Chapter twenty-two: Breaking Through the Second Realm

The "Small Symbol Hall" was indeed quite "small."

Upon entering the shop, one could immediately see rows of wooden shelves shimmering with various spiritual lights. Apart from that, there was no extra space.

Under the protective spiritual light of the shelves lay different talismans, each with unique colors and designs.

In the center was a counter, behind which sat a young attendant who paid no attention to Fang Xing when he entered.

"This service industry in the cultivation world really needs improvement... Is Qingdan Square just an exception?" Fang Xing thought to himself, then asked, "How much for a Spirit Testing Talisman?"

"One spirit stone each," the attendant replied without looking up.

"Why so expensive? The stalls outside sell them for just eight spirit sands… You can bargain and get them for six or seven!" Fang Xing instinctively retorted.

"Hmph! Every talisman in our hall is a masterpiece crafted by masters, how can it compare to the low-quality ones outside?" The attendant perked up, gesturing as he took out a talisman. "Look at this talisman paper and ink… none are anything but the best. The outside market's talismans, who knows which amateur made them? Would you trust that?"

Although the attendant's attitude was poor, Fang Xing felt he had a point. He obediently pulled out a spirit stone and bought a "Spirit Testing Talisman."

With that, the profits from selling "Zhu Long Grass" were completely drained, not a single spirit stone left to take home.

"Ah, it's true that what you earn in the market gets spent in the market; I can't take anything back!" he sighed as he left the Small Symbol Hall.

As he exited the slum area, a yellow bird suddenly flew out of his backpack, scanning the surroundings.

Initially, Fang Xing had just taken precautions. 

However, not long after, he was no longer smiling.

On the surveillance feed, a sneaky figure appeared, following closely behind him! 

It was the hunchbacked old man from the stall!

"Only two spirit stones, come on!" Fang Xing grumbled. "What happened to trust between people?"

He quickened his pace.

With the bird's help, it wasn't hard to shake off the old man.

Though the old man was just an ordinary warrior, he was old and frail; he might still have some tricks or talismans!

"I'll settle this later..." Fang Xing quickly turned and vanished from sight.

Moments later, the old man arrived at the spot where Fang Xing had been, gazing at the footprints in the ground with a hint of regret on his face...

---

**Temporary Camp.**

At this point, the camp had undergone renovations; the buildings had all disappeared, leaving behind only a stretch of grass.

Fang Xing approached a spot, lifted the grass, revealing an entrance.

Following the entrance downward, he entered a cavern equipped with ventilation and a working computer. Nine screens displayed the surrounding surveillance footage.

After checking the system logs, he found nothing unusual apart from a few wild animals drinking water and nodded in satisfaction.

Recalling the day's experiences, Fang Xing opened a document to record the day's prices, the layout of the market, and some insights he had gathered.

Finally, he marked the old man's appearance deeply in his mind.

This vendetta, he would remember!

"I've got a 'Spirit Testing Talisman' and a bottle of 'Vitality Pills'. I can quietly train for a while, and breaking into the second realm shouldn't be a problem, heh heh..."

Fang Xing set down the pills and looked at the "Spirit Testing Talisman" in his hand.

The talisman paper was a bright yellow, with symbols inscribed on it, seemingly hiding spiritual light, accompanied by a faint scent of ink.

"In the cultivation world, low-grade talismans work as soon as you tear them open; even ordinary people can use some of them…"

"But for slightly higher-grade ones, like the first-grade mid-tier 'Golden Bell Talisman'... Apart from cultivators, only innate warriors can barely use it, and only with their innate true energy."

"More advanced talismans, except for a few special types that intentionally lower the usage requirements, mostly require a cultivator's magical energy to activate—meaning ordinary people can't use them."

This knowledge about talismans came from the somewhat embarrassing after-sales service Fang Xing received from that young attendant! After all, if he bought a talisman, he needed to know how to use it.

Feeling a bit like a country bumpkin was awkward, but Fang Xing never cared about his image.

"The 'Spirit Testing Talisman' is relatively common; just tearing it will activate it… It detects spiritual roots. If one has a spiritual root, the talisman will emit light, with color and brightness indicating the level of cultivation talent…"

"Many warriors toil away in the wild, not only hoping to gather spirit sands and buy pills to break through their martial realm, but also placing their hopes of cultivation onto the next generation…"

"My body is the result of the Blue Star Federation's finest sperm and egg combined, plus I have the fortune of crossing over, so I must have a spiritual root! At worst, it's just a matter of its level… I must be able to cultivate! Otherwise, why would the gates of all heavens capture this world? I must cultivate…"

Fang Xing silently encouraged himself.

Cultivators not only have a variety of means but also long lifespans, making them the ultimate path for evolution.

Not to mention, flying with swords and achieving immortality—how many people dreamt of that in their childhood?

If he could cultivate, who would suffer through martial training?

With a hint of anticipation, he tore open the "Spirit Testing Talisman!"

A beam of light enveloped him and then dimmed.

One minute passed...

Two minutes passed...

Five minutes passed...

Nothing happened.

"This testing talisman can't be broken, can it?" 

Fang Xing scratched his head. "Sigh... Cultivating is great, but forming combat power takes so long; a single retreat could take years or even decades of hard training, and it might take a hundred years just to advance a level. Where's the rapid progress of martial arts?"

"What kind of trash immortal method is this? Get out of my martial heart!!!"

After venting, Fang Xing regained his composure: "Practice martial arts, practice martial arts! This mere immortal path... One day, I will crush it with my martial arts!"

---

**Days Later.**

Fang Xing set up the Dragon Stance, his mind focusing on the attribute panel:

**[Name: Fang Xing]**

**[Age: 16]**

**[Profession: Warrior]**

**[First Realm: Flesh (Refining Flesh: 99/100)]**

**[Military Body Twelve Styles: 33/100 (Skilled)]**

**[Dragon Stance: 3/200 (Proficient)]**

**[Gates of All Heavens (Charging)]**

---

"After mastering the Dragon Stance, improving is getting harder… Without other boosts, it might take about a year to reach the fourth stage and attain the 'Dragon's Intent'!"

"My martial arts realm is currently progressing rapidly…"

With the proficient Dragon Stance combined with Vitality Pills, Fang Xing's flesh-refining progress was truly remarkable.

At this point, he was on the verge of breaking through!

He opened his eyes and quietly swallowed a Vitality Pill.

A wave of heat coursed through him, but this time, the pill that usually boosted his vitality felt noticeably inadequate.

"It's the bottleneck between the first and second realms!"

Fang Xing realized this and quickly uncorked the bottle, pouring pill after pill into his mouth.

Crash!

He felt as if a fire was burning in his abdomen, hearing the blood within him flow like a great river.

Suddenly, he felt his skin and muscles "melt," powerful heat enveloping his bones, and finally, his bones began to undergo a refinement process, cracking loudly!

The attribute panel blurred momentarily before revealing new information:

**[Second Realm: Bones (Refining Bones: 1/100)]**

"I've broken through… to the second realm of martial arts!"

Fang Xing clenched his fists, feeling a surge of power erupting from his bones, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"As a second-realm warrior, I can learn B-level and even A-level martial arts. The martial arts of this world are still too rough, far inferior to the advanced systems forged through blood battles in the Federation... Once I master an A-level martial art, I feel I can contend with innate warriors without external assistance in the second realm!"

"Too bad I'm still on break…"

Due to the break, Fang Xing had no knowledgeable instructors to guide him, and he had no idea if the process of refining bones had the same stages as refining flesh—like cowhide, copper skin, and jade skin.

He also couldn't directly obtain A-level martial arts like the "Ghost God Blade."

"If I choose the path of cultivation, can I really receive training like in the Federation?"

"Not to mention, the final path of martial arts can even lead to piloting mechas, with destructive power unimaginable, capable of exploding stars with a single strike… Ordinary cultivators could hardly fathom that."

"Since my Vitality Pills are nearly exhausted due to the breakthrough bottleneck, I'll take time to adapt to this new realm, then head to the market again…"

Fang Xing glanced at his body.

His once slender figure had become much more robust, and upon removing his shirt, his defined muscles were evident.

Not only that, he felt as if he had grown a little taller.

"Looks slim in clothes but muscular without... If I