Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Fourth Gift

“Ding: Congratulations to the host for stepping into the fourth level of Martial Path, temporarily solidifying the 'Lord of Space' talent.”

“Ding: Please become the Federation’s Martial Champion at the end of the martial examination, or else the 'Lord of Space' talent will vanish.”

This talent had already merged into Jiang Ming’s bloodline, branded upon his soul, becoming an intrinsic part of his abilities.

The integration of the talent was silent and seamless, as if nothing had changed.

Yet with a single glance, he could seemingly pierce through layer upon layer of space.

Vaguely, he could sense the very threads of space itself.

[Lord of Space]: Innately attuned to the Dao of Space, easily sensing fluctuations within it, bearing a trace of the supreme spatial laws, allowing the host to comprehend the way of space, command the power of space, and ultimately become the Lord of Space. Note: This talent grows stronger with the host’s power.

This was undoubtedly an unimaginably terrifying potential.

But now was not the time for exploration.

After conversing with the two elders for a long while, Jiang Ming finally took his leave.

Outside the Myriad Worlds Pavilion.

Jiang Ming examined himself—his clothes were splendid, long hair flowing, and apart from the absence of his sword and a few accessories, nothing else had changed.

Thankfully so; otherwise, stepping out unclothed would have been quite the spectacle.

“Jiang Ming, you’ve changed so much!” Qin Zhiyan had been waiting outside all this time. As soon as she saw him, she was inexplicably struck by a pressure more daunting than facing the principal.

“Having survived a brush with death, of course I’ve changed,” Jiang Ming said with a touch of emotion.

The streets bustled with traffic and noise.

Compared to the secret realm, the city was far livelier and more restless.

One hour here equaled three years within.

Yet it was still May 28th, 9918 in the Martial Era.

He felt a sense of disorientation.

“Time, space, the passage of years…”

He raised his hand, as if to grasp something, then slowly lowered it.

“I wish I could go too. Can you tell me about your experiences?”

“Certainly.”

Jiang Ming gave a brief account.

The conditions for leaving were harsh, and achieving the requirements was even harder—such as collecting Nine Yin and Nine Yang, with the techniques scattered among the great powers of the world. How could one obtain them? Either by becoming the world’s foremost figure or by ascending to the throne.

This was beyond harsh.

When he spoke of the final battle, the world uniting against Jiang, Qin Zhiyan’s expression turned to shock. “You, you actually withstood that?”

Sects, feudal lords, armies…

The mere thought of it made her tremble.

“Of course you did, otherwise you wouldn’t be standing here now.” Qin Zhiyan looked lost. “Jiang Ming, do you think I could go in and give it a try? Maybe I’d enter a simpler secret world?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Jiang Ming said seriously. “I only managed to break free because of unique fortunes. For you, it would be far too dangerous.”

“Yes, it’s too dangerous, but if I never venture into a secret world, I’ll be just another face in the crowd,” Qin Zhiyan whispered. “Jiang Ming, do you think if I had kept a low profile, quietly accumulated strength for two years and kept my head down in the third, I could’ve stayed hidden? After all, being identified as an extraterrestrial demon only gave a rough location. If I hid in the imperial city, or stayed among crowds…”

She trailed off.

Yet in doing so, how could she ever achieve greatness?

But her eyes brightened. “It’s worth a try. If my cultivation is lacking, I’ll just keep hiding. At worst, I’ll return empty-handed after three years. But if…”

“I must go. I have to go!”

“In Pingyang City, I’m a prodigy. But in the province, in the entire federation, I’m but a small fry.”

“I don’t want to live an ordinary life!”

“I won’t settle for marrying just anyone and muddling through my years.”

“I want to fight on the battlefields of myriad worlds!”

“I want to travel the cosmic stars!”

“I want to witness the scenery beyond immortality!”

“This time, I must go!”

Her resolve only strengthened, a flame burning in her gaze. With those words, she turned and strode toward the Myriad Worlds Pavilion.

“You’ve only just reached the second level. If you enter now, there’s little chance you’ll ever return,” Jiang Ming called out, stopping in his tracks. “Without fortune or opportunity, your progress will be slow, but who can say what the future holds?”

“One slow step, every step slow!” Qin Zhiyan did not look back.

“Wait!” Jiang Ming suddenly called.

Qin Zhiyan turned to see a finger gently touch her brow, her expression instantly turning dazed.

After a long moment, her face was filled with awe.

But Jiang Ming was already gone.

“Passing on the law with the spirit? To think Jiang Ming has mastered such a method… Just how far have you risen, Jiang Ming? Nine Yin, Nine Yang, the Myriad Sword Return, Drizzling Sword…!” Qin Zhiyan muttered, then shouted into the distance, “If I return, I will repay this great debt!”

And with that, she left resolutely.

At home.

Jiang Ming sipped a cup of tea and settled onto the sofa, pondering his conversation with the two elders, organizing what he had learned, and laying out his plans for the future.

He now understood the levels of the martial path.

Martial cultivation was divided as follows: First Level, Bone Tempering; Second Level, Qi Sea; Third Level, Gang Qi; Fourth Level, Master; Fifth Level, Grandmaster; Sixth Level, Celestial Phenomenon; Seventh Level, Transcendent; Eighth Level, Golden Core of Martial Dao.

As for higher levels?

Jiang Ming hadn’t asked.

Here, “martial path” referred specifically to the art of cultivating internal energy. Elder Tang had also mentioned the path of body refinement, but it was too resource-intensive, damaged the body easily, and was difficult to popularize.

Thus, the mainstream path was still internal cultivation.

There was also the way of spiritual cultivation, and some with exceptional talent awakened their spiritual powers early, these individuals would receive special training.

There were also those with innate abilities—controlling water, manipulating fire, and the like. According to Elder Tang, such individuals might advance quickly at first, and could grasp certain insights more easily, but overall, they weren’t much stronger than ordinary people.

After the fifth level, their advantages were nearly gone.

“Second generation elites, and the Genius Training Camp!”

This was another crucial piece of information.

Martial elites possessed countless resources, powerful backgrounds, and some abilities ordinary people could scarcely imagine. As a result, their offspring grew much faster than their peers.

While others trudged along step by step, they soared ahead.

These were the second generation elites.

Then there were those with extraordinary gifts, who, upon awakening unique abilities, would be taken by the Genius Training Camp for special cultivation.

Though such individuals were one in ten thousand, in the Federation they were not truly rare.

“If the second generation elites and Genius Camp students don’t compete, you have a chance at becoming Federation Champion. But if they do, it will be difficult,” Elder Tang had said.

Elder Song agreed.

At the time, Jiang Ming had wondered—would these people really take the exam?

The answer: generally, no.

The martial exam was limited to those under eighteen, and could only be taken once in a lifetime.

If they chose to enter, they would go straight to the final rounds, rarely appearing in the early selections.

“Can Elder Tang and Elder Song really see through my depths? Is it truly difficult for me to win the Federation’s top spot if I go all out?”

Jiang Ming found it hard to believe.

“But there’s no point overthinking. The most important thing now is adapting to the main world’s environment and mastering my surging new strength!”

“What a pity—the next chance to enter a secret world is seven days away!”

Seven days—a period of adjustment to avoid disconnecting from the main world.

“Yan Feng, Honeysuckle, Lan!”

Thinking of the three of them, Jiang Ming sighed.

Even Elder Tang and Elder Song knew little about the world secret realms.

“The next step: prepare for the martial exam!” Jiang Ming stood and headed to his room. With a thought, the system’s screen appeared before him, and he began to review his own status.