Chapter 209: Chapter 209: When Conditions Are Ripe, the Martial Master Realm

May ninth, afternoon.

Inside the underground Cultivation Room of Villa No. 7 in Hidden Dragon Garden, the scorching heat felt as if it could ignite the very air.

Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged. The dark-red Qi and Blood circulating around him no longer surged and roared as it once had. Instead, it flowed slowly like viscous magma, exuding a staggering, immense pressure.

His Spirit was highly focused, his consciousness sunk into his Dantian.

The cluster of dark-gold Heart Fire was now docile and condensed, its flickering perfectly synchronized with the beating of his heart.

The last trace of sluggishness in his "Burn" True Intention had finally been smoothed away through days of Heart Fire Refining Spirit and constant contemplation.

The will of a "blazing sun purging all injustice" was no longer just a mental image. It had completely merged with the very source of his Spirit, becoming perfectly harmonious and transparent, an Intention that moved with his thoughts.

’This is the moment.’

With a flicker of thought, Xu Wuyi stopped holding back and waiting.

He guided his perfected Spiritual Will like a master craftsman, beginning the final step before his breakthrough—the Unity of Body and Spirit.

His highly condensed Spiritual Power acted like an invisible carving knife, meticulously sweeping over every inch of his flesh and blood, every bone, and every meridian.

Under the command of this will, his immense Qi and Blood became as docile as a lamb, following the guidance of his Spirit to undergo the final and most thorough integration.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit—the three reached a state of perfect resonance and unity at this moment.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no violent discharge of Energy.

There was only a natural sense of completion, as if everything was simply falling into place.

It was as if a thin veil that had always been there was gently lifted, and the world before his eyes suddenly became sharper and more vivid.

The Qi and Blood that had once surged through his body seemed to find its final destination. It rushed through and opened many of his body’s hidden major acupoints, forming its own self-sustaining, unceasing cycle!

A presence several times more powerful than he had possessed in the Martial Artist stage emanated from his body, yet it was perfectly restrained and controlled, no longer difficult to manage like when he broke through to become a Martial Artist.

The Martial Master Realm, achieved!

Xu Wuyi slowly opened his eyes. A dark-gold flame seemed to flash in the depths of his pupils before they returned to their usual calm.

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air. The breath was as solid as an arrow, shooting out several meters before slowly dissipating.

Feeling the completely different sense of power within him and the wondrous rhythm of his self-circulating Qi and Blood, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

’That was far easier than I imagined. This is the step that trips up countless Martial Artists.’

After all, Xu Wuyi’s Martial Arts Teacher from high school, Wang Wenhai, had been stuck at the Martial Master step for years, failing in his many attempts.

In the end, he had no choice but to rely on resources to force a breakthrough, and he had come to teach at a Martial Arts High School these past two years specifically to raise the funds.

’In terms of innate talent alone, I don’t think I’m even as good as Teacher Wang.’

’At least Teacher Wang was able to test his way into a Martial Arts University, only getting truly stuck at the Martial Master stage.’

’But I was different. Back then, even reaching the Entry Level of the Basic Body Refining Technique was a bottleneck for me. I had to rely on comprehending the mere prototype of a True Intention of Martial Arts just to get by.’

’Who would have thought that just over a year later, I would so easily cross the threshold to become a Martial Master?’

’All I can say is that after reaching Minor Achievement in the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, with two True Intentions of Martial Arts, my foundation has simply become too profound, both physically and spiritually.’

[Life Energy Level: 30.1]

[Spiritual Strength: 29.5]

As soon as he entered the Virtual Pod, the system immediately displayed his current status.

As expected, his Life Energy Level had officially broken through the 30-point threshold, crossing into the ranks of a Martial Master. His Spiritual Strength followed close behind, approaching 30.

More importantly, a feeling of "Perfection" lingered in his mind.

Achieving the Unity of Body and Spirit guided by his perfected "Burn" True Intention had produced even better results than he anticipated.

He could feel that the foundation he had built after his breakthrough was incredibly solid, and his control over his own power had reached an entirely new level.

"Anna," Xu Wuyi said, his voice steady.

"Student Xu Wuyi, Anna at your service," the AI assistant’s gentle voice immediately responded.

"My Life Energy Level has broken through to 30.1. Please register my advancement to the Martial Master Realm in the campus system," Xu Wuyi instructed.

Unlike when he broke through to the Martial Artist rank, his file was already on record, so there was no need to make a special trip to the testing center this time. He could register right from home.

"Command received. Connecting to the Star Martial University core database... Verifying identity... Reading Life Energy Level data..."

"Registration complete. Congratulations, Student Xu Wuyi, your file has been updated to ’Martial Master.’"

Anna was extremely efficient.

"During your secluded cultivation for the breakthrough, you received one communication log. Caller: Qin Rui. Time: Two hours ago."

"The call did not connect. Anna has replied with the preset message, informing the caller that you were at a critical stage of your cultivation. Qin Rui left a message expressing his understanding and hoped you would call back at your convenience."

Anna added.

’Qin Rui?’

Xu Wuyi was a little surprised.

They hadn’t had any private contact since the inter-departmental tournament. ’What could he want from me?’

"Connect me to Qin Rui," Xu Wuyi said after a moment’s thought, deciding to call him back now.

The call connected after just two rings.

"Xu Wuyi?" Qin Rui’s voice came through, still carrying that innate sharpness, but his tone was calm.

"It’s me. I just saw your call log. I was in seclusion before," Xu Wuyi explained.

"I understand." Qin Rui acknowledged, then got straight to the point. "I’m calling because there’s something I wanted to ask if you’re interested in."

"Go ahead."

"I’m planning to form a permanent team next semester, when we start our second year, to take on campus missions and accumulate combat experience and points," Qin Rui said. "I really respect your strength and your character, so I wanted to ask if you’re interested in joining my team."

Hearing this, Xu Wuyi instantly understood.

’So it’s about forming a team...’

"Student Qin Rui, thank you for the invitation." Xu Wuyi’s voice was calm, but tinged with a hint of regret. "However, I’m afraid I can’t join your team."

"Oh? Has another team already invited you? Or are you planning to form your own?" Qin Rui didn’t seem too surprised, merely asking out of habit.

From his perspective, it was normal for someone with Xu Wuyi’s strength to be recruited early. It would also be perfectly reasonable for him to want to start his own team.

However, he had already prepared his arguments, planning to do his best to persuade him.

But to his surprise, Xu Wuyi quickly told him the truth.

"It wasn’t an invitation. I’m already a member of the team Zhao Qingwei put together. We’ve been running missions in the real world together since late March."

The other end of the line went silent for a moment.

Even through the communicator, Xu Wuyi could almost feel Qin Rui’s prolonged astonishment.