Joe Di joyfully put away his short blade. In just one night, he could now effortlessly wield the Di Family Seven Blades: Second Blade—faster even than when he learned the First Blade.
He knew that mastering the Second Blade in just one night wasn't due to a sudden improvement in his talent. The main reason was the Grandwalk Codex; after reaching the first level of Qi Training, using the Di Family Seven Blades: Second Blade felt even more natural.
Not only that, after mastering the Second Blade, he hardly felt any depletion in his body. When he trained the First Blade, he had spent hundreds of thousands in medicinal herbs. But now, with the Second Blade, he felt almost no physical damage at all.
This proved just how remarkable the Grandwalk Codex was. If martial arts techniques relied on consuming vital energy for strength, then the Grandwalk Codex not only replenished the body's vitality but also increased power. The difference was clear.
Seeing Joe Di sheathe his blade, Echo Young, who had been practicing in the distance, immediately ran over.
Echo Young was drenched in sweat, but his eyes were filled with excitement. Clearly, he had just experienced the power of the Di Family Seven Blades: First Blade.
"Brother Joe, your blade technique is truly incredible. If I'd known this First Blade years ago, my brother Stanley Young wouldn't have died in vain." Echo Young was deeply grateful for Joe Di teaching him the Di Family Seven Blades.
Joe Di shook his head and said, "That was in the past. On Celestia, there are techniques far more powerful than the Di Family Seven Blades. If you only learn these, you'll still be weak. Also, when you train with the Seven Blades, remember to follow the instructions and buy the right herbs to replenish your body."
"I know. If I have any questions, I'll ask right away. Now let's go get cleaned up, eat something, and then I'll take you to Yanda to find Sophie Ji." Echo Young was still excited, not yet over the thrill of the blade technique.
"I can find Sophie Ji myself. You have more important things to do," Joe Di replied at once.
"What is it?"
"Training the Di Family Seven Blades requires top-quality steel blades. Right now, our blades are too poor—just cleavers used by street thugs. Go and have two good steel blades forged." Joe Di had long wanted a better blade, but he didn't know much about it. Entrusting Echo Young with the task was the best option.
Echo Young patted his chest. "Brother Joe, leave it to me. Tonight, I'll bring back two excellent blades."
......
The oldest martial arts academy in Huaxia is the Yanda Martial Arts Department.
Because the Yanda Martial Arts Department was established early, many of its graduates had already gone to Celestia. Some among them even reached the rank of Grand Martial Master.
Now, the Yanda Martial Arts Department is the place everyone dreams of entering.
Having been established early, the Yanda Martial Arts Department already had a tiered class system. All new students started in the Preparatory Class, regardless of their background.
Only when a student's strength in the Preparatory Class was enough to challenge Wood Martial Hall, and they could punch with at least two hundred kilograms of force, could they enter the Advanced Class.
Martial artists who entered Celestia were almost always graduates of the Advanced Class.
Entering the Advanced Class doesn’t automatically qualify you for Celestia. To apply for entry, you must demonstrate a punch force of at least five hundred kilograms while in the Advanced Class.
If you reach the true rank of Yellow-tier martial artist in the Advanced Class, you’re promoted directly to the Elite Class. Students of the Elite Class can go to Celestia whenever they wish.
So, while Celestia is technically open to students of the Martial Academy, it’s mostly a promotional claim. To truly enter Celestia, you must have the strength to qualify.
If a Preparatory Class student fails to advance to the Advanced Class within three years, it means they lack martial talent and are forcibly expelled from the Martial Academy. Otherwise, it’s just a waste of resources.
Sophie Ji is a student in the Preparatory Class. She’s been there for over two years, and her three-year limit is approaching. Yet her punch force is only one hundred and two kilograms. While that’s impressive for an ordinary person or even in boxing competitions, it’s far from enough to enter the Advanced Class.
If not for her brother and father’s troubles, Sophie might not even care about going to Celestia. But now, her brother Stanley Ji lies unconscious from poisoning, and her father Howard Ji has vanished on Celestia. She must go to Celestia to find out what happened. Unfortunately, martial talent isn’t something that can be solved by effort alone.
Yanda has a total of twenty-one Preparatory Classes, each with nearly a hundred students. Generally, the higher-ranked classes have the best instructors.
This is Sophie Ji’s third year in the Preparatory Class, so her aptitude is certainly weak. She’s now in Class Seven. Based on her performance, being assigned to Class Twenty-One wouldn’t be surprising—her spot in Class Seven is only thanks to her family’s wealth.
Today’s lesson is a major lecture, attended by students from Classes Six to Ten. The instructor is Victor Zhang, a renowned martial artist who has just returned from Celestia.
Rumor has it that Victor Zhang is already a half-step Earth-level expert. On Celestia, he once single-handedly slew a formidable Dire Beast. Because of this, not only did students from Classes Six to Ten attend—others from different classes secretly gathered outside the Lecture Hall to listen in.
Four or five hundred students sat silently in the bright, spacious Lecture Hall. Only when the bell rang did a short, middle-aged man stride calmly inside.
As the man entered, all the students rose to their feet and respectfully greeted in unison, "Good morning, Teacher Zhang."
The middle-aged man nodded and gestured with his hand, "Everyone, please sit down."
Once everyone was seated, the middle-aged man spoke in a slightly rough voice, "Many of you have heard of me, but few truly know me. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Victor Zhang, just returned from Celestia."
"Teacher Zhang, is it true that you personally slew a Dire Beast?" a bold student asked.
(Irrelevant web prompt skipped as per guidelines.)
Victor Zhang swept his gaze over the student, his tone calm as he replied, "Yes, I did slay a Dire Beast alone. I nearly lost my life in that battle. So don’t think that just entering the Advanced Class means you’re ready to face Dire Beasts on Celestia. I’m not trying to discourage you, but in front of even slightly stronger Dire Beasts, Advanced Class students aren’t even as strong as bean sprouts."
He took a breath and continued, "The requirements for entering Celestia are strict. For example, you must reach the Advanced Class and have a punch force of at least five hundred kilograms. The main reason is to prevent you from going there just to die."
"But Teacher, isn’t it possible to enter Celestia if you have enough money?" someone asked quietly.
Hearing this, Sophie Ji sneered inwardly. If money could solve everything, she would have gone to Celestia long ago. She could indeed buy her way in, but what then? Celestia is nothing like it used to be. Before, once you entered, you could go anywhere you pleased. Now, without sufficient strength, you can only remain at Celestia Grand Plaza.
She wasn’t going to Celestia just to linger at Celestia Grand Plaza—she wanted to search for her father and find medicine to cure her brother.
Victor Zhang sneered, "That’s right, money can get you into Celestia, but those people only reach the Grand Plaza. Let me ask you: is your goal just to stay safe at Celestia Grand Plaza? If so, what’s the point of attending the Martial Academy?"
As the room quieted again, Victor Zhang didn’t press further. "Celestia’s dangers need no further explanation. Time is short today, so I’ll focus on why some people fail to condense vital energy…"
At these words, all the students perked up. Of the hundreds gathered here, more than half had yet to condense vital energy. Their cultivation only scratched the surface, unable to grasp the true essence.