Late morning.
Inside Riverdale Gardens, Andrew Han stood quietly in the Main Gallery.
"Twenty-one strands of Graywhite Aura."
"After so many rounds of absorption, I've finally finished. But there aren't as many antiques here as I imagined, and their quality isn't that great either."
He shook his head.
There were around six or seven hundred antique relics here, but only a little over three hundred contained even a single strand of Graywhite Aura—far fewer than Andrew Han had expected.
"Andrew Han," called the middle-aged woman in charge of the area, standing at the Main Gallery entrance, "I'm terribly sorry, but today we need to move these antiques to a new location. If you come next time, please go around the willow tree—there's a newly built storage room behind it."
"Alright, thank you."
Andrew Han nodded.
After a moment's thought, he added, "I won't trouble you anymore in the future. I've pretty much seen all the antiques here."
The middle-aged woman smiled gently. "Is that so? That's fine. These relics are just the preliminary collection for the museum. We'll keep adding more, and eventually, we'll need some true treasures to anchor the institution."
Oh?
Andrew Han's eyes lit up.
He glanced at the middle-aged woman, gave a polite smile, and left the area, heading for a quiet street.
Whoosh, whoosh.
A warm, blazing wind swept down the street, rustling the leaves. Few people passed by.
On both sides of the street stood the outer walls of Riverdale Gardens, with no shops in sight. As a result, there were hardly any pedestrians, and only the occasional car sped past.
"Good."
Andrew Han walked behind a thick tree, quite satisfied. "This is a good spot."
He paused for a moment.
Thud!
Andrew Han stepped forward with his right foot, stomping heavily on the brick pavement. Then he pulled his left foot outward, assuming the flawless posture of the Solar Pillar Stance. His arms traced an arc before forming a mysterious hand seal at his chest.
"Solar Pillar Stance!"
His eyes blazed, fierce and bright as fire, radiating a surging, uplifting aura.
Whoosh.
Andrew Han's qi and blood surged instantly, unleashing a mysterious force that billowed out his short sleeves, as if a fan had suddenly started up inside his shirt.
Crack, crack, crack.
Andrew Han's tendons, bones, blood, heart, and every muscle in his body tensed to the utmost, channeling all his strength and energy throughout his body, achieving perfect coordination between qi, blood, and physical power.
Going from Third Rank to Second Rank isn't all that difficult.
But reaching First Rank from Second Rank is the hardest part.
Gavin King, a Second Rank martial artist, had been stuck at this level for three or four years. Advancing to Second Rank requires accumulating strength and refining one's qi and blood. Only when reaching the body's peak can one truly unite inner power and vitality.
In other words,
If your strength doesn't reach its absolute limit, you can't step into First Rank... and the Martial Artist Realm is even further out of reach.
"No point thinking about that now."
Andrew Han shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. "I've already reached the peak of Third Rank. Now I just need to break through to Second Rank and unify my strength and qi."
Huff.
Huff.
He breathed lightly, feeling his qi and blood begin to churn violently within.
The boost from the Graywhite Aura, combined with the complete Solar Pillar Stance, was like perfectly meshed gears—each driving and enhancing the other. The twenty-one strands of Graywhite Aura he had just acquired made the Solar Pillar Stance even more effective.
Strengthen, strengthen.
When he neared a certain limit, the power within him seemed to take on substance, fusing with his qi and blood. Though it was only an illusion, Andrew Han couldn't help but smile.
"I've reached Second Rank!"
He exhaled deeply, slowly releasing the Solar Pillar Stance.
This sense of illusion marks the visible sign of Second Rank. As the most unique of the Upper Three Ranks, Second Rank focuses on accumulating strength and refining qi and blood—a vast category.
Moreover,
The upper limit of Second Rank varies from person to person. Some Second Rank martial artists can even surpass those at First Rank.
Crack, crack.
Andrew Han shook out his arms, as if swinging an iron spear.
By now, his bones and skin were exceptionally tough—far beyond those of other martial artists at the same rank. He could even withstand impacts from sharp objects.
"But still..."
"I still feel empty inside, like a bucket just filled with water, only for the water level to drop sharply... Even my heart feels hollow."
Andrew Han let out a breath.
This is exactly how it feels to first enter Second Rank—nothing unusual. As you keep accumulating strength and refining your qi and blood, that sense of emptiness gradually fades.
Swish.
Andrew Han threw a straight punch.
The punch was vigorous, almost tiger-like, and you could hear his clothes vibrating. But it was only the sound of fabric; it was still far from distorting the air itself.
Smack!
Andrew Han swept his leg through the air, then stopped and kicked several more times in rapid succession.
Just then, he spotted a couple strolling nearby. They froze, their faces changing, staring at him in confusion and alarm.
"Ahem."
Andrew Han coughed, forcing a smile.
The couple immediately turned and walked back the way they came, clearly preferring a different route rather than confronting Andrew Han's odd behavior.
"Probably a nutcase."
"Shh... Keep your voice down. He probably hasn't dated in ages and it's messed with his mind."
From thirty meters away, as the hot wind swept through, Andrew Han's face remained expressionless, but he could faintly hear the couple's whispered gossip.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated slightly.
Andrew Han sighed, took out his phone, and glanced at the screen. It was a QQ message from Monica Zhang.
First came two chat images: 'A cat tugging at a blanket,' and 'A pure white creature with grass on its head, holding a hair dryer.' "Andrew Han, I forgot to ask—how did your exam go?"
Andrew Han's eyes lit up.
Tap, tap, tap.
He quickly typed a message: "That white creature with green grass on its head—what is it? It's adorable."
Monica Zhang replied, "Of course! It's super cute. How did you do on your exam? /daydream/ /daydream/"
Andrew Han persisted, "What's its name?"
Monica sent a laughing cat sticker and said, "It's called Grass-Head Emoji."
Andrew Han's eyes lit up as he added the emoji to his collection, replying, "I didn't do very well, but you probably did great."
With Monica's grades, she could easily rank in the top ten of the entire year.
As long as she performed normally on the college entrance exam, she could get into Southland University. After all, as candidates from Jiangnan Province, the admission score for Southland University is lower for locals than for those from other provinces.
Monica Zhang held her phone and smiled, "Of course I did well. Southland University won't be a problem. We'll still be classmates there! /happy/ /happy/"
"Congratulations in advance!"
Andrew Han sent a message and walked toward the bus stop.
Monica Zhang would get into college based on her exam results, while Andrew Han relied on his martial arts rank. This only strengthened Andrew's resolve to pursue martial arts.
Only through martial arts could he gain the power to control his life and destiny.
He hadn't had time to savor the breakthrough from Fourth Rank to Third Rank.
But he was already vaguely aware of the changes.
Going from Fourth Rank to Third Rank was like an ascension—his strength fully connected, instantly granting him the power to lift a thousand kilograms. In contrast, Fourth Rank martial artists could only muster half that.
As for the leap from Third Rank to Second Rank, it meant even clearer mastery over his inner strength.
In short,
The Upper Three Ranks in martial arts represent a qualitative transformation—not only granting immense strength, but also revealing extraordinary abilities, far surpassing the Middle Three Ranks.
"Three months ago, I was just an ordinary person, newly introduced to martial arts."
Standing at the bus stop, Andrew Han mused, "In just over three months, I've reached Second Rank among the Upper Three Ranks."
He paused for a moment.
He put away his phone, calmed his thoughts, and watched the bustling crowd. "Master wants me to learn the basics of 'technique'? I wonder what 'technique' really is."
"Well, whatever."
"I'll go see Master first—I'll find out then."
Andrew Han boarded the bus passing by the school and headed toward campus.