Chapter 5: Intermediate Martial Apprentice

Wait. Evan Norman froze. Why hadn't he run into a realm barrier? In the Splendid Origin Kingdom, martial practitioners were divided into three ranks. The lowest was Martial Apprentice, followed by Martial Master, and at the top stood Martial Ancestor. Legends even spoke of a higher realm beyond Martial Ancestor, known as Martial Venerable. Through brutal Body Cultivation, a warrior constantly honed strength upward. But the human body had a limit. Once that limit was reached, strength could no longer increase. Unless it was shattered. That was what cultivation truly was: breaking through limits, step by step. The first limit was the might of ten thousand pounds. Once broken, a warrior's upper bound rose to the might of three thousand pounds. More than a year ago, Evan Norman had broken his first strength limit and stepped into the might of ten thousand pounds. That was how he became a Beginner Martial Apprentice. Next came the limit of the might of three thousand pounds. If he broke through that, he would be an Intermediate Martial Apprentice. But he clearly possessed four thousand pounds of strength, and he still hadn't touched the ceiling of that limit. How? "Is it because of the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture?" Evan's heart hammered in his chest. A supreme art that could get even Colin Umpleby killed was never going to be ordinary. It didn't just make his strength surge at a terrifying pace. It even pushed his upper limit beyond common sense. "Anything about this Cultivation Method can't get out," Evan swore silently. If it did, the trouble it brought would be catastrophic. Not unless he was strong enough to crush it. His strength was skyrocketing, which was obviously a good thing. The downside was that he was hungry again. He set the wild wolf down and started roasting it once more. To be honest, it tasted awful. Not a grain of salt. But he was starving, and he didn't have the luxury of caring. After cultivating the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture twice, Evan reached a conclusion: once his Soul Power was drained, it fully recovered in a single day. Which meant he could cultivate the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture every day. If he gained two thousand pounds of strength per day, then in three more days he would possess the might of ten thousand pounds. What did that mean? A Beginner Martial Master started at the might of ten thousand pounds. And in Sunrise City, Martial Masters were the highest level of combat power. Rumor had it the strongest, the city lord himself, was only an Intermediate Martial Master. From start to finish, it would take only five days for Evan to stand shoulder to shoulder with a Beginner Martial Master. In seven or eight days, he could challenge an Intermediate Martial Master. No one would believe it if he said it out loud. A smile tugged at Evan's mouth. Once he healed the damage to his meridians, he would fear nothing in Sunrise City. "Adoptive father, I'll avenge you." Evan clenched his fist. After tasting the cold and warmth of human nature, he missed the sheltering kindness his adoptive father had given him even more. But three years ago, his adoptive father had already been murdered. Evan knew who the killer was. His strength was nowhere near enough to take revenge, so he endured. He wouldn't have to wait long. On the third day, Evan didn't gather herbs. He only hunted. Four thousand pounds of strength was terrifying. From far away, he could whip a spear out like a bolt, and any tiger or wolf would drop in a single hit, as long as he landed it. If he missed, it didn't matter. Against his current power, a tiger wasn't exactly a house cat, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle either. More importantly, his strength was still climbing like madness. That afternoon, he cultivated the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture again. He seized the power of Heaven and Earth and made it his own. Evan's strength rose to the might of six thousand pounds, yet he still hadn't touched the "roof" of the second limit. Heaven above. An Advanced Martial Apprentice started at the might of six thousand pounds. On the fourth day, Evan's strength reached eight thousand pounds. On the fifth day, it reached the might of ten thousand pounds. Only then did Evan finally feel it. He had reached a limit. A strange restraint inside his body pressed down on him, forcing his strength to remain at that level, refusing to let it go any higher. Evan decided to return. He had experience breaking through. It required relentless, high-intensity training, squeezing out every last shred of potential until the limit cracked. But his meridians were damaged. He couldn't train like that at all. He had to go back, prepare Dragon Tiger Paste, and once his injuries were healed, he could break through the limit. His Intermediate Martial Apprentice starting point was other people's Beginner Martial Master, a full two realms higher. Who would believe that? Evan headed out of the mountains, but Great Cloud Mountain was vast. Over the past few days, he had traveled too far in. Even a full day wasn't enough to get him back to the academy. No problem. One day didn't matter. Still, he couldn't waste Soul Power. So Evan cultivated the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture anyway. Heaven and Earth Energy poured in and became his strength, but his body had already hit its limit and couldn't rise further. The clash formed immediately. As more energy surged into him, that conflict grew more and more violent. Evan felt as if his entire body had swollen with air, like he might burst at any moment. He was about to stop when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. At the same time, his whole body turned light, almost relieved. The raging energy was absorbed in an endless stream, refined into his strength. The limit… broke. Evan stared in disbelief. He had shattered the second limit that easily? According to the academy, each limit was harder to break than the last. That was why Martial Apprentices made up a full tenth of the Splendid Origin Kingdom's population, while Martial Masters were only one in ten thousand. Martial Ancestors were even rarer, not even one in ten million. Yet Evan's second breakthrough had been simpler than his first. The Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture. Evan drew a slow breath, understanding its value more clearly than ever. He didn't stop. He kept circulating the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture, pushing his strength higher. Twelve thousand pounds of strength. Evan believed that once he healed his damaged meridians, combined with the countless martial techniques in his mind, he could even fight an Intermediate Martial Master head-on. And in just a few more days, he would be able to crush an Intermediate Martial Master, even an Advanced Martial Master. After traveling for most of another day, Evan finally returned to the academy. The moon was high overhead. Perfect. He went straight to the medical room. Mixing medicine required equipment, and this place had it. With his current strength, prying open the lock was effortless. Inside, all kinds of medicinal ingredients were secured in cabinets. Evan didn't bother with them. He only needed to borrow the tools. He began to prepare medicine. His hands moved like flowing clouds and running water, smooth and precise, as if he had practiced this craft for countless years. "Done." When the sun rose, Evan smiled. He had prepared five bottles of Hemostatic Powder. How effective was it? In Colin Umpleby's memories, its hemostatic effect was shockingly good. But Evan was still a beginner. He didn't know whether he had made some small mistake somewhere, so he needed to test it.