107: Mutual mentorship

The Wu Sheng Stele radiated light.

The cultivation within the mental realm was still ongoing.

In that humble environment, Qin Jin integrated himself among the young men and women who were just beginning to practice Martial Arts, reliving the Martial Arts path.

This was a process of self-examination.

When Martial Arts reached a higher realm, looking back at the starting path provided a completely different perspective; some previously overlooked flaws were noticed, gradually rectified, and perfected.

Moreover...

After his mind was completely immersed in this cultivation, Qin Jin discovered even more wonders.

He attempted to communicate with his peers around him, and all of them responded, lifelike, as if truly existing.

It seemed everyone was just beginning their Martial Arts journey, yet they often spoke astonishing words that gave Qin Jin insights.

Gradually—

An understanding dawned in Qin Jin's mind.

In this illusion created by the Wu Sheng Stele, Mr. Chen Shu set up the illusion, and he himself had taken Mr. Chen Shu's place.

So what about these classmates and teachers?

Were they old friends from Mr. Chen Shu's memories?

No!

The environment was already harsh; how could so many extraordinary individuals gather together?

There was only one truth.

In this Wu Sheng Stele illusion, the other people he communicated with, those youths, were clearly the evolved intentions left behind by the Martial Saints on the Wu Sheng Stele!

From the establishment of Wu Yuan Academy until now, Martial Saints have continuously copied their intentions here, leaving behind their imprints and their own will.

Now—

These imprints enriched everything within the illusion, allowing extraordinary individuals from Wu Yuan's past and the prodigies of today to engage in a cross-temporal Martial Arts exchange!

When three people walk together, one of them is bound to be my teacher.

And within this illusion shaped by the Wu Sheng Stele, everyone is a teacher, and everyone is taught!

While Qin Jin's mental realm was immersed in it, within his physique, his fundamental power became increasingly active.

Through the re-cultivation and exchange in the mental realm, his foundation became more substantial, gradually completing itself; the increase in fundamental power was limited, but it laid a more solid foundation.

A tall building starts from the ground up.

Perhaps—

This was precisely why this place served as the first lesson!

Within the illusion, Qin Jin's cultivation speed was extremely fast, and he quickly broke through to the Newborn Realm.

After his breakthrough, the next scene appeared, accompanied by a summoning sound, as a starship docked in this desolate land to take him away.

It was like a cutscene.

After Qin Jin entered the starship.

The scene changed, and he arrived at an unknown place, much more luxuriously decorated than the initial location.

Soon, Qin Jin understood where he was.

He was located within a [Dojo].

Many years ago, before the major top academies were established, when the Starfire Federation had just found its footing in the Star Sea, Martial Arts inheritance primarily relied on blooming Dojos.

Young people practicing Martial Arts would join Dojos to learn more refined Martial Arts inheritances.

Here, Qin Jin encountered more fellow practitioners.

Every Martial Artist in the Dojo displayed exceptional talent, further confirming Qin Jin's suspicions.

It's worth mentioning—

In his interactions and competitions with others, some who had a good relationship with him would even proactively teach and guide him with small tips.

These were not secret arts or martial skills, but merely small techniques related to things like the circulation of internal power or cultivation assistance.

During this process, Qin Jin absorbed everything; he proactively sought out other people in the Dojo to communicate, even gathering everyone together for friendly martial arts exchanges and sharing experiences, a scene that resembled the nascent form of a Dao Discussion Conference.

It sounded a bit overconfident.

But considering that the other people in the Dojo were the evolved intentions of past Martial Saints, it wasn't an exaggeration.

In this process.

Qin Jin grew rapidly; after condensing his will, he progressed along two paths simultaneously, all the way to the Congenital Realm!

When he once again felt the sensation of breaking through to the Congenital Realm in this illusion, the scene switched again.

Chen Shu (Qin Jin) joined the army.

On the isolated island.

Time passed.

Chi Chenzhou stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the Star Sea.

Just then.

He sensed something and focused his gaze on the crowd of S-grade students.

There.

Several figures, now stirring, opened their eyes.

The moment they opened their eyes, they were somewhat bewildered, but they quickly reacted, and a sense of remembrance rose in their eyes.

When they looked at the Wu Sheng Stele again, their expressions were calm, filled with respect.

Not far away.

Without any visible action from Chi Chenzhou, the awakened students shimmered and suddenly disappeared from their original spots, appearing behind him, so as not to disturb the others.

In front of the Wu Sheng Stele.

New students awakened from time to time, and were all moved over.

They looked at each other, all silent.

Those who could become S-grade were no simple individuals; they had already understood whose experiences they had undergone in the illusion.

A few more people awakened.

Among them was Xie Wuhai.

After being moved to the back, Xie Wuhai looked at the dozen or so figures still in the illusion, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, "Report!"

At the front.

Chi Chenzhou turned and looked at him.

"Speak."

The other awakened students all looked over.

"Principal sir."

Xie Wuhai hesitated over the address, then said, "Can we still enter the world within this Wu Sheng Stele to cultivate in the future?"

"Just now, after cultivating to the realm I am currently in, I automatically exited."

His question was voiced.

The other awakened students all showed serious expressions.

"Candle Kite."

"Explain it to them."

Chi Chenzhou heard the question, his expression unchanged, and called out to Candle Kite, his gaze once again directed towards the Wu Sheng Stele.

Candle Kite floated to the front of the crowd.

Her voice was gentle, slowly resounding, "The purpose of the Wu Sheng Stele is for everyone to verify what they have learned and consolidate their foundation."

"If one has not yet reached a higher realm, cultivating in the illusion will not achieve the effect of verification; everything will be illusory and could even affect your future growth, leading you astray."

"Therefore, your first lesson, cultivating to your current realm in the illusion, has already ended."

At this point, she paused slightly: "According to academy regulations, S-grade students are eligible to cultivate here once to consolidate their foundation."

"Now, your opportunity has been exhausted."

"In the future, if you still wish to come here, it will depend on your own performance."

"The Wu Sheng Stele is an inheritance item of the academy; each time it is activated, the power contained within it is consumed. Therefore, among you, only the most outstanding few will have the opportunity to come here and observe the Wu Sheng Stele in the future."

"You have experienced it firsthand, and you should have realized that the cultivation environment within is divided by realm."

"One realm is one scene."

"The most excellent among you can return here after breaking through each major realm, all the way to the Martial Saint Realm."

Candle Kite's words fell.

Among the students, a question arose.

"Are there only five scenes here?"

"There are eight scenes."

Just then, Chi Chenzhou's voice sounded.

"Within the Wu Sheng Stele, there are a total of eight scenes."

"All of you present, when you reach the Martial Saint Realm, must come here to copy the character 'Wu'."

"If you can gain the recognition of the Wu Sheng Stele."

"Then—"

"You will naturally gain the qualification to enter the latter three scenes."

"The latter three scenes involve Heaven and Man, Transcendence, and Martial God."

"Since the Wu Sheng Stele was erected here, in Wu Yuan's history, three people have achieved this when copying the 'Wu' character as Martial Saints."

"So—"

Chi Chenzhou smiled gently: "Little ones, keep up the good work."

"If you can reach that point, then you will truly have the opportunity to meet Mr. Chen Shu."

In front.

More students gradually awakened.

Soon, under the light of the Wu Sheng Stele, only three remained.

Qin Jin.

Bai Huaiyu.

Fang Shuo.

Behind.

The S-grade students, all young and lively, saw that Principal Chi had no intention of enforcing classroom discipline, and some couldn't help but whisper.

"Who do you think will be the last to leave the illusion?"

"No need to ask? Of course, it's Qin Jin. He's already in the Congenital Realm, so he should be able to enter the third scene Candle Kite mentioned. I wonder what the third scene looks like."

"Candle Kite?"

"Ah, what did you say?"

"You've exposed yourself. I call her 'Sister Zhu'. My seniority instantly went up."

"Are you even focusing on what I'm saying?!"

"Is there anyone in our batch who has already entered the Congenital Realm?"

"Fang Shuo is the top scorer of this year's major exam, so it's not strange that he hasn't exited yet. Bai Huaiyu, I've never heard of her. Could she also be a peerless prodigy from some remote place, just like Qin Jin?"

"Qin Jin's luck isn't bad; already in the Congenital Realm, he can directly participate in one more scene."

In the crowd.

Ye Pingan's voice rang out, neither too warm nor too cold, calm and steady.

"So eager?"

Xie Wuhai's gaze swept over, and he spoke directly: "Ye Pingan, was not getting beaten by Qin Jin last time so frustrating for you? Is your luck bad, or are you just incompetent? If you want good luck, break through to the Congenital Realm then."

Just as the two were clashing.

In front of the Wu Sheng Stele.

Bai Huaiyu opened her eyes.

She looked at the Wu Sheng Stele, lingered for a moment, then withdrew her gaze, lowered her steps, and actively walked towards where the students were located.

Behind.

At this moment, Fang Shuo also opened his eyes.

He didn't seem calm; ripples appeared on his face. After clenching his fist, his gaze lingered for a moment slightly ahead to his left.

There.

Was Qin Jin's figure.

After focusing for two seconds, he actively retreated.

As he left.

All eyes focused on Qin Jin.

The only student in this batch who had broken through to the Congenital Realm before the start of the semester.

Some students who had entered through the major exam and were initially unaware of the situation now understood the reason.

After the initial exchanges, at some point, the isolated island in the Star Sea fell silent again.

Within the illusion, Qin Chi joined the army.

This was a completely new experience he had never had before.

Like the [Dojo] in the second scene, the legion he joined had no name, but it appeared to be an exploratory legion.

If one were to say.

The main theme of the first two scenes was cultivation.

Then the main theme of this scene was battle!

Non-stop, fierce beasts of the Star Sea, servants of evil gods, and many enemies whose identities and names were completely unknown.

Never ceasing, the war raged on endlessly.

A Martial Artist fighting on the battlefield and fighting in an arena are two completely different things. On the battlefield, one must face endless enemies and meticulously calculate every bit of one's strength to achieve the greatest effect.

This was the greatest tempering for Qin Jin.

The weakest link in his combat style was remedied within this battlefield.

In this third scene, there was no time for leisure cultivation, but in continuous combat, his illusory self was also tempered, and his fundamental power continuously improved.

At the same time—

His comrades in the legion became even more extraordinary; some of them could even be described as speaking pearls of wisdom, every word related to Martial Arts allowing Qin Jin to gain insights and Gains.

This was a true place of inheritance. In the war, Qin Jin and his comrades in this illusion became increasingly familiar and their relationship deepened.

Time passed, he knew not how long.

Qin Chi even felt somewhat numb.

In the final scene within this illusion.

His squad was ambushed while attempting to raid an enemy stronghold, ultimately achieving a tragic victory.

The Qin Jin in the illusion survived.

His squad leader, however, died in front of him.

The last scene Qin Chi saw—

Was his squad leader, whose aura was constantly weakening, raising his hand, and points of light shining forth, reflected on Qin Jin's glabella.

The next moment...

Everything shattered with a roar!

Wu Yuan Headquarters.

On the isolated island, Qin Jin suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes reflected blood and fire.

On the battlefield in the illusion, he had given his all. Now that his spirit returned to his body, the moment he opened his eyes, his fundamental power, influenced by his spirit, surged forth, and his aura spread out to the surroundings.

At this instant.

In the distance.

Chi Chenzhou saw this scene, his eyes shifting, and the barrier dissipated.

The aura, no longer obstructed, spread out mightily in all directions. The S-grade students clearly perceived it, their expressions changing.

Fundamental power is generated by the combination of life energy and spiritual power.

As the aura spread at this moment, in addition to the suppressive power contained within it, these S-grade students also perceived a scent of blood, and vaguely, it was as if they saw a battlefield, as if they saw scenes of slaughter.

This was an infection from the spiritual level.

Qin Chi stood before the Wu Sheng Stele, seemingly unaware, information constantly flashing through his mind.

That was the point of light given to him by the last squad leader in the Wu Sheng Stele illusion.

This was a Combat Method driven by fundamental power, a ranged attack technique, called [Origin Kill Cannon].

Now.

As the information flashed through his mind, it was as if he saw that squad leader using this technique to blast away the enemies who ambushed them.

He quickly mastered this Combat Method.

"No wonder."

"The first two scenes were about cultivation, but the third scene began with war."

"It's not just because this was Mr. Chen Shu's past experience, but also because only a Congenital Realm Martial Artist, with their spirit and body unified, can remain clear-headed in this war illusion and not sink into it."

Thinking of the endless wars that even made him somewhat numb, Qin Jin's aura gradually calmed, and his state of mind stabilized.

"Origin Kill Cannon."

"Is this a gift from the illusion?"

"To be precise, this is the intention, the secret inheritance, left by a Martial Saint who once copied the 'Wu' character here."

"Next time, even if I enter the illusion again, even in the same legion, the same battlefield, I probably won't see that squad leader again."

"Because the intention that formed him has already been consumed."

Thoughts churned.

The blood and fire in Qin Jin's eyes dissipated, and he turned to look at the crowd.

This was the first lesson of Wu Yuan Academy.

From beginning to end, it validated the unique charm of a Martial Artist that he had heard when he first learned of Wu Yuan's name.

The torch is passed on.

Under everyone's gaze, Qin Jin stepped forward, walking towards the crowd.

Just then.

Chi Chenzhou's voice sounded.

"For your first experience with the Wu Sheng Stele, to be able to gain the recognition of [intention], Qin Jin, you are very good."

Qin Jin paused slightly.

Principal Chi's words clearly referred to the Combat Method inheritance he had obtained.

Chi Chenzhou's voice was calm as he continued: "One of the Wu Sheng Stele's intentions has disappeared because of you."

"In the future—"

"Remember to replenish it."

Qin Jin did nothing else.

He simply nodded and whispered.

"Okay."