Upon entering the Martial Master Stage, a Martial Artist ascended to an entirely new level, incomparable to what they were before.

This brought not only an enhancement of their physique, but also a host of entirely new abilities.

A Martial Master’s Qi and Blood could even temporarily leave the body or merge with their Spirit, giving rise to all sorts of incredible applications—far surpassing the simple attachment of Qi and Blood possible at the Martial Artist stage.

Xu Wuyi could clearly feel that with his current foundation, the barrier to becoming a Martial Master was as thin as a cicada’s wing.

If he so wished, he could channel the vast Qi and Blood within his body, perform the final fusion with his Spiritual Power, and immediately step into that new realm.

But he didn’t.

’Just a little bit more.’ Xu Wuyi opened his eyes. Deep in his pupils, a phantom of the dark golden Heart Fire flashed and vanished.

What he meant by ’a little bit more’ wasn’t a lack of foundation, but that his refinement of the True Intention of Annihilation was not yet perfectly complete.

The process of the Spirit taking command of the body was also one where the Spirit became deeply involved, performing a final, adaptive transformation of the physical body. This enabled it to perfectly house and express one’s Martial Arts Will.

It was like the final quenching and sharpening when forging a sword; timing and control were of the utmost importance.

As one of the core components of his Martial Arts Will, if the True Intention of Annihilation wasn’t refined to a more perfect and fluid state before his breakthrough, it would compromise the perfection of his Unity of Body and Spirit and even impact the future formation of his Heart Image.

Even setting aside the future, the degree of harmony between his Spirit and body would directly affect the magnitude of his power increase post-breakthrough.

This was about further solidifying his foundation. Time spent sharpening the axe is never wasted.

If he were to rush things now, he would soon have to pay back the time saved many times over.

It wouldn’t take too long.

He estimated that, given his current progress with Heart Fire Refining Spirit and his speed in contemplating the True Intention of Annihilation, he would need another seven to ten days for everything to fall into place for a perfect breakthrough.

With his mind made up, he was no longer anxious. He continued his daily routine, carrying out the tedious yet necessary cultivation.

He refined his Qi and Blood, used Visualization on his Heart Fire, polished his Spear Technique, and occasionally entered the Battle Network for a few Rank Battles. This allowed him to grow accustomed to his surging power and test his understanding of his True Intention in actual combat.

...

Two afternoons later, just as Xu Wuyi finished a round of Visualization, his doorbell rang.

On the security monitor, he saw a somewhat unexpected visitor.

Zeng Bonan.

Zeng Bonan hadn’t been seen for quite some time. He had been completely absorbed in his cultivation, even rarely showing up to the small gatherings for students from Dongjiang Province.

This was partly because he truly didn’t have much time, and partly because he was gradually falling behind in terms of power.

Now, Xu Wuyi was just one step away from becoming a Martial Master, Shen Wei had already broken through to Level 25, and Yu Peiling wasn’t far from Level 25 either.

Zeng Bonan, however, was still a considerable distance from becoming a Martial Master, and he would likely get stuck at a bottleneck before his Life Energy Level even reached 20.

That threshold was never an easy one to cross. Xu Wuyi had succeeded naturally because his own foundation was deep enough.

It was much the same for geniuses like Zhao Qingwei and Qin Rui, or they had used consumable resources to aid them.

Zeng Bonan clearly had none of these advantages. When the time came, he would just have to slowly grind his way through the bottleneck.

However, after welcoming Zeng Bonan into the living room, Xu Wuyi keenly sensed that his old classmate’s aura was much more substantial than before.

"Congratulations. Made some progress?" Xu Wuyi asked, handing him a cup of tea.

He didn’t need to ask for details. He could tell just from the change in the other man’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit that Zeng Bonan had overcome his previous struggles.

Zeng Bonan took the teacup, a relieved smile spreading across his face. "You can tell? Yes, I just managed it a few days ago."

He set down the teacup, his hands tightening slightly on his knees as if still overcome with excitement. "The Undying Golden Body... I’ve finally reached the Entry Level!"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Xu Wuyi’s eyes.

The Undying Golden Body. That was a genuine B-Level Body Refining Technique, and a superior one at that.

But even among B-Level Body Refining Techniques, the Undying Golden Body was renowned for its difficulty.

Its difficulty was of a different sort than that of techniques like the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace.

Its core lay in drawing upon external forces to continuously batter the physical body. It stimulated one’s potential through a process of destruction and rebirth, constantly strengthening the physique. The process was excruciatingly painful.

"You switched your Cultivation Technique?" Xu Wuyi asked.

"Yes." Zeng Bonan nodded emphatically, his gaze firm. "After you gave me that wake-up call, I went to consult my mentor. He carefully assessed my situation and suggested I change my approach."

"My foundation isn’t top-tier, and my aptitude is only average. I have a hard time mastering those Cultivation Techniques that require extremely precise control over the circulation of Qi and Blood."

He paused before continuing, "My mentor said that the Undying Golden Body seems crude and isn’t as resource-dependent as other Cultivation Techniques. Instead, it places a greater emphasis on Willpower and persistent tenacity."

"It doesn’t require much finesse. You just lock onto a path, then hammer away and endure, over and over again. This method... it’s a better fit for me."

"To put it bluntly, it’s just about enduring hardship." A self-deprecating smile touched Zeng Bonan’s lips. "I’m not good at learning anything else, so I guess this is all I can do."

As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his shoulder and arm, as if the intense pain from his cultivation still lingered there.

"What’s your Life Energy Level now?" Xu Wuyi asked after a moment of thought.

"Level 18."

Zeng Bonan answered frankly. That level of progress already put him far behind the other freshmen at Star Martial University—he was practically at the bottom of the class—but the anxiety that used to be in his eyes was gone.

After all, he’d been at the bottom from the start, having barely scraped into Star Martial. There were very few people in the entire university who were worse off than he was. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Looking at Zeng Bonan, Xu Wuyi could clearly feel a new, settled sense of power coming from him.

To abandon his originally chosen Cultivation Technique and switch to the more arduous path of External Skills required considerable courage.

"What suits you is what’s best," Xu Wuyi said sincerely, his voice filled with relief. "Since you’ve reached the Entry Level of the Undying Golden Body, just keep walking that path. Don’t worry about keeping up for now."

"I know." Zeng Bonan smiled, his expression holding a newfound clarity forged through setbacks.

"I’m no longer thinking about when I’ll be able to catch up to you guys. For now, I just want to walk this path with steady, solid steps."

"Every day, I can feel myself getting a little bit stronger than the day before. That feeling... it’s very good."

Xu Wuyi nodded. The path of Martial Arts was a lifelong journey.

If you can’t catch up in the first year, there’s the second. If you can’t catch up by the second year, there’s after graduation. And after graduation... there are still decades ahead.

The two chatted for a while longer about recent events. Zeng Bonan mostly listened as Xu Wuyi recounted his experiences on the mission in the mines, and he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat at the more dangerous parts.

He didn’t ask about Xu Wuyi’s specific Life Energy Level, but from the profound aura his friend unintentionally exuded, he could guess that the gap between them had likely grown even wider.

But his mindset was now at peace; more than anything, he was just happy for his old friend’s progress.

After seeing Zeng Bonan off, Xu Wuyi returned to his Cultivation Room.

Zeng Bonan’s successful change of technique and shift in mindset acted like a mirror, allowing Xu Wuyi to see his own path with greater clarity.

’No arrogance, no impatience. Refine my True Intention, solidify my foundation...’ Xu Wuyi murmured to himself, his gaze growing ever more serene.

He sat down cross-legged again and sank his consciousness into his Dantian, carefully perceiving the steadily burning, dark golden Heart Fire and the True Intention of Annihilation it contained.

’All things are equal, burn everything to nothing...’

The image of a magnificent, blazing sun washing away all injustice surfaced in his mind once more.

The seven to ten days he had estimated passed steadily in this daily cycle of settling and refinement.

He drew ever closer to the final breakthrough.