Further Insight into the Overlord

"Lower-Rank Five-Star?"

Staring at the display glowing purple, Li Changqing froze.

He looked down again. There was nothing wrong with his result.

Which meant...

"According to the martial arts gym's standards, my true strength should be Lower-Rank Five-Star?"

Martial artist star ratings were actually determined by Vitality Concentration, not combat ability.

Because Vitality Concentration could be quantified.

Using the point at which a Lower-Rank Martial Artist reached the peak and their overflowing vitality began nourishing their spirit as the benchmark, nine star ratings were established.

Li Changqing's judgment also came from the reading of his own Vitality Concentration.

"So I'm actually this strong?" He recalled the state of Kang Tianchen's and Huang Xuan's vitality when he had encountered them before.

At the time, he had found it strange. Why had neither the coach nor Huang Xuan completed Embracing the Core and Returning Strength? There was still a great deal of unrestrained vitality left in their bodies. Huang Xuan had not even achieved liquefaction; his vitality was still mist-like.

Li Changqing felt that there were many things he had not clarified. He shut down the testing room, pushed open the door, and ran toward the training hall, where he happened to meet Kang Tianchen, who was about to start work.

"Coach Kang."

Standing before Kang Tianchen, Li Changqing quickly organized his thoughts.

"When I was in university, I only learned roughly that martial arts cultivation required condensing vitality. To become a Lower-Rank Martial Artist, one needed to achieve Embracing the Core and Returning Strength."

"What exactly does Embracing the Core and Returning Strength mean?"

"Oh, that?" Kang Tianchen nodded.

"Now that you're cultivating the old arts, I really should explain these hurdles clearly."

"Come." Kang Tianchen led Li Changqing aside and sat down, gathering his thoughts.

"First, you're right. The cultivation of a Lower-Rank Martial Artist lies in vitality. To begin the old arts, you must break through the limits of the human body and enter the Transformation Stage. That stage is the best time for you to condense vitality. As for Embracing the Core and Returning Strength..."

Kang Tianchen chuckled and habitually tapped Li Changqing on the head.

"Embracing the Core and Returning Strength originated from the ancient hypothesis of the Core Realm. It means gathering all the vitality in one's body into a single core, making every ounce of strength smooth and perfectly responsive. A martial artist can freely move vitality with their thoughts, using exquisite control of vitality to temper their physique to an unbelievable degree. At the same time, every move can unleash the force of every inch of muscle in the body."

"Of course." At this point, Kang Tianchen sighed.

"Don't think this realm is too fantastical to be achieved. The Core Realm is ultimately just a hypothesis. If becoming a martial artist required Embracing the Core and Returning Strength, the number of Lower-Rank Martial Artists would be cut by at least ninety-nine percent."

Li Changqing's heart jolted, and he hurriedly asked, "Coach, are you saying most martial artists can't do it?"

"Not most—an overwhelming majority!" Kang Tianchen emphasized.

"I've only heard of perfect Embracing the Core and Returning Strength from others. At the very least, I can say for certain that no one at our martial arts gym achieved it during the Transformation Stage."

"Not even geniuses?"

"Geniuses? Heh, I can put it this way: even Jiang He probably can't do it. At most, he can make his vitality flow like mercury and barely gather it in his Dantian."

As Kang Tianchen spoke, he looked Li Changqing up and down.

"What, you brat? You want to achieve Embracing the Core and Returning Strength as soon as you become a martial artist?"

Li Changqing scratched his head. "Why not?"

"Heh, you've got quite the ambition." Kang Tianchen was amused.

"Enough, quit talking nonsense. You're always thinking about this and that all day long. Just focus on condensing your vitality. During the Transformation Stage, the denser the vitality you condense and the firmer your Dantian becomes, the broader your path for future advancement will be."

"I'm not asking much of you. During the Transformation Stage, just compress and condense your vitality into liquid form. Don't be like that brat Huang Xuan, dragging his feet during the Transformation Stage. His vitality still hasn't been fully compressed, and he'll have plenty to suffer for it later."

"Got it?"

"Got it." Li Changqing nodded, then asked again, "Then, Coach, if everyone's degree of core formation is different, does that mean the increase in strength after each breakthrough also differs? Could a Two-Star Martial Artist actually be stronger than a Three-Star or Four-Star?"

"Of course. Martial artist star ratings are determined by how full your body is with vitality. If both are half full, can mist-like vitality compare with liquid vitality?"

Just as he had thought.

Li Changqing immediately understood why he was clearly only Three-Star, yet his test results had reached an outstanding Five-Star level.

Not only had he completed Embracing the Core and Returning Strength, but after last night's Heaven-Man Resonance, he had also divided his vitality into yin and yang, further increasing its strength.

"Still, denser vitality does make one stronger than martial artists of the same level. Surpassing one star rating is possible, but two star ratings..." Kang Tianchen shook his head.

"At any rate, I've never seen it."

"Any other questions?"

"No." Li Changqing shook his head repeatedly.

"If there's nothing else, go do what you need to do." Kang Tianchen sighed.

"The gym master has some matters to handle and probably won't be back for the next few days. Don't count on the Psionic Stone Tablet. If you've got nothing to do, head out for now. When the gym master comes back, I'll call you."

That was not good news.

But it belonged to a High-Rank Martial Artist, after all. Li Changqing did not dare entertain any improper thoughts.

He bade Kang Tianchen farewell and left the martial arts school, gazing at the sun that had only just risen.

A thought crossed his mind.

Hiss, it felt like the headmaster really cared about this Youth Cup. He had even borrowed a Psionic Stone Carving.

If I helped the martial arts school win the championship and asked to borrow the stele for a month or two...

That should be fine, right?

Li Changqing thought it over and felt there was no problem with this plan.

Fight in the ring, win the championship, study the stone carving.

Oh, and there was the Seedling Plan, which allowed early contact with psionic power and was practically a guaranteed path to becoming a Psionic User.

The plan was flawless.

The moment the thought arose, a broad, solid back surfaced in Li Changqing's mind.

The figure drew his blade and cut through water, his terrifying pressure like some primordial beast.

Sun Sheng!

Though the man had not said so outright that day, Li Changqing was certain that Sun Sheng would also be entering this Youth Cup.

And if he wanted to carry out all these plans, Sun Sheng was an insurmountable mountain.

Feeling the flow of blood and qi within his body—

Still not enough!

Sun Sheng was at least a Lower-Rank Seven-Star martial artist, and his Core-Holding proficiency could not be poor.

Li Changqing might need to break through to Lower-Rank Four-Star, perhaps even Five-Star, and then rely on the Heaven-Man Resonance realm before he had any chance of winning.

Cultivation.

As the thought surfaced, Li Changqing could no longer suppress his urge to cultivate.

There were only twenty-some days left. He had to speed things up.

He sprinted home and began packing again. Since the headmaster definitely would not be back for the next few days, he planned to return to the nature reserve to cultivate.

After entering the Heaven-Man Resonance realm, the closer he was to nature, the greater the help it provided to Li Changqing's cultivation.

Returning to his bedroom, he opened the wardrobe and took several sets of clothes in case of need.

Then, as if struck by realization, Li Changqing lifted his head.

His gaze met the Overlord Lifting Cauldron Diagram hanging above his bed.

Deep within his consciousness, the Yin-Yang Fish of Taiji suddenly turned for an instant.

Neigh—

Warhorses whinnied, blades and swords clanged.

A powerful artistic conception enveloped Li Changqing's mind. For the second time since first seeing this painting, Li Changqing resonated with the Overlord's artistic conception within it.

But this time, it was because of the Tai Shang Gan Ying Pian in his mind.

Why was the Tai Shang Gan Ying Pian resonating with the Overlord Lifting Cauldron Diagram?

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Changqing's mind. As he pondered, the warhorse's whinny crossed time and space, seeming to ring right beside him.

A tall and imposing man, clad head to toe in armor and holding the Overlord Steel Spear upside down in one hand, rode his horse in a leap to Li Changqing's side.

Beneath his helmet, those eyes that looked down upon the world were like sharp swords, piercing straight into Li Changqing's chest.

Willpower +3

Artistic Conception (Overlord Lifting Cauldron): 5%