Recruitment

After Qin Xuehua and the others left, the Heavenly Prison returned to its usual silence.

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged on the ground, but his mind was filled with an unprecedented tranquility.

His entire focus sank into the earth-shattering changes occurring within his body.

The first thing he sensed was his dantian and sea of energy.

His internal energy surged like a mighty river, ceaseless and continuous.

Its profound strength far surpassed his previous understanding of a "Sixth Rank" martial artist, even faintly touching the threshold of the Seventh Rank.

Next, he focused on his physical senses.

Every muscle, every bone, even every minute tendon, was filled with explosive power.

This surge in pure physical strength brought an incredibly solid sense of control and security.

However, what astonished and felt most unfamiliar to Zhang Yu was the third type of "power."

It wasn't stored in his dantian, nor was it contained within his flesh and blood. Instead, it seemed to permeate the depths of his consciousness, or rather, it was closely connected to his "spirit" and "will."

This power was formless and intangible, yet undeniably real.

"System,"

Zhang Yu asked silently in his mind, filled with intense curiosity, "What is this third power... My understanding of martial arts cultivation doesn't seem to include this."

The System replied casually:

[This power is called Soul Power. It involves the origin of life and the sublimation of the spirit. For ordinary martial artists in this world, it is indeed beyond the scope of their knowledge.

Normally, only those who have reached the realm of 'Land Immortal' can initially touch upon and utilize this power.]

"Land Immortal?"

Zhang Yu's heart trembled.

He had never heard this title before.

In his understanding, in the Wei Kingdom where he was, the Ninth Rank was the pinnacle of the mortal world. Above that were the transcendent Innate Warriors, and above them were the Martial Arts Grandmasters, capable of establishing sects and shaking the nation.

As far as he knew, in the vast Wei Kingdom, there were only three Grandmasters openly acknowledged, each a pillar of the state, appearing only rarely.

As for a "Great Grandmaster" above Grandmaster, they were already legends, with one appearing perhaps once a century.

And this "Land Immortal"... he had never even heard the name.

The System seemed to sense his confusion but did not explain further, merely adding: [Soul Power has infinite wondrous uses. Its specific application requires the host to explore and comprehend it independently.]

Explore independently?

Zhang Yu suppressed the shock in his heart and turned his attention back to his body.

He "saw" three distinct, yet subtly interconnected and parallel, cultivation routes imprinted deeply within his meridians, acupoints, and even the depths of his consciousness, like three ceaselessly flowing rivers.

One route focused on cultivating internal energy, its path complex and profound, circulating qi through the extraordinary meridians while focusing the mind on the dantian. Each cycle caused the "lake of internal energy" to ripple slightly, becoming more refined and condensed.

Another route focused on cultivating the physical body, its path traversing the limbs and bones, stimulating every inch of flesh and sinew, constantly strengthening and tempering it, bringing waves of warm comfort.

The final route was the most mysterious and obscure.

Its path did not seem to run entirely within the physical meridians but involved some ineffable "acupoints" and the flow of consciousness.

He had clearly never encountered these three cultivation methods before, yet now it felt as if he had diligently practiced them for countless seasons. He understood them all perfectly, and operating them felt completely natural.

"So this is what the System meant by 'one year of cultivation infusion'..."

Zhang Yu suddenly understood, and at the same time, a tidal wave surged within him.

This was hardly the result of an ordinary martial artist's one year of hard training.

This was clearly the achievement of a peerless genius practicing under optimal conditions for one year.

Furthermore, it was the result of simultaneously cultivating three systems of power: internal energy, physical body, and soul power.

An ordinary martial artist might struggle their entire life to reach the pinnacle of even one path.

But he, under the System's "bug," started with all three paths cultivated simultaneously. His starting point was terrifyingly high, and he was even practicing top-tier cultivation methods he had never heard of.

No wonder, with just "one year" of cultivation, he had skyrocketed from a Ninth Rank trash to the Sixth Rank Peak, even touching the Seventh Rank threshold.

With all this understood, Zhang Yu no longer harbored any worries about the fifty-year prison sentence. Instead, he was filled with unprecedented anticipation and excitement.

Fifty years, over eighteen thousand days.

Each day, he would receive such a triple infusion of cultivation, equivalent to a "peerless genius practicing top-tier cultivation methods for a year."

What a heaven-defying opportunity this was!

Suddenly, a voice came from the adjacent cell.

"Hey, kid across the way."

It was the Heir of Prince Jing, Xiao Sheng.

Zhang Yu's brow twitched almost imperceptibly as he slowly opened his eyes and looked across.

Xiao Sheng took a swig of wine, smacked his lips, and said slowly, "You kid, you're quite to my liking. You're patient, ruthless, and your mind is sharp."

He sat at the head of the table, his tone carrying a hint of the recruitment overture befitting someone of higher status:

"Are you interested in doing some work for me?

Don't worry, if you follow me, Heir Apparent, I can guarantee high office and lavish living as a basic condition, if nothing else."

If Xiao Sheng's words had fallen upon the ears of any ordinary prisoner, or even any martial artist eager to curry favor with the powerful, they would have been like a blessing from heaven.

The Heir of Prince Jing, a noble of the Imperial Family with immense power, to gain his favor was akin to one's ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke.

However, when Zhang Yu heard these words, his expression remained unchanged; he simply listened quietly.