"Xiaofeng." A voice rang out, and a middle-aged man appeared in the courtyard. The man was tall and exuded a strong presence, bearing a resemblance to Lin Feng.
"Father." This person was none other than Lin Hai, the head of the Lin family and Lin Feng's father. The fusion of their souls allowed Lin Feng to inherit the thoughts and memories of both individuals, making it natural for him to call the man "Father."
"Xiaofeng, you... you're okay!" Lin Hai's face trembled with emotion. When Lin Feng was brought back to the Lin family, he was on the verge of death, in a coma, and Lin Hai had already lost hope. He had even started preparing for Lin Feng's burial. Yet now, before him stood a living son. How could he not be happy?
"Yes, Father, I'm fully recovered." Lin Feng smiled gently at his father, feeling a warmth he had not experienced in his previous life. After his grandfather passed away, Lin Feng had faced the cold and indifferent world alone. He had never enjoyed such warmth.
"Good, good." Lin Hai patted Lin Feng's shoulder heavily. His eyes glinted as he glanced at the stone pillars reduced to rubble. The people in his family were waiting for his downfall to seize the position of family head, but now, Lin Feng had recovered so quickly. Those scheming relatives must be bitterly disappointed.
At that moment, a cold, oppressive aura suddenly radiated from Lin Hai’s body, making Lin Feng feel like his body was freezing.
"Father is truly a powerhouse at the ‘Lingwu Realm’," Lin Feng thought. Just the aura alone could freeze weaker martial artists. In the martial world, the first realm is known as the “Qiwu Realm,” where one absorbs “yuanqi,” or natural energy, to refine their body and cultivate their martial soul. Only once true qi is formed can a person advance to the “Lingwu Realm,” gaining the ability to perform powerful techniques and truly become formidable. Lin Hai was a powerful martial artist at the Lingwu Realm.
"Xiaofeng, who did this?" Lin Hai's expression darkened. When Lin Feng was brought back, it was clear that someone had wanted him dead. In fact, they had succeeded in killing the previous "Lin Feng."
"Father, leave this matter to me." Lin Feng did not tell his father that it was his third uncle, Lin Heng, who had caused his injuries. Within the Lin family, his third uncle and eldest uncle had secretly formed an alliance to seize the position of family head. Both were not weaker than Lin Hai in terms of strength and influence. Furthermore, Lin Heng was a promising disciple in a mid-tier sect of the Yunhai Sect, making him audacious enough to harm Lin Feng.
This was a grudge Lin Feng had to avenge on his own. In the martial way, there is no room for hesitation or weakness. Any lingering emotional baggage could hinder a martial artist's growth.
Lin Hai looked at his son in surprise. Gone was the old, weak Lin Feng; instead, he saw a determined young man. It seemed that this disaster had turned into an opportunity for Lin Feng. Lin Hai nodded in approval and said, "Tomorrow, come with me to the family assembly. I want to see how they plan to dethrone me."
----------------------------------------
That night, the surroundings were quiet.
In the Lin family's Purple Bamboo Forest, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, with a dark, shadowy figure hovering behind him. This shadow was his newly awakened martial soul, the "Dark Martial Soul," blending almost entirely with the night.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Through his training, Lin Feng discovered that his cultivation speed had increased fivefold when using the Dark Martial Soul. Ignoring the fatigue, he continued to harness the power of the martial soul. After all, fate had given him a second chance, and he planned to make the most of it. In the Nine Heavens Continent, only the strong are respected and revered. The strong command the forces of nature and can move mountains.
A faint, milky white glow enveloped Lin Feng's body, like a firefly in the dark. This was the “yuanqi” (natural energy) gathering around him, a sign of his exceptional talent. Martial artists with extraordinary talent cultivated quickly, and the energy around them would form a visible aura.
At this moment, Lin Feng's breathing was calm and steady. His face was serene and peaceful. Inside his body, the yuanqi flowed through his veins, nourishing his muscles and bones.
After some time, a burst of light flickered, and Lin Feng's body seemed to turn into a bottomless pit, instantly absorbing all the surrounding milky white energy into his body. It was completely absorbed.
Opening his eyes, a flash of brilliance passed across his gaze like a fleeting streak of light. Lin Feng stood up with a smile on his face. He had broken through. One night, one level — he had reached the Sixth Level of the Qiwu Realm.
However, Lin Feng wasn't satisfied. From his memories, he knew that the Qiwu Realm had nine levels. It was just the beginning for a martial artist. The real peerless warriors could fly freely in the sky, something Lin Feng had once thought belonged to the gods.
With this thought in mind, Lin Feng began to swing his fists. The wind from his punches howled through the air, causing the bamboo to explode instantly. Each strike was like a crashing wave, obliterating everything in its path.
The Qiwu Realm was divided into nine levels, and every time a level was attained, a martial artist's strength increased by a thousand jin (a Chinese weight unit, roughly 0.5kg per jin). Lin Feng had now reached the Sixth Level, giving him the strength of 6,000 jin. If he used his martial technique, the "Nine Waves," which he had trained to the Sixth Level, he could unleash a force of 6,500 jin. But Lin Feng felt this wasn't enough. If he could advance the "Nine Waves" technique to the Seventh Stage, he would be able to wield 7,000 jin of power, comparable to the strength of a martial artist at the Seventh Level of the Qiwu Realm.
Six thousand jin of power was immense, and the weak bamboo splintered under his strikes. The space around him seemed to be bombarded by waves of force, leaving behind only the howling wind and the shattered bamboo.
At that moment, Lin Feng noticed something strange. A curved bamboo, which should have shattered under his blow, instead rebounded and fell back. His eyes narrowed, and he slowed his punches.
"The Nine Waves technique was inspired by the crashing waves of the sea," Lin Feng thought. "Each wave is stronger than the last, powerful and domineering. But, like the sea, it should also have a gentle side. Only by combining hardness and softness can one move forward without hindrance."
Suddenly, Lin Feng's punches became more fluid, no longer just forceful but incorporating both softness and strength.
"Ha!" Lin Feng shouted as he unleashed another punch.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
The sounds of explosions rang out, first six, then seven, then eight. Each punch made the bamboo explode into powder.
"Eight Waves Stage... so powerful." Lin Feng looked ahead, seeing the vacuum of space where his punches had passed. He took a deep breath and stopped his punches, having grasped the essence of the Nine Waves. Incredibly, he had broken through two stages at once, reaching the Eighth Wave. The further a technique progresses, the harder it is to train, and few martial artists at the Qiwu Realm's Eighth Level could master the Eighth Wave. Yet Lin Feng had achieved this.
"Now, I should have around 7,500 jin of strength," Lin Feng thought with satisfaction. "Once I master the perfect balance of hardness and softness, I will have fully mastered the Nine Waves technique."
In the past, Lin Feng had been unable to defeat even ordinary martial artists at the Fifth Level of the Qiwu Realm. He had been looked down upon. Yet now, just one day after arriving in this world, he already possessed the strength to fight martial artists at the Seventh Level, a leap of two small realms.