New Cultivation Method

With Zhao Kuo's departure, a new martial arts school disciple immediately filled the vacancy as instructor.

Liu Zhen, an elite disciple of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, had trained in martial arts for over a decade and already reached the third level of the Qi and Blood Great Realm—Bone Forging!

The new apprentice instructor was Liu Zhen.

Another early morning, the apprentices gathered in the square at dawn, looking up with reverent expressions at the blue-robed man on the high platform.

Today's Liu Zhen wore a long blue robe, his face cold and stern, unsmiling—clearly a very strict person.

Standing on the high platform, Liu Zhen swept his gaze over the crowd and said flatly, "I am your new instructor, Liu Zhen. For the next year or so, I will be teaching you the Martial Path!"

"Although you've already mastered the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's entry-level martial art, the Savage Bull Fist, it's obvious that your talent in this area isn't great!"

These words made the apprentices below blush crimson. Some wanted to argue, but found the words stuck in their throats.

After all, Liu Zhen's words, though harsh, were the truth. Otherwise, those present would have long since become true disciples of the school through the Savage Bull Fist.

Liu Zhen shifted his tone and continued, "But don't lose heart. If you have no talent in the Savage Bull Fist, it doesn't matter. Our Ox Demon Martial Arts School also has another entry-level martial art, the True Combined Strength. I believe you'll have more opportunities to join the school!"

As soon as Liu Zhen's words fell, the apprentices below stirred restlessly. After all, learning another martial art couldn't hurt.

And what if they were perfectly suited for this art called True Combined Strength? Wouldn't they quickly become true disciples and rise above others?

Many had already started fantasizing, but Liu Zhen on the platform let out a cold snort: "That said, don't underestimate the difficulty of True Combined Strength. After all, once you reach Minor Accomplishment, you can break through to Skin Refining and become a true martial artist!"

Liu Zhen's words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing the crowd harshly and snapping many back to reality.

Right—if they could barely reach Minor Accomplishment with the Savage Bull Fist, what made them think they could learn True Combined Strength faster?

But Shen Fan wasn't discouraged. Instead, the light in his eyes grew brighter.

A new martial art meant new resources. Before, his talent was so poor that it took him over a year just to master the Savage Bull Fist!

But now he had laid a solid foundation, and his talent had improved significantly. If he could master True Combined Strength, he believed the Attribute Panel would bring him some small surprises!

So he was determined to learn True Combined Strength well.

"The Martial Path is as hard as reaching the heavens. Just the first realm, the Qi and Blood Great Realm, has stumped countless young talents!" Liu Zhen sighed.

"May I ask, Senior Brother Liu, what realm have you reached?" an apprentice asked respectfully.

Liu Zhen didn't hide it. He raised his head and said, "This humble Liu is unaccomplished. After over a decade of training, I've only reached mere Bone Forging!"

Though he wore a look of shame, a hint of pride was unmistakable in his expression.

In Laiyang City, reaching the Bone Forging level at his age was already commendable. After all, the headmaster of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, Niu Nantian, was only a Viscera Refiner!

And a Viscera Refiner was already a front-line combatant in this small city!

The Martial Path was hard, growing harder with each step.

But Liu Zhen was confident he could step into the Viscera Refining level before his Qi and Blood declined, becoming one of those great figures!

Yet Liu Zhen's "self-deprecating" words didn't achieve the effect he'd hoped for. The commoners below actually thought he was weak and cast pitying glances his way.

This drove Liu Zhen crazy.

But he had to maintain his composure, so he continued smoothly, "The first realm of the Martial Path, the Qi and Blood Great Realm, is divided into five levels: Skin Refining, Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, Blood Coagulation, and finally Viscera Refining."

"Though there are only five levels, the gap between them is as vast as heaven and earth."

"A Skin Refining warrior has just stepped through the door of the Martial Path. Their Qi and Blood is just beginning to nourish the skin and membranes. Their strength is only twice that of an ordinary person—two or three hundred jin is already decent!

But once they step into Muscle Refining, it's a different story. At this realm, a warrior's strength skyrockets. At the peak of Muscle Refining, their full power can reach a thousand jin, possessing the strength of an ox!

A Bone Forging warrior has begun to touch Transcendence. With bronze skin and iron bones, they're hard to wound with blades. Their strength flows seamlessly, and every punch and kick carries immense power. No matter how many lower-level warriors gather, they can't match a Bone Forging warrior!

Your Senior Brother Liu here is at this realm!"

Liu Zhen said smugly, sneaking a glance at the crowd below. Finding no one to play along, his enthusiasm waned.

"As for the Blood Coagulation realm, it involves condensing the wonders of blood. Qi and Blood power surges wildly, allowing it to leave the body in attacks—extraordinary combat strength!

And the Viscera Refining realm draws Qi and Blood to nourish the internal organs, unifying the warrior's inner and outer self. Their strength and Qi and Blood undergo another transformation, gradually becoming inhuman. You could say that before a Viscera Refining powerhouse, even ten thousand mortal soldiers are nothing!"

At this, a glimmer of longing appeared in Liu Zhen's eyes. Viscera Refining—what a dream for so many warriors! Once achieved, the warrior's inner and outer self unified, not only did combat power soar, but they could lock in their Qi and Blood, maintaining peak condition for decades!

Unlike the earlier realms, where if you couldn't break through, age would bring a decline in Qi and Blood and a sharp drop in strength!

"Alright, that's enough for today's introduction. Next, I'll demonstrate the mysteries of the True Combined Strength technique. Watch carefully!" Seeing the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd below, Liu Zhen's mood dampened.

After a full demonstration, he left directly, ignoring everyone's stares!

Only then did the apprentices below realize they might have offended this new Senior Brother Liu.

"Should we have praised Senior Brother Liu just now?"

"Yeah, yeah. Senior Brother Liu is only thirty this year and already a Bone Forging warrior. That's pretty impressive, right?"

"Right, I feel like Senior Brother Liu is even stronger than Senior Brother Zhao was!"

The group whispered among themselves, regretting their coldness toward Senior Brother Liu. Almost no one paid attention to the True Combined Strength Liu Zhen had just demonstrated.

Except for one person—Shen Fan.

Though he too was awed by the wonders of the Martial Path realms Liu Zhen had described, he knew that overthinking was useless. When he truly reached that point, he would naturally understand the splendor of that realm.

So Shen Fan only caught the gist of it, but he rested up and carefully remembered the final True Combined Strength form that Liu Zhen demonstrated.

It was also thanks to Shen Fan's early preparation, combined with the improvement in his own talent, that he managed to memorize almost the entire True Combined Strength cultivation method in just one pass.

He only needed more practice, and he would surely grasp it quickly.

By the time morning practice ended, Shen Fan was already drenched in sweat. Still, looking at the Attribute Panel, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Host: Shen Fan

Talent: 9 (Unremarkable)

Lifespan: 40

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Beginner), True Combined Strength (Not Yet Begun)

Realm: None

After a period of practice, True Combined Strength had been recorded by the panel. This meant that from now on, every time Shen Fan trained, he would receive feedback from the panel.

It had to be said, for a Martial Artist, being able to get feedback with every practice was already a huge advantage. It was like grinding proficiency—watching yourself improve step by step. How could such a feeling not be addictive?

With a panel like this, which Martial Artist would ever slack off in training?