After his Body Cultivation entered the first level of the Innate Martial Master Realm, Zhao Ping'an's first feeling was power. Boundless power filled every inch of his body, making him feel as though he could smash Feather Mountain with a single punch.
If the Turtle Shell Art mainly strengthened the skin, then the Ironclad Art mainly strengthened the muscles and bones, while the Bronze Armor Art strengthened the internal organs.
Of course, they only differed in which area they focused on. Each time, they enhanced the whole body from the inside out.
The internal organs were like the body's engine. Strengthening them would bring a comprehensive increase in the body's essence, energy, and spirit.
Better digestion and absorption, and a more abundant supply of essence, energy, and spirit, not only meant greater stamina in battle, but also meant Zhao Ping'an would have more time to cultivate.
Now, he only needed about two shichen of rest a day—half a shichen at noon and one and a half shichen at night—to stay full of energy all day.
That meant his strength would grow even faster.
After cultivating for just a few months, Zhao Ping'an's status panel had already become:
[Name: Zhao Ping'an] [Realm: Third Level Houtian Martial Artist] [Body Cultivation: First Level Innate Martial Master] Cultivation Methods: [Bronze Armor Art (First-rate Cultivation Method): 0/400 (First Stage, simplified) Repeatedly crash your body into a stone pillar 100 times to gain 1 point of Training Progress] [One Qi Art (Second-rate Cultivation Method): 36/300 (Third Stage, simplified) Sit quietly and absorb Heavenly Qi for ten minutes to gain 1 point of Training Progress] Martial Arts: [Blade Draw Slash (Second-rate Cultivation Method): 300/300 (Mastered, simplified) Ready for deduction!] [Deduction Points: 91%] (Method for gaining Deduction Points: omitted!)
"Almost there! In two days, I'll be able to deduce Blade Draw Slash."
Looking at the [Deduction Points: 91%] on his panel, Zhao Ping'an murmured to himself. Bare-chested, he picked up the clothes on the ground and headed back to his room.
The sun had set.
As his strength grew, his appetite grew larger and the effects of his medicinal baths dwindled. He now gained only half as many Deduction Points each day as before, around four or five.
He needed better Spiritual Medicine to gain more Deduction Points.
Unfortunately, there was none up in the mountains.
And for the time being, he didn't want to go down the mountain. Nor did he have a reason to.
After dinner, Zhao Ping'an returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began breathing in and out Heavenly Qi.
Now, he spent about half a shichen absorbing Heavenly Qi each morning and nearly two shichen each night.
In other words, he spent almost five hours a day sitting on his bed and breathing in and out Heavenly Qi, which could raise his One Qi Art Training Progress by about 30 points.
He had a full hour, or even more, of practice time beyond what ordinary cultivators got, and was completely free of the two-shichen limit that ordinary Martial Artists faced.
He could increase his Martial Artist Realm by one level every ten days or so. His progress was ridiculously fast.
If he didn't have to practice other cultivation methods and martial arts, he could even spend most of the day breathing in and out Heavenly Qi.
Life in the mountains was as calm as still water. Apart from his three senior brothers and sisters returning together once every six months, Zhao Ping'an spent most of his time keeping to himself. Every day, he did nothing but cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate some more.
In this world, he only had his Master, Mistress, and a few senior brothers and sisters. They were his family, and he was content to keep cultivating here, carefree and worry-free.
It was just that his Deduction Points were growing more and more slowly. If he never ran short of them, he might even have stayed in the mountains cultivating until the end of time.
At the Blazing Blade Sect, he was like an invisible man. Most of the sect's disciples were at the foot of the mountain, and hardly ever came into contact with him.
Most of the Blazing Blade Sect disciples down the mountain didn't even know he existed.
As for the direct disciples, they already knew he was an ordinary person with a pitifully poor cultivation talent, so they didn't bother with him.
The stewards and elders didn't speak harshly to him, out of respect for his Master, but they ignored him all the same.
Day after day passed...
In late spring of the second year, Fourth Senior Disciple Brother Liu Zhe also broke through into the Houtian Martial Artist Realm.
At the time, Fourth Senior Disciple Brother was only a little over eighteen.
Zhao Ping'an remembered that day clearly. His Master had been very happy and drank a lot of wine, muttering the words "there's hope for a Grandmaster" over and over.
By then, Zhao Ping'an's Body Cultivation had already reached the first level of the Grandmaster Realm. He wondered what Zheng Hetong would think if he knew.
A few months later, Fourth Senior Disciple Brother went down the mountain with the three senior brothers and sisters who had come up to visit Master and Mistress.
Zhao Ping'an, whose strength had long since surpassed the Innate Realm, had learned the lightness skill he had dreamed of during those months, from Fourth Senior Disciple Brother.
It was a Second-rate Martial Art called Swallow Art!
[Swallow Art (Second-rate Martial Art): 0/300 (Not yet initiated, simplified) Run 1,000 meters continuously to gain 1 point of Training Progress]
For Zhao Ping'an, a mere 1,000 meters took less than two minutes. He could run faster than the world record from his previous life.
With Fourth Senior Disciple Brother gone down the mountain, the spacious little courtyard grew even quieter.
Most of the time, only Zhao Ping'an and Mistress were there, along with a few servants who cleaned and waited on them.
As one of the Blazing Blade Sect's four great elders, Zheng Hetong was very busy. He often went down the mountain and would be gone for a month or so at a time.
Those were also the times Zhao Ping'an was freest, since he didn't have to pretend to practice the Body Forging Art and could spend more time on other cultivation methods.
Mistress Zhao Xiuyun knew a little martial arts too, but only health-preserving techniques. Her cultivation was at the initial stage of the Martial Artist Realm, and she probably couldn't even beat some peak Martial Warriors.
She didn't keep track of his Training Progress, leaving him to cultivate as he pleased. Just like his name, all she wanted was for him to stay safe and well.
Time flew past without a trace. Before he knew it, Zhao Ping'an had been practicing martial arts for over three years.
It had also been more than a year since Fourth Senior Disciple Brother went down the mountain.
"Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!..."
Deep in the forest, the blade flashed soundlessly, swift as lightning.
It cut through the air, sending out one sharp, slicing hiss after another.
Clang!
After an unknown length of time, the long blade slid back into its sheath!
A figure stood quietly in the woods, six feet tall, with swordlike brows, bright eyes, and a straight, stately bearing.
His bare upper body was built with sharply defined muscles, their flowing contours radiating an explosive power.
"Whew!..."
Zhao Ping'an let out a long breath and walked toward the clear spring in the woods, intending to wash himself off.
He was nearly eighteen now, an adult by the standards of his previous life. In this world of martial artists, which was closer to the Song dynasty of China, plenty of people had already married and had children by his age.
Still, people who practiced martial arts usually married late.
Take Senior Disciple Brother Ji Xiangming, for example. He was nearly twenty-seven this year and was only now preparing to marry.
Half a month ago, Senior Disciple Brother had personally come up the mountain to tell Master, Mistress, and Zhao Ping'an the news. He planned to marry Zhao Manling in a month.
Only then did Zhao Ping'an learn who Zhao Manling was: Mistress's niece, the granddaughter of her second uncle.
Zhao Ping'an only listened to these matters for the gossip. What truly mattered to him was that he was going down the mountain.
Senior Disciple Brother's wedding couldn't be held up here on the mountain. It would take place in South Ridge City.
As one of the Blazing Blade Sect's rising stars, Ji Xiangming had reached the eighth level of the Martial Artist Realm. After years of saving, he had bought a house in South Ridge City.
It wasn't large, but it was enough to call home.
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