ate so much that now I am completely filled with energy! I¡¯ll return to my room to train and burn this energy off!¡± Completely ignoring Jack and Martha¡¯s bemused expression, Yulian ran off. Tomorrow, his last training session with Zhang Wei would arrive. He had to be at his peak condition tomorrow, to take complete advantage of it!

 Chapter 9: Final Training Session with Zhang Wei

    Chapter 9: Final Training Session with Zhang Wei

    ¡°Swing your sword harder! You aren¡¯t using your full power to attack!¡±

    ¡°Thrust with all your strength! In an actual battle, such a sloppy thrust would have given your opponent an opening!¡±

    ¡°A heavy sword uses strength to overcome the disadvantage of speed and technique! Therefore, before attempting to use speed and technique to augment your blows, you must first master how to properly attack with all your strength!¡±

    A lone child was facing a rain of rubber bullets by himself, while a powerful Warlord was shouting encouragement from the side. When Zhang Wei found out that Yulian broke through the bottleneck of 500 kg. fist strength, he immediately decided to have Yulian train with the Reaction Testing Machine. At this moment, Yulian was training with the difficulty level at the stage of Elite Warrior.

    Every second, 8 bullets were shot at Yulian¡¯s body at the speed of 5 m/s. Yulian was simply slashing aside the bullets with his heavy sword. Following Zhang Wei¡¯s advice, he did not move while he smacked aside the bullets. Ten minutes later, the rain of bullets stopped. Yulian stretched and crackled his fingers.

    ¡°You lasted for ten minutes with your fist strength of 551 kg. That¡¯s remarkable. It seems that you are trying to reach out for the intermediate level of body maneuvering technique.¡±

    ¡°Body maneuvering technique? The intermediate level?¡± Yulian parroted.

    ¡°It is the level where you can perfectly control every part of your body to dodge or attack by yourself. If you can reach the intermediate realm for agility, you can control every part of your body while dodging, so that in front of powerful attacks you are like a leaf blown in the wind. If you can reach the intermediate realm in your sword technique, you can control every muscle in your body to aid your every motion, which will make your every attack stronger! Of course the Nine Stage Thunder Blade relies on every muscle in your body, so every Fighter who can successfully reach the First Stage in that technique will certainly have reached the intermediate realm in their sword technique. Also, every decent Warlord rank has also reached this level.¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s had a smile as he said these words.

    ¡°Have you reached the intermediate level too?¡± Yulian curiously asked this question. Just then, he remembered that Zhang Wei¡¯s foot was amputated. Since it was like that, wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for him to perfectly coordinate his body? Yulian¡¯s face immediately turned red from embarrassment.

    Hearing Yulian¡¯s innocent question, Zhang Wei¡¯s face turned ugly for a moment before it returned to a smile. ¡°As you know, I have a mechanical leg. Even though it is quite durable, low weight and good enough to use in battle, it isn¡¯t the leg I was born with. So I cannot exhibit intermediate level agility technique. However, I can still fight with intermediate level sword technique!¡± He lifted his pant for a moment, showing off the yellow colored mechanical limb.

    Yulian understood. Agility techniques depend on the feet, hence it is difficult for Zhang Wei to exhibit the Intermediate level while relying on his mechanical foot. However, sword techniques which depend upon the hands would be easier to use.

    ¡°Hmph. That said, even though I cannot use my mechanical foot to display the intermediate level agility technique, I can still display higher agility than you.¡± Zhang Wei had a rather smug expression as he said that.

    ¡®You are a Warlord level Fighter; of course, your agility will be faster than me.¡¯ But even though he said such words in his heart, Yulian would not dare speak them. Instead, Yulian simply smiled.  ¡°I think I have fallen upon a bottleneck recently; I am finding it difficult to make any improvements. Would you care to demonstrate the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique for me? I will certainly find it useful.¡±

    Hearing Yulian¡¯s words, Zhang Wei felt a bit resentful. This young boy had fallen on a bottleneck? What a joke, he hadn¡¯t even been training for a month! However, he did not express his words. He immediately unsheathed the saber strapped on his waist and began attacking a training dummy.

    Yulian observed Zhang Wei as he attacked the training dummy. Slash, stab, chop, cleave¡­ all sorts of basic sword techniques were displayed by him. Every time he attacked, his muscles bulged up for an instant. Yulian carefully watched him. As he watched with a keen gaze, Yulian unintentionally began circulating his Genetic Energy in his body. He saw strands of Genetic Energy in Zhang Wei¡¯s body circulate through his muscles, making them unnaturally expand and contract. As he observed, he suddenly saw Genetic Energy flow through Zhang Wei¡¯s mechanical foot. The foot crackled as small electrical sparks visible only to Yulian¡¯s eyes danced¡­

    At that moment Yulian gained a revelation. Yulian finally realized why Zhang Wei could train in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique even with a mechanical foot; the Nine Stage Thunder Blade turned Genetic Energy into the electrical element! Before this, Yulian had believed that the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique would be aligned with lightning, however it was simply speculation!

    Yulian observed the Genetic Energy flowing through Zhang Wei¡¯s body, while unconsciously circulating Genetic Energy through his own body, imitating Zhang Wei. Two minutes later, Zhang Wei finally stopped demonstrating the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique.

    ¡°Seen enough, kid? Gained any insights, yet?¡± Zhang Wei smiled after he finished his demonstration.

    ¡°Thanks for exerting yourself.¡± Yulian simply smiled, not indicating anything about him gaining another insight. He didn¡¯t want to shock Zhang Wei too much.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it¡­ even geniuses among Fighters had difficulty breaking through before the age of 18. I think the youngest Fighter ever broke through at the age of 15. Even if you fall into a bottleneck, you must make sure to not slack off. As long as you are diligent, you will certainly break through to become a genius Fighter¡­¡± Zhang Wei had a strange expression as he said these words, as if he was recalling unpleasant memories as he spoke. How could Yulian not understand? Zhang Wei¡¯s foot was amputated and replaced; this certainly severed his potential for practicing martial arts.

    ¡°All this while, I have instructed you, I haven¡¯t had a single spar with you. The reason behind this is simple; I have difficulty in holding back in a fight. It is certainly my failure as a martial artist. However since it¡¯s my last lesson, let¡¯s have a simple spar.¡±

    ¡°The rules are simple. I am going to attack you with my killing intent. You have to resist it and attack me. I won¡¯t move from my position. If you can hit me, you win¡­ That said, you can give up now if you don¡¯t want to attempt. Being oppressed by killing intent is not a pleasant experience, and it might birth a psychological fear, making it harder to advance.¡± Zhang Wei looked Yulian in the eye, awaiting his answer. If it were any other 7 year old child, he wouldn¡¯t have asked such a question, however Yulian certainly wasn¡¯t a simple 7 year old.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    In answer, Yulian simply picked up his heavy sword and rushed to attack. Zhang Wei¡¯s eyes flashed red and an oppressive pressure fell over Yulian. Yulian was inflicted with fear and a wave of dizziness came over him. His body rebelled against him, desiring to give up, to fall unconscious.

    However, Yulian kept running. His hands gripped the heavy sword with greater strength. He knew that if he lost his grip on the blade, it might fall on his feet, smashing them. All his muscles started acting in unity, his mind and body focused on advancing unceasingly! The distance between them wasn¡¯t too large at around 15 m. But this short distance, to Yulian, was like an impassable chasm.

    1 m¡­3 m¡­5 m¡­ Ignoring the oppressive force, Yulian focused on continuously advancing. In his mind was a single thought, ¡®If I can¡¯t even bear your toned down killing intent, for what reason have I been training so long for? This killing intent is nothing to me! The Spiritual Force in my body will kill me in a horrible way if I don¡¯t increase my strength. Before that¡­ this killing intent is nothing!¡¯

    7 m¡­ 9m¡­ 11m¡­ As Yulian came near Zhang Wei, his body slowed to a crawl. The oppressive killing intent was completely restricting Yulian¡¯s motions. It was as if the gravity had suddenly multiplied.

    Finally, Yulian reached 13 m away from Zhang Wei. The heavy sword was a two meter long blade, and it turned into a silver arc as it smashed into Zhang Wei¡¯s hardened body. After the single sword strike, Yulian fell unconscious.

    Zhang Wei picked up the unconscious Yulian, and placed him on the Training Arena¡¯s sofa. ¡°You won, kid.¡± Zhang Wei¡¯s words were certainly not heard by the sleeping Yulian.

    As he walked out of the Training Arena, Zhang Wei looked at Yulian one last time. For a moment, he wondered why the sword strike that struck him was so weak. The force behind was certainly less than 500 kg.

    ¡­

    Yulian woke up and yawned. Checking the clock, he found out that it was 10:00 AM. He remembered his ¡®spar¡¯ with Zhang Wei, where he struck him a single time. ¡°I guess I won this spar.¡± After casually stretching, Yulian remembered that he hadn¡¯t eaten anything.

    In the mansion¡¯s kitchen, the friendly maid who cooked for him everyday wasn¡¯t there. Just recently, Martha had resigned from her job as a maid to undergo specialized Fighter training.

    Yulian immediately removed a packet of frozen beef from the fridge, unwrapped and promptly stuck it into the microwave.

    As he ate the microwaved roasted beef, he muttered, ¡°As it seems, handmade food certainly tastes better than microwaved stuff¡­¡± As a university student who originally survived on ramen packets which were even worse, this wasn¡¯t certainly a new experience for him.

    ¡­

    Five days passed by. Yulian was still focused on his training. At this moment, he was training with a sword. It wasn¡¯t his heavy sword which he usually employed for training, but a 0.5 metre long, straight bladed sword.

    Genetic Energy circulated through Yulian¡¯s body, expanding and contracting Yulian¡¯s muscles. This was the Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! Thrust. Slash. Stab. Cleave. Smash. Tap.

    Yulian¡¯s sword danced in these motions as he incessantly swung his sword. At the last ¡®tap¡¯, two faint blade shadows surrounded Yulian¡¯s blade.

    ¡°Not good enough yet¡­ The speed of my blade is too low¡­¡± Even though this was the easiest sword technique of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade Manual, its execution relied on building up the momentum of the blade. Yulian stopped swinging his sword and stretched his hands. After this, he immediately began cultivating using the Spirit Immersion technique. Ten minutes later, he grabbed the sword, hardened his heart, and began repeating the movements.

    This was the simplest and easiest to master sword technique in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual, Three Blades in Unity. Rather than rely on Genetic Energy, it focused more on muscle control. When used correctly, it would cause three blades to chop together at high speed. Of course, only one blade among the three would be real.

    To display this sword technique, one¡¯s strength, speed and reactions needed to be at least around Elite Martial Artist. This technique was a part of the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    ¡°Random people at the HR Alliance forum, thank you for your survey where you ranked the blade techniques of the First to the Fourth Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Without your help, maintaining my current training pace would be impossible.¡± Two weeks before, Yulian discovered a video of the sword training technique of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade on the internet. It was unexpected, but completely useless for him, as these techniques were only viable to use for Beginner Warriors. However, today, he actually found out a survey where the Warlord level Fighters discussed about the Nine Stage Thunder Blade sword techniques! And the training video for the easiest technique, Three Blades in Unity was actually shown on it!

    Even though Yulian was focused on training with this sword technique, he really didn¡¯t mind not mastering this sword technique. For now, whenever he used this technique, it would almost completely exhaust his pool of Genetic Energy, allowing him to train faster.

    Currently, his fist strength was 551 kg, the sudden increase due to automatically coordinating the muscles in his body while attacking. While using the Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, Yulian¡¯s fist strength would be around 385 kg. Yulian¡¯s current strength had surpassed the maximum strength of his previous life. His fist strength was steadily expanding, and he had not fallen upon a bottleneck yet.

    Yulian was filled with confidence! His Spiritual Force was obediently lying low, and he had not suffered from a single headache all this while. His pool of Genetic Energy was rapidly expanding. As long as it continued like this, Yulian was completely confident of breaking through to a Beginner Warrior and strengthening his body to withstand the explosion of his Spirit Force.

    A/N: So how do you like this? Please give me your opinions.

    As for chapter updates, it¡¯s 2 per week. Also, I¡¯d like it if you donate.

    ¡°What? I don¡¯t see any donation button!¡± Well, I don¡¯t want RL Cash, but how about you send me some game currency?

    The game in question is Hentaiverse, a strangely addictive text game. I¡¯ve been running low on credits and have zero hath, so donations are appreciated!

    My user name is Aardwark. You can send me 12,000 Credits or 2 Hath respectively. For every such donation, you get a chapter!

    Oh, you are saying you don¡¯t want to waste time grinding on a text game? Well, you don¡¯t have to! Just register on E-Hentai, search for Hentai@Home, download it, get free hath, send it to me, get chapters!

 Chapter 10: Rapid Gain in Strength

    Chapter 10: Rapid Gain in Strength

    Three months passed away in the blink of an eye. Yulian¡¯s strength continued to rise at an extreme pace. Currently, he had broken through the bottleneck of a peak Intermediate Martial Artist and arrived at the stage of an Elite Martial Artist. His fist strength had risen to 750 kg. His body was transformed from within, with his genes rising in quality. Currently, the quality of his body¡¯s genes was equal to those genius children of powerful Wargods.

    This should mean that the danger of his Spirit Force rebelling should have decreased by a large margin¡­. however the fear in Yulian¡¯s heart did not abate.

    Yulian¡¯s current strength at the age of 7 was unparalleled, and many 18 year old experienced martial artists couldn¡¯t match up to him in terms of strength. All this was due to his Spiritual Force. But Yulian knew that his Spiritual Force could not be relied upon. At the moment, it wasn¡¯t trying to tear open his body from the inside, but Yulian had read too many horror stories on the internet. He knew that this Spirit Force was the reason the previous host of this body had died. All his memories had been cleansed, and his soul was sent to be reincarnated.

    Yulian did not know anything about the previous host of this body. The original owner of this body was likely a simple 7 year old street kid whose Spirit Force had unsuccessfully awakened and killed him. Due to some unknown reason, Yulian had awakened in this body after his death.

    Yulian had noticed that most of the memories of his previous life were rather dulled. He hadn¡¯t forgotten anything important like his immediate family and his close friends, but everything other than that had turned vague. The culprit for this¡­ couldn¡¯t be anything other than his mysterious Spiritual Force. Since it was like this, the only option was to break through to a Fighter and strengthen the genes in his body. If he couldn¡¯t do that¡­ then he would die and everything else would be unimportant.

    ¡­

    Yulian was attacking the Fist Testing Machine with an ordinary straight sword. Thrust. Slash. Stab. Cleave. Smash. Tap. This rapid motion caused two illusionary blades to materialize above and below his sword.

    ¡°756 kg!¡± Seeing the three digits on the display, Yulian frowned. He had completely mastered the ¡®Three Sword in Unity¡¯ blade technique. The dual illusionary afterimages that surrounded his blade were nearly solid, and disappeared only after a second. It could be said that he had completely mastered this blade technique!

    ¡°Well, this is as expected. This blade technique has served me well.¡± In reality, ¡®Three Swords in Unity¡¯ was a nearly useless blade technique. It requires six blade maneuvers and only produced two afterimages. These afterimages weren¡¯t solid enough to fool the enemy. Over that, it was really difficult to use these afterimages to confuse and disorient the enemy!

    That said, Yulian wasn¡¯t practicing this blade technique to fight monsters. He used this technique to completely exhaust his stamina and Genetic Energy, so that he could cultivate it again. Break down everything, to build up a firmer foundation!

    But now that he had broken through to become an Elite Martial Artist with 750 kg fist strength, his Genetic Energy pool wasn¡¯t small enough to be completely exhausted by the ¡®Three Swords in Unity¡¯ blade technique. That meant that it was time to switch to another blade technique!

    Yulian rushed to his bedroom. Quickly turning on the computer, he quickly opened the page where the various blade techniques of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade were ranked. Quickly scrolling down, he reached the ¡®Elite Martial Artist¡¯ section. There was only a single blade technique suitable for this stage ¡®Four Thunderous Thrusts¡¯.

    Compared to the ¡®Three Blades in Unity¡¯ technique, the ¡®Four Thunderous Thrusts¡¯ was a simpler yet more useful technique. It simply comprised of four sword thrusts! Every thrust was fast as lightning, with the momentum from the previous thrusts building into the next! With every thrust, a sound like thunder rumbling would roar from the muscles!

    This technique consumed large amounts of Genetic Energy. Practicing it would aid Yulian in cultivating his Genetic Energy, and also increase his comprehension of the Introductory Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique! Yulian quickly clicked ¡®Play!¡¯ and intently observed the Fighter demonstrating this technique. Even though practicing this technique had many benefits, it would be useless if Yulian was incapable of comprehending it.

    ¡­

    Two hours later, Yulian had returned to the Fighter Arena. He had been continuously replaying the 3 minute long video before he gained some insight into the technique. Now equipped with some rudimentary insights, he decided to train in the Arena to deepen his understanding.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! The countless undeveloped muscles in Yulian¡¯s body moved in unity as Yulian continually attacked the training dummy with stabs. Despite attacking continuously for more than fifteen minutes, he still hadn¡¯t been able to activate this technique. Finally, when all the stamina in his body was exhausted, he put away his sword and sat down in a cross legged posture, preparing to cultivate.

    As he activated the Spirit Immersion technique, large amount of Genetic Energy was absorbed into his body, nourishing and healing him. Even though a large quantity of that energy was wasted due to Yulian¡¯s strength being insufficient, the remaining energy travelled through his skin to nourish his muscles, tendons and bones, and even going to the extent of seeping into his bone marrow to refine it!

    Yulian cultivated Genetic Energy like this for more than twenty minutes, until all the cells in his body had been filled with Genetic Energy. After this, he immediately uncrossed his legs, stood up from the lotus posture, picked up his sword and attacking a training dummy!

    ¡­

    Hours disappeared in repetitive practice. Attack the training dummy until the point of collapse, cultivate Genetic Energy until the exhaustion has been relieved, once again attack the training dummy until the point of collapse and once again cultivate Genetic Energy until the exhaustion has been relieved¡­ Yulian kept on training like this. There was no time wasted over food or in the toilet¡­ Yulian¡¯s cultivation of Genetic Energy increased the efficiency of his body¡¯s biological processes, decreasing his need for nutrition and the waste produced by his body.

    For the last three months, Yulian had been training like this. Yulian was previously an ordinary university student. Even so, such repetitive training was hard on his mind. Yet, he persevered.

    After hours and hours of failure, suddenly the sound of rumbling thunder originated from Yulian¡¯s muscles. A fierce thrust shook the frame of the sturdy training dummy, leaving it shaking. Meanwhile, Yulian fell down on his butt after losing his balance from sudden exhaustion.

    Yulian immediately sat up in the lotus posture and started cultivating. In these three months, Yulian had gained experience over controlling himself in the state of exhaustion. Genetic Energy was absorbed into his diminutive body, nourishing every part of his body. This time, Yulian continuously cultivated for thirty minutes, breaking through his previous benchmark of twenty minutes!

    After his successful cultivation, Yulian rose from his lotus posture. Stretching his body for a while, he looked at the clock in the Arena. Currently, the time was 8:05 PM.

    Yulian usually ate his microwaved dinner at 9:00 PM. Jack would arrive at 9:15 or so. After some casual conversation, both of them would proceed to their respective bedrooms. The day usually ended like this.

    Since he had an hour worth of time to train, Yulian decided to not waste it. He immediately picked up his training blade, walked up to a dummy and attacked with a sudden thrust.

    Once again, thunder rumbled as he thrust with the sword. 20% of his Genetic Energy was consumed with his attack. But when he tried to channel the motion to build up the momentum of his second thrust¡­

    ¡­he failed. As expected, this technique was rather hard to comprehend.

    Like this, Yulian continued training. In the end, he failed to comprehend the second thrust. From what it looked like, Yulian would need at least a week to comprehend the second stance. If he wished to master this technique, it would at the very least take a month.

    ¡­

    After this, Yulian decided to eat in the kitchen. Yulian eagerly ate the beef cuts that he had prepared after microwaving. Nutrition provided by the beef revitalized his body. In a not-too-long amount of time, Yulian had filled his stomach.

    Just then, the doorbell rang. It appeared that Jack had arrived.

    After running down the stairs straight to the door, Yulian quickly opened it and gave a quick greeting. Jack sluggishly greeted him back.

    Jack¡¯s expression which looked like he wanted to say something to Yulian, was of course, not seen by Yulian. Yulian was already halfway to the stairs. In reality, their interactions with each other had been very few. Yulian¡¯s fervor to practice martial arts had already overshadowed his need for personal interactions.

    Finally, Jack decided to speak. ¡°Yulian, I have something to inform you. Your teacher¡­ Zhang Wei has died.¡±

 Chapter 11:

    Chapter 11: Zhang Wei¡¯s Death

    ¡°Z-Zhang Wei¡­ has died?¡± Yulian stuttered as he spoke. In this world, Zhang Wei was the strongest person he had known. Even Zhang Wei¡¯s suppressed killing intent made Yulian feel like the gravity had multiplied, easily restricting him! Such a strong person¡­what could cause his death?

    Failing to compose himself, Yulian asked Jack with a quivering voice. ¡°How did he die¡­ what was the cause of his death?¡±

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s expression which was stricken with grief, Jack felt a pang in his heart. Nevertheless, he kept himself composed and continued speaking. ¡°¡­Zhang Wei¡¯s team was attacked by a Horde Leader level beast, ¡®Flamewood Crimson Bear¡¯. Due to his prosthetic leg, he was not able to retreat¡­¡±

    Attacked by a Horde Leader! Since Zhang Wei¡¯s foot was amputated, his speed would be the lowest in his team! The normal speed of a Horde Leader level beast is many times greater than a Warlord level Fighter in the first place, and Zhang Wei¡¯s speed was lesser than an average Warlord!

    After hearing Jack¡¯s words, the fact that Zhang Wei had died finally sunk into him. Memories of the short time spent with him surfaced in his head. The rugged man¡¯s voice, his skilled movements, his diligent instruction¡­ all these memories flashed before his eyes.

    At that moment, the chairs and tables nearby began floating! The Spirit Force which lay dormant within Yulian¡¯s body took advantage of his fragile emotional state to emerge! The moment Yulian realized that his Spirit Force had burst forth, he summoned all his willpower to retake control over it and stop it from wrecking havoc!

    Yulian spat out a mouthful of blood as he fought with the rebellious Spirit Force. Subduing the Spirit Force wasn¡¯t easy! However, it was originally something that originated from Yulian¡¯s body, and something that could be controlled by Yulian. It took five minutes for Yulian to re-establish control over his Spirit Force. After this, he spat out another mouthful of blood.

    After forcefully subduing the Spirit Force, Yulian was struck by a sudden feeling of dizziness. The adrenaline rush that had powered him through the ordeal finally disappeared. However, Yulian forcefully maintained consciousness.

    Looking around, he found Jack standing in the same place. Perhaps he was too shocked, but he hadn¡¯t moved a single inch. ¡°Jack!¡± Screaming with a dry throat, Yulian¡¯s hoarse voice finally shook Jack out of his state.

    ¡°Y-Yulian? Are you okay?¡± Seeing Yulian¡¯s bloody mouth and the small pool of the blood that had formed, Jack was flabbergasted.

    ¡°Get me some water.¡± Hearing Yulian¡¯s words, Jack quickly went to get some water. Meanwhile, Yulian licked his bloody lips in a desperate attempt to maintain consciousness.

    ¡­

    After fetching Yulian his water, Jack immediately called a doctor. Meanwhile, Yulian found out that the Genetic Energy in his body had gone haywire, completely out of his control. Even though Yulian sensed that it would calm down after some time, it did not lessen the worry in his heart.

    Yulian immediately returned to his room and sat atop his bed. Not seeing any other options, he entered a cross-legged posture and tried to meditate. However, after learning about the death of his mentor and his Spirit Force¡¯s sudden rebellion, Yulian¡¯s mental state was in turmoil. Meditation was impossible.

    After 15 minutes of unsuccessful attempts at meditation, Yulian heard the sound of footsteps. A few moments later, he heard the sound of sharp rapping on the door. Sighing, Yulian immediately opened the door to welcome his visitors.

    As expected, Jack had arrived with a doctor. The doctor was an old man who looked to be approximately 70 years old. Yulian could sense strong power concealed within the aged body; this man must have been a retired Fighter!

    ¡°Yulian, this is Doctor Westdale. He has come to treat you.¡± After quick greetings, Yulian laid flat on his back as the Doctor diagnosed him.

    Tap. Tap. Tap. The doctor¡¯s gnarled fingers tapped on various points on Yulian¡¯s body. His heart, throat, abdomen, pulse were carefully examined. Yulian sensed energy from the doctor¡¯s fingers probe his body.

    Five minutes later, the doctor came to his conclusion. ¡°¡­Apart from the qi in the body being in a chaotic state, I sense no other problems. Young boy, your name is Yulian, is it not? You have cultivated to the level of an Intermediate-grade martial artist at such a young age. Certainly a genius!¡±

    Yulian completely disregarded the doctor¡¯s praise and anxiously asked, ¡°The qi in my body is in a chaotic state? How can I recover from this?¡±

    The doctor took out a sachet filled with a few pills. ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all! Swallow these pills every morning, noon and night after eating for five days. The qi in your body will regain stability in a week! Since your cultivation is below that of a Fighter, I can¡¯t use acupuncture treatment on you. My qi is too fierce and might rupture your blood vessels. Since it is so, you must regularly take these pills for complete recovery!¡±

    ¡°Remember, take the pills three times a day after eating for a week and do not attempt any strenuous physical exercise or qi cultivation for a week, even when you feel like the qi in your body has stabilized!¡± For some reason, the doctor liked using the word ¡®qi¡¯ instead of ¡®Genetic Energy¡¯. ¡°Before I leave, let me ask you, how did the qi in your body destabilize?¡±

    At that moment, Jack decided to answer the doctor¡¯s question. ¡°His martial arts teacher died yesterday. The news shocked him.¡±

    ¡°So it was something like this?¡± The doctor smiled. ¡°In ancient times, when monks suffered great emotional damage, it impacted their confidence, making it difficult for them to clear the mind and meditate. The ancients termed this as a ¡®heart demon¡¯. No matter what, death is an unchanging fact in life.¡±

    The doctor turned to look at Yulian. ¡°Your teacher died doing his duty, culling the hordes of monsters. He certainly wouldn¡¯t want your talent to wither after his death. Death is an inevitable aspect of a Fighter¡¯s life, so even if it seems difficult, you must try and get used to it.¡± After saying these words, the man turned to leave.

    ¡­

    ¡°Come to terms with death, huh?¡± Yulian was a reincarnated person. He had experiences with the deaths of his close ones in his previous life. Zhang Wei was a person he had met four times in four weeks. Their relationship shouldn¡¯t have been of any consequence. However, Yulian still suffered an emotional attack when he learnt of Zhang Wei¡¯s death.

    ¡°I cannot understand my own heart.¡± Yulian had a bitter smile on his face as he muttered this.

    As he pondered over things, Jack entered the room.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°You okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±

    After this brief exchange, both of them fell quiet. Even though both of them lived in the same house, their interactions were extremely few and moreover, they were introverts.

    After some time went by in silence, Jack spoke again. ¡°Zhang Wei¡¯s funeral is taking place the day after tomorrow. Do you want to visit?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Two days went by in a blink of an eye. Unable to circulate qi or practice martial arts, Yulian tried spending time watching television and reading webnovels, like he did in his previous life. However, he found out that he rather disliked it. Before he even realized it, martial arts had occupied Yulian¡¯s heart. In the end unable to practice martial arts, Yulian spent time (unsuccessfully) meditating.

    ¡­

    Zhang Wei¡¯s home was a lush Fighter Mansion. Yulian walked along beside Jack as he navigated through the small crowd of people. Zhang Wei was a veteran Fighter, and had forged friendships with all sorts of other Fighters. Many veteran Warlords were gathered for the funeral. There was even a Wargod gathered among the mourners!

    Yulian was in a daze as he watched the proceedings. Clad in solemn black robes, Zhang Wei¡¯s wife, Zhang Xu and son Zhang Ran were greeting all guests. Jack and Yulian got in line to introduce themselves to the pair.

    When their turn finally came, before Jack could introduce them, Yulian ran ahead to greet the mother-son pair. ¡°¡­My name is Yulian. Zhang Wei trained me in martial arts for a month. Thanks to him, my cultivation is at the Intermediate Grade level.¡± Yulian didn¡¯t want the pair to gain the impression of him being an uninterested child being dragged along by his guardian to the funeral. Even if it appeared rude, he needed to show his sincerity to Zhang Wei¡¯s family.

    Ignoring Yulian¡¯s rudeness, Zhang Wei¡¯s wife greeted him with a cheerful smile. ¡°¡­Ah, Zhang Wei told me about you. He was extremely impressed by your training speed and determination. In reality, you were the first and the only person he trained personally. Most training Fighters can get the guidance of a Warlord from training dojos, and forking out $1 million for 4 days of training is rather extravagant for a civilian. He had put up the offer as a joke in the first place. You should have seen his face, he was so shocked when someone contacted him about it! ¡­Like this, you are also his only disciple.¡± Yulian listened as the excitable tone dulled down to a gloomy one as the woman failed to keep up the fa?ade of cheerfulness.

    Her son, Zhang Ran patted her on the back, and here tone softened. ¡°¡­What was I saying? Oh, never forget that you are my husband¡¯s only disciple, his only legacy. Do not falter in your training, and make my husband proud!¡±

    Hearing the words of Zhang Wei¡¯s wife, determination filled Yulian¡¯s body. He simply nodded to her in response.

    ¡­

    The funeral went on. After everyone greeted Zhang Wei¡¯s remaining family, eulogies were said. Zhang Wei¡¯s team mates, his fellow Fighters, the lone Wargod who mentored him¡­ all of them gave a speech about Zhang Wei.

    After this, the hearse arrived. The long black car took the coffin to the New York Fighter Cemetery. A feet of cars arrived to bring the living mourners to the cemetery. At the cemetery, the Bishop of the local church cried out verses from the Bible. The coffin was finally buried into the ground, laying Zhang Ye to his final rest.

    ¡­

    After the funeral ended, Jack and Yulian took an automatic taxi home. The returned home at 2:30 PM. In the past few days, there was turmoil in Yulian¡¯s mind that Zhang Wei¡¯s death had given birth to. This turmoil finally disappeared and Yulian¡¯s mind was finally at peace. After a quick bath to cleanse himself, Yulian returned to his room.

    The room seemed large due to having too few furnishings. There was a bed, a computer and a cupboard. Yulian sat crosslegged in the middle of the bed. He closed his eyes and turned his sight inwards, beginning his meditation.

    Breath in, breath out. Before controlling the world, first control yourself. Meditation can only clear the mind of useless thoughts that cloud it, but with a clouded mind, how will you traverse the martial path?

    Yulian diligently meditated. He could sense his surroundings while his eyes were blind to them. He could sense the time fly away. A blink of eye, how many hours would have passed?

    After a period of time, Yulian¡¯s eyes finally opened. The clock stated that four hours had passed by, it was now 7:00 PM.

    Yulian walked downstairs to the mansion hall. The door to the mansion was open. Just then, Jack arrived with a man holding a large case. It appeared that there was a delivery.

    ¡°Good job waking up. I wasn¡¯t sure where to keep this case. Oh right, Zhang Wei¡¯s wife sent this as a gift to you. It¡¯s a sword.¡±

    ¡°A sword?¡± Yulian was surprised; he really didn¡¯t expect to receive such a gift. The front of the sword-case was made from a transparent synthetic material. The sword was a large heavy sword made with a reddish-brown blade.

    ¡°The weapon is a stone blade that can only be wielded by an Advanced Warlord. It weighs 350 kg.¡± Hearing Jack¡¯s words, his surprise rose further. ¡®Who would actually gift a Warlord-level weapon to a child? Even if no one in Zhang Wei¡¯s house can wield it, they would be better off selling it!¡¯

    Just then, Jack handed Yulian a note. He began reading. ¡°This rock blade was bought by Zhang Wei, but never used by him. Due to its material, selling it will only bring a pittance. I hope your strength grows so that one day, this weapon might be used in battle.¡±

    Reading the note, Yulian understood everything. ¡®Blatantly saying that the weapon is unsellable, so they are giving it me¡­ Zhang Wei¡¯s family is too straightforward.¡¯ At that moment, Yulian made an unspoken promise to become strong enough to wield the blade in battle someday.

    ¡°So where should be move this blade?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s place it inside my room.¡± Yulian observed as the deliveryman picked up the 350 kg+ weapon case and placed it in the centre of his room. The man was certainly not a Fighter, yet he was able to carry the 350 kg weapon box with ease.

    The deliveryman gave a form to Jack for signing and immediately left. Yulian simply stared at the box.

    Zhang Wei found this sword being sold and bought it for future use. Unfortunately, he was unable to wield this sword in his lifetime. Zhang Wei¡¯s family could not sell the sword and thus it ended up in the hands of Yulian.

    ¡°I wonder how long I will have to train until I have the ability to wield this sword.¡± Yulian looked at the sword lying in the case with mixed feelings.

 Chapter 12: First Battle

    Chapter 12: First Battle

    9 May 2048, Saturday, 12:56 PM

    In the middle of a medium sized room with few furnishings, a 7 foot long case was placed. The transparent cover of the case revealed a large heavy sword. A 7 year old boy was sitting on the middle of the case, deep in meditation.

    After Zhang Wei¡¯s funeral, Jack had to return to work, leaving Yulian home alone. Yulian was prohibited from practicing martial arts, thus he spent time meditating. When he wasn¡¯t meditating, he casually watched television or surfed the internet. Nevertheless, meditation occupied majority of Yulian¡¯s time.

    After five minutes, Yulian opened his eyes, ending his meditation. He stretched his body for a while before looking at the clock. 1:00 PM.

    ¡°Well, looks like its lunchtime.¡± Before, when Yulian trained in martial arts, he would always eat microwavable specially preserved chicken and meat. It did not taste especially bad and contained high amount of genetic energy. But these days, he would visit a nearby fast food chain for a quick meal.

    Yulian immediately picked up his wallet and left. Jack had given him quite an amount of money for his lunchtime requirements, so he wasn¡¯t worried about the price of the lunch in the slightest.

    ¡­

    The restaurant was five minutes away from the house. Yulian wolfed down a meal of chicken nuggets and a rice bowl before his appetite was satisfied. Just as he left the store, the sound of thunder boomed overhead. He looked at the sky to see it severed by a bolt of golden lightning. Unexpectedly, there was no rain to accompany it.

    The sight of that peculiar lightning caused the Genetic Energy within his body to roil. He cultivated the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, and the thunder agitated it. Genetic Energy automatically began flowing through his energy channels! Yulian was momentarily shocked by this event, before he assumed the stance of the Nine Yang Thunder Fist and began practicing. This was a golden opportunity for his cultivation, and he would be damned if he ignored it!

    Yulian shifted between stances like passing clouds and flowing rivers. He completed the Nine Yang Thunder Fist technique thrice before the flowing of the Genetic Energy stopped. At the end of the spontaneous training, Yulian felt that the Genetic Energy in his body which had become stagnant due to his qi deviation had began flowing once again. The Genetic Energy in his body had been purified, building up to reach a bottleneck, a single barrier separating him from a Fighter!

    At the same moment, he also felt an impulsive desire to move in the direction of a place. Giving in to his instincts, Yulian broke into a run.

    ¡­

    Yulian erratically ran through the streets of New York. Several times, he avoided a car by hair¡¯s breath. A strange recklessness filled him, urging him to ignore everything and follow his instincts. Yulian was intrigued by this feeling, wanting to find out what had taken hold over him.

    9 May 2048, Saturday, 1:49 PM

    Yulian found himself in an abandoned area, around the outskirts of the city. Half constructed buildings towered around him, but the place emanated the air of desolation. However in this area that should be isolated, Yulian heard the loud sound of battle, ear piercing cries of a beast and ripples of Genetic Energy that almost blew away his fragile body.

    Instinctively, Yulian spread out his Spiritual Force. While Spiritual Force could be used for telekinesis, it could also be used to inspect an area.

    A man and a giant bird were furiously battling. The bird¡¯s wing-bones were smashed, not allowing it to fly away. It was only capable of using its talons to tear at the man. The man was wielding a long spear, and using its reach to fend off the bird¡¯s talons. With his Spiritual Force, Yulian was not capable of prying out greater details; to find out more, he would have to see the battle with his own eyes.

    Spreading out his Spirit Force once more, Yulian mapped out the surrounding area. After some analysis, he figured out an area which was hidden from the combatant¡¯s sight, yet allowed him to witness the battle.

    Yulian quickly ran to the spot he had picked out. The man and beast did not see the child hiding in the corners; they were pre-occupied with each other. Meanwhile Yulian squeezed his mouth in pain; the backlash of using Spirit Force had finally struck him.

    The backlash also wiped away the trance he was placed in; Yulian finally realized that he had risked using his Spirit Force twice to spectate over a deadly battle where both the fighters could dispatch him in a blink of an eye. His blood froze solid.

    Why had the cloudless lightning ignited the qi within his body? What took over his body, bringing him here to witness this deadly battle? Countless questions filled his mind.

    Yulian ignored those questions to focus on the battle occurring in front of him. He focused on the man and the beast facing each other. The man had red hair and a white face. He held a black spear in a defensive stance. The black leather armor worn by him had countless tears and cuts over it. Blood flowed from various exposed points on his body, yet they did not cut into the determined light in his eyes.

    The black bird fighting him was a giant black eagle. Its wings were crippled and it was unable to fly, yet the power exerted by its talons was enough to force the man into defensive. The Genetic Energy pulsing the black bird¡¯s body outstripped the man¡¯s by a large margin. Yet it wasn¡¯t enough to force the battle in its favor.

    The ancient battle between man and beast, the opposition of skill and strength! The black armored Fighter used his spear techniques to defend from the raging attacks of the bird, while occasionally thrusting at the avian¡¯s weak points. Yulian observed the battle with keen eyes. The Genetic Energy ripples emanating from their bodies created wild gusts and cratered the ground. If Yulian was not a step away from becoming a Fighter and if he did not reinforce himself by revolving Genetic Energy in his body, he would have been blown away by the ripples already.

    In this battle, the Fighter was the ally and the Black Eagle the enemy. Unfortunately, Yulian couldn¡¯t help. If he revealed himself, he would only be a liability.

    Yulian used Spirit Force to scan the battlefield. Currently he was a step away from becoming a Fighter; the backlash sustained by his body for using Spirit Force was considerably lessened. There were four knives scattered on the ground. He could attempt to use telekinesis and attack the bird, but it would be fruitless. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to scratch the bird¡¯s hairs.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.Scanning the nearby buildings, he found that a dagger had been embedded near the third floor of a yet to be constructed building. He could barely move it with his Spirit Force, but if he guided it down, the downward force of the falling weapon would be enough to kill by striking a vital point. Yulian immediately began using his Spirit Force to slightly dislodge it, until a single thought would be enough for the falling knife to pierce through.

    Now, Yulian spread out his Spirit Force to fully observe the battle. The moment a turning point occurred, a knife would pierce down.

    ¡­

    Fifteen minutes passed by before the stalemate came to an end. Unfortunately, it was not in the favour of the Fighter. As expected, the Genetic Energy in his body had reached the bottom limit. The Fighter had a resigned expression on his face, as if he was awaiting this result. Nevertheless, he braced himself to pour the last dregs of his energy into a final spear thrust, seeking to leave a lasting would on his would-be killer.

    During the course of the battle, a part of the steel-like feathers covering the flesh of the bird had been shattered, exposing pink flesh. The Fighter thrust the spear out.

    It was unceremoniously batted away by sharp black talons.

    Just when the bird prepared to finish of the Fighter and Yulian prepared his Spirit Force, he felt his Genetic Energy begin to roil. A moment before it appeared, he sensed its coming. The cloudless lightning would fall once more.

    ¡­

    A moment before it fell, Yulian spread out his Spirit Force to cover the area around him, attempting to sense the lightning. At the same time, he controlled the dagger he had nearly dislodged from the building it had been stuck in, and used every tiny bit of Spirit Force he could muster to send it flying towards the sky.

    Blue lightning appeared and was naturally attracted to the flying blade. It struck it, covering the blade with electric blue sparks. Yulian desperately controlled his Spirit Force to adjust the position of the dagger so that it could accurately tear through the giant bird. The moment he fished this, Yulian was bombarded with insights and new understanding about the concept of lightning. The information suddenly assaulting his brain nearly gave him an aneurism and caused him to lose control over his Spirit Force.

    ¡­

    Just as the victorious monster attacked the helpless fighter with its talons, a sudden feeling of danger filled its animalistic brain. But before it could even think about the yet unknown danger¡­

    ¡­It was torn through by a falling knife.

    The Fighter who would have been killed by the monster looked at the dagger that had saved him. It was a dagger which he had used to tear one of the monster¡¯s wings apart. It was subsequently lost, blown away and forgotten during the battle. And now it had returned to tear the monster apart.

    The dagger¡¯s blade glowed in an electric blue color for a brief moment, before dulling down. Perhaps this was a Spirit Reader technique? Did a Spirit Reader see his battle and help him out on a whim?

    The Fighter immediately stood up and loudly thanked the unknown Spirit Reader for his help. Only silence greeted him. It appeared that the Spirit Reader did not deem him worthy of further attention.

    The Fighter picked up the dagger that had saved him. The dagger was still hot due to the Spirit Force technique. Looking at it, he found various cracks on its frame, signifying it was useless in battle. He threw it away, focusing on the corpse of the B Rank Horde Leader, Black Plumed Eagle. Now that the battle had ended, he began his preparations to harvest the corpse.

    ¡­

    The Fighter left, taking away the valuable parts from the beast corpse. Hours passed by. The sky changed colors. Yet, Yulian did not wake up.

    Yulian was currently in a state similar to meditation. He had fully immersed himself into understanding the insights he gained when his Spirit Force connected to the lightning bolt. In a blink of an eye, hours went by.

    ¡­

    Yulian finally opened his eyes. By a lucky chance, he received insights from spiritually connecting to the lightning. Comprehending and understanding them took him into a state similar to meditation, so he did not know how much time had passed by.

    Deciding to test out the benefits of his insights, Yulian immediately punched the air. As his fist truck out, it seemed to vibrate for a moment, causing the air to ripple! This was the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    ¡°So the fact that you can train in the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade by training in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist is certainly true¡­¡± The insights into lightning transformed the Nine Yang Thunder Fist into the Nine Stage Thunder blade.

    Just then, Yulian remembered that he had been in meditation for quite a while. He hurriedly checked his watch.

    9 May 2048, Saturday, 6:56 PM

    Exactly six hours had passed since he left home. He immediate sent a text message to Jack, making a excuse about coming home late. Now that he had taken care of things on that end, he decided to check the surroundings.

    Yulian¡¯s eyes scanned the battlefield where he witnessed the exciting battle between man and monster. The monster was dead and the man returned home victorious.

    Yulian wandered near the chopped up remains of the bird. A dagger with hairline cracks on its blade was lying fallen on the ground. Yulian gingerly picked it up. He also took an undamaged feather from the bird¡¯s remains.

    ¡°¡­Something to remember my first battle by.¡± Even though both the combatants were unaware of Yulian¡¯s existence, one fact was true¡­ Yulian had fought in the battle with all his strength, even landing the finishing blow on the enemy by himself!

    After safely putting away the items he had picked up, Yulian stretched his body. ¡°I recklessly used Spirit Force today, yet I haven¡¯t been struck by any backlash. It should be coming soon¡­¡± Yulian readied himself. He sensed that the Spirit Force dwelling within him was going to erupt soon. Only his own strength and willpower would decide whether this would result in calamity or good fortune!

    A/N ¨C So sorry for the hiatus! I won¡¯t make any excuses, I was just being lazy! Actually, I read so many novels that I found it difficult to sit down and write! So sorry again! I hope this bonus of three chapters can satisfy you guys¡­ BTW, next chapter is the arc epilogue. For a final note, please donate credits to my E-Hentai A/c with username Aardwark! It¡¯s just E-Hentai credits and not real money, so don¡¯t be a cheapo!

 Chapter 13: Spirit Force Eruption

    Chapter 13: Spirit Force Eruption

    It didn¡¯t take too long for the event that Yulian was simultaneously dreading and eagerly awaiting for to happen.

    ¡®Hong!¡¯ A rumbling sound sounded in his mind as the Spirit Force condensed in his brain violently erupted and began revolving. Yulian¡¯s head began aching.

    Yulian ignored the headache and circulated the Genetic Energy within his body, trying to figure if any changes occurred in his body. Immediately, Yulian felt as if countless pins had been pricked over his body. After only a moment, the Genetic Energy in the surroundings was crazily drawn into his body!

    All the pores on his body had been forced open, and Genetic Energy furiously forced itself through every opening in his body. Yulian immediately began circulating the Spirit Immersion technique, and the Genetic Energy circulated through his meridian network and settled into his Dantian.

    The Genetic Energy was extremely pure and easy to control. Yulian continued to draw the energy to his Dantian as he operated the Spirit Immersion technique. The Genetic Energy in his Dantian was condensed into an even purer form. The faint white energy thickened and took on a gold tone as Yulian cultivated.

    Yulian had never cultivated the Spirit Immersion technique for such a long time before. As he circulated the Genetic Energy through his meridians, he observed the situation in his Dantian. In the extreme centre of his Dantian, a pure golden dot was spinning, expanding as it slowly absorbed energy. It was surrounded by a thick pure white fluid. The fluid in the centre of the Dantian was the densest, losing color and density as it expanded outwards. On the outer edges of his Dantian, a slimy grey fluid was stagnating.

    Yulian understood that the color and density of the fluid symbolized the purity of his Genetic Energy. Taking a chance, he increased the revolution of Genetic Energy in his Dantian by pushing the Spirit Immersion technique to its limits. The pure energy in the core of the Dantian was absorbed into the golden dot, expanding it while the impure energy was blown out. Yulian immediately controlled the impure energy, circulating it through the meridians coursing through his body. From the core to the shoulders, to the elbows, to the fists and finally out through a thunderous punch! The impure energy was used to cultivate the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    Yulian was currently training the two techniques- Spirit Immersion and Nine Stage Thunder Blade- simultaneously. This would have been impossible if not for his ability to split his mind. Yulian¡¯s attention was split between the thundering punches shot out from his fists and the energy circulating through his meridians. Energy was quickly absorbed into him and quickly expelled from him. It was like inhaling and exhaling air to meditate, but with Genetic Energy taking the place of air. Like this, it was unsurprising when Yulian entered a meditative state in a short while.

    Yulian¡¯s mind explored the intricacies and mysteries of the Spirit Immersion technique, while Yulian¡¯s body carried out the motions of circulating Genetic Energy to activate the two techniques. The Spirit Immersion technique was a free cultivation technique downloaded off the internet, and wasn¡¯t of much significance. But now, Yulian realized that it was profounder than he had ever expected it to be!

    Fortunately, it was still a Foundation cultivation technique. Its mysteries were not too difficult to comprehend. In reality, in terms of difficulty in comprehension, the Nine Stage Thunder Blade ranked far above it!

    As Yulian¡¯s mind was immersed into comprehending the Spirit Immersion technique, the rate of Genetic Energy being absorbed into the Dantian kept on rising. As the Genetic Energy in his body reached a certain point, the bottleneck Yulian was stuck under was pierced through. Yulian broke through! He was now officially a Fighter!

    Yulian¡¯s Spirit Force was too strong, and hence could not be restricted by his weak body. Now that his body was strengthened, the wild, raging Spirit Force should have begun calming down. However opposite to expectations, it grew wilder. Moreover the Genetic Energy being absorbed into his body did not slow down. Instead, the Genetic Energy absorption multiplied!

    The golden dot in Yulian¡¯s Dantian revolved and expanded until it became a round bead. Comprised of pure solidified Genetic Energy, Yulian would have ordinarily required years to condense it. Fortunately, the eruption of his Spirit Force multiplied his rate of Genetic Energy absorption, allowing him to cultivate to this point in a matter of hours.

    Finally, the golden bead stopped revolving. It had been finally completed. Now that the golden bead had been completed, Yulian too left his meditative state to focus on the bead. Suddenly, Yulian found out¡­ that he could not control the bead anymore! The golden bead automatically left the Dantian through the meridians. It circulated through the meridian network, travelling through the heart, passing the throat and finally settling in Yulian¡¯s forehead. Finally, it disappeared, entering Yulian¡¯s Conscious Realm where Yulian could no longer follow it...

    ¡­

    The Conscious Realm was a place similar to the Dantian. While the Dantian stored Genetic Energy, the Conscious Realm stored Spirit Force. A giant golden river was rumbling in the Conscious Realm. This river was Yulian¡¯s Spirit Force! It had broken the chains holding it together and gone wild!

    The golden bead travelled to the centre of the golden river and began spinning. The wild Spirit Force was absorbed by the bead, condensing and forming layers around it. Soon, the size of the bead began expanding. As it expanded, the golden color began to darken, until it became a shade of dark gold. Finally, the entirety of the river had been absorbed into it. The bead was now a giant sphere. The giant dark gold sphere automatically floated up and began revolving, emitting a faint golden mist in the Conscious Realm.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡­

    After the golden bead entered Yulian¡¯s Conscious Realm, Yulian could no longer follow it. However, he could still feel the Spirit Force in the Conscious Realm calm down. Finally, the Spirit Force ceased its rebellion. At the same time, Yulian automatically entered a mysterious space.

    Yulian found himself in an infinite expanse. It was a vast, dark area, only illuminated by the golden mist in the air. At that moment, Yulian understood that he had arrived in his Conscious Realm, the origin of his Spirit Force.

    Previously, Yulian was able to use his Spirit Force, but could not enter his Conscious Realm. His Spirit Force was dangerously unstable and could cause various complications. But now, his Spirit Force had stabilized!

    The danger that had given him countless sleepless nights and forced him to train like a madman had passed!

    Yulian¡¯s head felt lighter, as if a weight hanging overhead had disappeared. He began exploring his Conscious Realm with a spring in his steps.

    Yulian walked for a long time before he encountered a floating dark, golden ball. Like a solitary star in the vast expanse, it emitted golden light. It was large and was rotating automatically. As it rotated, it emitted golden mist which covered the entirety of his Conscious Realm!

    Yulian knew that the protagonist of Swallowed Star, Luo Feng, also had such a golden ball in his Conscious Realm. It caused Luo Feng to suffer many comas in his childhood, simultaneously causing Luo Feng¡¯s body to grow stronger. When Luo Feng became a Fighter, it stopped causing comas, because Luo Feng¡¯s strength had grown enough for him to be able to be unharmed by it! After this, the dark, golden ball gave Luo Feng high talent in cultivation!

    Yulian walked up to the golden ball and touched it. The moment he touched it, it was as if he had been sent to another world. Yulian found himself facing a dragon.

    A giant, golden dragon appeared in Yulian¡¯s mind. The dragon gave off an astonishing aura, and Yulian found it difficult to breathe as it looked at him. The dragon had sharp claws, leathery wings and a mouth that could swallow Yulian in a single bite.

    The dragon roared. It was a sound that caused Yulian to simultaneously feel awe and fear. Golden-red flames swept out, burning the world to ashes. Yulian instinctively closed his eyes. However, when the flames touched Yulian, he only felt gentle warmth cover his skin.

    Yulian opened his eyes to see golden flames cover the world around him. In this world of fire, only two people existed. Yulian looked at the golden dragon. Suddenly, the dragon began speaking!

    ¡°I, the Dragon Sovereign of the 2nd Generation, have deemed you worthy of my legacy, Dragonic Flame Rebirth. This legacy can cultivate a human into a dragon, bestow strength to the weak and make you an existence capable of warring against the heavens and the earth! However let me give fair warning, every power has a price, this technique is unfinished!

    The Spirit Immersion, Five Colored Stones, Stealing from Heaven and Earth, Chaos World Egg, Three Form Manifestation and Blazing Nirvana Rebirth¡­ seven blocks on this path has been laid by me. To progress further, build on my legacy to further your own path! Do you dare step off the orthodox path and decide your cultivation path with your own strength? If you are willing, accept my legacy and be reborn as a peerless dragon!¡±

    ¡°I am willing! I accept your legacy!¡± Yulian immediately kowtowed thrice, paying his respects to the golden dragon. The dragon growled, before breathing out a golden ball of fire. The flame was absorbed into the kneeling Yulian¡¯s body. Suddenly, information about the second stage of the Dragonic Flame Rebirth, Five Colored Stones appeared in Yulian¡¯s mind.

    The golden dragon disappeared in a golden shimmer and Yulian awoke on the floor. He was pulled out of the Conscious Realm into the real world. Checking his watch, he found out that the time was 8:15 PM. The phone indicated that Jack had called thrice.

    Yulian wanted to check the second stage of his new cultivation technique, but he decided that returning home was more important. Walking out of the abandoned outskirts of the city, Yulian hauled a driverless car and proceeded home.

    ¡­

    ¡°¡­You were gone for SEVEN hours! You left home at 1 PM! What the hell were you thinking? Despite being a martial artist, your strength is still under that of a Fighter! If a Fighter picked on you, you would be powerless! Do you know how worried I was when I found out¡­¡± The moment Yulian returned home, Jack lectured him for the next one hour. Yulian could have silenced him by revealing his Fighter-class strength, but he chose not to. He didn¡¯t want to meet with Catalan Paulinus now. Yulian also decided that he deserved being yelled at. A 7 year old being gone for 7 hours, exploring the city by foot, using Spirit Force to finish off a Horde Leader Level monster¡­ the shenanigans Yulian got up to could be used to compile a list on ¡®things hazardous to 7 year olds¡¯.

    After this, Yulian and Jack shared dinner together. Since neither of them had the ability to cook, Jack dialed up a restaurant to order. As they ate together, Yulian realized that these careless days would soon come to an end. He had stabilized his Spirit Force and broken through to a Fighter at the age of 7. The current him was an absolute peerless talent in martial arts. His fate would certainly not be constrained to this place!

    A/N ¨C Even though I promised to post twice a week, I posted a chapter after two weeks! As they say, man proposes, God disposes! My PC broke down due to Windows 10 automatic download, so don¡¯t blame me, blame Microsoft!

    Anyways, the first arc of this story has come to an end! Our martial hero has finally gained his cheat! Next chapter will come after 1 September. I have some exams coming up, so I have to work hard! See you after 10 days!

 Glossary

    Glossary

    Power Levels based on fist strength (beginner to peak):

    Civilian Martial Artists:

    Basic: 0-500 kg

    Intermediate: 500-750 kg

    Elite: 750-900 kg

    Prospective Fighter: 900-1000 kg

    Fighters/ Monster Rank:

    Beginner Warrior/ H Rank Monster: 1,000-2,000 kg

    Intermediate Warrior/ G Rank Monster: 2,000-4,000 kg

    Advanced Warrior/ F Rank Monster: 4,000-8,000 kg

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Beginner Warlord/ E Rank Monster: 8,000-16,000 kg

    Intermediate Warlord/ D Rank Monster: 16,000-32,000 kg

    Advanced Warlord/ C Rank Monster: 32,000-64,000 kg

    Beginner Wargod/ B Rank Monster: 64,000-128,000 kg

    Intermediate Wargod/ A Rank Monster: 128,000-256,000 kg

    Advanced Wargod/ S Rank Monster: 256,000-512,000 kg

    Existence Above Wargod/ SS Rank Monster: ???-??? kg

 Chapter 14: Three months passing by

    Chapter 14: Three months passing by

    After getting the Draconic Flame Rebirth technique, Yulian did not immediately begin cultivating it. In reality, he had cultivated at a fast pace in a short time. He needed to consolidate his foundation and refine himself.

    To begin with, Yulian illegally downloaded the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade off the internet. Before this, Yulian had simply trained in some basic techniques belonging to the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. To do this, Yulian carefully plotted out a scheme to download the manual. After gathering some information off the internet, Yulian went to a cyber caf¨¦ and downloaded the manual from sites that should be normally inaccessible. Yulian downloaded the complete, unaltered First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual from the internet. After carefully cutting off his trail, Yulian immediately memorized the manual, deleted all the files downloaded and began training in it.

    The best way to consolidate the foundation is to temper the meridians with newly refined genetic energy. Yulian used three months to fully consolidate the foundation of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade and his Spirit Immersion technique.

    Yulian had built up a good foundation in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade with the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, even reaching the level of controlling his muscles. As expected, Yulian had flying progress. If he wished to, Yulian could even train in the Second Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique.

    However, he refused due to two reasons, one being that the difficulty of finding the Second Stage on the internet was higher. Another reason was that the Second Stage forced greater strain on the muscles, and if he was injured, he would have to reveal that he was hiding his strength.

    Of course, Yulian did not solely focus on the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Every day, he meditated in his conscious realm. The golden dragon had left him his legacy in the golden sphere that rotated in his conscious realm. Even though he could no longer enter it, he took the time to meditate in front of it everyday. The awe inspiring aura of his master, the Dragon Sovereign of the 2nd Generation still lingered here. Meditating here would let him temper his heart with the aura, as well as gain greater insight into the cultivation techniques of Spirit Immersion and Five Colored Stones.

    The Spirit Immersion technique he had downloaded off the internet was somewhat incomplete. Yulian¡¯s meditations allowed him to refine the technique and increase the amount and stability of the energy cultivated.

    Like this, three months went by in training and meditation.

    ¡­

    Yulian was currently swinging his sword, performing the foundation techniques of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. In his hands was a 7 foot long saber, something he began training in after he sufficiently mastered the 3 foot saber.

    ¡°Three Blades in Unity!¡±

    ¡°Four Thunderous Thrusts!¡±

    ¡°Falling Lightning Sword!¡±

    ¡°Thunder Rumbles in the Sky!¡±

    Yulian¡¯s sword danced as he trained in the four foundational techniques of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. The power of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade sword techniques made the air vibrate as Yulian poured his Genetic Energy into his sword blows. Yulian practiced like this for 15 minutes.

    Now that he had finished warming up, Yulian decided to begin his real training. His sword drawn, Yulian activated the Reaction Testing Machine. The difficulty was preset to ¡®Advanced Warrior¡¯, the highest difficulty possible.

    As soon as Yulian strode into the perimeter of the training machine, he was bombarded by a hail of bullets. Calmly, he began circulating genetic energy though his body. As the potential hidden in his muscles was awakened, thunderous sounds began emanating from his body.

    The ¡®Lesser Thunder God Art¡¯ was the most powerful technique in the First Stage Manual. This technique required complete comprehension of the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, in all parts. Perfect understanding of the sword technique, body technique and the agility technique was needed.

    Yulian swept his sword in front of the hail, deflecting it. The remaining bullets were dodged by him. With every movement, genetic energy was drained at an alarming rate from his body, but genetic energy would recover just as quickly. The Spirit Immersion technique was no ordinary cultivation technique.

    Yulian battled the hail of bullets for fifteen minutes before the non lethal bullets shot out were exhausted. A vacuum was formed from the machine, draining away the bullets.

    ¡°NIGHTMARE difficulty, Zero bullets impacted. Score: Perfect!¡± A emotionless female voice said the score. To begin with, Yulian had been practicing in front of the machine every single day. Today was another day when he had achieved the perfect score. It seemed that this machine couldn¡¯t challenge him anymore.

    ¡°I am going to have to call Catalan Paulinus soon. I suppose I¡¯ll do it¡­ after I break through from the Spirit Immersion realm.¡±

    He had been consolidating his foundation for three months. Since he didn¡¯t sense any problems, it should be fine to breakthrough.

    ¡­

    Yulian returned to his room. He immediately stripped off all the clothes off his body, becoming stark naked. Sitting down on his bed in a lotus posture, he immediately began circulating the energy in his body.

    Ancient Chinese Mythology states that once, the four pillars of holding Heaven were broken, causing a catastrophe across Heaven and Earth. The creator of the Human Race, Goddess Nuwa forged the five colored stones to repair the pillars, so that Heaven and Earth could be once more in balance.

    The Draconic Nirvana Rebirth cultivation technique emphasized a firm foundation. The Five Colored Stones realm would create a well grounded foundation for Yulian to soar to the skies!

    The Five Colored Stones realm meant that one had to awaken the five elements of Fire, Metal, Wood, Earth and Water within the body by condensing the Five Colored Stones of the five elements within the dantian.

    Yulian immediately began circulating the genetic energy within his body according to the instructions provided by the Draconic Nirvana Rebirth technique. Within his dantian, there was a vast sea of pure golden genetic energy. There was not a single spot of grey or even white energy. Yulian had cultivated his Spirit Immersion technique to perfection, all to create a good foundation for entering the Five Colored Stones realm!

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    All the pores all over Yulian¡¯s body opened up, frantically absorbing the fire energy from the world. This was pure flame energy, not the ordinary genetic energy containing a mix of all the elements. The energy absorbed in all the pores converged as it met up in his meridians. The energy grew even more condensed and denser as it circulated through his meridian network. As it circulated, the energy purified and cleansed Yulian¡¯s body from the inside, burning away all the waste. Finally, the energy arrived some distance away from the brilliant golden sea in his dantian.

    As Yulian¡¯s body was cleansed, the attraction rate of the fire energy seemed to increase. The energy was initially in a gaseous state, which slowly condensed to a liquid. At this moment, the condensed energy should have entered the sea of energy in his dantian, transforming the sea into flame energy. After which, the sea should have slowly condensed from liquid to solid, until it became a stone of pure flame. This would be the moment that he had arrived at the Perfection of the Fire Stone realm.

    However, the golden sea seemed to repel the liquid! Yulian was completely dumbfounded by this. Thoughts about qi deviation from following the incorrect path entered his mind, a horrific fate of exploding into chunks from the backlog of energy. Yulian steered his mind away from these thoughts, and after some quick thoughts, figured out a method to salvage the situation.

    To begin with, he began to circulate the flame energy though his meridians. To have a hope of surviving this, Yulian needed to assume complete control over the energy condensing within him. To increase the circulation cycle, he allowed the energy to bleed over to muscles and bones, and converge again into his meridians. The First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade had increased the power and understanding of Yulian¡¯s muscles and bones.

    Soon, the energy converging over the golden energy sea in Yulian¡¯s dantian reached a limit in quantity. A small flame sea hovered above the golden sea. Yulian began condensing the energy together, causing the flame to converge into a smaller ball. The genetic energy would be absorbed into the pores all over his body, before being circulated through his meridians, muscles and bones, before being forced to enter the liquid ball of flame above his dantian.

    Slowly but surely, the ball of flame began changing states, solidifying. The flame energy finally fully solidified, becoming a small red stone. The red stone suddenly overcame the repelling force of the golden sea, and leaving Yulian¡¯s sea, dropped into the golden sea. Unable to control the stone, Yulian could only watch as the stone entered the depths of his energy sea.

    Unwilling to give up, Yulian launched his spirit force deep into the golden sea, following the falling stone. The stone continued fall deeper¡­ until it finally entered the bottom of the sea! At the bottom of the sea, there was a pentagonal formation with five depressions for five stones. Landing into a depression, the red stone began emitting ripples of energy as it settled down.

    The red stone and the golden sea began harmonizing together, boosting Yulian¡¯s reserves of genetic energy. Finally fully harmonized, the energy that was in frantic motion across Yulian¡¯s body began settling down. Yulian had finally completed his breakthrough.

    Before awakening from his meditative state, Yulian glanced inside his dantian for a final time. The golden sea hadn¡¯t turned flame red, but a hint of flame energy had merged into it. The Blazing Nirvana Rebirth stated that the golden sea should have transformed into a crimson sea of flame energy. As Yulian emerged from his meditative state, he sighed. The moment he earnestly began to cultivate the Flame Nirvana Rebirth technique, he had already diverged from the path laid down by his predecessor.

    ¡­

    After putting on his clothes back, Yulian decided to train. To quickly stabilize after a breakthrough, the best way was to exercise the meridians by training. He immediately ran to the Training Room, grabbed his 7 foot sword and attacked the Fist Testing Machine.

    A blow only consisting of his physical force.

    1368 kg!

    A blow reinforced by genetic energy.

    1889 kg!

    A blow with the power of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    2756 kg!

    For the final blow, Yulian activated the ultimate technique known by him, Lesser Thunder God Body. Holding the 7 foot long saber, Yulian slashed out the most destructive sword technique was aware of: Falling Lightning Sword. As Yulian thrust out, the blade shined with golden sword light.

    4407 kg!

    As Yulian retracted his sword, he pondered over the scores. While the strength of his physical body had not risen by a large margin, the power of his genetic energy had risen. Not only that, but Yulian¡¯s Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s power had risen as well.

    After identifying that there were no problems with his energy channels and meridians, Yulian decided that it was time to make a call.

    Picking up the phone given by Jack to him, he made a call to him. ¡°Hi Jack! I did it! My fist strength broke through above 900, I can become a fighter!¡±

    A/N- It¡¯s been too long! I kinda-sorta forgot about this fic under the pressure of college and was reminded when PrinceeDealer sent me credits for a new chapter. I was surprised to find positive reviews when there were previously none! Sorry, I will try to update more regularly! And this is a regular chapter, PrinceeDealer¡¯s sponsored one will come soon!

    Also some terms have been de-capitalized. This is unofficially the start of a new arc, so I changed things to resemble the original translated Swallowed Star.

 Chapter 15: Aiming for the Pinnacle

    Chapter 15: Aiming for the Pinnacle

    For a moment, there was silence on the other side of other side of the phone as Jack mentally repeated Yulian¡¯s words in his mind. Then, the moment passed. ¡°Are you sure, Yulian? Is your fist strength above 900 kg?¡± Jack thought that Yulian was playing a prank on him.

    ¡°Wait a minute, let me show you. I am turning the video calling feature on. Are you able to see this clearly?¡± Jack¡¯s cell phone screen displayed Yulian waving his hands in front of the Fist Testing Machine. Yulian then punched, and the power of the punch displayed on the screen. ¡°945 kg!¡±

    Seeing the spectacle, Jack¡¯s fantasy of this being a prank disappeared. ¡°Wait a moment, can you punch again? I need to send this to a friend. You remember that young fighter we met that day, Catalan Paulinus? I am sending this to him.¡±

    Yulian punched once again. This time, the screen displayed ¡®948 kg!¡¯.

    ¡°Done. Yulian, as a fighter, Catalan is a busy person, so I think it will take some time for him to reply back. Congratulations on breaking through¡­ I am proud of you.¡± As he spoke, Jack¡¯s tone became a bit melancholic. ¡°It won¡¯t take long for you to become a fighter now. Do not falter in your training now that you have reached your goal. As a prospective fighter who hasn¡¯t even turned 10 yet, you hold infinite potential. Don¡¯t let it go to waste.¡± With these final words, Jack ended the call.

    ¡®Congratulations on breaking through¡­ I am proud of you.¡¯ Jack¡¯s words lingered within Yulian¡¯s mind. In the time Yulian had lived with him, Yulian had never tried to get closer to Jack, preferring to train instead. Even Jack stayed aloof from Yulian for most of the time. Even so, Yulian still unconsciously seeked approval from Jack, and when he said those words, it was as if a 1000 pound weight was removed from his back!

    With newfound enthusiasm, Yulian decided to train. Without picking up his saber, Yulian began punching. This was the Nine Yang Thunder Fist, the foundation technique of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    As Yulian punched out, a sound of thunder rumbling emanated from his muscles. The Nine Yang Thunder Fist, when mastered to perfection, would bring this sound. Five minutes later after completing the stances, Yulian picked up his 7 foot saber and began slashing out the forms of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Yulian had already perfected the forms of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s blade techniques, so the blade was like flowing river water, fast yet gentle. Even so, Yulian felt that there was an inconsistency in his technique, keeping it a single step away from perfection. After diligently drilling his saber technique, Yulian finally realized his mistake.

    ¡°My saber technique has a trace of gentleness and dreamlike beauty within it, originating from training in the sword! The Nine Stage Thunder Blade is neither gentle nor beautiful! It is fast and ruthless, like the boom of thunder and the merciless lightning!¡± Originally, Zhang Wei, his Warlord trainer, has taught him sword techniques as the foundation. The sword and the saber, though similar, were in the end separate from each other.

    The sword was double edged, combining strength and gentleness, the weapon of a Immortal!

    The saber was single edged, fast and ruthless, the weapon of a Devil!

    Yulian steadily removed all gentleness and beauty from his saber, refining the speed and killing technique. Finally, he reached the point where he completely abandoned the sword technique taught by Zhang Wei, distilling the true essence of the saber!

    Swing! Yulian¡¯s saber flashed with golden light. At this moment, Yulian felt a unique sense of connection with his saber, as if it was a limb like his hands or feet. This moment ended, and Yulian was filled with crippling exhaustion. He could feel a hunger in his genes, as if they yearned to devour the energy of the world into themselves. Stripping off his clothes, Yulian decided to give in to the demands of his body.

    Even though he had deviated from the path set by his predecessor, Yulian began to circulate the genetic energy according to the Five Colored Stones technique. Hot fire energy entered every pore in his body, circulating through his meridians to enter the dantian. Inside the dantian, it pierced through the gold sea and entered the Five Colored Stones formation. Gathering around the red stone in his dantian, the energy condensed into the stone¡­ but the stone was already dense with flame energy. Finally, the energy rippled outwards, from the inner to the outer, like the spreading undulation formed when a stone was dropped into the water. The majority of the energy entered the abdomen where his dantian was located, and slowly moved outwards to his limbs. This maneuvered the energy to refine his muscles, organs and cells, finally even refining the genes which were the base of his body. Yulian had trained in other body refinement techniques like the Spirit Immersion and the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, and both of them could not compare to this technique. As Yulian cultivated, an extremely comfortable feeling overtook his entire body, as if he was being massaged by gentle hands.

    At this moment, Yulian had no control over his body. In a rare moment of enlightenment, the energy circulation was controlled by the world itself. Yulian focused on observing the rippling fire energy entering every cell in his body and transforming them. Countless insights about his cultivation path entered his mind.

    ¡°Originally, the Five Colored Stones realm would not allow such physical tempering. However, it seems that my deviation allows my entire body to be strengthened¡­ Like this, the end of the Fire Stone stage will arrive when this fire energy has transformed every cell in my body. So, how can I make my deviated cultivation path return to the path laid down by my predecessor¡­?¡±

    As the hunger of his genes for energy was satisfied, the rate of fire energy being absorbed began slowing down until it came to a stop. Thankfully, Yulian had gained some insights about his new path.

    Putting on his clothes, Yulian checked the time. About two hours had passed since he gained an insight into his saber technique and his sudden jump in cultivation. Suddenly, Yulian realized that he had stripped naked in the Training Room. He was suddenly filled with shame and embarrassment.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°¡­Whatever. Let¡¯s check my saber technique first.¡± Quickly removing all thoughts from his mind, Yulian held the 7 foot saber in his hands. The inexplicable sensation, the feeling that the saber was a limb connected to his body, filled his mind.

    Yulian quickly swung his sword. A flash of golden light covered the blade. ¡°The measurement of blade technique is split into four levels: Basic¡ª¡ªIntermediate¡ª¡ªPerfect¡ª¡ªConception. This flash of blade light means that I have left the Basic level to enter the Intermediate level!¡±

    What did blade light mean? This blade light did not simply increase the power of blade techniques, it also meant that Yulian had fully mastered the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    After taking a step further in both his blade technique and his cultivation, Yulian decided that he had reaped enough gains with his training. He decided to spend some time surfing the internet, in particular, porn.

    ¡­

    6:00 PM.

    ¡°Gah, this is meaningless! I haven¡¯t entered puberty yet, watching porn doesn¡¯t get it up!¡± Yulian glared at the X-Rated video, before closing the window and clearing his history. All the good mood after his breakthrough had disappeared.

    Just then, his phone buzzed. Jack was calling. ¡°Yulian, get yourself in a presentable state in 15 minutes! Catalan Paulinus is coming!¡±

    After a quick reply, Yulian changed to a comfortable looking red formal shirt and black pants. It was one of the few times he was wearing clothes other than his training outfit.

    Yulian was looking forward to this meeting with Catalan Paulinus. Back when he had transcended worlds and found himself as a homeless orphan, Catalan Paulinus had convinced Jack to let him stay in his house. Without this occurrence, Yulian would have been forced to rely on his spirit force to steal food, he would have been unable to train in martial arts and ultimately, would have died due to the eruption of his spirit force.

    ¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, kid. It seems that you have made huge improvements in that short time.¡± Yulian looked at the young looking man in front of him. With black hair and a trenchcoat, Catalan Paulinus looked like any ordinary college-goer. In reality, he was a 39 year old Wargod who looked like a teenager due to his cultivation.

    ¡°Yeah, I broke through to a prospective fighter. You told me that you¡¯ll help me become a fighter and train my spirit force after my breakthrough, right?¡± Yulian¡¯s voice and tone was childish, yet gave the impression of intelligence. After some practice, he had perfected this tone.

    ¡°So you still remember. Well, first let¡¯s check out your strength first.¡± Catalan Paulinus was usually a arrogant, aloof Wargod. Around a year before, he had met a street urchin with spirit force. Since this boy was fated to die, Catalan decided that it would be better for him to spend his last days in peace. He bullied an HR Alliance civilian employee to adopt the child.

    Now when he had nearly forgotten the incident, this civilian employee had called him. He originally thought that the boy had finally died or something. Instead, to his surprise, the boy had actually broken through! On finding this out, he immediately dropped everything on his schedule, took a plane to New York and came to visit the boy.

    Meanwhile, Jack who was tagging behind Catalan was also tremendously surprised. He originally thought that Zhang Wei¡¯s death had killed Yulian¡¯s desire to train and become a fighter. Disappointed yet relieved by his decision, he never thought that Yulian would regain his drive and break through!

    Yulian looked at the peculiar expressions of Catalan and Jack as he walked with them to the Training Room. He walked up to a Fist Testing Machine, clenched his fist and punched out. ¡®947 kg.¡¯ As before, he controlled his strength so that his strength would be lowered.

    ¡°So you weren¡¯t lying, kid.¡± Catalan had a smile on his face as he stared at the flashing screen. The boy, Yulian, held limitless potential within him.

    ¡°Kid, how about we check your spirit force? Use this dagger.¡± Catalan took out a rusted dagger and threw it at Yulian¡¯s feet. Yulian immediately used his spirit force to make the dagger hover, and shot it at the Fist Testing Machine. As before, he tried to lower the power of the blow.

    ¡®1569 kg.¡¯

    ¡°Heh, not bad. Based on your current strength, you could absolutely apply for the prospective fighter examination and pass. However, with your talent, you can aim for and achieve miles above that!¡±

    ¡°In the current world, there are five main ranks in cultivation: Prospective Fighters, Warriors, Warlords, Wargods and Existences above Wargods. Currently, I have struck a bottleneck as a Wargod, yet I will eventually break through to an Existence above Wargod. However, you have broken through to a Prospective Fighter before even turning 10! You¡­ have an absolute 100% assurance of becoming an existence above Wargod!¡± As Catalan said these words, he had fanatical expression on his face. As long as Yulian joined the HR Alliance, they would have a Wargod in a decade, and an Existence above Wargod in two!

    As Catalan said these words, Yulian enthusiastically replied. ¡°What do I have to do to become an Existence above Wargod?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, the only thing you have to do is train! Train your genetic energy, attacking techniques, agility techniques and supportive techniques. Refine your control over spirit force. Without caring for hardships and bearing agony, ruthlessly cultivate!¡±

    ¡°It would be difficult for you to cultivate further in this house. Obtaining resources for your cultivation will be harder as well. Since it¡¯s like that, I will send you to an HR Alliance manor in Hong Ning city in China. This is the strongest city, the city that produces the most fighters, the base of the strongest fighter in the world, Hong!¡±

    ¡­

    Chapter sponsored by PrinceeDealer! And there will be changes between blade/saber. They are the same thing.

 Chapter 16: HR Alliance Contract

    Chapter 16: HR Alliance Contract

    ¡°Hong Ning City? Isn¡¯t that the location of the Nine Grand Floors, the rumored ultimate training camp for training Wargods?¡± Yulian had been a reader of the Swallowed Star translated novel in his previous life, giving him valuable insight and information about this new world. In the novel, Luo Feng, the protagonist, joined the elite academy, training here for around six months. Training at this academy helped him rapidly break through!

    ¡°So you have heard about that? Well the rumors are completely true, the Nine Grand Floors is the greatest Elite training camp in the world. You can train there for a maximum of five years. This camp allows you the greatest chance of cultivating to a Wargod, there are countless unique treasures found in archaeological ruins that will be beneficial for training. If you manage to climb to the top within these five years, you can actually become a personal disciple of an Existence above Wargod! It is even possible to become a personal disciple of Hong or Thunder God, the two world¡¯s strongest fighters!¡± Catalan Paulinus replied with a smile; evidently Yulian had done some research, so he would not have to spend much time explaining.

    ¡°In Hong Ning City, you will be staying in a Wargod fighter manor. This will be the perfect environment for quiet cultivation. You can avail the instruction of HR Alliance Wargods. You will also given the best training manuals for cultivating. Of course, you will also get proper training in spirit force cultivation.¡± Catalan Paulinus said these words forcefully, with no room for turning down his offer.

    ¡°I really want to go to Hong Ning city for training, however¡­¡± Yulian had a hesitant expression on his face as he spoke.

    Feeling that Yulian had some other demand, Catalan waited for Yulian to speak.

    ¡°¡­Actually, I have been concentrating on training, and haven¡¯t paid any attention to education. So¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to go to school, huh? I almost forgot that you were of school-going age. Of course, if you want to go to a school, the HR Alliance will send you to the best in Hong Ning City. If you want to avail home-schooling, I will arrange that too.¡± Thankfully, Yulian didn¡¯t put forth a difficult request. After accepting Yulian¡¯s request of homeschooling, Catalan continued to speak.

    ¡°State the name of the Training Manual you want to acquire. Hong¡¯s Destroyer, Thunder God¡¯s Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡­ the HR Alliance can even provide you powerful techniques like these!¡± Catalan looked expectantly at Yulian; there should be moderation while choosing! Catalan didn¡¯t mind it if Yulian chose a technique worth billions of dollars, but it would be meaningless if he couldn¡¯t train it due to the difficulty!

    ¡°I want the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual¡­ I have been training in the Nine Yang Thunder Fist as the foundation.¡± Without any hesitation, Yulian put forth his request. In reality, one of the biggest reasons Yulian had revealed his strength was to get the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual!

    ¡°Demonstrate your Nine Yang Thunder Fist¡­ If you do have some talent in training it, I¡¯ll request the Alliance to give you the complete manual.¡±

    ¡°You can get me the complete manual?¡± Yulian had a shocked expression on his face; the total price for the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual was 100 billion dollars! Even though fighters with large amount of contribution point could get a 50% discount, it was still a ridiculous price!

    ¡°Everything depends upon your skill with the Nine Yang Thunder Fist. If you have the ability to cultivate the technique to perfection, 100 billion dollars is worth it. If you have no talent, why would the HR Alliance waste money?¡± Catalan expressionlessly waited for Yulian¡¯s demonstration.

    ¡°While training, I watched some videos of fighters using the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. It was helpful for my training.¡± Saying this, Yulian shot forward and punched the Fist Testing Machine.

    ¡°1995 kg!!¡±

    Seeing the amazing result where Yulian¡¯s fist strength had doubled, both Catalan Paulinus and Jack Whitney who was silently observing, began rubbing their eyes. This had completely surpassed the limits of a foundation building technique! Yulian had clearly used the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique!

    ¡°Y-you comprehended the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade by perfecting the Nine Yang Thunder Fist?¡± Catalan¡¯s surprise could be seen through his stuttering. Even though Thunder God had stated that it was possible to comprehend the First Stage of his legendary technique by training in the foundation technique, it was something nearly impossible to achieve!

    ¡°Jack helped me to access the Warlord-level forums of the HR Alliance. I found useful information there.¡± Hearing Yulian¡¯s reply, Catalan relaxed. It wasn¡¯t rare for information about the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique to be spread on the forums. However, this didn¡¯t change the fact that Yulian¡¯s talent was earth shattering!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll ensure that you obtain the complete Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique. However, the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique is a saber technique. Do you have any training in a saber?¡±

    In response to Catalan¡¯s question, Yulian picked up a three foot long blade and demonstrated the ¡®Three Blades in Unity¡¯ technique. As a foundation technique of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, it was illegal for a person to learn without buying the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, however Yulian had already explained himself.

    Two blades flashed on the two sides of Yulian¡¯s blade. This technique had been trained to perfection!

    ¡°Amazing. Fist strength surpassing 900 kg, excellent saber technique and to add on that, you are a spirit reader as well! Normally, you would have been a genius rookie fighter, and have joined a Warlord level fighter squad so that you could rapidly improve in safety!¡± Catalan praised Yulian without holding back.

    ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll call a supervisor to fix a contract for you. Don¡¯t worry, it will favor you a lot. After all, an Advanced-level Wargod is requesting!¡±

    ¡­

    After this, Catalan left the Training Room for five minutes to make a call. After he returned, the three of them- Yulian, Catalan and Jack- indulged in small talk. Catalan recounted his experiences in hunting down monsters.

    ¡°¡­So, in the end, I couldn¡¯t track down that One Horned Flame Rhino. Mostly, it was due to me being a solo fighter. After this, I made friends with some Wargods, and created an elite fighter squad.¡± After Catalan finished this story, his phone started buzzing. After checking it, he smiled.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°The Alliance has sent the contract. The deliveryman is at the doorstep. Yulian, you can check it yourself before signing.¡±

    ¡­

    In the hall of the manor, Yulian was quietly checking the contract. The contract was pretty simple, so that even a 7 year old could understand it.

    ¡°The basic stipulation of this contract is spending the next three years training in a HR Alliance fighter manor in Hong Ning City. I will be availing home-schooling from top level educators for these three years. I will be given the complete Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual and a secret Spirit Reader training manual to train in. If needed, I can avail the advice of Warlords and Wargods for my training. For breakfast, lunch and dinner, top-level Horde Leader beast meat will be cooked by experts for my consumption. As long as I continue to diligently train, I will receive 10 million dollars every month for the duration of three years¡­¡±

    ¡°Not only this, there are other rewards as well! For breaking through to Beginner Warrior, Intermediate Warrior and Advanced Warrior within three months, one year and two years respectively, there is the reward of natural cultivation materials- Blood Spirit Grass, Ginseng Root and Lingzhi Grass. If I can breakthrough to Beginner Warlord within three years, a Spirit of Nature will be provided!¡± Natural cultivation materials could be found in the wild, and had a good effect on increasing cultivation by refining the genes. Spirits of nature were top-grade natural cultivation materials, and were useful for even existences above wargods for cultivation!

    ¡°For training in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade as well, appropriate rewards will be given. One chrysoprase for breaking through to the First Stage, two chrysoprases for breaking through to the second stage and four chrysoprases for breaking through to the third stage! If I somehow break through to the Fourth Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade in three years, one vial of Dragon¡¯s Blood would be provided! And¡­ for perfecting the Fourth Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, A-Rank Genetic Medicine will be given!¡± Crysoprase and Dragon¡¯s Blood were artificially created elixirs for increasing cultivation. They were not easily absorbed by the body, and most fighters at the Warlord level would take them. Genetic Medicine was an even more powerful artificial elixir effective for Wargod level fighters. The Nine Stage Thunder Blade had the power to explosively increase the fitness level and strength of the body, allowing Yulian to absorb these materials at the Warrior and Warlord level respectively!

    ¡°Too good, too good! Spending such a large amount of resources on me¡­ I will certainly make full use of them.¡± Yulian perfectly understood why resources worth tens of billions were being expended on him. As a spirit reader, it wouldn¡¯t take a long time for Yulian to gain the ability to casually make this amount of money. So, this was a bid to gain Yulian¡¯s loyalty in his youth.

    ¡°So when do we move? I want to get started with my training at the earliest.¡±

    ¡°A flight to Hong Ning city is scheduled in 4 hours¡­ With my privileges as a top-rank fighter of HR Alliance, I can book a ticket for us both. Do you want to come? I can arrange for a flight any day in this week, if you don¡¯t want to go now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Yulian immediately accepted Catalan¡¯s offer. Honestly, he was getting sick of being cooped up in this manor and hiding his power, so he was happy to take the opportunity to leave as fast as possible.

    ¡­

    After saying goodbye to Jack, Yulian left with Catalan to the airport. The airport was extremely desolate, with only a few service personnel and almost no passengers. There was only a extremely huge saucer-shaped plane in the airport. Seeing it, Yulian was extremely surprised. He never believed that a alien UFO-like object could actually be used for flying!

    Seeing Yulian¡¯s surprise, Catalan smiled. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know much about this new commercial plane technology, right? This plane was created from blueprints discovered in archaeological ruins. This plane¡­ is outfitted with the latest high-tech defensive and offensive measures. Flying horde leader level monsters can be exterminated like grass, and this plane has offensive weapons to make even Emperor-level monsters flee! Not only that, a spirit reader is also sent on a plane for boosting weapon damage. Of course, I am serving as the spirit reader for this plane.¡±

    ¡®This weapon was created by blueprints for archaeological ruins¡­ I wonder what these archaeological ruins are?¡¯ Yulian had only read 5 volumes of the Swallowed Star web novel. He didn¡¯t possess any information about these archaeological ruins. They had never been expanded upon in the first five volumes.

    After Yulian and Catalan entered the saucer-shaped plane, Yulian looked at the interior in surprise. Since the plane was saucer shaped, the cabins were split into the top level, middle level, and bottom level. The top level was the first class cabin, while the middle and bottom levels were normal cabins.

    ¡°Since I am the spirit reader in charge of protecting the plane and you are accompanying me¡­ We get first class seats. Come with me¡­¡± Following Catalan, Yulian found himself sitting in a small seat with narrow leg space.

    ¡°In what way is this a first class seat? My legs are getting cramped!¡± Yulian could not help complaining; there was truly too little space. And this was with Yulian¡¯s small sized body¡­ It was difficult imagining how adult fighters would adjust.

    Catalan only smiled at Yulian¡¯s discomfort. ¡°You should see the second class seats. Even fighters who sit there get cramps!¡±

    ¡°Anyway, the trip from New York City to Hong Ning City is a cross-country trip. The whole trip¡¯s duration is 17 hours. You want to be a fighter, right? Such little discomfort is bearable. I¡¯ll be in the cockpit.¡±

    After Catalan left, Yulian decided to close his eyes and sleep. After his awakening as a spirit reader, Yulian found out that he had gained perfect control over his body. The current him could go to sleep without risk of oversleeping or insomnia. He didn¡¯t have any dreams anymore and he needed to sleep for only three hours. With further cultivation, the amount of sleep could be reduced, until sleep was completely unnecessary.

    Like this, Yulian spent the duration of the flight in sleep, only waking up when lunch and dinner was distributed. Finally, the plane landed in Hong Ning city.

    ...

    Regular chapter of the week!

 Chapter 17: A New World of Cultivation

    Chapter 17: A New World of Cultivation

    Yulian found himself in a familiar place. He was sitting beside his father on a lakeside, holding a fishing rod. His father, Sawyer Starlighter, patted him on his back, pulling away his attention from the fishing rod.

    ¡°Come on. This damn lake doesn¡¯t have many fish in it, and waiting won¡¯t pull in a new one. Let¡¯s eat. Your mom is unpacking lunch for your brother.¡±

    ¡°But daaad! You, mom and Calvin already caught a fish each! Calvin even caught two! I can¡¯t go home without catching anything!¡±

    Sawyer just sighed, resigned to watch his lunch grow cold sitting beside his son. Just then, the rod tugged. Something had caught on!

    ¡°Dad! Help!¡± The fish on the other side was tough, and 10 year old Yulian couldn¡¯t hold on. His dad caught the handle and added his strength. A furious tug of battle occurred between two men and a fish.

    Five minutes of furious tugging later, the fish finally lost. After deftly pulling the fishing rod, Sawyer removed the large greenish fish from it. He quickly stuffed it into a bucket.

    ¡°This is a fat bass. We will eat it tomorrow, okay? Now, lets get out lunch before it gets cold, or mom will yell at us.¡± Enthusiastically nodding, Yulian followed his dad. On a large mat laid on the ground, a woman and her child were eating.

    ¡°Good thing you came at this time. The sandwiches haven¡¯t gone cold yet, so no need to reheat. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± The mother, a 38 year old woman wearing trousers and a shirt for easy trekking, called out to the latecomers.

    ¡°Finally caught a fish?¡± The 13 year old boy, Calvin, asked his brother. Having entered teenage, he was usually a moody brat, and never spoke much.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Saying this, Yulian and Sawyer sat down on the mat. The fishing trip was successful, so it was time for lunch!

    ¡­

    ¡°So Yulian, how did you like the Fighter manor?¡± Catalan¡¯s voice shocked Yulian out of his reminiscence. Catalan had been showing Yulian around his new fighter manor. Their trip had finally ended in the Training Room. Looking around, Yulian could see that the training equipment was noticeably of higher quality than the Training Room at Jack¡¯s manor.

    In the 17 hour flight which Yulian spent in sleep, Yulian experienced this dream. After breaking through, it was uncommon for fighters to dream. Before breaking through, Yulian would be tormented by dreams of his family dying horrifically in the Grand Nirvana apocalypse. After his breakthrough, Yulian had enjoyed three months without dreaming of his family¡¯s death.

    After enjoying a nice dream, Yulian realized that he had been neglecting the condition of his family. All this while, there had been no way of contacting them, so Yulian refrained from such thoughts. But now, Yulian was recognized by the HR Alliance¡¯s star Wargod, Catalan Paulinus, as a talent. Even though it was borrowed, Yulian still possessed power. He finally had a way to find out about his family.

    Yulian had been following Catalan in a daze, so he really didn¡¯t remember much about the mansion. That said, he would be living here for the next 3 years, so he would get used it in time.

    ¡°It is amazing, I love it¡­ by the way Mr. Catalan, is there a way to investigate about my family? The HR Alliance controls the majority of America, right? Investigating about a person should be easy.¡± Without any delays, he immediate spoke up his desires.

    ¡°So you suddenly gained the desire to investigate about your family¡­ forget it, it is only natural for an orphan to be curious about his missing parents. Do you have a desire for revenge or¡­¡± Catalan was worried. If the boy had the desire for revenge, he could get the HR Alliance to cover up, but becoming a murderer at a young age might stunt him mentally.

    ¡°No, no, I am simply curious. Not only am I spirit reader, I am pretty sure I have high-quality genes due to my rapid breakthrough to a fighter. Even so, why did my parents abandon me? They shouldn¡¯t have lacked resources¡­¡± Yulian had a ponderous expression on his face.

    ¡®Some Wargods have the habit of sleeping with prostitutes. He could have inherited his genes from such a person¡­ No, a prostitute chosen by a Wargod should have more than enough money. Perhaps she was not interested in raising the baby and gave him away? Of course, he could simply be a person with a mutation in his genes¡­¡¯ Catalan went through various possibilities in his mind.

    Unaware of Catalan¡¯s thoughts, Yulian continued speaking. ¡°I was given the name of Yulian Starlighter. I don¡¯t think Starlighter is a common surname¡­ Unfortunately, the only person I found was a ¡®Sawyer Starlighter¡¯, a head of a company named Starlighter Technologies in year 2013, around the time the Grand Nirvana swept the world. He is probably dead now¡­ I found all this from a website.¡± Yulian suppressed the grief that coursed through him when he admitted that his father was most likely dead, speaking in a straight tone.

    ¡°I will try to find more information about your family. But don¡¯t count on it. The HR Alliance¡¯s resources, while large, cannot compare to the nations, the Dojo of Limits and the Thunder Dojo. Quickly train and become a Wargod. At this level, the nations and the dojos will mobilize to help you for a favor!¡±

    ¡­

    After the short divergence, Catalan continued to speak about the manor.

    ¡°Even though this mansion is owned by Stella Hawthorne on paper, she is simply the HR Alliance maid serving you. You can call her anytime to serve you. If you want to her to cook, she will cook. If you want her to clean, she will clean.¡±

    Now, Catalan poured energy into his voice, increasing the loudness. ¡°Stella Hawthorne, bring the VR Helmet and the manuals here!¡±

    A few moments later, a twenty-something woman wearing a French maid outfit arrived. Her blonde hair looked beautiful let free. In 2013, such a woman would be a rare beauty, adored by men. But in 2048, with the advent of cultivation, beauties were not difficult to find. Even so, Yulian was dazzled by looking at her.

    ¡°Master Catalan, I have brought the VR Helmet and manuals.¡± The maid took out the items from her bag.

    ¡°Stella, this is the new master, Yulian. He will be staying here for three years. Serve him well.¡± Hearing Catalan¡¯s instructions, the maid greeted and bowed to Yulian. After this, Catalan sent her away.

    ¡°Yulian, this is the complete Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual. This is the HR Alliance secret Spirit Reader technique manual 108 Star Diagrams. And this is the VR Helmet discovered in an archaeological ruin. It has a VR Game within, suitable for Warrior-class fighters.¡± Catalan showed him all the items.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°The Horde Leader meat, natural cultivation ingredients, Crysoprase and Dragon Blood¡­ are all supplements. These three items will be the main path of increasing your strength.¡±

    ¡°You already know about the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual. The 108 Star Diagrams is a way to refine your spirit force. The VR Game allows you to experience life-and-death battles in safety. Use all three of them well.¡± Catalan took a moment to breath before speaking again.

    ¡°I will be in this city for the next 15 days. For these two weeks, independently train with all these items. After 15 days, I¡¯ll spar with you.¡± Hearing Catalan¡¯s words, Yulian¡¯s face turned white. Sparring against a Wargod, wasn¡¯t that asking for a beating?

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. During our spar, I will not use my genetic energy or spirit force, simply relying on my physical body and my spear. Not only that, I¡¯ll restrict my strength to the fist strength of 1000 kg. You are not under any restrictions. I¡¯ll win if I knock you unconscious. You will win if you can draw blood.¡±

    ¡°If you win, I¡¯ll give you 100 billion dollars. That amount is enough to buy 3-star contribution in the HR Alliance, buy S-Rank weapon and armor set and buy nearly any technique manual.¡± Yulian¡¯s eyes glittered as he thought about the amount of money, however they turned dim upon hearing Catalan¡¯s next words. ¡°All you have to do¡­ is draw blood from the body of an Advanced Wargod.¡±

    ¡°You have 15 days. Try your best.¡± Saying this, Catalan walked away.

    ¡­

    After Catalan left, Yulian eagerly began reading the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual in the Training Room itself. From the First Stage to the Ninth Stage, he complete read the manual from top to bottom.

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade was a top grade force multiplier technique which multiplied the force exerted by the muscles. The First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade multiplied the force exerted by the muscles by 1.4 times. Every stage after that increased the force multiplied by 0.7 times. The Second Stage multiplied the force exerted by 2.1 times, the Third Stage multiplied the force exerted by 2.8 times¡­ until the Ninth Stage, which multiplied the force exerted by 7 times!

    The core parts of the manual were split into three types of techniques- the blade technique [Thunder Blade], the agility technique [Flowing Light] and the Dao Yin (body training) technique [Hun Yuan].

    These three techniques were divided into nine stages of increasing power and difficulty. Only after training these three techniques can a fighter unleash the true power of the [Nine Stage Thunder Blade].

    The blade technique and the agility technique trained the power and speed of the blade and the agility and speed of the body respectively.

    Meanwhile, the Dao Yin technique- Hun Yuan trained the body in nine stages:

    Stage 1 ¨C Stage 3 refined the muscles and tendons.

    Stage 4 ¨C Stage 6 refined the bones and marrow.

    Stage 7 refined the internal organs and viscera.

    Stage 8 refined the arteries, veins, blood and the pulse.

    Finally, Stage 9 refined the skin, nerves and the brain.

    Fortunately, the cultivation technique of the [Five Colored Stones] and the Dao Yin technique did not interfere with each other. The [Five Colored Stones] infused the entirety of the cells in Yulian¡¯s body with the energy of the Five Elements, while Dao Yin technique refined the internal body. The two techniques, instead of interfering complemented each other.

    Yulian took a while to memorize the manual. He carefully pored over every word, picture and diagram. As a spirit reader, Yulian had an exceptional memory. In an hour or so, the thick manual had been perfectly recorded in Yulian¡¯s memory.

    Now, Yulian decided, was time to train.

    ¡­

    Yulian was holding a 125 kg, 7 foot long blade in his hands. The blade was swung in rapid thrusts and fast slashes. These were the basic techniques training muscle control of the Second Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    Hong! As the blade danced, the sound of rumbling thunder was produced from Yulian¡¯s muscles!

    Thrust! Slash! Swing! Withdraw! Yulian¡¯s blade danced with a strange charm. This sort of charm was not consciously produced by Yulian¡¯s blade technique. All Yulian concentrated on¡­ was speed!

    As Yulian slashed and stabbed, his body and mind got closer to the essence of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, until finally¡­

    HONG! A loud thunderous rumble emitted from Yulian¡¯s muscles!

    Yulian finally broke through to the Second Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    After breaking through, Yulian walked up to a fist testing machine and punched.

    ¡°6589 kg!¡± Along with the Second Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, Yulian practiced the Dao Yin technique every day, boosting his fist strength. Also, the Fire Energy had tempered every cell in his body, refining his strength and vitality.

    Even so, it was quite a surprise when Yulian realized that his current strength was that of an Advanced Warrior-level fighter!

    ¡°Now that I have broken through, it is time to stabilize my state.¡± Yulian immediately picked up his blade and began slashing out. This time, instead of using the easier introductory blade techniques, he carried out the slightly harder techniques of the Thunder Blade technique manual.

    Two hours later, Yulian finally stopped swinging his sword. His instincts told him that further training might hurt his muscles.

    ¡°Amazing. Even though this training exhausted a large amount of genetic energy, its regeneration is too quick!¡± The Draconic Flame Rebirth technique was a top-grade cultivation technique. Its energy regeneration rate was unrivalled!

    ¡­

    After this, Yulian trained in the Dao Yin technique and the agility technique. From the upper arms to the core and finally to the feet, Yulian¡¯s body had completely experienced the 2<sup>nd</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    He checked the time. It was 8:30 PM. Yulian couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile. He had completely lost track of the time in his training. He had never trained with such enthusiasm before.

    Before, when he trained under the threat of death by his spirit force rebelling, the sense of fear did not allow him to be truly exultant while training. After, when he was training the First Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade by illegally downloading it, the guilt of illegally downloading the manual and the inability to proceed further and cultivate the Second Stage even when he had the ability to did not allow him to fully immerse himself in cultivation.

    But now, everything had changed. He was in Hong Ning city, the place where countless genius fighters were nurtured to transform into Wargods. He was under the sponsorship of one of the HR Alliance¡¯s strongest Wargods, Catalan Paulinus. Catalan Paulinus had given him the assurance that the HR Alliance would search for his family. The entire Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual worth 100 billion dollars and a priceless spirit reader cultivation technique, 108 Star Diagrams was given to him. He had a VR Helmet for tempering himself in battles. He was given resources worth tens of billions to nurture his growth.

    All the shackles weighing on his mind had been unchained!

    Was there any reason to not display his true genius? Was there any reason to not immerse himself in cultivation?

    After cultivating for such a long time without eating a single bite, Yulian still did not feel hungry. Now it was time to cultivate his spirit force.

    ¡­

    ¡°The 108 Star Diagrams is a precious heritage found by the HR Alliance in an archaeological ruin. In terms of quality and effectiveness, it is miles above the Spirit Reader Basics distributed to spirit readers and the Celestial Deity Catalog exclusive to the Limit Dojo. Hence, it is paramount that this manual be kept secret. Any and all who break this rule will be awarded a single punishment: Death!¡±

    ¡°The 108 Star Diagrams consist of two techniques: an ¡®object control¡¯ technique and a ¡®visualization¡¯ technique. Both of these techniques complement each other to temper spirit force.¡±

    ¡°The 108 Star Diagrams is divided into 9 parts of increasing difficulty. The first part requires the spirit reader to control 12 star beads and visualize a 12 star constellation. The second part requires the spirit reader to control 24 star beads and visualize a 24 star constellation. ¡­ The ninth part requires the spirit reader to control 108 star beads and visualize a 108 star constellation!¡±

    After reading the introduction to the technique, Yulian¡¯s desire train in this rose. He carefully went through the first part. Closing his eyes, he visually a dark void, a black void devoid of anything but darkness¡­

    Yulian thought of the dimmest light within the blackness, a small streak of yellow in black. The light, under Yulian¡¯s will, grew brighter and brighter, until it was no longer suppressed in the darkness. It grew larger, brighter, so much that its radiance could overwhelm the darkness by itself. The star twinkled brightly, overwhelming Yulian¡¯s consciousness and forcing him out of his meditative state.

    When Yulian opened his eyes, he felt that all his mental exhaustion from hours of training had disappeared. Just then he remembered the brightness of the star and how it forced him to wake up.

    ¡°I condensed the first star so quickly? The manual said that it normally would take two weeks¡­ I read that spirit reader cultivation depends on the state of mind. Is it because I was in an exceptionally good mood today?¡± Yulian decided that he would take advantage of this condition to the fullest.

    ¡°Now, it is time for ¡®object control¡¯ training!¡± Beside the manual, there was a case of transparent white beads. Picking it up with his spirit force, Yulian began controlling it according to the instructions in the manual.

    Flying up, falling down, revolving in a loop¡­ as the white bead revolved, it slowly began glowing with a golden light. Finally, when it was glowing in blinding golden, Yulian finally ran out of spirit force. The bead stopped glowing and bounced on the ground.

    Yulian was filled with sudden mental exhaustion when his spirit force ran out. He paced his breathing for a minute to recover. Looking at the bead that was rolling on the ground, Yulian decided that he liked cultivating this technique.

    Yulian checked the time once again. 4:00 AM in the morning. The feeling of hunger which went unnoticed for the day, returned with a bang. Catalan had said that he could call for the maid anytime he wanted, so he decided to try.

    ¡°Stella, I want some food. Cook up some high grade Horde Leader meat for me!¡± After Yulian said these words out loud, the maid¡¯s voice resounded in the training room. ¡°As you command, young master!¡±

    Fifteen minutes later, the maid entered the training room pushing a trolley. Unpacking a foldable table, she quickly laid out a lunch table for Yulian. Placing the food for Yulian, she immediately stood to the side, as if guarding Yulian as he ate.

    Without a word, Yulian tore into the meat dish. The nourishing effects of the beast meat filled his body. Due to Yulian¡¯s well trained body, all the food was quickly digested and turned into nourishing energy. All his exhaustion was swept away.

    ¡°Master, how was the meal?¡± As Yulian finished eating, the maid, Stella asked him.

    ¡°It was amazing¡­ And sorry for waking you up at this ungodly hour.¡± Yulian quietly apologized to the maid.

    ¡°Do not worry about me and concentrate on your training. Also, eating at random times might cause problems further on , so please follow regular breakfast ¨C lunch ¨C dinner times.¡± With a gentle voice, the maid admonished Yulian.

    ¡°Of course¡­ You can go now.¡±

    ¡°Take care, young master.¡± As the maid left, Yulian picked up the last training instrument, the VR Helmet. After reading the instructions, he resolutely put it on.

    What about sleep? For the current Yulian, sleep was unnecessary! All that matter was cultivation!

 Chapter 18 : VR Game

    Chapter 18 : VR Game

    After putting on the VR helmet, Yulian found himself in a black void. Slowly, countless colors started illuminating the void. Yulian carefully observed this lightshow. He had a feeling that he might be able to gain insights into the 108 Star Diagrams if he observed.

    As the colorful lights flashed, Yulian poured his entire focus onto them, not even turning away when the light hurt his eyes. His willpower carried him through. As Yulian paid attention to the countless beautiful transformations of the light, the show came to an end. The colorful lights gradually faded away, leaving Yulian in a white space.

    Suddenly, a blue screen flashed in front of Yulian.

    [Congratulations. You have completed registration for the VR Battle Simulator. Your statistics are being analyzed currently¡­]

    Cultivation level ¨C Student ¨C Level 1 (Peak)

    Race: Human

    Bloodline: Weak dragon blood

    Genetic Energy: Flame Element

    Strength ¨C 8/10 [This statistic analyzes the force that can be exerted by the body.]

    Agility ¨C 7/10 [This statistic analyses the speed, flexibility and dexterity of the body]

    Vitality ¨C 7.5/10 [This ability analyzes the life force, the ability to withstand force and defensive power of the body]

    [You will be launched into a practice battle in 180 seconds. Kindly choose a weapon and acclimatize with your virtual body.]

    Yulian went over his stat screen. Student ¨C Level 1 (Peak) most likely meant the cultivation level of peak Beginner Warrior. He felt rather amazed at the analysis of the AI. It had even figured out the dragon blood in his body and that his genetic energy is of the flame element!

    Sweeping his thoughts away, Yulian concentrated on the instructions on the blue screen. Yulian instinctively thought about the 7 foot long training blade he had been practicing with. Suddenly, the same weapon manifested in his grip.

    Thinking quickly, Yulian tested the blade with a few swings and thrusts. He realized that it was made from the same weak material as the training blade in the Arena, and probably wouldn¡¯t last a match.

    Yulian immediately thought of the best blade he had seen on the internet: a beautiful 7 foot long blade with a red edge and a golden hilt. The blade was created from top grade Ke-luo Alloy and the fangs of a Emperor level monster. Named ¡®Dragon Fang¡¯ and wielded by an Existence above Wargod, It was certainly the deadliest blade Yulian had ever seen.

    Now, Yulian concentrated on adjusting to the new sword. Even though it¡¯s length, width and weight was the same as his training blade, it was nevertheless a different blade. After barely finishing adjusting, a blue screen flashed.

    [180 seconds have passed. New player, please prepare for battle.]

    In the white space, a black clothed figure wearing a black mask appeared. Wielding a black sword, he radiated a killing intention. Clad in black, the figure was like a grim reaper. Yulian was not fazed by the gaze of the cold black eyes. He immediately ran to the figure, attacking with a diagonal slash.

    The figure swung his sword to intercept the blow. After this, a piercing thrust as aimed at Yulian¡¯s head. Yulian tried to use his spirit force to turn the blade away, but to his surprise, he couldn¡¯t use it, it was as if his spirit force had disappeared! He hurriedly sidestepped the blow. Like this, Yulian and the figure continued to exchange blows.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Yulian realized that the figure was almost identical to him in terms of strength. The only thing that differentiated them was blade technique. Yulian¡¯s blade technique was faster.

    Deciding to hold his true techniques in reserve for a surprise attack, Yulian carried on battling with only his blade skills.

    Around a minute later, an opportunity arrived. The black clothed man furiously attacked Yulian¡¯s chest with a wide slash. Yulian blocked the strike with his blade and backed away with quick steps, letting the powerful force of the attack dissipate.

    Having pushed Yulian five meters away, the man prepared to rush at him. Just then, the Yulian who was only five meters away from him suddenly disappeared.

    After this, he suddenly appeared in front of the black clad man. The sound of thunder resounded from Yulian¡¯s muscles, the blade in his hands turned into a golden bolt of lightning and a single thrust pierced the man¡¯s heart.

    The seven foot long blade¡¯s tip was red with blood. Exiting from the man¡¯s body, it brought out the red heart flesh with it. Seeing the gory scene created by himself, Yulian felt like vomiting.

    The man disappeared in a flash of light. A blue screen flashed in front of Yulian.

    [Congratulations! You have won the battle! 1000 star points are credited to you.]

    Suddenly, Yulian¡¯s surroundings changed. A fist testing machine appeared in front of him.

    [Punch with only your pure muscle power]

    3189 kg!

    [Punch with your secret technique]

    ¡­Like this, instructions flashed on the blue screen and Yulian carried them out. He displayed his blade techniques, agility techniques and force multiplication techniques.

    [Assessment Complete]

    Blade Technique ¨C D+ Grade (Suitable for Student Level Warriors)

    Agility Technique ¨C D+ Grade (Suitable for Student Level Warriors)

    Dao Yin Technique ¨C B+ Grade (Suitable for Student Level Warriors)

    Force Multiplication Technique ¨C B+ Grade (Suitable for Student Level Warriors)

    For perfectly completing body assessment, you have been awarded 500 star points]

    [You may insert user name]

    [You may rename techniques.]

    Yulian immediately renamed the techniques according to the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual. After this, another screen appeared in front of him.

    [You may choose up to 3 Demerits to be applied on your character. All Demerits applied will be compensated with free traits.]

    A list of applicable Demerits appeared before Yulian:

    [Disabled: A limb is removed from the body]

    [Blocked meridians: Genetic energy cannot circulate in the body]

    ¡­

    Finally, Yulian found a few Demerits he could take.

    [100% Pain threshold: 20% Pain will not be applied. 100% pain threshold]

    [Body dependent avatar: The strength of your avatar character is copied from your true body. Other methods of increasing stats in-game, for eg. kill bonus, are not applicable]

    [Banned (Stat Increasing Traits): Stat increasing Traits cannot be purchased.]

    After selecting these Demerits, a blue screen flashed before Yulian.

    [For selecting these Demerits on your character, you may select a Mastery Trait for your character.]

    Various Mastery Traits flashed on the Blue Screen, but Yulian had his eyes on only one.

    [Time Acceleration: For every hour spent in reality, ten hours will pass in-game. Maxed Mastery Trait.]

    Among the various traits it was simply the best Trait available. Like this, he will not need to split time between the VR Game and training. Yulian immediately selected the Trait.

    [Time Acceleration Mastery Trait selected. You may select more traits in-game by purchasing them with star points.]

    For taking three demerits, you have been awarded 1500 star points]

    [Before beginning game, calculating star points¡­

    Defeating testing opponent: 1000 star points

    Perfectly completing body assessment: 500 star points

    Taking three demerits: 1500 star points

    Points awarded for beginning game: 1000 points

    Total number of points: 4000 points]

    [The VR Simulation Game is starting¡­ Area 1 ¨C Hilly Forest. Suitable for Student Level 1 Warriors]

    In a flash of light, Yulian arrived inside a small house. There was a bed, a weapons rack and a large board in the small house. Looking around, there seemed to be a kitchen too.

    Suddenly, a blue screen appeared before him.

    [Congratulations! The VR battlefield simulation has begun! Complete the Quests on the board to gain star points! With star points, you can trade for more Traits or better weapons, armor and pills! Due to area limitations, only three Traits can be equipped! Due to the Demerits you have chosen, you can move on to the next Area only after breaking through to Student Level 2!]

    After this, the message screen disappeared, displaying basic commands and inputs. Yulian memorized all the information displayed. After this, Yulian dispelled all the screens and said a single command, ¡°Display Equipment.¡±

    A holographic image of Yulian appeared. The image displayed that Yulian had only equipped two items: Basic Blade and Basic Robes. Their durability was infinite, however any attack and defense bonuses were non-existent.

    Yulian wasn¡¯t worried about that. He was planning on relying on the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique to battle. Now, it was time to check the other important function: Traits.

    ¡°Display Trait Exchange.¡± A blue screen flashed before Yulian where large number of Traits appeared. Yulian saw that quite a few were grayed out. These were all stat-boosting Traits. Yulian ignored them and checked every Trait. Currently, he needed a Trait which could increase star point gain. These star points were, after all, important items for progressing in this ¡®game¡¯.

    ¡°Purchase Traits: Combo Multiplier and Star Point Booster!¡±

    [Two Traits: Combo Multiplier and Star Point Booster purchased! 4000 star points deducted!]

    Yulian could not help his sigh as he read the message he was now completely lacking star points. However, these Traits were good investments.

    Combo Multiplier awarded star points for killing an enemy. It also multiplied points gained for continuous kills in a short time.

    Star Point Booster outright doubled any star points gained. At certain points, there would be a ¡®critical strike¡¯, where the amount of star points gained would be tripled or quadrupled. As it was, these two skills perfectly complemented each other.

    ¡°Well, now since I don¡¯t have any star points, it seems to be time to start earning them.¡± Yulian walked up to the Quest Board. Completing a Quest was the easiest way to earn star points.

    He walked up to the Quest Board and touched it. A blue screen flashed before Yulian.

    [Quest Board]

    [Yulian Starlighter ¨C H-Rank Quester]

    [Current Quests: 0/3]

    [Available Quests:

    1¡­ Slaughter 15 Redfur Mastiffs (Student Rank 1)

    2¡­ Slaughter 10 Twinfang Cats (Student Rank 2)

    3¡­ Slaughter 5 Gold Monkeys (Student Rank 3)]

 Chapter 19: Virtual Battles

    Chapter 19: Virtual Battles

    Yulian immediately accepted all three missions.

    ¡°Display battle status.¡± After he softly said these words, a blue screen flashed before Yulian.

    [HP (Hit Points): 100%

    EP (Energy Points): 100%

    P-STA (Physical Stamina): 100%

    M-STA (Mental Stamina): 100%

    Current Status: Perfect Condition]

    After this, Yulian tested out some commands. After finishing his tests, Yulian immediately left the house he was in.

    It was time for the hunt to begin.

    ¡­

    Outside the house he had been spawned in, Yulian looked around to find himself in a forest. There were all sorts of trees everywhere. Green grass dotted the landscape, and many shrubs and bushes were littered around. There large trees with fruits dangling, and wildflowers scattered all around.

    Without paying mind to this beautiful scene, Yulian barked out a command. ¡°Display minimap.¡±

    A real-time map of the area was displayed, with blinking dots showing the nearest enemies. On top of the map, bright letters flashed ¡®Area 1 ¨C Hilly Forest¡¯. Yulian perked up when he saw that the nearest blinking dot was just a few meters ahead of him.

    Yulian looked around, exploring the surroundings with his eyes. Finally, he saw a sleeping golden monkey, his back slumped on top of a tree branch. Yulian thought for a moment, before picking up a stone from the ground and throwing it at the branch.

    Smash! The thick stone ripped through the wood connecting the branch to the tree in a moment, throwing the monkey down. As the monkey woke up and lightly fell on top of another branch, it noticed Yulian. It immediately leaped down, claws bared to slash Yulian.

    Yulian did not move until the monkey¡¯s claws flashed near his eyes. At this moment, he walked four steps behind. Within a blink of an eye, his 7 foot long saber slashed out. A golden bladelight pierced the monkey¡¯s skull in a flash. One blow, one kill.

    [1/5 Goldfur Monkeys killed]Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    [30 star points gained]

    His first kill completed, Yulian shook his sword free of gore and returned it to his hand. Looking at the virtual map of the region, he saw that there were several monsters moving about in pairs or alone. This was only the outskirts, the greater number of monsters were located in the core.

    ¡­

    Like this, Yulian continued along his path, exploring further and further into the virtual forest. Inside, he fought quite a few monsters. Finally, 12 hours had passed by in the virtual world. Day had turned to night.

    [Ongoing Quest:

    1¡­ Slaughter 11/15 Redfur Mastiffs

    2¡­ Slaughter 3/10 Twinfang Cats

    3¡­ Slaughter 5/5 Gold Monkeys]

    Yulian had ended up killing a large number of beasts. He was only some time away from completing his quests. He had already decided that he would log off after completing the missions. Even though he would be spending less than an hour in reality, he was already tired of the countless battles.

    In truth, he wasn¡¯t even slightly challenged. Even so, the pressure of one battle after the other built up and he was longing to return.

    Yulian looked at the virtual map. Now, the monsters has stopped moving about independently and got together in a horde. 14 blinking dots flashed a hundred metres away from Yulian.

    ¡­

    The plain was filled with green grass. Small bushes and herbs filled it and there were a few trees scattered around. In the middle of the plain, the grass had been destroyed, the sign of a furious battle taking place.

    Five Redfurred Mastiffs, large dogs with red fur on them, were attacking a herd of nine Twinfang Cats. The cats dodged the blows and to the initiative to attack with their trademark agility. The battle was of stamina; the ones who were tired out first would be decimated.

    Yulian carefully watched the battle from the top of a nearby tree. With his perfect control over his movement, he had sneaked up to spectate the battle. Even though it was virtual, this type of battle waged out in the wilds was as brutal as reality.

    There was no technique, no skill. There was a difference between the physical parameters of the animals, but it didn¡¯t provide actual advantage. The sheer brutality of the battle was awe inspiring.

    It almost made Yulian forget that in the end, the battlers were originally domesticated pets.

    The turning point occurred when a cat managed to tear its claws through the alpha mastiff. The larger hound moaned as its eyes were pierced through.

    Just then, Yulian jumped from the treetop. Like falling lightning, his sword beheaded the alpha, its large head covering the ground with its blood.

    Seeing the sudden entrant to the battle, the animals froze for a moment. This moment was enough for Yulian¡¯s blade to turn into a flash of golden bladelight, behead two mastiffs in a blink of an eye. The 7 foot long blade excelled in battling hordes of enemies.

    Recovering from surprise, the animals teamed up to attack Yulian. No matter how unrealistic this action was, it was still a VR game. ¡®Players¡¯ would suffer attacks from all ¡®Monsters¡¯.

    Without even flinching, Yulian raised his sword. His muscles seemed to bulk up for a moment, signifying his attacking force had doubled! With his strength boosted, his sword immediately slaughtered the lone dog and five cats.

    As four cats sought to escape, Yulians figure flashed near them.

    Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!

    The cats met the same fate as the dogs. With his slaughter complete, Yulian shook his sword. All the blood dotting it disappeared.

    [Ongoing Quest Complete!

    1¡­ Slaughter 15/15 Redfur Mastiffs

    2¡­ Slaughter 10/10 Twinfang Cats

    3¡­ Slaughter 5/5 Gold Monkeys]

    [Three H Rank Quests complete! Awarded 180 star points! Boosted to G-Rank Quester!]

    [13 Chain Kill! Awarded 143 star points!]

    [Star Point Booster Triple Triggered! Aggregated points multiplied by 3! 969 star points!]

    Yulian checked the blue screen in surprise. In reality, this was the first time that all his traits had complemented each other so perfectly.

    Checking his total star points, he found out that he had 1236 star points in total.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s check what I can buy for this much later. Time to log out for now.¡± With a simple command, countless lights flashed before him as the virtual world blurred away. Once again, Yulian found himself in his bed.

 Chapter 20: After a Week

    In a vast grassy plain, a great battle was taking place. The grass was trampled upon and dyed red with blood. Nearly fifty beasts had surrounded Yulian from all sides. The dogs pounced on him to kill, the cats tried to slash his feet and the agile monkeys attacked him with sharp claws. But their continuous attacks were fruitless, for Yulian used every step of his body to avoid every attack and return fatal blows.

    The ¡®Flowing Light¡¯ footwork technique of the Thunder Blade manual consisted of two words: ¡®flowing¡¯ and ¡®light¡¯. With a light body and a flowing gait, this supreme footwork technique allowed Yulian to perform his killing dance, slaughtering beasts like grass.

    Even though he looked as if he was gracefully dancing, exhaustion filled every pore in his body. He had been continuously slaughtering for six hours. Even though his genetic energy quickly restored itself, the exhaustion mercilessly attacked his will. It seemed as if he could collapse at any moment¡­

    A week had passed. In this VR world, Yulian had immersed himself in battle. He explored the entirety of the virtual field he had been cooped into, slaughtering every monster he met with his blade. After this, he realized something he had overlooked when he first began this game¡­

    ¡­Despite how lifelike it looked, it was still a game.

    After realizing this, Yulian immersed himself in finding out the artificial elements of this world. Step by step, he absorbed himself in tempering his martial arts while enjoying this world.

    Outside in reality, there were 24 hours. In the VR game, there were 240 hours. Yulian used the extra time to temper himself to the utmost in countless battles.

    After realizing the monsters were weak by themselves, Yulian tried his best to battle hordes at a time. Soon, he found out an interesting mechanic¡­ killing more than ten beasts in two minutes would turn the remaining monsters into a frenzied state and attract monsters to attack Yulian.

    Thus, we return to the scene of the boy battling a horde on the grassy plain.

    This grassy plain was in the exact center of the VR map and could pull in all the monsters from the entire map. Yulian had been battling these monsters for around six hours.

    It had been three days since he figured out this mechanic. He had tried thrice to ¡®clear¡¯ this area by slaughtering every monster, but finally ended up collapsing due to exhaustion. This was the fourth day, and his fourth attempt.

    Keeping his mental state stable after six hours of fighting would be impossible for the Yulian for a week ago¡­ but after numerous battles and bloody slaughter, he had reaching this realm.

    Slash, slash, slash! Yulian¡¯s muscles bulked up for an instant as his sword savagely slashed out. This was the power of the Third Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade combined with savage blade intent! After increasing his understanding of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade in continuous battles, he broke through to the Third Stage and quickly stabilized until he was only a hair away from breaking into the fourth stage. The blade intent that he had gained only a simple understanding of, had been refined until it was a potent killing force.

    Not only that, the savage battles had influenced his mental state, allowing his comprehension of the 108 Star Diagrams to increase. He had smoothly cultivated to the mid layer of the first stage of this technique, condensing 6 stars in his mind.

    With a final slash, another monster died. Finally, a blue screen flashed in front of Yulian.

    ¡°Pant, pant.¡± Yulian controlled his breath, using a basic technique to relieve the exhaustion that struck his body after the adrenaline that had kept him going for six hours drained away.

    Due to Yulian¡¯s unique cultivation technique, his energy reserve was large and the regeneration speed was formidable. However, the continuous battle of six hours had depleted his reserves and given hidden injuries to his meridians, cutting his energy regeneration speed. Actually, the fact that he had been battling for around six hours with his low level of cultivation was a miracle in itself.

    [Great Slaughter Complete!

    All monsters in area wiped out!]

    [Total reward being calculated¡­

    Gained 99,999 star points]

    Seeing the notice, Yulian sighed. This was the first time he had managed to actually slaughter through all the monsters in this area, but he didn¡¯t expect there to be a hard cap on the amount of star points that could be gained¡­

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Just then, another blue screen appeared.

    [You have gained Secret Trait ¡®Perception¡¯]

    [Perception: Increases your perception, allowing you to delve in to the mysteries of the world. <Secret> quests are available.]

    [Secret quest: Battle ¡®Hidden BOSS¡¯ Goldfire Gorilla]

    The shadow of a large golden gorilla with red tattoos all over its body appeared. ¡®Student lv. 2¡¯ flashed over its head.

    [Health and Genetic Energy will be completely restored.

    Begin battle? Y/N]

    Yulian glanced at the system notice, before briefly ignoring it.

    ¡°Display Traits.¡± After pulling up his skill bar, he quickly boosted the skill levels. The bar now read:

    [Traits Taken ¨C 3/9]

    [Amount of traits restricted: User has not left confines of Area 1]

    [Lv.5 (Max) - Time Acceleration

    For every hour spent in reality, ten hours will pass in-game.]

    [Lv.5 (Max) - Star Point Booster

    Awarded star points are multiplied by four times. All caps imposed on gain of star points are nullified.]

    [Lv.3 (Max) - Combo Multiplier

    Star points are gained on slaughtering enemies. Points are boosted for continuously slaughtering enemies. Points are boosted by continuous attacks on [BOSS] type enemies. Increased likelihood for [CRITICAL] attacks, where star points are - multiplied.]

    [-SECRET- Perception

    Increases your perception, allowing you to delve in to the mysteries of the world. <Secret> quests are available.]

    In the past battles, he had gained a large amount of star points. All the points he had gained were used in boosting the skill levels of his chosen skills. And now, he had finally maxed out all of them. His amount of star points that was surpassing 100000 was reduced to a measly three digit number.

    After finishing his trait upgrades, Yulian immediately began the boss battle.

    [Heath Restoration Process Beginning¡­ 1/180 seconds passed]

    A soothing energy filled every cell in Yulian¡¯s body, completely restoring the power of the genes. Even his aching head felt a comfortable sensation, as if he was being massaged. On a whim, Yulian closed his eyes and began visualizing the 108 Star Diagrams in his mind.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, the bottleneck he had been stuck on disappeared in a blink of an eye and he immediately condensed the 7<sup>th</sup> Star within the constellation in his mind.

    A soothing feeling filled Yulian¡¯s mind after his sudden breakthrough. After he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a blue screen.

    [Sweep this screen to begin BOSS battle]

    After sweeping away the screen, the shadow to the Goldflame Gorilla turned material and the great beast gave a monstrous roar. Its large body was 3 meter long and towered over Yulian¡¯s small frame. Beating its chest with its fists, it declared the beginning of the battle.

    The Goldmetal Gorilla ran at Yulian and attacked with a mighty punch. Even though Yulian was intimidated by the attack of the mighty beast, he used three steps to back away. Drawing his 7 foot sword, he attacked the beast with a swift thrust to its chest.

    Without caring for the blow, the beast advanced for another attack. This time, Yulian roused his blade intent and used the Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s power to boost his blow. His thrust pierced through at the same point on its chest.

    Stab! Stab! Stab! With his long blade, Yulian kept distance from the beast while unceasingly attacking.

    Unable to close the distance without being attacked and unable to attack without closing the distance, the Goldfire Gorilla was thrown into a situation where all it could do was be attacked. Yulian¡¯s continuous attacks had put it in a frenzied state and it could not retreat.

    Suddenly, a powerful aura surged around the gorilla. The tattoos on its body began glowing brightly as it roared defiantly. Suddenly, two large palms struck at Yulian. The temperature surrounding them heated up and it felt as if the air was boiling.

    Boom! The air displaced by the palms turned to a strong wind, trying to push Yulian back. In response, Yulian summoned the aura of blade intent and slashed out at the approaching palms!

    Bang! Yulian was pushed back by the power of the technique. Yulian immediately used the Flowing Light footwork to stabilize himself and looked at the gorilla with a glint in his eyes.

    The palm technique the gorilla had used was fiery and dominating. Even the aura created by it was able to heat up the surroundings! It relied on a large amount of genetic energy and was not as precise and flexible as the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. However, based on power it surpassed the Thunder Blade by a large degree!

    Yulian had been carefully observing the gorilla as it used the technique and observed the tattoos glowing. The glowing tattoos indicated the circulation of energy. Since he knew the movements and energy circulation pattern, Yulian wondered if he could use this technique¡­

    Immediately, Yulian used footwork to circle around to the Goldfire Gorilla¡¯s back soundlessly. Pulling his fists back, Yulian used the fist technique to strike the gorillas back with two mighty palm strikes!

    Suddenly, burning pain filled Yulian¡¯s muscles as the muscles were exerted to beyond their limits. However, the energy within Yulian¡¯s dantian circulated by itself and flowed out of the palm to strike. Flame condensed on Yulian¡¯s palms to burn the beast.

    The technique imitated by Yulian was surprisingly stronger than the technique used by the gorilla!

    The beast was taken unawares by the surprise attack and the pain the surged through its body. It was pushed 2 meters back.

    Realizing it was hurt and pushed back by a mere human, the beast seemed to go crazy. It suddenly attacked Yulian with the fist technique once again.

    This time, Yulian cocked his own fist to meet the blow!

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Every blow exchanged made Yulian feel the pain build up in his arms, but he continued to exchange blows with the gorilla. Even though the glowing tattoos on the gorilla¡¯s body roughly indicated the energy circulation pattern, it did not give insight into the intricacies. Only by crossing fists with the beast would he have a chance to understand them.

    Due to his cultivation techniques, the strength and resilience of his arms was extremely high. They wouldn¡¯t break so easily. Ignoring the pain, Yulian analyzed the intricacies of the energy flow in the gorilla¡¯s arms.

    After exchanging five blows, a cracking sound resounded. Yulian¡¯s right arm bone broke with a crisp crack. But even so, his eyes seemed to flash with brightness.

    He had finally comprehended the entirety of the technique.

    The gorilla had finally ran out of the energy but even so, it kept on wildly attacking him.

    Yulian held his broken arm straight and immediately began circulating the ¡®Hun Yuan Dao Yin¡¯ technique to revolve energy and heal his arms. Meanwhile, he used his footwork to avoid the blows of the gorilla. The furious blows of the beast hit only air as Yulian avoided every blow without using a drop of energy.

    Five minutes later, Yulian¡¯s arm was completely healed. At the same time, the Goldfire Gorilla replenished its energy.

    At this moment, both of them charged at each other. Both of them simultaneously struck out with palm blows!

    Dominating auras clashed against each other as the air heated up. And the two palms pressed against each other to burn each other to crisps!

    Finally¡­

    They palms withdrew. The smell of burning flesh spread out. The gorilla had its palms melted away!

    Even though Yulian¡¯s palms had not produced flame like before, the might had increased such that it could burn the palm of the gorilla in one strike!

    Yulian looked at his palms. The technique he used would be called ¡®Burning Palm¡¯ for now. This technique was innately suited for him. It utilized the flame energy in his dantian to create a dominating fiery strike!

    Yulian looked at the gorilla. It stood motionless as its palm was slowly healed. Yulian decided to use the ¡®Hun Yuan Dao Yin¡¯ technique to heal his arms as well. He was engrossed in rapidly healing his broken bone so he did not revolve the technique to its limits.

    While he could take the chance to finish off the gorilla, it would be a bad idea to dispose of it when it had more techniques to display!

 Chapter 21: BOSS Battle Victory

    Finally, after the Goldfire Gorilla completely recovered its strength, it roared out a challenge as it bounded towards Yulian. A golden energy revolved around its arms as it ran to attack. Yulian carefully observed the revolving force as he prepared for the gorilla¡¯s attack.

    Yulian prepared for the coming blow by pushing his palms out. Even though Yulian had a preference for blade techniques, he would only gain further insights into the fist technique used by crossing fists with the gorilla.

    The gorilla¡¯s large fingers were jutted out. Like mountains piercing into the sky, they emitted a powerful golden aura, capable of piercing the Heavens. As they moved to strike, Yulian welcomed the strike with his new Burning Palm technique.

    The piercing might of the fingers. The powerful heat exuded by the palms.

    As they collided, sparks of electricity danced in the air.

    After taking on the piercing finger strike, Yulian ignored the pain piercing through his palms and concentrated on the revolving energy inside the gorilla¡¯s fingers. Finally, he backed away and started using the Hun Yuan Dao Yin technique to heal himself.

    Due to the impact of the injury he had sustained being lower, he was able to heal it in no time at all. The gorilla once again moved to attack, fingers like golden mountains. Yulian fingers glowed with a shaky golden aura as well.

    Two sets of fingers collided!

    Bang! This time, he couldn¡¯t understand the technique on the first try. He had not filled his dantian with gold elemental energy yet, having struck a bottleneck in his cultivation. However, his primary attacking technique was the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, and his comprehension of ¡®lightning¡¯ was quite good.

    Fire and gold unite, giving birth to lightning. As such, his understanding of gold was not shabby.

    Once again, Yulian clashed blows with the Goldfire Gorilla. He matched his comprehension with the gorilla, trying to accumulate insights with every blow. Whenever his fingers were broken, he would dodge around the gorilla¡¯s blows while healing them. The fear of pain was superseded by his desire to grasp the technique.

    Finally, the golden aura around his fingers condensed until it held might similar to a mountain. The flow of energy was too overwhelming to be contained in his body, and made his fingers burn.

    Ignoring the pain, once again Yulian ran to match blows with the Gorilla. Fingers once again struck each other. Unlike before, the energy condensed within the fingers seemed to pierce out into the beast¡¯s fingers. No harm was sustained by Yulian¡¯s fingers but the gorilla¡¯s fingers were reduced to a pile of flesh.

    The energy within Yulian¡¯s fingers shattered the bones of the Gorilla¡¯s fingers!

    The gorilla roared out once more. Once again, the fingers began to regenerate. Meanwhile, Yulian concentrated on healing himself as well. The battle came to another momentary standstill.

    As he revolved energy to heal himself, Yulian pondered about the next technique that the beast would display.

    ¡°The first palm was of fire and the next finger was of gold so the succeeding technique must be¡­¡±

    As if to answer him, the gorilla roared out after recovering energy. Forming a palm, it tucked in the fingers inside to create a fist. This fist was formed of fire and metal uniting.

    Boom! The sound of thunder resounded as sparks of electricity condensed to form lightning. Crackling with power, a gust of wind was formed as the blow struck air.

    The fist was so powerful¡­ Yulian smiled as he imitated the technique to strike the air. The power was lacking and the technique was rudimentary. Even so, the power of the blow was exceptional.

    Now, it was time to refine this technique by clashing against the original. Once again, Yulian braced himself, prepared to endure broken bones.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Yulian couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when he his bones weren¡¯t broken by the technique. This technique seemed innately suited for him, and he could progress in this technique easier than ever.

    After a final clash with the gorilla, his fist shattered the gorilla¡¯s arms. After understanding the third technique, Yulian felt that the technique was completed. However, he still decided to wait for the gorilla to recover. This time, Yulian did not take any major injuries, so he healed himself in short time.

    This time instead of using his fists, Yulian drew his blade once again. The sword started glowing with golden blade light, a light cutting through the darkness.

    Without waiting for the gorilla to make a move, Yulian slashed out.

    His first blow was intercepted by the flaming palms of the gorilla. Piercing fingers tried to gouge Yulian¡¯s heart out. Using footwork, Yulian backed away. The gorilla used its own brand of footwork to chase Yulian.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    This time, the Goldfire Gorilla did not restrict itself to the powerful fist techniques that it used to battle Yulian. All sorts of dexterity and flexibility boosting martial arts that did not use genetic energy were used by it in combat.

    Like before, Yulian held back and tried his best to force out the beast to use more and more powerful techniques, but all the techniques used by it were footwork and flexibility techniques that were simply unusable by humans due to their size requirements.

    Finally, the battle came to its climax. The Goldfire Gorilla was completely exhausted and heavily injured by Yulian¡¯s attacks. It was on its final breaths.

    ¡°Roar!¡± With a defiant roar, it once again attacked with a flaming palm strike. Seeing this, Yulian sheathed away his blade and went to meet that attack with his own palm.

    Boom! The gorilla took a few steps back before attacking with a golden five fingered strike. Once again, Yulian met the attack with his own.

    Boom! For the third strike, the gorilla attacked with a thundering fist blow. Yulian once again mirrored the attack!

    Three strikes, three defeats. Finally, the Goldfire Gorilla accepted its death. Splayed on the ground, the corpse of the beast faded away into streaks of light.

    A blue screen finally flashed in front of Yulian.

    [Secret quest: Battle ¡®Hidden BOSS¡¯ Goldfire Gorilla complete!]

    [Perception: Rank B+ [Goldfire Monkey Fist] complete!

    [First Stance: Burning Muscles Palm

    Second Stance: Golden Bone Fingers

    Third Stance: Goldfire Thunderous Fist]

    [Total reward being calculated¡­

    Gained 25,75,000 star points]

    [Dropped Item: Starburst Crystal]

    [Perception has created a [SECRET] quest!

    Begin quest? Y/N?]

    Yulian quickly clicked ¡®Yes¡¯.

    [Perception Quest: Cultivate a technique from the following list in limited time.

    [Sword Techniques:

    Dance of Cherry Blossoms - Rank A]

    Yulian certainly didn¡¯t expect this as a quest. The perception quest was the ability to choose and cultivate an A rank technique! The Goldfire Monkey Fist being a B+ ranked technique, the power of a A ranked technique would be something that would easily allow him to fight fighters of higher cultivation and win!

    Quickly, he browsed through the blade techniques listed.

    [Mountain Chopping Blade ¨C A rank]

    [Divine Wind Slicer ¨C A+ rank]

    ¡­

    After some searching, he found a saber technique to his liking.

    [Blade Chopping Mountains and Seas

    Rank: A+++

    Three Stages]

    [Heavy blade technique. Utilizes the force of the World in battle, controlling Heaven and Earth. Mastering the First Blade requires <

    > level technique, mastering the Second Blade requires <<Initial Conception>> level technique and mastering the Third Blade requires <<Complete Conception>> level technique.]

    [First Blade: Wooden Crushing Blade

    Second Blade: Earthen Blocking Blade

    Third Blade: Water Extinguishment Blade]

    After reading more information about it, Yulian realized that this Blade Chopping Mountains and Seas was actually the most difficult blade technique available. It required good insights and comprehension about the three elements of Wood, Earth and Water.

    There was also the problem of even the basic stances being contradictory and difficult to comprehend. ¡®Wood¡¯ stance was balanced, yet had tremendous forceful power. ¡®Earth¡¯ stance was defensive, yet had might as strong as a great mountain. ¡®Water¡¯ stance was flexible, yet boasted the strongest strength, capable of extinguishing all!

    This was an extremely profound, top-tier technique. The A+++ ranking wasn¡¯t simply for show.

    As for now, Yulian only had insights into Fire, Metal and Lightning. But later on, due to the nature of his cultivation technique, he would require insights into the three elements of Wood, Earth and Water. Thus, it was a good idea to take this cultivation technique. Also, he wanted to train in a heavy blade. Zhang Wei, his first martial arts trainer in this world, had left him a heavy stone blade. He wanted to use his last gift in battle!

    [You have chosen <<Blade Chopping Mountains and Seas>> , Technique Rank: Rank: A+++]

    [Mission: Master <<First Blade: Wooden Crushing Blade>> within the time of 90 + 15 days]

    [Extra time has been awarded due to taking higher rank technique]

    [Item received: <<First Blade: Wooden Crushing Blade>> manual]

    The manual suddenly appeared in Yulian¡¯s hand. He tried to open it.

    [Warning: Secret mission will immediately begin after reading manual. Proceed? Y/N?]

    Seeing the notice, Yulian immediately chose ¡®No¡¯ and immediately put away the manual in his inventory.

    After suddenly understanding the Rank B+ [Goldfire Monkey Fist] technique, he needed to consolidate his gains. Not only that, his understanding of ¡®Fire¡¯ had pierced through the bottleneck and it was possible for him to make a breakthrough in cultivation. Only after finishing everything would he begin this quest.

    ¡­

    After logging off the VR console, Yulian immediately put on training clothes and left to the training room. Clad in a sweatshirt and loose pants, he immediately began practicing the movements of the Goldfire Monkey Fist. Without using any genetic energy, he simply practiced the movements of the Goldfire Monkey Fist. Slowly, he began infusing energy into his stances and blows, increasing power bit by bit.

    The Goldfire Monkey Fist was originally a technique designed for monkeys to use. There were all kinds of monkeys: apes, macaque, baboons, gorillas¡­ Even humans were considered a type of ¡®monkey¡¯ as well.

    After defeating the Goldfire Gorilla, Yulian gained some insights into the Goldfire Monkey Fist which completed it and allowed him to more effectively train in it. Even though the Goldfire Monkey Fist had been created for the Goldfire Gorilla¡¯s use and its full might could only be unleashed by this beast¡­ Yulian now understood the techniques to retrofit it for his own use.

    Burning Muscles Palm, Golden Bone Fingers and Goldfire Thunderous Fist¡­ these three techniques all had different ¡®limits¡¯ to them. The Burning Muscles Palm would be a technique that could be part of the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Golden Bone Fingers would be a technique that could be part of the 6<sup>rd</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. While the Goldfire Thunderous Fist¡­ would be a technique that might be on par with the 9<sup>rd</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    This was the limit of the power of a B+ rank technique. In fact, the Nine Stage Thunder Blade had also been evaluated as a B+ rank technique by the AI in the VR game.

    To begin with, Yulian began training in the Burning Muscles Fist. The initial stages of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade emphasized on training the muscles, so Yulian had built up a good foundation in training his muscles. Yulian focused on pushing out the full power of his muscles via the Burning Muscles Palm.

    Soon, a strange trembling filled his muscles as a burning hot force converged in them. As Yulian pushed out his palms, two red hot windblades shot out. The surrounding air seemed to increase in temperature.

    Yulian¡¯s muscles slightly ached, but he did not care about it anymore. The way of using this technique¡­ had filled him with excitement! To create the burning hot force that was the foundation of that blow, he had to vibrate his muscles. The foundation of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade was vibration!

    He might even be able to advance his Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique to the Fourth Stage with this technique!

    It must be understood that the first Three Stages of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade were only the foundation of the technique. They could only display a hint of the technique¡¯s magnificence! Only the Third Stage Dao Yin body tempering technique was renowned. The Third Stage blade and movement techniques were quite lackluster.

    However, from the Fourth Stage onwards, all three Dao Yin, blade and movement techniques would rise in power! The power of the second ¡®Legendary¡¯ rank technique of Earth would be fully displayed!

    However, the bottleneck from Third Stage to Fourth Stage was too wide. To leap over it, a long amount of time would be needed! However, Yulian understood that training in the Burning Muscles Palm would allow him to leap over in no time!

    Even though Yulian had only reached the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage in a week, he had spent a month consolidating it in the VR Game. Thus, he had a solid foundation, ideal for a breakthrough!

    Yulian immediately began his training. When he felt hungry, he would ask the maid to cook him food. Other than the basic needs, he wouldn¡¯t budge from training. Finally, Yulian reached the point where he was a single inch from stepping into the Fourth Stage.

    Sitting in the lotus posture, Yulian began using the Dao Yin technique to vibrate his muscles. As the amount of vibrations increased, a rumbling sound began to arise from Yulian¡¯s body.

    ¡®HONG!¡¯ A booming sound marked his breakthrough. Yulian immediately got up from his sitting posture and began to move himself in martial stances. As expected, all the parameters of his body had grown more powerful. Also, he gained the surprising power to control every movement of his muscles, even the slightest twitch!

    After his breakthrough, it was time to solidify his foundation. Yulian immediately resumed his training, not content to let a single moment escape.

 Chapter 22: Dual Breakthroughs

    In the training room, Yulian was fast asleep. He had made it a habit to sleep in the training room every night. In the open window beside him, world was still dark. This was a bustling city, hence it was impossible for there to be no activity. Even so, this night seemed to be still and cold, like a moonlit lake. Outside was a sea of stars.

    That night, Yulian dreamt of stars. 108 Star Diagrams was a visualization technique. Cultivating it in his sleep required him to understand the essence of it, something that he comprehended in the countless battles he fought in the VR simulator. Yulian¡¯s soul was nourished by the starlight falling into the room from the open window.

    Suddenly, the cold starlight started weakening, overwhelmed by fiery heat. The sleeping Yulian opened his eyes. Immediately getting up, he sat up in the lotus posture, eyes staring out of the window at the dark sky outside. The darkness was suddenly overwhelmed by a single flash of violet radiance.

    Before the sunlight separated into seven colors that formed it, the first ray would be undiluted violet. Violet Sun Rising from the East, this phenomenon formed a famous Chinese myth. The ray of sunlight pierced through the open window to enter the crosslegged Yulian¡¯s body. At this moment, Yulian began cultivating.

    The pure fire energy from the first ray illuminating the earth circulated through Yulian¡¯s body, finally entering the dantian. Inside the dantian, it pierced through the golden sea and entered deeper within it, finally seeping into the red fire stone embedded into the pentagonal formation in the innermost depths. Yulian¡¯s cultivation required accumulation of insights and energy. Yesterday, his battle against the Goldfire Gorilla caused him to accumulate several insights. As for accumulation of energy, the red stone in his dantian was filled with pure flame energy, and was a single step away from consummation and this step¡­ had been finally taken. Pure flame energy rippled around the stone, seeping into the array.

    Now, an attractive force emanated from every pore on Yulian¡¯s body. Golden metal elemental energy was absorbed from every corner around Yulian. It frantically entered through every pore in Yulian¡¯s body, entering and transforming every cell in Yulian¡¯s body. This process was accelerated due to Yulian¡¯s cultivation of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Finally, every cell in Yulian¡¯s body had been transformed by the metal energy. Now that Yulian¡¯s body had completed its transformation, it was time to solidify and condense this element within his dantian.

    The golden energy that had separated into countless filaments while transforming his body slowly condensed into one golden stone outside his dantian, hovering above the golden energy sea. The stone slowly condensed and solidified, causing ripples to spread upon the golden sea with the pressure exuded by it, until the stone finally condensed and dropped into the golden sea.

    As the stone entered the golden sea, a hint of metal energy seeped into the sea, fusing with the fire energy that had seeped into it when the red fire stone was condensed before. Sparks of electricity danced in the sea. As for the golden stone, it dropped into the depths of the sea, plunging into a depression beside the red fire stone on the pentagonal formation.

    These two distinct energies tried to suppress each other, before finally coming into harmony. Fire and metal combined to give birth to lightning. This newly formed lightning burst from the depths of the golden sea to the surface, and finally left the dantian, entering the blood, muscles and bones. Slowly, this spark of electricity revolved in the cultivation path of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    Yulian had broken through to the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade only yesterday, so he was only at the initial level of the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage. Yulian¡¯s foundation solidified and cultivation of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade slowly rose, until it stopped at the peak of the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage. Also, his body was fundamentally changed so that he could unceasingly cultivate the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique. There would be no bottlenecks in his cultivation, nor would he have to care about maintaining a solid foundation. As long as he decided to keep on cultivating this technique, he would completely master this technique in a few years. This amount of time could be lessened if a few body cultivating treasures were used!

    After the transformations of his body ceased, Yulian got up from his lotus posture. Stretching himself, he immediately made his way towards the Training Arena. Yesterday, he went to rest after breaking through and did not bother checking his strength. Today, after his breakthrough, every cell in his body had been transformed, his strength having risen by a large amount.

    After starting up the Fist Testing Machine, Yulian aimed a single punch without any genetic energy infused.

    ¡®2653 kg!¡¯

    Based on pure power, he had broken through to the Intermediate Warrior level. The metal energy had thoroughly purified his body, from cell to cell. This had increased the power that could burst out from his body and multiplied his fist strength. He had also broken through to the 4<sup>th</sup> stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, increasing his strength by a large amount. Also, his affinity for the Nine Stage Thunder Blade was extremely large, causing his strength to rise even higher!

    Another fist struck the Fist Testing Machine, this time infused with genetic energy!

    ¡®3978 kg!¡¯

    Before, the infusion of genetic energy would only cause his strength to rise by a fourth, however this time his strength rose by a half! This was a natural result of cultivation, the genetic energy within him had fused with his fleshy body to a greater degree.

    This time, the fist striking the Fist Testing was filled with the power of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade!

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡®16081 kg!¡¯

    Seeing the number flash of the Fist Testing Machine, Yulian¡¯s couldn¡¯t help his surprise. The 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade technique multiplied fist strength by 3.5 times. However, his strength was multiplied by more than four times! Even though Yulian¡¯s affinity for the Nine Stage Thunder Blade had risen, this was still entirely unexpected¡­

    Now that he had broken through in his cultivation, Yulian was filled with energy. Yulian immediately grabbed a blade and began slashing out in the motions of the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade. His strength, speed, reactions had all risen up by a large degree and he could burst out even more power by using the force multiplier technique. However, he hadn¡¯t acclimated to this level of power yet. So, he trained harder! Training to force out all the power, training to use the heightened strength, speed and reactions effectively!

    ¡­

    After exhausting all his energy in training, he was regaining it by eating the nutritious meat of monstrous beasts. The beef of a Horde Leader level beast, Whitewater Roaming Cow, was cooked specially for him to eat! This was Hong Ning City, the city established by the strongest fighter in the world, Hong! This city was surrounded by dangerous forests where numerous Horde Leader level beasts resided. Killing them and obtaining their meat was not difficult.

    This morning, Yulian ended up training for more than 6 hours by himself. He felt quite nostalgic; he had only trained this hard before breaking through to a fighter. At that time, he only had the Nine Yang Thunder Fist and Spirit Immersion techniques to train in. Using these two techniques, he had frantically trained himself to the limits his body could take, desperately seeking to increase his fist strength to 900 kg.

    Currently, he had a strong body with a high endurance limit thanks to the Nine Stage Thunder Blade and a large pool of genetic energy. The high intensity workout of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade could bring exhaust his endurance and temper his body in short time. He trained for an hour three times in a day, coordinating training time with breakfast, lunch and dinner to bring out the full power of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. The rest of the time was spent using the VR machine.

    ¡°Young master, you have been training quite vigorously today.¡± The soft voice of the maid, Stella entered his ears. Her voice was filled with praise.

    For the past week, Yulian had been training for only 3 hours a day. This was the minimum amount of training that even civilian children went through every day! Stella was strictly ordered by Catalan to not interfere with Yulian¡¯s decisions or try to him, no matter what. She could only subtly hint that he should train more, hints which were completely ignored by Yulian.

    ¡°Oh, this young master broke through in his cultivation. Stabilizing it took me six hours.¡± Yulian inadvertently called himself ¡®Young Master¡¯ as he replied. He didn¡¯t know when, but he began replying like this whenever Stella called him young master. This was perhaps the influence of being in a 7 year old body.

    ¡°Young master, you¡­ broke through?¡± Stella couldn¡¯t believe his words. Breakthroughs weren¡¯t so easy that they could be done in the span of a week! Even though Stella knew that Yulian was a spirit reader with prodigious talent in cultivation, it was still too hard to accept. She, an Advanced Warlord, had accepted this position as a maid in a HR Alliance Fighter Mansion because of a C-Grade Cell Refinement Genetic Medicine being offered to her. It would slow cell growth rate, allowing her to have greater success in cultivating and allow her to retain her young body. Without it, breaking through to a Wargod was a distant dream.

    ¡°This young master is an Intermediate Warrior now. Also, I broke through to the 2<sup>nd</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique.¡± Yulian said these words lazily, as if he wouldn¡¯t bother speaking them if he could. Stella¡¯s resolve to make him train for more than 3 hours a day and get him off the VR machine annoyed him. Maybe after hearing this, she would stop.

    ¡°Young master, you aren¡¯t lying, are you? If-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m done eating. Come with me to the Training Arena, I¡¯ll show you how awesome this young master is!¡±

    ¡­

    Like this, Yulian walked to the Training Room, with Stella following behind. Walking up to the Fist Testing Machine, Yulian struck it with a punch.

    ¡®2004 kg!¡¯ He held back his strength so that it wouldn¡¯t be too shocking. The Nine Stage Thunder Blade excelled in controlling muscles, so it was too easy to do so.

    ¡®4196 kg!¡¯ Now, he used the 2<sup>nd</sup> Stage force multiplier technique, while still holding back his strength.

    ¡°See, see! This young master is crazy awesome!¡± Yulian did a kiddy dance as he proclaimed his awesomeness. In reality, he was laughing on the inside as he proclaimed his paltry fist strength of 2000 kg to a woman capable of bursting out the strength of 32000 kg.

    ¡°Ah yes, young master is truly awesome.¡± Stella stoically greeted Yulian¡¯s childish dance.

    ¡°Yeah, now when will this young master get the Blood Spirit Grass and Crysoprase? I trained for six hours so that I could completely digest the energy within them, you know.¡± Yulian spoke with a flippant tone as he demanded the rewards. Since he could now cultivate the Nine Stage Thunder Blade without worrying about comprehension or foundation, he decided that he would breakthrough to the 5th stage of the technique with these resources.

    ¡°¡­Wait a moment, I¡¯ll fetch them for you.¡± As Stella walked away to fetch his rewards, she couldn¡¯t help but think about all the talent was wasted on a lazy brat like Yulian.

    ¡­

    And this is how Yulian found himself in a room with a Chrysoprase and Blood Spirit Grass. Yulian looked at the two ingredients with a wary gaze. These ingredients were filled with pure energy which could be used to make breakthroughs. The Chrysoprase, a light green stone, was useful for Warlord level fighters for breakthroughs and had special effect on those who cultivated the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. The Blood Spirit Grass, a dark green grass with streaks of red on it, was helpful for gathering energy for cultivation and consolidating energy after breakthroughs. They were designed to be taken together.

    Yulian had already taken a bath to cleanse himself and stripped naked. Sitting in a crosslegged posture, Yulian took a few deep breaths before swallowing the Chrysoprase. The light green stone went down his gullet before entering his stomach. Yulian immediately began to slowly revolve the First Stage of the Thunder Blade Dao Yin technique. A strange fluctuation shook Yulian¡¯s body as the Chrysoprase let out electric energy, revolving it throughout his body. Yulian slowly increased the revolution of energy in his body, linking up with the energy being revolved by the Chrysoprase. Finally, both the revolutions of energy were in sync with each other.

    This was a technique mentioned in the 6<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, usable for breaking through to the 7<sup>th</sup> layer. Ten stones had to be consumed in succession for a smooth breakthrough. Since Yulian was breaking through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Stage, there was no need for excessive amount of Chrysoprases.

    Lightning energy revolved inside his dantian. Circulating through his entire body, it flowed through the muscles and entered the bones. The bone marrow was revitalized, and the blood was vitalized. All the energy within the Chrysoprase began revolving through Yulian¡¯s system. After three hours, Yulian¡¯s body glowed metallic brown, like a bronze sculpture. Suddenly, his entire body began vibrating! Once, twice, four times, eight times, sixteen times¡­ It was only at the 256<sup>th</sup> vibration that his body stopped shaking!

    Yulian touched his arm to find out that his entire body felt like it had been reborn anew. He had quickly broken through to the 5th Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade in a day! Looking around the room, he was surprised to find out that it was dusty everywhere, looking as if it hadn''t been cleaned for months. All around the room, metallic brown dust had been randomly scattered everywhere. Yulian finally realised that the solidified impurities that had built up within the body had been purged out before being scattered as dust by the vibrations!

    Yulian immediately ran off to take a bath and cleanse himself. Finally, he took an hour long bath to thoroughly cleanse himself. He felt completely purified.

    Now clean and clothed, Yulian pondered about eating the Blood Spirit Grass before deciding not to. The Blood Spirit Grass¡¯s use was to boost the cultivation base.

    Walking out of the room, he called out, ¡°Stella, come here! I don¡¯t want to eat this Blood Spirit Grass for now, so can you keep it safe for now? Also, clean my room up. Its dusty everywhere!¡± Stella¡¯s reaction on seeing the room would surely be entertaining¡­ Yulian couldn¡¯t help but think this as he waited for the maid¡¯s arrival with a flippant grin on his face.

 Chapter 23: Yet Another Breakthrough

    After breaking through to the 5<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade, Yulian¡¯s room was a mess. As he waited for Stella to clean it up, Yulian sat on a sofa, scrolling through the digital Tablet computer in his hand. He was reading a post on a Warlord fighter thread about the Nine Stage Thunder Blade.

    [Topic Title: Nine Stage Thunder Blade is a shit technique, do not buy! ¨C anonymous]

    [The Nine Stage Thunder Blade created by Thunder Lord and the Destroyer Spear created by Hong are the two publicly distributed Legendary-grade secret techniques!

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade is apparently ¡®superior¡¯ in being well rounded: blade technique, body refinement, footwork and force multiplication are all top grade! Only its body refining technique is any good though. The Nine Stage Thunder Blade is extremely in depth and comparatively cheap as well! However, it is only popular among Warriors and Warlords who only buy the first few stages. There are no Wargods who display much interest in it.

    While Destroyer Spear is famous for one and only one reason: its ultimate technique! The Destroyer Spear is rather vague, expensive yet popular among Wargods and Existences above Wargods!

    Why is this happening? This is due to one simple reason: difficulty in comprehension! The Nine Stage Thunder Blade can be trained to the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage by a genius Warlord. A Wargod could reach the 6<sup>th</sup> stage, but his progress would end there. There were people who had reached the 7<sup>th</sup> or 8<sup>th</sup> stage in either the blade or footwork techniques, but they did not reach further stages in the other techniques.

    On the other hand, the Destroyer Spear is extremely difficult for Warriors and Warlords to grasp but most Wargods can master it. Existences above Wargod can master this technique in short time!...]

    ¡®A storm would brew up if it was found out that a Warrior had reached the 5<sup>th</sup> Stage in the Thunder Blade body refining technique¡­ I should keep this fact as secret as possible.¡¯ Yulian couldn¡¯t help but think this as he read the thread filled with curses at the Thunder Lord for scamming everyone. In reality though, the thread was just exaggerating things.

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s blade and body techniques past the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage required reaching the Perfect level in blade technique and movement technique. And to reach the Perfect level, one had to modify the techniques used to allow truly perfect movement and attacks. This realm surpassed the intermediate realm in many ways: to reach the intermediate realm in blade technique and movement skills, one needed to simply perfect muscle control. This allowed one to have inhuman flexibility.

    However, to reach the Perfect level, one needed to develop a 6<sup>th</sup> sense! Yes, this was the only reasonable explanation that Yulian understood from reading the novel! In the ¡®Swallowed Star¡¯ novel, after reaching the ¡®Perfect¡¯ level, the MC was capable of understanding the total amount of enemies being faced, taking in the surroundings and using them effectively and creating special battle tactics to effectively fight every foe!

    Understanding the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade required such inhuman skill and technique!

    Of course, this did not end here. At this stage, you could only ¡®understand¡¯ the techniques written down in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. ¡®Using them in battle¡¯ was a different matter. To use the techniques in battle, a fighter needed to use the understanding to create a technique usable by him and him alone!

    So, the anonymous users of the forum were probably frustrated after failing to comprehend the techniques written in the manual. And everyone shitposting together to bash on the Thunder Dojo was a way to deal with the frustration!

    To complete his breakthrough to the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade, he needed to first reach the Perfect stage in blade technique and movement technique. After this, he needed to understand the ¡®aspect¡¯ and ¡®intent¡¯ that Thunder Lord had written down into the blade technique. And finally, he needed to fuse both these understandings to create a technique unique to him alone!

    ¡­

    Yulian needed to reach the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade to advance in his cultivation technique as well.

    He could only reach the stage of having understood the 5<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade body refining technique due to the miraculous power of the first stage of the cultivation technique he had inherited, Five Colored Stones. However, he had deviated in that technique. Now, cultivating that technique had become more difficult! There was already the need to accumulate comprehension and energy from the world. There was also the problem of the energy circulation paths being vague in his memories: only the circulation paths for Fire and Metal were clear!

    ¡®I was originally supposed to create a sea of golden lightning in the dantian on reaching the Metal Stone realm in the cultivation technique¡­ however I ended up creating a golden stone at the bottom of my sea of energy. It seems that the only way to reach the next stage in the Five Colored Stones, Wood Stone, is by increasing my understanding of lightning.¡¯ As Yulian was thinking about his cultivation, Stella appeared.

    ¡°Young master, your room has been cleaned up. You can return there.¡± She looked at him, wanting to speak more, but finally turned away.

    Without speaking a word, Yulian got up to return to his room. Stella wanted to ask how he got so much dust into the room, and he didn¡¯t have any way to answer her. Simply staying quiet was the best option.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    He sat on the bed with the VR helmet on his head. Upon starting up the VR game, he was quickly greeted by a message.

    [You have broken through to Lv.2 Student]

    [You have ascended from Area 1: Hilly Forest]

    [Area completion rate - 100%]

    [Unlocked: +2 Trait slots]

    [Area 2: Rainforest]

    [Stat Restrictions on monsters have been released]

    [Stats will scale with increase in user¡¯s power]

    [AI Restrictions on monsters have been released]

    [AI - Collaboration Works v.9890 will be used]

    Yulian ignored the notices for a moment before looking at ¡®Area 2¡¯ with his eyes. He appeared outside a small cottage. This was his spawn point. Some distance away from his cottage was a rainforest. In the middle of the rainforest, thunder boomed and lightning struck down.

    Yulian smiled at the sight. The Nine Stage Thunder Blade relied on comprehension of lightning while the Wooden Crushing Blade relied on comprehension of wood. Coincidentally, both of these elements were present in abundance in this area. This was no coincidence; as a training simulator, this VR world understood the requirements for training his abilities and actively created areas optimal for his training.

    Just then, Yulian realized that he hadn¡¯t read the notices yet. After he read through the notices, Yulian¡¯s smile disappeared. As it turned out, Area 1 was a tutorial and the real game started now. Since the difficulty had risen, clearing it would be harder¡­

    At this moment, Yulian realized that he had actually wanted to clear this Area. From the beginning, this was a training area for him, he didn¡¯t play this game for fun! Surprisingly, he had gotten hooked on¡­

    Well, it was a characteristic of his previous life as a 19 year old so it wasn¡¯t too abnormal. However, Yulian had already decided that this would be a training area for himself. He was no longer a college gaming enthusiast, but a fighter. The only reason he wanted to clear this game was to have a chance of getting top tier techniques and skills.

    Yulian immediately opened the Trait Exchange to select two traits:

    [Lv.5 (Max) - Deathless

    Highly reduces all penalties for death. No cooldown for returning to game after death.]

    [Lv.5 (Max) - Mapmaker

    Creates a map of the area. Highlights enemies and gives area completion rate.]

    He had gained a large amount of star points by killing the Hidden [BOSS]. Utilizing the star points to buy these traits used nearly half of the points. The difficulty had increased by a large margin, after all. He wanted to fight with all his might, but he would probably die many times before he got fully used to the new Area. There was a penalty reduction with Deathless Trait and thus he wouldn¡¯t wind up losing too much money.

    Yulian began his hunt.

    ¡­

    Slash! Slash! Slash!

    Yulian was ineffectively attacking a small weasel that was fiercely clawing his foot with countless slashes. The leather boots that he was wearing had been slashed through in short time. His armor set was lowest grade basic armor. It might have been an effective barricade for an entire horde in Area 1, but it was already slashed apart like paper by the powerful blows of a weasel in Area 2!

    The rabid beast was now chewing through his foot like a chicken leg¡­ Yulian was using his footwork to dance about on the forest ground. Sometimes running straight and back, sometimes running in zigzag paths and even jumping around and rolling. All movement techniques of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade comprehended by him were used to move about in a haphazard manner, to dislodge this crazed beast from his foot. He was able to dance even when the entire left foot was eaten and the beast was gnawing on the calf. Unfortunately, everything was useless.

    Yulian¡¯s blade was 7 foot and it did not excel at slashing down at such a close distance. He couldn¡¯t chop his foot apart, he would simply die after losing balance and the 7 foot blade wasn¡¯t too useful in cutting down in such close combat. So, he could only wildly move and try to shake the weasel off. However, the weasel was too tenacious!

    ¡°Die, die, die, get the fuck away, leave me alone!¡±

    Finally, Yulian entered a strange state due to desperation. His feet stepped on the ground in a strange motion. It was a type of a footwork that was strange and mysterious. However¡­ it was still completely useless. The weasel simply ascended from his foot like climbing a tree and jumped on the precious spot between his waist!

    Seeing this, Yulian¡¯s face turned white with fear. There was no need to describe what would happen if the beast managed to get his claws on his precious part. Immediately, he no longer hesitated and pierced out with his blade!

    Complete control and precision! Originally, the blade was 7 foot long and hard to maneuver in close combat. Even so, the blade pierced through the weasel¡¯s small body, killing in a single blow! Originally, the weasel was extremely weak in defense, the only reason for it being able to bully Yulian was its extreme speed and evasion!

    Yulian retracted his blade and unsheathed it on his back with a single motion. Even though he had broken through from the Intermediate level in his blade and footwork technique, he hadn¡¯t entered the Perfect level yet. His speed, strength and technique with the blade had pierced through a bottleneck and hadn¡¯t stabilized yet! At such a time, the best thing to do was to train himself in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s techniques and forms! Yulian immediately pulled out a silver ticket from his inventory and tore it apart.

    ¡®Instant Log-out Ticket: Tearing it immediately logs out user!¡¯

    In a blink of an eye, he returned back to reality. Pulling off the VR Helmet off his head, he ran out of his room and rushed to the Training Room to meditate. After logging out from the VR system, Yulian would always meditate in the Training Room, isolating his stray thoughts and clearing his mind. He would spend his nights meditating in the Training Room, his window opened and bathed by the clear starlight. When dawn would arrive, he would take in the first ray of pure violet sunlight into his cultivation base, and switch his training.

    This time, during the battle with the weasel, he had been dominated by it from the beginning. The only reason for his victory was his sudden breakthrough. Clearing his mind before training his blade technique would be essential.

    As always, Yulian began his quiet meditation. Yulian¡¯s spirit force began gathering into a whirlpool. Sitting cross legged atop his bed, he started turning the spiritual force in his consciousness into starlight. Suddenly, the speed of the spirit force being condensed suddenly increased, and spirit force began to be gathered from the entirety of his conscious realm! Unexpectedly, Yulian broke through a bottleneck in his 108 Star Diagrams cultivation technique, rapidly accelerating his progress!

    Within his mind, eleven stars were formed into a constellation. Yulian¡¯s spirit force training had been extremely fast, even faster than his genetic energy cultivation! The reason behind this was simple, the Five Colored Stones cultivation technique required too many insights and comprehension into the Five Elements. On the other hand, the 108 Stars Diagram did not require any insights or comprehension, and only consisted of gathering spirit force! Not only that, he had extremely huge potential in spirit force training and he had been through many battles in the VR game, tempering his willpower.

    There was a large amount of spirit force in his consciousness, and Yulian simply had to refine it into starlight. Within his consciousness, a twelfth star began emerging. Bit by bit, spirit force turned into starlight and agglomerated into the star, until finally there was a constellation of twelve stars in Yulian¡¯s consciousness!

    Yulian had successfully cultivated the First Layer of the 108 Stars Diagram, condensing a constellation of 12 stars in his consciousness! The stars began to slowly revolve in the consciousness realm, scattering starlight in the void space. Yulian was mesmerized by this strange sight, carefully observing the stars dance.

    Suddenly, the golden globe within Yulian¡¯s consciousness flashed with a golden light! This golden globe contained Yulian¡¯s potential in cultivating spirit force! As long as the golden globe spun in his mind, he would have amazing talent in cultivating both spirit force and genetic energy! Suddenly, the 12 stars gathered around the golden globe like the solar system around the sun, as if attracted by tremendous gravitational force!

    As the 12 stars spun around the golden globe, starlight was diffused into the void space that was Yulian¡¯s consciousness. The revolution of the 12 stars meant that Yulian had successfully perfected the First Layer of the 108 Stars Diagram. The capabilities of his brain had also expanded. His memory retention, thinking, understanding and comprehension abilities had also risen.

    But more importantly, this meant that he was now as powerful as a Beginner Warlord level spirit reader, able to attack with the force of 8000 kg with a single attack!

 Chapter 24: First Blade Technique, Violetsun Radiance

    After his breakthrough, Yulian reached the perfected 1<sup>st</sup> Layer of the 108 Stars Diagram. After consolidating his spirit force, Yulian decided that it was time to complete his original aim and modify the Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s techniques for his personal use!

    The Nine Stage Thunder Blade¡¯s Dao Yin technique, Nine Stage Hun Yuan was the base of the technique, and did not need to be changed according to the wielder. However, modifying the blade and footwork techniques was important.

    Yulian had trained the blade and footwork techniques of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage while the Dao Yin technique had reached 5<sup>th</sup> Stage. To train the 4<sup>th</sup> stage of the blade and footwork technique, he would have to reconstruct the Nine Stage Thunder Blade from scratch, and adapt it for his personal use.

    He had memorized the entirety of the technique manual and watched every accompanying video demonstration. Since it was like this, going through the manual again would be meaningless. So, the only path was to train by himself and create a new Nine Stage Thunder Blade from its essence that he had comprehended! Yulian took up his favored 7 foot blade and began slashing out!

    Horizontal slash, vertical slash, piercing strike, backslash, sweeping slash, overhead slash¡­ all kinds of blade techniques were utilized. These techniques were the entire repertoire of blade forms in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. Yulian¡¯s blade flashed with golden bladelight, something formed when his blade technique surpassed the Intermediate realm.

    With his spirit force, he analyzed every single motion of the blade countless times, weeding out all imperfections and minute problems. At the same time, he cross-referenced it with the Nine Stage Thunder Blade manual he had memorized. All techniques were analyzed from the base to perfection. Finally, he completed his analysis of the blade technique.

    ¡°So the base of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique is ¡®vibration¡¯. Even the basic blade techniques which are the simplest include ¡®vibration¡¯ within them. To reconstruct the blade technique to my taste, I have to use ¡®vibration¡¯ as the base¡­¡± Saying this, Yulian slashed out a single blade strike.

    The blade vibrated, as if trembling with fear as it slashed out. Like this, Yulian began slashing out countless blade forms, all imbued with a type of vibration. The essence of ¡®vibration¡¯ was the foundation of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, and Yulian imbued every blade form with vibrating attacks. One vibration, two vibrations, four vibrations, eight vibrations¡­ the number of vibrations with each blade slash began to double, finally stopping at 32 vibrations.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t enough. To create my first blade technique, I need an ¡®element¡¯ to accompany the vibrations as the base. An element that can be used to create lightning and can complement the ¡®vibration¡¯ of the blade¡­¡±

    After some pondering, Yulian decided on fire as the foundation for his technique! He had the highest comprehension of fire, with metal and lightning coming second. Since fire and metal combined to give birth to lightning in his dantian, he had gained an innate understanding of lightning as well. Using this innate understanding of lightning to create the technique would make his Nine Stage Thunder Blade a completely unique technique!

    Yulian imbued his blade with fire, drawing from the pure fire energy of the Fire Stone in the depths of his dantian. The fire energy was circulated in various ways, sometimes thin and sharp, sometimes thick and bursting, sometimes a flash of light, brilliant yet short-lived¡­ Yulian had built up a good comprehension of fire in cultivation. All that comprehension was drawn into the various blade strikes slashed out.

    Yulian soon entered a tempo as he slashed out the blade strikes. While creating a blade technique, the most important thing is building up the momentum of the blows. The first strike should link to and build up on the force of the second strike which should build up to the third strike¡­ He also began to simultaneously use his footwork to move while using the Dao Yin technique to circulate energy.

    The Dao Yin technique controlled the breath. The blade technique controlled the hands. The footwork technique controlled the feet. Like this, the Nine Stage Thunder Blade controlled the entire body to burst out its full potential! While retrofitting the Nine Stage Thunder Blade, Yulian had to be careful to maintain this!

    Time passed by like water as Yulian went all out to refine his own version of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. The Dao Yin technique was the foundation for the blade technique which further served as the foundation for the footwork technique. The movement of the breath, hands and feet had to be synchronized perfectly. To reach this perfect state, Yulian drove himself into practice!

    12:00 AM

    Hours passed by, until it was night. The maid of this Fighter Mansion, Stella had noticed Yulian¡¯s lengthy practice. ¡°He usually practices for three hours a day¡­ yet he has been practicing for more than 12 hours now. Did he get an insight of some sort?¡± She didn¡¯t worry about him starving due to his cultivation; the special state he was in would allow him to commune with the world, allowing him to draw energy with ease.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    However, Yulian had not entered any special state¡­ he was simply analyzing the Nine Stage Thunder Blade to retrofit it for his own use. The only reason he was able to train for this long was due to his large pool of energy and durable meridians. He even referred to the energy circulation paths of the Fire and Metal Stones that refined every single cell of the body to create his blade technique. However¡­ all his efforts were unfruitful. After hours of bitter training, he had gained insight into some paths¡­ however, all these paths were lacking in some or the other way.

    ¡°This feels like one of those times when I would get stuck on some assignment in college¡­ I used to get drunk on some cheap beer and smoke some Marlboros to get buzzed up¡­¡± An unexpected memory entered Yulian¡¯s mind, causing him to suddenly burst up with laughter. His friends always thought of it as a copout, but Yulian liked the buzz that came with cheap cigarettes and beers¡­ he could more or less control himself after getting into such a state, and he wouldn¡¯t end up doing something crazy that he would end up regretting later.

    ¡°Stella, are you hearing me? Get me six 6-packs of cheap beers and some packets of Marlboro cigarettes! I need it to breakthrough!¡± Without thinking further about it, Yulian decided to ask Stella to fetch the cheap addictives for him.

    ¡®Boom!¡¯ The sound of a powerful Warlord level fighter using her well trained agility technique to maximize her speed was heard. And the reason she was running was to buy some cheap beer and cigarettes for a 7 year old. If this story was told to any fighter, they would be left in disbelief!

    Meanwhile, Yulian was stunned as well. He didn¡¯t even specify the brand of his cigarettes or beer! That said if Stella had actually asked, he would be unable to reply. This was because all the brands Yulian knew were dated to 2013!

    ¡®I need it to breakthrough!¡¯¡­ These words caused Stella to run off without even waiting for Yulian to speak. All fighters have the chance of entering a wondrous state of enlightenment. The reasons for the enlightenment could be mystical, like applying a powerful body tempering medicine like Dragon¡¯s Blood. Of course, a completely random event like getting dead drunk might also lead to spontaneous enlightenment!

    That said, it was known that Spirit Readers had a greater chance of enlightenment. And Yulian had been training like a madman since the morning, something that occurred once a blue moon! If Stella did not get him the cheap cigarettes and beer, Yulian might fail to complete the enlightenment he gained. If he complained about it to Catalan like a brat, she might wind up losing her head!

    Only two minutes had passed before six cardboard boxes filled with beer and some cigarette boxes appeared before him, dumped by Stella who was still wearing the maid outfit. Before she disappeared, she left a lighter and a beer cap opener.

    Yulian quickly opened up a beer bottle and gulped down a beer. It tasted like water, and was barely alcoholic. It was cold, though. The beers he drunk by mooching off his friends in university were rarely cold, he would have to spend his own cash to get them cool.

    After that, he tore open a cigarette box and took out a cigarette. Twirling it between his fingers, he caused it to spontaneously light up. ¡°Using the Nine Stage Thunder Blade to light up a cigarette, isn¡¯t this using an ox-chopping blade to kill a chicken?¡± After bastardizing a Chinese idiom, he laughed crazily and began smoking.

    The cold beer complemented the heat of the cigarette entering his lips. Misty white smoke gently danced, blown out of Yulian¡¯s lips. The combination caused Yulian to buzz up a little. He took another bottle of beer, blew off the cap with a flick of a finger and drank the whole bottle in a single gulp. After that, he took out another cigarette, lit it with a touch before smoking it as well!

    Drink and smoke, drink and smoke, drink and smoke! Yulian would always take cheap beer and cigarettes due to his large, unpaid student loans rendering him a poor guy. He would have to take a job immediately after graduation and slog through if he wanted to live free without debt collectors hounding him¡­ however, Yulian had died! His student debts? The ***king debt collectors could interrogate his ghost!

    Like this, countless thoughts about his past life as a student came and went, resolved by the ice of the beer and fire of the cigarette. The countless worries of his previous life disappeared, and he was left with only excitement for his new life.

    Yulian finally drank through his last beer. Even though these beers were cheap and tasted like water, they still had a hint of alcohol in it and Yulian had drunk 6 packs containing 6 beers each! Yulian was quite drunk now. He still had some cigarette packs left, so he took out a cigarette, lit it and quietly observed the smoke drift into the air.

    ¡°Cold beer¡­ and hot cigarettes¡­ perfect. This cigarette¡¯s heat¡­ cannot be appreciated¡­ without cold¡­¡± As he drunkenly blabbered on, Yulian smoked one cigarette after another. The smoke drifted about, going out of the window leaving the closed room to the starry sky outside.

    Yulian looked out of the window, at the starry sky hazed by the smoke. Seeing this, in his drunken state Yulian had a strange enlightenment.

    Outside the window, the stars outside were fiery masses of heat. Yet their heat could not be felt. A star was hot, yet cold as well.

    Picking up his 7 foot blade, Yulian began swinging it. The blade was covered by flames, radiating heat. As if dissatisfied, Yulian tried his best to control the heat of the fire, to make it colder. But how could a fire ever be cold?

    Swing, swing, swing.

    The blade did not shine and was not heated. Even though genetic energy was poured into the blade blow, it did not augment the power of the blade blow.

    But this ¡®ordinary¡¯ blade strike was more profound than any of Yulian¡¯s earlier blade strikes. The invisible heat radiating off the blade created a mirage, confusing the opponent with myriad blade shadows. However, seeing this Yulian was rather dissatisfied. There was no power behind this blade blow.

    Yulian began to practice his new blade technique. Hours passed on, yet there was no great change in the technique. However, Yulian¡¯s was still rather drunk and wasn¡¯t willing to give up yet. Soon, the time came for the stars to fade and the moon to give way for the sun.

    A single ray of violet sunlight flashed, and Yulian was struck by sudden inspiration. His sword slashed out like the sunray, a streak of violet light. One, two, three consecutive strikes were slashed out, all building up on the power of the preceding blows. The fourth strike returned the color of the blade edge to dull white.

    ¡°The first violet ray of sunlight is weak, yet it brings warmth and illuminates the world. The successive rays build up on the heat produced, but their charm cannot be compared to the first ray! This blade technique is the 1<sup>st</sup> stage of my own Nine Stage Thunder Blade! This move¡­ shall be called Violetsun Radiance!¡±

    The Violetsun Radiance was created from sudden enlightenment, fusing hot and cold. Like the first ray of sunlight, it served as a weak but fast technique for building up momentum in battle for later, more aggressive techniques. It was also mirage-based and illusionary, capable of confusing the enemy. It could be used for three successive strikes, building momentum and boosting the power behind every blow!

 Chapter 25: Receiving Instruction from the Dragon Sovereign

    The sun had dawned but Yulian was fast asleep. The previous day, he had crazily trained to finally create his original blade technique, ¡®Violetsun Radiance¡¯. After this, he fell fast asleep, giving in to his exhaustion. Surrounded by beer cans and bottles and cigarette butts, a 7 year old child was peacefully sleeping.

    Unexpectedly, Yulian was experiencing a lucid dream. He found himself in a familiar world. He was seated in a lotus posture on a prayer mat in a respectful posture. In front of him was the giant golden dragon who had passed on to him the miraculous cultivation technique of the Draconic Flame Rebirth!

    This was the Dragon Sovereign of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Generation! Yulian only knew him by his title, and knew nothing else about him. However, when he passed on his cultivation technique to him, Yulian kowtowed to him as a disciple. Yulian couldn¡¯t help but feel intense respect for his mysterious master.

    ¡°You are receiving this transmission due to having comprehended the Essence of Fire with your soul and consolidated the foundation of the Five Colored Stones. To reach this level, you must either be a youngster with frightful comprehension, or a senior cultivator who has treaded upon the path of cultivation for a long time and even so, severed all progress to cultivate in my Blazing Nirvana Rebirth technique.¡±

    Hearing this, Yulian felt surprised.

    ¡°There are two great paths of cultivation and two types of cultivators in this world: Martial Cultivators which cultivates the physical body and yuan qi and Symbol Masters who cultivate the soul and mental energy. The Blazing Nirvana Rebirth is to take rebirth as a dragon, embarking on these twin paths is only natural!

    However, it is extremely difficult to refine the soul and body together in the initial stages of cultivation. The only way is to master profound elemental martial arts, and engrave the elemental comprehension derived from them to build up the soul. This is a quite unorthodox method, however it creates a good foundation for cultivating the soul!

    You are qualified to gain the transmission for the complete Five Colored Stone technique. My other disciples would only get the instructions for cultivating the Five Colored Stone technique further after cultivating the previous step to perfection.¡± The dragon¡¯s words were filled with the solitary pride of a cultivator who had lived life in seclusion for countless years. This kind of person would never easily accept disciples, however he had ended up becoming his disciple due to fortuitous chance!

    Yulian felt strangely guilty. He had already deviated from the path laid down by him, bringing disrespect to the powerful figure by being disobedient to his guidance. However, he couldn¡¯t move a finger in this dream. All he could do was listen to his guidance.

    ¡°All cultivators aim to create a solid, stable cultivation base. This is because a chaotic, unstable cultivation base creates many hidden injuries while revolving it throughout the body, injures the meridians and dantian and generally makes it impossible to cultivate past a certain boundary. The pure, solidified form of yuan qi is the best material for laying down a solid foundation in cultivation. It allows you to cultivate without bottlenecks, increases the regeneration of essence, qi and spirit and increases the amount of energy you can refine into a foundation!¡±

    ¡°You have created a thunder sea within your dantian. Now, the next step forward is to transfer the thunder energy into the depths of your dantian, divide thunder into fire and metal and condense them into solid stones in the Five Phase Foundation!¡± On hearing these words, a strange feeling welled within Yulian. He had condensed a Fire and Metal Stone in his dantian. Is it possible for me to correct my deviation?

    The Dragon Sovereign continued. ¡°Let me pass to you the complete cultivation methods.¡± He simply flicked his claw at Yulian. A large amount of information was directly sent to Yulian¡¯s brain! ¡°Comprehend it thoroughly.¡±

    Yulian drove himself into comprehending the memories. A few minutes later, he confirmed that he had indeed condensed the Fire and Metal stones correctly. It was possible for him to cultivate as if he had never deviated in the cultivation technique!

    ¡°When you have condensed the Fire and Metal stones, the sea of qi in your dantian will be in a golden color. It might seem that it is a small amount of qi¡­ but you can fuse the energies of the Fire and Metal stones within the dantian into it, allowing you to burst out more energy in a pinch.¡±

    ¡°After refining the Fire and Metal Stones, you need to condense the Wood, Earth and Water Stones as well. This is the complete cultivation method with which you can reach the Perfection of the Five Colored Stones Realm. After you reach this stage, I shall return to provide guidance to you.¡±

    ¡°It would be helpful to you if you cultivate a body strengthening technique for now. Until you perfectly condense the Five Colored Stones in your dantian, you cannot condense dragon qi and refine your body. A body strengthening technique which has any of natural elements as the foundation will do. A fire elemental technique will be the best, of course. Now, before we part, let me pass to you an attacking technique. Ordinary techniques cannot burst out the full power of your unique cultivation base¡­¡± Once again, the Dragon Sovereign flicked his claws at Yulian.

    The technique passed this time was a technique called Five Way Heaven Seal! This technique could attack with pure elemental energy. There were Five Heavens in this technique. The Dragon Sovereign had transmitted only the First Heaven of the technique to him... However, this First Heaven contained 20 seals! Among them, Yulian could use only 6 of them. However, as Yulian¡¯s cultivation base and comprehension rose, he would gain the ability to use all the seals.

    ¡°My disciple, we shall part now. Diligently cultivate.¡± After saying these words, the Dragon Sovereign disappeared like a dream. And the dream Yulian was absorbed in, came to an end.

    ¡­

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The next day when Yulian woke up, he found out that the cigarette stubs and beer bottles were cleaned up and the foul smell of nicotine and booze had disappeared. Yulian couldn¡¯t help but cringe at the memory of the night before. His alcohol tolerance had risen up so the only way to get drunk was to drink harder¡­

    However, it was extremely helpful. Yulian felt as if a major weight had been lifted from his back. His mind felt clearer and his body felt stronger. During the drunken night, he settled all grievances of the past that plagued his heart.

    Not only that, the biggest problem he was dealing with had been completely solved! He had deviated from the Five Colored Stones technique, but fixing it was quite simple!

    ¡®Of course, a technique created by that Dragon Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be easy to deviate from in the first place¡­ If I had used my original plan of creating a Lightning Sea in my dantian, it would have allowed me to fix my deviation, though at the cost of grievous internal injuries and risk of crippling¡­ It is good that I don¡¯t have to do that.¡¯

    Yulian¡¯s deviation from the cultivation technique meant that he would find it impossible to progress above the Perfect Metal Stone stage in his cultivation. To break through to the Wood Stone Stage, he would have to create a new qi circulation pattern to create a Lightning Sea.

    After creating the Lightning Sea in the dantian, the golden energy sea and the Fire and Metal stones he had condensed would be damaged by the backlash. After all, Yulian¡¯s knowledge about the meridians, dantian, qi circulation patterns and other cultivation knowledge was nearly nonexistent.

    In the VR System, Yulian¡¯s real body would be perfectly copied. There, he could use the trial and error method to work out a qi circulation pattern that would create a Lightning Sea in his dantian and allow him to progress further. This method would put him through a lot of pain and decimate his mental health, but as long as he carried on, he would certainly be able to create a new qi circulation technique and fix his deviation.

    Fortunately, he had acquired the entire Five Colored Stones cultivation technique manual and quickly understood an easy way of fixing his deviation. There was no need for expending pain and effort to fix his deviation!

    Yulian was in an exceptionally good mood. He checked the time on the clock. It was 10:42 AM.

    Yulian was surprised by the displayed time. He usually woke up at 6 AM and slept at 12 AM. In the 18 hours of the day, he maximized the time he could spend on training. This was the first time in a long while that he broke his schedule.

    Before meditating on the Dragon Paragon¡¯s advice, Yulian decided to eat something. He was quite famished after last night.

    After stretching for a while, he got up and went in the direction of the kitchen. He adjusted his expression to a mildly frustrated look. He needed this look for the little scheme he was planning¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Stella, cook some breakfast for me!¡± Pulling out a single seat on the wide dinner table, Yulian shouted in a childish voice.

    ¡°As you command, young master.¡± The voice that answered was quite respectful. It seemed that the figure in the maid outfit had appeared out of nowhere. Striding into the kitchen, she immediately began preparing the ingredients.

    ¡°Stella, you must be training in a stealth type martial art, right?¡± Yulian decided to begin a conversation.

    ¡°Misty Wind, A-Rank manual.¡± Yulian was surprised at Stella¡¯s reveal of her martial arts manual. Usually, martial artists were fond of keeping their trump cards hidden.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a spear manual, right? It is famous for the footwork technique, though. The Dao Yin technique¡­ it tempers the body by subjecting it to bitter cold. From what I hear, it is quite popular among women. What stage have you reached in cultivating it?¡± Yulian did search for information about popular martial art techniques.

    ¡°I¡¯ve reached the peak of the 4<sup>th</sup> stage¡­ Breaking through to the 5<sup>th</sup> stage is quite difficult. And you¡­ what stage have you reached in cultivating the Nine Stage Thunder Blade?¡± Stella¡¯s voice was filled with curiosity. She had expended a lot of effort to get him the cheap cigarettes and beer yesterday. Did he actually gain an insight and break through?

    ¡°Oh, you are actually at the peak of the 4<sup>th</sup> stage, huh¡­ The Misty Wind technique has 6 stages in total. The 5<sup>th</sup> Stage is quite hard on the body and requires the physique of a Wargod to train in¡­ The true bottleneck for you is entering the Wargod level. You are pretty damn talented, huh?¡± Yulian made an expression as if he was jealous of her.

    ¡°Not quite as talented as you, young master. Did you gain any insights in your cultivation yesterday?¡± Despite keeping her trademark cold expression, Stella felt quite delighted. This 7 year old boy, with a body which had infinite potential and even the power of a spirit reader, was actually jealous of her!

    ¡°I understood that I am quite untalented in the Nine Stage Thunder Blade. I gained an insight¡­ that if I obtained 30 pieces of crysoprase, I can cultivate to the 4<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade in a single year! However, it is impossible¡­ a single piece of crysoprase is worth 30 million dollars! 900 million¡­ Getting this much is impossible for me!¡± Yulian spoke with an exhausted expression.

    ¡°You¡­ did you break through to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade before this?¡± Yulian could see that Stella was trying hard to conceal the surprise she felt from his words.

    ¡°I will require 6 pieces of crysoprase to break through to the 3<sup>rd</sup> stage¡­¡± In a morose tone, Yulian continued speaking.

    This time Stella¡¯s expression shifted. Hurriedly changing to a sympathetic expression, she began speaking. ¡°Did you forget Master Catalan¡¯s bet with you? You can get 100 billion dollars if you manage to make him bleed¡­¡±

    ¡°How dumb do you think I am? Our match is in six days. He is a Wargod while I am a Warrior. Even if I display my Second Stage Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique at full power, it is impossible for me to even scratch him. His battle experience and training isn¡¯t a joke¡­¡± Yulian made a show of being in an exceptionally morose mood.

    ¡°¡­Young master, the previous time, you only used a single piece of crysoprase. You have the two pieces of crysoprase for breaking through to the 2<sup>nd</sup> stage of the Nine Stage Thunder Blade left. The four pieces of crysoprase¡­ you would usually receive them as rewards for breaking through to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade, but I am allowed to give them to you for your breakthrough. Also, you still possess the Blood Spirit Grass and Ginseng for your cultivation breakthroughs¡­ you have plenty of resources for your use.¡± Stella said this in an encouraging voice. Even though he was a highly talented fighter-cum-spirit reader, he was also a 7 year old who was prone to panicking.

    ¡°So what you are saying is that I can get the six pieces of crysoprase for my breakthrough!¡± Yulian suddenly shouted in an excited tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I am saying. You do not have to be too worried¡­ if you manage to break through to the 3<sup>rd</sup> stage of the Thunder Blade technique, you strength will be boosted by a force multiplier of 2.8. Your power will be near that of a Beginner Warlord. Injuring a Wargod won¡¯t be impossible then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Catalan is an adept spearfighter. A spear is a weapon suited for defense and it is unlikely for me to break through his guard, even when he is holding back. Can you spar with me later? I need to create countermeasures against his spear.¡± As Yulian said this, he looked questioningly at Stella.

    ¡°I will be happy to help you in your training¡­ But for now, please enjoy your breakfast.¡± Stella smiled as she served the exquisitely cooked Horde Leader meat to Yulian. Her opinion of Yulian had changed with their conversation today.

    Even though Yulian was a talented fighter, he was also a 7 year old. She disliked that he spent the majority of time playing VR games instead of training, but a 7 year old child would prefer playing games rather than training, wouldn¡¯t he? His knowledge about some subjects was large, but he knew pitifully little about other subjects.

    Yulian actually thought that his talent in cultivating the Nine Stage Thunder Blade was low! He had reached the First Stage when he arrived at the manor, the Second Stage after a week and he even said that he could break into the Third Stage after swallowing 6 pieces of crysoprase!

    The reasons behind his miraculous growth were quite easy to understand: the Nine Stage Thunder Blade tempered the muscles and bones. The undeveloped body of a 7 year old is the best ¡®raw material¡¯ for such tempering!

    As for breaking into the Fourth Stage, it required good insight and comprehension. He would have to modify the blade and footwork technique to suit himself. As for whether he could do it in a year¡­ Stella didn¡¯t believe it to be impossible.

    For the first time, she thought that the little Yulian was quite an adorable child.

    Meanwhile, Yulian quietly ate his meat-filled breakfast. He masterfully acted like an ordinary 7 year old and got Stella to hand him 6 crysoprases for cultivating the Nine Stage Thunder Blade! He required this much to break through to the 6<sup>th</sup> Stage of the Thunder Blade¡¯s Dao Yin technique.

    As for mastering the body refining aspect of the Thunder Blade technique, he would require 30 crysoprases. The reason for the low amount was due to his body still being at the Warrior stage of cultivation. Naturally, low amount of resources would be used for tempering his comparatively weak body!

 Chapter 26: The Masterâ€™s Teachings

    Yulian had returned to his room, carrying a box containing six electric-yellow crystals. These were the crysoprase stones necessary for cultivating his Nine Stage Thunder Blade to the 6<sup>th</sup> Stage. Yulian temporarily put the box aside. For now, the most important matter was meditating on his master¡¯s guidance!

    Closing his eyes, Yulian went through his masters words and immersed himself. After going through the memory in his mind, he could help but be awed by his master¡¯s presence. He forgot about his awe inspiring presence in the dream, but when he looked back in his memories, he could not help the awe in his heart. It was like a personal domain; as if he had torn out a part of space-time from the world and bound it to himself! Dominating and repressing the world, the only person allowed within his demesne was Yulian!

    ¡°There are two great paths of cultivation and two types of cultivators in this world: Martial Cultivators which cultivates the physical body and yuan qi and Symbol Masters who cultivate the soul and mental energy. The Blazing Nirvana Rebirth is to take rebirth as a dragon, embarking on these twin paths is only natural!¡± After his meditation, only this sentence struck out for Yulian.

    ¡°He called Fighters as Martial Cultivators and Spirit Readers as Symbol Masters¡­ he referred to genetic energy as ¡®yuan qi¡¯ and spiritual force as ¡®mental energy¡¯¡­ Why?¡± Countless thoughts entered Yulian¡¯s mind. What was his master¡¯s origin?

    ¡°That said, it isn¡¯t unnatural for the names of these important cultivation terms to be changed. In 2016 when the world was recovering from the apocalypse, genetic energy was called ¡®mana¡¯, spirit force was called ¡®psychic force¡¯, Fighters were called ¡®Knights¡¯ and Spirit Readers were called ¡®Espers¡¯.¡± As eras rise and fall, knowledge of cultivation is also lost and regained. Thus, terms about cultivation might change but the knowledge remains the same.

    ¡°Maybe my master is from an earlier era¡­ Anyway, I will stop thinking about this for now.¡± Yulian knew that these questions were impossible to answer; he could only find out about his master by growing stronger and accepting his legacy.

    Just then, Yulian casually flicked a finger and a streak of fire shot out. It burned through the air in an instant before disappearing.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even comprehended this Earthfire Seal, yet it is this amazing¡­¡± Yulian couldn¡¯t help but marvel about the technique given to him by his master, the Five Way Heaven Seal. This was real magic!

    ¡°And this isn¡¯t even the maximum power of the technique. To use this technique to its full potential, Nine Yuan Prayer Beads are needed¡­¡± This Nine Yuan Prayer Bead wasn¡¯t a powerful artifact from a long gone age. Its blueprints were given to him by his thoughtful master and it could be created in the current era.

    The only problem was¡­ that it was too costly! Creating this item would require too many beast materials.

    ¡°I can¡¯t expose the blueprint to the world. Exposing it would be the same as telling that he had gained the Dragon Sovereign¡¯s legacy¡­¡± After becoming a Fighter, he would scour the world for monsters, slaughter them and refine these Nine Yuan Prayer Beads from their corpses!

    ¡°That said, I can use these prayer beads to practice this technique for now. I need a weapon for my Spirit Force in the first place.¡± Yulian played with the chain of beads he had picked up from the Training Room. He had simply picked up the set that looked the most durable from the Training Room. It had 108 beads strung on it, and the beads had the proper heaviness. Genetic energy would cause the length of the rope to change, and could increase the attack power of the beads.

    Yulian¡¯s spirit reader technique, 108 Star Diagrams was best at controlling beads. Its attack techniques required beads as well. Yulian was planning on converting to throwing knives due to their attack power, but it seemed that it was best to stick with prayer beads for his secondary weapon.

    https://goo.gl/images/anBDIO</a>

    Before the apocalypse, prayer beads were quite popular among Buddhists. After the apocalypse, the many powerful martial artists of the Shaolin Temple came together to innovate new techniques using their foundation of kungfu. Quite a few attack techniques using prayer beads had been created as well.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The Five Way Heaven Seals included a basic prayer bead control technique. It was quite basic, and was primarily created as an introduction to hand seals and swinging the prayer beads to attack.

    ¡°As for fixing my deviation and breaking through¡­ I¡¯ll master the Nine Stage Thunder Blade before that. My deviation resulted with me getting an increased talent in lightning techniques instead of fire techniques, might as well milk it.¡± After analyzing the complete Five Colored Stones technique, Yulian completely understood the changes created by his deviation.

    ¡°The biggest problem for now is the battle against Catalan. He is an Advanced Wargod and I can¡¯t think of a single way to hurt him. I can use the footwork technique to dodge and blade techniques to attack, but spears are hard to circumvent and are best at defense.¡± Even if Yulian¡¯s strength rose, he still wouldn¡¯t be capable of beating Catalan. Pure strength could not surpass the skill honed by several years of battle.

    ¡°The only way for me to win is¡­¡± Slowly, Yulian began thinking out a plan that would bring him victory.

    ¡­

    Yulian once again appeared in the VR world. The blue screen displaying [Area 2: Rainforest] slowly faded away. This time, instead of going out to hunt, Yulian called out. ¡°Equipment Exchange!¡±

    A list of weapons and equipment came out in front of him. There was quite a large amount of equipment, and Yulian carefully looked at the bonus statistics before choosing his pick. Finally, after some deliberation, he chose a set¡­

    <<Heavensplitter Set: [Mountainbreaker Cleaver] [Lightningfall Blade] [Ascension Chain]>>

    A treasure chest flashed in front of Yulian.

    It was an equipment set that contained a heavy saber, a light blade and a chain of prayer beads. The three weapons were at a discount in a set, so purchasing them together was beneficial for him. They also provided a set bonus, but it wasn¡¯t too useful. It required the ability to wield all three items at the same time.

    While wielding the prayer beads with the light blade or the heavy saber required a comparatively low level of skill, dual wielding the blade and saber in tandem required more skill. Wielding the three at the same time¡­ it required high level of dexterity with the fingers, spirit force and powerful willpower. It might be possible for Yulian in the future, but reaching this stage was impossible in 6 days. Even if the time was multiplied by 10x in the VR console, it would still be impossible¡­

    That said, Yulian still intended to reach this stage someday. For now, it was time for the first step on the long road to be taken¡­ Mastering the wielding of the prayer beads.

    ¡­

    Swing!

    Yulian was swinging a set of prayer beads in the empty air. Of the 108 prayer beads, 96 were clung around his fingers like a gauntlet while 12 struck the empty air. With a flick of his fingers, the 12 beads returned around his fingers. With another flick, they shot out to strike.

    After two hours of training, Yulian had reached a basic level in the ¡®Basic Seals¡¯ technique of the ¡®Five Way Heaven Seals¡¯ technique.

    For a normal warrior, reaching this stage would require several months or even years¡­ yet he had reached this level in no time at all. This was due to one reason¡­ muscle control! The Nine Stage Thunder Blade made learning the foundations of various martial arts quite easy.

    But the ¡®Basic Seals¡¯ was not a simple manual. To reach perfection with it, the ability to control every single one of the 108 beads was needed. This level of control was too far off.

    But fortunately, there was no need for comprehension. As long as he kept on training, muscle memory would build up and he would eventually master this technique.

    Once again, the 12 beads shot out, whipped out by a flick of the finger.

    ¡­

    Eight more hours had passed by. In total, ten hours had passed in this virtual world. That meant that one hour had passed by in reality.

    The prayer beads on Yulian¡¯s fingers shot out like black bullets. One, two, three, four¡­ In a single minute, all consecutively 108 beads shot out to strike like a barrage from a machine gun.

    With another flick of a finger, the beads wrapped around Yulian¡¯s hand like a glove. Yet another flick of a finger, and the beads shot out once more.

    This time, 27 beads shot out. Genetic energy caused the rope to lengthen and the 27 beads surrounded a decently sized rock, wrapping around it. With another flick, the rope was twisted and the force of the 27 beads increased. The rock was crushed to pieces in one blow!

    The beads returned, wrapped around his finger once more. Yet again, 54 beads shot out to shatter a larger rock. Then, 81 beads shot out to destroy yet another boulder!

    Finally, Yulian¡¯s eyes fell on a decently sized 2 foot long boulder. He once again controlled the prayer beads to wrap around the boulder¡­ but this time, 108 beads wrapped around the boulder! The genetic energy circulated through the rope and into the beads, increasing and converging the total power of the beads¡­ Until finally, the boulder shattered into dust!

    This was the final technique of the ¡®Basic Seals¡¯ technique and symbolized his mastery of controlling the prayer beads. With this technique, Yulian was now ready to take on this [Area 2: Rainforest] by storm!

    ¡­

    Yulian was once again facing against a weasel. Left hand holding his chain of prayer beads, Yulian¡¯s 7 year old figure seemed like a monk in training. Meanwhile the weasel, called as a Browndust Weasel, gave a intimidating growl to scare away Yulian, a meaningless action. The fingers on Yulian¡¯s right hand flickered and contorted, causing the prayer beads to heat up with fiery flames.

    ¡°Five Way Heaven- First Heaven Seal, Earthfire!¡± The prayer beads struck the ground, causing it to tremble. Suddenly, the ground under the brownish furred Browndust Weasel opened up, spewing out flames! Instantly swallowed by the earth and burnt to dust, the weasel did not even gain a single chance to attack!

    Yulian had burnt around 8 such weasels to death with this technique. As expected, none of them had a chance to fight back. This technique was too overpowering!

    ¡°I have some vague understanding, but there is nothing concrete enough to base a blade technique on. Looks like I¡¯ll have to battle some more.¡± Saying this, he wrapped up the prayers beads around his palm. His solemn figure explored further into the forest, searching for more prey to slaughter.

    While creating the First Three Stages of his Nine Stage Thunder Blade, Yulian decided to have ¡®Fire¡¯ as his foundation. If he gained insight into the profundities of Fire while training this technique, he would certainly be able to create a stronger blade technique, a blade technique capable of making even a Wargod bleed!

 Chapter 27: Five days of continuous slaughter

    Yulian was once again facing a horde of beasts in a dense jungle.

    A pack of Fierce Bladewolves surrounded him from the front. The horde had nearly fifty beasts glaring at him. Yulian coolly stared back. This was a battle of wills.

    Of course, this strange spectacle had occurred many times in the past 5 days when he had explored this [Stage]. In reality, he had only spent 12 hours, though. Even so, for the sake of mentally tempering himself, he did not meditate or sleep in these 5 days, only engaging in continuous slaughter.

    ¡°Display Map.¡± Without shifting his attention, Yulian called upon the [Trait] he had bought earlier.

    A 3D map of the virtual stage appeared in front on Yulian. The majority of the map was shaded, representing that he had traversed through it.

    [Map Completion: 96%]

    [After reaching 100%, BOSS battle will be triggered]

    After seeing this, Yulian smiled. Clearly, this was the final horde. After this, he could finally leave this place and sleep.

    At this moment, the pack of Bladewolves finally lost patience and attacked. Their bodies were clad with steel-gray metal fur, the hair as sharp like needles. Yulian had faced so many beasts like this and their attack patterns were firmly embedded in his mind.

    He could slash at it with his newly created blade technique, but it would be meaninglessly wasting time.

    With a flick of a finger, the chain of the prayer beads on his fingers lengthened. The gaps between his fingers were wrapped by the chain bearing the beads. Suddenly, Yulian¡¯s fingers began flickering as they formed seals.

    Utilizing two fingers and the 108 beads, this was the most complicated and the most powerful sealing technique Yulian had ever utilized. Seeing Yulian¡¯s fingers move, fear formed in the hearts of the Bladewolves as their speed increased.

    Suddenly, when a wolf nearly slashed at Yulian, he turned into a shadowy mirage and disappeared. This was the footwork technique that Yulian had perfected with the help of the profound principles of Fire hidden in the Five Way Heaven Seals.

    The wolves desperately tore through the woody forest to hunt down Yulian, but failed to even find his shadow. Meanwhile, on the top of a tree, Yulian spied on the wolf horde. His fingers were still dancing, forming a profound intent. Unknowingly, the temperature of the surroundings was gradually rising¡­

    Meanwhile, the wolves had stopped running around after failing to find Yulian. As the temperature rose, the AI maneuvering the wolves could not initiate a suitable action. At this point of time¡­

    The boy spying from the top of the tree completed his spell. His ten fingers had created a complicated web from the prayer beads. This web reminded one of a diagram of an atom, or perhaps a solar system and in the center, a pure white flame was formed into a small ball.

    ¡°Five Way Heaven Fire Seal, Final Seal ¨C Starfire Bursting.¡± Yulian softly whispered the name of the technique as his finished the final seal. This was the 20<sup>th</sup> seal of the Five Way Heaven Seals, and symbolized his complete mastery of the technique. The small white fire fell on the horde of the beasts like a meteor. The beasts curiously looked at the falling meteor, mistaking it for a falling rock.

    When the ball of white fire struck the earth, the world temporarily turned white. For a heartstopping moment, the world was silent before the ear splitting explosion occurred. Yulian made the mistake of looking at the aftermath of the explosion from the top of the tree and was blinded by the radiance. Just then, the shockwave from the explosion chopped the tree at the trunk, causing Yulian to fall on the ground.

    Yulian expertly controlled his descent with his eyes closed. His four remaining senses were raised to their limits as they processed information at lightning fast speed, allowing him to land safely on the ground. When he opened his eyes, they witnessed an astonishing sight.

    100m of the surrounding area had been destroyed by the explosion. The earth was flattened and rocks had turned to dust. Of course, the target of the attack, the wolves had been turned to dust as well.

    [You have slaughtered 48 Bladewolves in a single attack]

    [Star Points Awarded: 12,00,000]

    Yulian was mildly surprised when he saw the large amount of star points he gained for slaughtering the horde of Bladewolves. This was the first time he actually used the [Starfire Bursting] Seal, and he was completely shocked by the power of the technique.

    However, this technique was not all that suited to him. Yulian preferred close-combat battles, and this ultimate technique was quite a hassle to use in close-combat battles. Continuously dodging the blows of the enemy while flipping through hand-seals¡­ this ¡®death or victory¡¯ style of combat was not to his liking.

    Instead, the basic single-seal techniques were more useful to him.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The blue screen displayed another message.

    [100% Map Completed!]

    [Begin BOSS Battle? Y/N]

    [Map Trait Bonus: The condition for triggering HIDDEN BOSS will be stated]

    [HIDDEN BOSS Trigger Condition: Defeat BOSS in 15 minutes]

    Seeing the message that flashed in front of him, Yulian hesitated. Should he postpone this battle and fight again after training or should he fight now? Fighting this battle might help him gain an insight¡­ but he had been fighting continuously for 5 days right now. There was a light headache shaking his concentration for now, which might develop into a migraine. After that, he would just collapse due to mental exhaustion.

    ¡°¡­The only reason I have been continuously battling is to temper my spirit force and my mental fortitude. Battling with the risk of mental collapse¡­ this kind of battle is the best way of tempering my mental fortitude to its limits!¡± Making his decision, Yulian decisively chose to begin the battle!

    [BOSS Battle No.1 ¨C Crimson Wolf King]

    The world around Yulian seemed to shrink, until he was left in a small circular space. With a blue flash of light, a 3 metre tall figure began to materialize in front of Yulian. White smoke slowly solidified to create a large body.

    With a reddish-white furred body and powerful muscular limbs, this Crimson Wolf King was a bipedal werewolf beast. Its razor sharp claws and sharp fangs glinted with bloodlust. The beast exuded a savage aura of murderous intent.

    Yulian immediately used his footwork to back away from the beast. In a single bound, he maneuvered himself to the edge of the circular space that he was trapped in. When he took another step back, he found himself unable to circumvent the invisible wall.

    ¡°This confinement is troublesome. It will block most of my footwork and agility techniques and force me to battle one on one¡­¡± Yulian had already calculated the area he was allowed to move in. Though some of his techniques would be useless and his 7 foot blade would turn into a liability if the Wolf King broke his guard, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to win.

    ¡°Now, how do I finish this in 15 minutes¡­¡±

    Just then, a blue screen flashed in front of Yulian and the Wolf King gave a blood-chilling howl.

    [BOSS Battle Begins!]

    The giant bipedal werewolf pounced at Yulian. Kicking at the invisible wall holding him, Yulian built up momentum and turned it to force, bounding at the werewolf as well.

    The werewolf¡¯s claws were glowing with crimson light. The 7 foot sword sheathed on Yulian¡¯s back was drawn in an instant, pulsing with violet light. The two powerful blows clashed head on, causing a shockwave to shoot out from the collision!

    After the first blow was exchanged, Yulian took four steps sideways, before slashing out another horizontal blade strike! The indigo colored bladelight was met by a slower, reddish claw! His assault was faster than the werewolf¡¯s defensive technique, so it easily broke through the crimson energy protecting the claw and nearly chopped it in half before retracting!

    Yulian took four steps to quickly move to the werewolf¡¯s back. The blade returned with Yulian, the second strike slashing out with a blue bladelight! The werewolf swiftly turned around and took on Yulian¡¯s blow by pushing its two arms out! However, the power of the bladelight had multiplied and it neatly chopped through the beast¡¯s arms before retracting!

    Yulian stepped back by 4 steps once again and slashed out a blade strike at the werewolf¡¯s feet! The third strike caused a green bladelight filled with pure heat to flash, intended to chop off the feet! The werewolf put all the force in its feet to back away and just succeeded by a hair¡¯s distance! However, Yulian forced the blunt middle of his blade to strike at the bear¡¯s feet causing it lose balance and fall flat on the ground.

    After that, the battle turned one-sided.

    Yellow, orange and red colored bladelights chopped at the werewolf¡¯s unguarded neck, however the thick steel fur stubbornly resisted. Yulian looked the struggling werewolf with frustration¡­ how has my new blade technique, Six Rainbow Slashes not killed it yet?!

    In his previous ¡®BOSS¡¯ battle, Yulian had tried to lengthen the battle as far as possible, trying to understand and steal techniques from the beast. However, this time he took the initiative and reduced the BOSS to mincemeat in seconds.

    This was primarily due to his 5 day journey through this [Area] where he continuously slaughtered without rest. Without even meditating to calm his mind or regenerate genetic energy, Yulian simply consumed the in-game potions to quickly recover and used all the time he could get to endlessly slaughter through the beasts. Other than training his blade technique in seclusion, he never stopped slaughtering monsters.

    This style of fighting caused his awareness and comprehension to rapidly rise, allowing him to quickly create, contemplate on and perfect his second blade technique, Six Rainbow Slashes and even fashion a footwork style to complement it!

    Six Rainbow Slashes was actually a series of six continuous blade strikes, six colored bladelights of indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red would unceasingly slash down on the foe, constantly rising in strength and speed due to momentum. It was created to follow up on the Purplesun Radiance technique¡®s foundation and multiply the momentum.

    Yulian¡¯s blade was a 7 foot long, a thin and single-edged blade. It was sharp, fast and had long reach, and its lightness made it easy to use quick maneuvers. Due to being a sword, fast-draw techniques could also be used.

    However, its fatal flaw was close combat. Once the opponent got close to him, it would become a liability. Yulian had trained in a technique that reversed the grip and used hilt strikes to fight in close combat, but it would never be a viable way of fighting. It was simply a way to distract his opponent as he worked on putting distance between his opponent and himself.

    Taking this into mind, the Six Rainbow Slashes technique created an ¡®ideal distance¡¯ against the opponent facing him. This distance was just close enough for Yulian¡¯s blade technique to slash out with full strength and build momentum while being just far enough to retreat without losing the built up momentum!

    However, this blade technique wasn¡¯t completed yet. After the Violetsun Radiance and Six Rainbow Slashes were used, the built up momentum needed to be expelled in an almighty strike! This would be the third technique of his Nine Stage Thunder Blade! Yulian had some insights in creating this blade technique, however he hadn¡¯t solidified his understanding. If he actually used this blade technique, he would suffer a mighty backlash, with large chance of death!

    However, Yulian was past the point of caring. If he lived, it would be good. If he died, so be it! In any case, if he hesitated too much, 15 minutes would pass and his chance of qualifying for the hidden BOSS would disappear!

    Without hesitating, Yulian began his prototype blade technique. Within his dantian the sea of energy was quite shallow, however it was slowly being filled up by the unceasing energy expelled by the two stones of pure Yuan energy. All his blade techniques drew their power from the energy sea¡­ however, this time he drew from the two Fire and Metal stones!

    The pure Yuan energy from the stones mixed and converged to form a denser, mightier energy. It was lightning, formed from fusing fire and metal in his dantian. This thicker energy was extremely unstable, and was destroying him from the inside as he circulated it through his meridians. Even so, he rapidly converged it into his arms, before pouring it into the blade.

    The blade trembled with a golden-white bladelight as it was nearly melted by the pouring energy. If Yulian¡¯s control over the blade technique was greater, this would have never happened. A large portion of this technique¡¯s power was wasted like this. However, the power that remained completely surpassed the collective might of the previous techniques!

    The golden-white blade slashed down with a blinding blade light. The energy within the blow chopped through the wounded neck of the werewolf like paper, before slashing 7 feet into the ground, and causing a 25 foot wide faultline to be carved into the earth.

    But this wasn¡¯t the end of it. The golden energy turned into pure destructive force, turning the chopped up corpse of the Crimson Wolf King to dust. The backlash of the blow struck Yulian as well, vaporizing his arms to dust.

    Yulian immediately used the energy of the backlash to retreat backwards and controlled his breath to calm down his bloodflow and control his organs. His technique had stopped the automatic circulation and buildup of energy in his dantian. The sudden destruction of his two arms had put his internal organs through turmoil. Moreover, he could not use his spirit sense to check his internals as well.

    All Yulian could do was wait for the blue screen notifying his defeat of the Crimson Wolf King to flash. After that, his goal would be completed¡­

    After a few moments which seemed to be hours to Yulian¡¯s agony-filled mind, a blue screen finally appeared.

    [You have defeated the BOSS of [Area 2], Crimson Wolf King]

    [Time taken: 2 min. 49 sec.]

    [Exceptional achievement, calculating rewards¡­]

 Chapter 28: The State of the Soul (1)

    The flash of the blue screen symbolized Yulian¡¯s victory over his opponent. Yulian¡¯s virtual body instantly recovered to peak state. This caused phantom aches appear on his body that was near death¡¯s door only a moment ago.

    At this moment, Yulian decided to ignore the blue screens and the phantom aches, simply lying down in a half-asleep state. For the past 5 days, he had relentlessly slaughtered through the beasts of the [Area]. He first fought every single beast and worked out combat strategies to kill them quickly and efficiently. He used the [Map] Trait to its full ability to plan ambushes and avoid being surrounded. He comprehended the profundities of his Five Way Heaven Seal and Nine Stage Thunder Blade techniques. He even reached the ¡®Perfect¡¯ level in blade and footwork technique!

    But all this came at a cost!

    After denying himself the peace of quiet meditation, Yulian immersed himself into slaughter. Due to the beasts being virtual, he became even more bloodthirsty and savage. Due to being virtually immortal, Yulian fought in a style uncaring of death, all to increase his slaughter count. Using the star points that racked up, Yulian upgraded to better and better equipments, all to increase the slaughter he could wreck!

    After finally getting out of the slaughter-ground, Yulian realized that entering this virtual game for more than 5 hours was a bad idea. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to become such a bloodthirsty, savage person. This was a xianxia world, this sort of personality would send him to his death!

    After resolving himself to meditate for a long time after getting out of the VR game, Yulian finally glanced at the blue screens that had appeared.

    [You have gained 49,99,999 star points. Amount restricted due to cap placed on star points in (Area 2: Rainforest)]

    [Crimson Wolf King dropped item, ¡®Gold Circle Core¡¯]

    Once again, Yulian¡¯s amount of star points reached the peak cap. Yulian did spend a lot to buy up the best armor set, leaving him with a small balance. That said, the large amount dropped by the final wolf horde was useless now. ¡®I should start spending the money before the BOSS battle begins.¡¯

    As for the Gold Circle Core, it seemed to be a completely description-less item. That said, it might be some kind of secret item that might be useful later for some reason. A BOSS didn¡¯t drop trash items after all.

    [Due to your exceptional performance in this test, you have qualified for an R-Rank Mission.]

    [An R-Rank mission is a mission of the topmost rank and qualifying for such a mission is near-impossible in early-game. Difficulty will be adjusted according to participant¡¯s cultivation and perception.]

    [Creating R-Rank Mission¡­]

    [Attention: You have not used the ¡®Blade Chopping Mountains and Seas, First Blade: Wooden Crushing Blade¡¯ technique scroll yet. This is the last chance to use scroll. If you decide not to use the scroll, Perception quest will be declared as failed.]

    [Use Scroll? Y/N]

    Yulian was surprised at the notice. He had indeed forgotten about the ¡®Wood Crushing Blade¡¯ technique. He had primarily concentrated on creating his own Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique. He hurriedly pressed ¡®Yes¡¯¡­ how could he willingly give up on the chance to train in such a powerful technique?

    Suddenly, countless vague but profound memories were filled into his mind.

    A black cloaked blademaster was practicing with a thick heavy blade alone on a grassy plain. The thick blade slashed through, producing heavy winds with the powerful force. After that, another swing actually caused the blade to slash through the air like a light blade.

    The mysterious expert swung the blade upward, causing a hurricane to slash through the blue sky, turning the world. A swing caused clouds to form, another swing called down rain and yet another swing caused the boom of thunder! With an upward swing, the grass began to grow while a downward caused grass to wither.

    The earth split apart by the growth of the grass and the heavens were torn by the booming lightning. One blade controlled heaven and earth!

    The power of this blade technique was engraved into Yulian¡¯s soul. The memory of the power of that expert was also marked into Yulian¡¯s heart!

    This expert was unlike his master Dragon Sovereign who was an expert who cultivated in solitude. This man was a person who did not hesitate to mark his will by smiting the earth and rebuking the heavens!

    The memory disappeared and Yulian closed his eyes as well, embracing the memories that were sent to him and trying to reach a basic level of comprehension. After he was satisfied, he opened his eyes to look at the rest of the messages¡­

    [R-Rank Mission: Battle HIDDEN BOSS: S-Rank technique holder, ¡®Taiji Lotus Sword¡¯]

    [Time Limit: 15 days]Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    [Restriction: User is not allowed to use the Dragon Gate Trials for the time limit]

    [Due to mission difficulty, you are allowed to view a battle-record of opponent.]

    [Begin viewing? Y/N?]

    ¡°Dragon Gate Trials? So this is the name of this VR game¡­ Is this game really created by the HR Alliance?¡± Yulian never asked Catalan where he got the VR game, but it didn¡¯t seem that this level of realism could be rendered by human technology. However, Yulian didn¡¯t have much experience with any other VR system, so he could be completely wrong as well¡­

    After that, his thoughts once again returned to the message that flashed in front of him.

    It must be similar to the memories that I viewed when I opened the ¡®Wood Blade Manual¡¯. Thinking this, Yulian pressed the ¡®Yes¡¯ button again.

    The memories changed once again.

    The world changed to show a hilly valley. There was a river cutting through the valley. The large sturdy mountainous rocks were pierced through by the winding river, turned into mud, sand and stone. The river water slowly made its way down the valley.

    Around the river, many multicolored small shrubs and bushes were growing. Some herbivores like fat amber-colored deer softly grazed on the shrubs. Just then, a pack of wolves came near the grass. The large gray furred alpha gave a hungry gaze of the herd of deer. However, the deer were not attacked by the wolves! They simply had their fill of the water and left.

    Like this, countless beasts came to drink water. All of them only drank their fill of water before leaving, as if their grudges and grievances were prohibited in this sacred place. This was a place where the natural law did not come to pass!

    However, Yulian could not understand a single bit of the profoundness of this scene! As more and more animals came to drink their fill of water, they only drank their fill before moving on! He thought there might be a great battle of beasts where the strongest would feast over the corpses of the weak! Maybe a great black bear, perhaps a mighty liger, even a murderously fast squirrel would do!

    He didn¡¯t want to watch animals harmoniously drink water from a river. He could watch this in a ¡®Jungle Book¡¯ video!

    After a few more minutes of animals happily drinking water and not murdering each other, Yulian¡¯s annoyance rose bit by bit. However, he suppressed this desire and concentrated on the scene. This was a ¡®battle record¡¯, and the HIDDEN BOSS would appear on this screen.

    All the BOSSES were fairly easy opponents for him. The first ¡®HIDDEN BOSS¡¯ was solely used for stealing skills and techniques, while the second BOSS was killed extremely quickly. These beasts were certainly stronger than the other beasts that roamed this ¡®Area¡¯¡­ even so, they were quite underwhelming.

    However, since this HIDDEN BOSS had a battle record to display, it would be a mighty beast that would leave all other BOSSES in the dust! Yulian could only repeat this in his mind as he waited for this annoying video to end.

    ¡­

    Finally, the video moved to show the length of the river. It flowed on until it hit a vertical drop, becoming a waterfall! The waterfall struck down on a beautiful woman clothed in white. The woman was standing still like a statue with eyes closed, allowing the waterfall to strike her and temper her body. The falling water turned the white clothes translucent, allowing her beautiful figure to be freely exposed!

    Jadelike white skin, shapely curves, thin figure, large bust! This figure caused a lustful fire to erupt within Yulian! This was a feeling that Yulian had not felt for a long time, ever since he had been transmigrated!

    The woman was wearing a sheath at her hip. The hilt of the sword was 7 inches long and looked like the hilt of a katana. Suddenly, the eyes that were closed opened! The green eyes seemed to intimidate the falling water, causing it to slow down. Her slender hand drew the sword strapped on her hip with a single motion!

    One draw, one swing! The might of the swing struck the waterfall! It was a fast strike, and there seemed to be no swordlight. The sword was even returned to the sheath in an instant!

    Yulian was so engrossed in watching the movement of the sword that he forgot about the waterfall! And when he looked at the waterfall again¡­ it was completely dried up!

    There were only small streams of water pattering down of the beauty¡¯s figure and the great waterfall had disappeared! The video ended and the beauty also disappeared with it. Due to his moment of inattention, Yulian could not find out how and why the waterfall had disappeared.

    ¡°It was certainly destroyed by the woman¡¯s blow, but how?! Was it evaporated by great heat, or scattered into drops by the strength of the sword blow? Or was it turned into vapor by the control over water?¡±

    [Battle-record has ended. Automatic log-out beginning¡­ User is prohibited for logging in for the planetary duration of 15 days or 315 sixty-minute hours.]

    The message flashed in front of Yulian for a moment, before disappearing. Yulian woke up in his room with a splitting headache.

    Thinking about the various things that needed doing, Yulian lifted the VR helmet from his head and kept it aside. He had to train his Nine Stage Thunder Blade technique, battle Catalan, train in the Wood Crushing Blade and even battle the woman who could destroy a waterfall in 15 days! A more immediate problem was his headache. If it turned into a migraine, it would be even worse¡­

    Naturally, Yulian completely forgot about the mentioned time-limit until his battle with the HIDDEN BOSS. 315 hours would be 13 days and 3 hours. It was impossible for the time to be 15 days!

    ¡­

    12:29 AM.

    As expected, the consequences of spending 12 hours in the VR simulation could not be easily shrugged off. Yulian had stumbled his way into the training room where he cultivated his soul in meditation every night. The headache ended up developing into a migraine and Yulian found himself unable to find his way into the training room where he meditated every night.

    The migraine increased the sensitivity of his five senses and made him able to see strange auras everywhere. It felt as if he had been transmigrated again into a strange monster. The mansion turned into a haunted house with ghosts everywhere. After half an hour of stumbling around, Yulian finally found his way to the training room he had been training in.

    Yulian was hungry, thirsty and exhausted. His bodily senses were out of whack and he couldn¡¯t even take a cat in his current state. He could have called Martha and got her to help him.

    But his pride wouldn¡¯t let him do that.

    He had cultivated from an ordinary human to a Fighter with supernatural powers. In the beginning, it was just to keep his sorry life, however that calamity had ended. Why did he cultivate now?

    He didn¡¯t cultivate because he coveted immortality or because of a desire to be the strongest. No, the reason why he cultivated came from the teachings of his parents and society in his past life.

    He cultivated to put his talent to good use and make it his career. He would train hard and use the fruits of training to slaughter beasts and earn money. He would make good connections, marry a good wife and build a good foundation for his children to grow on.

    He would live the American Dream!!!

    This dream was chased by the countless Americans through the ages. While many succeeded, many failed as well. And to fulfill this great dream, he too needed to go through countless tribulations. If he couldn¡¯t even go through a simple migraine without calling for help, what kind of person would he be?

    Yulian slowly walked towards the open window with light from the moon and stars streaming down. He laid down to rest under the light. The starlight automatically entered his soul and calmed it. The headache began to recede and his migraine began to heal as well.

    After some time, his mind felt clearer and the auras disappeared. His senses stopped being hyperactive and he felt calm enough to meditate.

    He did not. Yulian walked to the mini-fridge that held some food and water. Taking out some bottles of water and some frozen microwavable food packets, he unpacked the food and put it inside the small microwave on top of the fridge.

    After turning on the microwave, he waited for 3 minutes for the food to cook. Taking a few gulps of water, he quenched his parched throat.

    When the microwave began beeping, Yulian immediately took out the cooked meat. The unseasoned meat was like heavenly manna to his tongue.

    After eating his fill, Yulian was finally sated.

    He finally walked to the open window with the starlight streaming in. Sitting down to meditate, he sent his consciousness inwards. It was now time to check his mental conscious realm.

 Chapter 29: The State of the Soul (2)

    Yulian once again found himself in his conscious realm. This was another word for his soul, the foundation of his spirit force.

    This world was filled with golden fog. This fog covered the endless space and even the sky above. The only things that stood apart from the fog in this world were the 12 stars twinkling above.

    The golden globe that should have been controlling the path of the stars had disappeared. The stars had flown by themselves to create a diagram in the sky, but the sun was no more. The world seemed more desolate.

    Yulian used his sharp eyes to look in every direction. The golden globe that once controlled the revolution of the stars had disappeared! This sort of thing was impossible to happen until he reached the level of a Wargod as a spirit reader¡­ and reaching that level required at least a few years even with his talent!

    The golden globe was the accumulation of Yulian¡¯s unused potential in cultivation. It was like a star, symbolizing Yulian¡¯s talent. If he steadily cultivated with it¡­ even without any resources he would reach the level of a Wargod in spirit reading in a few years.

    Reaching the level of a Wargod in a few years without any resources wasn¡¯t a small matter. Other than Hong and Thunder Lord, the two strongest in the world and the Investigators of their respective dojos, there were extremely few existences above Wargods¡­

    Thus, the dominant existences in the Fighter community were the Wargods! Even the weakest Wargod had the fist strength of more than 64,000 kg. With force multiplication martial arts, they could absolutely display the fist strength of more than hundred thousand kg.

    This amount of strength was enough to shatter hills and dry up lakes! Before this, Yulian¡¯s spirit force was only at the level of beginner Warlord. And now, his spirit potential had been completely exhausted and the converted spirit force had filled his conscious realm!

    Since this excess spirit force had not been refined into his spirit force cultivation base¡­ This meant that a Wargod level of spirit force was residing in his Beginner Warlord level soul¡¯s conscious realm!

    While Yulian felt that there were no ill-effects on his soul, he certainly would not wait for his soul to crack, his spirit to be destroyed, his 5 senses and perception to go haywire and his memories to disappear!

    Forget about the meeting with Catalan and proving himself to get resources, if he didn¡¯t begin to stabilize and condense the spirit force now, life and death would not be assured!

    Yulian immediately sat down in a cross-legged posture in his conscious realm. With the golden mist circulating and accompanied by only the 12 stars in the sky, Yulian cleared all thoughts in his mind and sat down to meditate.

    Meanwhile, in the real world, Yulian¡¯s true body had also sat down in a meditative posture. In the night, starlight unceasingly streamed down through an open window and bathed his body.

    The Yulian in the conscious realm was only an ¡®avatar¡¯ formed by spirit force! While this avatar could not get out of the conscious realm, it was capable of controlling the spirit force within the conscious realm!

    It was the most important component for spirit reader techniques!

    At the same time, both of them stretched their hands, cracked their fingers and began to form myriad signs and seals with their fingers. The light of the stars began to brighten and the starlight seemed to penetrate every pore of Yulian¡¯s body, strengthening it.

    As spirit readers cultivated to higher realms, only the power of their telekinesis and spirit force would not increase. Their physical strength and body would be strengthened as well!

    The every flick of Yulian¡¯s fingers produced myriad seals. Starlight from the vast world outside and the spirit force from the world within Yulian¡¯s soul converged to refine him from inside to outside, in body and soul. The illusionary gaseous starlight condensed into liquid, and further agglomerating into solid. And this solid, silver starlight gave birth to a star, flying to the sky in Yulian¡¯s conscious realm.

    This was the ultimate cultivation technique of the 108 Star Diagrams, Nine Constellation Starry River. It required Wargod level spirit force and Warlord level genetic energy cultivation to use safely. Yulian had a ridiculously large amount of spirit force, but it was still reluctantly at the level of a Warlord and his physical body was at the level of an Intermediate Warrior, both being far away from the requirements!If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    But this technique was worth its title as the ultimate! It could quickly condense stars in the conscious realm by completely utilizing the spirit force! While cultivating the 108 Star Diagrams with the basics, Yulian required a long time to condense his first star, with the duration increasing with every star condensed. And with this technique, in only a few minutes, he had condensed the 13<sup>th</sup> star on his Star Diagram!

    He was risking his life by using a high-level technique without meeting the requirements to cultivate! This would impact the foundation of his cultivation. But there was simply no other choice, if he dared to delay, the calamity of his soul shattering might occur!

    ¡°Even if I destroy my talent in spirit reading, I don¡¯t care! I will find some way to fix it later! For now, stabilizing my soul and not turning into a retard is the most important thing!¡± Yulian screamed this in his heart as his fingers nimbly flipped through countless seals.

    Yulian¡¯s desire to preserve his life was very high. Who cares about small things like foundation now?

    The misty, gaseous spirit force that filled Yulian¡¯s conscious realm was drawn by his handseals to his fingers. With the deft movements of his fingers, they turned into stars that dotted the sky.

    The mysterious world concealed by the golden mist was revealed as a desolate plain. In the desolate world within Yulian¡¯s soul, the only wonders worth seeing were the many stars that dotted the sky.

    Of course, who would look down on the God who could turn the mist into the stars as a mere wonder?

    Now, there were 23 stars in the desolate sky. Meanwhile, a somewhat moderate amount of misty spirit force remained in the conscious realm. Yulian felt relief course through him; after he condensed the 24<sup>th</sup> star, his spirit force would be sufficiently stable.

    Suddenly, Yulian felt his brain freeze up as he flipped his fingers to form the seals to condense the 24<sup>th</sup> star.

    This was only expected, after all the 108 Star Diagrams technique was divided into 9 stages with 12 stars forming a single stage.

    Previously, Yulian was struck at a bottleneck on the 11<sup>th</sup> star. He ended up condensing the 12<sup>th</sup> star and completing the first stage of the technique after tempering his mind in the VR game.

    But now, it was no time for calming his mind, he had to break through this bottleneck!

    Within Yulian¡¯s conscious realm, the avatar was flipping through handseals. In reality, Yulian¡¯s true body was flipping through handseals as well. The synergy of the two drew large amounts of starlight from the starry sky. This starlight circulated through Yulian¡¯s body, finally ending up in the conscious realm!

    The starlight from the outside world and the spirit force from the inner world coalesced and gathered into a shining, twinkling star! This 24<sup>th</sup> star flew up to take its place in the starry sky. Yulian had finally reached the 2<sup>nd</sup> stage of the 108 Star Diagrams! He was now a Intermediate Warlord spirit reader!

    Yulian stood up from his meditative posture as he glanced at the 24 stars shining in the sky. They were twinkling bright, radiating spirit force. Yulian flicked his finger, and the stars actually came down to revolve around him! With another seal, they shot up to reach the 9<sup>th</sup> layer of the sky in this illusionary world!

    The 2<sup>nd</sup> stage of the 108 star diagrams allowed the spirit reader to freely control the stars created! They could even be used as components in attack and defense formations!

    Yulian decided to use the most basic formation, the defensive spirit force formation ¡®Nine Skies Starfield¡¯. It was pretty simple to use, all 24 stars had to be sent to the end of the conscious realm. They would gather together to weather attacks to soul! Things like the paralyzing force brought by killing intent would be completely warded off!

    Just then, when the 24 stars reached the top of the sky in the conscious realm¡­

    ¡®Boom! Boom! Boom!¡¯ The sound of explosions was heard by Yulian! Every explosion seemed to cut into his soul and freeze his spirit. There was no way he could respond; he could only stand frozen and unable to move.

    Soundlessly, a large amount of stones, rocks and boulders struck the earth. They shattered into dust which further separated into mist. This mist once again covered the conscious realm.

    All of the 24 stars were destroyed and reduced to loose dust. The dust further separated into gaseous spirit force. Yulian¡¯s spirit force cultivation was once again reduced to Beginner Warrior from an Intermediate Warlord.

    Even though Yulian¡¯s spirit reader cultivation base had been reset, he didn¡¯t panic. A cold light shone in his eyes as he looked up at the sky.

    There was a dragon in the sky. It was only composed of black and white, did not have wings and was serpentlike. It was like a zebra-striped snake.

    However, the dominating aura of desolation that radiated from the beast was like the Dragon Paragon, his master. Thus, what could it be other than a dragon?

    This beast did not have an ounce of intelligence within it. It was like a puppet, and would only respond to commands by its master. Yulian could tell this with a glance, after all these beasts were outsiders in his conscious realm!

    Yulian scanned the entirety of the conscious realm with his eyes. This strange dragon was not alone. There were nine other dragons in the conscious realm! Every one of them was like a serpent and they all were colored by the aura of an element.

    Fire, metal, wood, earth, water, wind, lightning, light and darkness! The nine elements formed into nine dragons! Along with the dragon giving of a desolate aura, these ten beasts had suddenly intruded into his conscious realm!

    However, from where had they come and why had they destroyed his spirit force? Yulian did not know the answer to the second question, but these beasts could have only one origin¡­

    As expected, a single figure walked out of the misty fog to greet Yulian. His master, the Dragon Paragon, was not in his original form of a majestic dragon.

    Instead, he was a fair-skinned man of around 40 years of age. Clad in white robes with a golden sash on his robes, he looked like a man of Asian origin. With a gentle smile, he began speaking.

    ¡°As expected, the successor of my technique was no young genius. Instead, you are an experienced cultivator who sought to change your curse of poor talent by cultivating my technique. After all, it is impossible to cultivate the soul before reaching the Earthly Yuan stage of cultivation¡­¡±

    On hearing the ¡®Earthly Yuan¡¯ word, Yulian was completely dumbfounded. What level of cultivation does this represent?

    However, the Dragon Paragon ignored Yulian¡¯s feeling and continued speaking. ¡°An elder who has borne the harsh wind and rain in the cultivation world is also preferable to an untested genius¡­ How do you like the cultivation technique I have made?¡±

 Should I Rewrite?

    I am thinking of rewriting this story. Originally, I decided to write this as a Swallowed Star fanfic... but now the plot I want to write will not fit well with Swallowed Star.

    So, I am thinking of just removing all Swallowed Star references and characters while adding some chapters for new worldbuilding and references.

    It won''t take long (a week or so), as I''ll be using [find+replace] instead of starting it from scratch. There will be two more chapters... a prologue will be added as well.

    The title [World Transcending Dragon Paragon] will be the same, but the synopsis will be obviously different. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    So. should I do this? Asking for reader opinion!

    New Synopsis:

    The apocalypse was predicted on 21st December 2012, yet the world remained unshaken. Unfortunately, this date was only the prelude to the world''s end.4 years and 11 days later, on 31st December 2016, the world suffered a sudden collapse. Natural disasters, viral infections and beast attacks decimated humanity, destroying the law of human supremacy. Fortunately, the survivors of this calamity awakened the power within their genes. Alien ruins were revealed, holding the secrets of cultivating this mysterious force. From the year of 2018 came the Sky Rebirth Era, the beginning of a new Era of cultivation!

    This is the world that Yulian Starlighter has taken rebirth into. After mysteriously transcending time-space on the date of the apocalypse, he arrives to the new world. Possessing peerless talent, Yulian takes the centre stage in exploring the new world. Creating new cultivation techniques, understanding the remnets of the Heavenly Laws that have collapsed and even creating new stages on the path of cultivation, this is the story of one man creating his own path in the brutal world of cultivation.

 Prologue: Battle to Save the World

    The Nineorigin Chaosworld was famed as vast without end, an amalgamation of countless lesser worlds, 900 greater worlds and 9 supreme worlds. With the Five Elements as the core, Wind and Thunder forming the inner heaven and Light and Darkness forming outer boundary, its Daocore disseminated limitless energy to the denizens of the world, allowing them to cultivate, to refine their inner selves and grasp the profound Dao!

    However, at the moment, the minor and major worlds were almost completely destroyed! Countless lifeforms were exterminated, turning to dust, with even their souls exterminated. Only the 9 supreme worlds which were the core of the chaosworld were left intact.

    At the limits of the boundaries of this chaosworld, in the boundless darkness of space, two figures stared at each other. The energy radiating from their bodies could exterminate all life from a minor world in an instant.

    ¡°Hahaha! Only the 9 core worlds are left! Once I deal with you, I will destroy them. That would be the death-knell for this pitiful chaosworld!¡± A black haired beauty clad in a red robe that covered little of her body proclaimed this loudly.

    The target of her words, a white haired swordsman kept his silence as he drew his sword. With a flick of a finger, the sword turned into a sweeping pure white swordlight, transforming the space surrounding him into a domain. Earth spontaneously formed beneath the man¡¯s feet and a natural law descended, transforming the barren earth into a vast sword. This was a swordworld!

    ¡°A Perpetual Sovereign of your age has formed a Swordworld? It seems that your comprehension of the sword has reached a peerless realm. The three Perpetual Sovereigns of your world could only use a formation to restrict me, but their battle prowess was pitiful. I played with them for a thousand years before unraveling their formation and slaughtering them! It seems you took that time to cultivate yourself, huh? Let¡¯s see how long you can entertain me!¡± A spear formed in the woman¡¯s hands. Woman and spear flew like dragons, aiming to pierce the swordworld formed by the man!

    ¡°Die, vile woman!¡± With each sentence, the sword intent surrounding the swordworld multiplied in intensity as it flew to slash the woman in half. A Perpetual Sovereign could form a world within himself. Beginning from a minor world, with cultivation, it would transform to a major world and finally a supreme world! The white swordsman¡¯s swordworld was a supreme world, rendering him an existence at the apex of Perpetual Emperors. However, the woman facing the swordworld considered Perpetual Sovereigns as insects she could crush at will!

    ¡°An Perpetual Emperor of your age actually refined a supreme world! It seems that you have some talent¡­ as such, I won¡¯t play around anymore! Battle against this!¡± The spear in the hands of the woman multiplied in size, becoming as large as the swordworld in an instant! The two weapons which surpassed the sizes of entire worlds clashed against each other, trying to overpower their opposition. A shockwave swept out, forming large spatial cuts. A stray star was swallowed by a spatial cut, and the luminous mass disappeared in an instant.

    The weapons clashed for a few rounds, forming overpowering shockwaves that tore through space like paper. The sword held the majesty of a supreme world with converging profound Daos while the spear was like a black hole, aiming to swallow even the light and plunge everything into eternal darkness!

    After what seemed like an eternity, the crumbling of space finally stopped as the weapons returned to their wielders.

    ¡°It seems that a clash of weapons is meaningless! Woman, unveil your true strength!¡± The man roared as boundless power erupted from him, multiplying the size of his body, finally ending at 36,000 km long. The entire body seemed like a peerless sword, a sword that could sever spacetime, the Great Dao and even chaosworlds!

    ¡°The sword is my body, the sword is my heart, the sword is my spirit, the sword is my path!¡± Boundless sword intent radiated from the white man and his swordworld synchronized. Finally, the gigantic figure of the man grasped the swordworld like a swordsman wielding a 3 foot sword!

    In response, the black-haired woman flicked a finger, causing her spear to disappear. In an instant, she transformed into a 108,000 km long black dragon. The dragon¡¯s body was clawless and wingless, with a figure like a coiling dragon or a flood dragon, a dragon that was not yet a true dragon. Myriad runes were etched on her skin, and a tremendous aura of desolation emanated from her! All cultivators would emit the Dao that they had comprehended, but what the black dragon emanated was the desolation of a white dwarf in the boundless starry sky!

    ¡°It has been quite a while since a cultivator has shown enough strength to witness my true form. Countless chaosworlds have suffered destruction as my Desolate Dragon Clan destroyed them and swallowed their Daocores! And now, your chaosworld will suffer the same fate!¡± The melodious voice of the girl had morphed to a great roar, but nevertheless, the message was comprehended.

    ¡°Desolate Dragon¡­ A starbeast! An existence that swallows stars in infancy and worlds after they mature¡­ You are obviously not an infant. But no matter how long you have lived, you¡¯re your long lifespan ends here!¡± The white haired swordsman raised the swordworld and flew to confront the black dragon.

    The black dragon roared, causing spacetime to come to a standstill and shatter. Normally, the walls of space would instantly recover, but it seemed as if the force of the roar forced even space to stay shattered! This was imposing a law on the boundless world, forcing it into desolation!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Seeing the peerless might of the black Starbeast, the white-haired swordsman paled. Nevertheless, he used the swordworld as a three-foot sword, dexterously slashing down on the humongous dragon. However, not a single drop of blood fell.

    Whip! The tail of the dragon swiped down, forcing the swordsman to dodge. He once again slashed down with the power of numerous Daos, but the skin of the black dragon emitted an aura which ground away at the strength of the sword blows!

    The battle had reached a stalemate. The dragon could not hit the swordsman, while swordsman¡¯s strikes were meaningless.

    The two foes stared at each other for a moment, before the black dragon resumed its attacks. Peerless might shattered space like glass, causing the swordsman to incessantly evade.

    ¡°Swordsman, while I cannot hit you for now, my every move is causing the boundless power of desolation to erode away this chaosworld! It won¡¯t take long until all life in this world turns extinct, the principle of karma shatters and the Daocore of this world reveals itself! After that¡­ hmph!¡± A great roar blasted from the black dragon¡¯s mouth, filled with frustration with its inability to bat away the ant harassing her.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Suddenly, the white swordsman realized that he had been too focused to defeating the black dragon, even reaching the point where he forgot about the power of destruction contained in her attacks!

    ¡®I cannot even scratch her with my current strength, while every moment she breathes grounds away the Nineorigins chaosworld¡­ How can I battle her? The Sword Dao is famed to purify all evil, but reaching a level where I can purify this desolation which reduces even universes to dust is simply wishful thinking¡­¡±

    Suddenly, a wave of power entered the body of the swordsman, invigorating him. The power comprised of nine elements, coming straight from the Daocore of the world! The chaosworld supplied strength to its defender, not allowing him fall!

    ¡°The Daocore is granting you strength¡­ it seems like it has finally realized the danger it is in. However, no Daocore can restrict me, a Desolate Dragon!¡± The tail that whipped out like a divine spear froze spacetime in an instant, causing the swordsman to be unable to flee. Against his approaching doom, the swordsman slashed out¡­ causing bloody flesh to fall!

    ¡°That Daocore has granted you such strength?!¡± This was the first time that the black dragon had sustained injuries in a long time. The collaboration of three Perpetual Emperors had failed to even scratch her, while a lone man had injured her with a single slash? How could it be?

    In reality, the assistance provided by the Daocore was limited. However, for a Perpetual Emperor who had reached the absolute apex, the next step of cultivation was condensing a Chaoseed, refining it into a Daocore and forming a chaosworld in the dantian! The Daocore¡¯s transmission of energy had the dual effect of filling the white haired man with insights, causing him to make staggering leaps in his cultivation every moment!

    Slash! Slash! Slash! Every flash of swordlight tore into the black dragon, causing her fleshy body to be continuously minced to pieces! With every moment, the black dragon weakened and the momentum was seized by the white swordsman!

    Suddenly, the vast power of chaos that filled the boundless universe descended on the white swordsman. It was a power that did not originate from the Nineorigin chaosworld, but hailed from the boundless expanse outside. The boundless power of chaos was nursed in the dantian of the white swordsman fused with his soul, finally condensing into a chaoseed!

    ¡°I have left the boundary of Perpetual Emperor and finally broken through to a Chaos Sovereign. Black dragon, face your death!¡± The white haired swordsman flicked a single finger at the black dragon. The swordlight that flashed chopped through the power of desolation and cut through the black dragon!

    ¡°An entry-level Chaos Sovereign dares to be so arrogant? I cannot battle you for now, but after I completely mature, I will come for your head!¡± The cut that had chopped the dragon in half quickly mended, and the dragon swiftly flew away. However, would the swordsman let the beast that decimated his chaosworld run so easily?

    ¡°You killed my three seniors and destroyed countless lives in your mad slaughter. How can I let you go so easily?¡± The swordworld in the man¡¯s hand turned into countless streaks of swordlight that instantly surrounded the black dragon. A cage of swordlight began to grind on the vast dragon, slowly condemning it to death!

    ¡°You¡­ an entry-level Chaos Sovereign dares to cage me? It seems that I have to sacrifice some blood essence¡­¡± The runes on the black dragon¡¯s body glowed as it burst out with unpredecented strength, shattering the cage of swordlight!

    ¡°That was simply my sword Dao. Let me show you¡­ the true strength of a Chaos Sovereign!¡± The boundless chaotic energy that filled the vast expanse of the universe descended, fusing with the sword intent of the white swordsman. A sturdier cage bound the black dragon and the power of chaos strived to tear through the Starbeast!

    No matter the secret arts used or the blood essence sacrificed, the black dragon could not shatter the cage binding it. The swordsman observed the runes burned on the dragon¡¯s skin as he maintained the cage of swordlight.

    For 25 years, the black dragon was bound by the sword cage. No matter how hard it tried to exit, it was impossible for it to leave. The Daocore slowly recovered, helped by the chaos power of the white swordsman.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ It seems that it is impossible for me to leave from this vile cage¡­ A noble Desolate Dragon shall die in a chaosworld, bound by a entry-level Chaos Sovereign¡­ What a shame¡­¡± The white swordsman only glanced at the dragon before returning to observing the runes on the dragonskin. The dragon had descended into frenzied insanity when it finally realized that death was inescapable.

    ¡°Your blasted chaosworld should be damned to destruction¡­ Since I am fated to die anyway, let me take it to its final destruction with me¡­¡± Suddenly, an immensely powerful bloody shadow formed around the black dragon, shattering the cage of swords! The flesh and bones of the black dragon shattered, and runes engraved on the dragonskin shot out, forming a grand formation.

    Limitless power of desolation emitted from the formation, turning the black dragon that birthed it into dust. With a flick of a finger, the white swordsman captured the soul of the black dragon and delved into it, searching for information on the grand formation. Before the soul was exterminated by the power of desolation, he luckily retrieved some information.

    ¡°Ninerune Great Destruction Array¡­ This is formed from the Dao engraved on the Desolate Dragon and can destroy boundless worlds with the might of extermination¡­ Only by comprehending the law of Desolation can this array be dispersed¡­ Impossible, my understanding of Desolation from the black dragon¡¯s runes cannot compete with this array!¡± The swordsman called on the power chaos to battle the array, but it was useless. The Daocore of the Nineorigin world did not even attempt to battle against the power.

    ¡°Is the Nineorigin Chaosworld fated to be destroyed¡­?¡± Just as despair filled the swordsman, a power emanated from the Daocore.

    ¡°Teleportation¡­? You want me leave?¡± A strange feeling filled the swordsman¡¯s heart. The will of the world wished for him to escape and was willing to sacrifice itself for him!

    ¡°¡­No, I can¡¯t leave.¡± A serene expression filled the swordsman, resolve to face death standing. Limitless power of chaos was attracted to his body, filling the chaoseed with power.

    ¡°My understanding of the Desolate law isn¡¯t high, but I do have some understanding. Nineorigin chaosworld, your final surviving expert shall sacrifice his life for your rebirth!¡± With incomparable resolve, the swordsman spat out the chaoseed out of his body. Limitless power of creation fused into the Daocore of the world, allowing it to oppose the desolation!

    As the body of the swordsman crumbled away, the chaoseed controlled by swordsman¡¯s soul shot into the Ninerune Great Destruction Array. In his final moments, the swordsman countered the relentless power of destruction by the inexhaustible power of creation. As the power of desolation was finally destroyed, the soul of the swordsman finally began to crumble.

    Just then, the Daocore attracted the soul, saving it from destruction. Having safeguarded the chaosworld from destruction, why wouldn¡¯t the chaosworld save the brave hero that saved it?

    This story begins with the white swordsman awaiting reincarnation, striving to create a magnificent legend once more!

 My new story is up!

    So, I have finally uploaded a new story. And it is a xianxia!

    Sword Immortal''s Rebirth by AardwarkThe2nd</a>

    Synopsis: After sacrificing himself to avert the collapse of his world, Sheng Jiansui, the Quintessence Sword Saint thought that his soul would crumble away, his memorylost to the void. Unexpectedly, he is reborn to a new world as Heifeng Jiansui, a Prince of the Black Phoenix Empire ruling over a Great World!A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "In myprevious life, Irose to the apex of the Sword Dao! In this life, myDao shall encompass all there in the World!"

    So, everything I found cool in CN xianxia is in here. Sword cultivation, reincarnation, OP protagonist, bloodlines, battle spirits, geniuses... I hope you will find it good too!

    Since I have built up a good stash, there are hourly updates until the supply lasts! If you enjoy the new story, like, follow, favorite and review it! Please give it the love that you gave to my old story as well!

    Ciao, see you again, dear readers!

    AardwarkThe2nd

    -----------------------