Invitation

Aperture Awakening? Opening the Upper Dantian Palace? Wu Yuan froze.

In his previous life, when his mental will had reached its peak, he had indeed faintly sensed the existence of the Upper Dantian Palace. He just hadn't managed to open it.

In this life, Wu Yuan was certain he hadn't opened the Upper Dantian Palace.

"Haha, Wu Yuan, it's only natural that you don't know." Gao Yu sighed. "Aperture Awakening—opening the Upper Dantian Palace—isn't something that can be tested."

"It can't be detected?" Wu Yuan looked puzzled.

"Right. The three Dantian Palaces are all mysterious. The Lower Dantian Palace is the least so, and the most tangible. Earth Ranking Grandmasters have all opened it, and can use their internal force to probe another person's Lower Dantian Palace." Gao Yu continued, "But the Middle Dantian Palace? Even Earth Ranking Grandmasters have trouble opening their own, let alone probing someone else's."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The Middle Dantian Palace was where the sea of qi resided. It involved the mysteries of the Hundred Acupoints of the Heavenly Cycle, already beyond the limits of the human body—profoundly mysterious!

In his previous life, Wu Yuan had barely managed to open it.

"Then how did our forebears confirm the existence of the Upper Dantian Palace?" Wu Yuan tactfully played the straight man.

"It was confirmed by experts on the Heavenly Ranking." A trace of reverence shone in Gao Yu's eyes. "Earth Ranking Grandmasters represent the limits of the human body."

"Break through those limits, and you reach the Heavenly Ranking!"

"Heavenly Ranking Experts possess extraordinary abilities beyond our imagination. They can be called Land Immortals. Legend has it that they've not only fully opened the Lower Dantian Palace and the Middle Dantian Palace, but even the Upper Dantian Palace!" Gao Yu said solemnly. "Of course, it's only a legend. I don't know if it's true."

"Open the Upper Dantian Palace?" Wu Yuan looked yearning.

In truth, Wu Yuan's heart was surging just as wildly.

He now had a rough idea of the realm he had nearly entered in his previous life.

Perhaps it was what the Central Land World called the Heavenly Ranking!

"Haha, don't get ahead of yourself. Earth Ranking Grandmasters really exist, and ordinary people might even get the chance to see one. But Heavenly Ranking experts are myths among men." Gao Yu smiled. "Many First-class Experts and top experts might go their whole lives without ever seeing a single Heavenly Ranking expert."

"This disciple understands." Wu Yuan nodded repeatedly.

He looked humble and eager to learn.

"Whether your Aperture Awakening means you've opened the Upper Dantian Palace, I can't verify. Even Earth Ranking Grandmasters can't test for it." Gao Yu looked at Wu Yuan. "But judging by how quickly you've improved, I think you probably have opened it."

"That's why your Martial Arts Technique has advanced so rapidly, and in turn affected your Middle Dantian Palace and Lower Dantian Palace, causing your physical abilities to improve by leaps and bounds."

"I see." Wu Yuan looked enlightened.

Aperture Awakening? Wu Yuan knew full well he hadn't experienced anything of the sort.

But Gao Yu had gone and "filled in the blanks" for him with such a perfect excuse. Not taking advantage of it would waste all that good intention.

"Wu Yuan, one person in a hundred million might open the Upper Dantian Palace. I've spoken with your Master Huan, and you've worked incredibly hard in your cultivation, too. I have high hopes for you." Gao Yu looked at Wu Yuan. "You know about Cloud Martial Hall, right?"

Wu Yuan nodded.

The Martial Academies in the various urban districts and towns were basic academies. Any child of the right age could voluntarily enroll for training, and they automatically left at ten.

County and prefectural sect academies were intermediate academies. They accepted far fewer disciples, and the difference was that the disciples selected by prefectural sect academies had greater talent.

As for Nanmeng Martial Academy, there was only one in the entire prefecture. It was an advanced academy and accepted very few disciples, with a maximum of two thousand a year.

After all, how many people lived in Nanmeng Prefecture? More than twenty million!

Cloud Martial Hall, meanwhile, was the top academy in Hengyun Sect's territory. A prefecture usually accepted just one disciple each year.

Cloud Martial Hall admitted fewer than a hundred disciples a year.

Everyone who entered was a talented martial artist.

Take Liu Ruyan, for example. She might have had a bit of an advantage in how she got there, but her strength was still above average among Seventh-Rank Warriors, despite being only fifteen.

Before she turned eighteen, she had a ninety-nine percent chance of becoming a Martial Master.

In her twenties, she'd very likely become a Proficient Expert.

The odds of her becoming a Second-class Expert were high, too!

As for becoming a First-class Expert, that would depend on Liu Ruyan's future fortunes and how hard she worked.

"Cloud Martial Hall only accepts disciples under sixteen, and over ninety percent of them eventually become Proficient Experts."

"But that shouldn't be your goal." Gao Yu looked at Wu Yuan. "Your goal should be to become a Cloud Martial True Inheritance, at the very least!"

"Perhaps even a Heavenly Martial True Inheritance!" Gao Yu said solemnly.

"Cloud Martial True Inheritance? Heavenly Martial True Inheritance?" Wu Yuan looked puzzled.

He'd never heard of them.

"Wu Yuan," Huan Xinyan said from beside them, "Cloud Martial Hall accepts very few disciples, but each disciple can remain there for up to ten years. As the years add up, Cloud Martial Hall always has more than five hundred disciples."

"Our Hengyun Sect treats all its disciples equally: the capable rise, and the weak fall."

"Competition within Cloud Martial Hall is fierce. The stronger you are, the more cultivation resources you receive. The most outstanding are the Ten True Inheritances."

"They're also known as the Cloud Martial True Inheritances."

"The Cloud Martial True Inheritances represent the most outstanding disciples of Hengyun Sect's younger generation. There are only ever ten of them." Huan Xinyan explained.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Were these Cloud Martial True Inheritances like the "Ten Outstanding Young Martial Artists" from his previous life?

"How strong are the Cloud Martial True Inheritances?" Wu Yuan asked, as if he couldn't help himself.

Gao Yu and Huan Xinyan exchanged a glance.

This was exactly what they'd hoped for: Wu Yuan showing interest. Talented youngsters were always unwilling to be outdone by their peers!

"Cloud Martial True Inheritances have to be under twenty-six. They're usually Second-class Experts." Gao Yu smiled. "But the current leader among them is also the greatest genius of our Hengyun Sect today, Xu Hui. He's only twenty-four, yet he's already a First-class Expert!"

"Xu Hui? A First-class Expert at twenty-four?" Wu Yuan wore the expected look of "shock."

But he was wondering how many blows his opponent could withstand.

Three? Five?

Still, Wu Yuan knew that a First-class Expert at twenty-four was incredibly impressive by normal standards!

"As for the Heavenly Martial True Inheritance, the requirements are even stricter, and there's no fixed standard. The last time our Hengyun Sect produced one was thirty years ago." Gao Yu smiled. "Once you become a Cloud Martial True Inheritance, you'll understand the requirements."

"Me? Become a Cloud Martial True Inheritance?" Wu Yuan seemed taken aback.

"Yes."

"Wu Yuan." Gao Yu looked at him solemnly. "I'm here now on behalf of Hengyun Sect to invite you to enter Cloud Martial Hall directly for cultivation. When you formally join the sect in the future, you'll also join the Finance and Engineering Hall."

"I can make this promise on behalf of the Finance and Engineering Hall: once you agree, the resources you receive while cultivating at Cloud Martial Hall will be no less than those of any True Inheritance disciple."

"Once you become a Cloud Martial True Inheritance, the Finance and Engineering Hall will spare no effort to help you claim the title of Heavenly Martial True Inheritance!"

"In the future, you'll have every chance of becoming the master of the Finance and Engineering Hall, and even claiming the position of sect leader. You may even have a shot at becoming an Earth Ranking Grandmaster." Gao Yu spoke slowly.

Huan Xinyan, beside them, was already dumbfounded.

She could tell that her senior brother thought highly of Wu Yuan.

But becoming sect leader? Becoming an Earth Ranking Grandmaster? Wasn't that a bit much?

In her eyes, no matter how talented Wu Yuan was, he was still just a fourteen-year-old boy.

"That good?" Wu Yuan looked shocked on the surface, and appropriately revealed a yearning expression.

But Wu Yuan saw things clearly.

The talent he'd shown had caught the attention of Gao Yu, a First-class Expert!

"Senior Gao Yu." Wu Yuan suppressed his excitement and asked in a low voice, "What is the Finance and Engineering Hall? How is it different from Cloud Martial Hall?"

Actually, Wu Yuan had some guesses.

"Our Hengyun Sect's territory is vast, and our people are numerous. The sect is divided into six halls." Gao Yu smiled. "Cloud Martial Hall is responsible only for training disciples. The other five halls each have their own duties."

"The Finance and Engineering Hall is one of the sect's five halls. It's in charge of the sect's finances, construction, and other such affairs."

"As for helping with martial cultivation!"

"My Finance and Engineering Hall ranks first among the sect's five halls." Gao Yu said proudly. "Wu Yuan, if you agree to join and later enter the Finance and Engineering Hall, you'll be the first to receive the sect's most precious cultivation resources and the best training facilities!"

Wu Yuan blinked.

He more or less understood.

This so-called Finance and Engineering Hall was probably a combination of the Finance Department, the Interstellar Engineering Department, the Interstellar Aviation Department, and many other departments from the Human Federation in his previous life!

"Wu Yuan, I'm also a disciple under the Finance and Engineering Hall," Huan Xinyan said at just the right moment.

The two of them watched Wu Yuan expectantly.

Should I agree? Wu Yuan wondered.