Wang Zhan was startled by the sudden voice. He quickly turned to look, only to find that the speaker was the King of Thunder.

"Listen to the King of Thunder; continue meditating!" Lv Zhenglong also said.

Although Wang Zhan didn't understand why, with several powerful figures saying the same, he naturally wouldn't resist.

Wang Zhan quickly closed his eyes again, and in just a few minutes, he entered a meditative state.

At this moment, his mental energy circulated around him. He could 'see' everything, even the Spiritual Energy in the air.

All the Spiritual Energy was flowing slowly, possessing an indescribable harmony. It seemed to have no pattern, yet it made one reluctant to disrupt it.

Wang Zhan had never felt this close to Heaven and Earth before.

As he discarded his physical body and Dantian Meridians, he felt as if he were also part of this Spiritual Energy, yet because he possessed an independent consciousness, it also felt somewhat jarring.

This strange feeling left Wang Zhan somewhat entranced.

Just as Wang Zhan was engrossed in this new experience, the King of Thunder's voice suddenly exploded in his mind!

Not in his ears, but directly in his mind!

It was like a voice echoing from the depths of his soul; though its volume wasn't high, it was deafening.

Wang Zhan's mental energy even trembled, and he narrowly managed to sustain it.

"Do you feel out of sync with the fluctuations of the Spiritual Energy around you?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhan nodded desperately. He tried to speak like the King of Thunder but found he couldn't make a sound.

"If you feel out of sync, then find a way to integrate!" the King of Thunder's voice continued to echo. "Although Spiritual Energy appears disordered, all the Spiritual Energy in an environment shares the same 'frequency'! Find this 'frequency,' then make your mental energy conform to it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan had an epiphany and began to experiment.

In just a few minutes, Wang Zhan vaguely discerned the patterns and trajectory of the Spiritual Energy's movement.

He wasn't sure if this was the so-called 'frequency,' but it was the only commonality he found in the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

Wang Zhan started trying.

At first, controlling his mental energy was somewhat difficult. It was like trying to shape a gas floating in the air into a desired form—a seemingly impossible task.

But after a few attempts, Wang Zhan discovered that as long as he constantly focused on this 'frequency' without any distractions, his mental energy would slowly begin to align with it.

After a few more tries, Wang Zhan gradually found the knack.

The initial sense of being out of sync and separate gradually weakened until it disappeared completely.

"Such Talent is truly astonishing," the King of Thunder exclaimed. "He found resonance after just a few attempts!"

"After learning resonance, he can begin preliminary practice of Earth-level martial arts! By using mental energy to guide the surrounding Spiritual Energy, Wang Zhan's strength will greatly increase," Lv Zhenglong said.

"He's already comparable to a level 9 Martial Artist. With the enhancement from his mental energy, surely he can't be ready to face a Warrior now, can he?"

"It might be possible if he breaks through another level or two."

"That's still quite an exaggeration," Duan Kun said, taking a deep breath.

The four men present were momentarily unsure how to describe Wang Zhan, who had achieved such results in just one semester at the Academy.

About half an hour later, Wang Zhan awoke from his second meditation session.

As he withdrew his mental energy, familiar Essence Energy began to flow through his meridians once more.

Wang Zhan was surprised to find that even without entering a meditative state, he could vaguely sense the 'frequency' of the Spiritual Energy around him.

"Wang Zhan, this is the King of Thunder. You should have seen him at the school gate earlier," Liu Zhenfeng called out, introducing him.

Wang Zhan walked over and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, King of Thunder. Thank you for your invaluable guidance."

"No need. They would have guided you even if I weren't here," the King of Thunder said, shaking his head with a chuckle. Then he asked, "Wang Zhan, would you like to study at the Yanjing Martial Arts Academy? I can assure you that if you go, you'll be placed at the highest level and enjoy the best cultivation treatment in the entire Federation."

Wang Zhan was momentarily taken aback; he hadn't expected the other party to try and poach him so openly.

He subconsciously glanced at Duan Kun and the other two, only to see them maintaining expressionless faces.

"Make your own decision. Although I hate to admit it, the Yanjing Martial Arts Academy can indeed offer conditions that the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy cannot match," Liu Zhenfeng said with a wry smile.

Lv Zhenglong also said, "Actually, no matter where you cultivate, your time at any Academy is just a few short years. Ultimately, what determines your future isn't which Academy you trained at, but you yourself."

"Besides, even if you go to the Yanjing Martial Arts Academy, you can't disown me as your Teacher, can you?" Duan Kun chuckled lightly.

Their previous argument with the King of Thunder had been from the standpoint of the Military Martial Arts Academy, but all three understood that no matter where Wang Zhan went, he was a genius of humanity.

None of them were madmen like those from the original organization. As long as a human genius could contribute to humanity in the future, that was enough.

Which academy he graduated from wasn't actually that important.

After pondering for only a few seconds, Wang Zhan looked up and met the King of Thunder's gaze.

"I apologize, King of Thunder, but I'm quite comfortable at the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy and don't particularly want to go to the Yanjing Martial Arts Academy," Wang Zhan said honestly. "I believe that wherever I am, I will always be the best. That being the case, there isn't much difference between the four major Martial Arts Academies and the Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy."

"What a confident young man!" The King of Thunder chuckled, shaking his head. He patted Wang Zhan on the shoulder and said, "Since you're so confident, prove it to me at the Federal Martial Arts Tournament in a few months."

"I will," Wang Zhan affirmed with a firm nod.

The Federal Martial Arts Tournament was already part of Wang Zhan's plan. Especially after learning of Wang Qi's outstanding performance in the previous tournament, Wang Zhan had no intention of missing such a grand event.

His attempt to recruit Wang Zhan unsuccessful, the King of Thunder exchanged a few casual words and then departed.

Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng also offered Wang Zhan a few brief words of encouragement before they too departed.

As Wang Zhan's official mentor, Duan Kun said, "Go back and focus on your training. Your top priority right now isn't just cultivating mental energy, but learning how to integrate it with your Internal Breath of Essence. These two powers are complementary; if they become imbalanced, the consequences can be severe."

"Don't worry, Teacher. I understand," Wang Zhan replied with a serious nod.

Wang Zhan was fully aware of the dangers of imbalanced mental energy. The image of Wang Qi being severely wounded by his own Essence Energy after using the Dream Shadow Sword Technique, an Earth-level martial art, was still vivid in his mind.

「In the following period,」 Wang Zhan's cultivation focus shifted. He moved from solely breaking his limits to gain extreme attributes, to advancing both his attributes and mental power in tandem.

Without venturing into the wilderness, gaining extreme attributes through consuming Mixed Essence Pills and body refining became exceedingly difficult.

Conversely, his recently awakened mental energy progressed with remarkable speed.

After cultivating the Five Thunder Deity Refinement Method, Wang Zhan finally realized how formidable this technique truly was.

He could now materialize his mental energy, transforming it into faintly visible electric sparks. Consequently, whenever Wang Zhan practiced his punches and kicks while channeling his mental energy, his movements would crackle with faint electrical light, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

Moreover, by channeling his mental energy, battles no longer relied solely on the circulation of Internal Breath of Essence within his body. He could directly draw upon the surrounding Spiritual Energy, eliminating the previous need to constantly pause and recover during a fight.

This resulted in a substantial increase in the power of Wang Zhan's attacks, while the consumption of his Internal Breath of Essence was significantly reduced.

「One month later.」

On the Training Ground, Wang Zhan was sparring with Duan Kun.

"Military Way Killing Fist!"

Wang Zhan stomped forward, leaving a deep footprint on the solid ground. The surrounding Spiritual Energy vibrated in unison, and an immense, invisible force surged directly towards Duan Kun.

"Nicely done!" Duan Kun praised, his aura flaring. Then, with a seemingly casual slap, he dispersed the full-force Killing Fist from Wang Zhan.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Duan Kun said, signaling with his hand.

Wang Zhan sat down beside Duan Kun and said with a sigh of resignation, "Old Duan, didn't you promise not to use power beyond that of a Martial Artist?"

"You cheeky brat! Consider yourself lucky I'm even sparring with you. Are you actually hoping to see me make a fool of myself?" Duan Kun retorted with a laugh. He then added, "However, your progress is indeed rapid. Although you're still some way off from becoming a Warrior, you're no longer completely defenseless."

"Really? Does that mean I can go hunt soldier-level beasts now?"

"Go ahead, if you're looking to die," Duan Kun retorted, glaring at Wang Zhan. "The mental power a Warrior possesses isn't something you can compare to. You can, at most, influence the Spiritual Energy within ten meters of yourself. The weakest Warrior, however, can influence it up to fifty meters away."

"Is the gap really that significant?"

"What else would you expect? Advancing to the Warrior realm doesn't just mean your body breaks its limits again; your mental energy must do so as well," Duan Kun explained. "Moreover, the breakthrough for mental power can be perilous. While it probably won't pose too much of a problem for you, it's definitely more difficult than breaking through to become a Martial Artist."

With that said, Duan Kun stood up. "Alright, don't put all your focus solely on cultivation. Your current progress is already remarkably fast."

Wang Zhan nodded slightly. In the past month, not only had his mental power significantly improved, but his attribute points were also nearing their maximum values.

After Duan Kun left, Wang Zhan opened his attribute panel.

Host: Wang Zhan

Strength: 1,142

Agility: 1,137

Physique: 1,146

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 20

"I wonder if it's because of my mental energy that my Wisdom increased by a point. And my three main attributes are almost maxed out too," Wang Zhan muttered to himself.

Over the past month, he had consumed the dozen or so bottles of Mixed Essence Pills he had previously exchanged. Wang Zhan was relatively satisfied with this rate of progress.

After returning to his dormitory and taking a bath, Wang Zhan, for a rare change, sprawled lazily on his bed.

In the four months since entering the university, he had rarely taken time to rest, always engrossed in his cultivation.

Although his body could endure it, Wang Zhan himself could feel the accumulated mental fatigue.

After all, humans weren't machines; they couldn't keep running non-stop.

I might as well get some proper sleep for once, he thought.

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