High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

He felt the rhythm of his Qi and Blood flowing through his veins, the pulse of his Spiritual Power in his sea of consciousness, and the faint, almost imperceptible resonance between his body and the Earth.

The next morning, Xu Wuyi opened his eyes.

He began to practice the *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth*.

His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness. A Golden Crow spread its wings and soared, scattering golden light across the sky. Below, the Earth silently bore this light as it flowed and converged, nourishing his Spirit and tempering his will.

Once, twice, three times...

Xu Wuyi wasn’t counting; he simply continued to circulate the Visualization Method.

His Spiritual Power had long reached the critical point of Level 39.9, separated from Level 40 by only a thin barrier.

This was not a barrier that could be broken through sheer effort. It required an opportunity, an insight—it needed to happen naturally.

He performed the Visualization again and again, letting the Golden Crow soar, the Earth remain silent, and the golden light spread.

Ten times, twenty times, fifty times...

Before his Spirit had reached this critical point, he couldn’t practice this Visualization Method a hundred times a day. His Spiritual Power would often run out after just fifty or sixty repetitions.

But now, not only had his Spiritual Strength increased, but after reaching the threshold, its quality continued to improve even though the quantity had plateaued. This was enough to sustain many more repetitions.

The Cultivation Room was silent, save for Xu Wuyi’s long, steady breathing.

Time seemed to lose all meaning.

As Xu Wuyi completed his ninety-ninth Visualization, he suddenly stopped.

He wasn’t tired, nor had he hit a bottleneck.

Rather, he realized that the next Visualization would be different.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his body and mind, and let all his experiences, thoughts, and insights from the past three months surface one by one.

The composure from holding his ground in the mining area, the focus from rotating through the defensive lines, the precision during the mission assessment, and the tenacity of garrisoning the Star Realm.

’What does it mean ”to defend”? It means being comprehensive, leaving no openings.’

’What does it mean ”to attack”? It means using a single point to shatter the whole, a concentrated breakthrough.’

’What does it mean ”to bear”? It means to absorb and neutralize, to guide and disperse.’

’What is the ”Earth”? It is the foundation, the final destination for all things.’

At this moment, these scattered insights were like pearls, suddenly strung together by an invisible thread.

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes.

The one-hundredth practice of the *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth* began.

In his sea of consciousness, the Golden Crow no longer just soared and scattered light. It let out a long, clear cry that pierced through the world of his consciousness, carrying the majesty of a blazing sun and the resolve to incinerate all.

The Earth was no longer just a silent bearer; it began to tremble faintly. Within this tremor, qualities like weight, solidity, acceptance, and nourishment merged into one, becoming the very essence of ”existence.”

Golden light cascaded down like a waterfall.

But this time, the light didn’t just spread over the surface; it seeped deep into the Earth, becoming one with it.

The ”motion” of the Golden Crow and the ”stillness” of the Earth, the ”ferocity” of the Flame and the ”depth” of the soil—at this moment, they were no longer opposites. They were fused, symbiotic, two sides of the same whole.

Xu Wuyi felt the barrier that had held him back for so long silently dissolve.

Spirit Level: 40.

But this was not the end.

The Golden Crow’s cry grew higher, the Earth’s tremor deeper. The golden light completely merged with the ground, making the entire conscious landscape glow with a gentle yet resilient luster.

Xu Wuyi ”saw” the phantom of a mountain slowly rise from the Earth.

It was not the mountain he had first envisioned holding up the sun, but one far more solid, majestic, and ”real.”

On the mountain, the Golden Crow rested.

Below the mountain, the Earth endured.

The Golden Crow, the mountain, the Earth—a perfect, harmonious Trinity.

Xu Wuyi slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, a dark golden flame flashed and vanished. Within it, the faint silhouette of a mountain range could be seen.

He raised his hand, palm facing up.

With a mere thought, a miniature Heart Image materialized above his palm. It was palm-sized, made of dark gold, and depicted a Golden Crow Illusion resting upon a mountain.

The Heart Image was solid and its aura restrained, yet it emanated a palpable weight and scorching heat that could make one’s heart skip a beat.

Great Success in Heart Image. The Innate Realm was now within reach!

Xu Wuyi looked at the Heart Image in his palm, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile.

He had finally taken this step.

From this day forward, the path of Martial Arts stretched before him, boundless and full of possibilities.

...

Achieving Great Success in his Heart Image had come sooner than Xu Wuyi expected.

As the miniature Heart Image in his palm slowly dissipated and flowed back into his body, Xu Wuyi didn’t get up. He didn’t cheer. He didn’t even feel much of an emotional shift.

He simply sat quietly in the center of the Cultivation Room, feeling the brand-new power within him.

The dark-golden Heart Image did not exist independently; it was intricately connected to his Qi and Blood, his Spirit, and his will.

It was as if it had become a part of his body, yet it also felt like an external engine that he could call upon at any time to amplify his combat power.

This sense of control was more tangible and profound than a simple spiritual breakthrough.

’But it’s still not enough,’ Xu Wuyi knew.

The initial formation of the Heart Image was only the first step, like erecting the frame of a skyscraper. Filling it in, reinforcing it, and finishing the interior would all take time.

He had to further strengthen and purify his Spiritual Power. Only when he could achieve Heart Image Manifestation in the physical world would he truly cross the threshold to becoming an Innate Martial Artist.

He cleared his mind of all stray thoughts, regulated his breathing, and let his consciousness sink back into his sea of consciousness.

He began circulating the *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth* Visualization Method.

This time, the feeling was completely different.

The moment he achieved Great Success in Heart Image, his Spirit Level broke through the Level 40 threshold, bringing about a qualitative transformation.

His Spiritual Power was no longer just an accumulation of ”quantity”; it now possessed finer control, a faster circulation speed, and a much higher capacity.

More importantly, the very existence of the Heart Image was the tangible manifestation of the *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth* Visualization Method.

The Golden Crow, the mountain, and the Earth—a Trinity.

Using the mountain as a projection of his consciousness, as the link between the Golden Crow and the Earth, and as the medium for the fusion of yin and yang—this was Xu Wuyi’s solution.

When he began his one hundred and first Visualization, the entire process was as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hitch.

The golden light scattered, the Earth bore it, and the Golden Crow rested on the mountain’s peak.

None of this was ”imagination” anymore; it was ”manifestation.”

The Heart Image emerged in his sea of consciousness, proactively absorbing the Spiritual Energy generated during his Visualization and using it to nourish his Spirit, creating a virtuous cycle.

His efficiency had increased by at least thirty percent.

’The Hundred Chances of Enlightenment...’

Back then, the Enlightenment from a hundred standard practices of the Basic Body Refining Technique had only yielded minuscule improvements. It was only through years of persistence that he saw any real benefit when cultivating a High-Tier Body Refining Method.

But for an Advanced Visualization Method like *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth*, the effect of an Enlightenment after a hundred practices was undoubtedly astonishing.

It was safe to say that every single Enlightenment would bring him immense rewards.

Even achieving Great Success in his Heart Image, while certainly due to his past accumulations, was also inseparable from this Enlightenment.

For the next three days, he was completely immersed in his cultivation.

Aside from necessary meals and brief periods of sleep, he spent all his time circulating the Visualization Method, stabilizing his new Spiritual Realm, and familiarizing himself with the Power of his Heart Image.