Martial God

The metal-based Internal Energy cultivation technique, the Primordial Energy, was He Yiming’s first cultivation technique and was also the cultivation technique that he’d bitterly cultivated for full eight years until today.

In the last four years, He Yiming had hoped to enter its sixth layer countless times.

The circulation course of this technique’s sixth layer had been deeply engraved in his bones. His heart had a deep-rooted stubbornness: He would not give up on this technique until there was no hope.

If not for the decision of his elders combined with the painstaking efforts of his third elder brother, he would never have substituted this technique.

Even though he’d obtained inconceivable success in Ripple technique, it couldn’t be compared to the Primordial Energy. The latter had always been his primary cultivation technique, which, for him, was as inseparable as flesh and blood.

When He Yiming entered that bizarre realm, the Internal Energy inside his body involuntarily switched back to the Primordial Energy which he’d cultivated for many years, furthermore, he involuntarily entered its sixth layer. Everything seemed like the saying where water flows, canal will naturally form. There wasn’t the slightest amount of hindrance, as if his Primordial Energy had originally been at the sixth layer.1

His eyes, which were half-closed, suddenly opened and emitted out a faint bright radiance, which seemed capable of drilling through heavens and earth.

His body suddenly jumped up on its own. In mid air, he turned around and struck with his hand. At this moment, all the Internal Energy inside his body was converging towards his hand, while his essence, qi, and spirit2 had also been pushed to the peak.

A savage roar exploded out from the direction in which he’d just struck. However, the roar contained a trace of fear and timidness.

The fox bear, which was two meters high, opened its mouth and countered He Yiming’s strike with its fan-like bear paw.

Bang….

Unlike the silent confrontation before, an extremely loud sound echoed this time.

Due to the formidable strength in He Yiming’s strike, the fox bear’s gigantic body rose up in the sky and rolled once in mid-air before miserably falling into dense bushes, even losing many bear hairs in the process. However, once it had fallen down, it immediately hopped onto its feet at a lightning fast speed and made a desperate run for its life in the direction opposite to He Yiming.

Its speed was so high that associating such a speed with its gigantic body was absolutely impossible.

In a flash, the bear had already entered deep into the woods and had disappeared without a trace.

He Yiming stood on the ground. He slowly withdrew his swelled palm while looking at it with an astonished expression, though, he didn’t feel any pain as he’d imagined. His expression was that of an extreme surprise mixed with many other emotions.

Before he issued that strike of unprecedented strength, he’d already sensed that, instead of using the sixth layer of the Ripple technique, he was using the technique that he’d cultivated for full eight years, the Primordial Energy.

He Yiming couldn’t help but curse when he realized that the technique operating inside his body had abruptly switched. Although Primordial Energy was the strongest metal based cultivation technique in terms of offensive power, the gap between the fifth and the sixth layer was enormous. This caused He Yiming to lose faith that his strike would be able to injure his opponent. However, within an instant, the bear was blown away, furthermore, by looking at its appearance as it tried to flee with all its might along with its shaky movements, it had clearly suffered an injury, furthermore, the injury was not light either.

Consequently, He Yiming immediately realized that the Primordial Energy he’d used was not of the fifth layer at all, instead, he’d used the full strength of the sixth layer of a metal type cultivation technique.

He’d actually made the breakthrough without being aware of it himself.

This was but the Primordial Energy; the cultivation technique he’d practiced for whole eight years. His emotions towards this cultivation technique couldn’t possibly be compared to the Ripple technique which he’d only practiced for a single night.

Surprisingly, his eight years of hard work and fours years of anxiousness mysteriously succeeded at this moment.

Such an intense surprise and joy completely flooded his insides like a tide. He was truly feeling as if he was tasting the ‘beginning of sweetness that comes after the bitterness’; he felt like shedding tears of joy.

At this moment, even if that fox bear hadn’t escaped, He Yiming wasn’t interested in tangling with it anymore.

After a long time, He Yiming recovered back from his ecstatic state.

His vision directly fell upon a patch of thick bushes at a distance:

‘Who knows how much distance that repulsive yet pathetic bear has already covered.’

He suddenly recalled that wonderful realm when he’d delivered that strike. However, when he tried to recall that feeling, he was absolutely unable to catch the mysteries of that realm. Apparently, this kind of realm would completely disappear along with the passing of danger.

He Yiming knew that him being able to ascertain the direction of the bear had nothing to do with his eyesight or experience. It was all because of an indescribable feeling he had when he was in that mysterious state. This kind of perception seemed extremely useful in the midst of a fight. However, unfortunately, he couldn’t grasp the slightest clue about that realm, and neither did he know if he would ever be able to enter that realm again in future.

Reluctantly, he glanced at the color of the sky, following which, without wasting a single second, he sprinted down the small mountain path.

His movements were extremely quick, furthermore, while he was running, the water-based Ripple technique was slowly operating on his arms.

The effect of water type cultivation techniques on self-healing was extremely clear. By the time He Yiming returned back to the He family estate, both of his hands were as good as before without a trace of injury.

He Yiming clicked his tongue in astonishment:

‘The water based techniques surprisingly have this kind of a healing effect. Then what about the wood based techniques which are renowned for being the number one healing techniques under the heavens? I have to try for myself if I get the opportunity.’

By the time he returned back to the family manor, the sun was already inclined towards the west. After pondering for a bit, He Yiming decided to go to the back courtyard. After a few turns, he arrived in front of a huge courtyard which was completely made up of redwood.

In the minds of all the cultivators within the He family estate, this courtyard was akin to a holy land. Because this was precisely the Book Pavilion of the He family estate.

Not only it contained all the cultivation techniques possessed by the He family, in addition, it also contained various kinds of martial skill scriptures. Among the third generation, as long as one had cultivated up to the sixth layer of the Internal Energy, he was qualified to enter the book pavilion and select any martial skill of his choice.

He Yiming had immediately thought of this Book Pavilion after his first encounter with the fox bear in the mountains. If he had cultivated a martial skill beforehand, he wouldn’t have scared the Fox Bear into retreat, instead, he would have peeled off his skin and muscles.

Fox bear’s skin, gall bladder, paw, muscles, bones, and even meat were all extremely scarce things. If he could have sold these things for money, the fortune he would have obtained was enough to make him smile even in his dreams.

After softening his steps, He Yiming entered the courtyard.

“Yiming, you’ve come.” A strong and powerful voice echoed from a side hall within the courtyard. Consequently, the door of that hall opened and a big middle-aged man walked out.

He Yiming said at once: “Eldest uncle, this disciple has come to pay his respects to the senior.”

This person was precisely He Wude’s eldest son He Quanxin. He’d always been living in seclusion inside the He family’s book pavilion. All the disciples who desired to enter the Book Pavilion must obtain this man’s consent first.

As for He Yiming’s father, He Quanming, and his third uncle, He QuanYi, both of them respectively managed the shop in the city and the feuds inside the manor. Both of these had already spent ten years at the junction of the eighth layer, while He Quanxin, due to being away from the external matters, had attained the ninth layer, being just a single step behind the Family Master He Wude’s tenth layer.

The relationship between the third generation and the second generation was extremely familial. The little bit of friction among the third generation was only because of the extreme competition. Every member of the younger generation truly revered these few elders in their hearts.

He Quanxin glanced at him and secretly sighed in his heart, before he said:

“He Yiming, you can go in and make your choice. After discussing with your father and second uncle, I’ve selected three scriptures that may suit your cultivation.”

He Yiming’s lips slightly shuddered. He was extremely grateful in his mind. He said with his head deeply bowed:

“Many thanks eldest uncle.”

He Quanxin faintly smiled and said:

“You are my nephew, what are you thanking for? However, I wish you could set aside the matters of cultivation and peacefully rest for a few days.”

He Yiming was a little surprised but realized latter’s meaning soon after. Apparently, his uncle was thinking that he would still not be able to succeed due to the shadow present in his mind.

“Eldest uncle, actually, yesterday, third elder brother had already explained the Ripple technique to this nephew. So, today, this nephew has not come for a cultivation technique.”

He Quanxin asked in an astonished voice:

“Then, why have you come?”

“This nephew has come for the martial skills.” He Yiming tried to speak as calmly as possible, however, his voice contained a faint and indescribable excitement.

He Quanxin blankly stared for a bit, before his gaze on He Yiming gradually changed, and he said:

“Yiming, be careful.”

By the time He Quanxin finished his words, he’d already extended his palm towards He Yiming’s chest in a very ordinary manner.

His palm was very slow; even a person who’d never trained into any skills can easily dodge it. However, He Yiming straightened his chest and extended one of his own palms to face latter’s palm in a similarly ordinary manner.

He Quanxin’s palm was not thick and huge like the fox bear’s palm, however, in He Yiming’s opinion, this palm would be far more frightening than the latter.

As He Yiming delivered the palm strike, the Primordia Energy in his body was fully circulating. At this moment, the might of a metal based technique’s sixth layer was on full display. Even when he’d been fighting the fox bear in the mountains, his Internal Energy had not reached such an overflowing degree of power.

Softly, the two fists met, and He Yiming’s Internal Energy emptied out without any reservations. However, he felt that his eldest uncle’s palm was just like an endless pit; regardless of how formidable his Internal Energy was, it would never be able to fill this pit.

A strange color flickered in He Quanxin’s eyes, and his face eventually displayed a faint, satisfied smile. He suddenly laughed heartily and said:

“Good. Yiming, today is exactly the middle of the month. Come with me to see father.”

When conditions are right success will automatically follow. ↩

Three vital energies in Daoism.