Meteor Falls from the Sky

Half a month later, the Wang family arrived in Lanzhou.

Lanzhou bordered You Province, and within it stood the largest sect in the Great Martial Empire—Yanhua Sect!

Yanhua Sect had existed for over a thousand years, with countless disciples. The entirety of Lanzhou was under Yanhua Sect's control. Officials and generals at every level either came from Yanhua Sect or had ties to it.

It could be said that in Lanzhou, Yanhua Sect's orders carried more weight than imperial decrees.

Qin Yan came from Yanhua Sect and was even a Transmission Elder, holding no lowly position.

Wang Ji had long since sent someone ahead to notify Qin Yan. Thus, by the time the Wang family arrived in Lanzhou, Qin Yan had already arranged their residence and everything else.

"Master, now you're truly bankrupt."

Qin Yan wanted to laugh, but he could not.

"Look at how pathetic you are. You're an elder of Yanhua Sect, after all."

"Though the Wang family's businesses are gone, we still have enough money for you to visit brothels."

Wang Ji looked as though he hated the sight of Qin Yan's lack of ambition.

"Whew... Then I'm relieved."

"Master, you don't know this. Though I'm a sect elder, my yearly stipend isn't much. Everything is getting more expensive these days. Relying on that stipend alone, a dignified sect elder like me can barely even afford to visit a brothel anymore."

Qin Yan let out a breath, then spoke with an aggrieved expression.

"Black-hearted sect. The stipend has stayed this low for decades without a single raise."

Qin Yan grumbled.

The group of Yanhua Sect disciples beside him looked around as though they had heard nothing.

In their hearts, they also thought Yanhua Sect was too ruthless. To become a Yanhua Sect disciple, they not only had to offer up vast sums of money every year, but also complete endless tasks.

The sect practically treated its disciples like livestock.

"Your esteemed sect truly is... skilled at making money and diligent in managing its household."

Wang Ji's lips twitched. Racking his brains, he came up with a few words and sighed against his conscience.

"Master, I can't help you with this one either. The Youzhou Governor is not someone to be trifled with."

Qin Yan spoke in a low voice.

"Nonsense. Of course I know he's not easy to provoke."

"If he were easy to deal with, would I have fled to Lanzhou like a stray dog?"

"If he were easy to deal with, I would have found a way to kill him long ago."

Wang Ji looked deeply frustrated.

"That's good, that's good. Master, you don't understand. His status as a prince means nothing. The key is that the old bastard is in the Heavenly Gang Realm."

"Uncle Qin, didn't you say that cultivation is one thing and strength is another?"

"Once your Saber Qi comes out, wouldn't killing him be as easy as lifting a hand?"

Wang Pan fanned the flames from the side. It was rare for him to see Qin Yan looking so cowardly.

Though he knew Wang Pan was teasing him, Qin Yan's face still reddened, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.

"Young Master, that may be true."

"But Young Master, do you know how one breaks through to the Heavenly Gang Realm?"

Qin Yan quickly regained his composure. He had accepted his fate—being unable to defeat a Heavenly Gang Realm expert was nothing shameful. He asked Wang Pan in return.

"I don't. Come to think of it, I've been at Marrow Cleansing Stage completion for quite some time, yet I haven't felt the slightest sign of a breakthrough."

Wang Pan became interested as well. He rose and poured Qin Yan a cup of tea, then waited for his explanation.

"Once a martial artist reaches Marrow Cleansing Stage completion, they can break through and cultivate the Heavenly Gang Realm when any one of the Sword Qi, Saber Qi, Fist Glow, and other such powers they have mastered reaches full completion."

Qin Yan took a sip of tea, swallowing the leaves along with it. He chewed them a few times and found them bland and tasteless, nowhere near as satisfying as wine.

"The fusion of conviction with a Martial Skill at the Peak of Perfection, along with a martial artist's qi and blood, does not happen overnight."

"However, the more conviction one fuses into it, the stronger the Saber Qi born from it will be."

"I have only fused thirty percent of my conviction so far, yet that already makes me no weakling among those in the Marrow Cleansing Stage."

"And since Young Master has not even found his conviction yet, the Heavenly Gang Realm is still too far away from you. That is why I did not mention these things to you too early."

"So that's how it is. No wonder I always felt that something was missing and could never grasp the feeling of a breakthrough."

After Qin Yan's explanation, Wang Pan finally understood.

"No wonder I never felt close to a breakthrough. I originally thought my foundation was simply too strong, making it harder for me to break through than ordinary people."

"So it turns out it's because I haven't found my own conviction."

"In other words, if a martial artist has not found their conviction, or if their conviction, Martial Skill, and qi and blood have not fused to full completion, then they will never be able to break through their realm."

Wang Pan muttered to himself, feeling truly foolish.

With a foundation far surpassing ordinary people, breaking through should not have been harder than usual. It should have been easier.

"Uncle Qin, do conviction, Martial Skill, and qi and blood truly have to reach full fusion before one can break through?"

Wang Pan was somewhat unwilling to accept it. Conviction was too intangible, too difficult for him.

"Without exception, from ancient times until now!"

Qin Yan answered with certainty.

"This is troublesome."

Wang Pan sighed. If things went badly, he might remain at Marrow Cleansing Stage completion for the rest of his life.

"However, the fact that there has never been an exception does not prove anything. Perhaps if I continue strengthening my foundation, constantly tempering myself, and cultivate from the Skin Refining Stage through the Marrow Cleansing Stage to an unprecedented level, my body may undergo a transformation. My lifespan and combat strength may reach a level no weaker than the Heavenly Gang Realm."

The gloom in Wang Pan's heart vanished, and his fighting spirit reignited.

After settling the Wang family, Wang Pan directly joined Yanhua Sect.

He became the foremost among the ten core disciples!

As for how he earned that ranking, naturally, Wang Pan had carved it out one sword strike at a time.

Although Wang Pan was the only one among the ten core disciples who had not comprehended conviction and could not use Saber Qi, Sword Qi, or anything of the sort—

His foundation was simply too strong to ignore. He was stronger than others in every realm, and after reaching Marrow Cleansing Stage completion, Wang Pan had far surpassed those of the same realm!

Moreover, over the years, Wang Pan had cultivated his Martial Skills to the Peak of Perfection, making up for his final weakness.

As a result, though Wang Pan's cultivation was merely at Marrow Cleansing Stage completion, his combat strength was so formidable that even Yanhua Sect's Sect Master and several Supreme Elders were astonished.

Yet alongside their amazement came unavoidable regret.

They believed that if Wang Pan comprehended conviction and fused it with his Martial Skills and qi and blood to produce Sword Qi, then even if he fused only ten percent, his strength could be called the greatest among Marrow Cleansing Stage martial artists in Yanhua Sect's thousand-year history.

Even so, Wang Pan's combat strength allowed him to fight dozens of martial artists of the same realm alone!

With Wang Pan and Qin Yan present, the Wang family not only did not decline, but instead rose to even greater heights.

Somewhere within the Great Kang Empire, the sky suddenly turned crimson. Countless birds and beasts fled from the forest in panic.

A meteor several miles in diameter crashed into White Bone Forest.

A terrifying Mushroom Cloud slowly rose, annihilating all life in the surrounding area.

A dreadful Shockwave spread outward, turning every obstruction in its path to ash.

The vast White Bone Forest was directly flattened, while the tribes near it were wiped out entirely.

This catastrophe inflicted severe losses upon the Great Kang Empire. Subsequent disasters followed one after another, throwing the Great Kang Empire into unrest.

The Great Martial Empire was not greatly affected. When the meteor fell, You Province merely experienced Earth Shakes, Mountains Tremble. Many houses collapsed, crushing many people to death.

But compared to the Great Kang Empire, such losses were simply not worth mentioning.

That year, Wang Pan was twenty-five years old.