Chapter 2 Peak-ninth Level Martial Qi

Gradually, all the burning crimson flames in the cave's surroundings began to converge around him, enveloping his entirely unclothed body, as his previous tattered attire had been reduced to ashes. Remarkably, these flames did no harm when they made contact with his skin.

Sheng Mingyun was surprised to find that it wasn't a burning sensation, but rather the feeling of warmth, as if he were taking a comfortable hot bath. He also seemed to hear a soft, rhythmic thumping of a beating heart. What surprised him even more was that a soft and warm crimson robe began to slowly form, the same attire he remembered from ancient clothes that the old Taoist wore on Earth.

"It seemed the pain I experienced from nearly being burned to nothingness was worth it," Sheng Mingyun sighed in relief and then murmured, "but this crimson robe is too eye-catching. It would be better if it were a training robe."

Unexpectedly, the robe changed its appearance, exactly as he had wished for, transforming into red training clothes. Each hem had a black lining reminiscent of flames, yet it surprisingly matched his attire perfectly.

"That's promising, huh?" Sheng Mingyun noticed that his cultivation level, originally at the fourth stage of Body Refining, had taken unbelievable leaps and bounds.

"How is this possible? How and why did my cultivation suddenly reach the Peak-ninth level of Martial Qi?!" He exclaimed, still in disbelief.

He couldn't be blamed; Sheng Mingyun hailed from one of the few remaining hidden martial arts families in China, where rigorous training encompassed both martial arts and ancient Chinese medicine from a young age. Therefore, there were also times when he would read some Cultivation novels to pass the time, which included stories about rebirth and time travels, causing him to easily accept his current situation.

"That's fifteen levels in total, advancing one realm to another, but in those novels, the protagonist usually faces many trials before becoming powerful. None of them had such an instant increase in strength at the beginning of their cultivation," he mumbled, trying to make sense of it all.

Although Sheng Mingyun didn't consider himself a protagonist, he was fully aware that the information from the novels was all fantasy. But he still couldn't help but make comparisons after personally experiencing rebirth in another universe. What worried him was the effect of the sudden increase in his strength.

"Huh? My cultivation actually remained solid even after an instant increase. Fortunately, this prevents me from worrying about my current foundation," Sheng Mingyun sighed in relief.

"If the sudden increase were not solid enough, it will weaken my foundation, posing a hidden danger that could lead to problems in my future cultivation," he murmured with relief.

"It seems I also need to conceal my current cultivation level down to the fifth level of body refining. Although with my current strength, there's nothing to fear, I'm afraid it might attract attention," he said softly with a sigh.

What could be worse would be the accusation of using sinister means to enhance his strength, or people might even speculate that he had stumbled upon a chance and obtained treasures or precious materials, and so on. This could result in him being hunted and killed in order to seize his belongings.

"Although I didn't get any treasure, no one will ever believe it. It's truly a headache. Whether it's being weak or suddenly becoming strong, both situations would cause trouble," Sheng Mingyun sighed helplessly as he lowered his cultivation to the early-fifth level of body refining.

"The only solution is to gradually display my cultivation and simulate progress every other day, or even just increase by one level per week," he thought for a moment, considering all possible outcomes.

"Before going home, I want to take revenge on the beast I fought with. I will never forget the terrible injuries it caused me before I fled for my life," his lips curved with an evil smile.

Sheng Mingyun looked around the cave that was once ablaze and had led to his fall. He now found it in a state of normalcy, with the flames gone. Then, he noticed a narrow crevice on the top of the cave.

"This is where I fell?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh, it's fortunate that this is a cultivation world. If it were on Earth, and I were a normal person without martial arts, it would be unknown whether I would be rescued or die of hunger," he clicked his tongue.

In any case, even though he might have faced a similar situation on Earth, he could have survived it there as well, given that he was one of the younger generation members of a hidden martial arts family remaining on Earth.

Sheng Mingyun had once been hailed as a genius. Despite the scarce aura on Earth, he had successfully practiced to the point of gathering Qi, and he was proficient in using Qinggong.

He then lightly tapped his foot on the ground, effortlessly leaping through the narrow crevice at the top of the cave where he had accidentally fallen. After successfully emerging from the narrow hole, Sheng Mingyun felt a sudden pressure envelop him, causing his expression to turn serious.

"Huh? Is this the lower realm suppression? The so-called heavenly restrictions? But I haven't reached Martial Master," he thought with doubt and confusion.

His body felt extraordinarily heavy, as if gravity itself were pressing down upon him. He now understood why those from higher realms didn't dare or bother to enter realms with cultivation levels lower than their own.

"How come I wasn't restricted when I was still in the cave?" he wondered before looking back at the narrow hole he fell into. Unexpectedly, it had long disappeared, leaving him stunned in disbelief.

"Could it be a hidden small world? So, did I really have a chance encounter? It makes sense, though, as it would be very unlikely for no one to notice or discover such a fiery place," Sheng Mingyun found a reasonable explanation.

He also didn't feel any high temperature around him, which is why it was unexpected for him to fall into a place full of flames. Fortunately, he didn't burn to ashes; otherwise, he wouldn't have had a chance to be reborn.

"Hmm, I can still use my cultivation since it hasn't reached Martial Master or above, which is why it wasn't suppressed. The only reason could be my transformed body. I don't know what capacity it has turned into, but it surely surpasses the strength allowed in the lower realm," Sheng Mingyun sighed in relief, but his body still felt particularly heavy.

In this world, unlike what was heard before, cultivation, martial arts, Summonings and Magics are mixed together.

Everyone has a shot at becoming a Martial Cultivator, but it depends on whether they have a dantian and what kind of spiritual roots they possess. It determines which element the Martial Cultivators can cultivate.

For example, individuals with Fire spiritual roots can only gather the lingering fire essence in the realm's air and nature to cultivate and use it to enhance their bodies. While the same principle applies to other spiritual roots such as Ice, Wind, Earth, and so on.

For those without spiritual roots, as long as they could activate their dantian, they can become Martial Practitioners who focus on cultivating physical energy to boost their strength.

It is normal for some people to be born without spiritual roots, but dantian would always exist, whether it is activated or not, it is a normal and crucial part of the body.

There are three parts of the Dantian in the body: the Upper Dantian in the brain, the Middle Dantian in the chest, and the Lower Dantian in the lower abdomen. If these Dantians are not activated, individuals are considered 'Mortals' and are strongly advised to live in the mortal realm.

There are instances where one of the spiritual roots from the list of twenty heavenly spiritual roots is transferred from one person to another. However, transferring the dantian simultaneously is crucial since these two aspects highly complement each other.

On the other hand, if the spiritual root is not on the heavenly list, there's no need to transfer the dantian. Conversely, if only the dantian is transferred, even when the spiritual roots belong to the heavenly list, there's no need to transfer the spiritual roots.

Individuals who receive a higher-level dantian and spiritual roots, a higher dantian from a different body than their own, have a chance to integrate the new dantian and spiritual roots into their own body and utilize them as their own if they successfully survive. Their strength would significantly increase, and their cultivation would progress rapidly, reflecting the attributes of the new dantian and spiritual roots, or dantian.

Simultaneously, it would demand advanced skills, precious materials, and herbs to ensure the survival of those who have lost and received both the dantian and spiritual roots, or dantian. These valuable materials and herbs are enough to arouse people's greed.

In contrast to those who have damaged dantian or spiritual roots, who are considered mortals, individuals who lose both the dantian and spiritual roots will either die or survive for only ten years. Those who survive the loss of their dantian will have a limited chance to live for thirty years.