Spiritual Power!

"Too strong. My current strength is even greater than what Xiong Batian possessed back then."

With a sharp crack, Xia Ping casually picked up a hard stone from the ground and squeezed it with force. It shattered instantly, and after a few more kneads, it crumbled into stone dust that trickled through his fingers.

He could also feel that his physique was stronger than ever before. Tempered by the Pure Yang Indestructible Art and supplemented by the Golden Potion, a layer of golden radiance seemed to shimmer across his skin, as if he were made of diamond.

In truth, the Martial Apprentice realm was a stage for tempering the body. The more one strengthened their body at this stage, the greater the benefits for the future and the higher their potential would be.

"Finally reached the fifth heaven of the Martial Apprentice realm. Such an achievement is considered excellent even at school." Xia Ping clenched his fist, the joints popping and cracking as if he were crushing the very air.

Previously, Xiong Batian was only at the fifth heaven of the Martial Apprentice realm, yet that was enough for him to dominate the school. Someone like Zhou Tai'an, who was at the sixth heaven, was considered a genius, capable of entering the school's top ten.

With Xia Ping's current strength, he could blast apart anyone at the fourth heaven of the Martial Apprentice realm with a single punch, defeat those at the fifth heaven with ease, and even those at the sixth heaven might not be his match.

Among the group of underworld figures surrounding the area, there didn't seem to be many at the sixth heaven. Perhaps he finally had a chance to shake them off, head to the station, and return to Tianshui City.

"However, it's still not entirely safe. After all, those underworld figures have laser firearms. If I run into a group of them firing at me, it would be extremely dangerous." Xia Ping's eyes flickered. His heart remained calm and collected; even with his increased strength, he was not arrogant or conceited.

"Right, I also obtained a secret manual called the Heaven and Earth Audio-Visual Method. If I can learn this, perhaps it might enhance my strength further."

Thinking of this, he immediately opened the manual, reading it carefully and pondering its contents.

"Using a unique breathing technique to enter a meditative state, then shattering the Baihui Acupoint to generate mysterious spiritual energy... interesting. I wonder if I can do it?"

Xia Ping closed his eyes immediately. His breathing slowed, following the rhythm described in the manual—three long breaths followed by one short one. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, and the surrounding air began to show faint, strange fluctuations.

In just one minute, he discovered that the entire world had changed. He felt as if he had entered a deep meditative state, his spirit unified and merged with heaven and earth.

As he meditated, the soul energy in his mind was stirred, forming a massive vortex that rumbled and vibrated. Even the air was affected by these fluctuations, emitting a buzzing sound.

When this energy reached its peak, with a loud bang, the depths of his Baihui Acupoint at the top of his head seemed to be effortlessly shattered by this mysterious soul energy, creating a tiny fissure.

From this fissure, wisps of gray mist drifted into the depths of his mind, and Xia Ping immediately felt a mysterious power being born from the depths of his body.

"Is... is this the legendary spiritual power?!" Xia Ping kept his eyes closed. As this power slowly extended outward, he felt the entire world brighten.

Within a radius of twenty meters, the ground, dust, soil, gravel, paper scraps—even the ants crawling on the floor, the mosquitoes flying in the air, and the trajectory of water droplets falling in the distance—he could perceive them all with absolute clarity, as if he possessed a god's-eye view.

"Incredible. Is this really spiritual power? I succeeded? I actually managed to cultivate it?!" Xia Ping was pleasantly surprised. He had only intended to give it a try, never expecting to succeed on his first attempt.

He could feel that the utility of spiritual power was immense. Even with his eyes closed, he could see his surroundings clearly. Within the range covered by his spiritual power, he was practically a deity, omniscient and omnipotent.

Of course, this was merely an illusion, but it did not diminish the potency of this spiritual power.

"This feeling?" Xia Ping's heart stirred, as if responding to a bodily instinct.

Snap. He gently extended his right hand, moving with effortless precision, and caught a fly buzzing nearby between two fingers, pinning it in place.

Then, he let go, and the fly, seemingly startled, zipped away rapidly.

"Legend has it that experts in the Martial Artist realm are incredibly powerful, capable of dodging laser firearms and even evading missile locks. It simply transcends the limits of human neural reaction speed." Xia Ping's eyes flashed. "I was wondering how they could achieve such feats. If one possesses spiritual power, anything is possible."

It was no wonder the Black Bear Company was acting like madmen trying to retrieve this secret technique. It was far too important, far beyond what any ordinary manual could compare to.

"However, it's not something everyone can successfully cultivate."

By now, Xia Ping understood why he had succeeded so easily. There was no other reason than his soul power being exceptionally strong—at least ten times that of an ordinary person.

For someone with a powerful soul, this secret technique was a supreme treasure that could be mastered with ease. But for an ordinary person, even if they obtained it, they could only stare at it helplessly.

Even if they managed to enter a meditative state, their ordinary soul power would be unable to shatter the Baihui Acupoint. Only someone like Xia Ping, with his powerful soul, could break through it as easily as snapping a dry twig.

"Hmm? It seems someone is coming."

Just then, the sky outside was beginning to brighten. Without realizing it, he had spent the entire night cultivating. Xia Ping's heart stirred; with his sharpened senses, he immediately detected people approaching the warehouse.

However, he was not worried. After consuming the Golden Potion, his energy had been fully replenished, leaving him feeling refreshed. Now that he had advanced to the fifth heaven of the Martial Apprentice realm and gained spiritual power, he had nothing to fear, no matter who was coming.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

Immediately, seven or eight burly men in black clothes appeared outside the warehouse. Among them, a young man in white clothes with a youthful face stood out as the leader of the group.

The young man in white looked arrogant as he glared at one of the short men in black. "Are you certain someone is hiding in this warehouse? If you dare to deceive me, you know what the consequences will be."

"Young Master Zheng, I am certain," the short man in black replied hurriedly. "I watched for the entire night yesterday and noticed strange noises coming from inside from time to time. Someone is definitely in there."

"Normally, no one would appear here, but since someone did last night, I suspect the person hiding inside is the one the Black Bear Company is hunting. I came to report it immediately. If I have told even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning."

He swore to the heavens.

"Very well. If we truly find the culprit, you will have performed a great service and will be heavily rewarded." The young man in white understood the art of managing subordinates—a carrot and a stick.

"Thank you, Young Master Zheng..."

The short man in black was overjoyed, but before he could finish his sentence, a whoosh sounded. A pebble flew out from the warehouse window, moving with incredible speed, tearing through the air like a sniper bullet.

Bang! It instantly pierced through the head of the short man in black.