114: Chapter 114 Second Level of the Primordial Spirit

[Personal Information Panel]:

Name: Li Wen (ID: 202507170800)

Rank: V5 (S-Rank Contract Seed)

xinhuo points Balance: 21,164,930

core cultivation points Balance: 235,000,000

Permissions: Qingshi Branch S-rank Core Seed Contract (Details >>)

Status: Contract signed, resources pending allocation and injection—

Looking at the figures that had skyrocketed to over twenty million xinhuo points and over two hundred million core cultivation points.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Li Wen's heart couldn't help but throb violently.

The three-fold increase brought an amount of resources that was truly astronomical.

In less than ten seconds, a series of "Beep! Beep!" notification sounds rang out.

"xinhuo points allocation complete!"

"core cultivation points allocation complete!"

"Cash subsidy has been remitted to the designated account!"

Wealth and resources arrived instantly.

Simple, efficient, and shocking! The power of an S-Rank contract was fully displayed.

Chen Yuanfeng looked on with satisfaction and smiled. "Li Wen, welcome to the most core stage of our Kindling Hall. These resources are both pressure and motivation. I hope you use them well to forge a God-Fiend Foundation as soon as possible and live up to this S-Rank name."

He patted Li Wen's shoulder and said earnestly, "Headquarters is already urgently coordinating the top-tier selection plans for the most important God-Fiend Foundation-building resources. What you need to do is reach the level of a Super Martial Artist as soon as possible and make the most perfect preparations for striking at the God-Fiend Realm."

"Remember, your goal should never have been just the province, but the sea of stars above the Peak."

Li Wen's eyes returned to calmness, but his strengthened determination was like a rock. "I understand, Hall Master. This is just a starting point."

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging potential within his body and the reassuringly large numbers on his wristwatch.

The resources for the God-Fiend Foundation were settled, and the goal of taking first place in the Provincial Second Mock Exam had been achieved.

Next, it was time to focus single-mindedly and charge towards becoming a Super Martial Artist at full speed, using the immense resources brought by this S-Rank contract to lay the strongest and highest supreme Foundation for his martial path.

Three days later, April 25th, Thursday.

2:00 PM.

Inside the exclusive martial arts room on the fourteenth floor of the Xinhuo Hall Qingshi Branch.

The air let out a faint shriek amidst the fierce blade wind.

Li Wen's figure turned into a blurred stream of light, the long blade in his hand flying. Every slash precisely cut through the air's trajectory as he practiced the exquisite Moves of the Shou Que Style.

Sweat trickled down his temples, but his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, his mind highly focused on the Blade Technique itself—

The gray-white blade glow on the blade flickered in and out, a manifestation of his refined control over the blade's Intent after entering the Momentum Realm.

It had only been a few days since he signed the S-rank Core Seed Contract, and massive resources were already being supplied continuously.

But he knew well that true strength came from his own unremitting efforts and the opportunities for Breakthroughs.

Despite the immense prestige and halo from topping the Provincial Second Mock Exam, he had instead calmed down, racing against time to polish himself.

Just as his spirit was immersed in the operation of the Blade Technique, and he sent a wisp of his mind into his Sea of Consciousness to observe the subtle changes in his jade-like Primordial Spirit, an indescribable throb suddenly came from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.

Immediately following that, in his conscious vision as he focused on his cultivation, the azure panel flashed repeatedly, information streaming down like a waterfall:

[Your Chinese score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your Mathematics score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your galactic common tongue score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your History score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your Geography score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your Politics score ranked first in the province in this second mock exam, scholar experience +1,000]

[Your overall ranking was first in the province, scholar experience +6,000]

[Class: Scholar | Lv8 (4,414 → 16,414/12,800)]

[Class Leveling Up—]

Li Wen instantly withdrew his blade, the cold blade Intent dissipating, a flash of immense joy crossing his eyes.

The final results for the Cultural Subjects of the Provincial Second Mock Exam were out!

First in all six individual subjects, and first in the province for the total score!

This accumulated experience, like the straw that broke the camel's back, instantly shattered the experience Bottleneck of Scholar Lv8.

[Class: Scholar Lv9 (3,614/25,600)]

"Lv9!" Li Wen shouted inwardly, an indescribable sense of gratification welling up in his heart.

However, this joy was only the beginning.

Almost at the same instant as the successful level-up, a torrent of Mental Energy, more majestic and ten times purer than any previous level-up, emerged out of nowhere from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness void.

This Mental Energy was so vast and pure, carrying an aura that nourished the Divine Soul and enlightened wisdom, like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way pouring down, madly surging into his jade-like Primordial Spirit sitting cross-legged in the center of the Sea of Consciousness.

Boom—!

The jade-like Primordial Spirit shook violently, as if parched earth had met sweet rain, greedily and unreservedly devouring this majestic essence of Mental Energy.

Its size grew and solidified at a visible rate, its originally warm jade-like luster becoming more and more brilliant, with a deeper and more powerful spirituality emanating from its core.

This irrigation was far beyond comparison to the previous few level-ups.

The jade-like Primordial Spirit was undergoing a rapid transformation, its form rising as it became more refined.

Li Wen felt as if his consciousness was being lifted by this power, continuously ascending to higher levels.

Finally, upon reaching a certain critical point—Pop!

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting, which only the Soul could perceive, came through.

An invisible membrane shrouding the core of the Primordial Spirit was instantly shattered by this surging power.

The shackles of the first layer of the Primordial Spirit were broken!

Primordial Spirit Second Layer!

An unprecedented sense of clarity and power filled Li Wen's entire mental world.

His consciousness became sharper, his thinking speed seemed to accelerate by a notch instantly, and his perception of the surrounding world became clearer and more delicate.

It was as if another layer of the veil covering his mind had been lifted higher, and the reality and details of the world were presented more clearly before his "eyes."

But this vast torrent of Mental Energy did not stop.

After pushing the Primordial Spirit to complete its Breakthrough, the remaining power was still surging, continuing to nourish the now more solid and larger jade-like Primordial Spirit while simultaneously expanding the boundaries of the entire Sea of Consciousness.

The original Sea of Consciousness was like a small pond, but now it was being expanded into a lake.

It took several full minutes for this majestic mental irrigation, originating from the class level-up, to gradually subside.

Silence returned to the private martial arts room, with only the sound of Li Wen's slightly rapid breathing.

Li Wen couldn't wait to open his eyes, and a divine light seemed to flash momentarily deep within his pitch-black pupils.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and immediately began to verify the practical benefits brought by this Primordial Spirit Breakthrough.

First, the detection range.

With a thought, his Primordial Spirit Power spread silently in all directions.

During fine detection, his thoughts instantly swept through every corner of the martial arts room.

The subtle electric currents in the energy lines on the walls, the shapes of dust particles on the floor, the slightest tremors in the air—everything was revealed in minute detail.

The range had instantly expanded from the original dozens of meters to a staggering two hundred meters.

Almost the entire core area of the fourteenth floor was under his insight; he could perceive its structure without even looking.

During rough perception, his Primordial Spirit Power continued to extend outward like invisible tentacles, passing through the thick alloy walls of Kindling Hall and covering the surrounding blocks.

The bustle of pedestrians on the streets, the faint shouts from distant martial arts halls, and the noisy environmental sounds further out like a blurred background—the range had skyrocketed from the original one-plus li to nearly five li.

The entire Xinhuo Hall Qingshi Branch and a large surrounding area were within his range of rough perception.

"Two hundred meters for fine detection, five li for rough perception." Li Wen's eyes sparkled with brilliance.

This improvement in detection capability would be a massive advantage in actual combat and early warning.

Having verified the detection range, Li Wen's gaze immediately turned to the high-strength alloy pillar in the corner of the martial arts room, specifically used for testing limit bursts.

This pillar was quite valuable, one of the exclusive training devices Kindling Hall had provided for him after he signed the contract, and it was exceptionally sturdy.

He wanted to see just how much his Physical Body's burst, augmented by Primordial Spirit Power, had improved.

Without any flourishes, Li Wen stood before the alloy pillar. With a flick of his wrist, using pure physical strength combined with a common basic Blade Technique—Slash!

"Clang!"

Sparks flew in all directions!

Only a shallow white mark was left on the hard surface of the alloy pillar.

"Normal burst, reference point established," Li Wen muttered to himself.

The next moment, his gaze sharpened. His Primordial Spirit Power was mobilized, instantly merging into the surging blood and qi within his body.

Hum! The muscles in his arm holding the blade suddenly tightened, veins bulging slightly under the skin, as a sense of power far beyond the mundane filled his entire body.

"Slash!" It was still the basic Blade Technique.

Shink!

The sound of the blade edge cutting through the air was completely different.

A highly condensed blade glow flashed and disappeared, striking the alloy pillar fiercely.

"Clang!" A piercing tearing sound rang out.

A gash several inches deep was forced open in the alloy pillar.

The cut was smooth! This was purely the destructive power from the instantaneous amplification of strength.

"Merging into blood and qi, an increase of—about five times." Li Wen's eyes were like torches as he made an instant judgment.

This increase was a leap from the three-fold increase at the first layer of the Primordial Spirit.

And this was not yet the limit!

Li Wen took a deep breath, his gaze becoming incredibly focused, as if a scorching light was burning within.

He mobilized the larger and purer Primordial Spirit Power of the second layer. This time, instead of merging it into his blood and qi, he unleashed it fully, thoroughly integrating it into his entire body's flesh, blood, tendons, bones, limbs, and every single cell.

An invisible, terrifying pressure instantly erupted from him, and the air in the entire martial arts room seemed to freeze for a moment.

His muscles trembled slightly, emitting a hum from bearing such immense power.

"Slash!!!"

This time, accompanied by a roar, came a gray-white trace of light that was extremely fast, extremely condensed, and indescribably fierce.

Thwip! There was no ear-piercing impact sound.

Only a soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The high-strength alloy pillar, which he originally would have needed to mobilize the power of heaven and earth to cut through, was split in two from the middle, as smooth as a mirror.

The top half of the pillar slid down slowly along the perfect cut and crashed onto the floor.

"Ten times!" Li Wen exhaled a long breath, his eyes filled with uncontrollable ecstasy and shock.

"With Primordial Spirit Power merged into a full-body burst, the power increase reached—ten times! Duration—it can be maintained for about seven or eight seconds! The duration of the blood and qi merged state has also been extended to nearly one minute!"

This wasn't just a multiplication of combat power; it was a trump card for survival and turning the tide of battle.

In addition to the terrifying increase in explosive power, Li Wen clearly perceived that the jade-like Primordial Spirit sitting in his Sea of Consciousness was more solid and sturdy, and its operation was more harmonious and effortless.

This meant that the core divine skill [Absolute Focus] had also received a massive boost.

"The activation duration—has been extended to about three hours, with a smaller mental consumption load and higher efficiency. This means—" Li Wen sensed carefully, "the daily upper limit for high-efficiency Blade Technique practice has been greatly extended."

The Breakthrough to Scholar Lv9, coupled with the Primordial Spirit entering the second layer, brought about an all-around leap.

Mental Energy strength, Primordial Spirit Realm, explosive combat power, core skill effects—all had achieved leapfrog progress.

Li Wen looked at the smooth cross-section of the broken pillar on the ground, then down at the palm of his hand holding the blade.

A sense of power surged within his body, and his Sea of Consciousness was clear and powerful.

"The resources from the S-Rank contract have only just begun to be realized—and this Breakthrough from the Scholar class at this moment is a Foundation I earned through my own efforts."

Battle Intent burned like fire in Li Wen's eyes, and a confident curve formed at the corners of his mouth.

"Now, the cornerstone of my path of ascent is even more solid. So—let me see how much faster I can strike at the Saber Intent in my current state."

Without resting, he once again gripped the long blade in his hand.

In the air, a new round of blade whistles began to brew, fiercer and swifter than before.

Time was like fine sand in one's hand, fleeting.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had quietly slipped away.

The calendar silently flipped to Friday, May 10th.

The morning light filtered through the glass window, softly spilling onto the pillow.

Li Wen woke up from deep meditation right on time. As his eyes opened, a brilliant light was contained within, and the fatigue from last night's cultivation was swept away.

Without any extra thoughts, in the stillness of his mind, the familiar azure information panel in his Sea of Consciousness unfurled like flowing water:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18 years old]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 9.6)]

[Class: Scholar Lv9 (3,614 → 6,154/25,600)]

[Skills: Blade Technique · Momentum Realm (59%), Five Stances of Flowing Rainbow (Lueying Style 100%, Overlapping Waves Style 100%, Shou Que Style 98%)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Perfection)]

"Level 9.6—" Li Wen murmured in his heart, a clear trace of joy flashing through.

Since the day the cultural scores for the Provincial Second Mock Exam were announced and his Primordial Spirit unexpectedly broke through to the second layer, his Physical Body had been nourished by this purer, higher-order Primordial Spirit Power during his daily cultivation of the "Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method," causing his speed and efficiency to leap once again.

In just half a month, his Physical Body Rank had soared from the then-newly attained Level 8.7 to the current Level 9.6.

He was only 0.4 levels away from that threshold marking a leap in life—officially entering the Martial Artist Realm.

This speed could no longer be described as simply fast; it was a miracle born from the perfect synergy of his Primordial Spirit, Cultivation Technique, and resources.

He looked toward the Blade Technique column.

Landing on "Shou Que Style 98%," Li Wen's confidence grew even stronger.

This Divine Ability, known for its defense, was far more difficult to practice than the Lueying Style and Overlapping Waves Style. Not only because its defensive focus contrasted with his own blade style, but also because its requirements for precise control of power flow were nearly harsh.

But through day and night of unceasing bitter cultivation, combined with the powerful assistance of the second-layer Primordial Spirit and [Absolute Focus] Lv9, as well as daily practical testing in the Infinite Arena, this final piece of the puzzle was finally nearing Perfection.

That final 2% was close at hand, like a piece of window paper about to be poked through.

The feeling in his heart that success would come naturally was exceptionally clear—Perfection would be achieved within the next day or two.

>