Two months went by, Han Chen, meditates even in class but since, qi fluctuations is zero and there is no movement involved, began to think that Han Chen often sleeps in class and no one thought he was cultivating martial arts.
But anyone could sense a comfortable feeling near him due to dao rhyme and people often get mistaken for being attracted to him.
His body refinement raised to 80% and he felt a bottleneck. He switched to innate qi refinement, which advanced by absorbing the sunlight radiance refining. It was necessary to cultivate at night to balance excess Yang qi, but his realm raised in a swift faction. Three more months, has passed he felt that he reached the peak.
He slowed down the cultivation and prepared for exam and studied the entire syllabus in just two sitting and wrote the exam. Having a month of free time, Han Chen accompanied his parents to their companies, he did a sort of internship with them for 2 weeks.
And visited many tourist attractions in the city at the request of his parents. And met with his classmate Fan Qing and had an outing with him. Ignored Xu Qing, who wished him to accompany his boyfriend to parties, and found many places remote like the previous abandoned villa and no surveillance for him to cultivate.
In the last week, he told his parents he would be living at his friend's home and went out. Bought a non perishable meals for 3 days.
In the eastern side, near the bustling cityscape, Han Chen could venture to an abandoned factory complex situated at the edge of an industrial park. The factory was once a vibrant manufacturing hub but fell into disrepair decades ago, leaving behind sprawling concrete buildings, rusted machinery, and a labyrinth of empty halls and feral grooves of vines, plants and even trees mixed in with that .
The factory's remote location and thick overgrowth of vines and shrubs make it an ideal place for cultivation—hidden from prying eyes yet resonant with an eerie, stillness that enhances focus. There is a large central courtyard within the complex, where the faint hum of the wind through broken windows creates a meditative atmosphere, perfect for intense practice.
In the first day, he suppressed his cultivation and refined further and did it until he felt He reached his limit before exploring meridians.
Second day for half a day he contemplated, what he did for last two years.
'unlike protagonists in stories, I have no way to pretend and play, and was absolute weak. I have severed the pitiful relationship with Xu Qing. Performed better than my previous self. Reached 16 years old, started a legal account for me being the sole beneficiary, obtained money from cyberbussiness. Brought a lot of nutritional details for martial arts with that. Expecting to advance to Martial mastery realm in just two years without any assistance of spiritual energy.
Calming his mind, he started the breakthrough, first with foundation of the body.
"Steel your flesh against the gale,
Bathe in fire, endure the hail.
Temper bones in nature's wrath,
Forge the body, clear the path."
Qi from Dantian cloud of life essence , act as a fire and entered the flesh, blood bone and nerves to refine but the transformation was already complete. So except for a small blood refinement increase nothing major happened. He attained a physique capable of channeling immense Qi without faltering.
Next, Refinement of Qi, which was suppressed before condensed back into Qi sea forming dense mist, dantian wall expanded to its maximum, strengthened and meridian walls thickened, secondary qi circuits begin to form apart from primary meridian channels.
The density of qi refinement gradually lost in the transformation but got efficiently transferred back by essence convergence from surrounding plant life and from radiant energy. Tao rhyme spread across the place covering 50metres in radius around him. Somehow, the vegetations and ambient atmosphere began to form a sacred aura unlike the ancient stillness before. Furrowing animals stopped.
"Gather essence from the sky,
Cycle rivers, purify.
Condense the stars within your core,
Let chaos reign, then restore."
"Cycle Qi with steady breath,
Pierce the shroud that veils from death.
Unlock the gates, release the seal,
Emerge reborn, your power real."
The acupoints were already unlocked on his body and those that got accumulated obstructions later were cleared again and large qi circuits begin to form connecting all extremities of his body. A large amount qi deficiency again appeared and the refinement continued again. After many hours of completion.
"With each step, the earth shall quake,
Bend the heavens, rivers break.
Master flesh, and Qi, and mind,
Now to fate, no longer bind."
Synchronisation of Trinity, essence spirit and qi went a step further.
Finally and most importantly, expansion of Spirit:
"Eyes unseeing, heart awake,
Feel the tremors heaven makes.
Extend thy will beyond thy skin,
The outer world, now drawn within."
Now he can cultivate spiritual awareness to perceive and influence the surrounding world. But he only just crossed the threshold of strength necessary to activate spiritual consciousness. He felt his thoughts were clear, confusions in his path going away and as a new sense was unlocked but also a need to train to gasp it.
After consuming all the food he brought and refining it again to comfortable levels, he started visualization.
"A spark of light within shall gleam,
Awake thy soul, begin the dream."
Soul has entered a dreamy state even while consciousness remained awake.
"Flicker bright, now steady burn,
Soul to flame, its essence churn.
Refine the haze to crystal clear,
A lamp to guide what once was mere."
The innate qi of master realm shot to shen accupoint, and shrouded the spirit which is still ethereal and 9 cycles spirit refinement technique activated. The qi nature undergoes a special transformation relating to law of soul and Nether resonated with the qi resonance of dao rhyme which condensed a spirit flame at the center of his spirit. The soul burns, but each time it's ethereal nature begins to form more solid yet smaller. Han Chen felt intense pain and sweat formed heart beat accelerated to unknown degrees yet he remained conscious.
"A nebula swirls, then takes its form,
Within the void, a star is born.
The soul compressed to crystal pure,
The seed of strength, forever sure."
After soul became more light and then regular stellar refinement started reconsensing soul back to its original strength. The flame is visualized as a star. Star flame exploded forming a nebula and the at the center forms a seed as a star again.
"Let stillness reign, let light reveal,
The soul's vast strength, refined and real."
The seed radiates light as per special laws of nether which felt like he was in ecstasy.
"The universe, now in thy grasp,
Reality bends within thy clasp.
Command the winds, the tides, the flame,
Thy soul ascends, no longer the same."
Seeing the spiritual consciousness as a field expand infinitely, merging with the cosmos. Imagine stars, planets, and the elements aligning with your will. Visualize manipulating the energy streams surrounding you—redirecting nebulae winds, calming waters, or igniting flames with a thought.
The visualization and refinement was based on the immortal technique for spirit condensation he practised before so it is really painful. I need to recreate a one and update the refinement technique of mine.
"The spiritual consciousness is only possible to cultivate in foundation building, due to the previous spirit will training and powerful immortal consciousness, it was easy to get started, but still soul strength only grew by 1 percent , but I have completely stepped into master realm.I will call it martial Adept realm. For others, it is beginner martial master.
Considering what I know, in this world due to lack of information regarding spirit and soul, after years and years of battle and excessive qi consumption and renewal during many fights, or subjecting to extremes of fire and cold, the transform realm grow, actual fighting and martial arts grew to a level where his intent matures and thoughts control the flow of qi. Qi refinement breakthrough accupoint blockades and form other channel pathways. There is no step into soul refinement.
Now I can project inner energy outward and retrieve it back with thought and form complex manipulations with it. The manipulation range is half the radius of spiritual will. Shaking of the lotus of qi just condensed in his palm and retrieving the energy back through the body, he noticed slight loss of energy.
"I have transcended mortal. My life span reached more than 250 years." Looking at the system status, his thoughts moved.
'Qi cultivation peak only allows 180 years, but my martial Adept realm comparable to 6 th level qi refinement, allowed my life span to increase..'
Senses greatly increased. I could hear rustling of wind even in this stale environment. Heartbeat is very slow but powerful. Qi moves naturally as instinct. Techniques operates automatically.
Releasing all the intent, he recognised an increase in the tangibility of the aura. The qi loss from the body came to a stop after the refinement reached martial master. The limit of sensing range of will has increased and perception has sharpened. With a thought, the nearby weeds rustled, like if an ethereal hand waved through them without any movement from Han Chen.
Will has tendency to solidify ," is this telekinesis?" Feeling it's power he asked himself, I haven't used will like this.
While he is testing all this, he noticed a foot steps although it is very faint with a certain rhythm like some martial arts nearby. He waited quietly while changing his facial features concealing himself.
A middle-aged man emerged, with aura exuding strength of mid-stage martial master. The man paused, visibly surprised.
" Hah,..I thought I was the first here. But...a little brat is ahead of me ..." His gaze sharpened turned sharp and predatory, with faint killing intent
"you! Where is the treasure.?"
Han Chen didn't reply, but through eye technique sensed no monitoring feed or any devices like the usual explorers except a positional device is present. And with a thought It was deactivated by use of telepathy. With his incredible intellect he assumed every caution possible.
" Can't you hear me, leave whatever you got from here and fuck off before I change my mind."
" Can you tell me what is that treasure you mentioned?" Han Chen asked.
" Playing fool?" He snarled, "I clearly sensed a special aura from here, that suddenly accelerated my martial cultivation, I fell into a short contemplation even. Only the vegetation here is dry, the lower floors are clearly lush and green"
" Oh you are speaking about Tao rhyme..well I can't give it you, it's not an object and the dry trees, ...yeah I absorbed a little too much" Han Chen replied smilingly. Any other person his age, would falter under the man's gaze.
"What absorbed? Are you delaying time ? No one's near. You can shout all you want" He angrily joked.
'Well that's even better' I thought. " I really don't have it."
" That's it, you did a good job testing my patience."
His expression darkened. " Well, I will make you take it out..it's been a long time I killed someone..the secret will stay hidden with you anyway."
" Murder is not good okay!!" Han Chen said.
" Haha Boy!, don't offend others you can't afford to provoke. Be careful in the next life"
He prepared a fist and his steps moved in a special way accelerating towards me in the last 20m and his fists formed a qi shield around them and it seems like he is using a flurry of continuous strikes. Some relentless torrent fist method.
Subconsciously, I have entered hightened perception-reaction mode like bullet time.
'But I am so much faster, and he is in slow motion...'
" Experiencing this, I am feeling the fighting sense coming back. It's wonderful, it's been some years I have fought some one too.." Han Chen murmured.
Condensing a fist but qi shield deployed is hidden beneath the hand. Use qi resonance to induce power law and fist and severance intent, he went all out. One of the man's fist reached his head, and Han Chen simply tilted to avoid and before the other party can create another, his fist has already reached other party's chest and blasting a fist shaped hole through it..and sonic boom sounded deforming all flesh around it and upper body seperated from lower.
I didn't even feel the repelling force which got negated upon contacting qi force field. The blood and bones sprayed and unable to stain him, stopped mid-air before even reached Han Chen's clothes.
Other party fell back still in shock. Since his lungs were punctured he only uttered "Boy, You,.." before falling unconscious.
" Yeah, me indeed. I am a little too strong... And what a load of nonsense. Boy, I am old enough for your ancestors to call me ancestor " Han Chen blurted out his irritation in ending fight like a one punch-man.
Seeing the blood and bones spilled around, with a thought, the remnants all traces back seemingly without any external forces and piled over.
A trace of energy fell from his finger into the pile and it resonated with law of fire. The flesh instantly catches fire.." yeah the consumption is little too high, but it's enough, besides the fuels are here"
He placed a bunch of dry branches over it and fire was faster.
The flame spread all over the surface, he was present before eliminating any trace of DNA fragments or even smell. Law fire burned everything through.
The body turned to dust. Mean while, I carried back my backpack and removed the traces and used telepathy to gather the dust and traces of my own presence into the air and outside and quietly left in the other direction using flash step leaving no traces.