We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

Chapter 143 Breakthrough, Character Level Up!
At noon, Shen Bailian did not rush back to his villa, but instead went to the main canteen of Tiangang Academy—Tianxianlou.

As the school's only canteen, it's not exactly luxurious, but it's definitely very large, with three floors, each corresponding to a different spending level (pay according to your budget).

The first floor is a free cafeteria. Although it is free, almost any food available on the market, whether it's land-based or aquatic, can be found in the cafeteria on the first floor.

All personnel within the Tiangang Academy can choose to eat in the communal pot or order individual meals according to their preferences and circumstances.

Ordering food separately includes free ingredients, but a processing fee applies, depending on the quality of the ingredients, with a maximum processing fee of 100 Xia coins.

The canteen's chefs work in shifts around the clock, providing meals to martial arts students without interruption, whether it's day or night.

It is said that the canteens on the second floor and above use meat from ferocious beasts that contain the primordial energy of heaven and earth. They employ a special secret method to lock in the primordial energy within the beasts, so that while enjoying the delicious food, one can also improve their physical fitness.

However, Shen Bailian only experienced the free cafeteria on the first floor, and it was indeed very satisfying. The chefs' skills were no less than those of a six-star chef, and the food they made was delicious and visually appealing.

He wasn't the kind of six-star chef who could only make exquisite cuisine; such chefs weren't popular in Great Xia.

"really not bad."

With a snap, Shen Bailian snapped his fingers.

All of a sudden.

With a faint rustling sound, a service robot glided slowly to the boy's side and asked softly, "Sir, is there anything else you need?"

"that's all, thanks."

"Ok."

Upon hearing the response, the service robot collected the plates from the table and then took out a clean cloth to wipe the tabletop.

“It’s really convenient.”

As Shen Bailian watched the service robot disappear into the distance, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Because the cafeteria is so large, time is squeezed out, so hundreds of service robots have been set up inside the cafeteria to perform some service and cleaning tasks.

"Xu Changqing, Senior Brother."

After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, it's easy to overthink things, and Shen Bailian thought of what happened at Tianhui Square earlier that day.

To be honest, he was genuinely shocked.

Hundreds of martial arts students at the Transcendent Realm, any one of whom could become a powerful figure in Bozhou City, all bowed in sincere admiration to that one person.

Having traveled such a long distance, Shen Bailian had never seen so many martial arts students before, and he also showed that attitude towards Duan Wuyai.

Many martial arts students even feared Duan Wuyai rather than respected him.

Tap~ Tap~ Tap~
Shen Bailian's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, making a crisp sound, and his deep eyes gleamed.

A few minutes later.

"However, I probably won't become a senior disciple like him."

Shen Bailian slowly stood up and walked alone towards his small villa.

When it comes to choosing a path in life, everyone will choose a different one, and the scenery along each path will change depending on one's mood.

As a child, Shen Bailian had also fantasized about this scene, imagining hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of martial arts students cheering the name "Shen Bailian" together.

He has not given up yet.

However, Shen Bailian was also well aware that, in terms of personality, he could not be like Xu Changqing, the senior brother who could win the hearts and minds of all the martial arts students.

His path is to sweep through martial arts, defeating everyone until they submit.

As for whether he is convinced or not?

Shen Bailian doesn't care about this, nor does he need to; he just needs to stay strong.

……

The interior of the underground meditation room in the Nanhu Villa District, detached villa number 4137.

"This harvest has been truly bountiful."

Shen Bailian sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes sparkling, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, revealing a row of neat and white teeth.

He laid out all the gifts he had received this time, which included the following six types.

A row of Tier 1 Star Nourishing Spirit Potions, used to quickly restore mental energy, taken orally, worth 500,000 Great Xia Coins.

The century-old Vermilion Fruit, a rare and precious material for body tempering, is worth at least three million Great Xia coins. It came from Huang Qingqing, the dean of the Fifth Academy.

The Centennial Yuanli Stalactite Liquid is a rare and precious material that enhances one's innate talent. One milliliter is worth 250,000 Great Xia coins. It is suitable for those at the Transcendent Realm and increases their affinity for the Yuanli of Heaven and Earth. It originated from Zhou Yuan, the Dean of the Third Academy.

The second-tier Divine Essence Fruit will not be elaborated upon further; it originated from Shangguan Feiyan, the dean of the Sixth Academy.

A row (ten vials) of first-tier marrow-repairing liquid, a body-tempering potion, suitable for the Life-Establishing Realm, worth one million Great Xia coins, from Chu Yunfei, the Dean of the Second Academy.

The final gift came from Cheng Shangwu, the dean of the First Academy, who was also the last person Duan Wuyai approached, and the one he had tricked at the time.

Shen Bailian couldn't help but turn away, unable to bear looking directly at him.

A ten-year Enlightenment Fruit is worth ten million Great Xia coins.

The effect of the Enlightenment Fruit is simple, and also quite brutal: it enhances one's comprehension!
It should be noted that rare and precious materials in Bozhou City are not particularly rare items in the Tiangang Academy.

Many second- and third-year martial arts students, when they go to the real wilderness battlefield or the interior of the Divine Ruins, can encounter some rare and precious materials, as long as they are not too unlucky.

The only difference is the year.

Natural treasures are also divided into many types: some are used to temper the body, some to restore mental strength, and some to enhance mental strength...

However, among all these categories, the most precious are the rare and precious natural treasures that can enhance one's talents.

Among these rare and precious natural treasures that enhance talent, those that enhance comprehension are the most valuable and rarest.

Because advancing to the Embracing Moon Realm requires a high level of comprehension.

The reason Shen Bailian was able to obtain this ten-year Enlightenment Fruit was definitely not because Cheng Shangwu was fooled. A martial artist at the Opening Sea Realm who could become the dean of the Heavenly Gang Academy would not be so easily provoked.

It was because Cheng Shangwu saw Shen Bailian's enormous potential; a ten-year Enlightenment Fruit was like a chicken rib for a martial artist in the Opening Sea Realm.

It is a pity that it is tasteless.

However, for a martial artist like Shen Bailian who has reached the Establishment Realm, the meaning is completely different.

Because of their different perspectives, the ten-year Enlightenment Fruit, which was useless to Cheng Shangwu, was a rare treasure to Shen Bailian.

Of course, Shen Bailian certainly hasn't thought of this yet, and even if he had, he wouldn't mind.

As the saying goes, the most important thing is to be able to see yourself clearly.

Shen Bailian understood that the reason why Cheng Shangwu and the other deans were willing to give him such a precious gift was because they saw his profound potential.

Just like Xiao Yan's gift of the sword, Shen Bailian will definitely repay him tenfold when the opportunity arises.

"As Teacher Duan said, I have been granted most of the access to the school's knowledge base."

Shen Bailian thought for a moment, then turned on the smart bracelet, entered his student ID and initial password, and after completing the pupil authentication, a screen suddenly appeared in front of him.

The screen reads: "May the World Wide Web bring you great success in your military endeavors."

The World Wide Web is similar to CNKI in the previous life, except that non-martial arts students of the Great Xia Martial Arts University do not have permission to log in.

Shen Bailian simply swiped the screen and, following Duan Wuyai's instructions, found an entry point with T5-level access.

At Tiangang Academy, the authority levels are divided into T1 to T8 levels, from low to high.

Generally, a Sun-level Dragon Gate martial arts student who signs a Tier A training contract will receive Tier T4 access, which allows them to browse all information at the Sea Opening Realm and below for free.

This can be considered one of the benefits of the Martial Arts University: knowledge is free, but cultivation resources are not.

However, to put it another way, for example, a second-tier Spirit Nourishing Fruit is something that ordinary people simply cannot access unless they are at a martial arts university.

Once you click in, the screen is very simple, divided into three main sections: Martial Arts Explanation, Martial Arts Techniques, and Chronicle of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Complete Explanation of Martial Arts is quite simple; it consists of a series of papers analyzing the realms of martial arts and explaining how bloodline martial artists develop their own power...

Martial arts techniques are further divided into five major sections: body techniques, visualization techniques (requires individual instruction from a teacher), weapons, techniques for using elemental energy, and techniques for using primal force.

The extraordinary power used by martial artists in the Establishing Destiny Realm and the Transcendent Realm is mainly based on the elemental power of heaven and earth.

The Force, on the other hand, is a power that exists between illusion and reality, generated by the cells when the physical body is extremely strong. At that time, stepping on the void will become an instinct for martial artists.

Flight speed, often breaking the sound barrier.

However, due to the unique nature of Shen Bailian's innate talent, there is nothing here that he can use for the time being. If there is anything useful, it is the weapon manual, which can combine the strengths of many schools.

"Dongfang Qingcang?"

Shen Bailian suddenly thought of the powerful figure Duan Wuyai had mentioned that morning, and then opened the Chronicle of the Great Xia Dynasty and searched for "Dongfang Qingcang".

With a slight flash of light, dozens of related pieces of information appeared in an instant.

Shen Bailian selected the message with the highest number of views and then clicked on it.

ten minutes later.

"Phew~ I see."

Shen Bailian's eyes gleamed with a hint of emotion, filled with many feelings.

On July 18, 123 of the New Era, the Four-Level Theory of the Dragon Gate Clan was officially released, and from then on, the development of martial arts entered a fast track.

In less than seven years, martial artists at the Transcendent Realm sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

At the same time, the martial artist profession has become the most powerful among all extraordinary professions, achieving perfect scores in strength, speed, physique, spirit, cultivation speed, and accessibility, making it a hexagonal extraordinary profession.

While the martial arts profession is powerful, it also creates another problem: without a matching mentality, a powerful martial artist can cause far more harm than a ferocious beast.

It could even completely drag the entire Great Xia Dynasty back to the feudal era.

Due to the unique and limited nature of the era, simply using legal and technological weapons might be somewhat effective against martial artists in the Establishing Life Realm and Transcendent Realm, but it would be completely useless against experts in the Opening Sea Realm and Embracing Moon Realm.

On the contrary, it will stimulate the rebellious psychology of those who are strong.

Therefore, the higher-ups of the Great Xia Dynasty decided to retain the strongest group of martial artists and then vigorously promote quality education among teenagers, using high moral standards to restrain the strong.

In just over a decade, thanks to the nationwide push, the social landscape has been greatly transformed. The moral standards of the powerful are extremely high; they are gentle, courteous, humble, and polite.

From the year 130 to the year 183 of the New Era, this period was known as the "New Spring and Autumn Period under Great Unification," during which everything was developing in a positive direction.

Against this backdrop, a peerless genius who transcended his era was born—Dongfang Qingcang.

生于133年3月18日，19岁立命，21岁蜕凡、26岁辟海、34岁抱月、49岁抱月境巅峰，有望突破到神宫境界，为大夏再添一个最年轻的顶尖战力。

However, Dongfang Qingcang passed away in 1883, when he was fifty years old.

Empty talk that is out of touch with the times is all nonsense.

The reason why Dongfang Qingcang was able to advance at such a speed in the "New Spring and Autumn under the Great Unification" is inseparable from a large amount of top-level training resources, which is why he was able to cultivate at a speed that transcends the times.

But he was born of Xiao He, and he was also destroyed by Xiao He.

In that era of extremely high moral standards, some powerful individuals, unwilling to accept their hard-won gains, were seduced by divine favor and seized upon a minor dark history from Dongfang Qingcang's childhood to launch a media offensive.

Finally, under pressure, on March 18, 183, he charged towards a divine stronghold, fought for a month and a half, and died on the battlefield.

Finally, enraged by the actions of the entire Great Xia leadership, a massive purge was launched, and nearly 99% of the traitors were executed.

The cleanup ended on January 1, 184 AD, and a new law was added: those who betray humanity, regardless of the reason, will be punished with the most severe punishment once verified.

"However, I will not become that kind of person."

Shen Bailian took a deep breath and decided to let bygones be bygones; the past is the past, and people should move forward.

As long as we learn from our mistakes, that's enough.

Shen Bailian's eyes flickered slightly, and a panel, both illusory and clear, appeared before his eyes—

Character Level: LV7 (1699/1800)

Physical Strength: 15.8; Spirit: 11.0

Divine Skill: Shadow Follows LV1 (0/1) (Energy Storage: 1 times)
Eye of God LV1 (50/400)

Active Skill: Gale LV1 (15/300)

Tian Gang Qi LV2 (206/700)

Basic swordsmanship LV3 (520/700)

Basic Breathing Techniques LV2 (0/700)

Passive Skill: Iron Body LV4 (489/1300)

"I have 101 experience points left to level up my character. There's still half a day left today, which should be enough for me to break through."

"After the breakthrough, my physical attributes should be able to increase to 16.1. I'll try to break through to the Transcendent Realm within a semester."

After wasting two days, Shen Bailian prepared to re-enter a state of cultivation.

Within the Heavenly Gang Academy's database, Shen Bailian's data has been updated to show him as a Hidden Sacred Body, so he no longer needs to limit his experience points. As for his rapid advancement?
That's because the effects of this hidden sacred body are too strong.

A 21-year-old Transcendent Realm expert? Shen Bailian felt that was too slow. He wanted to break through to the Transcendent Realm before he turned eighteen.

……

September 9, 345th year of the New Era, 9 PM.

Rumble~
"Hoo~breath~"

Inside the underground training room, the sound of bellows being pulled could be heard.

Shen Bailian's face was flushed, his eyes were closed, his breath was focused on his dantian, and he sat quietly cross-legged on the ground with his hands flat on his thighs.

At the same time, inside his body, his internal organs were vibrating at a special frequency. Each organ had a different frequency, but they all had a common thread.

Under the guidance of the Level 2 Basic Breathing Technique, the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth inside the underground training room was continuously drawn to Shen Bailian's surroundings, as if transforming into swirling clouds.

The primordial energy of heaven and earth gathered in Shen Bailian's dantian through the pores of his body. The illusory yet real Dragon Gate Seed was compressed and tempered there before flowing into his muscles, bones, and flesh.

[Congratulations! Your basic breathing technique skill has been improved. Experience points +2]

Congratulations! Your character level experience has increased by 2.

Congratulations! Your Iron Body skill has been upgraded. Experience points +1

【…】

"The basic breathing technique at level two is much faster to learn than level one."

Shen Bailian closed his eyes tightly, his consciousness sinking to every part of his body. He could clearly feel his muscles, bones, and flesh constantly transforming under the tempering of the heaven and earth's energy.

Furthermore, this transformation is 25% more effective than the basic breathing method, allowing you to gain 12 experience points per hour.

Now, you can gain 15 experience points per hour.

The same applies to duration.

"However, the current state of the elemental energy of heaven and earth seems to be unable to keep up with the speed of cultivation."

Shen Bailian could sense that as the basic breathing technique was upgraded to level two, the supply of the elemental energy of heaven and earth, which was originally greater than the demand, was increasing.

Now, with the improvement of the basic breathing technique, the concentration of the elemental energy in the basement cultivation room has gradually become equal to the supply and demand.

In other words, supply is less than demand.

If the elemental energy of heaven and earth is sufficient, the speed at which experience points are gained may be increased to 16 points/hour.

"No wonder the elemental energy inside the underground training room is free. I thought the Heavenly Gang Academy would go bankrupt. It seems I was overthinking it."

A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Bailian's mind.

However, he cannot obtain the Yuan Crystal, or the Star Yuan Crystal, for the time being; he will have to wait until after the opening ceremony tomorrow.

"Continue cultivating; I must level up my character today."

Shen Bailian immediately made up his mind and continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

……

September 9th, 8:30 PM.

"Swish!" "Swish!"

Shen Bailian was dressed in a black martial arts uniform with a white belt around his waist. With each swing of his arm, he unleashed a terrifying blade of light.

It was like a dream, so beautiful it made my heart race.

Shen Bailian unleashed his swordsmanship in the underground training room. The most basic moves—slashing, chopping, parrying, and thrusting—were transformed in his hands into raging dragons.

In a matter of moments, Zhanlong's swing speed exceeded a terrifying 150m/s, coupled with Shen Bailian's single-arm punch force of over thirty tons.

Any cut can easily cleave steel.

However, unlike the previous rigid training methods, after Shen Bailian's running skill advanced to Gale, his figure became much more ghostly when he used basic sword techniques.

Meanwhile, three messages popped up on Shen Bailian's panel every now and then.

[Congratulations! Your basic swordsmanship skill has improved. Experience points +2]

Congratulations! Your character level experience has increased by 2.

Congratulations! Your skill "Swift Wind" has been upgraded. Experience points +1

【…】

This was a sudden flash of inspiration that Shen Bailian had while practicing his swordsmanship.

The skill level is low and the power is low, but the low skill level is not without its advantages, namely, it is like a vast ocean that can accommodate all rivers.

Prior to this, Shen Bailian had successfully integrated some techniques from the fist skill [Tian Gang Yi Qi] into his swordsmanship.

Under these conditions, he successfully developed a series of skills such as Golden Purification, Wind-Facing Slash, and Golden Skyline.

As it turns out, this idea works.

Now, Shen Bailian is trying to integrate the [Swift Wind] skill into his basic sword techniques, and he has already achieved some success.

The proof is that the speed at which the [Gale] skill gains experience points has doubled.

Over time.

Shen Bailian's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, but his eyes became more and more determined as he devoted 99 percent of his attention to his swordsmanship.

Suddenly.

Shen Bailian's eyes narrowed sharply. The shockwave on the Dragon Slayer had reached its limit, and it was trembling violently.

Swish!
His legs trembled slightly, and his figure vanished from his original spot in an instant, appearing dozens of meters away like a bolt of lightning.

"kill!"

Shen Bailian focused his energy in his dantian and roared, the sound of thunder rumbling outwards.

In an instant, all the power in his body surged wildly, and the Dragon Slayer violently vibrated in the gale, transforming into a golden lightning bolt that tore through the air and made a piercing sound.

bass!bass!bass!
With several flashes of intense golden light, the chest of a training dummy located about ten meters in front of Shen Bailian was suddenly torn open with gashes.

after this.

Shen Bailian gradually stopped, Zhanlong gradually returned to calm, and the sword light that had spread throughout the entire underground training room gradually dissipated.

"hu~hu~"

Shen Bailian kept his eyes tightly closed, carefully savoring the burst of swordsmanship he had just witnessed. The scenes kept flashing through his mind.

Every movement, the technique of exertion, the frequency of vibration, the rhythm of the dragon-slaying "breath"... everything is so clear and vivid.

Dense beads of sweat slid down Shen Bailian's forehead and nose, gathering into glistening beads on his chin, dripping onto the ground with a crisp and powerful sound.

"Or not."

A moment later, Shen Bailian's breathing gradually calmed down. The instant he opened his eyes, a fierce beam of light shot out and then slowly dissipated into the air.

He just tried to condense a blade aura, and he did manage to condense it, but it wasn't very effective; the effort was completely disproportionate to the reward.

At a distance of less than ten meters, ninety percent of the power of the blade's energy had already dissipated.

This is not only related to mental strength, but also to the power Shen Bailian used. He took too big a step, trying to control the power of heaven and earth before even reaching the Transcendent Realm.

However, it is not without gain.

Shen Bailian has already gained some insights, and combined with the [Gale] skill, his physical attributes are estimated to have improved to level 17.0, which is when he first enters the Transcendent Realm.

Basically, you can directly unleash the blade's energy.

"The day after tomorrow, once the funds for the training contract are disbursed, we must begin forging our own weapons."

Shen Bailian squeezed the Dragon Slayer in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

He had been wielding this horse-slaying sword for several months, but just now, while using it, he could feel the limits of its dragon-slaying power.

If the Dragon Slayer were to be forced to its limit, it would likely shatter completely.

Just thinking about that scene is a bit scary.

Sudden.

After gaining insight into the sword technique, several messages suddenly popped up on Shen Bailian's panel.

[Congratulations! Your basic swordsmanship skill has improved. Experience points +2]

【Congratulations……】

Congratulations! Your character level has increased!

Congratulations! Your Physique attribute has been increased!

Congratulations! Your Spirit attribute has been improved!

【…】

Congratulations! You have gained one skill point. Skill point +1

And at the same time.

Rumble~
As a roaring sound rang in Shen Bailian's ears, a powerful warm current, like the surging waters of the Yangtze River, flowed for thousands of miles.

In an instant, it surged forth from his lower abdomen, specifically from his dantian.

fortunately.

Having learned from his previous experience, Shen Bailian quickly sat down cross-legged again and began practicing basic breathing techniques the moment the warm current appeared.

This time, unlike when he upgraded his Heavenly Qi, he had specifically set aside half an hour beforehand to practice the basic breathing technique.

Therefore, the Dragon Gate Seed, which exists between illusion and reality, operated at a faster speed than before, and soon reached its limit.

A storm of primordial energy formed around Shen Bailian.

The primordial energy of heaven and earth was drawn into the Dragon Gate Seed through his pores, then continuously refined and integrated into the warm current, working together to improve his physical qualities.

"Another evolution of life."

"I wonder which stage I can advance to this time." With a thought, Shen Bailian's spiritual power surged forth, and the [Eye of God] instantly covered every inch of his body.

This time, in a sober state, with a clear comparison, he quickly noticed the differences.

The primordial energy of heaven and earth stimulates cell evolution, which means it accelerates the process of survival of the fittest, making the muscles, bones, and flesh of the human body gradually stronger and the density of bones gradually increase.

The effect of that warm current is to directly strengthen the cells themselves.

There is no question of which is better or worse, because the telomere hypothesis does not exist in this world, and therefore there is no such thing as how many times a cell can divide.

"Normally, the evolution of the human body is driven by the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and it is a gradual process."

"However, the warm current that suddenly appeared in my dantian was like setting a goal first and then improving upon it."

Shen Bailian pondered to himself.

Unlike the enhancement of rare and precious herbs, where the effect of the medicine is exhausted prematurely if the desired goal is not reached, this process precedes the result.

If the process goes wrong, the intended result will not be achieved.

However, the warm current's effect on physical fitness and mental strength is quite the opposite; the principle is roughly the same as drawing a target in the air first.

That is, the final result is determined first, and the process is followed up gradually.

As for how to achieve it?

It's very simple: keep the warm current flowing out, and miracles will happen with great effort.

Without a doubt, the latter method of improvement is the most powerful and stable way to improve.

It's a pity that this warm current only appears out of thin air in Shen Bailian's lower abdomen when he upgrades his skills, advances to higher levels, or levels up his character.

There is simply no way to trace the source.

Rumble~
Under the combined influence of the warm current and the primordial energy of heaven and earth, Shen Bailian's muscles, bones, flesh, internal organs, and even every cell are undergoing a new round of baptism, beginning a comprehensive transformation.

An evolutionary direction towards becoming the ultimate life form.

Congratulations! Your physical attribute has been improved!

Congratulations! Your Spirit attribute has been improved!

"Just as I thought!"

Shen Bailian glanced at the fleeting upgrade information on the panel and was overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)