Chapter Thirty-Two: Epiphany

Under the blazing sun, Liu Tian walked leisurely alone on Panlong Mountain, near Liu Zhengde’s estate.

After last night’s battle, Liu Tian had proven his strength, using this formidable power as the endorsement for his own “intuition.”

Because of this display, Liu Zhengde no longer dismissed Liu Tian’s “intuition” as mere fantasy and began a thorough investigation.

For this reason, Liu Tian believed he had done all he could for now. No matter what further preparations he made, with only seven days left until the birthday banquet, there was no way he could outpace the local overlord Liu Zhengde.

In theory, as a native with deep-rooted connections, now that he was forewarned and prepared, there should be no force outside the imperial court capable of threatening the Liu family during this nascent period of unrest.

Yet Liu Tian was not someone who liked to entrust his life to another’s preparations. Compared to Liu Zhengde’s sworn assurances of the infallibility of his musket squad, Liu Tian placed greater faith in his own fists.

So, after breakfast and raising his Source Points to sixteen with the reserves from Liu Zhengde’s treasury, Liu Tian casually took an ornament resembling an eye as an excuse and slipped away on his own.

Perhaps because the gap between the martial artists and fighters cultivating the Celestial Martial Path of Slaughter was too great, and too many human limits needed to be surpassed, even his ample reserves—enough to progress from entry-level to Level Five Source Points with some left over—still couldn’t light up the next upgrade option.

But he was close.

As someone who valued effort, Liu Tian had a sense of how many Source Points he needed to break through to the next stage—if it were right after his recent breakthrough, he would need twenty points.

Now, after nearly three more months of intensive training and yesterday’s moment of insight, only eighteen would suffice.

In fact, as Liu Tian sensed, if he pushed his physical condition to the brink of another breakthrough right after his last advancement, only ten Source Points would be required.

But to unite his essence, energy, and spirit, to comprehend his own battle sigil rather than merely inheriting the Celestial Martial Path’s, he would need a full twenty points.

A breakthrough driven by effort was never about barely passing the threshold, but about achieving perfection.

That was also why a breakthrough via the effort panel would heal his own injuries.

His robust body allowed Liu Tian to ascend the thousand-meter Panlong Mountain in one breath without breaking a sweat. Skirting the main path favored by most, he relied on his stamina to leap through the forests, quickly reaching a mountaintop where no one would disturb him.

Today’s weather was excellent—clear skies, brilliant sunshine, and the entire Pei Commandery sprawled beneath his gaze.

Standing atop the mountain, Liu Tian overlooked Pei Commandery, and a thought surfaced—where could he find the missing Source Points? Or should he attempt to reduce the breakthrough requirement with another epiphany? Only seven days remained.

Liu Tian narrowed his eyes, countless thoughts rising and falling like bubbles in his mind.

Suddenly, an idea surfaced from nowhere. Following his instincts, Liu Tian leapt and lay back on a blue stone, basking in the rare, dazzling sunlight.

The sunlight’s warmth and the mountain breeze left him feeling utterly lazy. His breathing adjusted automatically, his blood slowed, and Liu Tian felt as if his entire being was slowing down.

At the same time, a perception was gradually magnified—he seemed to hear distant birdsong, the clear babble of a stream, the rustling of leaves, the wind stirring the grass, and… the low growls of beasts hidden in the woods.

Hunting, fighting, devouring, hiding, stalking—the wild food chain turned slowly under this sunlight.

Those things, these things, were very far from Liu Tian, and yet seemed close, so close he could almost reach out and touch the predator, smell the spurt of fresh blood.

Some intangible, formless force seemed to connect Liu Tian to all things in the world.

Liu Tian slowly closed his eyes, savoring this moment of leisure. Killing intent, domineering will, danger, life—all these seemed insignificant amidst the grandeur of nature.

Meanwhile, Liu Tian’s sense of existence, a powerful, overwhelming feeling as if declaring himself to heaven and earth, continued to swell.

Gradually, the ants in the grass sensed danger and fled desperately from the “beast” napping here; the birds folded their wings and settled in silence; even the hunting predators seemed to feel something, not daring to come near.

Enlightenment—something Liu Tian never thought would happen to him—had now graced him two days in a row. If this state continued, in less than half a day he would fully comprehend his intent, condense his battle sigil, and then, by simply filling in his physical deficiencies through effort, would naturally break through to the rank of Fighter.

Just as his master Tiandao, in his youth, had comprehended his own fierce, wild, and domineering nature and condensed his battle sigil at the very beginning of his martial practice.

“Ah—!”

But fortune did not favor him. A sudden, panicked scream, as if a stone had been thrown into still water, startled Liu Tian out of his breakthrough. Once broken, this special state was impossible to re-enter.

Liu Tian’s eyes flew open—damn it, which bastard decided to disturb me at this critical moment?!