Chapter 376: Chapter 376: December
Flame Venerable’s reply arrived in the evening.
Xu Wuyi was in the Cultivation Room, familiarizing himself with the fine control of his Power of Heart Image, when his personal terminal vibrated slightly. He stopped what he was doing and opened the message.
A virtual image of Flame Venerable was projected. The senior who had once guided him still had the same casual appearance, with his long, crimson hair unbound, sitting cross-legged in a burning void.
"Great Success in Heart Image? Not bad. Faster than I expected." Flame Venerable’s voice was tinged with a smile, but his eyes were serious. "But kid, take a piece of advice from me: don’t be in a hurry to show it off before you’ve truly stepped into the Innate Realm."
"The Federation is a grand stage, but there are even more eyes watching it. It’s a good thing that you’re progressing quickly, but if you’re too fast and haven’t reached the finish line, you’ll easily attract unwanted attention."
"Just lie low and consolidate your foundation until it’s so solid you couldn’t smash it with a hammer. Wait for the day your Heart Image Manifestation truly pushes open the Innate Gate. Then you can do whatever the hell you want."
The image paused, and Flame Venerable grinned. "Of course, if you run into a hurdle you absolutely can’t overcome, you should use what you have. Your life is more important than your pride."
The message ended there.
Xu Wuyi closed the projection, lost in thought.
Teacher Han and Senior Flame Venerable, two experts standing at different heights of power, had given him nearly identical advice.
That alone was enough to illustrate the gravity of the situation.
He’d originally entertained the thought of ’moderately displaying my strength to obtain more resources,’ but now he completely dismissed it.
"’Lay low. Consolidate.’" Xu Wuyi repeated those words softly, engraving them into his heart.
After ending the communication, Xu Wuyi checked his merit point balance.
After he stopped his garrison duty, his monthly income had indeed dropped by a large chunk, but he wasn’t anxious.
After achieving Great Success in Heart Image, the biggest change was the shift in his resource requirements.
Previously, he had needed to rely on external aids like the Spiritual Resonance Potion to assist his Visualization and enhance his Spirit. But now, his Heart Image itself had become the best tool for refining his Spirit.
Every time he circulated the "Golden Crow Carrying the Earth" technique, his Heart Image would actively absorb and purify Spiritual Energy, nourishing itself in return.
The efficiency was higher than taking Potions, and there was no resistance buildup or residual impurities.
Martial Artists refine their Spirit, while Innate masters refine their Image. This was because upon reaching the Innate Realm, a Martial Artist could strengthen their Spiritual Power by tempering their own Heart Image.
Therefore, Xu Wuyi only needed to focus his limited resources on raising his Life Energy Level.
With Qi Blood Potions, Energy Supplements, and the inherent effects of the "Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace," his cultivation speed wouldn’t be much slower.
’It’s enough,’ Xu Wuyi thought calmly.
Having clawed his way up from rock bottom, he knew the weight of the word "contentment" all too well. His current training conditions were a hundred times better than in his early years; he had no reason to be dissatisfied.
Life quieted down.
Xu Wuyi returned to a regular routine: practicing his fist techniques at dawn, Visualization in the morning, studying Martial Techniques in the afternoon, nourishing his Qi and Blood in the evening, and another round of Visualization before bed.
As usual, he went to Teacher Han for guidance every Tuesday. The content of their sessions shifted from breaking through bottlenecks to understanding and controlling the Power of Heart Image.
Han Mo’s instruction was meticulous.
"Your Heart Image is the manifestation of your Martial Arts Will, but it’s not a dead object." Han Mo traced a simple Energy trajectory in the air with his recovered right hand. "You must learn to ’communicate’ with it—not like you’re controlling a tool, but as if you’re treating another version of yourself."
Xu Wuyi tried.
He submerged his consciousness into his Heart Image, feeling the "Intention" flowing within the Dark Gold Mountain Body and the "will" transmitted by the Golden Crow Illusion as it beat its wings.
At first, it was hazy, like trying to see flowers through a fog.
But after many attempts, he gradually began to capture subtle feedback.
When he mobilized the Mental Realm of the "mountain," his Heart Image would resonate with a steady hum. When he drew upon the power of the "Golden Crow," it would respond with a scorching tremor.
The most direct benefit of this communication was a significant increase in his control precision.
Previously, activating the Power of Heart Image was more like swinging a Heavy Hammer—powerful and heavy, but not agile.
Now, he was beginning to learn how to use "finesse," achieving the strongest effect with the least amount of exertion.
Time flew by when he was focused.
「In the blink of an eye, it was December.」
The trees in Hidden Dragon Garden had lost all their leaves, leaving only bare branches pointing toward the grey-white sky.
The temperature dropped below freezing, and fine snowflakes would occasionally drift down.
One Wednesday afternoon, just as Xu Wuyi logged off the Battle Network, his personal terminal received a communication request from Qiao Zhiyao.
He accepted, and Qiao Zhiyao’s virtual image popped up, her face filled with unconcealed excitement, her eyes sparkling.
"Senior Brother! I did it!" Her voice trembled, whether from excitement or exhaustion, it was hard to tell. "Martial Artist! I broke through this morning!"
Xu Wuyi was startled for a moment, then he smiled.
"Congratulations," he said with genuine sincerity.
Qiao Zhiyao’s promotion had been much slower than expected.
Based on her original progress and resources, she should have been able to break through around October. But whether because the bottleneck was too tough or due to her mentality, it had been dragged out until December.
But Xu Wuyi felt this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
"I feel so strange," Qiao Zhiyao said, still buzzing with excitement, her words tumbling out quickly. "I was stuck for so long, but when I actually broke through, it was incredibly smooth. The flow of my Qi and Blood wasn’t sluggish at all. It just happened naturally, like a river carving its channel."
"It’s a case of Thick Accumulation and Thin Emission," Xu Wuyi said. "You’ve built such a solid foundation that the breakthrough was naturally smooth."
"Right? Right!" Qiao Zhiyao grinned, her eyes curving into crescents. "I also think it was thanks to practicing the Basic Body Refining Technique. Two hundred repetitions a day really weren’t for nothing!"
She chattered on for a while about what it felt like to break through, and Xu Wuyi listened quietly, occasionally making a sound of agreement.
When she had more or less finished, Xu Wuyi finally spoke. "Being a little slower isn’t a bad thing. The path of Martial Arts is a long road. Only by taking each step steadily can you run later on."
Qiao Zhiyao paused, the excitement on her face subsiding slightly as she grew thoughtful.
"Senior Brother, are you saying... I don’t need to rush to catch up?"
"Mhm." Xu Wuyi nodded. "You’re a Martial Artist now. After that comes the Innate Realm, and then Grandmaster. If you’re only thinking ’I have to be fast’ at every step, you’re more likely to leave behind hidden problems."
Qiao Zhiyao was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly puffed out her cheeks.
"Easy for you to say! You’re progressing so fast yourself, of course you can tell others to slow down!"
Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but laugh. "I’m fast because my method of accumulation was different. You’re walking the orthodox path of a Noble Family—your foundation is solid, but it needs time to settle. Forcing yourself to speed up will do more harm than good."
"Hmph, that’s just twisted logic!" Qiao Zhiyao retorted, but the look in her eyes softened.
She actually understood that Xu Wuyi was right.
Although this breakthrough had been delayed by a few months, in the process, her control over her own Qi and Blood had taken a qualitative leap—an experience she’d never had when she was rushing to succeed.
"Whatever, I can’t win an argument with you," Qiao Zhiyao pouted, then her eyes darted mischievously. "Senior Brother, we haven’t sparred in a long time. How about a match?"
Xu Wuyi was exasperated. "You just broke through. Aren’t you going to consolidate your Realm?"
"The best way to consolidate my Realm is through actual combat!" Qiao Zhiyao declared righteously. "Battle Network, the usual place. Do you dare?"
"..."
