Chapter Five: A Terrifying Ascension

“Wife, fry up a few dishes—I’m going to drink myself into oblivion tonight!” Qin Yicheng shouted as he returned home.

“How did it go?” Luo Xia rushed out to meet him, her face taut with worry.

Qin Ming laughed, “Mom, of course it was a success!”

“Good, good, good!” Luo Xia’s eyes reddened. “I’ll start cooking right away, and I’ll make extra—eight dishes, no, sixteen!”

“Sixteen it is!” Qin Yicheng declared. “I’ll take a stroll first, ha, just to show off a little!”

Qin Ming couldn’t help but chuckle.

He washed his face and returned to his room, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

The test had gone smoothly, but the official assessment wouldn’t be until the first of next month—it was the rule, every city held their examination at the martial arts hall on the first. Each city had numerous Extreme Martial Arts Halls, but only one Martial Arts Association, where the prospective martial artist assessments were conducted. In Yangzhou, the Extreme Martial Arts Association happened to be located in the Mingyue District.

Because Qin Ming was the son of a martial arts hall, he had already learned the “Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method,” which was supposed to be passed down only after the official assessment. This was the sole method on Earth for cultivating gene origin energy!

Cultivation in this world meant optimizing, evolving, and transcending genes. Only when one’s genes reached a certain level could they absorb cosmic energy—the threshold for becoming a prospective martial artist. Simply put, the Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method absorbed cosmic energy, converted it into gene origin energy, optimized the genes, and evolved the body.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged, his palms, soles, and the baihui point atop his head facing upward, the “five hearts to heaven” posture. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and began to sense the cosmic energy.

“Cosmic energy is everywhere, but to absorb it, you must first sense it!”

“A genius can sense it in a single day!”

“Those less gifted might take a year or more!”

“A year or more? By then, the opportunity will have passed!”

He cleared his mind, letting his thoughts become as still as water.

Fortunately, the experience and years of contemplation inherited from “Jiang Fan” of the other world gave him an extraordinary state of mind, allowing Qin Ming to achieve clarity and calm swiftly.

Within half an hour, he felt faint traces of energy streaming in through the baihui point and the centers of his hands and feet.

His heart stirred—he knew he’d succeeded. Yet his unstable mental state caused the influx of energy to falter, almost breaking off.

He understood that this was only the initial stage of cultivation; he had not yet mastered the technique and needed to focus all his attention. Once familiar, it would become much easier.

He maintained his concentration.

Thread-like streams of cosmic energy flowed into his body through his palms and soles. In that instant, a tremor rose from deep within his soul.

It was as if rain had come after a long drought, as if a desert traveler had stumbled upon an oasis, as if an old bachelor of fifty had entered a brothel—every cell in Qin Ming’s body opened wide, ravenous for the cosmic energy pouring in.

Inside his cells, dramatic changes unfolded. The mitochondria devoured cosmic energy at lightning speed, releasing a new energy—gene origin energy.

The moment gene origin energy appeared, it was absorbed throughout the cells, triggering even greater transformations: DNA optimization, cellular division.

His entire body, from the depths of his cells, was undergoing a profound metamorphosis.

Because it was his body’s first time actively absorbing cosmic energy, the transformation was intense and rapid—his cells had been starved for over a decade!

Qin Ming knew the first cultivation was crucial, so he continued without pause.

Outside, Luo Xia had finished cooking—the table was overflowing with dishes!

Qin Yicheng had returned as well.

“Should we call Ming?” Luo Xia hesitated.

Qin Yicheng shook his head. “He hasn’t come out yet, probably still cultivating. If… sigh, we can’t disturb him.” He paused. “Shall we eat first?”

“We’ll wait for Ming!”

“Who knows when he’ll be done? If we wait, the food will get cold.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll still wait!”

“Can I at least eat some peanuts and have a little drink?”

“You’re injured—what are you doing drinking? Just have some peanuts.”

“Ah!” Qin Yicheng sighed and nodded helplessly, thinking to himself, “If only my daughter were home!”

Unfortunately, his daughter was eating at school, so he could only sit and wait, staring at the feast.

“With children, a husband loses his place!”

Qin Yicheng truly felt this. Everything at home revolved around the children first, then his wife, and only finally himself.

But he was happy with things just as they were.

Three o’clock in the afternoon.

Inside the room, Qin Ming was lying on the floor in a peculiar posture.

This was the cultivation method of the thirteenth diagram of the Profound Way.

After first sensing cosmic energy, he’d cultivated for a full hour before stopping—his strength soared, his constitution enhanced. He was about to leave the room when he was struck by a thought: could the Profound Way diagram attract cosmic energy in this world?

Qin Ming started with the seventh diagram, instantly completing the pose, and immediately, cosmic energy surged into his body from his limbs and bones.

Not only was it effective, it was astonishingly powerful.

In the other world, diagrams seven through eighteen of the Profound Way corresponded to the Qi Refining stage; in this world, they roughly matched the Warrior level.

The seventh diagram could draw spiritual energy to temper the body, and here, it drew cosmic energy.

He continued cultivating until his body felt saturated and the intense transformation faded, then finally stopped and stood up.

“This kind of power!”

He clenched his fists, hearing the sound of air bursting from his palms.

“My strength has increased several times over!”

The surge was astonishing even to him.

He glanced at the clock—it was already three o’clock. He hurried out, but as he stepped forward, a cracking sound came from beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw the tile was shattered, leaving a footprint.

“This is bad!” Qin Ming grimaced, forcing himself to walk gingerly, step by step, yet still leaving occasional footprints behind.

His strength had grown so fast, he could hardly adapt.

Smack!

He opened the door, only to pull the handle right off.

He lived on the second floor. As he descended the stairs, he tried to grab the railing, but with a single squeeze, he crushed the hollow alloy flat.

All this noise naturally caught his parents’ attention in the living room.

“What’s going on…!” Qin Yicheng leapt to his feet, eyes wide.

“How did the stair break?” Luo Xia was stunned.

“Ming, did you really succeed in cultivation?” Qin Yicheng rushed over. “You sensed cosmic energy and drew it into your body in just one day?”

“Yes,” Qin Ming nodded. “My strength shot up so fast I couldn’t control it, which caused the damage!”

Ha ha ha!

Upon hearing this, Qin Yicheng threw his head back in laughter, only stopping after a long moment. “Strength so great you can’t adapt—breaking stairs, crushing railings—your power must be at least over two thousand kilograms!”

“Really?” Luo Xia was shocked, then ecstatic. “Doesn’t that mean my son is a genius?”

Qin Yicheng nodded, his face aglow. “Of course, and who do you think he takes after?”

“Hmph! Without my fertile ground, your seed would be useless!”

Qin Ming could only shake his head in exasperation.