The library stretched endlessly, a silent ocean of knowledge.
Rows upon rows of ancient shelves towered upward, disappearing into a dim, hazy ceiling. Each step echoed faintly, as though even sound was suppressed within this place.
At a glance, it felt less like a library… and more like a sealed world.
Wang Li stood at the entrance, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"To search through all of this… I would need years."
The thought had barely formed—
When a voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Young man, what are you looking for?"
Wang Li's pupils shrank.
Someone had appeared within three feet of him… and he hadn't sensed a thing.
He turned his head.
An old man stood there, hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm—yet his eyes seemed to contain a depth that could swallow mountains.
Wang Li suppressed the ripple in his heart and bowed slightly.
'Indeed! Worthy of a top sect! It has experts even in the library!' Wang Li thought ignorantly.
"Senior, I seek records regarding the Martial Realm… specifically, how to break through."
The old man studied him for a brief moment.
Then he raised a finger and pointed forward.
"Walk that path. The *Martial Genesis Records* are within."
His voice was ordinary.
But for some reason… it echoed faintly, as if layered with something unseen.
Wang Li thanked him and stepped forward.
The moment he moved ten steps—
The old man was gone.
Not gone as in leaving…
But gone as if he had never existed.
Wang Li paused.
Then continued walking.
---
Above him, countless categories hovered in the air like constellations.
Each word shimmered faintly, as though containing intent.
Weapons. Body Tempering. Spiritual Herbs. Forbidden Arts.
Finally—
*Martial Genesis.*
Wang Li stepped into the section.
And immediately felt the difference.
The air here was heavier.
Not physically—but spiritually.
Every book seemed to carry a faint pressure, as if each one contained a fragment of someone's path.
He exhaled slowly and began searching.
Soon, his gaze stopped on a single book.
*All You Need to Know About the Martial Genesis Realm*
A simple name.
Too simple.
Yet for some reason… it felt the most complete.
He picked it up.
The moment he opened it—
The world vanished.
---
Time lost meaning.
Words were no longer words—but flowing streams of understanding.
When Wang Li finally closed the book—
A long breath escaped his lips.
"So this… is the Martial Genesis Realm."
His voice was low, but steady.
The first step of cultivation.
The point where a mortal begins to touch the heavens.
"Genesis… is not birth."
"It is awakening."
According to the records—
Every human body contained an *Inner Heaven*.
A sealed world.
Limitless.
Vast.
But blocked.
Most people never even sense it.
Those who did… often failed to open it.
And those who opened it—
Did so imperfectly.
"That is why they stagnate…"
Wang Li's eyes darkened slightly.
A flawed Genesis meant a broken future path.
No matter how far one walked… they would find it difficult to advance further.
"The Genesis Gate…"
He murmured.
The first and most important barrier.
Once opened, the body would transform into a true vessel—capable of storing, refining, and evolving power.
Blood energy would expand.
Flesh would evolve.
Potential would be unlocked.
But—
"The quality of the opening determines everything."
His fingers tightened slightly.
A Yellow-grade technique?
That wasn't cultivation.
That was self-destruction disguised as progress.
The Martial Genesis Realm had twelve stages.
The first four—
Accumulation.
Gathering energy. Filling the vessel.
The latter eight—
Transformation.
Compressing, refining, evolving.
Turning quantity into quality.
And that process—
Required *intent*.
Specifically, the intent contained within higher-grade techniques.
"Earth-grade… is the minimum threshold for transformation."
Wang Li closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again—
There was clarity.
And something deeper.
Ambition.
---
He stepped into the scripture preview area.
Here, knowledge was not freely given.
Only glimpses.
Fragments.
Echoes.
But for Wang Li—
That was enough.
His gaze swept across the titles.
Then stopped.
One by one.
*True Water Scripture (Incomplete)*
*Absolute Yang Scripture (Incomplete)*
*Ancient Body Codex (Incomplete)*
*Heavy Water Scripture (Incomplete)*
*Yin-Yang Scripture (Incomplete)*
*Demonic Origin Manual (Incomplete)*
*Underworld Scripture (Incomplete)*
*Nine God Forging Scripture (Incomplete)*
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Heaven-grade… all of them."
Even incomplete—
Their essence remained.
Their intent remained.
And that…
Was what he needed.
"The sect has the complete versions," he thought calmly. "But they won't give them."
Not to disciples.
Not without a price.
Not without control.
"But incomplete…"
His eyes flickered.
"…is enough for me."
Because he was not cultivating them directly.
He was devouring them.
Refining them.
Fusing them.
Into his *Mountains and Seas Art*.
A path that did not belong to the sect.
A path—
That did not belong to this world.
"If seven Heaven-grade intents merge…"
He exhaled slowly.
"The Genesis Gate will not be a barrier."
It would be—
Crushed.
A trace of coldness surfaced in his gaze.
Then vanished.
"Not yet."
"Control."
---
At the second-floor counter, Wang Li placed down his token.
"I want these seven."
The old man behind the counter froze.
Then slowly looked up.
There was surprise in his eyes.
And something else.
Disbelief.
"Are you certain?"
"Even incomplete… these techniques are not meant to be combined."
"They will conflict. Collapse. Destroy your foundation."
Wang Li met his gaze calmly.
"I am certain."
The old man stared at him for a long moment.
Then sighed.
"Madness."
Half an hour later—
Seven jade slips were placed before him.
"Each can be used once."
"After that, they will shatter."
"And if you spread their contents—"
"The sect will erase you."
Wang Li picked them up.
"If I break the rules…"
He paused slightly.
"My master will act first."
The old man said nothing.
But as Wang Li turned to leave—
A strange thought surfaced in his mind.
*Wang Lu…*
His expression changed slightly.
Then he shook his head.
---
Outside—
Snow fell silently.
Wang Li stopped.
Only now did he notice it.
The entire sect was covered in white.
The snow drifted down slowly…
Too slowly.
He raised his hand.
A snowflake landed on his palm.
Cold.
But not ordinary cold.
This cold…
Seemed alive.
It struggled.
As if trying to escape.
Wang Li's eyes narrowed.
Suddenly—
A faint projection appeared in his palm.
Mountains.
Seas.
Vast. Ancient. Boundless.
The snowflake trembled—
Then was instantly absorbed.
Silence returned.
"…So it's like this."
This snow—
Was not natural.
It was *something being suppressed.*
Or perhaps—
Something leaking.
Wang Li looked up at the sky.
For a brief moment—
He felt as though something was watching him.
Then the feeling disappeared.
He said nothing more.
And walked toward the Tenth Peak.
---
The Tenth Peak stood alone.
Separated.
Silent.
Like an exile.
Or a grave.
Wang Li had lived there for six months.
Yet he still did not know its true name.
As for his master—
She appeared without warning.
Left without reason.
Spoke without meaning.
And yet—
Everything she did…
Seemed intentional.
---
When he arrived—
She was already there.
Standing at the edge of the cliff.
Looking at the horizon.
"Disciple," she said.
Her tone—
For once—
Was serious.
"Have you decided?"
Wang Li stepped forward.
"Yes."
"I will enter seclusion."
"I will break through."
Silence.
Then—
"Good."
She waved her hand.
A drop of pale golden blood appeared.
The moment it manifested—
The air distorted.
Pressure descended.
Wang Li's breathing slowed.
His instincts screamed.
Danger.
Power.
Opportunity.
Then—
A seven-colored flower appeared.
It bloomed silently.
Yet its presence seemed to distort perception itself.
"These…"
Wang Lu said softly,
"…are things I took from people who didn't deserve them."
Wang Li's heart trembled slightly.
Not at the treasures—
But at the implication.
"I will seal them."
"You have three months."
"Use them… or lose them."
The blood was sealed into a bottle.
The flower into a jade box.
Both floated toward him.
Wang Li reached out.
The moment he touched them—
His pulse quickened.
But when he looked up—
Wang Lu was gone.
Again.
As if she had never been there.
---
Inside the room—
Silence.
Wang Li sat down.
Placed the treasures aside.
Picked up a jade slip.
The moment his consciousness touched it—
BOOM—
The world shattered.
---
A void.
Endless.
Dark.
Then—
A tsunami descended from the heavens.
Vast.
Boundless.
Unstoppable.
Wang Li couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't resist.
But—
He didn't panic.
Behind him—
A mountain rose.
Ancient.
Eternal.
Beneath it—
Seas roared.
The pressure collapsed.
The tsunami trembled.
Wang Li snorted coldly.
And struck.
The mountain and sea surged forward—
Crashing into the wave.
The world exploded.
Golden characters emerged—
Alive.
Burning.
They surged into his eyes.
---
When he opened them—
A faint golden light flickered.
Then faded.
"I've grasped it…"
"The *Heavy Water Intent*…"
He exhaled slowly.
"It's incomplete."
"But…"
His gaze sharpened.
"It fits."
Not perfectly.
But enough.
His *Mountains and Seas Art* trembled slightly.
Evolved.
But—
Also revealed its weakness.
"It's still too shallow…"
"Too crude…"
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
"Six more."
A pause.
Then—
His stomach growled.
Wang Li blinked.
"…I'm hungry."