Chapter 41: The True Breakthrough (Part 2)

What Lekai had achieved so far could only be considered an initial technical application.

What was meant by technical application?

It referred simply to the use of technique. The true might of the “Unity Step” had clearly yet to be unlocked. Only upon reaching the rank of Martial Artist, when one had cultivated true energy, could one mobilize this energy in a prescribed manner and meld it with the environment, thereby unleashing the profound mysteries of the footwork.

Lekai suddenly realized that before him stood an immense door to a treasure trove, wide open.

He had not even begun his journey! The road ahead was indeed long.

There were still three months until the school term Lancas had mentioned would begin. Lekai’s previous concerns about boredom after the professor’s departure were instantly dispelled.

There was simply too much he needed to do.

After resting for a while, Lekai opened the second page, where the nameless cultivation technique was recorded.

Here, however, the nameless technique had been renamed “Unity Technique,” and like the Unity Step, it adhered to the way of nature—reducing complexity to simplicity—yet remained unfathomably deep.

It too took the attainment of Martial Artist, the possession of true energy, as a prerequisite; true entry into the Unity Technique began with true energy.

Lekai found himself unable to proceed beyond the first section, and had no choice but to close the book and slowly digest the knowledge he had gained.

At the dawn of heaven and earth, all things were undifferentiated, as one, just as a person in the womb is dimly aware, and all laws are natural.

Then, things split apart, and various substances spread throughout the world. The Unity Technique relied on communicating with heaven and earth, absorbing and refining these substances for one’s own use, and ultimately returning to simplicity, creating one’s own world.

The initial stage was the instinctive absorption and refinement to strengthen the body; later, it became the conscious honing of the spirit and the seeking of energy.

Only when a “point” was formed at the ancestral aperture and a base established at the dantian, and the two fused, linking essence, energy, and spirit, could one count as having entered the path.

Unity Technique.

First Layer: Trinity in One, forging the true self.

Second Layer: Yin and Yang United, the convergence of polarities.

Third Layer: Unknown

Fourth Layer: Unknown

Fifth Layer: ...

Beyond the first and second layers, Lekai did not even dare to look further.

The first step of the Unity Technique was named “Trinity in One”—gathering essence, energy, and spirit to fully enhance one’s foundation.

When this step was perfected, essence, energy, and spirit would merge with the power of heaven and earth, giving form to the formless, constructing tangible “cores” at the ancestral aperture and the dantian. These two “cores” became the source of power, the most crucial and fundamental vital points.

Condensing these two cores was no simple task. As for the second layer and what lay beyond, Lekai could not see clearly—likely his strength was still insufficient.

Just a brief perusal left him mentally drained and physically exhausted; reading this book evidently consumed spiritual energy.

Nothing could be forced—one must proceed step by step, eat one bite at a time. Lekai, well-versed in survival, understood this and did not push himself. The professor had arranged everything in advance; it seemed he had long intended to leave. The old man was supremely intelligent, shrewd and calculating—he would never fight a battle he could not win. Lekai, all of a sudden, no longer worried for the professor, for he believed that in this world, unless the man sought his own destruction, no one could harm him.

In these past years with the professor, Lekai had thought he had learned enough; now he realized how far he still had to go.

At the very least, in the combat skills he once took pride in, he had been utterly humbled. His strength, which he once believed surpassed that of D-rank beasts and was enough to venture into the world, turned out not even to qualify as entry-level in the true world of cultivation.

This realization ignited in Lekai an unprecedented enthusiasm for training.

Ahead, untold numbers of geniuses awaited him to conquer; his world would never lack for excitement!

Lekai resolved to use these three months wisely, honing himself against mutant beasts.

The mutant beasts of B and C Zones no longer interested him at all. Instead, those carnivorous predators were terrified of Lekai; his mere presence emptied their domain. The mutant beasts, not only physically enhanced but seemingly more intelligent, knew how to avoid danger.

Now, Lekai could only go to D Zone to find the fiercest mutants.

Within D Zone were beasts that had undergone deep mutations; much like the strict class systems of humanity, nature’s hierarchy was inviolable. The powerful ruled supreme. The beasts of D Zone rarely left their territory, but should another intrude, they would show no mercy.

If the mutant beasts of C Zone were equivalent to human grandmasters whose mind and body were one, then those of D Zone absolutely possessed the legendary strength of martial artists.

Their mutation was not limited to the body; some had even developed peculiar abilities, akin to the external projection of true energy in humans. This greatly multiplied their destructive power, making them truly fearsome. Even genuine martial artists would hesitate to face them.

Such opponents were exactly what Lekai needed.

His understanding of true energy was still rudimentary, let alone his ability to control it. But real combat was the fastest path to improvement. Nothing pushed one to break through their limits like the threat of death.

This was not Lekai’s first time, nor would it be his last.

Now, he had to learn to channel true energy into the authentic Unity Step, to experience that mystical sensation.

As he passed through B Zone, the three Barbarian Brothers greeted him respectfully, bowing their heads in deference, their demeanor utterly subdued.

They had witnessed the young madman work miracles so many times over the years that they were almost numb to it. Though they knew he was heading to D Zone to seek challenges from those legendary terrors, they were not surprised, only watching him set off with eyes full of admiration.

“I bet this time it’ll be three days before he comes back. Anyone want to take the wager?”

The eldest grinned good-naturedly, brimming with faith in Lekai’s strength.

“We’re not fools, so no bet.”

The other two brothers rolled their eyes. After losing a couple of times, they had learned their lesson; only a fool would bet against a sure thing.

On the way, Lekai more than once considered finding a few mutant leopards to test his skills, but to his frustration, sensing his presence, the beasts lay low, refusing to move, leaving him speechless.

Watching this fearsome human stride through C Zone and into the dreaded D Zone, the hiding mutant leopards and tigers stirred restlessly, apparently admiring their own prudence in avoiding humiliation.

Upon entering D Zone, Lekai’s nerves tensed to the utmost.

This was no C Zone, nor B Zone. Any animal here could annihilate a beast from C Zone in an instant. These were true mutants.

The atmosphere was stifling; the sky was overcast, the mountains and rivers seemed drained of vitality, everything tinged with decay and desolation.

A sense of ruin and emptiness swept over him.

Lekai tightened his grip on the oversized alloy bow. In his jet-black eyes, a cold gleam flickered. He bent slightly, his frame coiled like a wound spring, every bone ready to unleash the full might of his peak strike at any moment.