First Layer

Cultivating the Visualization Method was entirely different from martial training that tempered the body.

It had nothing to do with surging blood and qi or aching muscles. It was a silent journey that took place purely within the realm of consciousness.

Following the inherited guidance of the Mountain Moving Method, Xu Wuyi began visualizing within his sea of consciousness once his mind had completely settled.

At first, there was only chaotic nothingness.

He focused all his attention and slowly sketched out the outline of a mountain.

This was not any specific mountain from reality, but the very concept of a "mountain"—heavy, majestic, and eternal.

The process went more smoothly than he had expected.

In barely more than ten minutes, a grayish-brown "small mountain," roughly the height of a person and with a distinct outline, had taken shape within his sea of consciousness.

The mountain was far from detailed, even somewhat crude, yet it radiated a weighty texture, as though it truly possessed mass.

What came next was the true difficulty of the Mountain Moving Method—moving the mountain.

He had to use his spirit as "hands" and his will as a "lever" to slowly "carry away" and "level" this mountain he had visualized himself.

Xu Wuyi focused his mind and tried to gather his spiritual power, turning it into an invisible force that coiled around the mountain.

"Rise!"

He silently called out in his heart and exerted all his strength.

The mountain... did not budge.

No, it was not entirely motionless.

The instant his spiritual power touched the mountain, he clearly felt an immensely powerful resistance emanating from the small mountain he had visualized.

At the same time, a heavy pressure rebounded into his consciousness, making him slightly dizzy.

This "mountain" seemed truly as heavy as a thousand tons.

He was not discouraged; he had been prepared for this. If a Visualization Method could be mastered so easily, high-level Martial Artists would not be so rare.

He adjusted his breathing, cast aside all distracting thoughts, and stopped trying to shake the entire mountain at once. Instead, he condensed his spiritual power into a finer, more focused stream, like a drill bit aimed at one corner of the mountain, and continued exerting force.

Once, twice, three times...

His spiritual power drained rapidly. Fine beads of cold sweat began to seep from his forehead, while waves of swelling pain throbbed at his temples.

This consumed even more mental energy than completing one hundred standard rounds of the Basic Body Tempering Method in succession.

He did not know how much time had passed. Just as he felt his spirit was about to run dry and his consciousness was beginning to blur—

Click.

An extremely faint, crisp sound, like a pebble striking the ground, echoed clearly through his sea of consciousness.

He "saw" that one corner of the stubborn mountain had finally been pried loose by his spiritual power. A tiny fragment the size of a fingernail peeled away, immediately transforming into a pure stream of spiritual light and dissipating into the void of his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, the small mountain seemed to have shrunk by the slightest, nearly imperceptible amount...

[Mountain Moving Method Proficiency +0.1%]

A line of archaic text silently appeared upon the Bronze Scroll of the Martial Dao Diligence Record, beneath the Basic Body Tempering Method.

Xu Wuyi's heart stirred.

The Visualization Method had also been acknowledged and quantified by the panel!

He let out a long breath of stale air and ended this visualization session.

Checking the time, he found that less than forty minutes had passed.

What Xu Wuyi did not know was that during his first visualization, he had not only successfully constructed the mountain but had also completed his first "mountain moving." If this progress became known, it would likely leave many people dumbfounded.

Mental cultivation was more difficult than tempering one's blood and qi, and it relied even more heavily on talent. Yet those gifted in this regard were often even rarer.

This was because the talent required for mental cultivation was not some inborn trait, but a mind toughened through countless trials.

A powerful wave of exhaustion washed over him. Xu Wuyi did not force himself to endure it and simply fell asleep.

Deep sleep was the best way to restore spiritual power. After cultivating a Visualization Method, Martial Artists usually needed only three to four hours of rest to remain energetic throughout the day.

Over the next three days, Xu Wuyi's schedule became even more packed.

During the day, he still unwaveringly completed the "hundred repetitions" of the Basic Body Tempering Method and its enlightenment. Although his proficiency remained stuck at 99.9% without budging, his blood and qi grew increasingly condensed through repeated tempering.

At night, he devoted all his time to cultivating the Mountain Moving Method.

With the Martial Dao Diligence Record's precise feedback, he did not need to worry about taking the wrong path in cultivation. He only needed to focus on how to mobilize and use his spiritual power more efficiently.

The process remained arduous.

Each visualization of "moving the mountain" was like using an invisible chisel to carve away at hard stone bit by bit, an ultimate test of willpower.

The emptiness and headaches brought on by exhausted spiritual power were far more unbearable than sore muscles.

Yet Xu Wuyi stubbornly persevered through it all with sheer tenacity.

Practice a skill a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself. Xu Wuyi had already gained a profound understanding of those words.

Although the Visualization Method did not record effective repetitions and therefore had no such thing as enlightenment after one hundred attempts, Xu Wuyi still cultivated diligently every day.

His efforts had never existed because of the panel. On the contrary, it was precisely because he worked hard enough that the Martial Dao Diligence Record had room to function!

As his understanding of the Mountain Moving Method deepened and his control over his spiritual power improved, his efficiency in "moving the mountain" gradually increased as well.

From 0.1% to 1%, then 10%, 20%... Xu Wuyi could clearly feel that his control over spiritual power was becoming increasingly precise.

At first, he had to expend tremendous mental effort just to barely form a spiritual "lever." His movements were clumsy, and his efficiency was low.

But once his proficiency surpassed 40%, the speed at which he gathered spiritual power noticeably increased, and the invisible "lever" became more solid and powerful.

From being able to peel away only fingernail-sized fragments during a single visualization to steadily prying loose fist-sized chunks of rock...

His efficiency had increased by more than threefold!

The grayish-brown small mountain in his sea of consciousness began shrinking at a faster pace.

Late on the third night.

Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged on his bed, his mind completely immersed in his sea of consciousness.

At that moment, the mountain that had originally stood as tall as a person had been reduced to its final stubborn rock, roughly the size of a washbasin, floating obstinately within the void.

He mobilized every bit of spiritual power he could currently wield, compressing it to the extreme and transforming it into an invisible heavy hammer. Carrying an unstoppable momentum, it smashed viciously toward the final stubborn rock!

"Break!"

Boom—!

It was as though something exploded deep within his consciousness, or as though a dam had finally been shattered by floodwaters.

The final stubborn rock shattered in response, turning into a sky full of crystalline points of light that gleamed like stars before merging into his sea of consciousness and vanishing.

An indescribable feeling of ease and clarity instantly spread throughout his entire body.

It was as though a thin veil that had long covered his mind had been lifted, and the entire world became much clearer to his senses.

Within his sea of consciousness, new text had appeared on the panel:

[Martial Dao Diligence Record]

Martial Art: Basic Body Tempering Method

Current Realm: Entry Level (99.9%)

Martial Art Traits: Not Unlocked

Evaluation: Foundation stable, bound by a bottleneck.

Visualization Method: Mountain Moving

Current Realm: First Layer (100%)

Evaluation: Spiritual barrier initially broken, perception greatly sharpened.

[Spiritual barrier initially broken; spiritual power has increased significantly.]

Looking at the clearly listed information on the panel, especially the striking "First Layer (100%)" after the Mountain Moving Method, Xu Wuyi could not suppress the upward curve of his lips.

He had succeeded!