Divine Crystal!

Jiang Wu's simple-mindedness was only on the surface; he was actually quite dependable. He comforted his sister, saying, "Don't worry. Little Zhe still has a long way to go."

"He's too slow. Speed isn't that easy to improve. The 25 m/s boundary line can hold him back for a while."

"Even with the two of us guiding him, it'll probably take one or two weeks before we see results. Grandpa and the others should be back by then, and they can worry about how to teach Little Zhe."

Jiang Sisi found that reasonable. She nodded and let out a breath of relief.

Their concerns were understandable.

They were mainly afraid that after Jiang Zhe cultivated Gene Primordial Energy, the stimulation would awaken his Psychic Power. If the awakening failed, the uncontrolled psychic force could turn Jiang Zhe into an idiot or leave him vegetative—or worse, make him bleed from all seven orifices and die.

The two of them would be the ones who started the accident. They would feel guilty for the rest of their lives.

Jiang Zhe had no idea what his cousin and cousin sister were worrying about. Standing before the punching target, he pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on their conversation and muttered quietly, "Sometimes it's better for men to be slower..."

"Little Zhe, come test your speed." Jiang Wu patted the newly activated Speed Tester beside him and called out loudly.

"I'm coming. Maybe I'll become a Pre-Martial Warrior tonight."

Jiang Zhe chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he walked onto the track. At Jiang Wu's signal, he shot out like a cheetah.

The track was a full sixty meters long. The Speed Tester stood in the latter half, with the speed-testing zone around it.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Zhe accelerated to his top speed. His legs drove powerfully against the ground as he streaked past like an arrow loosed from a bow, whipping up a gust of wind with a sharp whoosh.

After passing through the testing zone, he naturally slowed down and came to a stop.

"Second Brother, what was it?" Jiang Zhe asked expectantly after steadying his breathing.

"24.5 m/s!"

Jiang Wu raised a thumbs-up. "Haha, that's already very good. Push a little harder and you'll cross the line."

"That doesn't make sense." Jiang Zhe muttered as he walked over to inspect the screen himself. The number displayed was indeed exactly what his second brother had said.

It was not that he was hung up on failing to break through the Pre-Martial Warrior Limit. That was bound to happen sooner or later. The problem was that the improvement was far too small compared to this morning.

Luo Feng's final headache before becoming a Pre-Martial Warrior had raised his speed by 5 m/s.

Jiang Sisi walked over as well and comforted him. "Little Zhe, you're still young. This is the stage where your physical fitness improves most noticeably. As long as you pay more attention to Force Amplification Technique while running, one or two weeks of training should be enough to meet the standard."

His cousin sister's words made Jiang Zhe feel enlightened once more, and he understood the reason.

Right, the difference was in technique!

He had never paid attention to Force Amplification Technique. He had relied entirely on brute force to run, without fully bringing out his physical fitness!

"I get it. Second Brother, one more time."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhe was already walking toward the starting line, studying his cousin sister's footwork along the way and analyzing how to exert force through his legs.

The siblings exchanged a glance. Jiang Wu spread his hands and said, "Looks like you said too much again."

He casually activated the Speed Tester for Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Sisi: "..."

This damned habit of mine, always wanting to teach people!

Jiang Zhe began running down the track. This time, he stumbled awkwardly, and his speed dropped to "22 m/s," even worse than his result that morning.

Jiang Zhe did not care. He continued with a third, fourth, fifth... run.

"21.2 m/s!"

"22.6 m/s!"

"20.3 m/s!"

"23.4 m/s!"

After several attempts, he still had not surpassed his previous result, but Jiang Zhe's eyes changed from puzzled contemplation to growing brightness.

He felt as though he was about to catch that mysterious "little tail." His legs became lighter, and running felt more and more natural.

"23.8 m/s!"

"24.9 m/s!"

"25.6 m/s!"

At last, it was settled. He had broken through the Pre-Martial Warrior boundary line!

Jiang Sisi's lips moved hesitantly. She wanted to speak, but stopped herself.

Jiang Wu understood what she was thinking and made the decision outright. "Alright, give him the Gene Primordial Energy Cultivation Method later. We need to trust Little Zhe. He'll awaken successfully, and he'll definitely become Earth's Number One Psychic Master in the future!"

"Of course, he has to ask us for it. If he doesn't ask, we won't give it to him on our own," Jiang Wu added.

"...Fine."

After a long silence, Jiang Sisi agreed.

Jiang Zhe paid no attention to his cousin and cousin sister's conversation. Immersed in his own world, he ran back and forth across the track again and again.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wu and Jiang Sisi stared at the constantly refreshing numbers on the Speed Tester screen as though they had seen a ghost—"25.9 m/s, 26.7 m/s, 27.3 m/s..."

It finally froze at—"29.9 m/s!"

It was not that he could not go any higher. Jiang Zhe simply stopped running.

Jiang Zhe lay on the cold alloy floor, gasping for breath. The exhilarating sense of release made him burst into laughter.

Jiang Wu grinned foolishly too. "Oh no, could he really be a genius?"

Jiang Sisi rolled her eyes at him. "That joke is from the last generation, and you're bringing it out now?"

"Hehe, good wine doesn't fear age." Jiang Wu rarely got playful with words. He walked over and pulled Jiang Zhe to his feet. "Can you still go? Got any strength left? Want to test your Neural Reaction Speed?"

"How could a real man say he can't? Let's go, Second Brother. Keep going!"

The two brothers slung their arms around each other's shoulders and headed toward the Neural Reaction Test Chamber connected to the training hall.

"There should be no suspense now..." Jiang Sisi murmured as she watched their backs. Then she turned and left the training hall to find the butler and prepare a surprise for Jiang Zhe.

"Within sixty seconds, hit forty-two times, no contact with red light. Excellent!"

"Your evaluation is above 'Pass.' You've already met the Pre-Martial Warrior standard. From this moment onward, Little Zhe, you are a Pre-Martial Warrior!"

Jiang Wu announced the result with a smile, feeling that he had witnessed a miracle.

His younger brother Jiang Zhe's accomplishment was unprecedented and would surely be recorded in history. In just one day after coming into contact with martial arts, he had crossed from an Intermediate Student to a Pre-Martial Warrior.

After all, many people in society were still stuck before the Pre-Martial Warrior threshold even at thirty years old.

"Little Zhe, want to continue?" Jiang Wu's face was full of encouragement.

Jiang Zhe smiled and shook his head. "No. I've temporarily reached my limit. I still need to properly study footwork."

His earlier results had all depended on the powerful computational ability granted by his Psychic Master Talent, along with the Chicken-Form Step he had copied from his cousin sister.

Jiang Zhe knew himself well. When it came to foundational footwork, he had none whatsoever.

For the first sixteen years of his life, he had been busy studying Sage Scriptures, tempering his state of mind, and searching for a path of self-cultivation that suited him.

The next priority had been nourishing his body and improving his physical fitness.

He had not rushed to practice techniques.

The martial arts techniques of this world differed from those of his Past Life. Their core lay entirely in exerting force, so it was more suitable to learn them after becoming a martial artist.

"Haha, it's good that you have a plan. Starting tomorrow, train with me and Sisi. We'll teach you." Jiang Wu smiled and patted Jiang Zhe's shoulder.

Jiang Zhe nodded in agreement.

That was the advantage of being born into a great family. You would never lack someone to guide you.

"By the way, Second Brother, can I read the Gene Primordial Energy Cultivation Method now?"

"Read it now?"

"Yes. I can't wait!"

"Haha, come with me to the Ninth Floor. Try to cultivate successfully soon, then give Grandpa and the others a huge surprise when they return!"

Inside the Audio-Visual Room on the ninth floor of the Alloy Tower, Jiang Zhe saw Earth's only Gene Primordial Energy cultivation method—the Five Hearts to Heaven Cultivation Method!

Jiang Zhe worked hard to memorize the key points of the text.

At the side, Jiang Wu explained what Gene Primordial Energy was and how to cultivate it more efficiently.

This included making proper use of Slag, and he also mentioned Guiding Techniques and the Gravity Cultivation Method.

"Second Brother, why not give me the Guiding Techniques too?"

"No, no." Jiang Wu repeatedly shook his head.

"Our family has two sets of Guiding Techniques, along with five sets of different main cultivation manuals: three attack types, one movement type, and one Special Type. What kind of cultivation combination you choose needs to be decided by Grandpa together with you. I wouldn't dare overstep my bounds."

Jiang Zhe asked twice more, but Jiang Wu still would not relent, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Little Zhe, to officially register as a martial artist, you still need to undergo the Combat Assessment. You must fight monsters in a life-and-death battle. Even members of the Jiang Family cannot be exempted. If you can't pass this test, you aren't qualified to become a martial artist."

"I understand. I'm preparing for the August 1 assessment now."

Jiang Wu was somewhat uneasy. "Uh... how about waiting for the one half a year later? There are only five days left. That's too rushed."

"It's fine. As long as I successfully cultivate Gene Primordial Energy, then choosing a heavy weapon should make it easy enough to kill a few Low-Rank Beast Soldier Level monsters."

Jiang Zhe was very confident in his own rate of growth, but his words told a different story.

"Besides, won't Second Brother and Sis Si be helping me? One of you can teach me footwork, and the other can teach me how to use weapons. I believe in your teaching abilities. You'll definitely be able to train me into a qualified martial artist within five days."

"If Sis Si hadn't guided me twice just now, it might have taken me quite a while longer to break through the Pre-Martial Warrior boundary line."

If Jiang Sisi were still there, she would definitely have covered her face in frustration. She truly was an expert at creating trouble for herself.

Jiang Wu thought it over and felt that Jiang Zhe made sense.

"Then I'll go register you tomorrow."

"But the prerequisite is that you successfully cultivate Gene Primordial Energy. If you fail to cultivate it within five days, I'll withdraw you from the assessment. You can prepare for the next Combat Assessment."

Jiang Wu walked to a corner cabinet against the wall, pulled open a drawer, found a USB Drive, and tossed it to Jiang Zhe.

"There are some recordings inside: Force Amplification Techniques, footwork, and attack methods. Study them when you have time and pick out what suits you."

After leaving the Inherited Martial Hall with his second brother, Jiang Zhe received his surprise for the day—a celebratory dinner prepared by his cousin sister.

His first aunt, second aunt, and mother stopped by midway to take a look. After praising him a few times, they headed off together to play mahjong again.

His younger aunt partied with the four third-generation members until late at night. By the end, Jiang Zhe looked as though he had taken a bath in champagne and cream. After returning to his small courtyard, he spent a long time cleaning himself up.

At two-thirty in the morning on the twenty-seventh, Jiang Zhe sat cross-legged on his bed in a loose robe.

At his age, he could not sleep anyway. It was the perfect time for cultivation.

"To cultivate Gene Primordial Energy, one must first sense Cosmic Energy. The first 'sensing' is the hardest."

"Those with good talent can sense it on their first day of cultivation, while those with mediocre talent may spend half a year or even a full year on this step... Never mind what my talent is like. I should use the cultivation aids first."

Jiang Zhe took out a porcelain box the size of a ping-pong ball. Opening the lid, he dipped a small amount of crystalline balm with his fingertip and evenly applied it to his palms, soles, and the Baihui Acupoint atop his head.

Following the cultivation method's requirements, he assumed the Five Hearts to Heaven posture.

"Breathe in, breathe out..."

Jiang Zhe maintained a steady rhythm of breathing and controlled himself, letting his heart gradually become still.

For someone who had cultivated his mind for sixteen years and studied Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, this was easy. Sitting meditation was an indispensable part of his daily routine, and his mind soon became as calm as a mirror-smooth lake.

All was silent, and even his breathing became almost imperceptible.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes... ten minutes, fifteen minutes...

In a half-asleep, half-awake Chaotic State, Jiang Zhe vaguely felt his five hearts gradually grow warm. A tingling sensation swept over him as wisps of breath passed through the five hearts and flowed into his body like a babbling stream.

What the hell? This cultivation speed is that fast?!!!

It was as if holes had been opened in the soles of his feet, the palms of his hands, and the Baihui Acupoint atop his head, pouring mercury straight into him until he was thoroughly permeated.

And this was only his body absorbing it on its own!

Though shocked, Jiang Zhe maintained his state.

He hurriedly followed the method's instructions. Rather than allowing his body to passively absorb Cosmic Energy, he focused his consciousness on the "five hearts," naturally sending out thought after thought of "drawing in Cosmic Energy."

The situation immediately became even more uncontrollable, the speed increasing a hundredfold in an instant.

At first, Cosmic Energy had been like water flowing slowly through a pipe into Jiang Zhe's body.

Now, it was like the pipe had burst—under immense pressure at that—flooding madly into Jiang Zhe's body.

For a moment, Jiang Zhe thought he was about to be overwhelmed into idiocy by Cosmic Energy.

How could he still fail to understand? The issue was the layer of Slag Balm. It had massively increased the cultivation speed of Gene Primordial Energy.

"Most of the Cosmic Energy pouring into my body is being produced by the melting balm. It's actually materialized Cosmic Energy?"

"I don't know how ordinary Cosmic Energy is condensed, but I do know that materialized cosmic origin energy is a Cosmic Crystal. That is a method only Realm Lord Level experts possess..."

"My family must be using some Ancient Civilization Relic to create this 'Slag.' What kind of treasure could it be? I'm really curious!"

The changes in his body temporarily suppressed Jiang Zhe's cat-scratching curiosity.

"Ah—"

A trembling sensation originating from deep in his bones made Jiang Zhe let out a "miserable" moan.

Cosmic Energy entered his cells and was absorbed and converted by the mitochondria, releasing an unusual energy. This energy was quickly absorbed throughout the cells, causing every cell to undergo earth-shaking changes. The DNA Gene Blueprint changed slightly.

At the same time, the cells divided and multiplied.

As time passed, Jiang Zhe's body continued changing. His skin, muscles, bones, and even deeper cells all transformed eagerly.

His skin tightened, his muscles were optimized, his bone density increased, his cells shrank in volume but multiplied in number after division, and his body weight continued to rise.

This was a transformation of life, a Life Level Leap!

Since birth, the human body had never consciously absorbed Cosmic Energy and had remained in a state of prolonged hunger. Therefore, the first absorption of Cosmic Energy was the greatest, and the increase in strength was the most significant.

By five or six in the morning, the sun was already high in the northern region. Jiang Zhe opened his eyes with a smile, reviewing the gains from the night.

"It took more than two hours to reach saturation... And the quality of those two hours is something no other martial artist on Earth would dare compare with."

"That crazed flooding state only returned to the same absorption rate as an ordinary martial artist's first cultivation session after the Slag was completely used up."

"It can already be confirmed that Slag is semi-solidified Cosmic Energy. It has an effect similar to Nutrient Solution."

"As expected, the Jiang Family was able to produce four War Gods because of external assistance. And the production of Slag should be quite low..."

Jiang Zhe shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He got out of bed and practiced a set of punches, familiarizing himself with the changes in his body.

"One punch should be able to reach 2,000 kg, perhaps even higher!"

To determine the exact amount, he would need to test it in the Inherited Martial Hall.

"More importantly, the space inside my body has changed. I have another chance to chop down a tree."

No subtle change within the Original Core could escape Jiang Zhe's perception.

"Do I need to advance my realm before I get another chance to chop down the tree?"

After locking the door and pulling the curtains tightly shut, Jiang Zhe entered the Original Core once more.

The clearing surrounded by Chaotic Mist had expanded to twenty meters in both length and width.

The tree at its center had grown even sturdier, its diameter now over two meters. Its gnarled branches stretched into the mist, and the full shape of its canopy remained impossible to see.

The wound he had cut yesterday had already healed, leaving behind an obvious scar the size of two fists.

Jiang Zhe circled the tree, found a smooth area, and swung the Woodcutting Axe to carve out another wound. A Golden Light Mass burst from within.

The axe's weight soared. After slipping from Jiang Zhe's hand, it flew back to the stone table on its own.

Jiang Zhe did not mind. He bent down to pick up the Golden Light Mass, and the golden radiance faded the instant his fingertips touched it, revealing what was inside.

It was a crystal-clear gemstone the size of two fists.

When his palm touched the "gemstone," a piece of information entered Jiang Zhe's mind. He froze completely, shock written across his face.

Only after a long while did he come back to his senses.

Jiang Zhe circled the tree, searching for something as he muttered nonstop, "There shouldn't be only this one... Where did my 'Thousand Body Scripture' go?"

Guys, don't cultivate the "Thousand Body Scripture." That thing's power was honestly limited. Thousand Bodies Merged as One sounded awesome, but it offered no help at all for the Dao Lord of Life and Death's Dao Fusion. At most, it made one's combat strength a little greater.

It would be the same in the world of Devouring the Starry Sky. Splitting the protagonist into a thousand bodies would not grant any bonus to law comprehension. The divine body would be tiny, with no vast reserves of Divine Power. Its Life Preservation Ability was relatively outstanding, and the combat strength after merging was worth looking forward to.

I have another use for this Divine Crystal. Its effect will definitely be stronger than something like the "Thousand Body Scripture," which is only powerful for a time.