Advancing to Second Grade

"Very well. Let's have a match."

The Grand Supreme Elder considered it for a moment, then said coldly, "Qin Hao, do you object?"

"I do!" Qin Yuntian's face darkened.

Qin Gaochi sneered. "Qin Yuntian, this concerns the position of the Qin family's young master. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant!"

Qin Yuntian flew into a rage. True Qi surged through him, whipping up a violent wind around him.

"Father."

A hand suddenly reached out to stop Qin Yuntian. Qin Hao stepped forward, turned to the Grand Supreme Elder, and said, "Since it's your decision, Grand Supreme Elder, I have no objection. But I do have one condition!"

"Set the match for half a month from now! Then I'll fight Qin Fang. If I lose, I'll give up my position as young master. But if I win, Qin Fang, you'll have to take a detour whenever you see me!"

He had already mastered the Soul-Splitting Art!

Half a month was enough for Qin Hao to raise his strength.

"Good, Qin Hao. You said it yourself."

Before the words had faded, Qin Fang sprang forward, eager to speak. "You piece of trash! You think you can catch up to me in half a month? When the time comes, I'll grind you into the dirt before the whole family. You're destined to be my first stepping stone on the climb to the Martial Dao Peak!"

Qin Hao did not even look at him. "Father, I'll head back first."

Qin Yuntian looked as though he wanted to say more. "Hao'er, go home and rest. Your father is here for you."

Back in his room, Qin Hao sat cross-legged on his bed and let out a slow breath.

Perhaps this was all there was to human warmth and coldness, to the fickleness of the world.

In the past, sheltered by his father and holding the position of Qin family young master, he had never felt the darkness of the world.

Now Qin Hao understood deeply how important strength was.

The strong were respected. The weak were bullied and trampled underfoot!

If he had overwhelming strength, who would dare challenge him?

It was the same everywhere!

Closing his eyes, Qin Hao brought the contents of the Great Dao Spirit-Seizing Art to mind.

The Great Dao Spirit-Seizing Art had nine chapters in all!

The first was the Spirit-Seizing Chapter.

The second was the Sacred Embryo Chapter.

The third was the Heaven and Earth Chapter.

For some reason, though all nine chapters were in Qin Hao's mind, he could not make out the last six, no matter how hard he tried.

"For three years, my cultivation has been stuck at the first level of the Body Tempering Realm while I practiced the Soul-Splitting Art."

"And even the weakest of my peers has reached the second level of the Body Tempering Realm."

Over those three years, Qin Hao had memorized every word of the Spirit-Seizing Chapter and fully grasped its meaning.

"I've endured for three years and trained bitterly for three years, all for today."

"Now... let's begin!"

Fervor blazed in Qin Hao's eyes.

He steadied his breathing. With a stir of his mind, he released his Martial Soul.

A little golden sword appeared out of thin air.

The little sword radiated a faint air of majesty. It was Qin Hao's Martial Soul.

Martial Souls came in many forms.

Some people had beasts as their Martial Souls; others had weapons. Still others, like Liu Ruoxue, had special Martial Souls imbued with an attribute.

Qin Hao's Martial Soul was a weapon.

Yet Qin Hao had a vague feeling that the little golden sword resembled the Supreme Sword Tower.

As soon as he released his Martial Soul, he seemed to become a vast furnace, drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy from all around.

"The Great Dao holds all alike; all things may be taken and gathered into my body!"

"Great Dao Spirit Seizing!"

Boom!

With Qin Hao at its center, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy within a ten-mile radius began to boil.

It surged toward him in waves visible to the naked eye.

"This..."

Qin Hao was stunned.

The spiritual energy was like an ocean. A layer of pale mist formed inside the room, and even the slightest breath drew in an astonishing concentration of it.

Even when Qin Hao had cultivated with a Fifth-Rank Martial Soul, he had absorbed less than a tenth of this much spiritual energy.

Every pore on his body seemed like a starving wolf. Every cell frantically drank in spiritual energy.

Then all of it flowed into his cells. With a hum, Qin Hao felt something give way, and his aura swelled sharply.

Early Stage of the second level of the Body Tempering Realm!

"I broke through! The second level of the Body Tempering Realm!"

Qin Hao was beside himself with joy.

He had thought that, with his Martial Soul now at the First Grade, breaking through would take at least three days.

Instead, it had taken only a few breaths.

And yet...

Spiritual energy continued to pour into his body without pause.

Hum, hum...

His cultivation kept rising.

The middle stage of the second level of the Body Tempering Realm.

The late stage of the second level of the Body Tempering Realm.

The peak of the second level of the Body Tempering Realm.

The Early Stage of the third level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Only after Qin Hao broke through to the third level did his cultivation finally come to a halt.

Even then, he could still feel his body's hunger, as though he could keep pushing forward.

His heart raced.

Normally, without outside help, a Warrior with a First-Grade Martial Soul would need at least half a year to advance from the first to the second level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Advancing from the second level to the third would take even longer.

After all, there were thresholds between cultivation levels, and crossing them took time.

But for Qin Hao, it was as though no thresholds existed. He broke through with ease!

The only strange thing was that advancing from the first level to the third had consumed ten, perhaps even a hundred times as much spiritual energy as it would for an ordinary Warrior!

"The Great Dao Spirit-Seizing Art truly is extraordinary!"

Qin Hao was thrilled.

He did not see his greater need for spiritual energy as a problem. Quite the opposite: the more he absorbed, the firmer his foundation would become, and the greater the boost to his strength when he broke through to the Meridian Opening Realm in the future.

Just as he was reveling in it, a knock came at the door.

Qin Hao opened it to find a tall, powerfully built man standing outside.

"Uncle Liu?" Qin Hao was surprised.

The man was Liu Wei, Qin Yuntian's guard. He had served Qin Hao's father faithfully for many years.

Liu Wei held a Crystal Bottle in his hand. "Qin Hao, these twenty Body Tempering Pills are your monthly allotment. The Family Head asked me to bring them."

Qin Hao froze.

Today was the day monthly allotments were distributed.

But he had previously received no more than ten Body Tempering Pills. Now that his First-Grade Martial Soul had been revealed, the family certainly would not waste resources on a piece of trash like him. Yet they had sent him twice his usual allotment.

His father must have paid a steep price.

"Father..."

Qin Hao's nose stung, and his hands clenched into fists.

Liu Wei's face remained impassive. "The Family Head argued with many of the elders over these twenty Body Tempering Pills. The Great Elder forced your father to agree to step down as Family Head next year."

"Take care of yourself."

With that, Liu Wei turned and left.

Qin Hao clenched his fists tighter, fire burning in his eyes.

He had known his father must have paid a price, but he had never imagined it would be so great.

"Father, don't worry. I won't let you down. I'll use the twenty Body Tempering Pills you sent me to break through to the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm!"

Qin Hao opened the Crystal Bottle. Inside lay twenty clear, gleaming Body Tempering Pills, and a rich wave of spiritual energy washed over him.

Body Tempering Pills were precious. Even the Qin family received only a fixed supply each month. An ordinary family member was fortunate to get one or two pills a month.

He took out a pill and swallowed it. It dissolved the instant it touched his tongue, turning into a stream of energy.

Qin Hao was about to refine it when an immense suction suddenly rose from within him and drained every last trace of spiritual energy from the pill.

"The spiritual energy was absorbed? What happened? Could it be..."

After a moment's shock, fervor lit Qin Hao's face.

The next instant, the Golden Little Sword Martial Soul appeared again.

Qin Hao took out another Body Tempering Pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

His eyes stayed fixed on the Little Sword Martial Soul before him.

One pill, two pills, three...

In mere moments, Qin Hao had swallowed more than a dozen Body Tempering Pills. His Martial Soul had drained every last trace of spiritual energy from each one.

The little golden sword, once somewhat dim, had grown noticeably brighter.

He swallowed all the remaining pills in one go. With a hum, the little golden sword trembled, and an imposing, extraordinary aura spread from it.

The little golden sword, originally only half a meter long, had grown several centimeters.

"A Second-Grade Martial Soul!"

Qin Hao's heart shook. He was wild with joy.

His Little Sword Martial Soul had advanced from First Grade to Second Grade!

"What the Great Dao Spirit-Seizing Art recorded was true!"

"The Reincarnation Great Emperor of the Windfire Divine Realm practiced the Soul-Splitting Art, and his Tenth-Grade Fire-Attribute Martial Soul fell to First Grade. As he cultivated afterward, his Martial Soul kept advancing! Now mine has advanced too!"

A Martial Soul's grade was fixed from birth!

He had never heard of anyone whose Martial Soul could advance. Yet Qin Hao's Little Sword Martial Soul had risen from First Grade to Second Grade.

And the higher a Martial Soul's grade, the faster its owner cultivated and the greater the boost it brought to his combat strength.

Between Warriors at the same cultivation level, the difference in combat strength with and without a released Martial Soul was enormous!

Qin Hao was elated, but he had also noticed something.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy could raise his cultivation, while pills could advance his Martial Soul!

"I'll try again the next time I get some pills."

Qin Hao considered his next step. "I've reached the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, and my Martial Soul has advanced to Second Grade. It's time to visit the Library Pavilion."

Years ago, Qin Hao had mastered a Low Yellow Tier Martial Skill in just three months, displaying exceptional insight into martial arts. That was what had drawn the Myriad Phenomena Hall's attention. Since then, however, he had not visited the Library Pavilion.

At the Library Pavilion, Qin Hao began choosing Martial Skills.

Martial Skills were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. The Qin family's best Cultivation Technique was only High Yellow Tier, yet it was the very foundation of the family's standing.

"My Martial Soul is a sword, and Sword Arts interest me most. I'll choose one."

"The Raging Tide Sword Art, the Lone Wind Sword, the Sword-Drawing Art, the Azure Cloud Sword..."

After looking for a long while, Qin Hao chose the Sword-Drawing Art.

The Sword-Drawing Art was a Middle Yellow Tier skill. One move was all it took to kill! Mastered to its utmost, a single sword strike flashed like a shooting star, and fighting above one's level was no challenge.

Qin Hao was thoroughly satisfied. Nothing was worse than a Martial Skill that looked impressive but lacked substance; in battle, an enemy could easily exploit its flaws.

The Sword-Drawing Art was plain and unadorned, simple and practical—exactly what he wanted.

Qin Hao then chose another Middle Yellow Tier skill, the Seven-Star Step!

With the Seven-Star Step, one trod the Seven Stars and shifted like the turning heavens, darting and wheeling so that enemies could not get close.

Mastered to its peak, it could even rival a High Yellow Tier Movement Technique. It was remarkable.

Once Qin Hao had settled on the two Martial Skills, he registered them, agreed to return them in ten days, and left the Library Pavilion.

He had not gone far when two figures suddenly blocked his path.

"Qin Hao?! No wonder I couldn't find you at home, you piece of trash. So you were hiding here!"

One of the youths cried out in delight.