Advanced Warrior

That night, in the Martial Arts Hall of Villa No. 200 in the Mingyue Residential Area.

Luo Yuan sat cross-legged with both soles facing upward, his hands resting on his legs with his palms up and his back straight. He was making his first attempt at cultivating genetic origin energy through the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.

Luo Yuan took a deep breath. "According to the article I read at the Limit Hall, 'sensing' it for the first time is the hardest part!"

To absorb the wisps of energy in the universe, he first had to sense them.

According to the article, this energy existed everywhere on Earth, and even throughout the starry universe. It was just that the vast majority of humans could not detect its existence at all.

Once I can 'sense' it, absorbing it will be easy. If only I had a Guidance Technique right now, Luo Yuan thought.

According to Jiang Nian, talented people could generally sense it on their first day of cultivation. Warriors with weaker talent, however, could spend six months to a year just trying to sense Universe Energy. He wondered how long he would need.

Luo Yuan adjusted his breathing again, then maintained the five hearts toward heaven posture. The "five hearts" referred to the soles of both feet, both palms, and the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head.

"Breathe out, breathe in..."

Luo Yuan's breathing gradually steadied as he controlled himself, letting his mind grow quiet.

An hour passed...

Three hours passed...

Luo Yuan opened his eyes and frowned. Honestly, he had sensed nothing at all. Instead, he had nearly fallen asleep. The idea that he could absorb Universe Energy simply by sitting cross-legged like this felt far too mystical. Anyone could assume the five hearts toward heaven posture, couldn't they?

"Looks like I'm no genius. Oh well, I'll try again. If three hours isn't enough, I'll spend a day. If a day isn't enough, I'll spend three days. I'll get there eventually." Luo Yuan encouraged himself.

Relax the body, letting the five hearts face heaven naturally. Quiet the mind until it is as still as a mirror-smooth lake. Luo Yuan recalled the article's instructions, using them to guide himself.

He continued sitting cross-legged like that for an unknown length of time. Luo Yuan's consciousness grew hazy, hovering between sleep and wakefulness. By then, he had forgotten all about trying to sense Universe Energy.

Suddenly, he vaguely sensed wisps of something passing through the soles of his feet, his palms, and the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head, gradually flowing into his body at an extremely slow pace.

That feels so good. What is it? Universe Energy!!! Luo Yuan snapped awake, his eyes instantly sharpening. At once, the sensation vanished completely.

Even Luo Yuan had not expected to vaguely sense Universe Energy just as he was about to fall asleep.

According to the article, once people reach the Quasi-Martial Artist threshold, the vast majority can cultivate genetic origin energy. Even if they can't sense it themselves, their bodies will still absorb it unconsciously at an extremely slow rate.

Luo Yuan hurriedly closed his eyes and immediately tried to sense it again. Gradually, his breathing steadied and his mind quieted. Slowly, faint, tiny wisps drifted around him, with only a trace seeping into his soles when they drew near. It was incredibly slow.

Focusing his awareness on the "five hearts," Luo Yuan naturally sent out thoughts of absorbing Universe Energy. The absorption rate through his soles, palms, and Baihui acupoint began to increase of its own accord, instantly rising nearly a hundredfold.

"That feels amazing..." A shiver from deep within his marrow made Luo Yuan's body tremble involuntarily. Once the invisible, colorless Universe Energy entered him, every cell in his long-starved body devoured it ravenously. The energy continued pouring in through the five channels.

As Universe Energy entered his cells, their mitochondria rapidly absorbed it and released a strange energy. Every part of the cells quickly absorbed that energy, and the cells themselves immediately began undergoing earthshaking changes. Their DNA blueprints also changed subtly, while the cells began dividing, each splitting into two.

Luo Yuan's body was constantly changing. From his skin, muscles, and bones to every cell deep within him, even his genes themselves underwent slight changes. This was the evolution of life, an optimization of his genetic makeup!

His bone density increased, his individual cells shrank, and one cell divided into two. His muscle tissue began optimizing itself, and naturally, Luo Yuan's body weight steadily increased as well.

The pleasure brought by his body's improvement came hand in hand with pain. Amid that mingling of agony and bliss, Luo Yuan passed out.

Early the next morning, Luo Yuan got up from the Martial Arts Hall floor. He shook his head and clenched his fists, feeling the unparalleled strength within his body. He was thrilled. It seemed his cultivation of the Five Hearts Facing the Sky Method had succeeded. This probably had something to do with the strength he had accumulated by picking up attributes. After all, before practicing this method, his physical attributes had been more than twice those of Quasi-Martial Artists.

With a thought, he opened his personal attribute panel.

"Open personal attribute panel."

Name: Luo Yuan

Strength level: Apprentice Level (Advanced Warrior)

Strength: 5,200 kg

Speed: 68 m/s

Defense: 5,200 kg

Mental power: 3,500 kg

Cultivation method: Five Hearts Facing the Sky Method

Skill: Movement Technique (micro level)

Looking at his personal attributes, Luo Yuan's eyes widened. He checked again. His strength and defense had both increased by 3,000 kilograms, and his speed had increased by half its previous value. Even his mental power had risen, reaching the Intermediate Warrior level. He could not help feeling ecstatic.

I'm already an Advanced Warrior? Universe Energy really is terrifying. And that's without even using a Guidance Technique. Of course, the boost from his first cultivation session was also responsible for such a dramatic improvement. After all, Luo Yuan's cells had never absorbed Universe Energy before.

Luo Yuan remembered that even with help from the golden sphere in his brain, Luo Feng had only gained a little over 3,000 kilograms of strength from practicing the Five Hearts Facing the Sky Method. It seemed his own talent was not all that bad, which made him feel a little better. After all, Luo Feng had taken only a year to advance from Advanced Student to Warrior Level.

"Looks like I can pick up attributes and cultivate Universe Energy at the same time from now on. Won't my strength skyrocket that way?" Luo Yuan murmured to himself.

Once he had calmed down, Luo Yuan showered, changed into a set of training clothes, and headed to the Limit Hall. He was going to pick up attributes again.

"What a dull life!"

When he reached the first floor of the Limit Hall, a dozen or so Warriors were drinking and chatting. No one paid him any attention. After all, only a handful of people knew that the Supervisor had taken an interest in him. Luo Yuan ate breakfast there, then headed straight for the second floor. At its entrance, he found a facial recognition scanner. He stepped in front of it, and after a scan, a line of text appeared.

Name: Luo Yuan

Rank: Quasi-Martial Artist

Access: Floors two through nine (temporary)

Luo Yuan smiled, passed through the second-floor doors, and headed straight for the Martial Arts Hall.

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