Chapter 4: Astral God
Changfeng Martial Hall had rented an office with an area of nearly three thousand square meters wide in the city district. From this, it was obvious that they were doing pretty well financially.
They had also rented rooms in the Yunsheng Condominium opposite the office building.
Li Pin moved in that very day.
His was a single room with an area of approximately fifty to sixty square meters.
There weren't any public-use areas in Taibai.
Li Pin's one-room condominium unit had a special training room for martial artists. It was twenty square meters in area. Nevertheless, the rest of the unit was still pretty spacious.
After a busy afternoon, Li Pin finished moving in. He invited Fang Yubai and his new battle buddy Shan Hu for a meal to commemorate him officially joining Changfeng Martial Hall.
***
Nighttime arrived.
Returning to his condominium unit, Li Pin felt relaxed and settled down.
Having a space that belonged only to him and him alone felt like a new beginning for him.
Li Pin entered the training room, which had thick rubber padding, and recalled the fist technique he had developed.
In the past, he had no reputable martial arts teachers to guide him, so he developed a fist technique that encapsulated the strengths of the various schools. By putting together bits and pieces from those schools, he created a training technique and a combat technique for himself.
He named his combat technique Eight Enormities True Fire Force and named his training technique Xuan Pin Gate[1]. The highest stage that a martial artist could reach using the training technique Xuan Pin Gate was Core Formation. However, Li Pin had failed to form his Core back then, so he had yet to ascertain if it was even possible to reach that stage.
"Overt Force, Covert Force, Transformative Force, Core Force, Aura Force—these refer to the usage of different kinds of Force. While I never achieved Core Formation, I could use the Xuan Pin Gate to amplify yang energy while maintaining the yin energy at its current level. Then, I will visualize the Eight Enormities to generate an outburst of inner force. Only then will I be able to release Core Force in my attacks."
This was something Li Pin knew very well. Still, it was of no significance to him at present.
He had yet to form his Core or polish his Force into a flawless, whole state. Using his qi and blood, he could attempt to generate an outburst of inner force similar to Core Force, also known as the Eight Enormities True Fire Force. However, this process would be too much for his body.
Even when he had been at the peak of his cultivation in his previous life, just using it once or twice would leave him without sufficient qi and blood to continue fighting. It would put a heavy toll on his body, damaging it.
Back then, he had defeated a Force-Manifestation martial artist in a bout. That martial artist harbored a grudge over losing to him and got some powerful martial artists to encircle him and attack with the intention of killing him.
The old Li Pin then unleashed three blows at the level of Core Force and managed to break free and escape. However, this had damaged his foundation for cultivation—hidden damage that would later cause him to fail in forming his Core.
If using Core Force was already this perilous, it would only be worse with Aura Force!
A martial artist's internal organs had to resonate harmoniously in order to use Aura Force. If their internal organs were incapable of enduring that, they would suffer from internal bleeding and severe internal injuries before they could even generate the Aura Force. In serious cases, the martial artist could drop dead on the spot.
"A martial artist's foundation is their body. They are able to unleash their true might only when their body is strong enough to facilitate the eruption of Force, which requires both power and skill.
Li Pin cleared his mind and adjusted his breathing. He used the Xuan Pin Gate and the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound Art. His body vibrated constantly, so much so that it was as if every cell in his body had been activated and were moving about.
Everything went smoothly; he didn't find it hard at all.
After half an hour, Li Pin was done with the cultivation session. He clearly had not engaged in any vigorous exercise, yet he was drenched in sweat.
Li Pin adjusted his breathing again and concentrated on his senses, slowly immersing himself in them. His soul seemed to have been blessed with an innate talent that allowed him to have an incomprehensibly precise grasp of everything in his body.
In just a few minutes, he gleaned how much this cultivation session had strengthened his physique.
"If I were to measure my qi and blood as a combined component using the units that the Taibai Martial Arts Association supplied…" Li Pin quickly made some calculations. "Just from this cultivation session, my qi and blood have risen by 0.014, going from the previous 16.113 to 16.127. Well, to be exact, it's a rise of 0.01466.…"
If he wanted to, he could adjust the decimal point to ten, thirty, or even a hundred figures.
It was insane that he could be that precise… It wasn't his first time doing this, but it was still a thrilling experience.
This wasn't a phenomenon that could be explained by science! Still, hadn't he transmigrated? In comparison to that, this didn't seem all that far-fetched.
"With my current nutrition intake, I can undergo six rounds of training per day. That amounts to a daily increase of 0.08796… Let's shift the decimal point down to three places and then round up the number. That would be 0.088. So, in a month, it would increase by 2.64."
After five months, his qi and blood would rise to 29.328 points. That number meant he would be at the peak of the Transformative-Force stage—the threshold to enter Core Formation.
However…
"This was just in theory. With my constant improvements over the last half a month, the daily rise in my qi and blood when I train using the Xuan Pin Gate has increased from 0.035 to 0.088. While the rate of improvement isn't that fast, it won't be hard for it to increase to reach 0.1. If I can supplement my training by consuming some medicinal herbs and raise the frequency of my cultivation sessions, I may be able to increase the daily rate to 0.15. I could even try forming my Core in two months' time."
No great masters to instruct me? No top-notch legacies to inherit? That doesn't matter; the feedback I get from my body is the best teacher.
Li Pin did not immediately commence his second cultivation session of the day.
He took a shower, put on a fresh set of clothes, and turned on the computer he'd brought over with him from his dormitory. Then, he accessed Taibai's most popular martial arts website.
The moment he went onto the site, a window popped up. Taibai intended to launch an expedition to exterminate the ferocious beasts and demonic creatures in Death Valley and was recruiting martial artists for it.
Gaia was over 2 billion square kilometers in size, and two-thirds of it was desolate, rough terrain riddled with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures.
The cause of all that was… the Astral God, a mighty supreme being that could not be described even with thousands of words. Its radiance enveloped the entire solar system.
***
Ninety-three years ago, some people with the aptitude for astral cultivation saw this colossal, mighty being through meditation and visualization. Confusion, fear, panic, and despair swiftly spread all over the world. Order collapsed, and countless wars broke out.
Three years later, the Astral God was also the one that brought about an end to the wars. The frequency at which mankind's prided weapons of war were malfunctioning was increasing rapidly. Gunpowder became ineffective, cannons imploded, warships broke down, and devices stopped functioning.
The reason was that… after bathing in starlight, atoms developed consciousness and grew closer to the Astral God.
When weapons and devices were directed with hostile intent at Astral Cultivators that were visualizing the Astral God and bathing in starlight, the atoms in those weapons and devices would resist and cause them to malfunction. The first to perish tended to be the users of those weapons and devices.
The curtains closed on the period of wars, and the era of the Astral God began.
Humans weren't the only ones bathing in the starlight. Plants and animals—all lifeforms on Gaia had been affected by it. That caused the lands that the humans occupied to shrink over and over again. The world remained in constant upheaval for the next twenty years.
It wasn't until seventy years before the present time that the first batch of Astral Cultivators stepped onto the world stage, leading the troops of the various nations in fighting back against the ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. This led to the current situation.
Tianyuan Federation was a product of nations banding together during those thirty years of upheaval. It was known as one of the world's Six Extremities alongside Great Shang, Empire, Star Alliance, Starry Splendor, and East Sea's thirty-six countries.
***
Li Pin briefly glanced at the martial artists’ recruitment terms.
The daily wages offered varied depending on the martial artists' strength and ranged from over ten thousand up to a hundred thousand yuan. Additionally, those who made special discoveries would receive abundant rewards that could go up to over a hundred million yuan depending on how valuable their discovery was.
Still, Li Pin quickly shifted his gaze away.
"Demonic creatures and Astral Cultivators share the same origin, which is why they can sense whenever they are near each other. That's why they can only get martial artists to scout the area. However… this is a dangerous job where the martial artists would be putting their lives on the line."
Li Pin closed that pop-up window and returned to the home page of Taibai's most popular martial arts website. He then searched for the small number of videos that had Core Formation and Aura Force Masters in action.
In actuality, there was no real need to search. The videos of every single Core Formation and Aura Force Master were extremely popular. They all had at least a million views.
So, Li Pin filtered his search by view count. Most of the videos he saw were pretty decent, but some were a little lame.
Some of these videos even shared insights on achieving Core Force and experiences with Aura Force—information that he had long desired but remained inaccessible to him on the Blue Planet. The videos were more to draw the attention of viewers and thus were not structured for educational purposes. Nevertheless, these were still much better than what had been available to him in his previous life, as there hadn't been any living Aura Force Masters on the Blue Planet.
Li Pin could not help but remark in wonder, "Martial arts really is flourishing here,"
He scrolled for a bit. Soon after, he found a video titled "An in-depth elucidation of Core Formation". There was a row of certificates on display behind the person in the video.
Master Luo appeared to be an experienced martial artist. He had the Jiang Province Martial Society's Associate Senior Professional Certification and was the Deputy Chairman of Yunguang City Martial Society, Iron Sword Martial Hall's hall master, and the successor of the Divine Ape Thirteen Swords.
"A professional certification from a provincial-level martial arts association…?"
Provincial-level certifications were not always worth their weight in gold.
As long as a martial artist could exert Core Force, they qualified for an Associate Senior certification. Nevertheless, as Li Pin watched the video, he found that Master Luo was a genuine Core Formation Master.
Then, just a minute into the video, the video suddenly stopped.
"Do I need to pay to watch this?"
Li Pin paused. It was a half-hour video and wasn't too expensive, merely costing ten yuan. So, he registered an account.
As for the username… He thought about it and typed in "Ten Thousand Star Years." Then, he paid up and received access to the full video.
The content of the video made Li Pin feel exhilarated.
Even though this Core Formation Master was only talking about the more foundational stuff, it was still of great assistance in helping him refine and perfect the Core Formation level of his Xuan Pin Gate.
For the aspects where the video was lacking, he could just employ a little bit of trial and error.
"I was too short-sighted. At present, I don't need to spar with a Core Force Master to gain insights into how to attain Core Formation."
After watching that video, Li Pin watched a few more videos on how to employ Core Force.
At the end of the videos, the posters tried to recruit viewers to join their martial arts halls, claiming that hands-on training was the quickest way for them to get initiated with martial arts.
The new members would probably only get to see the hall masters once a month, but at least that meant they were sincere about their offer.
***
In the upcoming days, Li Pin adopted a regular routine. In the morning, he would train at Changfeng Martial Hall. Occasionally, Shan Hu would seek him out for sparring sessions. In the afternoon, he would take some time to teach a few rich kids who had been forced by their elders to learn martial arts, even though they didn't seem that suited for it.
Taibai Kingdom had a relatively stable environment, without any wars for the past sixty years. Nonetheless, crises still lingered in the background. The older generation had experienced perilous and turbulent times, which left them without a sense of security. It had forced them to train in martial arts even when they were not talented enough for it. Now, they were placing their hopes on the newer generation to succeed in what they couldn't.
The rich kids always looked gloomy whenever they attended the training session, but they didn't dare to miss a session.
Li Pin treated teaching them as a chance for revision, enabling him to better understand the new information he was learning from the videos. Then, at night, he would cultivate while scrolling through videos.
Back on the Blue Planet, he had to rely solely on his own efforts for cultivation, as he hadn't had much interactions with any Core Formation masters. Now, he had the opportunity to constantly gain enlightenment just from watching these videos.
From seeing how other people employed Core Force, he was able to make revisions and improvements to his Eight Enormities True Fire Force. With that, he continued to gain a better understanding of how Core Force worked.
***
At Changfeng Martial Hall, one month later…
It was morning, and the coaches had yet to start work.
Wham!
Li Pin had yet to fully recover his physical prowess. However, he had just struck a blow that was at the level of Core Force for the first time ever in this world.
1. The xuanpin (a term derived from the Daode jing or Book of the Way and Its Virtue, sec. 6) is an emblem of the conjunction of the male and female principles. "Mysterious" (xuan) refers to Heaven (Yang), and "Female" (pin) refers to Earth (Yin). You can go to this site
https://www.goldenelixir.com/jindan/ill_xuanpin.html
for more info. ☜
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