Has His Aptitude Really Improved?

In a secluded little grove.

Li Yun sat cross-legged in silence, utterly still. Yet if anyone had been present, they would have noticed that the exposed skin above his neck, on the backs of his hands, and elsewhere had all turned bright red.

Like red-hot branding irons, they even gave off faint wisps of heat.

With his body at the center, the temperature within a radius of three or four meters had risen several degrees out of thin air. One could imagine just how high his body temperature had become.

But not long after.

Li Yun suddenly opened his eyes. As though he had been trapped in a blazing furnace and had only just managed to escape, he gasped for breath in great heaving gulps.

"Damn it—"

"What kind of cultivation art is this Reverse Fate Art? Why is cultivating it so unbearable?"

Compared to the pleasure brought by Basic Stance Cultivation and Entangling Silk Force, cultivating the Reverse Fate Art was simply torture.

Its unique breathing method combined with the circulation of blood and qi made the entire process feel as if he were on fire. His heated blood coursed through his body, bringing intense pain everywhere it passed.

After merely two minutes, he could no longer endure it.

It was not that his willpower was weak. What normal person enjoyed torturing himself?

Besides, that kind of painful stimulation was downright lethal.

It nearly made him suspect that if he did not stop in time and continued cultivating, he would be dead within five minutes at most.

"No."

"It seems I can't cultivate this art casually. I need to take it slow, find a way to accumulate more Cognition Points, and raise its level before trying again. Maybe there will be some changes then."

After his body temperature finally returned to normal and Li Yun steadied his breathing, he rose to his feet. He was not going to risk cultivating the Reverse Fate Art like this again.

Yet the moment he stood up.

Li Yun's pupils suddenly contracted. He vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

He abruptly realized that his strength seemed to have increased by a notch without his knowing it. Even his ordinary breathing felt smoother and more powerful than before.

Faintly, he could even hear his own heart thumping, thumping, thumping like a drum, brimming with greater vigor than usual.

After taking two steps forward, he felt an inexplicable lightness in his body.

It was as though he had undergone some unknown transformation.

He hurriedly opened the System Panel.

With just one glance, he was stunned.

Host: Li Yun

Age: 16

Aptitude: Fifth Grade Middle

Identity: Celestial Martial Sect, Outer Sect Disciple of Rank 95 Academy

Realm: Houtian Realm, Body Tempering Triple Layer

Martial Arts: Basic Stance Cultivation (Perfected), Entangling Silk Force (Perfected), Reverse Fate Art (Initial Mastery)

Martial Cognition Points:

"Holy shit!"

"Body Tempering Triple Layer?"

"My aptitude changed from Fifth Grade to Fifth Grade Middle... has it really been elevated?"

Li Yun could hardly believe his eyes.

It was one thing for his cultivation to have inexplicably risen by one layer. That was no big deal. He believed that once he truly devoted himself to cultivating Basic Stance Cultivation, such improvements would become easy and swift.

But the crucial point was that his Fifth Grade aptitude, which should have been as immovable as thunder, had actually changed.

How could that not fill him with surprise and delight?

This meant that cultivating the Reverse Fate Art truly had an effect. This thing could actually improve one's aptitude.

"Good heavens!"

"I invested 110,000 Cognition Points into this. This time, it was truly worth every penny!"

That surge of excitement nearly made Li Yun sit down and cultivate again. But the moment he recalled the agony of cultivating the Reverse Fate Art, he forcibly suppressed the impulse.

Though there was no proof, Li Yun's instincts still told him that the Reverse Fate Art could indeed improve aptitude, but he absolutely could not immerse himself in its cultivation for too long.

That cultivation art was more like taking an extreme path. Once he failed to keep himself steady, his aptitude might not improve at all—instead, he might cultivate himself straight into an early grave.

He decided to be more cautious and wait at least a day before trying again.

And he could use this time to gather more Martial Cognition Points.

As he cultivated three martial arts simultaneously, his need for Martial Cognition Points was growing ever greater. He did not want his cultivation to come to a halt because he lacked Cognition Points.

He decided not to wait any longer and headed straight for Azure Cloud Residence to see Zhang Cong.

On one hand, he would seek Zhang Cong to make good on his promise. On the other, he could observe the Martial Intent at Azure Cloud Residence and gain Cognition Points from it. For now, the Inner Sect was not somewhere he could approach easily, making Azure Cloud Residence the most suitable place in the Outer Sect for him to obtain Cognition Points.

No sooner thought than done.

But for the sake of caution, before leaving, he still took out the Reverse Fate Art and burned it with the firestarter he carried with him.

In any case, he had already learned the martial art. All that remained was spending points to improve it. Whether he still possessed the book of the Reverse Fate Art no longer mattered. Keeping it would only invite disaster, so there was no need.

He had just burned the Reverse Fate Art and thoroughly ground the ashes beneath his foot.

When Zhang Chu hurried into the grove again.

He looked somewhat dejected.

"Boss, my sister knows now, but she doesn't have any good solution either. She could only tell you to destroy the book first... You can only pretend this never happened."

Li Yun could not help laughing.

Somewhat unwillingly, Zhang Chu said, "Boss, how can you still laugh?"

Li Yun said, "Why can't I laugh?"

"It was exactly what I expected."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Look... that book has already been burned."

Li Yun pointed at the ashes still faintly visible on the ground.

Zhang Chu took one look and could not help giving Li Yun a thumbs-up. "Boss, you're seriously amazing. You burned it just like that? Isn't that a little too decisive?"

Zhang Chu knew that although the Reverse Fate Art had been confirmed as a harmful book, when faced with a martial art said to improve one's aptitude, many people still could not resist the temptation and would secretly cultivate it.

Yet Li Yun had burned it the instant he said he would, without the slightest hesitation.

He could only say that Li Yun was too resolute, too decisive.

Li Yun secretly felt ashamed. He was not as resolute and decisive as Zhang Chu claimed. He had truly cultivated the Reverse Fate Art, but he obviously could not mention that—not even a single word.

So he feigned indifference and said, "What's there to think about? It's clearly something that harms people. If I don't burn it, why keep it around? To invite disaster?"

"Uh... true."

"Then what now, Boss? What are you planning to do?"

Zhang Chu did not think there was anything wrong with that. Since it had already been burned, he stopped dwelling on the matter and instead became concerned about Li Yun's plans.

"Me?"

"I'm going to see Elder Zhang Cong... What about you? Didn't you say Elder Zhang Cong has to call you Great-Uncle? Want to come along?"

"Go see Zhang Cong... uh, sure. Let's go together."

Zhang Chu grinned happily. "Perfect. Thanks to you, Boss, my Zhuang Gong has already reached Initial Mastery. I'll go ask Zhang Cong for a reward too."

"Then let's go."

The two then left the grove, chatting and laughing as they headed toward Azure Cloud Residence.

At the same time.

On a small path in the Outer Sect, Gu Yunzheng stood with two slightly older youths, watching Li Yun and Zhang Chu from afar.

Gu Yunzheng's gaze was somewhat sinister.

"Cousin, that's him. That guy is Li Yun. I hope you can help me think of a way to teach him a vicious lesson, preferably drive him out of the Celestial Martial Sect."

"After it's done, your little cousin will repay you handsomely!"