Mental Will, the Military's Attention

Chapter 32: Mental Will, the Military's Attention

At six in the morning in November, dawn had only just begun to break. Thick white fog filled the air, carrying a biting chill.

But Qin Ming had long since grown accustomed to rising early. He arrived at the Supply Base's Training Hall.

This supply hall was enormous. Aside from large numbers of Military personnel, Martial Warriors affiliated with forces such as martial arts schools and the HR Alliance also set out from here to hunt around City 003.

As such, it was equipped with every kind of facility.

However, Martial Warriors from other factions had limited areas in which they could move about. They could only enter and leave a small portion of the base; the rest was off-limits.

For example, this Training Hall could only be used by Military Martial Warriors.

By the time Qin Ming arrived at the Training Hall, quite a few people were already training there, and sounds of exertion rang out from time to time.

What surprised Qin Ming was that everyone else from the Sky Sword Squad had already arrived.

"Finally, you're here! Hurry up and test it. How much have your punch force and speed improved?"

Zhang Yan, who was doing strength training, spotted the familiar figure and immediately shouted at Qin Ming.

"Don't tell me you've all been waiting for me?"

Qin Ming looked at the group strangely. Even the usually steady captain, Lu Haochuan, and the silent Yue Shan were quietly watching him, clearly confirming it.

This curiosity...

Wasn't it a little too intense?

"Fine."

Qin Ming said nothing more. After loosening up slightly, he walked over to the Punch Force Tester and unleashed a full-force punch.

Bang!

A string of numbers appeared on the Punch Force Tester—8104 kg!

"Holy shit! He's really reached the punch force requirement for Junior General Level? That's insane, isn't it?"

Zhang Yan stared at the scene in disbelief.

He clearly remembered that the day before they left the base for their mission in City 003, Qin Ming's test results had only been 6428 kg of strength and 3 m/s of speed!

How many days had it been?

At most, only four days.

In four days, his strength had increased by 1500 kg!

"Haha, pay up! Pay up! I told you Qin Ming's physical fitness had definitely reached Junior General Level." Ling Qianye laughed and grinned at Zhang Yan.

"What are you talking about?"

Qin Ming looked at Zhang Yan in confusion. Zhang Yan wore a helpless expression as he spoke.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You haven't passed the speed test yet..."

"His strength has surpassed the requirement by that much, so there definitely won't be a problem. Captain, don't you agree?"

Ling Qianye asked Lu Haochuan with a mischievous grin.

"I think there won't be a problem either. Qin Ming, hurry up and test it."

Lu Haochuan nodded without hesitation and smiled at Zhang Yan.

"You actually bet on me?"

Qin Ming was speechless, but he immediately walked to the speed-testing track, turned on the machine, and began sprinting at full speed.

"Speed: 7 m/s."

"Qualified! There's no need to test neural reaction speed. Qin Ming is a Spiritual Force User, and his Body Technique has reached Micro. He'll definitely pass."

The others laughed and joked as they watched. Only Zhang Yan, looking miserable, opened the communicator on his wrist and rapidly tapped it a few times to complete the transfer.

"No wonder you could block an attack from that Lord Level Monster. So you'd already become an Advanced General-level Spiritual Force User.

It's been less than a month, and your strength has already surpassed mine."

Zhang Yan threw back his head and sighed. His hulking, humanoid-bear appearance made everyone want to laugh.

Even Qin Ming laughed.

Through feedback from the Myriad Souls Banner, Qin Ming knew that he had actually only broken through last night, reaching General Level.

[Banner Master: Qin Ming (Junior General Level Martial Warrior, Advanced General Level Spiritual Force User)]

[Living Souls: 68920/100000 (3 Lord Level)]

[Main Soul: 0/1]

[Blood Essence: 1024/100000]

After just a few days of fighting and slaughter, the Myriad Souls Banner had suppressed the souls of another large number of powerful Monsters. His strength had indeed improved considerably.

"Fine, even if he hasn't reached Advanced General Level, he's still stronger than you. His Mental Force can control thirty or forty Flying Knives at once and attack simultaneously. How many could you block?

Not to mention, he can attack your mind and leave you dazed.

You wouldn't even get a chance to close in before being shredded."

Lu Haochuan showed no mercy as he tore Zhang Yan down. Only then did he walk to the side, pick up a bundle, and hand it to Qin Ming.

"These are some classics related to cultivating one's character. Read them when you have spare time. Calm down and study them carefully. You might gain some insight."

"Classics? Thank you, Captain."

Qin Ming's eyes lit up. He immediately took the bundle, opened it, and found several familiar classics such as the I Ching, Tao Te Ching, and Platform Sutra.

"No need to thank me. They're all common books. You could find them yourself if you looked.

But there is one thing I want to remind you of.

There is no hierarchy in the Dao. It only depends on whether it suits you."

Lu Haochuan smiled and picked up the I Ching and Tao Te Ching.

"The Image Commentary on the Qian Hexagram says, 'Heaven moves vigorously; thus, the superior man strives endlessly for self-improvement,' advocating a resolute and enterprising will. The Tao Te Ching says, 'He who conquers others has strength; he who conquers himself is strong,' which means surpassing oneself through introspection."

He then picked up a copy of Zhuangzi.

"'Heaven and Earth were born alongside me, and all things are one with me.' It expounds on the unity of man and nature."

"And the Diamond Sutra says, 'No conception of self, person, living being, or lifespan,' emphasizing the breaking of attachments and embracing all things through emptiness."

"Or take the Doctrine of the Mean: 'When centrality and harmony are achieved, Heaven and Earth are in their proper places, and all things flourish.' It speaks of a righteous heart harmonizing Heaven and Earth."

"Who is right? Who is wrong? Who is higher, and who is lower?

Countless people have argued over this without end, and everyone has their own views.

This is what it means to illuminate one's mind and see one's nature—to point directly to one's true heart.

I also enjoy reading these books in my spare time. If you're interested, feel free to come talk to me about them."

Lu Haochuan smiled.

"Illuminate one's mind and see one's nature? There is no hierarchy in the Dao?" Qin Ming nodded. He admired his captain, Lu Haochuan, even more deeply.

As the lineage that Zuoshan Ke had specially cultivated for souls, the Earth Lineage had produced many figures with exceptionally powerful mental will in only a few thousand years.

A genius such as Hong might have possessed the greatest mental will of the present age, but compared to Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and others from history, that might not necessarily have been the case.

Yet Lu Haochuan's words had inadvertently aligned with Zuoshan Ke's understanding of mental will.

The so-called Three Realms of Heart Cultivation were merely three different paths.

Zhuangzi's Equality of Things—"Heaven and Earth were born alongside me, and all things are one with me"—wasn't that the second realm: Unity of Heaven and Man, the Heart of an Innocent Child, and a perfectly harmonious state of mind?

The Tao Te Ching's "He who conquers others has strength; he who conquers himself is strong" had much in common with the first realm: My Heart is Like a Blade, a will as steadfast as Bedrock.

Likewise, the Diamond Sutra's "No conception of self, person, living being, or lifespan" wasn't it also in harmony with the third realm: Heart is Infinitely Large, a heart that embraced everything?

Then who was higher, and who was lower?

There had never been any distinction between high and low!

"I'll calm myself and study them carefully."

Qin Ming smiled.

Secret Arts such as Earth's Ninefold Thunderblade and World Destruction might be riddled with flaws when placed in the universe, but these ancient classics were different.

Though they were not Secret Arts, their understanding of mental will stood at the very pinnacle even among the countless races of the entire universe.

But this required comprehension!

Only then could one's mental will undergo a transformation and become incomparably powerful.

This was also the true foundation that later allowed the Earth Lineage to secure a place in the universe.

After Qin Ming completed his daily training and returned to his residence to begin studying the ancient classics of the sages, a Virtual Space independently constructed by the Huaxia Military...

In a minimalist conference room, more than a dozen high-ranking Military officials, including Jia Yi, appeared within it.

"All right, the other matters have been discussed. What we need to discuss now is this genius named Qin Ming, as well as the next stage of his training plan."

"Here is his information. Take a look."

Writing this chapter was a bit painful. There won't be too much more description of this later on, but it is an important setup. The protagonist is walking the path of the soul, so his character must naturally be strong. If his character suddenly became very strong later on, that wouldn't make sense, so I'm explaining it here. Please vote, keep reading, and add it to your collection! Thank you, dear readers.