"Think of the martial realm, from the lowest level to the highest, as building a skyscraper."
He Qing patiently began explaining it to Lu Feng.
"The first realm mainly tempers the skin and muscles, so it's called the Copper Skin Realm; the second tempers the bones and meridians, so it's called the Iron Bone Realm. Together, these two realms are known as the foundation of martial arts. Just like building a skyscraper, if you want it to rise high, you have to lay a solid foundation."
"Once your skin, muscles, bones, and meridians have all been tempered, you've completely left the ranks of ordinary people. In particular, once your meridians have been tempered, they can hold Cosmic Energy, which is what Warriors commonly call True Qi."
"Once Warriors enter the Third Realm, they can sense the Cosmic Energy that's everywhere between heaven and earth and draw it into their meridians to use as their own. That's why this realm is called the Meridian Condensing Realm."
"When Meridian Condensing Realm Warriors fight, they can draw on the True Qi in their meridians and unleash strength far beyond that of Low-level Warriors."
"You're still at Copper Skin Realm Perfection. Although you're already far stronger than an ordinary person, you'd naturally be powerless against a Three Realm Martial Artist who can use True Qi."
He Qing had no idea that in the more than two months since graduation, his student had already broken through to the Seventh Level of the Second Realm, making him a proper Iron Bone Realm Peak Warrior.
Lu Feng didn't reveal the truth, either. Instead, he continued asking, "What comes after the Third Realm?"
"Above the Meridian Condensing Realm is the Innate Realm. Once a Warrior reaches Meridian Condensing Realm Perfection, continued cultivation can form an Innate Qi Sea inside the body. The Innate Qi Sea can store vast amounts of Cosmic Energy, which can be released through the meridians in battle with tremendous force."
"But forming an Innate Qi Sea is extremely difficult. You need to absorb a huge amount of Cosmic Energy in a short time. Using a Star Source Stone to assist you would greatly increase your chances of success."
At this, he sighed softly. "Warriors who manage to enter the Innate Realm are one in a hundred."
He Qing was in his thirties, yet he had only just reached the Fifth Level of the Meridian Condensing Realm. He still had a long way to go before reaching the Innate Realm.
"What comes after the Innate Realm?" Lu Feng asked, growing more and more engrossed.
It was a common failing of the young: they were intensely curious about the realms of those powerful figures they had never encountered.
"Above the Innate Realm is the Martial Artist Fifth Realm. It's a realm that inspires awe, known as the Martial Arts Grandmaster realm."
"Grandmasters can project True Qi. The power of a single palm strike is enough to easily destroy a skyscraper. And even... they say Grandmasters can walk freely through the vacuum of space."
"Walk through a vacuum?!" Lu Feng's eyes widened in shock.
"That's right. Grandmasters have immense True Qi within them. They only need to cover themselves with it to withstand the extreme cold of space, cosmic radiation, and even impacts from small meteorites."
"Then if a Grandmaster went to fight on another planet, wouldn't he be able to go without an Alloy Mecha?"
"Of course. The True Qi in their bodies offers far better protection than an Alloy Mecha. But breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm is harder than reaching the heavens. Such experts are truly one in ten thousand."
Teacher and student talked for a long time.
This was He Qing's last lesson for his student. From that day on, Lu Feng began to yearn endlessly for the world beyond Tianlan Star.
He longed to one day travel to other planets and fight like the Expeditionary Force, absorbing more energy;
He also hoped to become like the Grandmasters of legend, with such powerful cultivation that he could travel freely through the vacuum of space without relying on any technological equipment.
Inside a detached villa by Moon Gazing Lake, in the center of Jinzhou City.
Zheng Tong stood before an old man with two bruised and battered bodyguards, reporting what had happened.
"Grandpa! That guy actually dared to lay hands on our people."
"Oh?"
Zheng Henian looked over the two battered bodyguards, his expression turning cold. "Who would dare be so bold as to bully the Zheng Family?"
"It was my homeroom teacher. He went to the Education Bureau to complain last time, but we let it go. I didn't expect him to go even further today."
"Why did he attack you for no reason?"
"I ran into him when I came out of the Beast Fighting Arena. I just said I wouldn't hold it against him, out of respect for our teacher-student relationship, but he attacked me without a word. If I hadn't dodged in time, I probably would've..."
Zheng Tong twisted the truth, putting all the blame on He Qing.
As the Vice City Lord of Jinzhou, Zheng Henian was a shrewd man. Naturally, he wouldn't believe his grandson's one-sided account outright.
But it was a fact that one of his family's Warriors had been beaten.
An ordinary teacher who'd been fired had repeatedly picked a fight with the Zheng Family. He had crossed the line.
"If he's that ungrateful, then let's make sure he disappears from Jinzhou City for good."
Late that night, He Qing walked Lu Feng to the entrance of Xiangyang Residential Area.
"Go home and get some rest. Don't go to the Beast Fighting Arena again."
"Okay. Teacher, will we see each other again?"
"That depends on fate. Who knows when I'll return from interstellar travel? But there's an old saying on the Mother Star: fallen leaves return to their roots. When I'm old, I'll definitely come back."
"Okay. I wish you a safe journey, Teacher!"
After a brief farewell, Lu Feng turned and walked into the residential area.
He Qing stood by the roadside, about to hail a cab.
Suddenly, a shadow shot out from the darkness.
The attacker was a Fourth Realm Warrior. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of He Qing.
"Who's there?"
He had barely spoken when a flash of cold light flickered in the attacker's hand. An Alloy Short Blade thrust straight at him.
He Qing instinctively tried to step back and dodge, but his opponent was too fast. Beneath the dim streetlight, the blade plunged into his chest in an instant.
An icy chill swept over him, and blood gushed out.
The teacher, who had taught for more than ten years, crumpled to the ground. He hadn't even managed to see his killer's face before his breath was gone.
Lu Feng had only just walked a few steps into the residential area when he heard something unusual outside. He stopped, then immediately turned back.
When he saw He Qing lying in a pool of blood, the boy's pupils contracted.
"Teacher!"
He charged forward like a madman and tremblingly lifted He Qing into his arms.
The body in his arms was still warm, but the shocking scarlet stain on the chest and the motionless torso already told him the worst had happened.
"Teacher! Wake up!"
Lu Feng's voice trembled in the night wind.
He tried in vain to press down on the fatal wound. Warm blood quickly soaked his fingers.
The teacher who had just been giving him earnest advice and talking with him about martial arts and the future was rapidly losing the last of his life in Lu Feng's arms. The eyes that had always held warmth and hope would never open again.
Overwhelming grief and disbelief surged over the boy like a tide, drowning him in an instant.
The Military Region Warrior who had been secretly protecting Lu Feng had no choice but to reveal himself in the face of the sudden turn of events and help call an ambulance.
"It was you... You killed my teacher?"
Seeing a stranger emerge from the darkness, Lu Feng instinctively mistook him for the killer.
"I'll kill you!"
The boy pulled an Alloy Dagger from his arms and charged at the man with a roar, stabbing at him wildly.
This dagger... was the graduation gift He Qing had given him on the day of the college entrance exams!
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