Epiphany

The scorching sun blazed overhead as Liu Tian walked alone leisurely on Coiling Dragon Mountain, near Liu Zhengde's manor.

After last night's battle, Liu Tian had proven his strength, using it as an endorsement for his "feelings."

This formidable strength led Liu Zhengde to take Liu Tian's "feelings" seriously rather than dismissing them as illusions, and he began a thorough investigation.

Because of this, Liu Tian believed he had done all he could at this stage. No matter how much more preparation he made, with only seven days left until the birthday banquet, he definitely couldn't outmaneuver the local power player, Liu Zhengde.

Theoretically, as a local native with deep roots, once he knew the news and had made preparations, in this period where signs of unrest were just beginning to emerge, there should be no power outside the court capable of threatening the Liu family.

However, Liu Tian was not someone who liked to entrust his life to others' preparations. Compared to the firearm squad that Liu Zhengde confidently guaranteed would be foolproof, Liu Tian trusted his own fists more.

That was precisely why, after breakfast this morning, he had added his Origin Points to 16 using the stock from Liu Zhengde's treasury and then casually picked up a decoration that looked like an eye, found an excuse, and left alone.

Perhaps because the gap between Fighters and Martial Artists who cultivated the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao was too vast, requiring them to break through too many human limits, the reserves, which were enough to go from Level 1 entry to Level 5 Origin Point with some left over, still couldn't light up the upgradeable options.

But, it wasn't much more needed.

As the owner of Effort, Liu Tian knew how many Origin Points he needed to break through to the next stage—if it were right after he had broken through via Effort, it would require 20 points.

And now, after diligently cultivating for nearly three more months, coupled with yesterday's epiphany, 18 points would be enough.

In fact, based on Liu Tian's perception, using his recent breakthrough as a foundation to push his physical fitness to the critical point of breakthrough would only require 10 Origin Points.

But to achieve the unity of his spirit, energy, and mind, and to manifest his own battle mark instead of the standard Heavenly Martial Arts Killing Dao battle mark, it would absolutely require 20 points.

Breakthroughs through the Effort panel were never about just scraping by; they were about achieving 100% perfection.

This was also why breakthroughs through the Effort panel repaired self-inflicted damage.

His robust body allowed Liu Tian to ascend the thousand-meter-high Coiling Dragon Mountain in one go without even panting. Avoiding the main paths people usually took, relying on his strong physical fitness, Liu Tian leaped through the forest and quickly reached a mountaintop where no one would disturb him.

The weather today was excellent, with clear skies and brilliant sunshine, offering a panoramic view of the entire Pei Commandery.

Standing atop the mountain, Liu Tian looked down at Pei Commandery, and a thought surfaced in his mind—where could he find the missing Origin Points? Or should he try to lower the required Origin Points for breakthrough through his own epiphany? There were only seven days left.

Liu Tian squinted, countless thoughts appearing in his mind, only to vanish like bubbles.

Suddenly, from nowhere, an idea was born. Following his instincts, Liu Tian leaped and lay down on his back on a large blue boulder, enjoying the rare, brilliant sunshine.

The direct sunlight and the mountain breeze gave Liu Tian a languid feeling.

His breathing automatically adjusted, and his blood flow slowed down. In this state, Liu Tian felt as if his entire being had slowed down.

At the same time, a feeling, a perception, was constantly amplifying. He seemed to hear the chirping of birds in the distance, the clear gurgling of a stream, the rustling of leaves, the sound of wind blowing through the grass, and... the low growls of wild beasts hidden in the forest.

Hunting, killing, devouring, concealing, hiding—the wild food chain operated slowly under the sunlight.

Those things, these things, were very far from Liu Tian, so far they seemed illusory, yet also so close, so close that he could feel them, even... he felt as if he could reach out and touch the predator, smell the scent of gushing blood.

In the darkness, something intangible seemed to connect Liu Tian to all things in the world.

Liu Tian slowly closed his eyes, enjoying this leisurely moment. Killing Intent, Dominating Thought, danger, life—these insignificant things seemed to be nothing in the face of nature...

And Liu Tian's presence, an incredibly strong sense, as if declaring his existence between heaven and earth, continued to expand slowly.

Gradually, the ants that originally lived in the grass sensed danger and desperately moved away from the "fierce beast" that was dozing. The birds in the forest folded their wings and slowly stopped. Even the predatory beasts seemed to sense something and dared not approach.

Epiphany, something Liu Tian thought would never happen to him, occurred for the second consecutive day. If this state continued, it would take less than half a day for Liu Tian to fully realize his thoughts, condense his battle mark, and then he would only need to supplement the deficiencies in his physical fitness through Effort to naturally break through as a Fighter.

It was like his master, Heavenly Dao, who, in his early years, realized his fierce, wild, and dominant nature and condensed his battle marks when he first started learning martial arts.

"Ah~"

But he wasn't so lucky. With a burst of panicked screams, like a stone thrown into water, it startled Liu Tian, who was in the midst of his breakthrough. Once this special state was broken, it was difficult to re-enter.

Liu Tian abruptly opened his eyes—Damn it, who the hell is disturbing me at a time like this?!!