As a rank 9 awakener, Nova's next objective was clear: break through to the warrior realm. After some deliberation, he decided to master alchemy, forging, and runes to fully exploit the system's potential. He also intended to acquire dedicated techniques for body forging and soul cultivation, aiming to reach these milestones before the college entrance exams.
He began his search for a body forging technique, a purchase he had long delayed due to the steep cost. Eventually, he discovered a compelling deal: the barbarian body forging manual bundled with a complimentary fist technique. The price was a staggering 15 million alliance coins, but he placed the order without a moment's hesitation. With his funds depleted, the only remaining hurdle was the high point cost for his side professions. To bridge the gap, there was nothing left to do but hunt.
The following day, the manuals arrived. He felt the substantial weight of the heavy scrolls, which carried the crisp, sharp scent of fresh ink. As he spent 1k points to instantly master the techniques, a sudden surge of heat radiated through his muscles, leaving his skin tingling with newfound power.
He maintained this grueling pace for fifteen days. These fifteen days were both good and bad. The good part was that his progress was undeniable; he had amassed 50k points, enough to trigger a massive wave of upgrades. However, the bad thing was that the beast god cult had become more active. What began as isolated, low-level skirmishes had evolved into frequent, violent incursions. The metallic tang of blood and the smell of ozone now lingered in the urban zones as rank 7 monsters began to appear.
The streets were now thick with tension, echoing with the rhythmic march of the public security bureau, the city guard, and the warrior association. Despite the higher-ups commissioning warriors to patrol and hunt cultists, the atmosphere remained grim. The cultists had begun aggressively ambushing patrol teams from the shadows of narrow alleys. These chaotic clashes left both sides with heavy losses, but the cultists maintained a slight advantage by striking from the dark and vanishing before reinforcements could arrive.
Nova reached the city gate, leaving the safe, paved roads of the novice zone for the tangled roots and damp earth of the deep forest. The air here was cooler, smelling of moss and wet stone. He excitedly rubbed his hands together, the friction warm against his palms. It was time. He opened the system and spent 20k points to upgrade his body cultivation from rank 1 to rank 9 of the awakener realm. With 30k points remaining, he spent 7k to bring his barbarian fist technique to mastery and another 5k to push his wind swordsmanship from skilled to mastery.
Only 18k points remained. After a moment of thought, he decided to upgrade his aura cultivation to the rank 1 warrior realm. Nova took a deep breath to calm his racing heart; unlike previous upgrades, this was a major realm breakthrough. He found a secluded cave where the walls felt cold and gritty against his back, ensuring no beasts would disturb him. He knew that with the system controlling the process, he didn't need to be as cautious as others, but he refused to take any chances.
He sat down, took a final deep breath that tasted of dust , and clicked the plus sign next to aura cultivation. A mysterious power immediately enveloped his body, and the surrounding aura of the stars rushed toward him like a tide. This time, the energy didn't sink into his muscles or bones. Instead, it flooded his meridians with a searing heat, stretching them wider as the current surged through. The aura began to converge in his lower abdomen until he heard a distinct creaking sound—the sharp, resonant crack of his dantian finally opening.
As the aura settled into a warm pool in his dantian, a second mysterious power began to sharpen his mind. His vision of the world shifted; he could suddenly sense the flutter of an insect's wing and the texture of the cave floor within five meters, all without using his eyes. Nova knew this was the sign of his sea of consciousness opening. This invisible soul power feels dense and steady, a strong soul power is a gift essential for alchemy, forging, and runes.
Nova stood up and circulated his aura to test his new strength. A very thin, shimmering layer of energy appeared just above his skin. It was the signature defense of a martial artist and the mark of the warrior realm. At this level, a warrior coats their body in aura for defense and their weapon for offense; it is the stage where one truly begins to wield supernatural power.
Eager to test his limits, Nova activated the phantom step. Back in the awakener realm, the move would simply make him a blur. Now, his speed was ten times greater, the wind whistling sharply past his ears. As he moved, he left behind lifelike afterimages—cold, silent phantoms that could easily deceive an enemy.
While running, he spotted a large rank 9 wolf, its fur matted. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and unleashed his wind swordsmanship. Unlike before, his blade was now wrapped in a thin layer of wind-attribute aura. The steel gave off a low, predatory hiss as it cut through the air, the faint breeze around the edge making the sword feel weightless and incredibly fast. With a single, effortless motion,
Nova sliced through the neck of the rank 9 wolf. The blade moved so fast it was nearly invisible, leaving only a silver arc in the air. He felt almost no resistance as the steel passed through, the thin layer of wind aura on his sword parting fur and bone like a hot wire through wax. The heavy head of the beast slid from its shoulders before the body even realized it was dead, hitting the forest floor with a dull thud.
A few minutes later, Nova calmed his breathing and checked the system window. With 8k points left, he calculated that hunting a rank 1 warrior realm beast would net him the 2k points needed to upgrade his body cultivation. Achieving that would provide a vital layer of safety in these troubled times.
He began his search, stalking through the undergrowth until he found a fire lion. It was a massive creature, three times the size of a normal lion, with a body that shimmered like a living, burning flame. The air around it distorted from the heat, smelling of scorched earth and ozone. The fire lion noticed him immediately and lunged. Nova began by dodging, testing his reflexes against the searing heat of the beast's claws. After a few minutes of back and forth, he felt completely attuned to his new speed. He unleashed his full force with wind swordsmanship, his blade whistling through the air to slice the head from the beast in a single, fluid motion. Shortly after, he encountered another fire lion; this time, he didn't waste time playing around and ended it instantly.
Nova opened the system window and saw he finally had enough points. Just like before, he found a secluded spot to sit cross-legged. He felt less nervous than the first time, though a slight tension remained. He clicked the plus sign next to body cultivation.
A mysterious power enveloped him, acting as a guiding force. Aura rushed toward him like a tide, but instead of flooding his meridians, it surged into his individual cells. The energy tempered each cell, carving out microscopic spaces within them. While these spaces were tiny compared to a dantian, there were billions of them. If the goal of aura cultivation was to create a universe within the dantian, the goal of body cultivation was to transform every cell into a miniature world.
After the breakthrough, Nova stood up to test his strength. As he circulated the aura through his cells, his body grew taller by several centimeters and his muscles filled out with dense, powerful cordage. With a surge of anticipation, he punched a large tree in front of him. The trunk exploded into splinters instantly, and the upper half of the tree was sent flying several meters through the air before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.