Late Second-Rate

"It's finally done!"

Feeling the inner force coiling within his Dantian—similar to Inner Qi, yet seemingly different in essence—Gu Han finally let out a long breath, a faint smile spreading across his face.

Ever since he was forced to flee Treasure Pearl Temple back then, Gu Han had harbored the idea of creating an Internal Cultivation Method.

Three years of contemplation!

Three years of research!

Six years of simulation!

Finally, after twelve years, a sudden epiphany gave him some clues about creating this technique, and he roughly sketched out a beginning.

Then, after decades of relentless study and research day after day, he barely managed to create this Internal Cultivation Method.

As Gu Han pondered, a flood of information about Internal Cultivation Methods from the Yue Kingdom of the main world surged into his mind.

"Internal Cultivation Methods in the Yue Kingdom are divided into four major tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Among them, Heaven-tier methods are generally created by Innate Masters who stand at the pinnacle of the martial path. They possess boundless power and unparalleled mystery, hence they are also called Innate Cultivation Methods or Sacred Martial Arts.

Earth-tier methods are far weaker, mostly created by First-rate Masters capable of True Qi Manifestation. However, placed within the vast Yue Kingdom, they can still be considered Divine Skill Manuals, serving as the foundation for many great families.

As for Profound and Yellow-tier methods, these are relatively low-grade techniques, usually created by Second-rate Martial Artists.

Among them, Profound-tier methods are considered the cream of the crop among those created by Second-rate Martial Artists. Their creators are typically those at the peak of the Second-rate realm, or even Half-step First-rate Martial Artists who have a hope of reaching the True Qi Manifestation level in their lifetime. These can barely be considered decent.

But Yellow-tier methods are utterly common goods, created by ordinary Second-rate Martial Artists. If one cultivates them to great completion, they can still break through to True Qi Projection and reach the Second-rate realm, but their strength will be extremely weak.

Not to mention killing enemies above their own rank—even casually facing any martial artist who has cultivated a Profound-tier method, without possessing powerful martial techniques in hand, they would absolutely be no match.

Such individuals are at the bottom among Second-rate Martial Artists. At best, they can only bully ordinary Third-rate Martial Artists at the Inner Qi level.

Even if they encounter Third-rate Martial Artists with deep family backgrounds, profound connections, and Earth-tier or even Heaven-tier techniques and martial skills at their disposal, they are very likely to be defeated, becoming a stepping stone for others to make a name for themselves.

What a miserable fate that is!

And Gu Han judged that the Internal Cultivation Method he had created should be a pitifully weak Yellow-tier method, perhaps even slightly inferior to those created by many martial artists who had immersed themselves in the Second-rate realm for years in the Yue Kingdom of the main world."

Gu Han thought to himself, yet he felt no sense of inferiority.

After all, how many other methods did those Second-rate Martial Artists in reality have to reference when creating their Internal Cultivation Methods? And how many did he have?

One could say that his predecessor had only completed the basic martial foundation in reality, learning only a single "Vajra Body Refining Fist" before being sent away.

Compared to the natives of Yan Kingdom, aside from knowing what an Internal Cultivation Method was and having some common knowledge about Inner Qi, he was hardly any better than them.

And now, relying on these scraps, Gu Han had still managed to forcibly create a genuine Internal Cultivation Method, achieving what even the legendary Patriarch Bodhidharma could not accomplish—how remarkable was that!

Moreover, even if the method was weak, it did not mean his strength was weak.

With this thought, Gu Han's mind stirred. The nascent inner force within his body and the Inner Qi that had long been accumulated to its limit suddenly began to surge violently. Then, they underwent a strange fusion, forming a new energy far surpassing either Inner Qi or inner force alone.

Finally, this energy continuously battered against the meridians throughout his body.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The overwhelmingly powerful new energy coursed through Gu Han's meridians, surging like a great river, guided by his control along a predetermined path.

Within the human body, there are the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Main Meridians. Opening each one greatly increases a martial artist's inner strength and power.

Among them, opening any one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians allows one to achieve True Qi Manifestation and advance to the First-rate realm. Opening any one of the Twelve Main Meridians is slightly inferior, but still enables True Qi Projection, the ability to cut through flowing water with a sword, and becoming a Second-rate Master above tens of millions.

Thus, it can be said that the cultivation process for First-rate and Second-rate Masters, as well as the enhancement of their inner strength, is essentially a process of continuously opening meridians.

Only by constantly opening meridians can a martial artist grow stronger.

And at this moment, Gu Han was undergoing exactly such a process.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The air vibrated, emitting faint buzzing sounds. Inside the thatched hut, Gu Han, seated cross-legged on a cushion, was mobilizing the newly born energy within him to assault the Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian, one of the Twelve Main Meridians.

"Boom!"

A sound like a massive wave crashing against a dam seemed to echo through the void. Under the impact of the new energy within Gu Han's body, the blockage in his Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian was instantly shattered.

Compared to other martial artists, Gu Han's breakthrough was as simple as eating or drinking. In the blink of an eye, the entire meridian was completely opened, officially making him a Second-rate Martial Artist.

And the moment Gu Han's Hand Shaoyang Triple Burner Meridian was opened, a layer of invisible inner force suddenly emerged outside his seated body, projecting several feet outward, instantly killing several flies that flew past him, which fell to the ground with a rustle.

"Not even a feather can land; not even a fly can alight!"

This was a metaphor from the "Taijiquan Treatise" written by the Taiji Grandmaster Wang Zongyue. It was used to describe the highest realm of Taijiquan cultivation, where the body's senses become extremely acute, reaching a state of ethereal agility—an exaggerated expression.

Of course, in the novels Gu Han had read in his first life, this phrase was often borrowed by various authors to describe the "Hua Jin" realm of national arts grandmasters, expressing the subtlety of their trained force and highlighting their power.

Yet now, fiction had become reality.

After Gu Han reached the Second-rate realm, the scenes from those novels truly manifested in reality.

Moreover, compared to a "Hua Jin" grandmaster, who could only prevent a feather from landing or a fly from alighting on their body, Gu Han's True Qi Projection was clearly far more formidable.

Not only on his body, but even up to three feet outside his body, he could achieve the same effect, forming a small domain of sorts—terrifyingly powerful.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The mighty new energy rampaged through Gu Han's body, like an invincible divine dragon, crushing every obstacle in its path!

One meridian after another was being unblocked, and the aura Gu Han exuded grew stronger with each passing moment.

Until...

Over a dozen breaths later, the steadily rising aura around Gu Han suddenly retracted. A series of crackling pops rang out from his bones and joints, and he slowly rose to his feet.

At this point, Gu Han had opened a total of seven of the Twelve Main Meridians, leaving only five still unbreached. His internal energy realm had directly advanced to the late Second-Rank stage!

It could be called a single step to heaven!