Breakthrough to Third-Rank

Energy Room.

Past the main hall, the interior had been divided into small individual rooms.

"The Energy Room charges 10 Credit Points per hour. Magic Martial Academy students often cultivate here as well." Wu Kuishan led Su Yi into one of the small rooms.

The moment Su Yi stepped into the Energy Room, he suddenly felt every pore open. His Blood Qi became extraordinarily active, and even his Spiritual Power, which he had not used for some time, seemed to be leaping with excitement.

"What a comfortable feeling."

"Of course. Cultivating here speeds up Blood Qi recovery.

"With Blood Qi active and your senses sharper, Bone Tempering becomes more meticulous, and opening up the Branch Meridians becomes a little easier.

"When you have enough Credit Points, you can come here to cultivate often."

Su Yi readily accepted Wu Kuishan's suggestion. This truly was an excellent place for cultivation.

Once Su Yi had sat down, Wu Kuishan took out some pills and handed them to him, then sat beside him and began explaining.

He knew Su Yi could kill a Third-Rank High Stage opponent, but he also knew that had been entirely because the intimidation of his powerful Spiritual Power had caught his opponent off guard.

Su Yi had never truly experienced the strength and defense of a Third-Rank High Stage martial artist.

"Within the Third-Rank realm, to truly display the strength of the Third-Rank realm, you must at the very least temper your Spine Bone completely.

"In the Third-Rank realm, there are 51 torso bones: 26 Spine Bones, one Sternum, and 24 Ribs.

"You temper the Sternum first, then the Ribs, and finally the Spine Bones."

After pausing briefly to let Su Yi digest what he had said, Wu Kuishan continued, "In the Third-Rank realm, before the Ribs have been fully tempered, it is called the initial stage.

"Before the Spine Bones have been fully tempered, it is called the middle stage. Only once all the bones have been tempered is it called the high stage.

"After tempering the bones comes the tempering and nurturing of Tendon-Skin-Flesh-Blood. Once all of them have been tempered to a certain level, that is Third-Rank Peak.

"First Grade Martial Artists and Second-Rank Martial Artists temper the Limb Bones. Since the Limb Bones are scattered and cannot be connected through, the gap between Second-Rank Martial Artists and First Grade Martial Artists is not that great.

"The only difference is a higher Blood Qi limit and more methods of attack.

"The Third-Rank realm is completely different from the first and second ranks. It is a stage that carries on what came before and ushers in what comes after.

"For Third-Rank martial artists, apart from the brain, the bones, Meridians, and Blood Qi of the entire body are connected as one.

"At Second-Rank Peak, if you want to mobilize the Blood Qi of your entire body and concentrate it in one place, it is very difficult. But once you reach the Third-Rank realm, it becomes very simple.

"Thus, the Third-Rank initial and middle stages are one tier, while the high stage and peak are another. At ordinary Martial Universities, reaching the Third-Rank already makes one an elite."

"But at Magic Martial Academy and Capital Martial Academy, only those at the Third-Rank High Stage are considered elites."

"I know you previously carried out a mission involving a Third-Rank High Stage opponent, but your fighting style differs from conventional combat, and ordinary people do not possess Spiritual Power as powerful as yours.

"I'm not saying it was wrong for you to use Spiritual Power. In a life-and-death fight, going all out is the right thing to do. But you truly have not experienced the strength and defensive power of a Third-Rank High Stage martial artist."

Su Yi nodded. He knew that well. Previously, he had erupted with full force and directly slain that Third-Rank High Stage opponent; he truly had no experience fighting one head-on.

He had struck at the man's weakness, and it had succeeded with ease.

"Alright, combat experience is not urgent. You can slowly accumulate it after your breakthrough. For now, relax. The 26 Branch Meridians of the Spine Bone must be opened in a single breath. There is some danger involved.

"Prepare all your pills. If your Blood Qi runs short, or if you run into trouble, don't panic and don't get nervous. I'll be here watching over you.

"Once the Branch Meridians of the Spine Bone have all been opened, the remaining 25 Branch Meridians will not be troublesome. You can take them one at a time. You can even come back another day.

"Remember this: you absolutely must not stop rashly. Otherwise, if the nerves near your spinal column are damaged, just wait to be paralyzed.

"Breaking through to the Third-Rank realm carries comparatively greater risks. That is one reason why ordinary Martial Universities classify the Third-Rank as elite."

Su Yi nodded in understanding. The biggest reason was surely the Underground Cave.

After adjusting his condition, Su Yi prepared to open up the Branch Meridians and Breakthrough to Third-Rank.

Seeing that Su Yi was ready, Wu Kuishan lowered his voice. "Carefully sense the locations of the Branch Meridians. Remember, you must sense them clearly. Do not randomly open up the meridians along the spinal column."

Su Yi acknowledged him and began practicing the Tempering Method, carefully sensing the Branch Meridians near the torso bones.

"Just as Nansheng said—such high Spiritual Power." Although he had already been mentally prepared, Wu Kuishan could not help being somewhat astonished as he sensed Su Yi using Spiritual Power to feel for the Branch Meridians.

Spiritual Power was formless and intangible, but it possessed unique fluctuations. Generally, only warriors above the Sixth-Rank could perceive it.

Was he truly Grandmaster material?

Nansheng really had sent me a good student. With Spiritual Power as high as Su Yi's, once he reaches the Sixth-Rank realm, his chances of successfully breaking through to Grandmaster will definitely be far higher than those of an ordinary Sixth-Rank Warrior.

Before long, the Branch Meridians of the Spine Bone had been opened.

"Hm?"

Su Yi's Spiritual Power had broken through.

Once he had finished opening the Branch Meridians, his Spiritual Power grew accordingly, shattering through the barrier at 499 Hz where it had been stuck for so long.

Within the Energy Room, Spiritual Power was already active, and the Energy Particles in the air seemed even more conspicuous.

Su Yi began using his Spiritual Power to move the Energy Particles. Very quickly, he moved an Energy Particle into his body.

The moment the Energy Particle entered his body, Su Yi's Blood Qi instantly recovered by 5 cal.

"His Spiritual Power broke through?" Wu Kuishan clearly sensed Su Yi using Spiritual Power to move the Energy Particles in the room.

Two hours later, Su Yi successfully opened all his Branch Meridians.

Another two hours passed, and Su Yi's Blood Qi flowed smoothly through his Branch Meridians.

At that point, Su Yi stopped cultivating and opened his eyes. Third Rank—he had reached it.

Name: Su Yi

Realm: Third Rank Martial Artist

Blood Qi: 366 cal/599 cal

Mentality: 227 Hz/509 Hz

Bone Tempering: 126 bones (90%), 80 bones (30%)

Knowledge: Mid Grade Combat Method—Falling Blossom Sword—Major Achievement {Optimization +2}; Mid-Grade Footwork—Cloud Step—Major Achievement {Optimization +2}; Basic Cultivation Method—Tempering Method {Optimization +3}; Horse Stance {Optimization +1}—Void Stance; Basic Fist Technique—Minor Achievement;

Basic Leg Technique—Major Achievement; Basic Sword Technique—Major Achievement {Optimization +1};

...

Energy: 77777 points

Damage Status: 4.65%

With some time still left in the energy room, Su Yi swallowed a Blood Qi Pill and began recovering.

Seeing Su Yi successfully break through, Wu Kuishan nodded in satisfaction.

When the time was nearly up, Wu Kuishan took Su Yi out of the energy room.

As they walked toward the school gates, Wu Kuishan smiled and casually asked Su Yi, "I heard from Nansheng that you want to choose me as your mentor?"

"Yes, Uncle Wu."

Su Yi did not hide his thoughts in the slightest and answered with complete seriousness.

Wu Kuishan was about to break through to Grandmaster, and he used a sword. At this stage, no one was more suitable than him.

Wu Kuishan said decisively, "All right, then. I'll take you on."

Taking in such a genius was something well worth celebrating for him as well.

"Oh, right, Teacher. I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Third Rank is considered elite. Uncle Qin said I could only learn about my parents once I reached Third Rank. It's always Third Rank—so what exactly is so significant about it?"

Su Yi did not intend to go back and ask Qin Nansheng. Wu Kuishan could answer his question just as well.

Wu Kuiwen froze for a moment, then answered after some thought, "Indeed, Third Rank truly is a dividing line. Now that you've reached it, you're qualified to know."

Along the way, Wu Kuishan began describing some basic knowledge about the underground caves.

"In 1921, the existence of martial artists was formally revealed to the public, and the Capital Martial Arts Society was officially established—the predecessor of today's Capital Martial Arts University. You should have learned all this in your specialized courses."

Seeing Su Yi nod somewhat blankly, Wu Kuishan continued, "The Capital Martial Arts Society was established and martial artists stepped into the spotlight in 1921, but it actually stemmed from an incident in 1920.

In 1920, natural disasters ravaged the land. Droughts, floods, and earthquakes occurred frequently. In December, the most intense earthquake in Huaxia's recorded history struck, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.

The underground caves are like alternate spaces located beneath the earth. Whenever they stir, the surface reacts—the most obvious sign being earthquakes.

That great earthquake in 1920 was, in truth, the opening of a new entrance. Underground cave entrances are not fixed; one can appear at any time.

These entrances are scattered across the entire world. Huaxia alone has currently discovered nearly twenty of them.

Other than lacking everything belonging to modern civilization, the underground caves are another brand-new, complete world with a civilization of their own. Their world also has a great number of martial artists—far, far more than ours.

The people of the underground cave world constantly seek to rush out through the cave gates and enter our world. Yet we humans can only enter through the underground cave entrances; nowhere else will do.

And within the underground caves, only the power of Blood Qi can function; it is the power source for technological weapons. That is why martial artists with such formidable individual killing power exist."

Hearing this, Su Yi nodded and continued listening. If technological weapons could be used, the world's little mushrooms would probably all be planted in there, wouldn't they?

But the underground caves were only the minor mobs before fighting the Boss. The real big shots were lurking in the shadows, even more snake-like than Wu Kuishan's future title of Snake King.

Making plans that spanned thousands or tens of thousands of years at the drop of a hat—no!

Maybe they were more like rats, forever cowering from the light of day.

They were all so good at putting on a show, weren't they? Then let's act!

There were nineteen underground caves now?

No! Including the unannounced Forbidden Underground Cave, there should be twenty.

Then three more underground caves would appear before 2008. One would appear in 2006, and it seemed one would appear in 2001 as well.

Su Yi shook his head slightly. These matters did not have much to do with him right now. The most important thing was to grow stronger.

Nothing else mattered. Qin Nansheng would probably perish in the underground caves the year after next.

As for Wu Kuishan, it would not be until late April of 1999 that he would bring his friends, daughter, and the others into the underground caves.

As for the Old Principal, there was still plenty of time. There was no need to pay him too much attention yet.

The underground caves were fraught with danger, and death was commonplace. Su Yi had never thought he could save everyone.

But if he knew someone would die during a certain period, how could he not save them?

It was difficult. Su Yi could not possibly keep watch over Qin Nansheng at all times, but he would do his best. At the very least, he would have tried.

He could understand why so many martial artists sent their descendants away. Death was fine—just don't let me see it!

If they died before your very eyes, setting aside the crushing blow alone, could you possibly refuse to save them when danger came?