Translator: CinderTL
Hospital.
After confirming he was fine, Jiang Ye checked himself out of the hospital.
Jiang Dahai and his wife wanted him to stay for further observation, but with the College Entrance Examination approaching, Jiang Ye couldn't afford to waste any time.
After quickly completing the discharge procedures, he returned home with his family.
Ding-ding~
No sooner had they arrived than the phone rang.
Beep!
Jiang Ye answered the call on his smartwatch.
"Jiang Ye! I heard you were unconscious for five days! Are you okay?" Wang Zi'ang exclaimed in alarm.
"I'm fine, just overslept a bit," Jiang Ye replied with a chuckle.
Wang Zi'ang was shocked. "You can really sleep, huh?"
Jiang Ye chuckled again. "With the College Entrance Examination coming up, I needed to catch up on my rest."
"Looks like you're really okay." Wang Zi'ang sounded relieved to hear him joking.
After a brief chat, Jiang Ye hung up.
But soon after, Li Zhichao called, repeatedly confirming Jiang Ye was alright before finally relaxing.
"Jiang Ye, tell me honestly, did you take ten bottles of medicine in one day?"
"How else could you have been unconscious for five days?!"
Li Zhichao, his voice bristling with accusation, barked, "You hypocrite! You claim you don't use performance-enhancing drugs, but you're secretly working harder than even me! No wonder you've improved so quickly."
As Li Zhichao's tirade poured through the phone, a warm current surged through Jiang Ye's heart.
Before this, he had never imagined so many people would care about him, worry about him.
His parents, his sister, his teacher, his classmates...
These connections made him feel like he was no longer a solitary traveler from another world, but a living, breathing person.
His life and death now mattered to countless others!
Sighing inwardly, Jiang Ye hung up on Li Zhichao and walked to his room.
He glanced at the time:
June 1, 2326.
"Two days left until the Cosmic Divine Path Certification deadline."
"Five days until the College Entrance Examination."
Jiang Ye took a deep breath. "Is there enough time?"
He checked his system interface:
[Low-Martial Achievement System]
[Physique: Profound Physique (Upper Tier D)]
[Cultivation Techniques]
[Star Martial Cultivation Method: Perfection]
[Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist: Major Success (79%)]
[Star Martial Advancement Method: Small Success (20%)]
[Achievements]
[Martial Arts Grandmaster, Patriarch's Friend, Exterminate Demons and Uphold Justice, Foot Dao Is Also Dao]
[Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder]
[Third Tier]
For the past five days, Jiang Ye had been focused solely on cultivating his Heart of Enlightenment, neglecting his martial practice.
As a result, his progress in both the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist and the Star Martial Advancement Method had stagnated.
However, Jiang Ye's physique had now advanced to the upper-tier of the Profound Physique, Grade D.
His comprehension had also increased by 50%.
His future cultivation sessions were destined to be vastly different from before.
"Time to practice my fist techniques," Jiang Ye thought, quickly centering his mind as he moved to the center of the room.
He assumed his fighting stance.
Boom!
Bang! Boom!
Jiang Ye slowly channeled his energy, his breath resonating like thunder as he began executing the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist.
To his astonishment, the moment he settled into his stance, he immediately entered an extraordinarily profound state of mind.
Rumble~ Before him, streaks of lightning seemed to flash across the sky.
The overwhelming might of the heavens crashed down upon him.
This divine power gradually permeated his fist techniques, subtly enhancing them.
In this state, Jiang Ye's fist techniques were improving at an unimaginable pace.
Time flowed by.
Two hours.
Four hours.
Six hours.
"Brother! Dinner's ready!"
Only when Jiang Ting's voice called from outside did Jiang Ye awaken from his profound state.
He stopped practicing, feeling his body remarkably light and agile.
"Has it really been six hours already?"
Jiang Ye checked the time, utterly astonished.
This cultivation session had been completely unobstructed, leaving him feeling utterly clear and refreshed.
Completely immersed in cultivation, Jiang Ye hadn't even noticed the passage of time.
He quickly checked his status panel:
[Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist: Major Success (79%) → (91%)]
"A 12% increase?!" Jiang Ye's face was filled with shock.
This was the final stage from Major Success to Perfection!
To gain 12% in just six hours?
That was absurd!
Compared to his previous progress, this was more than tenfold faster. Even when consuming low-grade profound martial ginseng, he had only managed to improve by 2% to 3% per day.
Without Martial Dao Dietary Supplements, progress had been unimaginable.
But now?
The speed was ridiculously fast!
"That mystical state just now..." Jiang Ye recalled.
Without that profound state, such rapid progress would have been impossible.
But Jiang Ye couldn't determine whether it was due to his Heart of Enlightenment or his profound physique.
"It must be the profound physique," he concluded.
Martial ginseng also enhances comprehension, yet he had never experienced such a state before.
It had to be his physique!
"Profound physique... perhaps it's named that because it allows one to enter this mystical state?" Jiang Ye mused.
"Do other geniuses with Dao Bone Aptitude also experience this state?"
Dao Bone Aptitude was superior to the profound physique.
If true, the gap between dao bone and nascent/primitive talents would be utterly staggering.
He was only at the D-Grade Profound Physique.
What if he were at C-Grade, B-Grade, or even A-Grade?
The possibilities were unimaginable!
"No wonder they call it dao bone—it's a natural-born martial dao bone," Jiang Ye murmured, shaking his head in awe.
The gap between people was truly greater than that between humans and dogs!
However, Jiang Ye had already reached the upper tier of D-Grade Profound Physique and possessed the Heart of Enlightenment.
He might not be inferior to those geniuses after all.
At least, he was confident he could cultivate the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist to Perfection within the next two days.
"Time to eat," Jiang Ye said, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stepped outside.
Over the next two days, Jiang Ye skipped school and remained at home, cultivating relentlessly without rest.
He ignored Zhang Jianwu's advice to rest properly, instead pushing himself to cultivate until 3 or 4 a.m. each night.
Afterward, he would enter the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder for three to four hours of training, followed by more cultivation in the real world.
"I don't feel tired at all," Jiang Ye marveled. "In fact, the more I cultivate, the lighter I feel."
This phenomenon sparked a theory in his mind.
"Either it's because of my first breakthrough, or it's an additional effect from the Level 1 Heart of Enlightenment," he mused.
The Heart of Enlightenment had made him utterly obsessed with cultivation.
Even after twenty consecutive hours of practice, he felt barely any fatigue.
And one thing was certain:
Jiang Ye's relentless cultivation had been steadily enhancing his strength at an unprecedented rate.
Two days passed in a blur.
June 4th.
Early that morning, Jiang Ye left home and set out for Qingyang City.
"Director," Jiang Ye said as he settled into the black sedan, "I'm sorry to trouble you again."
Once again, Zhang Jianwu was driving him to Qingyang City.
To participate in the Cosmic Divine Path Certification Trial!
"No trouble at all," Zhang Jianwu replied with a smile. "How was your rest these past two days?"
"I'm fully rested," Jiang Ye assured him.
Zhang Jianwu studied him carefully, noting Jiang Ye's refreshed and invigorated appearance.
Looks like the kid really did rest for two days, Zhang Jianwu thought to himself.
He said nothing further.
After Jiang Ye had been unconscious for five days, it would be absurd to pressure him to resume training immediately.
"For today's certification trial," Zhang Jianwu cautioned, "don't be nervous. Just perform as usual."
"The Cosmic Divine Path Certification only evaluates combat prowess within your current realm."
"And that, precisely, is your forte," Zhang Jianwu added.
"I understand," Jiang Ye nodded.
Zhang Jianwu kept one crucial detail unspoken.
While the Cosmic Divine Path Certification focused solely on combat strength, it demanded exceptional prowess even within one's realm.
For instance, to achieve the first breakthrough, one needed to have mastered at least one mid-grade yellow tier Combat Art to Perfection, or even multiple Combat Arts to Perfection.
Only then could one meet the required standard.
But he hesitated to voice these thoughts, fearing they might discourage Jiang Ye.
Zhang Jianwu said nothing more, pressing down on the accelerator.
"Vroom!" The car roared to life, speeding toward Qingyang City.
Jiang Ye sat in the passenger seat, silently studying his status panel.
[Cultivation Techniques]
[Star Martial Cultivation Method: Perfection]
[Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist: Perfection]
[Star Martial Advancement Method: Small Success (25%)]
In just two days of cultivation, not only had the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist reached Perfection, but the Star Martial Advancement Method had also progressed by 5%!
He felt incredibly powerful now.
Jiang Ye gazed out the window.
"Cosmic Divine Path... I'm coming!"
(End of the Chapter)