Yuan’s Ascension

Since General Xu was willing to compensate me with five thousand silver taels, I now have enough for my cultivation needs. There's no reason to get myself involved in the murky affairs of the Cloud Martial Hall.

Wu Yuan gave 4000 taels to Chieftain Wu Qiming because he knew that he didn't earn this fortune by himself.

If the Wu Clan was not a prominent family in the Southdream Capital City, or if the Li City branch didn’t exist, would General Xu have willingly parted with such a hefty sum? Dream on!

I just need enough to live a decent life. If I hoard it all, the chieftain might feel discontented as time passes, even if he doesn’t openly express it. Wu Yuan wasn't too hung up on it.

Now, the chieftain probably feels guilty towards me. With his character, he will likely find other ways to make up for it.

With the protection of the Wu Clan, his family would be safer, and Wu Yuan could focus on his martial arts cultivation without unnecessary distractions.

Since arriving in this new world over a month ago, Wu Yuan had only two things on his mind: the first was to surpass his past life, reaching the peak of martial arts. The other was to ensure his family's well-being.

As the blade sliced horizontally, a strong gust lifted sand and pebbles into the air.

Beyond Power Surge is Rigid Yet Supple. In my previous life, I cultivated this martial arts skill rapidly by leveraging the irregular gravitational changes in gravity chambers. But now, I don't have such a convenient advantage.

Gravity chambers were widespread within the Human Federation, but a complete luxury in the Middle Land. Most martial artists here didn’t even consider it.

With a better cultivation environment, one can make faster progress in martial arts cultivation. I can only try taking advantage of nature. Wu Yuan's gaze landed on the nearby Southdragon River. The unpredictable undercurrents underneath the surface of the great river made it a better place to train than on open ground.

Or perhaps, I should choose a waterfall and utilize the force of the waterfall's impact?

Li County was part of the Riverdream Watershed, which teemed with numerous rivers. However, there were few mountains, so it wouldn't be easy for him to find a waterfall suitable for cultivation.

No rush. I'll complete Strength Training first. When I move on to Viscera Cultivation, I will then proceed to the next stage. Wu Yuan made his decision.

Martial arts skills were important to any martial artist. Some weaker-looking martial artists could easily defeat burlier ones due to superior skills. A skilled martial artist could turn anything, even a needle or a brush, into deadly weapons!

However, skill was only an extension of one's body. No matter how much Wu Yuan honed his skills, he could only erupt forth with a little more than 10,000 catties of force, and that was after employing Threefold Power Surge. But top martial artists could manifest the strength of tens of thousands of catties or more with their physical bodies alone. How could one compare the two?

In the Middle Land, martial artists are divided into nine grades based on strength.

Wu Yuan brandished his long knife casually. The blade's radiance was biting cold. Whether swinging, chopping, or lifting, each stroke embodied thousands of catties of force, creating a series of subtle explosions in the air.

But the Human Federation divides martial arts into three stages - Strength Training! Viscera Cultivation! Acupoint Connection!

Strength Training involved cultivating one's muscles, tendons, fascia, and bones to the limit of one's genes.

During the ancient dynasties of the Blue Planet, this was known as external martial arts. The so-called Golden Bell Shield, Iron Clothing [1], and Stained Clothes Eighteen Falls [2], among others, all fell under the category of Strength Training.

Viscera Cultivation, or Marrow Cleansing and Blood Transfusion, on the other hand, was performed from the outside in, strengthening one’s internal organs. When one achieved full mastery over Viscera Cultivation, one could perform Internal Vision. This allowed one to increase their lifespan and gain immunity to diseases.

The ancient dynasties of the blue planet gave Viscera Cultivation the term 'internal strength cultivation'.

Undergoing Viscera Cultivation without Strength Training will only lead to unsatisfactory results; practicing martial arts without Strength Training is simply a waste of time.

Before the Human Federation entered the interstellar era, there were many so-called 'experts of internal strength cultivation' who only practiced Viscera Cultivation and barely trained their muscles and bones. Their arms and bellies were loose and saggy, making them the subjects of ridicule.

At the same time, some martial arts experts reached a high degree of external martial arts training. In their youth, these people were as vigorous as tigers, but their physical conditions declined rapidly as they reached their forties, and their bodies were plagued with diseases before they were old. Why? This was because they didn't practice Viscera Cultivation and couldn't nurture their bodies!

It was only when we reached the interstellar era that great advancements in life science and the revival of martial arts finally culminated in the 'Optimal Path of Martial Arts'. That's how the three phases of martial arts came into being. Wu Yuan was one of the compilers of the 16th edition of the 'Optimal Path of Martial Arts', hence he was naturally familiar with all of this.

First Strength Training, then Viscera Cultivation, and finally when the muscles and bones resonated together and the 108 acupoints were connected, one could hope to unlock the ultimate mystery of human evolution…

Strength Training depends firstly on nutrition intake, secondly on the degree of effort, and third and most importantly, a hint of anticipation flashed in Wu Yuan's eyes, Genes!

Genes are the main determinant of innate talent, they're incredibly important! No matter how well-nourished you are, or how diligently you train your strength and cultivate your viscera, you can never grow to be ten meters tall, nor can you take flight.

In his former life, the Human Federation spared no expense in their pursuit of biological evolution, pouring countless resources into their goal. Martial artists sprouted up everywhere, as numerous as bamboo shoots after the rain. But they were always limited by genetics.

During the peak of Wu Yuan's strength, he could not exert a force beyond 20,000 catties. Even with Threefold Power Surge, he could only reach 70,000 to 80,000 catties of force. Although some other martial arts Grandmasters were more powerful than Wu Yuan, their strength was also limited.

But in this Middle Land, a still-developing teenage boy whose muscles and bones are nowhere near their peak can effortlessly unleash 3000 to 4000 catties of strength? Some fourth-grade and fifth-grade martial artists who have yet to comprehend Power Surge can exert tens of thousands of catties of strength?

What about the top three grades of martial artists? And those known as land deities in the Heavenly Rankings? Without a doubt, it was the advantage of genes!

It's just like the tigers of my previous world. They didn't need to train, they could easily kill human martial artists with their raw physical strength alone.

The same goes for this world. Untrained, ordinary people can acquire the strength of thousands of catties when they reach adulthood.

The previous occupant of this body was an eighth-grade martial novice. But come to think of it, his muscles and fasciae weren't properly trained. There's still a long way from reaching the ultimate limit of his strength.

In Wu Yuan's opinion, the division of martial arts into nine grades wasn't scientifically accurate.

But to some extent, it reflected the limit of the human genome in the Middle Land, which was frighteningly around ten times stronger than that of the Human Federation!

Although the cultivation environment here cannot compare to my previous world, the Middle Land is a vast place. There are unique paths such as alchemy, which can assist one's martial arts cultivation.

In my previous life, I was nearly 30 years old when I reached the peak of martial arts in the Human Federation. Looking back, I took many unnecessary detours in my younger days.

Transmigrating here is like starting all over again, but my body's genes are ten times stronger. How far will I go? Wu Yuan was filled with anticipation.

His singular focus on martial arts and insatiable desire for human evolution set Wu Yuan apart from billions of people in the Federation. Even in this new world, he yearned to witness the peak of martial arts in the Middle Land. How strong would such a person be?

…

Wu Yuan continued to train tirelessly until dawn broke and the frequency of boats floating by began to increase.

Looking at the time, my mother should be waking up soon. It's time to go home.

Wu Yuan sheathed his sword and strapped it to his back.

Whoosh! Like a wisp of smoke, he disappeared from the reeds of the riverbank. On careful observation, one would realize the reeds bore no trace of his footprints.

Leaving no trace on snow or grass, such was the natural outcome of practicing Rigid Yet Supple to near-perfection. Even if someone were to find traces of Wu Yuan's martial training on the riverbank, they would find it difficult to track his path.

He returned home silently.

…

After breakfast, Wu Yuan bid farewell to his mother and sister, and headed for the martial academy to attend morning practice.

To Wu Yuan, morning practice was merely a waste of time, but to avoid drawing attention, he endured it patiently.

After the morning practice, the beginner and intermediate disciples attended martial arts classes. The advanced disciples scattered, some heading to the battle chambers for combat training, while others to the strength chambers to refine their physical condition. With the major tournament approaching, advanced disciples were free to decide how they wanted to spend their time.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuan put on two layers of inconspicuous-looking clothes in his room at the martial academy. Then, he left the academy through a side door and came to a deserted alley.

Transfiguration! Wu Yuan controlled his body, causing his limbs and bones to tremble slightly. Suddenly his entire body shrank, his arms and thighs shortened, and his cheeks inflated! Wu Yuan swiped his right cheek with a thumb, his hand coming away to reveal a thin scar.

If Wu Yuan was a robust youth before, he now resembled a short, stout man. At a glance, this scarred man seemed to be about twenty years old.

Rip~ Wu Yuan peeled off his outer layer of clothing and swiftly wore a new pair of shoes from his backpack.

I've never worn these clothes or shoes in public. With some transfiguration, even my mother won't recognize me.

Caution was key in concealment!

To the Starcom Consortium.

Wu Yuan packed up his old clothes and shoes. With a light leap, he darted along the eaves of the house into another alley. Then, he proceeded onto the main street, disappearing into the crowd.

1. The most commonly heard martial arts in martial arts TV series are the Golden Bell Shield and the Iron Cloth Shirt. In martial arts TV series, whoever masters these two martial arts skills is a martial arts master. As the name suggests, the golden bell cover means "a bell made of gold covers the whole body", emphasizing that it is difficult for external forces to enter and attack. The iron cloth shirt, as the name implies, means "wearing clothes made of iron", which means that the whole body is like steel and can resist any external force. ☜

2. Type of unarmed combat style in martial arts ☜

Whysee's Thoughts

For your reference:

Nine Grades Of Martial Artists In The Middle Land

Raw Physical Strength (single-arm)

ninth-grade

low-tier martial novice

1000 catties

eighth-grade

mid-tier martial novice

2000 catties

seventh-grade

high-tier martial novice

4000 catties

sixth-grade

martial virtuoso

10,000 catties

fifth-grade

third-rate Adept

20,000 catties

fourth-grade

second-rate Adept

30,000 catties

third-grade

first-rate Adept

50,000 catties

second-grade

Savant expert

100,000 catties

first-grade, reach human biological limit

Grandmaster/ Land Ranker

200,000 catties