Chapter Seven: Return to Origin

Certification was straightforward: assess strength, then register and archive. From that moment, Jiang Ming became a martial artist of the second realm, enjoying a host of benefits. Social benefits included: reaching the second realm before the age of twenty-four meant buying a house at half price, dining and shopping in designated areas at half price as well, and so on.

The school offered rewards too: a cultivation method, a combat technique, and a weapon of choice, among others. The privileges of martial artists were far beyond imagination.

Class Three-Four.

Jiang Ming entered the classroom to find only a few scattered students.

“Why are you here?” Fat Wang asked in surprise.

“Missed you, didn’t I?” Jiang Ming replied with a smile.

“I’m not a beauty, stop talking nonsense.” Fat Wang lowered his voice, glanced at a delicate girl in the front row, and whispered, “Or are you here for the class flower?”

The girl’s ear twitched; she turned toward them, her chilly gaze warning them off.

Her round face, charming yet comical, belonged to Qin Zhiyan. Her cheeks were rosy, and the air around her seemed to ripple with vital energy.

Fat Wang shrank his neck.

Jiang Ming smiled, pointed at Fat Wang, and shrugged.

The girl snorted, grinding her teeth.

There were no more classes; most students in the room had either returned from practicing in the school’s training halls or, unable to get into a martial arts university, were preparing for academic exams.

Fat Wang’s type was rare.

“Why are you still in class?” Jiang Ming was genuinely puzzled.

Fat Wang sighed, “Once you leave, you can never come back. This is the last bit of nostalgia, the last farewell to youth, the final goodbye to carefree days.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Jiang Ming grew serious. “Are you really not going to make another push?”

“If I try again, am I supposed to open my Qi Sea?”

“Watch this!”

Jiang Ming raised his hand; vital energy flowed from his fingertip. Though invisible, it was unmistakably palpable.

“Damn!” Fat Wang nearly jumped up, “Jiang Ming, you really opened your Qi Sea! This, this, this…”

All the other classmates looked over, puzzled and unconvinced.

They all knew each other’s backgrounds. Jiang Ming, Qi Sea? No way. He hadn’t even reached the stage where his bones resonate; how could he have opened his Qi Sea?

Even at the peak of subtle mastery, breaking through wasn’t a matter of mere days.

Just then, everyone’s phone chimed.

It was a message from their teacher in the class group: “Throwing confetti! Congratulations to Jiang Ming for opening his Dantian Qi Sea and stepping into the second martial realm. More confetti! Time is running out, don’t waste a minute! Keep pushing—you could be the next Jiang Ming!”

The class erupted.

Fat Wang rubbed his eyes, checked his phone, and then looked at his desk mate, blurting out, “Demon, show your true form now or never!”

Jiang Ming could only sigh internally.

“You must be a demon!” Qin Zhiyan walked over, full of curiosity and confusion. “How did you open your Qi Sea? Last time I slapped you, I almost broke you apart. Tell me, did some demon possess you?”

“I even dual cultivated with a demon!” Jiang Ming retorted.

“So it’s thanks to dual cultivation!” Fat Wang nodded, realizing, “Which demon? Any sisters?”

Jiang Ming was speechless.

Qin Zhiyan patted his shoulder—first lightly, then harder, and the third time, seeing Jiang Ming unmoved, she nodded in approval, though her expression grew more solemn.

She stared at Jiang Ming in growing confusion but only said, “Work hard. Try to get a good ranking in the martial arts exam.”

With that, she returned to her seat.

Jiang Ming glanced at her—this girl was remarkable.

The first pat, his previous self could barely withstand; the second was much heavier; the third obviously carried vital energy.

As for exposing his breakthrough, with the teacher announcing it in the class group, he didn’t care. There was no hiding it anyway.

Nor was there any need.

In this world of martial arts, strength brought more benefits—unlike concealing spiritual power, which was a different matter.

He didn’t linger in the classroom. Grabbing Fat Wang, he left.

“I still can’t believe you’ve opened your Qi Sea,” Fat Wang scratched his head, puzzled.

He knew his desk mate better than anyone.

“I took an Essence Cultivation Pill, and that smoothed the way—broke through and opened my Dantian!” Jiang Ming explained.

“Even with the pill, it shouldn’t be so easy!” Fat Wang said, “Look at me—I’ve been at the peak of subtle mastery for a long time, but I just can’t catch the breakthrough. To break through, you have to sense the rhythm of the world, feel the vital energy, gradually shake the stable ocean of energy, then lead it into your body to open the Dantian! Usually, it takes at least half a year of preparation at this stage.”

“I’m a genius!”

“If you’re a genius, I’m a prodigy,” Fat Wang replied.

“Prodigy, reveal yourself, let the monk subdue you.”

“Get lost.”

Joking and laughing, Jiang Ming went to the equipment office and collected a battle blade—a horizontal saber. As for the cultivation method? He could just claim it online; it wasn’t complicated.

“How do you feel?” Jiang Ming drew the long blade, twirled it, and smiled, arching his brow. “You’re six-foot-five, three hundred pounds, stuck at peak subtle mastery for over three months, and now I’ve surpassed you. Envious? Jealous?”

“I’m furious!” Fat Wang growled, gritting his teeth, “No way, you’ve overtaken me. Where’s my pride? I’m heading home to train, to seclude myself—won’t come out until I break through!”

“Don’t be reckless, breaking through is crucial. One misstep, and it’ll haunt you for life!”

“Relax.”

They parted ways, each heading home.

At home.

Jiang Ming sat on the sofa, blade across his knees, and closed his eyes. The cultivation details of the Nine Thunderous Slashes flowed through his mind.

His thoughts raced, wisdom sparked.

In his mind, a virtual space seemed to form; his powerful spirit conjured tiny figures that began practicing the blade technique.

It was far more intuitive than before when analyzing methods.

The Nine Thunderous Slashes sounded intimidating, but it was actually simple: unmatched dominance, no retreat, swift strikes, heavy force, overwhelming momentum.

Within moments, Jiang Ming opened his eyes.

Clang.

He rose, drew the blade, and swung—a slash that tore the air in two.

He practiced in the living room.

In less than ten minutes, he had mastered the technique to perfection.

The blade technique was complete.

He had already comprehended it theoretically in his mind, but actual practice was necessary to adjust muscles and exertion, uniting illusion and reality.

In short, theory and practice.

Comprehension was theory, cultivation was practice.

To truly walk the great path, one must unite knowledge and action.

“I comprehend techniques much faster now!”

Besides his hundredfold comprehension, there was certainly the blessing of his innate talent—Soul Sovereign.

He sheathed the blade, opened his phone, and checked the class group. Goodness, there were already thousands of messages.

“These young folks are lightning fast!”

He skimmed through; most talked about him—shock, confusion, disbelief. Fat Wang’s mention of the Essence Cultivation Pill had classmates cursing him as “rich dog”.

Jiang Ming left the chat and logged onto the school network to select techniques.

“Choosing a cultivation method requires caution.”

“The most popular ones are chosen for a reason—they’re broadly applicable. They may not be the best, but they certainly aren’t bad.”

“So, Return Origin Manual!”

“For combat technique? Focus on weapon mastery—blade techniques. Hmm, this one… Ninefold Thunderous Slashes. According to the description, it’s the evolved form of the Nine Thunderous Slashes, directly related. Interesting, I’ll take it!”

After making his selections, he soon received both techniques in his inbox. Jiang Ming didn’t rush to read them; instead, he browsed the school site for information on the Qi Sea Realm and martial arts forums.

He also checked for information on the Tower of Worlds.

The Tower of Worlds—perhaps it was time to test himself there.