First Cultivation!

Shelter No. 057, Martial Artist District.

Outside the window, the night was hazy, already deep into the small hours.

The sound of rushing water in the bathroom ceased, and a lean, muscular young man wrapped in a robe pushed the door open and stepped out.

After a full day of high-intensity training in the practice grounds, Lin Ye returned to his three-story villa to rest.

While ordinary civilians could only live in prefab houses or tents, he already enjoyed his own standalone home.

Such was the privilege of a martial artist!

Ever since the large-scale war between humanity and monsters began, martial artists—charging at the forefront, fighting to the death against the beasts—had made immense sacrifices.

Thus, all of human society felt boundless gratitude and admiration for them.

This had granted martial artists an exalted status within human civilization.

At this moment.

Lin Ye lounged lazily on the sofa, phone in hand, video-calling a middle-aged woman: "Auntie, how has Yueyue been this past week?"

Auntie Lin: "Yue'er has been asleep most of these days, waking up rarely. But every time she does, her appetite is pretty good."

"That's good to hear." Lin Ye said softly. "The night after tomorrow, I'll return to South Bank Fortress, then take you both to Shan City, find a place to settle down, and give Yueyue proper treatment."

With this large sum of money in hand, Lin Ye's first thought was how to cure his sister.

"That would be for the best."

Auntie Lin nodded slightly and said, "Yue'er has been missing you so much these days. Even in her dreams, she murmurs your name."

Lin Ye paused for a moment, then spoke, "Soon, I'll make my sister fully recover and shake off that virus's erosion!"

"Yue'er and I believe in you!"

"Bro...ther..."

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

"Xiao Ye, wait for me." Auntie's voice came through, and then the screen went dark.

When Lin Ye's phone camera came back into focus, the image showed a girl with a pure, flawless face, like a princess.

About fourteen or fifteen years old. Anyone who saw her would be captivated by her almost dreamlike, exquisite features, her blinking eyes spilling out crystal-bright sparkles.

At this moment, this girl, whose face was as pale as paper, was looking at Lin Ye with a sweet, shallow smile: "Brother, when are you coming back? Yueyue misses you so much... really misses you!"

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

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

"Really... then Yue'er will wait obediently for you to come back... This time, brother has to stay with Yue'er for a long, long time..."

Lin Xiyue lightly pressed her lips together and spoke lazily.

Even though only a week had passed since they last saw each other, to him, it felt like years.

So she poured out almost all the longing in her heart for Lin Ye in one breath.

On the other end of the video, Lin Ye listened intently to every word Lin Xiyue said, a faint curve forming at the corner of his mouth—a smile he himself didn't notice.

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

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

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

"..."

Just a few sentences nearly drained all the strength Lin Xiyue had saved up. She was almost closing her eyes, sinking into a deep sleep: "So sleepy... Brother... I'm going to sleep again..."

"Yueyue is the best girl in the world. Wait for me obediently." Lin Ye said with a smile, his eyes so tender they could almost drip water.

No one would ever guess that the martial artist who fought so fiercely on the battlefield could have such a gentle side.

As they chatted, the delicate little girl on the other end slowly lay down, helped by the middle-aged woman.

Auntie Lin held the camera over Lin Xiyue's face for a moment, letting Lin Ye take a good look at his sister.

Watching Lin Xiyue, who had fallen into a deep sleep on the screen, Lin Ye felt a tightness in his chest.

He was very familiar with that sleeping face.

Over the past year and more, his Yueyue had spent most of her time asleep, waking up only rarely.

When Yueyue was awake, she would cook for him, tell him stories from when they were little...

To cure Yueyue, he fought desperately, collecting monster materials, buying medicine to keep her alive... But against the RT Mutant Virus, the medicine's effects were getting weaker and weaker...

For this reason, Lin Ye had to venture into the wilderness more and more often to fight monsters, fighting for that sliver of a chance for Lin Xiyue to survive.

With this thought, Lin Ye pulled out a book about half a centimeter thick.

It was a gift from Secretary Xu—the military's latest Gene Energy Cultivation Method: the Nine Splendor Art.

This was a manual containing the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method, yet the military had used it to curry favor with Lin Ye.

Naturally, Lin Ye gladly accepted.

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

[All martial arts under heaven—nothing is indestructible; only speed cannot be broken!]

The bold, sweeping first line on the title page brought Lin Ye no pressure at all.

Instead, it instantly calmed him, his entire mind clear and spirit bright.

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

He read on, line by line, his heart shaken.

"All martial arts under heaven emphasize that nothing is indestructible, only speed cannot be broken. But the fundamental essence of my Nine Splendor Art lies in this—one force breaks ten thousand techniques, one speed dodges ten thousand foes!"

Lin Ye's eyes lit up as he read.

He felt as if he saw a confident senior guiding him forward.

"Likewise, the Guidance Technique within my Nine Splendor Art can grant a martial artist the strongest physique and the most fearsome power."

"As for blade techniques and body movement, see the middle and lower volumes of the Nine Splendor Art..."

Lin Ye: "..."

When he finished flipping through the first three pages of the author's words, all he got was a "see the next installment for the answer."

"No wonder that secretary handed me this Gene Energy Cultivation Method so easily—she was setting a trap for me here..."

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

"Well then, I'll just cultivate using the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method and the Guidance Technique from the Nine Splendor Art!"

He took a deep breath, pushing aside other thoughts, calming his mind.

This was his first time cultivating Gene Energy.

As described in the cultivation method.

Lin Ye adjusted his breathing and began to sense the energy of the universe.

In the silent stillness, his breath gradually slowed, and his mind quickly settled into peace.

"Relax the body, let the five hearts naturally face heaven, the heart as calm as a mirror."

As an elite martial artist, he had excellent control over himself.

Now, assuming the Daoist seated posture—palms up, soles up—he soon fell completely still.

His breathing became barely perceptible.

Ten minutes...

Half an hour...

An hour...

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

But in the end, he gained nothing.

"Something's off—why can't I feel a thing?" A sense of unease crept into Lin Ye's heart.

Still, he chose to calm himself and try again.

Half an hour passed, and he still felt nothing.

He opened his eyes, sprang up from the ground with a carp flip.

"They say ordinary geniuses can sense cosmic energy after a single day of cultivation. If your talent isn't enough, the time required is anyone's guess."

"Could it really take me a year or more just to sense cosmic energy?"

How could he accept that?

"Why not use the feeling of Point Allocation to find a way to sense cosmic energy?"

"Yeah, that could work!"

The sudden thought that flashed through his mind, Lin Ye seized it firmly and put it into action...