Cultivation Training
After the four disciples had successfully broken through to the Foundation stage, Han Ming instructed Lei Chen to guide them through the use of the Combat Hut.
Han Ming watched as the four disciples entered the Combat Hut, led by Lei Chen, who had far more experience than they did. Once they had stepped inside, Han Ming calmly turned to explain how the hut functioned.
"When you enter, you will see a projection displaying combat data. You can select the difficulty level. Your opponent will be none other than your Master himself, but at different ages. The first stage features your Master at the age of ten, before he had any cultivation. You must defeat him in all three difficulty levels in order to unlock the next stage."
Lei Chen looked at the four junior disciples standing attentively, then added, "Make good use of your time, and never underestimate this challenge. If you do, you'll find yourselves dying over and over again in the simulation."
The four of them nodded in unison and replied firmly, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for your guidance!"
Lei Chen then turned his attention to the projected data of his own second stage.
[Combat Simulation]
[User: Lei Chen]
[Opponent: Stage 2 – Han Ming, Age 14 (Cultivation Level: Qi Control Stage 9)]
[Select Difficulty Level]
[Easy: Use current cultivation level (77 - 9)]
[Medium: Use cultivation level equal to Han Ming's past self (0 - 39)]
[Hard: Use cultivation level lower than Han Ming's past self (0 - 1)]
Lei Chen shook his head slightly as he examined the details of the stage. At this point, his Master could already manipulate spiritual power. Everything had changed completely. No matter how much he analyzed the fight, his chances of survival in the Medium and Hard settings were almost nonexistent. His movements still weren't flawless, and once the battle dragged on, the simulation of his Master would strike with relentless precision. If he ever paused to think for even a second too long, that version of Han Ming would attack before he had a chance to breathe. A single moment of vulnerability just the tiniest gap in defense and his head would be severed, or his arms, legs, or eyes destroyed instantly, putting him at a massive disadvantage for the rest of the fight.
He let out a quiet sigh before selecting the lowest difficulty level once more. At the very least, he could still learn something from it.
Meanwhile, the four new disciples looked at the projection of the first stage with confident eyes. Seeing that their opponent was a ten-year-old child with no cultivation whatsoever, they immediately selected the highest difficulty without a moment's hesitation.
But the results were nothing like they expected.
Within the simulated battlefield, Rong Lixian stood still, facing a boy who seemed entirely harmless. Yet deep inside, she felt an overwhelming sense of danger so intense she didn't dare make the first move.
Han Ming's gaze was calm, but the pressure emanating from him was like that of a seasoned predator. Rong Lixian kept her guard up completely, her eyes locked onto him with utmost caution.
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment then Han Ming suddenly moved.
Whoosh!
His figure shot forward in a blur, closing the gap in an instant and striking toward her neck with a swift spinning kick.
Rong Lixian narrowly dodged, her instincts reacting just in time but before she could counterattack, Han Ming seized a handful of her long golden hair, catching her completely off guard.
"Ah...!"
Her startled voice escaped her lips but in that moment, he pulled her back with force, and his knee came crashing up toward her chin with brutal precision.
Thud!
The sound of impact rang out. Rong Lixian's eyes widened in pain, her body trembling slightly as her consciousness wavered. Before she could recover, Han Ming moved again, maintaining complete control of the flow. He wrapped her own hair around her neck, restraining her swiftly.
"Ugh...!"
She struggled with all her remaining strength, throwing her elbows back in a desperate attempt to retaliate. Her strikes landed but Han Ming didn't falter. Despite sustaining injuries, he pressed on relentlessly, suffocating any opportunity for her to fight back. Her breath grew weaker, her movements sluggish. Soon, all sounds faded to silence.
In another corner of the brutal combat simulation, Hao Yang was in a ghastly state. Both of his shoulders had been dislocated by Han Ming, rendering his arms completely useless. Not long after, his neck was snapped.
Su Baining... was killed in a single blow. She never even had the chance to fight back.
As for Feng Huangjun... he tried to rise and resist. But before he could even move, two strands of hair silently flew toward his face.
Shhhk!
His eyes were pierced, leaving him completely blind. Then, his neck was twisted with a sickening crack. Feng Huangjun collapsed in an instant, joining his fellow senior disciples in unconscious defeat.
In just their first encounter, all of their necks had been broken in the blink of an eye. They were slaughtered by a ten-year-old boy. The simulated Han Ming's attacks were precise and merciless, like a trained assassin. Even without the aid of spiritual power, his movements left no room for the four disciples to even find their footing.
Time passed.
They had died dozens of times, yet they persisted, throwing themselves into battle again and again. Though defeated by Han Ming at the age of ten, their ambition and spirit never wavered.
Standing outside the simulation, Lei Chen watched as the four juniors fell again and again hundreds of times. He let out a soft sigh and said, "You might want to start with the easy level first, to better understand Master's attacks. You may begin to see the bigger picture."
The four exchanged glances, then nodded and switched to the easier difficulty.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Once they entered the easier setting, everything became clearer. They began to observe the flow of Han Ming's movements within the simulation, noticing small openings that they hadn't seen before. They learned how to deal with his swift and deadly techniques.
Su Baining began to pick up on the rhythm of his attacks and adjusted her stances to better defend herself. Hao Yang identified the parts of his body that could withstand Han Ming's blows. Feng Huangjun used keen observation and timing to evade more effectively. Rong Lixian learned to use her speed to find tiny gaps in Han Ming's guard and strike.
Their training continued without pause. Though they were repeatedly killed, each time they stood back up, they were stronger than before.
While Han Ming's five disciples were training intensely within the Battle Hut fighting over and over again to surpass their own limits outside, Han Ming himself was delving deep into the study of the emperor-level techniques granted by the system.
He sat beneath a towering tree, unfurling one scroll after another, immersing himself completely in their contents as if engraving each character into his very soul. Techniques that would be incomprehensible to most were broken down logically in Han Ming's mind, then reforged into new abilities of his own design.
Six hours passed...
Han Ming had studied over a hundred techniques and refined his comprehension to its absolute limit. His understanding deepened another level, and his learning speed accelerated even further.
[Host… are you even human? Someone help me, please! I haven't had a single line! Huuu~!!]
But Han Ming paid no attention to the system's whining. He carefully selected ten pills from the more than 2,300 he had obtained through investing in his disciples, refining them meticulously before placing them into his mouth without hesitation. In an instant, his spiritual aura surged wildly.
Boommmmm!
An immense power erupted from within Han Ming's body in a frenzy. The transformation happening inside him was intense, but the protective formation around him sealed everything within. On top of that, the system was managing the process as well. The bones within his body began to change color shifting from white to green, then blue, then gold, and finally to a deep crimson black.
The system, witnessing the changes, could only shake its head once more. As it reeled in disbelief, Han Ming's cultivation broke through to the Nirvana realm instantly.
Nirvana Stage 1
Nirvana Stage 2
...
Nirvana Stage 5
...
Nirvana Stage 9!
He paused his cultivation for a moment and began examining his own body once again. A faint smile spread across his face as he sensed the new power flowing through every inch of his being.
But Han Ming wasn't satisfied just yet. He picked up another specially refined pill and swallowed it in a single motion.
BOOMMMMMMMMM!
His power surged once more, ascending until he could form a Heavenly Cave.
One Heavenly Cave.
...
Three Heavenly Caves.
...
Seven Heavenly Caves.
...
Nine Heavenly Caves.
The system spoke up.
[Host… what are you planning this time!?]
Eleven Heavenly Caves.
...
...
Fifteen Heavenly Caves.
...
...
Nineteen Heavenly Caves.
...
Twenty-one Heavenly Caves.
The system's voice trembled.
[There it is! I knew it! If you're this overpowered, who's going to talk about me anymore?! Normal people can only form nine caves! You just casually went and made twenty-one! Who in the world is going to fight you now?! Look at yourself! Nobody does this! Host, please, can you go back to being normal?! I beg you!]
Twenty-two Heavenly Caves.
Twenty-three Heavenly Caves.
Twenty-four Heavenly Caves.
System: [...]
Twenty-five Heavenly Caves.
Twenty-six Heavenly Caves.
Twenty-seven Heavenly Caves.
Han Ming's aura roared skyward, pulling spiritual energy from across the entire land into his body in a mad frenzy. He opened his eyes, and within them glinted a radiance of power that had transformed completely. Then, his cultivation continued to soar as he advanced after forming all twenty-seven Heavenly Caves.
Heavenly Cave Stage 1.
...
Heavenly Cave Stage 4.
...
...
Heavenly Cave Stage 7.
...
Heavenly Cave Stage 9.