C15 More and More Powerful

"However, I need to elevate my strength to the Martial Artist Stage before I can begin practicing this technique."

Seated on the bed, he slowly closed his eyes. "The bottleneck has been loosening over the past few days. With the accumulation of many days' effort, today is the day I must break through to the Martial Artist Stage!"

As Xu Ming closed his eyes, Spiritual Energy from the surroundings swarmed toward him, converging above his head and gently flowing into his body, rejuvenating his physical form.

In this moment, Xu Ming's aura grew steadily stronger.

Bathed in moonlight, Xu Ming continued his cultivation, aiming for the breakthrough to the Martial Artist Stage. He had been seated since the afternoon, and before he knew it, dusk had fallen.

The forest lay quiet, yet the small courtyard echoed with the long, resonant breaths of inhalation and exhalation, reminiscent of a dragon's roar or a tiger's bellow, deep and forceful.

Xu Ming, still seated on the bed, was diligently directing the Spiritual Energy through his meridians, meticulously refining it. The gap between Martial Dao Grade Nine and the Martial Artist Stage was vast. At Martial Dao Grade Nine, one simply needed to meditate and draw in Spiritual Energy, without any specific technique to refine and assimilate it.

Transitioning to the Martial Artist Stage, however, involves a transformation where quantity leads to a qualitative shift. The Spiritual Energy accumulated over years changes in nature upon entering the Martial Artist Stage. The purer the Spiritual Energy, the smoother the cultivation process and the fewer the obstacles. Conversely, impure Spiritual Energy can slow down progress or even bring it to a halt.

Hence, the caliber of the cultivation technique is crucial.

A more advanced technique not only accelerates the absorption of Spiritual Energy but also ensures its purity. Conversely, sometimes the limitations of a technique can prevent a person from making any progress in their cultivation for a lifetime.

Of course, for Xu Ming at this moment, having a technique is important, but the priority is to break through to the Martial Artist Stage!

Infinite Spiritual Energy poured into his body, traveling along his meridians. Without the guidance of a technique, the Spiritual Energy charged wildly, like a toddler taking faltering steps toward a destination.

The Spiritual Energy surging through Xu Ming's meridians was tumultuous, charging into his Dantian. At that moment, the Dantian was completely saturated with Spiritual Energy, so dense it was nearly liquid, giving the sensation that it was on the verge of bursting.

"It's not enough!"

Xu Ming assessed the state of his Dantian, biting down on his teeth, a touch of madness in his heart.

He had never before broken through to the Martial Artist Stage and lacked any experience. His former self was merely someone with a Grade Three Bloodline, possessing only Martial Dao Grade Two strength. In his lifetime, he never stood a chance to advance to the Martial Artist Stage, leaving him with little insight on how to achieve such a breakthrough, and no one to teach him.

Despite his former inadequacies, he once overheard a family elder instructing his grandson that once the Dantian absorbed a certain volume of Spiritual Energy, it would induce a qualitative change. However, the Dantian Qi must reach a point where it could no longer draw in any more Spiritual Energy, not even a trace more. Should even a sliver more be absorbed, the Dantian would be at risk of exploding. At that critical moment, using the utmost psychic force to compress the Dantian Qi, turning all the Spiritual Energy within the Dantian into a liquid, would spell success.

Then, with the assistance of a cultivation technique, he could refine the liquefied Spiritual Energy, shaping it into a small orb within the Dantian, thus achieving a breakthrough to Martial Artist Grade One.

Yet, the journey to becoming a Martial Artist was fraught with excruciating pain. Many failed to bring their Dantian Qi to its zenith, hastily compressing it.

Xu Ming's past self knew that the greater the volume of Spiritual Energy absorbed by the Dantian Qi, the more intense the pain, but also the greater the reward.

Legend had it that without the proper guidance of a cultivation technique, the more Spiritual Energy the Dantian harbored, the riskier it became. As such, on the Martial God Continent, the breakthrough process was categorized into different tiers. Those who compressed their Spiritual Energy when their Dantian Qi reached 60% capacity were deemed third-grade talents. Those who managed to compress at 80% capacity were recognized as second-grade talents. And those who could endure until 85% capacity before compressing were hailed as first-grade talents.

In the Martial God Continent, ninety-five percent of Cultivators can at most fill eighty-five percent of their Dantian with Qi. Yet, there are those who surpass this level: ninety percent is considered superior talent, and ninety-five percent is the mark of a genius.

However, some individuals refuse to settle for mere genius status. They strive for breakthroughs, and in some secluded families or major sects and clans, there are those who have managed to fill ninety-nine percent of their Dantian with Qi. These rare beings are known as peerless geniuses.

Legend has it that a thousand years ago, during the golden age of the Martial God Continent, there was one who achieved the impossible—filling their entire Dantian with Qi, reaching a full one hundred percent!

This individual was the previous practitioner of the Blood Fiend Divine Arts, a singular existence throughout history!

"Not enough—this is far from enough!"

Xu Ming, seated cross-legged on his bed, furrowed his brow, discontent with his Dantian Qi already occupying ninety-five percent of his Dantian capacity.

The accumulation of Dantian Qi is the essence of reaching Martial Dao Grade Nine. Achieving sixty percent Dantian Qi saturation signifies attaining Martial Dao Grade Nine, marking an important milestone in the journey of Qi accumulation.

Though Xu Ming had only recently advanced to Martial Dao Grade Nine, his soul was exceptionally powerful due to his experience of two lifetimes, making it at least three times stronger than that of an ordinary person.

Cultivation at Martial Dao Grade Nine depends on the soul's strength to harness Spiritual Energy, allowing it to flow into the body and the Dantian. Xu Ming's dual-life advantage was distinct, and coupled with his Bloodline Level breaking through to God Level Grade Seven in the last six months, his cultivation speed far outstripped that of his contemporaries.

A strong soul is infinitely beneficial for a Cultivator, regardless of their realm. Sadly, the soul's growth is painstakingly slow, and once one reaches adulthood, the soul's power becomes fixed unless one possesses a cultivation method specifically for the soul.

The Martial Dao Grade Nine serves merely as a transitional phase, where the soul's influence is quite pronounced. Yet, once one breaks through to the Martial Artist Stage, the soul's impact on cultivation speed becomes less significant. At that point, the rate of cultivation is determined solely by the quality of the cultivation technique and the Bloodline Level.

At this current stage, Xu Ming's formidable soul showcased its advantages.

Accumulating Dantian Qi is a lengthy ordeal, with some enduring the excruciating pain of the Dantian's tearing force for up to six months!

"Again!" Xu Ming roared inwardly, causing the Spiritual Energy Vortex above his head to accelerate abruptly. The relentless tearing force drew in the surrounding Spiritual Energy. It flowed into his body, through his meridians, and converged within his Dantian.

91%...

92%...

93%...

96%...

"96%... It's still not enough!"

Describing the agony of gathering Spiritual Energy is challenging, but the Dantian's tearing force left Xu Ming drenched in sweat, soaking his clothes.

At this stage, Xu Ming trembled slightly, his face utterly devoid of color.

"96%, barely surpassing the threshold of genius. But genius is not my goal, nor is being a prodigy. I aim to follow in the footsteps of the previous cultivator of the Blood Fiend Divine Arts!"

Xu Ming's resolve was unwavering. In his past life, those who emerged as once-in-a-century martial prodigies did so by cultivating the Eight Extremes Fist to the Dark Strength Stage over a century. Their success was due to their relentless and unyielding approach to cultivation.

Xu Ming was tenacious, willing to risk everything to flawlessly achieve his goals.

"What others have accomplished, I too shall achieve. And where others have not, I will blaze a trail!"

Xu Ming bore the expansion within his Dantian and the knife-like pain it transmitted. Yet, his expression only grew more resolute, a fierce determination glinting in his eyes. "To be kind to oneself is to be cruel. If I cannot withstand this level of pain, how can I aspire to reach the pinnacle?"

"Buzz~~"

The vortex above Xu Ming's head accelerated rapidly, devouring all the surrounding Spiritual Energy. The formidable force of the whirlpool continued to spread, reaching three miles away in the blink of an eye!

Xu Ming, with his formidable soul, meticulously controlled each strand of Spiritual Energy that entered his body, channeling it into his meridians and striving to minimize the chaotic force of the rampant energy as it entered his dantian.

"98%!"

The pain throughout his body was so intense that Xu Ming couldn't help but bite his lip. His lower abdomen swelled up like a basketball, tearing through his clothes. His round belly, with veins protruding and twisting, seemed on the verge of bursting. Streams of Spiritual Energy roamed his meridians like burrowing rodents scurrying beneath his skin.

"I'm reaching my limit! If more Spiritual Energy floods in, my dantian will truly explode!"

At this moment, Xu Ming's head was spinning, his willpower blurring as the prolonged agony pushed him to his edge.

"No, I strive for perfection in everything I do. I'm only at 98 percent!"

"Once more!"

Xu Ming bit the tip of his tongue, realizing the gravity of this pivotal moment. A single misstep could lead to his dantian's destruction.

This was the moment that would determine if he could stand tall above the world, crushing geniuses and prodigies beneath his feet.

"Hum~"

His psychic force wavered slightly, nearly causing the Spiritual Energy Vortex above to collapse, but it quickly regained its rapid spin. "Better a short pain than a long one~~"

Xu Ming's Soul Power ushered in even more Spiritual Energy into his body, causing him to tense up and nearly lose consciousness.

"I'm close to success! Once this Spiritual Energy enters the dantian, I'll reach 100%!"

Xu Ming's willpower was fading, but he was acutely aware that he couldn't give up now!

If he did, not only would he fail to advance to the next Martial Artist Stage, but he might also never get another chance in his lifetime!

"Pop~~"

Suddenly, a crisp sound echoed from within. The basketball-sized lump at Xu Ming's Dantian had grown to the size of a basin. The organs inside his stomach were visible through his skin, which had become almost transparent.

In that instant, Xu Ming felt not shock but elation. He roared inwardly, "One hundred percent! Compress!"

Compress!

Compress!

These were the only thoughts occupying Xu Ming's mind. His once fading will surged with excitement. With formidable Soul Power, he took command of his Dantian, relentlessly condensing the Spiritual Energy within.

Xu Ming's distended abdomen gradually diminished as his aura grew increasingly potent.