First Cultivation!

Shelter No. 057, Warrior Residential Complex.

The night outside the window was hazy; it was already late.

The sound of running water in the bathroom stopped, and a fit young man wrapped in a robe pushed open the door and walked out.

After a full day of intense training at the martial arts grounds, Lin Ye returned to his own three-story house to rest.

While ordinary people could only live in prefabricated shacks or tents, he was already able to enjoy a detached house of his own.

This was the privilege of a Martial Artist!

Ever since humanity's large-scale war against monsters began, Martial Artists had stood at the forefront, fighting monsters to the death and making enormous sacrifices.

As a result, all of human society felt immense gratitude and admiration for Martial Artists.

This gave Martial Artists an exceptional status in human society.

At this moment.

Lin Ye lounged lazily on the sofa, holding his phone as he video-called a middle-aged woman. "Auntie, how has Yueyue been doing this past week?"

Aunt Lin said, "Yueyue has spent most of her time asleep these days. She rarely wakes up, but whenever she does, she has a good appetite."

"That's good." Lin Ye spoke softly. "The night after tomorrow, I'll be back at South Bank Fortress. Then I'll take you to Shan City, find a place for us to settle down, and get Yueyue properly treated."

With this huge sum of money in hand, the first thing Lin Ye thought about was how to treat his younger sister.

"That would be wonderful."

Aunt Lin nodded slightly. "Yueyue has missed you a lot lately. She even murmurs your name in her sleep."

Lin Ye fell silent for a moment before saying, "Very soon, I'll make sure my sister fully recovers and escapes that virus's erosion!"

"Yueyue and I believe in you!"

"B-Brother..."

Suddenly, a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz sounded out. From the voice alone, one could tell it belonged to a delicate, pretty girl.

"Xiaoye, wait a moment." Auntie's voice came through, and then the screen went black.

When Lin Ye's camera feed returned, a girl with a pure, beautiful face appeared on-screen, looking like a princess.

She was around fourteen or fifteen. Anyone who saw her would be drawn to her exquisitely beautiful, almost dreamlike face, while her blinking eyes gleamed like crystals.

At that moment, the girl, whose face was as pale as paper, looked at Lin Ye with a sweet, faint smile. "Brother, when are you coming back? Yueyue misses you... I really miss you!"

Hearing that, Lin Ye immediately sat up from the sofa and said in the gentlest voice possible, "At the latest, I'll be back to see you the day after tomorrow."

"And I'll bring you a present too!" Lin Ye said mysteriously.

"Really... Then Yueyue will obediently wait for Brother to come back... This time, Brother has to stay with Yueyue for a long, long time..."

Lin Xiyue pursed her lips lightly as she spoke lazily.

Even though they had only been apart for a week, to her, it felt as though many years had passed.

So she nearly poured out all the longing she had felt for Lin Ye in one breath.

On the other end of the video call, Lin Ye listened intently to every word Lin Xiyue said, the corners of his lips gradually lifting into a curve he did not even notice.

"Brother, I want you to come back..."

"Brother, I want to hear you tell stories..."

"Brother, I miss Mom and Dad..."

"..."

Just those few sentences nearly exhausted all the strength Lin Xiyue had accumulated over so long. Her eyes were almost closing as she drifted into a deep sleep. "So sleepy... Brother... I'm going to sleep again..."

"Yueyue is the most obedient girl in the world. Be good and wait for me." Lin Ye smiled, his gaze so gentle it seemed ready to melt.

No one could have imagined that the Martial Artist who killed so fiercely on the battlefield had such a tender side.

As they talked, the rosy little girl slowly lay back down with the middle-aged woman's support.

Aunt Lin kept the camera focused on Lin Xiyue for a while so Lin Ye could get a good look at his sister.

Looking at Lin Xiyue sleeping deeply on the screen, Lin Ye felt a tightness in his chest.

He was very familiar with that sleeping face.

For more than a year, his Yueyue had spent most of her time asleep and rarely awake.

Whenever Yueyue was awake, she would cook for him and tell him stories about their childhood...

To cure Yueyue, he fought desperately to gather monster materials and buy medicine to keep her alive... Yet against the RT Mutant Virus, the medicine was becoming less and less effective...

Because of this, Lin Ye had no choice but to enter the Wilderness Area more frequently and fight monsters, struggling to win Lin Xiyue that sliver of hope for survival.

With that thought, Lin Ye took out a book about half a centimeter thick.

Secretary Xu had given it to him: the military's latest Gene Energy Cultivation Method—the Nine Splendor Art.

It was a secret manual that included the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method, yet the military had used it to show goodwill toward Lin Ye.

Naturally, Lin Ye gladly accepted it.

Opening the first page of the Nine Splendor Art, Lin Ye felt as if he had entered an entirely new world.

[Among all martial arts under heaven, nothing can withstand a single blow; only speed is undefeated!]

The first flamboyant line of writing on the title page did not put the slightest pressure on Lin Ye.

Instead, it instantly calmed him, leaving his mind clear and tranquil.

"The Nine Splendor Art I created aims to cultivate the heart and focus the spirit, transforming the energy of the universe into one's own Gene Energy and growing stronger quickly."

As he read line after line, shock rose within him.

"Martial arts under heaven emphasize that nothing can withstand a single blow and that only speed is undefeated. Yet the fundamental essence of the Nine Splendor Art I created lies in this—break ten thousand techniques with strength, and evade ten thousand enemies with speed!"

Lin Ye's eyes shone brightly as he read.

It was as though he could see a confident senior guiding him down the path.

"Likewise, the Guidance Technique within the Nine Splendor Art I created allows Martial Artists to possess the strongest physiques and the most terrifying strength."

"For saber techniques and movement techniques, please refer to the middle and later sections of the Nine Splendor Art..."

Lin Ye: "..."

After turning through the author's words on the first three pages, all he got was a "find out next time."

"No wonder that secretary gave me this Gene Energy Cultivation Method so easily. She dug a pit here and waited for me to fall into it..."

Thinking of Secretary Xu's meaningful smile when they parted, he finally understood.

"In that case, I'll cultivate according to the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method and the Guidance Technique in the Nine Splendor Art!"

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his other thoughts and calmed his mind.

This was his first time cultivating Gene Energy.

Just as the cultivation method described.

After adjusting his breathing, Lin Ye began sensing the energy of the universe.

In the silent room, his breathing gradually steadied, and his state of mind quickly became peaceful as well.

"Relax the body. Let the five centers naturally face the heavens. Keep the heart as still as a mirror."

As an elite Martial Artist, he had excellent control over his own body.

At that moment, he assumed a Daoist meditation posture, with the palms of both hands and the soles of both feet facing upward, and soon became completely still.

Even his breathing became nearly imperceptible.

Ten minutes...

Half an hour...

One hour...

For a full two hours, he tried to sense the cosmic energy drifting through space.

But in the end, he found nothing.

"Something's wrong. Why can't I feel anything at all?" Lin Ye had a bad feeling.

But he still chose to calm himself and try again.

Another half hour passed, yet he still did not feel the slightest thing.

Opening his eyes, he sprang up from the floor.

"I heard that ordinary geniuses can sense cosmic energy after cultivating for a single day. If one's talent is lacking, though, there's no telling how long it will take."

"Could it be that I really need a year and a half before I can sense cosmic energy?"

How could he possibly accept that?

"Maybe I can use the feeling of Point Allocation to find a way to sense cosmic energy."

"Mm, that could work!"

Lin Ye seized upon the thought that suddenly flashed through his mind and put it into action...