Half a Month Later—

  Chirp!

  Chirp!

  The sun hung high iernoon sky, its golden rays casting long shadows over the bustling Outer Sect.

  Birds flitted between trees, their songs blending into the distant hum of disciples engaged in sparring, gossiping, sharing meals, and tending to their daily tasks.

  But amidst this ordinary afternoon, unusual sounds echoed from the training ground of a particur abode—

  "HAAH…!"

  "HUFF~"

  "HAAHH…!"

  Sweat dripped onto the wooden floor, f small puddles beh the figure of a young man, his muscles straining with eaent.

  "9945!"

  "HAHH—"

  "9946!"

  His breath came in ragged gasps, his arms trembling slightly, yet his determination never wavered.

  "9968!"

  "9969!"

  His pace quied, a surge of willpniting his final push.

  "9999!"

  And then—

  "10,000!"

  With a fiion, he colpsed onto the ground, his chest heaving as he gazed up at the endless expanse of sky.

  The steady, thunderous rhythm of his heartbeat filled his ears, his body drenched i, every muscle trembling from exhaustion.

  A, despite it all, a weary, satisfied smile ghosted across his lips.

  "Finally… pleted… today's routine."

  This was no ordinary exercise.

  His body, once frail and weak, had transformed.

  His muscles, lea powerful, rippled beh his skin—not overly bulky, but hoo perfe.

  It was the physique of a warrior, fed through relentless discipline.

  Half a month.

  Yet, his transformation was something that would take an ordinary man from Earth years to aplish.

  The man exhaled deeply, lying there for a moment before finally pushing himself up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and made his way inside.

  A wooden pque hung outside the door.

  Outer Disciple.Xue Taiyang's Abode.

  Yes, the young man was her than Reon himself.

  After a quick bath to wash away the exhaustion, he emerged refreshed, a towel draped over his shoulders.

  He took his usual seat on the floor, crossing his legs as he calmed his breath.

  His eyes flickered with anticipation.

  "I have built enough fitness. Now, it's time."

  A half-smile pyed on his lips.

  "For the past half-month, I've followed a grueling regimen—"

  10,000 push-ups, 10,000 sit-ups, 10,000 squats, 10,000 sword swings And a 1,000-kilometer run.

  "Every single day."

  It sounded insane.

  No ordinary human could sustain suent.

  But Reon wasn't ordinary.

  Not anymore.

  And today—

  "Today, I step into the Qi-Solidification Realm."

  His firaced the worn covers of several books stacked beside him. These tomes had been his guides, his sileors during the past few days.

  The Path of Cultivation: A Beginner's Guide to Mastery

  The Strength Within: A Guide to Cultivating Your stitution

  The Bde's Edge: A Beginner's Guide to Sword Cultivation

  The Fe of Body: A Guide to Physique Cultivation

  Mastering Teique: The Art of Effit Depi and Execution

  Damn. These books held invaluable knowledge—precious, profound, and surprisingly captivating.

  Did the world truly uand their worth?

  He had devoured eae, memorizing their secrets, unlog their wisdom.

  There are still many cultivation books I bought from the library, but these are the ones I've read so far. Most of them share a on lesson:

  Before advang beyond the Qi-Refining Realm, one must build a physically strong enough body to bear the weight of power.

  "That's why I pushed myself beyond my limits."

  "Thanks to my stitution, my bones are now strohaoughest metal."

  "But my flesh? That empering."

  Yet, it wasn't just the cultivation books that intrigued him.

  Reon's gaze shifted toward another set of volumes.

  These weren't about strength or teique.

  They were about something far greater.

  The Myths and Legends of the Nine Realms

  icles of the Nine tis

  Geography and Cultures of the Nine tis

  Each book sisted of nine volumes, each brimming with knowledge never once mentioned in the novel.

  "The first was mostly fables and fairy tales—stories for children. But even myths have roots in truth."

  "The sed was a detailed at of wars, legendary battles, and the rise and fall of heroes."

  "The third… it tained everything about this world—its cultures, vast ndscapes, and pces so obscure that eveives might not know they exist."

  He knew a bit about these tis from the novel, but the books he read were on another level—filled with rich details far beyond anything the story had mentioned.

  But knowledge alone wasn't enough.

  That's why, every week, he participated in the Weekly Dueli—testing himself against skilled oppos, refining his teiques, and tempering his battle instincts through real bat.

  Reo out a quiet chuckle.

  "I've even pleted some tasks and earned rewards along the way," he mused.

  "And I mao cultivate my footwork teique to the Early-Stage all on my own."

  A flicker of pride gleamed in his eyes.

  It's the same feeling as finally solving a difficult math problem on your own after hours of failed attempts.

  But mere progress wasn't enough.

  After breaking through to the Qi Solidification Realm, he would take on an eveer challenge—prehending the Unknown Rank Breathing Teique.

  From that moment forward, it would bee the key to pushing his cultivation to new heights.

  Without hesitation, he reached into his iory and summohree items into his palm.

  First—

  A Superior Tier Grade-2 Qi Enha Pill—a pill brimming with dense Qi, perfect for boosting his internal energy during the breakthrough.

  He had ear as a reward after pleting a task from the system i days.

  Sed—

  A Low-Tier Grade-3 Blood Essence Pill—refined from the Blood Essence Crystal of the Shadow Cw Bear.

  "Hah! It was both painstaking and costly to have this pill crafted in the Alchemy Hall by her."

  "I had to seek her out from the inner sed pay a hefty sum. She's undeniably skilled, but also incredibly demanding."

  "Still, it was worth it. Without her mastery in alchemy, this pill would have been nothing more than a High-Tier Grade-2."

  Lastly—

  A Superior Tier Grade-2 Breakthrough Pill—acquired from the Golden Lotus Mert, a prestigious pavilion within the sect that offered a vast array of herbs, pills, talismans, sect attire of various grades, scrolls, and an assortment of other valuable items though it did not deal in ons.

  Renowned across the Eastern Province of the Sleeping Dragon ti, this esteemed establishment was founded by a Great Family affiliated with the Supreme Dao Sect.

  It stood as one of the teest ercial hubs oire ti.

  Reon stared at the three pills resting in his palm, feeling the weight of this moment.

  His breath steadied.

  His heartbeat slowed.

  He exhaled.

  And then—

  A sharp gleam fshed in his eyes.

  "Now…"

  "Shall we begin?"