I didn't move too far away from the medical wing, just moved closer to the bubbling magma, the red light giving me enough read the metal plates. It was not the greatest source of illumination, but considering the text was about how to progress in martial arts that had been developed based on the volcano, it felt poetically appropriate.

I sat cross-legged on the warm floor, glad that metal plates were far less susceptible to being blown away by the merciless winds of blizzard.

The plates in front of me were explaining the greatest secret of the Burning Ice martial arts school. How to break through to the next stage of the martial arts.

Even with all my existing information, deciphering it was not an easy process. A part of it was about their usual habit of using flowery language and pointless metaphors, but that, I had long gotten used to. Their description of Land Mastery was equally obtuse, but it didn't prevent me from making rapid progress.

Unfortunately, this time, the problem wasn't just limited to it. The advice was simply … poor. It was not a professional guide. It was better to call it a diary of a few old sect masters and grand elders, sharing anecdotes on why they were successful.

That would have been bad enough if their advice was accurate. But, reading their accounts, I could see that it was sheer luck that allowed them to succeed, making me feel like I was reading a rich man's advice on how to get rich, where the first advice was winning the lottery.

Admittedly, the rate of success they mentioned wasn't as horrible, but one in ten wasn't acceptable odds from my perspective. Especially since it required someone to be the peak of the Blood Essence realm to try it in the first place.

And, unlike our case where I was able to mass produce them due to my transcendental medical capabilities, for the Burning Ice sect, the peak Blood Essence members were a rare commodity, each one representing a critical elder. It meant, in terms of breaking through, their advice was, well, not exactly worthless, but close to it.

Luckily, the same wasn't true for the actual mechanics of the realm. First-rate martial artist, officially called Spirit Infusion Realm, was characterized by the martial artists' ability to evoke the spiritual pillar outwardly as a weapon.

From the descriptions, it was similar to a Qi Gathering realm, at least in terms of outwardly manifesting their power and creating external effects. I had no doubt that the actual power of those attacks was more similar to peak Foundation Establishment cultivators than actual Golden Core ones, but with an endurance no cultivator that could match.

The biggest drawback of the cultivators was always their slow recovery time. A Golden Core elder, if exhausted, required somewhere between weeks to months to recover depending on their immortal root and the spirit vein they could access. Things were worse if their cultivation was damaged. Fixing those problems could take years.

Though, considering they could reliably cosplay as a nuclear bomb before getting exhausted, it wasn't exactly as big of a drawback as it seemed at first glance.

Once again, there was no explicit mention of Qi in the cultivation arts, but reading the personal notes, I could deduce that the existence of Qi was something implicit. Deciphering the way essence and spiritual totems worked, along with some logical conclusions, I could reliably tell that, the outward manifestation was just a form of Qi attack. Only, instead of directing it directly as a cultivator would, the spiritual totem acted as a medium.

In a way, it was similar to how I used formations, interacting with Qi indirectly, but through a different method, with its own advantages and disadvantages.

However, as I continued to read, I noticed a distinct absence of one detail. There was no method to detect the presence of Qi, or any suggestions on how to avoid it. Assuming they had other auxiliary methods for that would be reasonable, but, what I had seen underneath the capital led me in a different direction.

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What if Qi was everywhere before cultivators arrived and made sure it wasn't the case anymore.

"I feel like a conspiracy theorist. The only thing that's missing is the lizard people," I grumbled as I stopped thinking about the wider implications, instead focusing on how to break into Spiritual Infusion Realm.

That led me to rethink everything about martial arts.

The third-rate realm, had been straightforward enough. It was the activation of martial essence throughout various parts of the body starting from muscles and ending up in gates, a fundamental awakening that prepared the body for the next stage.

Then came the Blood Essence realm, demeaning a far more radical transformation, including the very blood in the veins. A process that would have to take years if it wasn't for the existence of a cheater like me.

Now, Spirit Infusion loomed before me. The only thing I had was a vague direction to work forward, with nothing in between. The notes had some vague mentions of merging with the true essence of martial arts, which I assumed to be a deeper embrace of the spiritual totem.

The trick was to discover a path that didn't end up death for nine-tenths of a time. Maybe I should collect some cultivation techniques of Golden Core, to see if it could help. But, before I could start that, Elsana walked toward me, with Lannayin behind her.

I couldn't help but feel amused when Lannayin threw an icy gaze my way. She said nothing, just grunted in anger before she stumped forward, walking into the storm.

"Sorry about her," Elsana said. "She's still on the edge."

"Perfectly understandable," I answered. "It's not fun to suddenly wake up in a new situation that's forced upon you. It takes a while to process."

Elsana gave me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged. I wasn't sure I was ready to share the exact circumstances of how I ended up in this world even now. It wasn't worth the risk. "What are you working on," she asked.

"I'm trying to see how to break into the third major realm for martial arts," I said.

She gasped. "R-really?"

I winked at her, implying that I was doing it for her, earning a beautiful blush in return. It was not a lie. While I eventually wanted to discover it, her status was the reason the topic suddenly jumped up in priority.

She followed with a hug, which might have been more if it wasn't for the risk of Lannayin's return. "Do you need any help?"

"I would appreciate some brainstorming assistance," I said. "Here's what I know…"

With that, I gave her a summary of everything I had discovered about the ancient martial arts. "We're looking for a way to bond the martial artist with the spiritual pillar on a deeper level," she said. She glanced at the volcano and the storm, the physical representation of the pillar she was stuck with. "If the mountain gets destroyed…"

"I don't know what would happen, but I don't think it'll be good. In the best case, you'll lose most of your power," I admitted.

"What a choice," she said with a deep sigh. "Either I lose everything, or I fight against an army of cultivators alone —"

She was cut short as I flicked her nose. "First of all, you're not alone," I said.

"I can't ask you to fight them for me."

I chuckled. "First of all, you certainly can," I said. "You earned the right. Also, it's not like I'm here for you. As much as I'm glad I saved you, don't forget that I was already here, trying to defend the place before your arrival. I will adjust my plans, but not as substantially as you think. And, if you can break into the next realm, my life will be much easier."

She gave a weak smile. "It makes the decision easier."

"Then, let me make it harder again. I'm sure that, eventually, we can figure out how to completely erase the signs of the ancient martial arts from your body, so that you can recultivate Snow Blossom technique."

"I appreciate the attempt, but for good or ill, I'm locked in this path," Elsana said, her expression tight. Her decisiveness surprised me, but maybe it should not. After all, she was still the woman who had built a local powerhouse alchemy house and her own martial arts style from a mere glimpse of the Burning Ice concept.

"So, you want to break through," I said. "How about Lannayin?"

"She'll be even more enthusiastic. She doesn't take betrayal well. But, are you sure? If we reach the next stage, we'll bond with the volcano and the storm. That much is clear. It means that you'll lose a great opportunity."

I waved my hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll be happy as long as the mountain stays intact," I said, which was true. As much as I wanted to learn ancient martial arts and improve, I didn't want to do it if it created a mountain-sized — literally — weakness for my enemies to exploit.

For me, two successful breakthrough attempts were far more than what I could hope for.

"Let's study," I said as I passed her the metal tablet. "The sooner we succeed, the sooner we can celebrate."

That earned a slap to the shoulder and a giggle.

Too bad we had to study first.