That evening, after celebrating with his family, Zhang Junbao went to the underground training room. Its foundations had been specially reinforced to withstand attacks at the War General Level.
Otherwise, it would be awkward if a martial artist brought his house down while training.
Having passed the assessment, Zhang Junbao had naturally received a method for cultivating Genetic Origin Energy: the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.
With no one around to disturb him, Zhang Junbao began reading the manual carefully.
So, after the great Nirvana, human bodies mutated, causing their genes to naturally optimize. They became able to absorb wisps of energy from the universe and incorporate them into their cells, constantly increasing the strength of their bones, cells, blood, organs, skin, and so on.
In that case, the reason my original body ultimately couldn't grow any stronger was that its genes hadn't been optimized.
And the Tai Chi Primordial Chaos Art I used to cultivate has similarities to this world's method of cultivating Genetic Origin Energy. It's just that I didn't understand how to combine genes and cells with a cultivation method back then, so I ended up losing my life after modifying the art.
Hahaha, fortune lies where misfortune falls, and misfortune lurks where fortune smiles. If not for that, I might never have come to this world.
This is a perfect chance to study it. The Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method in this world isn't particularly profound. Once I merge the two cultivation methods, I may be able to quickly regain the strength I had back then.
The so-called Wargod realm isn't far away!
Extraordinary comprehension, an open mind that freely embraced a wide range of ideas, and persistent effort on top of that-these were the true foundations of Zhang Junbao's confidence.
No matter how low his starting point was now, he could return to the peak once more.
After a night of careful study, Zhang Junbao finally grasped the core principles of the entire Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.
Five Hearts Toward Heaven focuses on using every cell in the body to sense the energy of the universe, while the Tai Chi Primordial Chaos Formula works through the meridians. But both absorb energy from heaven and earth, so they must have something in common.
First, I'll try absorbing cosmic energy! As long as I can "sense" it, absorbing it will be much easier.
An ordinary genius can sense it on the first day of cultivation, while someone less gifted may take half a year or a year just to sense cosmic energy. In that time, who knows how much further a genius's cultivation would have advanced?
Zhang Junbao immediately settled into stillness and began sensing it as the manual described.
The body must relax, the five hearts naturally facing heaven. The mind must be still, as tranquil as the mirror-flat surface of a lake.
For someone who had meditated for years, it could not have been simpler.
Hum.
Suddenly, Zhang Junbao felt as though something had exploded around his body. He opened his eyes and stared around himself in disbelief.
What's with all this surging energy everywhere? It's so similar to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth I cultivated with in my previous life, but it's tens of millions of times more concentrated.
Could this be cosmic energy? How could it be so concentrated?
Zhang Junbao closed his eyes again. Drawn toward him by his body, the surrounding energy flooded into him like a torrent.
He already had years of cultivation experience, and handling the similar cosmic energy came easily to him. Before long, wisps of cosmic energy followed Zhang Junbao's guidance and entered every cell in his body. The rate at which energy entered the five points-the soles of his feet, the centers of his palms, and the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head-suddenly soared.
"Ah!"
A sensation of comfort from the depths of his soul made Zhang Junbao's body tremble deeply, starting in his bone marrow.
After the invisible energy entered Zhang Junbao's body, his long-starved cells devoured and refined it frenziedly. Without even needing his guidance, it formed an energy vortex around his body that wildly sucked in the surrounding cosmic energy.
For a time, the martial artists in the Mingyue Residential Area all felt that their cultivation was no longer as smooth. Drawing in cosmic energy had become incredibly difficult.
Even Wu Tong, who was cultivating in the distant Limit Hall, felt a slight resistance.
"Hm? Could a powerful expert be cultivating nearby? Why does it feel like there's less cosmic energy around me?"
At that moment, Zhang Junbao's body was undergoing constant changes. After entering his body, the cosmic energy penetrated his skin, muscles, and bones, reaching every cell.
Even the genes within his cells were constantly changing, gradually becoming optimized. This was the process of a leap in life!
The density of Zhang Junbao's bones kept increasing, and the strength contained in his cells grew wildly. Since his body was absorbing cosmic energy for the first time, it naturally absorbed it frenziedly after coming into contact with it in such a starved state.
And within Zhang Junbao's brain, the Spiritual Force previously strengthened by the Purple Qi Comes from the East Art was also growing bit by bit, though he himself did not notice the process.
Early the next morning, a few faint insect chirps reached Zhang Junbao's ears.
"When did so many insects appear around here?" The Mingyue Residential Area had plenty of greenery, so quite a few small animals lived there.
"No, my hearing has improved. Is it morning already?"
Zhang Junbao slowly rose, but when he stood up, he noticed something was wrong.
He had only straightened his legs slightly, yet his whole body flew up. If his reactions had not been quick enough, his head might have smashed a hole straight through the floor above him.
"My strength has increased so much! I reckon a punch could hit with 3,000 kg of force now!"
Zhang Junbao threw a few punches into the air. He could actually see the air in front of him compress visibly, then burst apart in an instant with a booming report.
"The speed of those punches-even if they didn't reach the speed of sound, I reckon they were close! Hahaha, good thing I have excellent control over my body. Otherwise, losing control of it alone could get me killed."
Zhang Junbao quickly performed a set of Tai Chi Chuan in the training room. This extremely fast Taiji had an effect entirely different from the slow-motion version. After moving his body around for a bit, Zhang Junbao quickly adjusted to his current strength.
Explosive cracks rang out repeatedly in the training room. Fortunately, it was soundproofed; otherwise, the neighbors would surely have complained.
He looked up at the time. It had only just turned light.
"Perfect. I'll go up to the roof and receive the morning's purple qi."
By the time he reached the roof, the rising sun's rays still carried a trace of chill. Zhang Junbao sat cross-legged facing the sun, and a wisp of purple qi invisible to the naked eye slowly entered his brain.
Hm? I didn't expect even my mental strength to have grown so much. Although it still hasn't reached the level where I can control objects from a distance, my neural reaction speed should have improved again.
It's a shame that only the first time cultivating Genetic Origin Energy brings benefits like these. Although my cultivation speed won't be slow afterward, it'll still be somewhat less than the first time!
Zhang Junbao stood up with his hands behind his back and gazed out at the peaceful morning in the Base City.
Not far away, several exhausted martial artists were hurrying this way. They were probably returning from hunting demonic beasts in the wilderness.
One of them had half his body wrapped in bandages. When he saw his family waiting outside the residential area, the stalwart man who would not have blinked in the face of a ferocious demonic beast could not stop his tears. He embraced his family tightly.
"This is home. No matter what, we must defend it!"