**Warrior Level Two**
Ye Tian had reached the pinnacle of Warrior Level One for four or five days. During this time, he had attempted to break through to Warrior Level Two several times, but unfortunately, he had not succeeded. It seemed that his brief time at the pinnacle had left him with insufficient depth of experience to shatter the bottleneck of Warrior Level Two.
Today, having defeated Ye Wei and gained renown in Ye Family Village, Ye Tian felt a surge of clarity in his mind, preparing to attempt the challenge of breaking through the bottleneck once more. Of course, he held no grand hopes, considering his already rapid pace of cultivation.
With a glimmer of hope, Ye Tian sank his focus into his dantian, slowly sensing the faint true energy of the pinnacle of Warrior Level One coursing through his meridians, directing it toward the nearby, undeveloped meridian.
Within every person, there exist ten primary meridians that form a grand circulation. Only by opening all ten primary meridians can one truly enter the hall of warriors.
According to the classifications of the Divine Continent, each opened primary meridian signifies a promotion in rank during the warrior stage. Ye Tian had already opened one primary meridian and was now pushing toward the second.
The undeveloped meridians were rife with impurities; only after being opened and cleansed by true energy could they grow strong enough to accommodate more of it. Ye Tian peered into his dantian, observing the primary meridian he had successfully opened. After this period of arduous training, it had accumulated a substantial amount of true energy, nearly in a liquefied state.
At this moment, he carefully controlled all the true energy within this meridian, advancing steadily toward the adjacent primary meridian.
The undeveloped meridians, having never been cleansed by true energy, were extremely fragile. Therefore, Ye Tian exercised great caution during the process. Thanks to his two lifetimes of experience, his spiritual strength far surpassed that of others, allowing him to wield his true energy with remarkable precision.
Ye Tian first projected a thin but solid stream of true energy, akin to a needle, towards the primary meridian. He used this stream to pierce a small hole, then gradually expanded it along that opening.
This was a perilous undertaking, demanding intense focus; should his spiritual strength falter, all would be lost. Today, Ye Tian felt invigorated and mentally sharp, thus feeling confident in his endeavor to break through to Warrior Level Two.
"I must succeed!"
Ye Tian silently motivated himself, controlling the true energy within his meridians with utmost vigilance. After half an hour of effort, he finally pierced a small hole and began to invest more true energy to slowly enlarge it.
At this stage, it was merely a matter of time.
Ye Tian quietly exhaled, yet still remained vigilant; though this step was not particularly difficult, it consumed significant spiritual energy, depending on his endurance.
As time passed, the hole expanded gradually under the slow pressure of true energy. However, compared to the thick primary meridian, it seemed but a drop in the bucket.
At this point, Ye Tian was drenched in sweat, his spiritual energy depleting rapidly. Though he did not fully understand what spiritual energy was, he could gauge his endurance by the growing mental fatigue.
With the rapid depletion of his spiritual energy, fatigue washed over him, and he felt an overwhelming urge to surrender and take a nap. However, as soon as this thought crossed his mind, the expectant gazes from the crowd earlier that day jolted him awake.
"From now on, you are the hope of Ye Family Village!" The village chief Ye Shi's words resonated in his heart.
Ye Tian felt a sudden jolt of inspiration, banishing fatigue from his mind. It was as if he had been reborn, surpassing his limits; his spiritual strength surged dramatically as he directed the dense true energy toward the last remaining impurities.
"Yes! I am the hope of Ye Family Village; I cannot give up like this! I must grow stronger!"
"Ah…"
With a mighty roar in his heart, Ye Tian unleashed a furious burst of true energy, piercing through the primary meridian as strands of impurities were expelled from his body.
Before long, dark impurities began to appear on the surface of Ye Tian's skin. Yet in that moment, he felt overwhelming joy!
He had finally broken through!
He had ascended to Warrior Level Two!
Sizzle…
At the moment of breaking through to Warrior Level Two, the spiritual energy in the room suddenly surged violently, rapidly streaming into Ye Tian's body.
Within him, the newly opened primary meridian was like a parched sponge, eagerly absorbing the spiritual energy and converting it into true energy.
In no time, the true energy within Ye Tian had increased threefold.
This surge in true energy revitalized him, erasing all traces of fatigue. He abruptly opened his eyes, brilliance emanating from them, his gaze sharp and piercing like a blade.
"Level Two Warrior!" Ye Tian whispered, his eyes ablaze with confidence.
In just over a month, he had transformed from a talentless waste without a martial soul to a Level Two Warrior. Such a remarkable pace of advancement, if revealed, would astound everyone.
"Thanks to the sheepskin scroll gifted by the old white tiger, I wouldn't be where I am today without absorbing the martial soul. Rest assured, old friend, I will take good care of your child."
Ye Tian gently stroked the sleeping white tiger, silently vowing.
The old white tiger had altered the course of his life, giving him hope for strength—a kindness he would never forget.
Casting a fond glance at the white tiger, Ye Tian pushed open the door and stepped outside.
At this moment, just past dawn, the first rays of sunlight bathed Ye Tian, infusing him with a vibrant energy.
In this instant, he seemed to envision a smooth path ahead, for with the ability to absorb the martial soul, his future was undoubtedly a bright one, boundless in possibility.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his inner joy, and strode into the courtyard, practicing the Thunderclap Palm.
"While cultivation is indeed crucial, martial techniques must not be neglected. Had I executed the Thunderclap Palm yesterday, I could have easily dispatched Ye Wei with a single blow."
As he practiced, Ye Tian contemplated.
In the martial-centric land of Shenzhou, a warrior must wield martial techniques to unleash their fullest potential. Sometimes, a powerful technique can enable a warrior to overcome opponents of higher ranks, creating miracles.
This is the allure of martial arts!
Ye Tian had heard his father speak of a legendary technique that had appeared in Baiyun Town, igniting a bloodbath, leaving rivers of blood in its wake, until a formidable outsider claimed it for themselves.
This illustrates the lengths to which warriors will go in pursuit of formidable martial skills!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ye Tian practiced, shadows of his palms flew forth, whipping up a tempest in the courtyard, where the wind howled fiercely. The force of his strikes reverberated in the air, resembling the roar of thunder.
With each execution of the Thunderclap Palm, Ye Tian felt rejuvenated, his entire being brimming with power, as though every movement emanated strength.
"This is merely the Second Level of Warrior; should my cultivation advance further, the might of this Thunderclap Palm would surely intensify." Ye Tian thought to himself, pleasantly surprised. Although he could still only manifest eight shadow strikes and had yet to achieve the elusive ninth, the power he wielded was nonetheless formidable.
This incomplete Thunderclap Palm was merely a low-level yellow-grade technique, just barely qualifying as a martial skill. Nevertheless, for a rural place like Baiyun Town, possessing such a technique was quite impressive, especially when many neighboring villages lacked even basic martial skills.
In all of Baiyun Town, only the number one ranked Wang Village boasted a mid-level yellow-grade technique—Heavenly Remnant Foot. With this technique and their sole warrior master, Wang Village held dominion over Baiyun Town.
After finishing a round of the Thunderclap Palm, Ye Tian made his way to the main hall, having heard his mother calling him for breakfast.
"Father, Mother!" Ye Tian greeted as he entered the hall, only to find his father, Ye Meng, bent over and retching, while his mother, Lin Mei, patted his back, chiding him incessantly.
"Good son, you're awake!" Ye Meng perked up at Ye Tian's voice but quickly resumed his vomiting, only stopping after a while.
"Phew! Finally stopped!" Ye Meng sighed heavily, sitting on a bench to wash up.
Lin Mei, her face filled with reproach, remarked, "Look at you! How could you drink so much? You've been throwing up all night!" She then served Ye Tian a bowl of porridge.
"Tian'er, don't follow your father's example; don't risk your life for drink!" Lin Mei cautioned.
"Understood, Mother!" Ye Tian nodded obediently, a smile spreading across his face.
Splash!
After washing up, Ye Meng approached, laughing heartily, "I was just too happy yesterday! I won't do it again. With a son as remarkable as you, how could I not feel proud?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, a series of knocks sounded from outside. Lin Mei opened the door, and in walked Ye Feng and Ye Ba.
"Captain... hmm? Ye Ba, what brings you here?" Ye Meng's face lit up with respect at the sight of Ye Feng, but it darkened upon seeing Ye Ba, his displeasure evident as he asked.
Ye Tian, eating his porridge, paid little attention to the adults' affairs.
"Brother Meng, this... uh..." Ye Ba stammered, looking embarrassed, his face a picture of shame, yet he struggled to articulate his thoughts.
"Ye Ba, why aren't you out welcoming your daughter-in-law this early? What are you doing here?" Ye Meng replied coldly, remembering yesterday's pressure from Ye Ba and his son. Besides, their relationship had never been cordial, and they held little regard for each other.
"Brother Meng..." Ye Ba's face twisted into a bitter smile.
"I'll explain. Here's the situation..." Ye Feng, sensing the awkwardness, stepped in to clarify the matter.
It turned out to be about the marriage of Ye Wei and Lin Jiao.
Originally, Ye Wei was supposed to welcome Lin Jiao into their home yesterday, but after being injured by Ye Tian, that plan was thwarted. Naturally, it was entirely Ye Wei's own doing, and Ye Ba did not dare to blame Ye Tian; he merely wished to make another attempt at the engagement today.
However, Lin Family Village disagreed, irked that Ye Wei had missed the proper timing and had not come personally to welcome them. They sent a young man from their village to declare that Ye Wei must defeat a peer from Ye Family Village to proceed with the marriage.