Chapter 2: Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering

Evan Norman raised an eyebrow, scarcely able to believe it. He and Lucian Sabey had always been rivals. Last year, Evan beat him and claimed the academy's only spot, becoming the representative of Stellar Gale Academy's fifteen-year-old students at the Martial Arts Tournament in the Imperial City. But that had been a fair competition. Was it really enough to drive Lucian Sabey to murder? Evan drew a breath. The reason no longer mattered. What mattered was figuring out how to survive this crisis. Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture! This was the mysterious Cultivation Method Colin Umpleby obtained. It even led to the death of that powerhouse. It was Evan's only lifeline. In Stellar Gale Academy, and even throughout the Splendid Origin Kingdom, martial artists could only cultivate through the Physical Art. They relied on grueling training to break the human limit again and again, raising their strength to incredible heights. Because of that, damage to the meridians in one leg and one arm left Evan unable to cultivate, turning him into a half-cripple. But Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture seized the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and transformed it for its user. Its mysteries were endless. In Colin Umpleby's memories, Evan even saw that cultivating through a Cultivation Method was the true path, while the Physical Art was merely supplementary. Yet the Martial Way of the Splendid Origin Kingdom treated the support as the true path and knew nothing of Cultivation Methods. Evan had no idea why. He ran the incantation of Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture through his mind. Colin had only memorized the Cultivation Method and never found the time to practice it, so Evan could only reconstruct it. As for how to comprehend the Cultivation Method, he had not the slightest clue. In truth, it could hardly be called an incantation. It consisted of a series of baffling symbols. Yet when those symbols passed through his mind, Evan was startled to realize that he knew exactly what to do. According to Colin Umpleby, the more profound a Cultivation Method was, the harder it was to practice. Evan understood it without the slightest effort. Could that mean this Cultivation Method was incredibly crude? But Colin died because of it. Could such a Cultivation Method really be crude? "Nine cycles, plunder Heaven!" Evan tried circulating Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture. His consciousness immediately reached beyond his body, spreading outward like a collection of feelers. He saw a completely different world. Energy filled heaven and earth. It existed in the air, the ground, and the sunlight. Flowers, grass, and trees stored it within themselves, though small amounts constantly leaked away. Even every person contained it. With a single thought, Evan's soul transformed into a net and drew the energy nearby toward him. Boom! The energy surged into his body and raced through his blood, strengthening him at astonishing speed. When all the energy was absorbed, his consciousness turned into feelers once more and spread in every direction. Evan understood. One outward reach and one withdrawal constituted one cycle. His body grew stronger in the process, but the price was the consumption of his Soul Power. "Fifteen more!" Bowen Bennitt's voice rang beside him, clearly meant to provoke him. Evan ignored him and circulated Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture again. Boom! Another massive surge of energy was drawn in and used to strengthen his body. "Fourteen more," Bowen Bennitt called out again, his petty nature on full display. The third cycle, the fourth cycle... the ninth cycle! "Five more." Evan stopped circulating Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture. His Soul Power was completely exhausted. No wonder it was called Nine Cycles. He could only circulate it nine times. After that, he could do nothing but wait for his Soul Power to recover. Evan clenched his fists and felt the immense strength surging through his body. He had yet to test it, but he could already sense that his improvement was enormous. "Bowen Bennitt, are you really determined to keep courting death?" Evan asked coolly. After absorbing Colin Umpleby's memories, he also gained the steady composure of a powerhouse. In his eyes, Bowen Bennitt was nothing more than a lackey. "Hahaha! You still dare threaten me?" Bowen Bennitt roared with laughter. He spread his hands toward the people around him, feigning astonishment. "Did you hear that? Evan the genius is threatening me!" Some people laughed, but most shook their heads. They felt Bowen had gone too far. The girls in particular stared at him with looks sharp enough to cut. "Evan Norman, don't forget that you're a cripple!" Bowen Bennitt said. He remained oblivious to how ridiculous he looked. Trampling the former big shot beneath his feet filled him with a thrill that spread through his entire body. "Let's make a bet," Evan said. "If I pass the yearly exam, you'll kneel on the ground and shout three times, 'Lucian Sabey is a bastard!' How about it?" Bowen Bennitt sneered. "Evan Norman, you're still daydreaming at a time like this? Fine, I'll take the bet. You're guaranteed to lose!" He did not even mention what Evan would have to pay if he lost. In Bowen's eyes, Evan was already as good as dead. "Evan Norman, step forward for your test." A voice came from the front. Evan took a deep breath and strode forward. Outside the crowd stood a strength tester. Three academy teachers stood beside it, one responsible for recording the results and the other two supervising. "Identity confirmed," one of the teachers said with a nod. "Begin," the teacher holding the record book told Evan. Evan walked up to the strength tester. The process was simple. He only needed to slam one fist into the force plate. The impact would travel through the mechanism, turning the gears until the needle stopped at the corresponding strength mark. He inhaled deeply, then suddenly swung his left fist. His right fist was useless. The meridians in that arm were damaged, leaving it unable to exert any force. Bang! His fist struck the force plate. The needle spun rapidly, slowed, and finally stopped at a certain value. "One thousand nine hundred seventy-seven pounds," the recording teacher read. He waited for the other two teachers to confirm the result, then continued, "Last year's yearly exam was one thousand five hundred six pounds. That's an increase of a little over thirty percent." "Passed." The teacher looked at Evan with undisguised astonishment. He knew Evan's condition very well. He might not remember every student, but Evan had once been the academy's genius. And with a face that handsome, no one who saw him once could possibly forget him. "What? One thousand nine hundred seventy-seven pounds?" "How is that possible?" The students erupted in disbelief. "Although Evan could still train for three months after last year's yearly exam, he couldn't cultivate during the following nine months. His strength should have declined." "Even if it didn't decline, I wouldn't believe he could increase his strength by thirty percent in three months. Not even if you killed me." "Exactly. That's impossible!" "The strength tester must be broken!" The girls, however, were delighted. Evan had passed the test, which meant he could remain at the academy for at least another year. They had another year to win over Evan Norman's heart. They immediately started trading barbs with the boys, each side unleashing astonishing combat power. Bowen Bennitt froze. He had not expected this result. He quickly shouted, "The strength tester must be broken! This result isn't accurate!" "Old Liang, is the strength tester really malfunctioning?" one of the supervising teachers asked the recording teacher. The teachers all knew Evan's condition. "I'll test it," Teacher Liang said. He reset the needle to zero, then punched the force plate. The needle spun for a moment before stopping at the five-thousand-five-hundred-pound mark. "It isn't broken," Teacher Liang said. His strength had always hovered around five thousand five hundred pounds. It wasn't broken! The strength tester wasn't broken! The crowd erupted again. It was like witnessing a ghost.