The fluctuations in his Dantian suddenly sped up several times over. Yin Congyang felt his entire body trembling as it began to evolve, starting with the tiniest cells. His organs, bones, bone marrow, blood, muscles, fascia, skin, and everything else continued evolving amid the tremors. Cosmic Origin Energy poured into him from all directions like rivers flowing into the sea. It no longer followed only the cultivation method of facing the sky with all five centers; instead, it poured in directly through every pore.
"Boom~~"
A faint mist of five colors suddenly appeared in his Consciousness Sea.
"Th-this is... Spiritual Force?"
The sudden change filled Yin Congyang with inexplicable delight. Becoming a Spiritual Master meant he could fly before reaching Planetary Level. It was something he had yearned for ever since reading novels.
After a long while, the fluctuations in his Dantian began to slow. Faint pulses continued tirelessly to transform and evolve Yin Congyang's body and soul. They were so subtle that he could only just barely sense them when he focused completely.
Once he had calmed down, Yin Congyang assessed his body and Consciousness Sea. His physical abilities had risen to around Advanced Warrior Level, close to Primary Warlord Level, while the Spiritual Force in his Consciousness Sea was around Intermediate Warrior Level, approaching Advanced Warrior Level.
Recalling how he had fared while sparring with his teammates over the past few days, he was certain that his stamina and endurance had improved dramatically too. He felt almost like a perpetual-motion machine, with practically no limit to his energy. That was his greatest trump card against overwhelming numbers.
Yin Congyang stood up and looked at the moon, about to sink in the west. A smile slowly spread across his face.
The next evening, Li Hesong summoned everyone on the team to a private room in the martial arts hall's dining area. They ate together and held a meeting.
When they had nearly finished eating, Li Hesong put down his chopsticks and looked around at the team. "The martial arts hall notified me today that the situation has stabilized, so we can stand down. We've been away from home for almost a month. Once we divide up what we earned this time, everyone can head home and spend a few days with their families..."
"As for our previous earnings, I sold half to the HR Mall and the other half to the martial arts hall in exchange for contribution points. The total came to around eighty million. We'll divide it according to contribution. I'll take half, forty million, and the rest of you will get between five and ten million each..."
"Captain, just transfer the money to my account. You've explained everything so many times. Do you really think we don't trust you?" Zhang Tie, another member of the team, said to Li Hesong in his usual blunt manner.
Li Hesong smiled and shook his head, then said to Yin Congyang, "Congyang, why don't you come home with me? I'll have your sister-in-law make you something delicious..."
"Captain, Congyang should come to my place instead," Yu Xiaopeng cut in. Turning to Yin Congyang, he continued, "I already told my mom I'd invite you over for a few days, so she can cook you some proper meals. She's also setting me up with someone, so you can help me decide if she's a good match..."
Yin Congyang poured himself a glass of fruit wine and raised it to Li Hesong and the others. "Thanks, Captain, and thanks, Brother Peng. But I'd like to keep training at the martial arts hall for a while longer."
He turned to Yu Xiaopeng with a teasing grin. "I'm still single myself, and you want me to help you decide? You'd be better off asking the captain and the others."
He downed the glass of fruit wine. "I wish you all a safe journey home..."
Seeing how determined he was—and knowing that Yin Congyang had made remarkable progress lately—they understood that he wanted to keep training at the martial arts hall and strengthen himself. It was only to be expected, so they stopped trying to persuade him.
Li Hesong wrapped things up. "You can't forget to train just because you're going home. Don't let Congyang reach Advanced Warrior Level while you're still stuck at Primary Warrior Level..."
His half-joking, half-warning remark made the other team members take it to heart. They all promised they wouldn't neglect their training at home and would do their best to catch up with the captain and Yin Congyang.
Yin Congyang watched them with a smile, happy that his teammates could return home safely and reunite with their families.
After a night's rest, Li Hesong and the other team members left the martial arts hall and headed home.
Early the next morning, Yin Congyang trained in a private practice room on the martial arts hall's third floor, repeatedly practicing the Thirty-Six Heaven-Opening Axes. The more he practiced, the more he appreciated the depth and intricacy of the thirty-six techniques. Thanks to the unceasing support of the fluctuations in his Dantian, he could practice without stopping, ten times, a hundred times...
In his previous life, he had known the moves but never really understood certain cultivation principles and techniques. Now, one by one, they became clear to him. After more than twenty years of practicing day after day in his previous life, combined with the Gene Force in this body, he finally advanced to a higher level with a single swing of his axe. He surpassed Proficient Level and entered Perfect Level.
Axe techniques, like saber and sword techniques, were divided into four levels: basic, Proficient, Perfect, and Conception. Thanks to his practice in his previous life, Yin Congyang had already reached the peak of Proficient Level. Now, he had advanced to Perfect Level.
As soon as his axe technique reached Perfect Level, his body's method of exerting force changed. Each strike became far more powerful, and the footwork that accompanied his axe technique also advanced to Perfect Level.
Yin Congyang knew that once the Thunder God mastered the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade, he could reach sevenfold force. Following that profound, almost ineffable feeling, Yin Congyang practiced his axe technique again and again, delving into his potential and striving to increase his own force multiplier.
The faint fluctuations in his Dantian helped immensely with this. They spread through every corner of his body, reaching every muscle and bone and optimizing the rhythm of his movements. His force, explosive power, and endurance all continued to improve.
After training all day and eating dinner, Yin Congyang began practicing the techniques of a Mental Master Controller in his room.
Once his physical abilities reached Advanced Warrior Level, the Spiritual Force in his Consciousness Sea had also advanced to Advanced Warrior Level. Yet Yin Congyang felt that his ability to control objects with Spiritual Force was not as strong as Luo Feng's had been at Advanced Warrior Level. The weight and speed of the objects he could manipulate were nowhere near as impressive as the book had described. In short, his control wasn't good enough to make full use of all the Spiritual Force in his Consciousness Sea.
"Spiritual Masters have two paths: Controllers and Illusionists. Could Illusionist be the path my Spiritual Force is best suited for?" Yin Congyang wasn't sure. There was no suitable test subject at the martial arts hall.
"Looks like I'll have to head to the Wilderness Zone soon. First, I can hone my axe technique, improve its level, and increase my force. Second, I can test my potential as an Illusionist while I'm at it." Then he thought it over and felt troubled. "I don't even have a Controller's cultivation method, let alone an Illusionist's."
"Never mind. I'll just have to try it first. Don't Spiritual Master Controllers naturally learn to control objects after awakening? If I find a suitable monster, I can test it out..."
Once he had made up his mind, Yin Congyang practiced Origin Energy before going to bed.
Over the next few days, Yin Congyang continued training every day. When he felt his progress slowing, with nowhere near the gains of the previous few days, he finally decided to venture into the wilderness alone.
He stocked up on plenty of necessities and bought an A6-Grade Axe from Limit Home. It was sturdy enough to withstand a battle with an Advanced Beast General without sustaining damage.
He had specifically chosen an axe similar to the woodcutting axe he had used in his previous life, since it felt more familiar in his hand. Yin Congyang named it the Heaven-Opening Axe.
After calculating how much money he had left, he gritted his teeth and ordered one 9-Series Flying Dagger and two 7-Series Flying Daggers. That spent nearly all the money he had just received, along with all his previous savings.
Southwest Base City, 150 kilometers east of the main urban district, Supply Base.
Yin Congyang stepped down from the train car, looked up at the blazing sun, took a deep breath, and walked toward the Supply Base.
After having lunch at the Supply Base, Yin Congyang left fully armed.
"Wilderness Zone, here I come."
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