Breakthrough to the First Level of the Spirit Martial Realm

The body was the foundation of martial arts.

That was why the first realm, Body Tempering, focused on strengthening the physique and refining vital essence into energy, until blood and vitality surged powerfully through every limb.

To enter the second realm, the Spirit Martial Realm, a martial artist had to carve out a Qi Sea within the chaos of the dantian. Only then could they cultivate spiritual power and wield its unfathomable might.

"Carve out a Qi Sea..."

Inside the stone chamber, Lin Chen sat with his eyes closed and sank his awareness into his dantian.

It was a vast expanse of gray, like the chaos before heaven and earth were formed. Boundless as it seemed, it was barren and lifeless.

"No wonder they call it 'carving out.'"

Lin Chen murmured to himself, then put the thought aside and calmly adjusted his state of mind.

A long while passed.

When Lin Chen felt his body, energy, and spirit reach their peak, his blood and vitality began to rush like rivers toward his dantian.

At first, they were no more than trickling streams. Then they surged ever more fiercely, forming a vortex in the chaos of his dantian.

"If I'm to carve a Qi Sea out of this chaos, I'll need the power to split open the heavens."

With a thought, Lin Chen drew his blood and vitality together with the essence of the Thunderlight Sword Technique.

The next moment, a Sword Qi as brilliant as lightning began to form at the center of the vortex.

The Sword Qi grew solid and hung silently in that expanse, radiating a power that made the heart tremble.

The Thunderlight Sword Technique was a low-grade Spirit Grade martial art.

It was also the deadliest technique Lin Chen currently possessed.

I have a sword... that can split open the heavens.

Lin Chen brought the sword down with a thought.

Boom—

There was no actual sound, yet the impact seemed to reverberate deep within his soul!

The sword fell, thunder erupted, and a tiny spark of light burst from the chaos.

Where its light reached, the gray mist receded. A space no larger than a grain of rice, insubstantial yet undeniably real, had been forcibly carved out.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to answer its call. It poured into Lin Chen's body, traveled through his meridians, and flowed in fine threads into that speck of light.

Observing the changes within his dantian, Lin Chen understood: that rice-grain-sized speck was the earliest form of his Qi Sea.

And not just for him. To every martial artist, the Qi Sea in their dantian was vital.

If their Qi Sea was destroyed, they would lose their cultivation and become a cripple at best. At worst, they would die on the spot.

The Qi Sea has taken shape. The breakthrough should be certain now...

Lin Chen breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

But just then, something changed!

The Qi Sea speck of light began to tremble, and the energy throughout his body fluctuated with it.

"Damn it. I shouldn't have said anything."

Cursing under his breath, Lin Chen immediately took the Essence Condensation Pill from the jade box beside him and swallowed it.

The pill dissolved as soon as it reached his stomach. Its gentle medicinal power spread rapidly, calming the turbulent spiritual energy. The nascent Qi Sea stabilized once more and continued drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, slowly expanding.

At last, when the Qi Sea had grown to the size of a fist, it became fully stable. A soft, jade-like sheen flowed across its surface.

The Qi Sea was complete!

The instant the Qi Sea stabilized, Lin Chen's body gave a slight tremor.

Within the Qi Sea, fine but concentrated strands of spiritual power began to form, glowing faintly white.

Once martial artists carved out a Qi Sea, they could refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and cultivate spiritual power of their own!

As that power circulated through his body, Lin Chen felt comfortable from head to toe. His hearing and sight sharpened, and his awareness of his surroundings became extraordinarily clear.

He was now a first-level Spirit Martial Realm martial artist!

"Good thing I asked Father for an Essence Condensation Pill as a backup. Otherwise, that sixty percent chance might really have sunk me."

Murmuring to himself, Lin Chen opened his eyes. A glimmer of spiritual light flashed through them and vanished.

He stood and sensed the newborn Qi Sea within him. Strands of spiritual power flowed gently through his meridians. Unlike the raw strength of blood and vitality he had relied on before, this power was more fluid, more closely attuned to the nature of heaven and earth.

Lin Chen extended a finger. At a thought, a strand of spiritual power emerged and coiled around his fingertip.

"Go!"

Lin Chen turned toward the stone wall ahead and flicked his finger.

Hiss—

A faint sound cut through the air. The strand flew from his finger, becoming a glimmer almost too fast for the eye to catch, and plunged into the wall.

A hole about as thick as a finger had silently appeared in the stone, an inch deep.

"So this is spiritual power..."

Lin Chen marveled as he carefully explored its mysteries.

After a while, he turned to his Character Panel to see what had changed after his breakthrough:

[Character]: Lin Chen

[Age]: 18/196

[Life-Bound Divine Artifact]: Iron Sword (Tier 1, supreme grade)

[Realm]: First level of the Spirit Martial Realm (0/500)

[Martial Art]: Thunderlight Sword Technique (beginner)

[Idle Training]: Fierce Wolf Mountain (in progress)

[Note: New map "Miasma Forest" unlocked. Assign a strand of divided consciousness to begin idle training...]

The Character Panel lay open before him.

The most striking change was the leap in his lifespan. He could now live for nearly two hundred years, far beyond the limits of an ordinary person.

"As expected, every major breakthrough in martial arts brings a substantial increase in lifespan. That gives me more time to farm monsters through idle training and pursue the pinnacle of martial arts."

Lin Chen nodded slightly and looked farther down.

"Five hundred experience points to advance from the first to the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm?"

Seeing the experience required to level up, Lin Chen's brows rose slightly, and his gaze drifted to the idle training map.

"Miasma Forest?"

"Looks like there's a new map."

Lin Chen understood and was not surprised.

After all, Fierce Wolf Mountain's recommended levels were 1 to 10, corresponding to the Body Tempering Realm. Now that he had entered the Spirit Martial Realm, continuing to farm low-level monsters there would be far too inefficient.

With that in mind, Lin Chen promptly switched idle training maps.

In an instant, a dark forest shrouded in black miasma appeared before his eyes.

[Map: Miasma Forest]

[Recommended Level: 11–20]

[Idle Training Rewards: 35–41 experience points per month; very small chance of obtaining Spirit Stones, Spirit Herbs, Pills...]

[Note: This forest is shrouded in black miasma year-round. Poisonous insects are everywhere, and an eerie gloom hangs over it.]

"About forty experience points a month from idle training..."

"At that rate, reaching the Second Level of the Spirit Martial Realm will take over a year."

After a quick calculation, Lin Chen had his answer.

But he did not start idle training just yet. He planned to wait a few days and upgrade his innate weapon to Tier 2 first.

Now that he had entered the Spirit Martial Realm, he counted as an elite member of the Lin Residence. He could begin handling some family affairs and receive a reward from the clan, such as Spirit Grade equipment, Spirit Stones, or other cultivation resources.

Lin Chen intended to choose a piece of Spirit Grade equipment for his Life-Bound Divine Artifact to devour.

Once its quality rose to Tier 2, his idle training rewards would surely increase as well.

With his plans settled, Lin Chen ended his seclusion and pushed open the stone chamber door.

Daylight poured in like water.

He stepped outside, his figure merging with the light.