"Chief, everyone."
"Martial techniques and cultivation techniques are two entirely different things."
"Cultivation techniques depend on a person's talent and comprehension."
"If you're talented enough, you can grasp the circulation pathways even as a First-Order Martial Artist."
"But martial techniques are different."
Su Qingxue noticed their confusion.
She turned and pointed at the Third-Order Martial Techniques on the screen.
"Martial techniques need True Qi to power them!"
"A First-Order Martial Artist has only just formed a Qi Vortex. They have pitifully little True Qi."
"For a First-Order Martial Artist, a First-Order martial technique is standard."
"Only a tiny handful of geniuses can successfully use a Second-Order martial technique while still at the First Order."
"Lin Yuan is only at the First-Tier Early Stage."
"Even if I gave him every Fifth-Tier martial technique, and even if he grasped their essence..."
"With his current True Qi reserves, he'd be drained to a husk before he could finish the opening move!"
Understanding dawned on everyone.
It was like fitting a car with a jet engine.
There was only enough fuel in the tank to start it.
Before the car could move, the fuel would run dry, and the engine would burn out.
"But Instructor Su."
"If First-Order martial techniques are standard, and geniuses can use Second-Order ones..."
"Why did you list Third-Order Martial Techniques for Lin Yuan?"
"Isn't that too big a leap?"
Old Li adjusted his glasses and raised another question.
"Because he's Lin Yuan."
"At the monstrous rate he's growing..."
"I'm certain he'll break through to Second-Tier Martial Artist before Aura fully resurges!"
"..."
Su Qingxue looked at Old Li, a rare trace of approval appearing on her lips.
At those words,
the command room fell deathly silent once more.
Break through to the Second Tier before Aura fully resurged?
After all,
Aura on Blue Star had only just begun to spread!
The concentration of Aura in the air was extremely low.
Breaking through to the Second Tier at a time like this sounded impossible!
Yet coming from Su Qingxue, the claim carried a certainty no one could refute.
"Only by having him train in Third-Order Martial Techniques now..."
"Can he unleash his full combat potential when he actually reaches the Second Tier."
"Once the Ferocious Beasts erupt, the initial wave will be the deadliest."
"We must give him the ability to kill enemies above his tier!"
Su Qingxue's explanation dispelled everyone's doubts.
Everything was for the sake of surviving the apocalypse!
"Lin Yuan, make your choice!"
Nie Dingguo nodded firmly.
Lin Yuan stood before the screen and carefully browsed the Third-Order Martial Techniques.
His mind raced.
Choosing martial techniques was no trivial matter. They had to suit his fighting style.
He needed explosive power in close combat.
He needed agility to maneuver.
And if he faced swarms of Ferocious Beasts later, he couldn't rely on his bare hands alone.
A full ten minutes passed.
At last, Lin Yuan made his decision.
He raised his hand and tapped three names on the screen in succession.
"These three."
The screen flickered.
The details of the three martial techniques expanded.
Fist technique: Broken Rock Fist.
Built for explosive strikes at close range, it was known for its raw power.
Movement technique: Wandering Dragon Step.
It allowed rapid shifts and dodges in tight spaces, ideal for weaving through a chaotic beast horde.
Spear technique: Overlord Spear.
A long-weapon technique with sweeping, forceful moves—a powerful tool for group combat.
Close combat, maneuvering, group battles.
Together, the three covered everything, leaving no obvious weakness.
Su Qingxue looked at Lin Yuan's choices, her approval deepening.
This man wasn't just extraordinarily talented. His combat instincts were frighteningly sharp.
"Good."
"Now that you've chosen your cultivation technique and martial techniques..."
"I'll explain the key points of training in the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula."
Su Qingxue signaled that the others could leave.
What came next concerned the deepest secrets of their martial arts inheritance.
Nie Dingguo understood.
He immediately led the researchers and his adjutant out of the command room.
Soon,
in the vast secure chamber,
only Lin Yuan and Su Qingxue remained.
Su Qingxue brought up the outline of the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula's First Layer.
A complex diagram of meridian pathways appeared as a three-dimensional hologram.
"The Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula has six layers in total."
"Those six layers correspond to the first six tiers of martial artists."
"The First Layer corresponds to a First-Order Martial Artist and focuses on Skin Tempering."
"The core of this stage is guiding Aura to refine your skin."
"You must make your True Qi pierce your skin tissue like countless needles, tearing it apart and rebuilding it again and again."
"It's a painful process!"
"But once you endure it, your skin will become as tough as cowhide. Ordinary blades won't be able to cut through it."
"..."
Lin Yuan listened intently.
He showed no fear, only a hunger for power.
"The Second Layer corresponds to a Second-Tier Martial Artist and focuses on Flesh Tempering."
"True Qi penetrates the muscle fibers, strengthening explosive power and endurance."
"At its peak, your body can withstand shots from ordinary firearms!"
"..."
Su Qingxue explained for three full hours.
Everything she shared came from her own experience training in the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula.
Lin Yuan had an excellent memory, too.
He memorized every training point without missing a word.
Even though he couldn't fully understand them yet,
Su Qingxue's experience still gave him plenty of insight.
When the explanation ended,
Lin Yuan left the command room and returned to his private quarters.
"Whew—"
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on a cushion.
His chest rose and fell as he steadied himself.
A few minutes later,
Lin Yuan closed his eyes and began training in the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula.
Hum!
A violent suction erupted from his dantian.
The sparse Aura in the air poured through Lin Yuan's pores.
It's so forceful!
That was Lin Yuan's first reaction.
Compared with the Basic Breathing Technique he had practiced before,
the Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula was like bandits storming a village!
Keep it steady!
Lin Yuan gritted his teeth.
He controlled the violent Aura, driving it along the First Layer's Skin Tempering pathways toward the capillaries beneath his skin.
"Hiss!"
The next instant,
indescribable pain swept through Lin Yuan's entire body.
It felt as though countless tiny steel saws were frantically cutting through his skin.
Fuck...
Lin Yuan cursed inwardly.
Su Qingxue hadn't exaggerated. It really hurt!
Every inch the Aura advanced brought searing pain.
An ordinary person probably wouldn't last a minute before passing out.
But Lin Yuan endured it.
He clenched his teeth so hard that he bit his lips bloody.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Time seemed to lose all meaning.
Lin Yuan sat like a statue.
Apart from occasionally swallowing a few mouthfuls of nutrient solution, he never moved.
Gradually,
a layer of sticky, dark-brown matter began seeping from Lin Yuan's skin.
They were impurities expelled from his body.
On the fourth day,
the stabbing pain in his skin began to fade.
In its place came a warm, tingling sensation.
The torn skin tissue began rebuilding and healing at a terrifying speed.
In the early hours of the fifth day,
Lin Yuan abruptly opened his eyes in the training room.
He looked down at his hands.
His once-fair skin now bore a faint metallic sheen.
Finally.
After five days,
he had mastered the basics!
Lin Yuan's heart raced.
He eagerly called out to the system in his mind.
The next moment,
a transparent screen appeared before Lin Yuan.
[Host: Lin Yuan] [Strength: First-Stage Martial Artist, Early Phase] [Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Dipper Qi Refining Formula First Layer (Entry Realm 5%)] [Martial Skills: None] [Treasures: None]
Looking at that 5% mark,
Lin Yuan's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
So what if it was a Sixth-Tier Cultivation Art?
Once it appeared on the system panel,
all that remained was to grind away!
Talent? Thresholds? They were a joke in the face of a progress bar!
Before you continue