"The red-robed Apostle who hunted you was my sister."

"Huh?"

"She tried to ambush the cult’s Grandmaster, but she failed and was killed."

"Huh?"

"I’m going to cut ties with my past. From now on, I’ll carry on my sister’s legacy and make it my mission to purge the cult."

"Huh?"

"You got hurt because of me, so I owe you one. But everything else between us ends here."

"Oh!"

Tao Lang turned and walked away, leaving Zhang Yuanqiao to mentally short-circuit inside his pod.

It was too much information to take in at once, and his mind blanked.

’Okay, let’s break this down. First, I got dumped today.’

’My girl calls me in a panic, says someone’s trying to kill her. I rush all the way over to help, and this lunatic of an enemy, a cultist, nearly hacks me to death.’

’Turns out the lunatic is my girl’s sister. Fucking hell...’

’Then my girl’s sister suddenly turns on her own people and gets killed by her boss, and now my girl wants to carry on her sister’s legacy and break up with me? Fucking hell!’

The more Zhang Yuanqiao thought about it, the angrier he became. He had traveled all this way, gotten beaten up twice, and nearly died, only to be dumped in the end. ’Was this whole thing a setup?’

’Fuck love. It’s all a scam.’

-----------------

Staying in the hospital was an awful experience. Even though Yu Fei received plenty of special treatment thanks to his connection with Yan Sea, the days of recovery were still difficult to endure.

Due to clearance issues, Yu Fei wasn’t allowed to have a phone, communicate with the outside world, or practice martial arts. He counted the days on his fingers, calculating how long it would take to recover.

Su Yue nagged him constantly. Things only got better for Yu Fei after Yan Sea, unable to watch any longer, finally took her away.

His elders all had different expectations. Su Yue wanted him to be more careful with his life, Yan Sea wanted him to be more prudent, and Kong Sheng advised him to maintain his fighting spirit. None of them were wrong, and they all meant well. Yu Fei couldn’t argue with their points, but he had his own thoughts on the matter.

A month later, his injuries had mostly healed, and he was allowed to do some light recovery exercises. He was ecstatic.

Yu Fei was moved to the fifth basement level to continue his recovery, as it had more space.

Dressed in a black martial arts uniform, Yan Sea’s appearance had changed dramatically.

Over the past month, his frame had become incredibly powerful. He looked no older than his late thirties; the scrawny old man from before was gone. In his place stood a figure with an imposing, immovable presence.

Yu Fei privately clicked his tongue in amazement. ’So becoming a Grandmaster can actually reverse aging.’

With one hand clasped behind his back, Yan Sea began to explain the keys to cultivating in the Second Realm.

"Cultivating in the Second Realm of martial arts is worlds apart from the First Realm. From this point forward, the choice of a fundamental Cultivation Technique starts to differ substantially based on a Martial Artist’s foundation."

Yu Fei was still practicing the Ox Subduing Pile Skill, but the technique was now completely useless for advancement. He only used it to stretch his body.

"Master, you mentioned before that there are four grades of Second Realm Cultivation Techniques. You said that achieving Minor Completion, Major Completion, and the Perfection Realm in the Ox Subduing Pile Skill corresponds to three of those grades, but that there’s also one extremely special grade."

He remembered it clearly from a brief explanation Yan Sea had given him after he became a Prodigy Martial Artist.

"Correct. After years of evaluation, we have categorized the common Second Realm Cultivation Techniques into twelve low-grade volumes, nine mid-grade volumes, five high-grade volumes, and only a single peerless-grade volume."

Yan Sea continued speaking, and Yu Fei listened with rapt attention.

"Before I introduce those Cultivation Techniques, let’s first discuss what cultivation in the Second Realm entails..."

The First Realm of martial arts tempers the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and blood, refining the body from the outside in. After transforming the blood barrier, the physique is strengthened and becomes a unified whole. Cultivation in the Second Realm, however, focuses on the internal organs.

A Martial Artist must first strengthen the five major organs to solidify their core, then clear the six minor organs to purge impurities. These two processes are complementary. The ultimate goal is to achieve a state of resonance between all internal organs, which lays the foundation for the Third Realm: condensing acupoints, flushing meridians, and forging a perfected physique.

In the recovery room, Yan Sea’s resonant voice expounded upon the fundamental truths of the martial path.

"Your level of mastery in the Ox Subduing Pile Skill indicates how much of your own potential you’ve managed to tap into. It also serves as an indirect measure of a Martial Artist’s future potential in cultivation..."

Yu Fei looked confused. "Master, does that mean someone who only reached Minor Completion in the Ox Subduing Pile Skill can only practice low-grade Cultivation Techniques in the Second Realm?"

"No. They can practice mid-grade techniques, but it would be twice the work for half the reward—extremely inefficient. Ultimately, there’s no difference in combat strength between low- and mid-grade techniques; the only distinctions are in cultivation speed and one’s potential to break through to the Inner Qi Realm.

High-grade and peerless-grade Cultivation Techniques require a Martial Artist to initiate Void Body Refining, cultivating with the aid of the world’s primordial energy. If you haven’t reached the Perfection Realm in the Ox Subduing Pile Skill, you won’t even be able to get started."

Yu Fei nodded. "So that means I can choose between a high-grade and a peerless-grade Cultivation Technique for the Second Realm?"

Yan Sea smiled. "That’s right."

"So what’s so special about the high-grade and peerless-grade techniques?"

Yan Sea’s expression turned thoughtful, and he spoke with caution. "There is! High-grade techniques utilize the world’s primordial energy, allowing a Martial Artist to temper their internal organs more thoroughly. This can unlock certain divine abilities, which serve as a foundation for practicing special techniques later on."

"Peerless-grade techniques take it a step further, unlocking even more powerful divine abilities."

"Divine abilities?" Yu Fei asked, not understanding.

"Take Pupil Skills, for example. In traditional medicine, the liver is connected to the eyes. When a Martial Artist tempers their liver to the absolute limit, their eyesight is enhanced. At a certain point, this unlocks a divine ability, which is the prerequisite for learning a Pupil Skill."

After a pause, Yan Sea added, "Take me for an obvious example. I practiced a mid-grade Cultivation Technique in the Second Realm. Even though I’m a Grandmaster now, I don’t possess any Pupil Skills or other divine abilities. Your master’s wife, on the other hand, practiced a peerless-grade technique. Her foundation is superb, and the number of Secret Techniques she has at her disposal is staggering.

Cultivation in the Second and Third Realms serves two purposes: it lays the groundwork for the Inner Qi Realm, and it broadens a Martial Artist’s future path. You have to understand, not all Grandmasters are created equal."

Yu Fei thought for a moment before summarizing, "So, in other words, all grades of techniques allow you to eventually break through to the next realm, they just differ in how much they increase your combat strength?"

Yan Sea nodded slightly. "That’s the gist of it. In fact, what we call low-grade techniques today have been researched and adapted over many years by the masters at the institute. In ancient times, they would have been considered the core, closely guarded secrets of a major sect. Now, they’re common techniques anyone can practice—and are even looked down on."

"Besides, ’combat strength’ is a nebulous term. You’ve never been on a real battlefield, so you don’t understand what warfare between modern Martial Artists is like. In ancient times, a person’s strength was judged by their raw power, speed, and defense. That’s not the case anymore."

Yu Fei scratched his head. "But at the end of the day, isn’t it all about fighting? Head-on confrontation is unavoidable, right?"

Yan Sea chuckled. "Modern warfare places more emphasis on a Martial Artist’s specific utility. By forming squads based on different abilities, you can often achieve far greater combat effectiveness.

For example, my role on the battlefield is as a heavy assaulter. With my teammates providing cover, I close in on the target and crush them head-on. My entire skill set is built for frontal assaults. Without a team, I’m blind, deaf, and not particularly fast. It would be easy for an enemy to just wear me down and kill me.

Anyway, you’ll learn more about that later. Let’s get back to the matter of Cultivation Techniques."

Yu Fei asked excitedly, "Master, so when will you teach me?"

Yan Sea said gravely, "It won’t be me. The Second Realm’s high-grade and peerless-grade Cultivation Techniques are classified and must be taught by a specialist. I’ve already scheduled an appointment for you. When the time comes, that person will conduct a detailed investigation of your background. Be careful how you answer. Your current realm doesn’t align with your innate talent. Remember what I told you."

Yu Fei froze. He’d almost forgotten about that.

"You mean the story about how I used to have a flawed constitution, and you gave me a Celestial King Wisdom Elixir?"

Yan Sea patted his shoulder. "Handle it carefully. Act natural. Your abilities are unique, and there are a lot of clever people in this world. Be sure to conceal your secrets."

Yu Fei recalled the file Yan Sea had sent him, which contained a detailed description of the Celestial King Wisdom Elixir.

*Color: crimson. Taste: faintly sweet. Size: that of a longan. Upon consumption, feels like ants gnawing at one’s bones... Capable of repairing a flawed foundation...*

"Master, what did you mean when you said my realm and my innate talent don’t match?"

Yan Sea smiled and explained, "Normally, the cultivation speed of a Prodigy Martial Artist is predictable. The First Realm poses no real difficulty for them; they can reach the Second Realm in half a year at most. But you took more than a year. Being an outlier attracts attention, and that could be detrimental to your growth. That’s why it’s best to have a plausible explanation."