Can Martial Insight Be Spiritual Too?

The moment the Golden Light Screen announced the awakening of his Spirit Talent, Chen Mochuan's body suddenly changed.

A fierce hunger, born from life's instincts and intense enough to scorch his heart and lungs, erupted within him.

The energy from the Blood Qi Supplement he'd taken earlier, not yet fully digested, was instantly devoured clean.

Yet that overwhelming hunger didn't lessen in the slightest.

He desperately needed energy!

Realizing this, Chen Mochuan didn't hesitate. He pulled out another supplement and drank it.

But the energy from this supplement vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea. In mere moments, it too was completely devoured, and the fierce hunger struck again.

One bottle, two bottles...

Chen Mochuan burned through the supplements at an astonishing speed.

When his hand reached into the cardboard box out of habit once more, it grabbed nothing but air.

An entire box of ten Blood Qi Supplements had actually been consumed in an incredibly short time!

Fortunately, that terrifying hunger was no longer as surging and violent as before.

He immediately turned and rushed into the kitchen, digging out every bit of food he could find—bread, jerky, nutrition bars—and stuffing them into his mouth like a gale sweeping away fallen leaves.

As food wrappers gradually piled up on the floor, the devouring hunger finally began to subside.

But the churning Blood Qi caused by overdosing on Blood Qi Supplements still raged through his body.

Solving the hunger was only the first step. He had to immediately guide this chaotic, violent Blood Qi.

Chen Mochuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his discomfort as he assumed the Root-Solidifying Stance once more in the middle of the living room.

Not the fourteenth form, but the fifteenth—one he hadn't fully mastered and couldn't maintain for long.

This time, his mind was utterly focused. He completely forgot the pain in his body, pouring his whole consciousness into guiding and controlling his Blood Qi.

Gradually, he entered a special state of self-forgetfulness.

After a long while, when Chen Mochuan finally calmed the tidal Blood Qi within him, he discovered in surprise that not only had he firmly maintained the fifteenth stance, but the Blood Qi throughout his body was fuller and more surging than ever before. He felt utterly at ease.

Was that... Wisdom Heart just now?

If an Epiphany was an ultimate breakthrough that came only by chance, one that pointed directly to the essence of martial arts, shattered every shackle, and brought about a qualitative transformation—

Then Wisdom Heart was the flash of inspiration born from a Martial Warrior's accumulated efforts finally bearing fruit. Though far inferior to an Epiphany, it was enough to help one break through the barrier before them, or glimpse a deeper layer of martial arts' mysteries.

Chen Mochuan had touched upon this state twice before. It was also an important reason he had consistently ranked first in his grade when it came to martial arts cultivation.

Slowly withdrawing his stance, he looked down at the mess of food wrappers covering the floor, yet his stomach didn't feel bloated at all.

Lifting his shirt, he saw that his abdomen was still firm and flat, his sharply defined abs clear as ever. There was no sign that he'd just eaten a grand feast.

Has awakening Spirit Devourer made even my digestion this terrifying? Deep in thought, he summoned the Golden Light Screen.

The information on the panel had already refreshed.

[You activated "Spirit Devourer," efficiently absorbed the Blood Qi Supplements, stimulated your Blood Qi, and improved your physical constitution.]

[Blood-Qi Value: 2.93→2.94]

[Blood-Qi Value...]

[Blood-Qi Value: 3.02→3.03]

[You devoted yourself completely to cultivation, entered the "Wisdom Heart" state, and gained a deeper understanding of the Root-Solidifying Stance.]

[Root-Solidifying Stance: Mastery (97%)→Mastery (98%)]

[Root-Solidifying Stance...]

[Root-Solidifying Stance: Great Completion (5%)→Great Completion (6%)]

Even someone as composed as Chen Mochuan couldn't help growing excited.

Over the past year or so, despite never ceasing his bitter training, his Blood-Qi Value had risen at an agonizingly slow pace, increasing by only 1.5.

Yet tonight, in such a short span of time, his Blood-Qi Value had actually risen by 0.1, and the Root-Solidifying Stance had even broken through into Great Completion!

That was equivalent to saving nearly a month's worth of grueling effort.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the tumult in his heart as he continued examining the panel's description of his Spirit Talent.

[Spirit Talent: Spirit Devourer (can devour the Spiritual Essence of all things to benefit oneself)]

Tonight, he had consumed ten Blood Qi Supplements in total, and each one had raised his Blood-Qi Value far more than before.

This proved Spirit Devourer's power. It could absorb the energy contained within the supplements more thoroughly—what it called devouring Spiritual Essence.

The problem of slow Blood Qi growth that had troubled him for so long had finally reached a turning point.

Amid his excitement, he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already half past eleven.

The panel's status had changed from [Moderate Fatigue] when he'd first returned home to [Surging Blood Qi].

Usually strict about his schedule and always asleep by ten, he now felt brimming with energy, without the slightest hint of drowsiness.

Remembering the boxing notes his homeroom teacher, Han Zhen, had given him, Chen Mochuan decided to practice the Foundation Building Fist for a while and vent some of his excessive energy.

However, the instant he opened his backpack and his fingertips touched the notebook's cover, his heart suddenly stirred.

An indescribable sensation surfaced within him: this seemingly ordinary notebook contained some kind of wondrous spirit!

He quickly flipped through the notes. The pages contained only many cultivation insights on the Foundation Building Fist, with nothing unusual about them.

After a brief hesitation, Chen Mochuan ultimately tried using Spirit Devourer's power on the notebook.

The next moment, he clearly saw a faint, gentle fluorescent glow emerge across its surface.

The light spots rapidly gathered, transforming into a strange Light Seed composed of countless tiny runes. Like the condensed remnant of its Spiritual Essence, it shot into the fingertips of his right hand where they touched the notebook.

In an instant, the scene before Chen Mochuan's eyes changed!

The clear image of an unfamiliar young man, well-proportioned and calm-eyed, appeared in his mind.

Without saying a word, the young man sank his shoulders and lowered his hips. Then, quick as a hare, he began demonstrating a fist technique.

His movements were fierce and sharp, carrying a special momentum, yet beneath the foundation of his boxing form, the steady, solid traces of the Foundation Building Fist remained clearly visible.

Many joint transitions that Chen Mochuan had always found obscure and difficult to connect became incomparably smooth and natural under the young man's demonstration.

The force-generating techniques behind every move and form, the subtle tricks of circulating Blood Qi, even the insights gained through cultivation—all of it imprinted itself deeply in his consciousness as though he had experienced it himself.

A moment later, the illusion dispersed.

Chen Mochuan stood rooted where he was, his eyes filled with shock as he carefully savored the additional insights into the fist technique in his mind.

He had never imagined that Spirit Devourer's ability to devour the Spiritual Essence of all things could even absorb the martial insights previous generations had left behind in a notebook!

New information appeared on the light screen at just the right moment:

[You activated "Spirit Devourer," absorbed the martial insights preserved in the notes, and gained a deeper understanding of the Foundation Building Fist.]

Though the technique's realm hadn't risen directly, those precious experiences concerning force generation, Blood Qi coordination, and move transitions had already been deeply branded into his mind, waiting only to be verified through practice.

He instinctively assumed a stance and began practicing the Foundation Building Fist.

His fists whistled through the air as his body shifted and darted.

The twenty-eight forms of the Foundation Building Fist now flowed from his hands like drifting clouds and running water. Many transitions that had once required deliberate thought now came naturally the moment his mind moved, his body responding in perfect harmony, smooth and effortless.

His understanding and application of the techniques were rapidly improving at an efficiency far beyond before.

[Foundation Building Fist: Mastery (97%)→Mastery (98%)]

[Foundation Building Fist...]

[Foundation Building Fist: Mastery (100%)→Great Completion (1%)]