Ming Jin

Right now, only 13 people worldwide are known as "pinnacle grandmasters"—the strongest fighters alive. Some think countries might be hiding a few more, but nobody's sure. These grandmasters are seen as the peak of human ability, but even they can't break past the highest known level.

Most people will never meet a true martial arts master in their lives. National armies teach basic combat skills, but the real powerful techniques? Those are kept secret by wealthy families. A regular person with amazing talent might reach the "ming jin" stage using public martial arts… but if they do, powerful families instantly try to recruit them through marriages or alliances. Why? Because for him, training takes too long, life's too short, and everyone needs money to survive. For families? better progeny with talent.

Grandmasters aren't Kingmakers.

Grandmasters are strong—they can maybe survive a missile or two—but they're no match for nukes or advanced weapons. Governments treat them like rare tools, not unstoppable forces. Plus, they're not blindly loyal. Countries still rely on normal armies with guns and tanks, but rich families also have their own private martial artist soldiers.

This is why Han Chen stays low-key. Right now, even a regular bullet could kill him. If he becomes a master? Special "qi-piercing" bullets (invented for modern wars) would still end him. Different countries use fancy names for power levels—like "Archmage" or "Demi-God" in the West—but it's all the same game.

Some animals absorb qi and grow stronger, but they're mostly non intelligent creatures. The rare "master-level" beasts are just myths. Meanwhile, humans farm qi-rich livestock (raised by martial families) for food. But other black-market and government sources are also present.

Scientists have made bioweapons that disrupt qi, which police carry to stop rogue fighters. But bio enhancements? No luck. Han Chen saw many documents relating to experimenting with rich blood essence and genetic changes of martial artists on deep web. It's tied to "Law of life" nobody can copy yet. Not until at least a tens of thousands more years passed.

Countries pretend to have democracies, but it's all a show. Real power belongs to alliances of masters and grandmasters. They let politicians play ruler as long as no one tells them what to do. Most leaders come from powerful families anyway—it's basically royalty with fancier names.

Out of 20,000 people, maybe one becomes a powerful martial artist. Fewer than 1,000 per country have both talent and family backing. The system's rigged, the stakes are deadly…

"My dad's still tolerated by the family because Grandpa backs him. Otherwise, the main branch would've disowned him years ago for marrying Mom—a regular person with no martial bloodline. In our family, talent comes from 'pure' blood. You're only supposed to marry other powerful martial artists to keep the family strong.

The only reason Mom's alive? She shown talent in martial cultivation, learned some techniques from Dad, and maybe… maybe they spared me last life because I was just a powerless mortal back then. I'll have to hide my cultivation progress, even from my parents."

He frowned, scanning the empty street and looking at the CCTV above, "Someone's probably catalogued me already. Not the Han family—they may be more about business than true power. But other groups? Governments? Rivals? Who knows. It's ridiculous—I used to rearrange stars as an Immortal Emperor, and now I'm sweating over thugs who haven't even hit the Foundation Realm. One bullet, and it's game over. Pathetic."

The days blurred together, each one a step closer to the moment Han Chen had been waiting for. Finally, it arrived. Alone in the quietness of his home, he stood in a simple practice stance, his body humming with anticipation. He didn't need to meditate deeply to feel it—the warmth gathering at his Zhongwan acupoint, just above his navel. It was faint at first, a flicker of heat, but it grew quickly, spreading through his meridians like a wildfire.

This wasn't the slow, laborious process most cultivators endured. Han Chen's body, tempered by the energy of his past life, was already a perfect vessel. His meridians were wide open, his blood essence rich and potent. He didn't need to struggle to sense qi or gather it; his body remembered what his mind had long mastered. In seconds, he moved from qi sensing to qi gathering, a feat that would have taken others years.

He focused on the flow of energy, visualizing the intricate network of his meridians as rivers carrying the essence of life. His internal organs, the lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, and spleen - acted as anchors, each one embodying the balance of Yin and Yang and the five elements. Metal, wood, fire, water, and earth—their energies intertwined, creating a harmonious cycle that fueled his cultivation.

"Inhale to gather, exhale to release," he whispered, his voice steady. "The Dantian is the cauldron where essence transforms. Through stillness, find movement. Through movement, awaken force."

The meridian node near his solar plexus began to swell, a sign that his Dantian—the core reservoir of qi—was taking shape. Over the next five hours, the energy swirling within him condensed, forming a primitive but potent Dantian. It was small, but it was a start.

"Yin resides in the stillness of the organs," he murmured, his mind sharp and focused. "Yang ignites in the pathways of motion. Balance the two, and the Bright Force emerges."

With the formation of his Dantian, Han Chen officially stepped into the Ming Jin realm. He spent the next few hours circulating qi through his meridians, stabilizing his newfound power. The process was meticulous, each rotation of energy reinforcing the balance of Yin and Yang within him.

"The lungs are metal, the liver is wood, the heart is fire, the kidneys are water, and the spleen is earth," he recited, feeling the flow of energy through each organ. "Align their energies to form the cycle of creation, and the body becomes a vessel of endless vitality."

When he was finally satisfied, Han Chen used a silencing breath technique to mask the qi fluctuations radiating from his body. To anyone watching, he would seem like an ordinary young man, nothing more.

He didn't even bothered to test his strength. He knows, that he needed to do stabilize and train his body a bit more to accomodate the rapid breakthrough.

Exhausted but successful, he allowed himself a much-needed rest.

The next day, Han Chen decided to take a day off. While his parents were away, he used his savings to buy the medicinal materials he needed.

Discretion was key, so he disguised himself using a combination of qi manipulation techniques. By stiffening his facial muscles and shrinking his bones slightly, he altered his appearance to resemble a middle-aged man. He threw on one of his father's old coats and headed to the market.

The market was bustling, filled with the sounds of haggling vendors and the smells of spices and herbs. Han Chen moved through the crowd with purpose, visiting deeper places, one medicine shop after another. He picked up ginseng for its qi-boosting properties, ginger to enhance circulation, ashwagandha for vitality, and turmeric for its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Each herb was carefully chosen to complement his cultivation and accelerate his progress. These were no ordinary herb, and market was no ordinary place. All around him there were numerous martial artists, and he could feel their qi fluctuations just with his six senses.

The items here are somehow made from the nutrients of essence blood of qi beasts and other things. In addition to payment, the sellers often intimidate the buyers with aura release to confirm they are at least ming Jin and not regular mortals.

As he walked, he couldn't help but reflect on the irony of his situation. Once, he had been an immortal emperor, capable of reshaping stars and commanding the heavens. Now, he was navigating the mundane world of mortals, carefully hiding his true abilities.

It was a humbling thought, but Han Chen knew this was a necessary step. The path to reclaiming his former glory would be long.

With half his savings left after purchasing the medicinal herbs, Han Chen turned his attention to food and energy drinks. He needed high-calorie, nutrient-dense items to fuel his body during the intense refinement process.

Over the next few days, he made multiple trips to the market, carefully circumventing any potential attention. He bought protein-rich foods, energy bars, and drinks packed with vitamins and minerals. Each trip was calculated, ensuring no one would notice the volume of supplies he was gathering.

Back at home, he began the meticulous process of extracting the essence from the herbs and supplements. Even though these were mortal medicines, his knowledge from his past life allowed him to refine them into potent concentrates. It was no magical alchemy nor spiritual technique but direct consumption. Some he prepared for direct consumption, while others were ground into pastes to be applied externally.

Once everything was ready, Han Chen began the real work. Sitting cross-legged in his room, he circulated the Bright Force through his meridians, mixing it with the essence of the medicinal extracts. He consumed the oral preparations first, feeling the warmth of the medicine spread through his body. With precise control of the Bright Force—a level of mastery unimaginable in this world—he guided the medicinal essence into his meridian pathways. The rest was seamlessly distributed into his flesh and blood, ensuring no energy was wasted.

As the process continued, his body began to change. His complexion grew paler, almost translucent, as the medicinal essence strengthened his newly developed meridians. The Bright Force surged through him in rapid cycles, swelling and toughening his pathways with each rotation. It was a continuous loop of refinement, the medicinal essence melting into his body and becoming one with his flesh and blood.

The remnants of the medicine essence transformed qi force that couldn't be absorbed by his meridians or flesh were directed to his bone marrow and tendons. This marked the beginning of bone marrow and tendon refinement, a crucial step in strengthening his physical foundation. Sweat poured from his body, carrying with it traces of grayish waste—impurities expelled from his system.

For three days, Han Chen repeated this process. Each session left him visibly transformed. By the time he finished, his complexion had improved dramatically. His skin, now pale and glowing faintly, radiated a subtle vitality. His eyes were brighter, his movements more fluid. Even his posture seemed more grounded, as if the very essence of his being had been refined.

After each session, he cleaned up meticulously, disposing of the waste and washing away the sweat. He couldn't afford to leave any traces that might raise suspicion. By the end of the third day, the medicinal materials were exhausted, but Han Chen's body had reached a new level of strength and purity. Ming Jin.