Over the next two weeks, Reston's daily life was simple and repetitive—training body techniques and martial skills in the virtual world, exiting to munch on carrots, taking a shower, then falling asleep again.
On the third day, Reston suddenly realized that every move he made seemed to carry an indescribable aura. Curious, he went to ask Instructor Lin.
"This is… Blade Intent?!" Lin's expression changed drastically. Impossible! Even the youngest Dragon God, a Martial God, had only comprehended Fist Intent after reaching the Martial Lord!
"Instructor Lin, why is it Blade Intent?" Reston asked in confusion, once again bewildered by his own actions.
"'Intent' is a state of profound understanding. When someone's comprehension in a certain field reaches an extraordinary level, their actions naturally carry its essence. In your case, your understanding of the blade is so deep that even the simplest gestures radiate sharpness and power. That is Intent. The youngest Martial God of the Dragon Country only grasped his Fist Intent at the Martial Lord. Normally, without protective Qi shielding the body, the sharpness of Intent would even wound the wielder…
But you, Reston—you've mastered Intent without any protective Qi. Just how terrifying is your body's strength?"
At that moment, Lin suddenly thought of something.
"Reston, what level have you reached in your cultivation now?"
Reston replied calmly, "I've reached the eleventh layer of Body Tempering. What's the matter?"
In truth, with the help of Cultivation of Eternal Slumber, he had already reached the eighteenth layer, and had even upgraded the technique to Lv.7 through constant cultivation and system points.
"The eleventh layer already?! So fast?!" Lin's eyes widened once again. He had to steady his breath to calm down. Three days! In just three days Reston had gone from the eighth to the eleventh layer. How were others supposed to live in comparison?
"No wonder you can already comprehend Blade Intent… You truly are an unprecedented genius…" Lin could only laugh bitterly. A new era was coming, and he had the honor of being the instructor to such a monster.
By the sixth day, Reston had reached the twentieth layer of Body Tempering. Yet he found even Cultivation of Eternal Slumber beginning to stall. It seemed Body Tempering at the twentieth layer itself was like a forbidden level.
"Host, the twentieth layer of Body Tempering does not exist in this world. It has become an 'anomaly.' But under the protection of the System, you may continue to grow safely." The Omni System's voice echoed.
"I see… then how do I break through to Martial Warrior?" Reston felt as if some unseen force resisted his advancement.
"Please rest assured. You only need to form a circuit within your body by merging your Qi and Intent. Guide it upward to strike the Upper Dantian. Break through that barrier, and the meridians of your body will fully open. The thicker the barrier you've forged in Body Tempering, the more spiritual energy you will be able to command afterward. This will greatly aid your future breakthrough to Martial King." the System explained.
"So that's how… Then…" Reston began attempting the breakthrough. But as soon as he tried, he realized just how thick his barrier was. Even after multiple charges, he couldn't break it.
"How is this possible? How can I break through like this?" Reston muttered in frustration. Even with Blade Intent, shattering such a wall seemed impossible.
"Ding. Host detected to be facing a cultivation barrier. Granting KEY."
"KEY: A one-time item capable of breaking through any barrier or restriction in the world."
Reston sucked in a cold breath. Such a heaven-defying item?! He immediately tried using the KEY.
"Ding. Congratulations on breaking through to the first layer of Martial Warrior. New function unlocked: System Point Wallet."
It really worked! Just as he was rejoicing, Reston noticed a new feature appearing on his panel.
"System, what does this Wallet function do?"
"This feature removes the need for daily point settlement. From now on, all system points generated by your actions will be stored directly into your wallet automatically."
"!!!" Reston was overjoyed. A function this practical?
"System, I love you!" Reston shouted excitedly, leaning toward the light screen as if to kiss it.
"Host, the System is not a human." The Omni System immediately released a low-frequency signal directly into his ears, knocking him out cold to calm him down.
…
Two weeks later, Cultivation of Eternal Slumber had already reached Lv.8, and Reston's cultivation had advanced to the sixth layer of Martial Warrior. Deciding it was time to test his progress, he donned his battle attire—a moisture-wicking undershirt layered with a silver-gray hooded windbreaker, paired with white nylon pants. Arriving at the training grounds, he asked a nearby soldier how to issue a challenge.
"You just need to report to an instructor. He will post your challenge order, valid for twelve hours," the soldier replied.
"Thank you!" Reston said, then walked into Instructor Lin's office, where he found him buried in paperwork.
"Instructor Lin, I want to issue a challenge order. Anyone below the Martial King can step onto the stage against me." Reston stated.
"What?! You want to issue a challenge order? Are you serious, Reston? I know you're a genius, but arrogance—"
"I've already broken through the fifteenth layer of Body Tempering and stepped into the first layer of Martial Warrior," Reston cut in before Lin could finish.
"What?! You've reached Martial Warrior already?!" Lin nearly fumbled for the bottle of blood pressure medicine he had bought after the last shocking incident. And now it was needed again.
"Yes, Instructor Lin," Reston replied calmly.
"No wonder you're issuing a challenge… But are you sure you want to challenge everyone below Martial King? Isn't that too much?" Lin's face was filled with concern. In his eyes, a first-layer Martial Warrior couldn't possibly defeat a peak Martial Warrior.
"Yes, Instructor Lin. I've already decided." Reston concealed his true strength—he was already at the sixth layer of Martial Warrior.
"Very well… In ten minutes, you'll head to the arena. Be prepared." Lin still sounded uneasy.
"Understood, thank you, Instructor Lin. I'll go prepare at the arena." Reston nodded.
"Mm. Go on." Lin dismissed him.
…
Ten minutes later, Reston stood ready at the arena platform. The first challenger soon appeared.
"Yang Ping, Martial Warrior sixth layer. Please advise."
"Reston, Martial Warrior first layer. Please advise." Reston answered in kind.
"Match… begin!" The referee announced.
"Who is this guy? Issuing a challenge order with just Martial Warrior first layer? He's insane!"
"Wait—that's the one who one-shotted Riven, isn't it?"
"No way! One-shotted Riven? You've got to be joking! Hahaha!"
"A Martial Warrior sixth layer against a first layer… how could Yang Ping possibly lose?"
"How many moves do you think that kid can last? I'm guessing eight! After all, if he dared to issue a challenge order, he must have some strength."
"I'll say six moves!"
"You're overestimating him. Three moves at most—maybe even fewer before he's knocked off!"
The crowd's chatter rose into a buzz. No one placed their bets on Reston. A Martial Warrior first layer against a sixth? Aside from the youngest Martial God of Dragon Country, no one in history had pulled something like this off.
But Reston and Yang Ping ignored the noise. At the signal to start, Yang Ping launched a storm of attacks. Yet he quickly realized something was wrong.
"What? Why aren't any of my strikes hurting him?" Yang Ping was dumbfounded. He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't weak either. How could he fail to even scratch a first-layer Martial Warrior?
Clang! Clang! Their weapons clashed, crisp echoes of steel on steel filling the air. Reston, calm and composed, relied on the body techniques and blade skills he had honed relentlessly for two weeks. Yang Ping, in contrast, was already panting heavily, yet still refused to back down. What was he even trying to prove?
Reston lost his patience. Yang Ping's ability was decent, but he wasn't the sparring partner Reston needed. With a swift slash of his Thunderblade Technique, Reston knocked Yang Ping clean off the stage.
"Victory goes to Reston!" the referee declared.
"Impossible! One strike?! A Martial Warrior first layer defeating a sixth layer in a single move?!"
"Someone record that! What technique was that blade skill? Its power was terrifying!"
Reston ignored the uproar. Quietly, he reached into a hidden pocket of his windbreaker, pulled out a carrot, and took a bite while waiting for his next challenger.