Two months flashed by in the blink of an eye, and Ian Song's cultivation had already reached Body-Refining tier nine.
This made Yellow Mountain absolutely ecstatic.
Back in his day, it had taken him a full five years to reach Body-Refining tier nine, and he was already considered a rare martial arts genius.
But his own son had done it in just two months—truly the student surpassing the master.
And that wasn't all. Ian Song's physique had undergone a complete transformation: from three hundred jin down to just one hundred thirty, and with his height at 1.88 meters, dressed in white robes and holding a folding fan, he had become a slender, elegant young gentleman.
Training Hall.
Yellow Mountain wore a solemn expression. "Good son, today I will teach you the remaining part of the Sunflare Art. Remember, this technique is the foundation of our Huang family's survival—never pass it on to outsiders!"
"Yes, I understand." Ian Song nodded seriously for once.
Martial arts are ranked into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. This Sunflare Art is a top-grade Black-tier technique; when fully mastered, it can take you to the peak of Master level.
It took a full hour for Yellow Mountain to orally transmit the entire Sunflare Art to him, explaining key points to watch for during cultivation. At the end, Yellow Mountain quizzed Ian Song to ensure he'd memorized everything without mistakes.
Yellow Mountain was very satisfied with the results of the quiz and his face lit up with a smile again. "Good son, once you cultivate true qi, I’ll teach you our Huang family’s secret technique—the Nine Mystic Flame Forms."
"What star rank is the Nine Mystic Flame Forms?" Ian Song asked.
"Upper-grade five-star," Yellow Mountain replied proudly.
"Only upper-grade five-star?" Ian Song sounded a bit disdainful.
Seeing his son look down on the Huang family's signature martial art, Yellow Mountain glared at him. "What? You think upper-grade five-star is too low?"
"A genius like me should naturally cultivate nine-star techniques!" Ian Song lifted his chin, looking smug.
Yellow Mountain said irritably, "You don’t know the heights of heaven and earth! You think nine-star martial arts are as common as cabbage? Even a sect like the Pristine Way doesn’t have any nine-star techniques!"
"Really? Are nine-star martial arts that rare?" Ian Song asked, a bit puzzled.
"Of course they're rare! As far as I know, our Human Race only has nine nine-star martial arts. Three are held by the number-one sect, High Heaven Alliance—and even there, only the sect master or their personal heir can cultivate them."
"Besides that, three nine-star martial arts are controlled by Heavenly Tiger Sect, Heavenly Dragon Sect, and Heavenly Elephant Sect. These three sects are said to have split off from an ancient top sect called Heavenly Gate."
The remaining three nine-star martial arts are controlled by three Martial Saints: Venerable Dragon Sword, Melody Empress, and Bloodblade Emperor."
After listening to Yellow Mountain's introduction, Ian Song looked thoughtful, wondering what kind of power a nine-star martial art would have when unleashed.
"By the way, how's my plan to join the Pristine Way Sect going?" Ian Song suddenly changed the subject.
Yellow Mountain replied in a deep voice, "In twenty days, the Pristine Way Sect will have its once-every-three-years recruitment. If you can reach Qi-Refining tier one within half a month, you should have a thirty percent chance of getting in!"
Ian Song said confidently, "Qi-Refining tier one? That's easy, I'll reach it in three days!"
"Alright, go out and cultivate!"
Yellow Mountain waved his hand, shooing Ian Song out of the training hall.
Back in his room, Ian Song sat cross-legged on his bed and began cultivating the Qi-Refining chapter of Sunflare Art.
With a Body-Refining tier-nine physique, he was freakishly strong—inside and out, far surpassing the innate-tier martial artists of the real world. That’s why Ian Song didn’t cheat, but instead cultivated step by step.
Boom!
That’s why martial artists in this world cultivate quickly, but don’t live long.
Here’s a quick rundown of lifespans in this world.
Ordinary people usually live to about eighty.
Martial artists at the Qi-Refining stage can live to a hundred.
Masters can live to about one hundred and fifty.
Grandmasters can reach two hundred.
Martial Saints have lifespans under three hundred.
As for Martial Gods, they don’t live beyond five hundred.
By Ian Song’s estimate, a Grandmaster’s strength is comparable to a Golden Core cultivator in immortal-dao.
Golden Core cultivators can live at least a thousand years, while Grandmasters only reach two hundred.
This is also why martial artists in this world cultivate quickly, but have short lifespans.
Here's an overview of lifespans in this world.
Ordinary people usually live to around eighty.
Martial artists who reach the Qi-Refining stage can live to about one hundred.
Masters can live to about one hundred fifty.
Grandmasters can reach two hundred.
Martial Saints have lifespans under three hundred.
As for Martial Gods, they don’t live beyond five hundred.
By Ian Song’s estimate, a Grandmaster’s strength is comparable to a Golden Core cultivator in immortal-dao.
Golden Core cultivators can live at least a thousand years, while Grandmasters only reach two hundred.
Martial Saints compare to Nascent Soul experts.
In the immortal cultivation world, Nascent Soul elders can easily live several thousand years.
Martial Gods?
Ian Song currently can't estimate their strength.
Immortal cultivation arts focus on nourishing life and longevity, while this world’s martial arts focus on attack. The stronger the art, the more damage it may inflict on the body. Of course, this is just Ian Song’s conjecture—he hasn’t witnessed the strongest arts himself.
Three days later, Yellow Mountain personally tested Ian Song’s cultivation.
Qi-Refining tier one peak!
After checking his cultivation, Yellow Mountain stared at him in shock.
Seeing Yellow Mountain’s stunned expression, Ian Song grinned: “Surprised? Unexpected? Do you think I’m a genius?”
Smack!
Yellow Mountain slapped the back of Ian Song’s head. “Don’t get cocky. If you’re so great, reach Master in three days.”
Ian Song rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that reaching Master in three days isn’t impossible—he just doesn’t want to scare his father. Since the system replaced him with Leon Huang, all his cultivation has been hidden in a dimensional space within his body. If he wants, he can instantly restore his late Foundation Establishment peak.
“Sir, Madam’s carriage has arrived at the city gate!”
Just then, a servant’s voice sounded outside the training hall.
“Alright, I know!” Yellow Mountain replied, then glanced at Ian Song. “Come, let’s go greet your mother!”