Awakening

"A true strongman needs more than various external resources. More importantly, he needs a Heart of the Strong!"

"Even though the Time Simulator lets me stay home and wait for my simulation attempts to refresh, going out into the Wilderness Area will make me stronger much faster!"

If Yang Wu stayed inside the Base City, he would certainly be safe. But when his next simulation began, he could only start out as a rookie martial artist.

If Yang Wu kept working hard in real life, however, by the time his next simulation began, he would be a member of the Phantom Squad and could venture into the wilderness with this elite team.

Then there was World Destroyer. If Yang Wu didn't buy it in real life, his simulated self would probably still choose to train in a less difficult manual.

Yang Wu calmly gazed ahead. "Heart Like a Blade. Unwavering will. The path of the strong means cutting away all fear."

"Venture forth with reverence in your heart, and do what must be done without fear!"

"Keep your heart as still and clear as ice, untouched by a speck of dust."

"Heart Like a Blade can cut through every obstacle!"

At that moment, Yang Wu finally had a realization and reached the first level of Heart Cultivation.

Ever since he had crossed over and learned that he was in the Swallowed Star World, Yang Wu had been determined to become a powerhouse who could roam the universe.

But later, because his talent was so poor, he had no choice but to give up on that goal.

Then, just as he had fallen into despair and decided to give up, the Time Simulator in his mind had finally appeared.

There was no denying it: the Time Simulator in his mind had become his lifeline.

After the Simulator appeared, Yang Wu had gone from a low-level Beginner Warrior Level martial artist to a talented fighter with a modest reputation. He had been recruited early by the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and had even joined the Phantom Squad, one of the top three teams in all of Jiangnan Base City.

These experiences hadn't gone to his head, but they had made him lose his drive to keep pushing forward.

"Since I have the Time Simulator, I can just keep simulating at my own pace. Why risk my life in the Wilderness Area?"

Before this moment, Yang Wu would definitely have hesitated.

But the moment he gained a Heart of the Strong, his choice changed.

Even with a miraculous cheat like the Time Simulator, he would never stop striving.

Perhaps Yang Wu's progress wouldn't match the future pace of Luo Feng, who would have cheats of his own. Perhaps all his efforts would come to nothing. But at the very least, he would have a higher starting point when his simulated life began.

That was enough!

This was Yang Wu's Heart of the Strong!

At that moment, Zhou Zheng, standing nearby, suddenly noticed that something about Yang Wu had changed.

At first, he thought Yang Wu had suffered an internal injury during the fight. But after looking him over carefully, he saw that Yang Wu's body hadn't changed at all.

"How strange! Was I seeing things?" Zhou Zheng muttered, baffled and unsure what had gone wrong.

But Yang Wu suddenly stood up.

The power of the first realm of Heart Cultivation could truly transform a person from the inside out.

After all, this was a realm that most World Lord-level powerhouses had never comprehended.

All the doubts Yang Wu had once felt, and the effects of the life-and-death crisis he had gone through...

At that moment, they were all swept away!

Yang Wu had completely calmed down. It was a tranquility unlike anything he had ever felt before.

His heart was still as water!

Just then, Yang Wu suddenly felt an urge to practice his spear technique!

The moment he thought of it, he acted!

Yang Wu moved!

"Yang Wu, what are you doing?" Zhou Zheng, who was also on guard nearby, hadn't even had time to stop him before Yang Wu took up the Pojun Spear and walked alone to the open area in the center of the service station.

Whoosh!

Beneath the brilliant stars of that summer night, Yang Wu moved. He began practicing the thirteen spear forms recorded in the first level of World Destroyer.

Seeing Yang Wu stop to practice his spear technique, Zhou Zheng, who had been about to stop him, suddenly paused. He wanted to see what Yang Wu was up to!

With a state of mind unlike any he had ever experienced, Yang Wu practiced his spear technique. Each thrust brought him an indescribable sense of ease.

One thrust, then another...

Cold light flashed constantly at the tip of the Pojun Spear, like twinkling stars.

After his state of mind had transformed, Yang Wu had no distracting thoughts. He devoted himself entirely to practicing his spear technique.

Watching Yang Wu practice, Zhou Zheng felt that his spear technique was becoming more and more... fluid.

"Not good!"

When Yang Wu's thrusts suddenly broke the sound barrier, Zhou Zheng realized something was wrong. Afraid that the noise would wake the captain and the others, he hurried forward to stop him.

"Wait!"

Captain Chu Tian's voice suddenly came from inside the building.

Actually, Chu Tian and the others, who had been resting inside, had noticed Yang Wu practicing as soon as he began. Even if Yang Wu had been as quiet as possible, Chu Tian and the others were alert enough to notice.

But the noise had been faint, and Yang Wu and Zhou Zheng were keeping watch, so Chu Tian and the others hadn't paid it much attention.

However, the moment Yang Wu's spear broke the sound barrier, the sonic boom rang out and startled them.

Once Chu Tian was roused, his Spiritual Force instantly spread out. He immediately sensed Yang Wu practicing his spear technique and Zhou Zheng moving to stop him.

Although Chu Tian didn't yet know exactly what was going on, he was already awake, so he naturally wouldn't let Zhou Zheng interrupt Yang Wu.

"What's going on?" Chu Tian asked as he walked over to Zhou Zheng with several teammates.

"Captain, I don't know what happened either!"

Zhou Zheng smiled wryly. "Yang Wu and I were sitting by the entrance on guard. Then he suddenly stood up, went to the open area in the middle, and started practicing his spear technique. I asked him what was going on, but he didn't answer!"

"Should I go call Yang Wu over?" Zheng Tao asked tentatively.

"Let him finish this set of spear forms first!" After saying that, Chu Tian suddenly added, "Yang Wu is practicing World Destroyer!"

As one of the top War General Level martial artists beneath the War God Level, Chu Tian had naturally seen other powerhouses use World Destroyer.

Of course, without the specific moves laid out in the manual, no amount of watching someone else perform them could teach you how to master the forms.

"World Destroyer, the Ultimate Spear Art?"

"The world's number-one Attack Method?"

Zhou Zheng and the others clearly knew how terrifying the World Destroyer spear technique was. They couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.

Just then, the Pojun Spear in Yang Wu's hands suddenly halted. Then he thrust it forward with all his might!

A flash of cold light burst forth. A strange ripple seemed to shimmer through the air, like a bolt of lightning. The Pojun Spear suddenly sped up, and the sonic boom in the air grew louder.

"Bang!"

The spear tip struck a nearby slab of bluestone, blasting it into pieces.

"Mid-level War General!" Zheng Tao and the others cried in shock.

"No!" Chu Tian shook his head. He knew better than the others. "It was an awakening! Yang Wu comprehended the Force Application Technique in World Destroyer!"

"An awakening?"

Zhou Zheng and the others knew very well what an awakening meant. It was the mark of a true genius!

"Huh?"

Yang Wu, in the middle of the clearing, was also stunned.

"I mastered the first level of World Destroyer? Was it really that easy?"

The first level of the World Destroyer spear technique was complete!

He hadn't managed to master that A-grade Blazing Spear Art after years in the Simulator. Yet in real life, in less than two months, he had mastered the Ultimate Spear Art, World Destroyer?