According to the common knowledge of the Martial Arts World, Inspiration is considered a fundamental sense of the Martial Lord Realm.
When one's consciousness and will become unbreakable, and the body is strong enough as a foundation, Inspiration emerges—a sense akin to sight or hearing, but imbued with mysterious qualities.
For example, it restrains Specters!
Or it can intimidate living beings!
But at this moment, Andrew Han sat at the edge of his single bed in his bedroom, his gaze full of shock: "My Inspiration is changing, as if it's gradually condensing and converging toward the center of my mind."
This unfathomable transformation left him astonished.
Above Inspiration lies Spiritual Thought—the foundational sense of the Law Realm, even more wondrous than Inspiration. It can actively scan in all directions, rather than merely sensing passively from a fixed spot.
Simply put,
Inspiration is mostly passive, while Spiritual Thought is active—that's the biggest difference.
"Could my Inspiration be about to transform into Spiritual Thought, the sense above the Martial Lord Realm?" Andrew Han rubbed his brow, but gradually dismissed his own guess, because Spiritual Thought is nothing like this.
He couldn't fathom the root cause of his Inspiration's change; all he felt was a gathering sense of imminent eruption, like a storm about to break.
Wait!
Could it be related to the Berserker State?
Andrew's expression shifted, his mind swirling with stray thoughts: "Maybe this transformation will finally let me determine what Graywhite Aura truly is."
"Especially since every time, countless shouts echo in my ears and mind."
A single thread of Graywhite Aura circulating within an item can strengthen the body; a whole wisp of Graywhite Aura can reinforce both the body and Inspiration.
After all this time, am I finally about to learn the truth?
Forget it.
"No matter what, this period of precipitation has brought immense benefits." Andrew sat at the edge of the bed, gently pulled his little sister Lucy Han into his arms, and pinched her cheek.
If you've been rushing too fast, then take a break.
By taking a short rest, not only did I inadvertently attune myself to the Magma State, promoting the sublimation of my Internal Power. At the same time, my Inspiration was undergoing changes, like an active volcano continually accumulating power, just waiting for a brilliant eruption in an instant.
Perhaps.
If he reemerges with his full strength, he could climb to the very peak of the world.
......
A civic consultative body of the Riverford City Government.
This is an institution for discussing important matters of national policy and public life, offering suggestions and criticism to supervise the city government's administration.
The meeting had just concluded.
No one was in a hurry to leave; some packed up their things, others engaged in lively conversation.
"Ahem."
William Han covered his mouth and coughed twice. Though he had a slight cold, it didn't affect his good mood.
"Thinking it over, I suppose I've succeeded."
William Han neatly stacked the documents on the table before him, smiling: "Thanks to Little Dong, our family's small convenience stores have grown to seven branches, and we're preparing to open a real supermarket in Riverford by the end of the year."
If business prospers, that's success in terms of money.
And as a consultative member, that's success in terms of influence... Even if it's not a high position, and even if suggestions and criticism rarely have an effect, in William Han's eyes, it still counts as an official identity.
He was proud of it.
Even more, he cherished the honor.
"But..."
"I've heard that the Martial Arts World has the Martial World Alliance, and Little Dong is already on par with the Alliance Elders. Every word and action carries absolute authority. I never imagined that as a father, I'd succeed by relying on my son." William Han stacked all the papers, placed them in his briefcase, and let out a long sigh.
In truth,
The Riverford City Government invited William Han to serve as chair of the civic consultative body, but he declined. Being a member was good enough for him; taking the chair position would have felt like leveraging authority too much.
What is true influence, anyway?
Perhaps his son, Little Dong, was the real power-holder in China, and the root of it all was martial arts.
"Fortunately, I didn't discourage my son from practicing martial arts."
"Everyone has their own choices, their own lives. My philosophy of absolute trust in my child's education was right after all." William Han's smile grew even wider as the people around him stood and left the conference hall.
He wasn't being dramatic, just deeply moved.
Thanks to Andrew Han's meteoric rise, the whole family had changed... Linda Chen no longer worked herself to exhaustion, and as a father, he no longer worried about how to support Little Dong's future or his daughter Lucy Han growing up.
The changes were enormous.
William Han felt a sense of the world turning upside down, and also a touch of melancholy... He'd long known the wonders of martial arts, but after growing older, he couldn't train any more, let alone reach the Upper Three Ranks of the Nine-Tier Martial Arts Ranking System.
"Forget it."
"I'm just too greedy," William Han muttered to himself. "People are never satisfied. Life is already so good, nothing is lacking, and yet I keep thinking about useless things."
He reproached himself as he got up to leave.
William Han followed the crowd out of the conference hall. At the entrance, he was greeted by a slim, upright man in his thirties wearing rimless glasses: "Mr. Han, do you have a moment?"
"Ethan Zhou, what's the matter?" William Han frowned.
Ethan Zhou, a middle-aged man rumored to have connections with the Southvale provincial government, was preparing to run for the next committee chair. Normally, William Han didn't know him well.
"May I have a word in private?"
Ethan Zhou rubbed his hands together, smiling at William Han.
For the sake of becoming committee chair, he would stop at nothing.
Especially after hearing that the Riverford city government had invited William Han to serve as chair, Ethan Zhou grew wary and started investigating William's background, but couldn't find anything. He was even sternly warned by a relative who worked in the Southvale provincial government.
In the corner,
The air conditioning blew cold air, and there was no trace of heat inside or outside the meeting room. Ethan Zhou rubbed his hands again: "I'm preparing to run for committee chair soon. Mr. Han, do you plan to run as well?"