Composing a "New" Cultivation Method

Ten minutes later, Lin Tuo sat on the chair by the desk, lost in thought.

On the computer screen before him, a video of his own physical training was still playing, the screen flooded with bullet comments.

Because the footage was too blurry, and Lin Tuo had covered his face with clothing, with a green stone blocking the view as well.

Based on the silhouette alone, even acquaintances would find it hard to recognize him.

"So, this is the footage from my first training session?"

After the initial confusion, Lin Tuo managed to find the video through the group chat records and roughly understood the process.

A scene of his training in the Taihe Mountain Range had been accidentally filmed by someone, uploaded online, and to some extent, gone viral.

"Didn't see that coming..."

He glanced at the video's upload date—yes, it was the day after the Takk Black Box descended, also the first day he tried using ancient methods to temper his body.

As for why it only went viral over a week later, that wasn't too surprising.

The account that posted the video was just an ordinary netizen, unlikely to be discovered immediately. Now that it had blown up, it was probably because the platform had pushed it as a recommendation.

"Good, looks like it's just a coincidence."

Having figured out the situation, Lin Tuo breathed a sigh of relief. After all, as the "mastermind" behind the Takk Black Box, he felt a bit guilty.

Though logically, no one could connect him, an ordinary person, to the Takk Black Box, it was always better to be cautious.

Lin Tuo was still in the early stages of life evolution. While his personal combat ability wasn't bad, it was limited.

If possible, he didn't want to get entangled with worldly forces just yet.

Imagine.

If he revealed his identity and proved his abilities through the Evolution Sandbox, he would certainly gain national attention, but he'd also be dragged into the maelstrom of international conflicts, facing unpredictable dangers.

Besides, Lin Tuo himself didn't care much for fame or fortune; otherwise, he wouldn't have resolutely quit his job and returned to his hometown.

Thus, he had long decided not to disclose any information about the Evolution Sandbox until his personal combat power could ensure his safety.

As for this video...

"They seem to think I'm some hidden martial arts master in the Taihe Mountain Range..."

Lin Tuo checked the video's comment section and, combined with the group chat, confirmed this.

Yeah, there were also guesses about "superpowered individuals" and "alien life," but those weren't mainstream—just baseless speculation sparked by the Takk Black Box.

In comparison, the identity of a martial arts master was easier for people to believe.

For one, his act of carrying a green stone up the mountain in the video naturally invited such associations.

For another, compared to extraterrestrial life, a "reclusive martial arts master" was more acceptable to ordinary people.

Moreover, the Taihe Mountain Range itself had a strong martial arts atmosphere. Whether in history or in later novels, films, and games, it was often linked to ancient martial arts.

Even today, many people believe that the Taihe Mountain Range preserves some ancient and mysterious martial arts traditions.

So, such guesses weren't surprising.

In fact, this guess was correct.

Lin Tuo did have a family tradition of ancient martial arts, though it had long declined. Now, by absorbing Aether and tempering his body, he had even reached a minor level of mastery in the inherited Martial Ancestor Manifestation Fist, so calling himself a "martial arts master" wasn't an exaggeration.

Thinking of this, Lin Tuo shook his head with a wry smile and closed the computer.

Well... it seemed like just a minor incident. Since no identifying features were exposed, there was no need to worry.

But still...

"Martial arts master, huh..." Lin Tuo savored the word, his gaze passing through the window and landing on the Martial Arts Hall courtyard, bathed in sunlight yet utterly cold.

Earlier, he had been too busy dealing with the Sandbox to spare any thought, but now that the Chi Kingdom was on track, he finally turned his attention to the Martial Arts Hall.

He hadn't forgotten that he quit his job and returned home to reopen the Martial Arts Hall, fulfilling his grandfather's last wish and continuing the family's martial arts legacy.

And now, it seemed... there was a good opportunity.

He had thought a lot about martial arts long ago.

And realized that reopening the Martial Arts Hall would be no easy task.

He knew well that in this day and age, the traditional martial arts hall model was no longer in line with the times.

The country was stable, and people rarely needed to learn martial arts for self-defense. If they did, they went to gyms or training centers like taekwondo dojos.

Rather than "learning martial arts," it was more accurate to call it "losing weight" or "socializing."

That made sense.

Martial arts training was extremely grueling, time-consuming, and offered narrow career prospects. Unless someone already had connections in the field, it was hardly worthwhile for an ordinary person to pursue a high salary through martial arts.

Even Lin Tuo, if not for family reasons, wouldn't have chosen this path.

Wasn't it better to do mental work in an office?

Therefore, according to his original plan, if he were to open one, the most rational direction would be to run a "modern martial arts hall"—trendy, branded, youthful, market-oriented, heading toward the path of "fitness and body shaping."

But if he did that, could it still be called a martial arts hall?

Or rather, even if he ran it that way, wouldn't the family's "Martial Ancestor Manifestation Fist" still be lost?

But if he didn't do that, how could anyone possibly be willing to come?

Fine, suppose Lin Tuo appropriately displayed his strength, spread his influence through social media, and actually attracted a group of fervent martial arts enthusiasts.

After all, the Earth is vast, and there are always people obsessed with this stuff, willing to train their bodies.

But looking at the long term, how long could this last?

One generation?

Two generations?

In an era where martial arts have declined, without fertile soil, relying only on a handful of people to pass it down—does that really have meaning?

Lin Tuo even hesitated at times, wondering if martial arts still had a reason to exist in this age.

Yet these days, by absorbing Aether and tangibly strengthening his body, Lin Tuo felt he might have found the "answer."

"In times of peace, people indeed don't need martial arts to strengthen themselves—that's a major reason for its decline. But what if martial dao cultivation could achieve life evolution?"

"What if, through practicing martial arts, people could improve their physique, sharpen their thinking, and boost their intelligence? In that case, could martial arts regain its glory?"

This wasn't impossible!

After all, during this period, Lin Tuo had improved his body's efficiency in absorbing Aether through weighted training, with noticeable gains in both physical stamina and memory.

"Aether exists widely among people, but over the past few thousand years, no one has ever discovered it, let alone known how to use it. If I teach the Qi-Eating Method to all humans, can they also absorb Aether and achieve evolution?"

Standing up, pushing open the door, and stepping into the quiet Training Ground, Lin Tuo began to ponder.

This idea wasn't a sudden whim but had been brewing for several days.

Moreover, in his view, it could be a "two birds with one stone" matter.

You see, the generation of Aether is positively correlated with the "quality" of Sentient Beings.

In other words, given the trend of an aging population and declining birth rates in the country, it's unrealistic to increase Aether by raising the number of people.

So, if quantity can't be increased, could they work on "quality"?

If an ordinary person achieved life evolution, the Aether output from the Spirit Realm would naturally increase as well!

Based on the knowledge provided by the Evolution Sandbox, Lin Tuo knew this path was theoretically feasible.

And it would also be a good thing for all of humanity.

The problem was, once the Qi-Eating Method was promoted nationwide, ordinary people would absorb the Earth's Aether, essentially competing with Lin Tuo for resources.

"...To promote the Qi-Eating Method and get the entire population to start cultivating, I'll have to temporarily give up collecting Earth's Aether. Otherwise, ordinary people simply can't compete with the Evolution Sandbox... This will definitely cause me some losses, but it's acceptable."

"In Observation Mode, I can currently only collect Aether from one city, Yang City, and I can't expand this area too much in the short term. The rest of the regions, I can't absorb anyway, so leaving them idle is a waste...

Better to use it to nurture ordinary humans..."

"Once the positive cycle starts, human physiques will improve, total Aether will increase, and I can absorb it then—no problem."

"Besides, I mainly rely on 'Creation Mode' to build sandboxes and absorb Aether from the new civilizations I evolve. Temporarily giving up what's outside the sandbox doesn't matter."

Under the scorching summer sun, Lin Tuo stood at the door, his thoughts racing, his eyes growing brighter.

As for the strong individuals that might emerge after promoting the Qi-Eating Method and pushing for nationwide cultivation... they couldn't possibly surpass him anyway.

"Once ordinary people truly realize the benefits of cultivation and understand that practicing martial arts and refining the body can accelerate Aether absorption, martial arts will naturally flourish."

"Moreover, nationwide cultivation can also conceal my uniqueness. In the future, even if I display extraordinary power, I can just say it came from cultivation."

"When the time is right and martial arts truly rises, reopening the martial arts hall will be far simpler."

Sorting through the entire line of reasoning, Lin Tuo's breathing tightened, and his heartbeat quickened.

"So, the next question is how to promote the Qi-Eating Method."

"No, the first step should be to improve the Qi-Eating Method so ordinary people can understand it... Hmm, and I need to give it a new name. 'Qi-Eating Method' just doesn't sound appealing at all..."

The more Lin Tuo thought, the more excited he became. Without delay, he immediately took action.

Returning to the study.

He flipped open the laptop on the desk and created a new blank document.

Then, after a moment of thought, Lin Tuo's expression turned serious as he typed the new name for the "Qi-Eating Method" on the first line:

"Azure Spirit Breath Technique"

To avoid any misunderstandings from some readers, an additional reminder: "Aether" is not "emitted" by humans. It originates from the "Spirit Realm." For every additional human on Earth, a corresponding wisp of Aether escapes from the Spirit Realm. If a human's physical abilities improve, their corresponding Spirit Realm output also increases. Therefore, once the entire population cultivates, the total amount of Aether will increase, not decrease.

This was mentioned in Chapter Three, but it seems the explanation wasn't clear enough. See the definition of Aether for details.