Chapter Sixty-two: Cultivation

All nine willow trees were felled, their hearts harvested, and after circling the little island once more, Qin Ming hesitated for a long time before finally departing. He left a small portion of the remaining plant spirits untouched.

“What a pity that Babata, the intelligent lifeform holding the immortal legacy, didn’t guide me!” With regret, Qin Ming stepped off Mist Island.

Deep beneath the ground, thousands of meters below, a spaceship lay hidden. Inside, a voice grumbled, “Brain capacity of 66—on such a barren planet, that’s nothing short of miraculous. Yet why isn’t he a spiritual telekinetic? Why not? If he were, he'd surely become my old master’s heir.”

“Sigh! So hard to find one with such high brain capacity, but still not a spiritual telekinetic!”

“I’ll just keep waiting, then!”

“As for this little fellow, should I guide him, and take him as a registered disciple? Though he can’t inherit the master's true teachings, he’s still worth nurturing!”

“Oh, he’s gone already?”

“Have I become so indecisive after tens of thousands of years?”

“Forget it.”

The muttering faded into silence.

Qin Ming knew nothing of this; otherwise, his feelings would surely be complicated.

After leaving Mist Island, he stepped through the void and landed atop a mountain, gazing out at the vast world, arms wide, embracing the sky.

His face was filled with smiles.

This time, he had truly returned with a bounty.

“There’s still a long time before the one-month mark!”

“During this period, I’ll use Rush Fist as the foundation, and cultivate Inch Fist!”

“The second stage of Profound Dao Technique is complete; it’s time to attempt the third!”

Qin Ming made his plans.

The Ninefold Thunder Blade was already perfected.

Rush Fist had only reached the seventh layer.

Inch Fist was at the fifth.

But as for Profound Dao Technique, the third stage would be difficult to achieve.

Clearly, the third stage corresponds to Super-god, or—in universal terms—Planetary Level. Yet for a martial artist to reach Planetary Level, they must use genetic original energy to open their dantian, condensing a miniature star within. Profound Dao Technique, however, was purely a body refinement method.

“One step at a time!” Qin Ming thought, opening his wristwatch.

When he was being chased by the python, his intelligent wristwatch had been constantly chiming, but he’d had no time to pay attention and simply shut it off.

Now, turning it on, a flood of notifications appeared—missed calls, messages.

Eighteen missed calls from Liu He; Qin Ming quickly called him back.

“You’re alright—that’s good!” Liu He breathed a sigh of relief with his first words.

“Of course I am!” Qin Ming laughed. “How did everyone find out?”

“Hey! You were being chased by a King-class python in midair—someone recorded it and sent the video to all the students. It even ended up on Extreme Home’s network, causing quite a stir!” Liu He said. “A King-class beast chasing you! I immediately flew over in an intelligent aircraft to look for you. When I tried to locate you by satellite, you had turned off your watch.”

“In that situation, the notifications kept going off, distracting me. I had to turn it off!” Warmth flowed through Qin Ming’s heart.

“As long as you’re safe.” Liu He said. “What about the King-class beast? How did you get away? Where is it—I’ll finish it off!”

“It’s dead.”

“Dead?”

“Mm!” Qin Ming explained how he used the red ant method, finally telling how the python was gravely wounded, fell into a lake, and was killed by a water beast inside.

“You really are lucky—and bold!” Liu He said. “When a King-class beast appears, your first instinct should be to call for help!”

“Wouldn’t asking for help on my first day make me look bad?”

“Is it luck or your pride? Well, at least you survived. Really alright?”

“Completely unscathed.”

“Good, then I won’t come looking for you. Remember, if you’re in danger, call for help immediately. And never turn off your intelligent wristwatch—it’s at least good for positioning!”

“Understood, teacher!”

After hanging up, Qin Yicheng called.

“Xiao Ming, are you alright? I just saw the video of you being chased by a King-class beast!”

“I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear it! The video on Extreme Home of you being chased scared your old man half to death!”

“Don’t worry!”

Qin Ming explained again with a wry smile.

Luckily his father saw the video late; otherwise, he’d have been beside himself with worry.

There were also messages from Chu Qiang, Shi Jiang, Zhao Ruo, Wu Tong, Zhou Jing, and others. After replying to them all, an hour had passed.

“More exhausting than fighting beasts!” Qin Ming sat down.

The bright moon rose, stars scattered across the sky.

A cool breeze blew; the cries of beasts echoed.

A flying eagle spotted him on the mountaintop from thousands of meters away, rushed over, and in the blink of an eye was a kilometer away.

Qin Ming punched through the air, shattering the eagle from a thousand meters out.

He opened his backpack—plenty of food remained.

After eating and drinking his fill, he closed his eyes to rest.

An hour later, he stood up, drew his Blood Shadow Blade, practiced Ninefold Thunder Blade several times, deepening his understanding of its essence, then began training Rush Fist.

Rush Fist was wide and forceful, bursting with power. Each punch was like an exploding shell; even the mountain beneath his feet trembled, scaring off countless beasts.

By midnight, Qin Ming sat cross-legged to rest.

Even in deep sleep, any movement around him could not escape his senses. Besides, the Black God Battle Suit protected him—he was in no danger.

At dawn, he stepped through the sky, landing in a valley to meditate.

Other students were still out battling beasts.

Even a strong one like Chu Qiang was not exempt.

Elsewhere, Luo Feng participated in the quasi-warrior practical exam, unsurprisingly passing with excellent marks. His subtle movements drew much attention and invitations.

Luo Feng declined them all.

Returning home, he logged into Extreme Home for the first time, confirming that his previous headaches stemmed from powerful mental force. Now fully awakened, he prepared to purchase secret techniques—but when he saw Instant Step and Skywalk, he was shocked.

“Warriors can fly?”

“They were created by Qin Ming?”

“This...!”

Luo Feng was unsettled.

He had thought his own awakened psychic powers put him on par with Qin Ming, but seeing these techniques and the global number-one warrior Hong’s evaluation, he could only shake his head and smile wryly.

“One of my classmates really is a monster!”

“Should I buy Ninefold Thunder Blade, or Instant Step and Skywalk?”

“For warriors, Instant Step and Skywalk are almost essential!”

“But since I’ve awakened psychic powers, it won’t be long before I can fly by manipulating objects!”

After some deliberation, Luo Feng chose the first three stages of Ninefold Thunder Blade, silently wondering, “Can I catch up to him?”

If Qin Ming knew that Luo Feng had already set him as his target, he might feel quite different.

Sunrise and sunset, time flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, the month’s end arrived.

Over the month, some called for help, some reaped great gains, and one unfortunate was killed by three wolves before rescue could arrive.

Overall, nothing major happened.

Life’s main theme was calm.

In the valley, Qin Ming finished his cultivation and stood.

He checked his account—a rare treat for him!

“Thirty trillion?”

Qin Ming clicked his tongue.

That number was wealth enough to rival a nation.

“When I return, I’ll look for Hong—maybe I can empty his treasure vault?”

A smile appeared on Qin Ming’s face.