After contentedly withdrawing his divine sense back into his main body, Chen Yan felt refreshed from head to toe and in excellent spirits.
The Spirit Race crisis had temporarily come to an end. Even if greater storms might lie ahead, those were matters for the future.
As far as he was concerned, if the sky fell, the grandmasters would be there to hold it up!
"I'm just a humble little cultivator. I'll live in the moment and keep a low profile while I grow."
"Working hard to improve myself is the best choice!"
He gathered his thoughts and immediately examined himself. A pale blue system panel appeared clearly in his consciousness:
[Host]: Chen Yan [Age]: 1 year, 2 months [ cultivation]: Amateur, Seventh stage [Qi and Blood]: 4504/10000 [Spirit]: 5146/10000 [Charm]: 93/100 (Gifted by nature) [Fortune]: 105 (One stroke of good luck after another) [Constitution]: Innate Dao Body (Born close to the Dao, proficient in all methods) [Skills]: [Meditation Method (Mastered) (2080/10000)] [Divine Sense Differentiation (Mastered) (2080/10000)]
The proficiency bars for [Meditation Method] and [Divine Sense Differentiation] had both passed the two-thousand mark!
A goal that would have taken nearly three years of hard cultivation to reach—
Now, it seemed that if he kept steadily grinding away for another two years or so, he would get there naturally!
"Great! At this rate, in two years I'll be able to raise these two key skills to the Third Sequence!"
The pleasure of growing stronger felt so real
that Chen Yan couldn't help getting a little carried away.
Full of anticipation, he opened the preview of the skills in the next sequence:
[Spirit Control]: Use telekinesis to directly interfere with reality! Retrieve objects from a distance, condense invisible weapons, and form a Psychic Shield! It can also exert a minor influence on another person's consciousness (strong suggestions, weaving brief dreams, and reading surface thoughts)!
[Mirror Flower Water Moon]: Consume half of your qi and blood and spirit to create a real clone with independent agency and a certain degree of combat ability! Everything the clone sees, hears, learns, and gains can return to the main body. If the clone is destroyed, your spiritual power may be damaged, but it can recover with rest.
"Tsk, tsk. The Third Sequence is on a whole different level from the Second Sequence!"
Chen Yan's heart raced as he read.
Especially [Mirror Flower Water Moon]!
A real clone?
Wouldn't that mean...
He could have two Chen Yans grinding away at skills at the same time?!
His biggest bottleneck right now was the limited amount of time he had!
The only way he could increase the rate at which he gained skill proficiency was by using Divine Sense Differentiation, assigning each sense to grind away at a different skill.
That let him work on multiple things at once.
Though he had already done everything he could to make use of spare moments, there was still a ceiling to his efficiency.
Chen Yan had long been frustrated that he couldn't find a skill that could directly increase how much he could grind, so he could only hope that [Mirror Flower Water Moon] would take his efficiency even higher!
"But my intuition tells me the potential of this skill sequence goes far beyond simply speeding up cultivation..."
Chen Yan suppressed the urge to start grinding like crazy right away and calmly thought it through.
Using clones in battle, exploring dangerous places, confusing enemies, working on multiple things at once...
Its strategic value was immeasurable!
"Great, I know what my goal is! My top priority over the next two years is to grind out [Mirror Flower Water Moon]!"
Chen Yan set himself a clear goal once again, full of drive.
"Someone like me, with both talent and diligence, will succeed wherever I go!"
"Xiao Yan! Come downstairs and eat!"
Just then, his mother Du Qionghua called from outside the door, her voice full of affection.
That's right. Du Qionghua couldn't bear to be away from her precious son after all.
While her son was at the Martial Arts Hall, she had more time to herself, but she always felt a void in her heart and missed him terribly.
So, after a family meeting, they decided that Chen Yan would follow a routine of "one week at the Martial Arts Hall, one week in the family quarters."
"Coming!"
Chen Yan called back.
He smoothly switched back to his innocent baby mode and ran toward the door on his little legs.
Cultivation was important, of course, but enjoying the warmth of home was also part of "living in the moment."
Chen Yan trotted downstairs on his little legs.
At a glance, he saw Aunt Liu Xin holding Yu Qingmeng in the living room. The mother and daughter were talking on a phone set to speaker on the coffee table.
"Daddy! When are you coming home? Baby misses you so, so much!"
Yu Qingmeng tilted her little head and called out to the phone in a babyish voice, her small face filled with longing and hurt.
"Be good, Xiaomeng. Daddy's sorry. I've been away on a business trip for too long."
"Daddy's work here is almost finished. I'll be home to keep you company very soon, okay?"
Hearing her husband's voice made Liu Xin's nose sting.
She was longing for him to come back, too, but she couldn't help scolding him instead:
"What are you coming back for? Do you even care about this family?"
"You've been away for so long that there's no place for you here anymore!"
As she spoke, she couldn't hold back her feelings and began to sob quietly.
"Kefa, when you graduated from Martial University, you had excellent marks in every subject, yet you resolutely chose to return to the Jiang City Special Investigation Team. Have you ever regretted it, even for a moment?"
Wang Anguo's gaze was deep as he continued, "In terms of pills, cultivation resources, opportunities for advancement, and even chances to hone your skills against powerful opponents, this city behind the front lines simply can't compare with the frontline battlefield, where you face ferocious beasts and foreign races."
"Besides, day after day, you mostly deal with trivial public order cases and low-level conflicts. You must be tired of that by now."
Chen Kefa paused slightly at his words.
A flash of surprise crossed his face, then gave way to quiet understanding.
He shook his head, his voice firm but gentle:
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmaster. But compared to pills, resources, and opportunities for advancement, I care more about being there to protect my family."
When he said "my family," a warm smile unconsciously spread across his resolute face.
It was a happiness that came from the heart, enough to help him weather any storm.
"Watching Xiao Yan grow up day by day and sharing a peaceful life with Qionghua matter more to me than anything else."
Wang Anguo watched him quietly, taking in the unquestionable sincerity and contentment in his eyes, and nodded to himself.
A man who put his family first had people he needed to protect—and thus a weakness.
But for that very reason, he was often better able to understand the ordinary comforts of life and what was worth protecting.
Once a man like that understood the greater cause, his resolve and resilience might make him better suited to the task of defending humanity than those who sought only personal strength.
"I understand how you feel."
Wang Anguo changed tack, and his presence suddenly grew more imposing.
"Still, the Special Investigation Team in Jiang City is too small a pond for a dragon to soar in."
"With your talent and temperament, you shouldn't stop here. Your battlefield should be the front lines!"
"That's where your brilliance can truly shine, and where you can earn distinction for humanity."
His gaze burned as he looked at Chen Kefa. "I have some connections in the Military Department and on the front lines. If you're willing, I can personally write you a letter of recommendation!"
Chen Kefa was shaken to his core.
He knew the Grandmaster meant what he said.
If he stayed in Jiang City, he might truly never progress beyond the high ranks of the professional level.
Looking at the grandmasters of the world, which one hadn't survived life and death, fighting their way forward blow by blow on battlefields of blood and fire?
The front lines were the true cradle of the strong.
The immense opportunity before him made his breathing quicken.
He suppressed the surge of emotion and respectfully clasped his fists. "I'm deeply grateful for your high regard, Grandmaster!"
"But this matter... This matter is of great importance and concerns the path I'll take in the future. I'll need to discuss it with my wife..."
"That's only right." Far from displeased, Wang Anguo looked even more approving.
"Getting her to agree to lend her husband to humanity is a major matter. Naturally, you must have her understanding and support."
"I should go with you to meet your wife in person and explain the pros and cons to her face."
Before you continue