「Ten minutes later, in the Battle Network’s simulated training ground.」

Qiao Zhiyao stood with a longsword in hand, her aura far more condensed than before.

After her breakthrough to the Martial Artist realm, the quantity and quality of her Qi and Blood had improved significantly. The faint red energy flowing along the edge of her sword was even more substantial.

Xu Wuyi stood empty-handed, not even having drawn a weapon.

"Are you looking down on me?" Qiao Zhiyao glared.

"No," Xu Wuyi said frankly. "I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back if I use a weapon."

Even though it was just a spar on the Battle Network, Xu Wuyi worried he’d defeat Qiao Zhiyao in a single blow, which would negate the whole point of a guided sparring session.

Qiao Zhiyao was speechless with frustration. Done with words, she flicked her longsword and her body followed its movement, transforming into a streak of light as she thrust forward.

Her Swordsmanship was more fluid than before, its trajectory unpredictable. It faintly carried the nimbleness of wind and the explosiveness of fire. This was the Qiao Family’s direct lineage art, the *Wind-Fire Sword Formulas*, and she had clearly practiced it diligently.

Xu Wuyi shifted his feet slightly, turning his body to the side to dodge.

He didn’t use his Power of Heart Image, nor did he even draw upon his Spiritual Power. He relied solely on his pure Qi and Blood reactions and physical control.

Qiao Zhiyao’s sword was fast, but in his eyes, the trajectory of every move was perfectly clear.

The breakthrough to the Martial Artist realm brought an all-around improvement, but Qiao Zhiyao still needed time to adapt and internalize it.

While her Sword Techniques were exquisite, they lacked a certain effortlessness and felt a little too deliberate.

Xu Wuyi saw his chance. Just as Qiao Zhiyao’s thrust reached its limit and before she could recover, his right hand shot out, and he flicked the flat of her blade with his finger.

CLANG!

A crisp ringing echoed.

Qiao Zhiyao felt a deep yet supple Power travel up the blade, making her wrist go numb. The longsword nearly flew from her grasp. She hastily retreated to regain her stance.

Xu Wuyi didn’t pursue, simply standing in place and waiting for her to regroup.

Qiao Zhiyao bit her lip and attacked again.

This time she was more cautious. Her Sword Techniques were a mix of feints and true strikes; she no longer aimed for a single killing blow, but instead tried to use a relentless assault to corner Xu Wuyi.

Xu Wuyi remained unruffled.

His Step Technique wasn’t fast, but each step landed in the perfect spot, always allowing him to dodge just as the blade was about to reach him.

When he did occasionally strike out—with a finger or a palm—he always managed to precisely disrupt Qiao Zhiyao’s rhythm.

Ten minutes later, Qiao Zhiyao stopped, panting for breath.

She had unleashed over a hundred moves without even touching the hem of Xu Wuyi’s clothes. In contrast, Xu Wuyi had only attacked seven times from start to finish, and every single one had left her feeling utterly miserable.

"I’m done!" Qiao Zhiyao withdrew her sword, a look of defeat on her face. "How is the gap between us still so huge..."

Xu Wuyi walked up to her, his tone calm. "You just broke through, so you haven’t adapted to the power of a Martial Artist yet. Give it some time. Once you’ve fully integrated your new realm, your combat strength will jump significantly."

"I still won’t be able to catch up to you," Qiao Zhiyao mumbled.

Xu Wuyi didn’t reply.

It was the truth.

After achieving Great Success in Heart Image, his strength had far surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist. He might even be able to hold his own against some warriors who had just entered the Innate realm.

But there was no need to say any of this. Against Qiao Zhiyao, he hadn’t used his Heart Image, Spirit, or Mental Realm at all—only the most basic Martial Arts Techniques.

"Go back and consolidate your realm." Xu Wuyi patted her on the shoulder. "The path of Martial Arts is about competing with yourself, not with others."

Qiao Zhiyao looked up at him, gave a sullen "Mmm," and logged off.

Xu Wuyi logged out of the Battle Network and returned to his Cultivation Room.

He sat down cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into his sea of consciousness.

The dark-gold Heart Image floated quietly within: a majestic mountain upon which a Golden Crow perched.

In the past three months of consolidation, his Heart Image had grown even more substantial than when he had first achieved Great Success. The textures on the mountain’s surface were sharper, as if truly formed from countless layers of stacked rock. On the feathers of the Golden Crow Illusion, intricate, fiery runes had begun to appear.

His Spiritual Power was growing steadily and had already surpassed Level 41.

Meanwhile, supported by the *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace* and ample resources, his Life Energy Level had reached the critical point of 39.9.

He was just a hair’s breadth away from touching the threshold of the Innate realm.

But Xu Wuyi wasn’t in a rush.

He continued his cultivation methodically—practicing, using Visualization, and refining his power. He was like a master craftsman carving raw jade, each cut patient and focused.

In late December, Yu Peiling finally broke through to the Martial Artist realm.

She was a little slower than Qiao Zhiyao, but her aura post-breakthrough was exceptionally stable—clearly the result of building a deep and solid foundation.

Zeng Bonan’s progress, however, was a pleasant surprise to Xu Wuyi.

The young man, who had once been filled with self-doubt due to his ordinary talent, had been invited by Zhao Qingwei to join her team after Xu Wuyi’s departure.

He hadn’t betrayed that trust. He trained more desperately than ever, his Life Energy Level had already shot up to 34, and he had secured his place on the team.

Tana had also left the team. As her strength grew daily, she decided to focus more on her personal training and was replaced by another Genius from the South Courtyard.

In early January, Zhao Qingwei reached out to Xu Wuyi.

The two arranged to meet in a public lounge on the Battle Network.

Zhao Qingwei still had her usual cool and distant demeanor, but there was a hint of new-found ease in her expression.

"Grandmaster Lin has agreed to instruct me once a month," she said, getting straight to the point. "The Qiao Family made the connection. My father has already settled the terms with Uncle Qiao."

Xu Wuyi nodded. "Congratulations."

"I’m the one who should be thanking you," Zhao Qingwei said, looking at him earnestly. "If you hadn’t passed on the message, the Qiao Family might not have gotten involved."

"I only passed on the message," Xu Wuyi said, shaking his head. "It succeeded because Uncle Zhao and the Qiao Family came to an agreement."

"But you’re the one who built the bridge," Zhao Qingwei said. She paused, then suddenly smiled. "My father asked me to pass on a message. He said the Zhao Family’s promise is forever valid. Whenever you need help, you can go to him."

"However, Grandmaster Yue Lianshan has been assigned an urgent mission on the Star Realm Battlefield, so if you wish to visit him, you’ll have to wait for a while."

A warm feeling spread through Xu Wuyi’s chest.

For a man of Zhao Cizhou’s stature to make such a promise was a true testament to his sincerity.

"Please thank Uncle Zhao for me. And there’s no rush to visit Grandmaster Yue."

"Okay." Zhao Qingwei agreed. They chatted a little more about recent goings-on, and then she logged off.

Xu Wuyi stood before the lounge’s floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the virtual Starry Sky.

’My friends are all moving forward, each on their own path.’

’That’s good.’

...

「In February, just after the New Year.」

A festive atmosphere still lingered in the Hidden Dragon Garden. Red decorations hung on the doors of some villas, and the sound of distant laughter could occasionally be heard.

Xu Wuyi’s life remained as disciplined as ever.

His Life Energy Level had been stuck at 39.9 for a month, yet he felt no impatience. He continued to methodically cultivate, perform his Visualizations, and refine his Heart Image each day.

His Spirit Level was rising steadily, approaching the midpoint of Level 41.

The substantiality of his Heart Image continued to increase. Xu Wuyi even began to simulate the process of Heart Image Manifestation within his sea of consciousness—not a true breakthrough, but a rehearsal, a preparation.

He wanted to think through every step and consider every possible problem he might encounter.

That way, when the time for his actual breakthrough came, it would be a natural success.

「February tenth, an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.」

Xu Wuyi was in his Cultivation Room, deep in Visualization, when his personal terminal suddenly began to vibrate wildly. A continuous stream of notification chimes shattered the silence.