Qin Yi lowered his head and summoned the game panel.
As expected—he had leveled up.
"Basic Swordsmanship" had reached LV5, and "Hundred Battles Swordsmanship" had broken through to LV3.
The reason he had been able to reverse the disadvantage in the sparring earlier was now clear.
Breaking Basic Swordsmanship to level five brought a tremendous change. Qin Yi recalled the sensations from the battle; his heart still raced with excitement.
The game panel had truly delivered—a qualitative leap. He had almost turned the tables entirely.
But thinking of the final outcome, a twinge of frustration lingered in his chest.
Just because of that martial aura…
So what if he has a martial aura? I'll have mine too! Hmph!
Qin Xu, observing Qin Yi sulking, chuckled: "What's the matter? Not satisfied?"
Now it was just the two of them. After more than two years together, Qin Yi had relaxed and spoken more casually, no longer so restrained.
Qin Yi puffed up his chest, muttering: "Master, if it were only about swordsmanship, I'd beat him. He just relied on his cultivation to bully others."
"Right, right, Da Tou is correct," Qin Xu teased, soothing him first. Once Qin Yi's mood calmed, he spoke seriously: "But Da Tou, that was sparring. You can complain about it, but in a real life-and-death battle, could you still complain? Would the enemy fight fairly just because you lack a martial aura?"
Qin Yi understood, of course, but he still pouted.
"Master, when will I become a martial artist?"
Qin Xu smiled and shook his head. This was a question every novice martial artist eventually asks—even one as gifted as Qin Yi.
If anyone else asked, Qin Xu might hesitate, but Qin Yi had trained under him for two years; he could answer confidently.
"Fastest, half a year. Slowest, three to four years."
What? Half a year at the fastest, and three to four years at the slowest?
Qin Yi wanted instant results, but this would take time.
He muttered in dismay: "Ah? Why so slow?!"
Qin Xu shook his head, speechless. Slow? This is the path of Yuanwu—most difficult of all martial arts. Others take ten years at minimum, and some even half a lifetime or more to cultivate. Qin Yi is already moving at a prodigious speed.
Qin Yi frowned and asked in frustration, "Master, this martial aura… is there no way for ordinary people to resist it?"
In Qin Yi's eyes, Qin Xu seemed capable of anything. Surely this seemingly insurmountable problem was trivial for him.
Qin Xu smiled at the eager look in Qin Yi's eyes. "Martial aura is born from the pressure of a powerful being. Weak creatures under such an aura feel fear, unable to control their bodies, without any ability to resist… It is harsh, but this is the Way, the law of nature."
Hearing "the Way" and "law of nature," Qin Yi's defiance waned. He slumped, only managing to listen attentively.
Qin Xu asked: "Da Tou, in ancient times, were humans strong beings or weak beings?"
Qin Yi thought for a moment and replied hesitantly: "Weak beings?"
"Correct. In ancient times, humans had not created martial arts. There were no extraordinary martial artists, only ordinary humans—weak beings."
He paused, then asked: "So if humans in ancient times faced attacks from powerful beings, under such pressure, what could they do? Just wait to die?"
Qin Yi didn't press further, instead pondering: "Of course not! We must resist. For survival. For dignity. We cannot simply yield or die!"
Suddenly, realization struck him. His eyes lit up.
"Master, so there is a way for ordinary humans to resist martial aura. Otherwise, how could they even fight back? And if resistance failed, how could we have the life we have today?"
He muttered softly: "Wait… is this how martial arts were born? Martial aura, created from the pressure of powerful beings? Or enhanced by those beings after achieving strength?"
Qin Xu smiled in satisfaction. A promising student indeed. Just a hint, and Qin Yi could reason this much on his own.
"Exactly," Qin Xu continued. "The first to resist was the Ancient Sage who founded martial arts. We don't know his true name, only honorifically call him the 'Yuanwu Sage.'"
"The Yuanwu Sage opened the path from weakness to strength, allowing humans to stand in this world. That path is martial arts."
"And the original system he established is called the Path of Yuanwu."
Speaking of the Yuanwu Sage, Qin Xu's eyes shone with reverence—not just respect for the ancestor, but belief.
"However, the Path of Yuanwu is extremely difficult. In ancient times, most people couldn't even enter the path in a lifetime. Only the extraordinarily gifted could succeed. Advancement was even harder; the higher you go, the fewer can follow."
"Reaching the level of the Yuanwu Sage himself… nearly impossible."
He sighed, as if mourning that dark era.
"The Path of Yuanwu could never be widely practiced among humans. Later generations, building on his experiences and their own wisdom, developed new martial systems from Yuanwu's foundation. Over time, five great sects emerged, countless techniques were created, and humanity's martial strength flourished."
Now, the human world thrived, all thanks to these foundations. Qin Xu's gaze gleamed with an intense, radiant light.