After an unknown amount of time, Chen Han gradually regained consciousness.
'I'm not dead?'
Chen Han couldn't help but be astonished.
He had thought that after being struck by such a ferocious bolt of Celestial Thunder, his death was certain.
'Sigh, what does it matter if I'm not dead? My Dantian must be completely shattered. I'm afraid there's no hope of repairing it in this lifetime.' The brief joy he'd felt immediately vanished, replaced by a deep sorrow. For Chen Han, a life of mediocrity was a fate worse than death.
In the past,
Chen Han had once met a reclusive expert who had examined his body.
Although his Dantian was damaged, it was actually possible to repair it. However, there was a fiery meteor lodged inside Chen Han's Dantian. It was this very meteor that blocked any possibility of his Dantian's recovery.
'Now, after being struck by lightning, I'm afraid my Dantian has long since ceased to exist.'
Thinking of this, Chen Han felt another wave of disappointment wash over him.
THUMP! THUMP!
THUMP! THUMP!
The barely perceptible flow of energy within his body began to rotate, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
'Something's not right!'
The despondent Chen Han abruptly raised his head. He realized that not only did his Dantian still exist, but it had actually been repaired.
SWISH!
With a thought, his entire consciousness seemed to merge with his body.
BOOM!
His consciousness shot forward, arriving in his Dantian in a near instant.
"This… is my Dantian?"
Chen Han stared at his Dantian, scarcely able to believe his eyes.
His rotating Dantian resembled a galaxy in the Cosmos. It was as if his body had become its own universe, magnificent and brilliant. And at the center of this universe was the very meteor that had crashed into his body that day.
This scene completely shattered Chen Han's understanding of the world.
At this moment, a passage of text appeared from within the meteor, imprinting itself directly into Chen Han's mind.
It was a Cultivation Technique—the Ancient Divine Technique!
Qi is the foundation of Cultivation. The first step to crossing the threshold of the Martial Dao is Qi Cultivation. One uses the Dantian to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and store it within, thereby becoming a Martial Disciple.
Thus, the Cultivation Technique one practiced became of utmost importance.
The higher the Level of the Cultivation Technique, the more Dantians one could form within their body.
According to legend,
the Chen Family Main Lineage possessed a High Level Cultivation Technique—the Primordial Qi-Introducing Skill—that allowed one to form two Dantians. For a Cultivator, each additional Dantian doubled the speed at which they could absorb Spiritual Qi. The reason Chen Han had been so desperate to join the Main Lineage Clan was precisely for the Primordial Qi-Introducing Skill!
With the Primordial Qi-Introducing Skill, his cultivation speed would be twice as fast as before!
But now, Chen Han understood that he had been a frog in a well.
'This is simply unbelievable!'
'This Ancient Divine Technique can actually let me form countless Dantians inside my body.'
Chen Han wasn't swept away by this unexpected joy; instead, he immediately calmed his mind.
'According to the description in the Ancient Divine Technique, every time a Dantian is formed, a Fixed Star will be born within the Nebula Map in my body. The Nebula Map is the Cosmos within me… The Cosmos has innumerable Fixed Stars, hence infinite Dantians. However, this Cultivation Technique is also incredibly difficult to practice. Forming each Fixed Star requires the aid of a powerful external force. The Celestial Thunder before was just a stroke of luck. It seems that forming a second star will be much, much harder.'
Chen Han clenched his fists.
When the Nebula Map was first opened within him, the power of the Celestial Thunder had already merged into his body. This had transformed him from a piece of trash, allowing him to jump directly to the Martial Disciple First Layer.
'Good. It looks like I still have a chance to reach the Martial Disciple Third Layer in three months and enter the Clan's Inner Sect,' Chen Han thought, filled with confidence.
Of course,
Now, Chen Han's desire to enter the Main Lineage Clan wasn't for the Primordial Qi-Introducing Skill, but for the Scripture Pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion of the Main Lineage Clan held countless Martial Arts techniques.
On Qingcheng Mountain, however, no such institution existed.
Although the Ancient Divine Technique gave him a cultivation method, no matter how strong his foundation was, he still needed Martial Arts of a comparable Level to match it.
Hooo…
After figuring this out, Chen Han felt his consciousness drift further and further away from the Cosmos within his body, as if it were quietly merging with the greater universe once more.
TSST!
Chen Han's eyes snapped open.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and a faint flicker of lightning seemed to streak across his pupils.
Almost subconsciously, Chen Han threw a punch.
CRASH!
His right fist stirred up a violent gale, which lifted the heavy, square table in the room and smashed it to pieces.
"What happened?"
Hearing the noise from inside, Chen Tianzheng, who had been waiting outside, immediately rushed in.
His mother followed close behind.
"What's this?"
His parents stared at the shattered table, completely stunned.
"Father, Mother!" Chen Han looked at the splintered table, feeling the long-lost Power course through him. He couldn't help but say excitedly, "My Dantian has recovered… I now have the Power of a Martial Disciple First Layer again. I'm not trash anymore!"
"Really?"
Chen Tianzheng and his wife couldn't believe it. But looking at the broken table and Chen Han's confident smile, they couldn't contain their excitement.
"Haha, my son isn't trash anymore! He's not trash anymore!" Chen Tianzheng couldn't help but cheer.
Seeing his parents with tears in their eyes, Chen Han was deeply moved.
"Han'Er, you were unconscious for a whole day and night. You scared me to death," his mother, Mrs. Wang, said, her voice filled with worry.
"What? I was out for that long… I have to go practice my forms." Chen Han was taken aback. He quickly jumped out of bed and rushed toward the Martial Arts Arena.
Watching their son, who had regained his strength,
Chen Tianzheng and his wife felt a genuine joy blooming in their hearts.
However, a trace of worry still lingered in their hearts.
They worried this was all just a dream.
「Martial Arts Arena.」
When Chen Han arrived, the sun was already high in the sky. In three years, this was the latest he had ever been.
However, his arrival quickly drew the attention of the other Chen Clan members from the side branches.
"Look, that piece of trash is here again."
"Yeah, I thought he had finally given up… Seeing this trash again really ruins my mood."
"Watch me go humiliate him."
Just as Chen Han was about to start practicing his forms as usual, a wild laugh echoed from behind him.
He turned around.
He saw a brawny youth with a muscular build striding toward him.
This youth's name was Chen Liang.
He was sixteen years old and only at the Martial Disciple First Layer.
Someone like him naturally had no qualifications to join the Main Lineage Clan, so he spent his days bullying those weaker than himself. Chen Han had been humiliated by him countless times before.
As Chen Liang laughed boisterously, the disciples training around the Martial Arts Arena all turned their gazes in their direction.
"Chen Han, you piece of trash. In three more months, the Main Lineage Clan will be selecting new members. Does a scumbag like you actually think you can join the Inner Sect?" Chen Liang said with a look of contempt.
If this were the past,
Chen Han would have just pretended not to hear, ignoring him and letting the insults fly.
But things were different now.
He had already started practicing the Ancient Divine Technique and had even recovered his Power as a Martial Disciple First Layer. There was no need for him to endure Chen Liang's provocations again and again.
"We'll see who the real trash is in three months," Chen Han retorted.
A sinister and cunning glint flashed through Chen Liang's eyes.
Bullying a once-famous genius gave him an inexplicable sense of superiority. The thought of ruthlessly humiliating Chen Han, once hailed as the number one prodigy of Qingcheng Mountain, gave him a thrill that was almost orgasmic.
But he never expected that today, Chen Han would actually dare to talk back to him.
"Trash! It seems a few days without a beating has made you forget your place!"
Chen Liang cursed and strode forward quickly.
'It seems this is unavoidable…'
Not only did Chen Han feel no fear, but he even felt a flicker of anticipation.
He wanted to test just how much of his strength had returned.
And right now, this Chen Liang was the perfect whetstone!
"Stop!"
Just as the two were about to clash, a clear, crisp female voice called out from the side.
Surrounded by others like the moon surrounded by stars, a girl of about fifteen slowly approached. At the center of the crowd was a young woman in a purple dress. Her skin was so delicate it looked like it could be broken by a mere puff of air, and her facial features were as exquisite as a porcelain doll's. She stood out gracefully among the girls around her, like a lotus in a pond.
She was Chen Yuxin.
The famed genius of Qingcheng Mountain, her strength had reached the Martial Disciple Seventh Layer. She was an existence that everyone had no choice but to look up to.
Chen Liang was clearly wary of Chen Yuxin. He took a step back and forced himself to ask, "What do you want?"
Chen Yuxin quickly walked in front of Chen Han, using her own delicate frame to block Chen Liang's line of sight. "Chen Liang, you ignorant lout. All you know how to do is find amusement at others' expense. What kind of hero does that make you?"
Hearing her words, Chen Liang's already venomous gaze grew even more vicious.
Without a doubt,
Chen Yuxin was the dream girl of every young man on Qingcheng Mountain. Just exchanging a single sentence with her was enough to make them too excited to sleep for three days.
But now, Chen Liang found himself being berated by her.
Being the narrow-minded person he was, Chen Liang naturally placed all the blame for this on Chen Han.
"Chen Han, what kind of hero hides behind a woman? Weren't you once the genius of Qingcheng Mountain? If you've got the guts, then come over here… If you're scared, kowtow to me three times, and I'll let you go." Chen Liang's eyes darted around as a plan formed in his mind, and he immediately tried to provoke Chen Han.
Chen Yuxin couldn't help but frown. "Chen Han, don't fall for it."
'Fall for it?'
Chen Han shook his head with a bitter smile.
A man fights for his pride, a Buddha is revered with incense.
'He's already been insulted like this. Am I really going to act like a coward and hide in my shell, just like before?'
'Impossible!'
Thinking this, Chen Han strode forward.
He looked up, glaring.
Looking at Chen Liang, Chen Han narrowed his eyes and spoke, each word sharp and clear, "To take you down… I only need a single move!"