Yu Fei looked at the instruction manual. The device was waterproof and fireproof, specifically designed for Martial Artists submerged in tanks to communicate with the outside world. It could also be used to browse restricted information.

He looked up at Yan Sea, unable to believe his eyes. He had been isolated from the world in a tank for half a month. ’Why didn’t they bring out something this good sooner?’

Yan Sea looked at him quizzically. "What’s wrong? Don’t you know how to use it? It’s a new gadget, and I haven’t used it either. Su Yue should be pretty familiar with it. When she gets back from her meal, I’ll have her teach you."

’Don’t know how to use it? What’s so difficult about such a fool-proof device! Su Yue is more familiar with it? Heh...’

Yu Fei silently unfolded the Holographic Mirror Helmet, inserted the storage device, donned the helmet-like device, and lay down on the bed, his right hand finding the power button to start it.

Not wanting to deal with this eccentric pair, Yu Fei immersed his consciousness in the description of the peerless-grade, Second Realm Cultivation Technique.

The Holographic Mirror Helmet was a revolutionary invention, but its use was still limited to Martial Artists. According to the product manual, the stronger biomagnetic fields and bioelectricity of Martial Artists could be captured by the device. This, combined with special energy resonance techniques, created an immersive experience that was impossible for ordinary people.

Yu Fei paid no mind to these vague technical descriptions. He wasn’t a researcher; he was just a user.

Following the prompts, he opened the storage device and began studying the peerless-grade, Second Realm Cultivation Technique first.

Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar

A gentle female voice sounded in his ears as four large, shimmering golden words floated before his eyes. They then dissolved into multicolored qi particles, which formed one virtual figure after another to demonstrate the pillar skill, move by move. It felt just like playing a top-tier AAA game.

To be fair, the name Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar had a lot more flair than the Ox Subduing Pile Skill he had practiced in the First Realm.

After that brief internal comment, his attention was quickly captivated by the technique’s description, and he immersed himself completely in learning the new knowledge.

The cultivation process of the Second Realm could be summarized into two stages: The first stage was tempering the five viscera to solidify one’s foundation, and the second was strengthening the six bowels to expel impurities.

The primordial qi of heaven and earth has different attributes, divided among the five elements. The five viscera of the human body naturally correspond to these five elements. The liver, belonging to Wood, is responsible for strengthening the tendons; abundant liver qi results in powerful eyesight.

The lungs belong to Metal and the spleen to Earth, corresponding to the skin and muscles. These two can unlock special abilities related to the mouth and nose, all associated with one’s breath.

The heart belongs to Fire, governs the strengthening of blood, and corresponds to the tongue; when fortified to a certain level, it can distinguish poisons. The kidneys belong to Water, govern the strengthening of bones, and can unlock special abilities related to the ears.

After the five viscera are tempered, their essence qi is used to strengthen the six bowels through constant refinement. Ultimately, the viscera and bowels resonate, refining the body from the inside out. This constitutes the entire cultivation process for the Second Realm.

After reading the introduction to the peerless-grade technique, Yu Fei turned his attention to the five high-grade techniques. He needed to understand the differences between them.

After spending an entire day carefully studying the four techniques, Yu Fei came to a general understanding of their differences.

While both relied on the primordial qi of heaven and earth, the peerless-grade technique was indiscriminate. It absorbed the qi of all five elements simultaneously, tempering all five viscera at once. By leveraging the five elements’ principles of mutual generation and restriction, it achieved a state of balance. This kept the tempering progress of the five viscera consistent, and their mutual stimulation actually produced better cultivation results.

The various special abilities it unlocked could all be developed to the body’s maximum potential.

High-grade techniques, however, tempered the five viscera one by one. Relying on the five elements’ principle of mutual generation, they sequentially unlocked the cultivation method for the next organ. Consequently, the special abilities for each organ were unlocked at different times and varied in strength. Even after the five viscera and five elements were eventually balanced, an inherent disparity remained, thus rendering these methods inferior.

More critically, high-grade cultivation methods were extremely resource-intensive. The concentration of primordial qi and the proportion of the five elements varied throughout the world. Cultivating a high-grade technique demanded specific environmental conditions, often requiring the artificial creation of an environment with a high concentration of a single type of qi. This was quite costly. There were also "budget" versions, but they were much slower.

The difference between the five high-grade techniques lay in the order they prioritized tempering the five viscera. According to the descriptions, the organ tempered first would unlock a more powerful special ability, but it still couldn’t compare to what a peerless-grade technique offered.

The peerless-grade technique was more aligned with the principle of letting nature take its course. As long as primordial qi was present in the environment, it was sufficient; there was no need to worry about the concentration of the different five elements.

Yu Fei mulled it over. The peerless-grade technique was definitely the right fit for him. After all, achieving the Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation had granted him two special talents—one red, one orange—and the red one would absolutely help with cultivating a peerless-grade technique.

He knew better than anyone just how terrifying the Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation Skill was. It was a method that defied the heavens to change one’s fate, altering a person’s latent talents. Its effects were somewhat similar to the Fate-Reversing Pearl, and he suspected that the world remained ignorant of this technique’s unique nature.

’How did Mr. Lanren even create such a powerful technique?’

Yu Fei sank his consciousness into the Fate-Reversing Pearl. Six talent slots shimmered, eight specks of stardust lay forlornly scattered, and four layers of blue light flickered without end. He had now accumulated the ability to copy talents four times.

Of all his talents, only the initial one, Super Speed Reaction from the tabby cat, was still blue. He had always wanted to strengthen it, but he’d never had the opportunity to acquire more stardust.

The purple talent, Insight, which he’d gained from his first martial arts tournament, gave him a powerful predictive perception that allowed him to navigate social interactions more calmly and better respond to crises.

His self-awakened red talent, Spiritual Grace, had provided the massive boost to his Spiritual Power and soul quality that was the fundamental reason he could achieve the Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation.

The red talent formed from fusing a series of acquired talents—the Void Martial Body—was what allowed him to stand out and become a prodigy among Martial Artists.

The orange talent from the Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation, Formless Sword Master, and its derivative ability, Formless Sword Qi, had allowed him to repeatedly cut down enemies of a higher realm during the great battle a month ago.

What Yu Fei didn’t know was that, because he had absorbed the formless sword principles from the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed while refining it, he had obtained an even more powerful Formless Sword Master talent. His Formless Sword Qi was therefore stronger, and he could control it with the ease and freedom of his own limbs.

His upcoming cultivation would now depend on the abilities of his red talent: Symbiotic Primordial Qi.

The effect of this talent was to use a symbiotic treasure to grant the host all five elemental attributes, drastically increasing their ability to absorb the primordial qi of heaven and earth.

Strictly speaking, Symbiotic Primordial Qi was not his own ability, but one he had indirectly grasped after refining the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed. Now, that refined seed had formed a mark on the skin over his heart—a seed in the shape of a sword-lotus.

Having determined his cultivation path, Yu Fei focused all his energy on the Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar. He could vaguely see traces of the Ox Subduing Pile Skill within this new technique, but it was far more profound and demanded a higher level of control over his Qi Blood flow. It had, however, inherited the characteristic of "refining the body from the void."

In the recovery room, Su Yue, dressed in a blue martial arts uniform, broke down the movements of the Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar one by one. Her uniform was a custom, form-fitting style that accentuated her figure without impeding her fluid, graceful movements.

She had practiced this very peerless-grade technique back when she was in the Second Realm, so her foundation was incredibly deep.

Yu Fei watched with intense concentration while Yan Sea looked on with a gratified smile. He had never practiced a peerless-grade technique himself. While his current realm gave him a high-level perspective from which to teach, he ultimately lacked Su Yue’s first-hand experience.

"The stances of the Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar are merely a guide. The key lies in the circulation of your Qi Blood and your control over the primordial qi of heaven and earth. It’s a greater test of your Spiritual Power, comprehension, and physical aptitude..."

Su Yue’s voice was crisp and melodious as she slowly expounded upon the secrets of the Second Realm’s peerless-grade pillar technique. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Finally, I must warn you that the Taiwei Profound Origin Pillar is, more than anything, a test of a Martial Artist’s innate constitution. Many prodigies fail to even get started with it—not because they can’t understand it, but because their constitution isn’t compatible.

Normally, if you haven’t grasped the basics within a week, you should just give it up. It’s fine if you can’t cultivate it. Your master, for example, practiced very ordinary techniques in his Second and Third Realms, but he’s a Grandmaster now.

Quite a few prodigies from our generation ended up falling by the wayside. In the end, the path of a Martial Artist is about how far you can go, not about momentary successes or failures. You must be careful in everything you do. Make survival your number one priority..."

Yu Fei’s brow furrowed as he listened.

"Here she goes again..." Yu Fei turned to Yan Sea with a pleading look.

Ever since he’d climbed out of that tank, Su Yue’s lecturing had been nonstop.

An awkward expression flickered across Yan Sea’s face. "Yu Fei," he said, "why don’t you give it a try yourself?"