The huge gap in progress left Qiao Zhiyao feeling frustrated.

The thought that her peers in the family were likely advancing by leaps and bounds while she was stuck here ’solidifying her foundation’ filled her with anxiety.

’Forget it. Maybe this really isn’t for me,’ Qiao Zhiyao finally decided, giving up in resignation. ’A complete waste of four hours.’

She didn’t think Xu Wuyi was deceiving her. That feeling she’d had on the Battle Network had to be real, and besides, he had no reason to lie.

But everyone’s body is different; no single method works for all. She had only been giving it a try.

She walked over to the Cultivation Room’s control panel and expertly switched the program, activating the guidance mode for the C-level Body Refining Technique her family had tailor-made for her.

When the familiar, efficient energy flow surged into her body, bringing a clearly visible increase in Qi and Blood, she finally felt a bit more at ease.

’This is much more reliable.’

...

The next afternoon, while Xu Wuyi was in the underground Cultivation Room for the Refinement of his Qi and Blood, his smart assistant Anna notified him of a communication request from Qiao Yongwen.

He accepted the call, and Qiao Yongwen’s apologetic voice came through. "Mr. Xu, sorry to bother you."

"Steward Qiao, please go ahead."

"Here’s the situation," Qiao Yongwen began, his tone still polite. "After Zhiyao returned, she tried practicing your method in the real world. However, she felt the results were less than ideal and that it didn’t quite fit her current cultivation rhythm."

"So, about the follow-up tutoring sessions..."

Xu Wuyi immediately understood what he meant.

He calmly took over the conversation. "I understand. It’s alright, Steward Qiao. This was always a two-way street. My method might not be suitable for everyone. It’s perfectly normal for Miss Qiao to have her own judgment and make her own choices."

He had expected this.

Qiao Zhiyao came from a top Noble Family and had been exposed to efficient, top-tier resources and methods since childhood. Forcing her to suddenly go back and grind away at the most basic things... the psychological gap and the contrast in actual efficiency would indeed make it difficult for her to persist.

What’s more, he himself knew that this method showed no "returns" in the short term.

"It’s good that you understand, Mr. Xu." Qiao Yongwen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He had been afraid the young man would be hot-headed and feel his pride was wounded.

"The previously agreed-upon fee for the trial lesson, one million Federation Coins, has been transferred to your school account. You can check for it. We’ve really troubled you this time."

"You’re too kind, Steward Qiao. The transaction is complete. How could it be any trouble?" Xu Wuyi responded.

The other party was polite and paid promptly, so naturally, he had no hard feelings.

After ending the call, Xu Wuyi glanced at his personal terminal and saw the notification that the Federation Coins had indeed arrived.

Although it wasn’t the school credits he needed most, Federation Coins weren’t bad either. Once his Life Energy Level reached 25, he would need to buy even more resources, and at that point, even Federation Coins might not be enough.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

This income was a pleasant surprise. One million for a two-hour trial lesson was a gain no matter how you looked at it.

As for Qiao Zhiyao’s choice, he didn’t care.

On the path of Martial Arts, everyone has their own destiny. He had proposed what he believed to be the correct path; if the other party didn’t accept it, then they would simply part ways.

He pushed the minor incident to the back of his mind and refocused his attention on his own cultivation.

The underground Cultivation Room in Villa #7 of Hidden Dragon Garden once again returned to its usual silence, with only the young man’s steady, powerful breathing and the faint hum of his circulating Qi and Blood.

...

Time flew by. The scenery outside the window quietly transitioned from the bleakness of winter to the budding life of early spring. In the blink of an eye, it was late March.

Inside the underground Cultivation Room of Villa #7 in Hidden Dragon Garden, the temperature remained perennially higher than outside, thanks to the Earth Fire Marrow.

Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged, bare-chested, his Qi and Blood surging like a great river, emitting a low rumble.

A dark-red glow of Qi and Blood flowed over the surface of his body. Faintly visible within it was a trace of an increasingly solid golden light—a sign that his Heart Fire had been refined to a certain degree.

[Life Energy Level: 25.1]

[Martial Arts: Basic Body Refining Technique (Great Success 11%); Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace (Entry Level 99%); Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear (Minor Achievement 35.3%); Instant Shadow Step (Minor Achievement 41.7%); Wind-Settling Spear (Great Success 15.2%)]

His consciousness swept over the data on the Martial Arts Diligence Record. Xu Wuyi slowly ceased his cultivation, exhaling a breath of scorching air that condensed before him, lingering like a small white dragon without dispersing.

Level 25, an important threshold on the path of a Martial Artist. He had finally crossed it.

At this stage, all two hundred and six of his bones had been completely tempered. They were now lustrous and astonishingly dense, capable of withstanding even more violent surges of Qi and Blood.

Next, it would be a matter of patient effort, guiding his Qi and Blood deep into his internal organs to refine those relatively fragile parts. He also had to clear and widen the minute meridians throughout his body to lay the foundation for breaking through to the Martial Master Realm.

His greatest progress was undoubtedly in the *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace*.

This B-Level Body Refining Technique had Eighteen Beginner Forms. Each complete cycle could guide Qi and Blood to gather in the Dantian and refine the Heart Fire once.

To date, he had successfully completed six refinements, a state known as the "Sixth Transition."

He could clearly feel that the wisp of crimson-gold flame Intention in his Dantian had grown much stronger, becoming more condensed and active.

His proficiency was stuck at 99%, but it wasn’t because he was unable to break through.

On the contrary, he felt that with a single thought, he could naturally cross into the Minor Achievement Realm.

But he didn’t do it.

A subtle intuition, as well as a certain Mental Realm of Perfection fed back by the Martial Arts Diligence Record, made him choose to continue accumulating.

He wanted to continue trying to achieve the Nine Transitions of Heart Fire.

Furthermore, Han Mo had supported this decision. The more solid the foundation, the greater the future potential of the *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace*. Though difficult, the Nine Transitions represented a form of ultimate Perfection.

It didn’t matter if it delayed his progress. The path of Martial Arts was a race, but it wasn’t a sprint.

However, he wasn’t the first among this batch of new students to break through to Level 25.

Nearly a month ago, Tana from the West Courtyard had been the first to reach Level 25.

When the news spread, it didn’t cause much of a surprise. After all, she came from the Great Desert Royal Family and possessed resources far beyond that of an ordinary student. She also cultivated a B-Level Body Refining Technique, so it was only natural for her to be faster.

Following her, Qin Rui from the West Courtyard, as well as Zhao Qingwei and Luo Liang from the North Courtyard, also broke through the Level 25 barrier one after another.

Xu Wuyi estimated that their breakthrough times were probably around the same as his, all within a few days of each other.

It was worth mentioning that Xu Wuyi had learned through campus channels that after breaking through, Qin Rui had not only begun practicing the *Golden Radiance Sword*—the B-level advanced portion of his family’s *Light-Splitting Shadow-Stealing Sword*—but had also mastered a new B-Level Body Refining Technique.

This was the standard path for the Federation’s top geniuses, or rather, the path supported by the resources behind them.

As one’s Life Energy Level increased, their body could withstand the load of High-tier Martial Arts, so they would naturally replace and learn more powerful Cultivation Techniques and Combat Skills.

A B-Level Body Refining Technique was nearly impossible to obtain for someone in the Martial Disciple Stage, but for a Martial Artist around Level 25, it was no longer out of reach.

It was simply a matter of using their resource advantage to speed up the process.

Xu Wuyi had a feeling that Qin Rui would definitely not be the last. Zhao Qingwei, Shen Wei, and even the sponsored Li Hao would sooner or later walk a similar path. The only difference would be when it happened and the grade of the Martial Arts they obtained.

In the future, a B-Level Body Refining Technique would become the norm, even standard issue, for Martial Artists of the same level. Xu Wuyi was just one step ahead of the others; it didn’t mean he could rest on his laurels.

Of course, since he had a head start, Xu Wuyi’s first-mover advantage was still significant.

After all, his *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace* was already approaching Minor Achievement, while the others probably still needed time just to reach the Entry Level.

Therefore, he felt no turmoil or anxiety about this, only the resolve to continue firmly on his path.

Others had their own paths, and he had his. By refusing the Qin Family’s sponsorship and relying on school credits and his own arduous cultivation, every step he took was exceptionally solid.

He focused his Heart and Spirit, preparing to begin his daily practice, when his personal communicator suddenly vibrated. It displayed a name that surprised him somewhat—Zhao Qingwei.