Chapter Sixty-Six: Advancing in Cultivation

For the Yunliu Sect, a four-star sect, naturally not just anyone could join. Take Liu Kuang and Liu Pan, for example—two weaklings at the first and second stage of Martial Apprentice. Even if they managed to enter, at best they’d be relegated to menial tasks, spending their days chopping wood and carrying water, exhausted to the point of collapse, and still unlikely to receive any resources for cultivation.

Liu Pan had no desire to become a disciple assigned to such chores. Although it was a service to the greater good, for someone with the aura of a protagonist, to be reduced to chopping wood and fetching water seemed utterly undignified.

For martial arts sects, ordinary people would do anything to get in; as long as one could enter a prestigious sect, even menial labor would be worthwhile. Indeed, this mindset was not without reason, for the greater the sect, the more cultivation resources its disciples could obtain.

In a four-star sect like the Yunliu Sect, even the treatment of outer disciples surpassed that of inner disciples in the Baiyang Sect.

However, to become a disciple of a great sect, one must have the strength. Liu Pan did not consider himself lacking, but he truly did not wish to experience the meager rewards of a menial disciple, where massive effort might yield little return. Thus, his minimum goal was to become an outer disciple of the Yunliu Sect, which would allow him to take sect missions and earn his rewards through effort.

Yet, to become an outer disciple of the Yunliu Sect was exceedingly difficult given Liu Pan’s current cultivation, unless he revealed his spiritual power. With that, not only could he become an outer disciple, but even an inner disciple or a personal disciple was possible.

But Liu Pan was unwilling to expose his spiritual power. Though revealing it would bring excellent treatment, it would also attract all sorts of trouble—at least, that was how Liu Pan felt. Once his spiritual power was exposed, he’d inevitably draw much attention, making it difficult to act unconventionally or even impossible to try new things.

Timid caution was not in Liu Pan’s nature. Moreover, the martial heart was resolute and unyielding; he had reasons not to reveal his spiritual power, but none to persuade himself to cower.

Since he did not wish to expose his spiritual power, but still aimed to become an outer disciple of the Yunliu Sect, Liu Pan devoted himself to rigorous cultivation. Liu Kuang, influenced by Liu Pan’s determination, also threw himself into training with equal fervor.

Three months later, deep in the forest, Liu Pan was locked in furious combat with a simian monster.

On the Tianfeng Continent, among countless beasts, intelligence generally increased with rank, but there were exceptions. Simian and monkey-type beasts, whose forms closely resembled humans, possessed innate intelligence far superior to ordinary beasts.

After all, there was reason to call humans the leaders of all sentient beings; their greatest strength was learning and innovation.

On the Tianfeng Continent, humans had pioneered martial arts and, upon reaching the summit, dominated the land. On Earth, it was human intellect and technology that transformed the planet and even extended influence beyond its atmosphere.

Wherever humans existed, endless possibilities followed. Perhaps this was some cosmic inevitability—when intelligence reached a certain threshold, beasts began to emulate humans, and once they could assume human form, most would choose to do so.

Facing the beastly ape, Liu Pan refrained from using his spiritual power to scan and lock on his target. With spiritual power, he could easily defeat it, but that would defeat the purpose of training.

No matter one’s cultivation, life-and-death combat always triggers potential breakthroughs.

To experience such battles, Liu Pan suppressed his spiritual power, or sought beasts capable of using divine sense—but the former was for unlocking physical potential, while the latter was simply seeking punishment.

After all, beasts capable of using divine sense possessed strength comparable to human Martial Masters, and Liu Pan dared not directly confront such monsters, lest he fail to achieve the intended training effect.

The ape he faced was carefully chosen, its strength matched the late-stage Martial Apprentice.

Liu Pan’s aim was to use this beast as a catalyst to break through to the late stage himself.

After two months of relentless cultivation, Liu Pan’s progress soared. He was surprised by the rapid improvement, for he had used no significant resources, yet advanced from the second stage to the sixth, now on the verge of entering the late stage.

It made no sense!

What puzzled Liu Pan most was Liu Kuang’s current cultivation.

Liu Kuang, fourteen and in the prime period for cultivation, possessed the bloodline of the Fire-type Mad Flame, practiced the formidable Flame Dragon Body Technique, and was guided by Yan, a fire-type spiritual artifact. Though lacking pills and other resources, Liu Kuang’s progress was smooth and swift.

Three months ago, Liu Kuang’s cultivation trailed Liu Pan by a single stage; now, he had surpassed Liu Pan by two stages, reaching the eighth stage of Martial Apprentice.

It was precisely because Liu Kuang was now at the eighth stage that Liu Pan felt something was amiss. Compared to Liu Kuang, he had no clear advantages, yet his own cultivation speed was not far behind. How could this be?

Was his talent truly so extraordinary? Liu Pan wondered this more than once, but could never reach a conclusion. Yan had mentioned he possessed an extreme cold physique, but could not determine which type. Liu Pan had written little about cold-type physiques in his book, leaving him with no direction for research.

Unable to find answers, he set the matter aside. Exceptional talent was not a bad thing, after all. Moreover, Liu Pan felt that the mysteries surrounding his body were already numerous; one more was hardly worth worrying about.

Besides, what he couldn’t understand now might become clear in the future. As long as he gained enough strength, the secrets of his body would eventually unravel. For now, he had only one task: to cultivate with all his might.

Bang!

Knocked back several steps by the ape’s punch, Liu Pan gasped for breath. Then, with a thought, he activated the Yuan Power Palm he had just “charged” in his dantian; four layers of Water Yuan Imprint appeared on his palm, and he launched himself at the ape.

The greatest advantage in fighting unintelligent beasts was intelligence. Though simian beasts were smarter than most, they still lagged behind humans; this was precisely why Liu Pan dared challenge a beast as strong as a late-stage Martial Apprentice.

With low intelligence, beasts favored brute force in combat, preferring direct confrontation whether attacking or defending.

It was this “foolishness” that often caused beasts to lose to human cultivators of equal strength.

Bang!

Fist met palm. Liu Pan felt a surge of force flood into his body from his hand, his whole frame trembling as he staggered back several steps to dissipate the impact.

This was not Liu Kuang’s first battle with beasts, but Liu Pan was still amazed by their physical prowess. After one strike, his arm was numb, yet the beast was unaffected, barely pausing before charging again.

In truth, even without spiritual power, Liu Pan could quickly defeat the ape. Humans had developed martial arts techniques, while beasts, though able to absorb Yuan Power, could only use it crudely without skill.

Liu Pan was deliberately limiting himself to create a “fair fight.” Only by restricting his own strength could he better perceive his shortcomings, feel the pressure, and seek breakthrough.

Yuan Power surged in his dantian as Liu Pan stepped forward to engage the ape.

Night fell, stars twinkling.

Beside the campfire, Liu Pan tore into a large chunk of roasted beef, eating with abandon, before letting out a satisfied breath and lounging lazily on the ground.

“Can’t you break this bad habit? If something happens while you’re stuffed like that, how would you handle it?” Liu Kuang said, exasperated.

Three months had passed, and Liu Kuang had long since recovered from the silence of avenging his parents. After spending so much time with Liu Pan, he had come to fully understand his character, and their conversations had grown increasingly casual. He even asked Liu Pan many questions he’d previously kept to himself, but Liu Pan’s answers were usually just, “Guess.”

As for the urge to fight Liu Pan, which he’d had since the Baiyang Sect, Liu Kuang had brought it up numerous times. Unfortunately, Liu Pan refused, calling it a waste of time and pointless, driving Liu Kuang nearly mad.

If he tried to force the issue, Liu Pan had a countermeasure—using his artifact for flight, a speed Liu Kuang couldn’t match, so the matter always ended unresolved.

“What’s there to change?” Liu Pan belched, wiped the grease from his mouth, and continued, “I don’t see it as a bad habit. Besides, if I don’t eat my fill, how would I have energy to cultivate?”

Liu Kuang was instantly baffled. No energy to cultivate if you don’t eat? What logic was that?

For martial cultivators, bodily consumption could be replenished directly by absorbing Yuan Power from the world, meaning their food intake could be much less than ordinary people. At certain levels, cultivators could even forego food entirely, sustaining themselves solely on Yuan Power.

Yet every meal, Liu Pan ate like a starving ghost. Liu Kuang even learned that Liu Pan would deliberately activate his technique, burning Yuan Power to aid digestion, just so he could eat more. How could he not be speechless?

After a moment of silence, Liu Kuang said no more and settled by the fire to meditate.

“Don’t cultivate tonight. Get a good night’s rest.” As Liu Kuang closed his eyes, Liu Pan spoke up, “We’ve already spent three months here, and the Yunliu Sect is about to recruit disciples. It’s time to set off.”