Seven days to break through to the martial master realm?
General September thought he’d misheard.
Was the martial master realm something you could just break into on a whim? Plenty of geniuses in the Hidden Dragon Camp had lingered at the peak of the sixth vein for one or two years—even three or four—and not one dared claim they could break through whenever they pleased.
Even Murong Shao, whom he held in high regard, had been stuck at peak sixth vein for over a year. Ling Xiao had only just reached peak sixth vein a few days ago—where did this confidence come from?
“Ling Xiao, the path of martial arts is best walked with steady steps,” General September said, showing concern due to his ties with Lin Ze. He didn’t want Ling Xiao to turn into someone who overreached.
Ling Xiao just smiled, offering no explanation.
With his Mountain River Martial Soul, he knew his own condition inside out.
After three days of combat, his power had built up to a tipping point. The breakthrough ahead was simply a matter of course—no surprises expected.
“General September, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now?”
He stood, ready to leave.
Time was tight—he couldn’t afford delays.
“Oh, right, you’ve got 120 merit points now. You can head to the Merit Hall to redeem rewards first,” General September reminded him.
“Thanks for the heads-up, General. I’ll keep that in mind.”
By the time Ling Xiao made his way to the Merit Hall, plenty of Hidden Dragon Camp geniuses were already there cashing in their rewards.
Some went for martial arts.
Others picked weapons or treasures.
Some chose rare herbs or materials.
The more merit points you had, the wider your options and the more you could claim.
Ling Yixue redeemed items to boost her cultivation speed.
Given her limited time, she needed to reach the mortal realm fast to extend her lifespan.
Pursuing martial arts wasn’t her priority right now—besides, she’d just gotten the top-tier Soul-Seizing Palm from Ling Xiao, and with the techniques already in her memory, she had plenty to work with.
Yin Ran opted for cultivation-boosting herbs too.
Murong Shao did the same, dead-set on breaking through to seventh vein. Worried the True Essence Pill wouldn’t cut it, he grabbed extra support materials.
“Ling Xiao, just you wait. Once I come out of seclusion, I’ll have a proper go at you,” Murong Shao muttered with a cold sneer as he saw Ling Xiao heading toward the Merit Hall, before hurrying off to his quarters.
Ling Xiao ignored him.
He’d love to kill Murong Shao right then and there, but this was the Hidden Dragon Camp—not the place for it.
On his way to the Merit Hall, he ran into Shi Lei and Hua Nongying.
Both had redeemed top-tier martial arts.
Their strength wasn’t likely to jump soon, so picking advanced techniques made more sense.
Hua Nongying just nodded at Ling Xiao with a smile and left first.
Shi Lei clasped his hands and said, “Brother Ling, if anything comes up in the camp from now on, just let me know—I’ve got your back.”
“Cheers, Brother Shi,” Ling Xiao replied.
He had a solid impression of Shi Lei.
After a quick chat, they went their separate ways—Shi Lei to study his new technique, Ling Xiao to the Merit Hall, where he picked a near-mortal martial art and some spiritual herbs.
A near-mortal art cost 100 merit points alone, so he couldn’t grab much else.
The art he chose complemented his Heavy Shadow Sword Technique—it was called Secret Art of Shadow Cultivation.
This was a martial secret technique with no offensive or defensive power, nor did it boost gang qi or true essence.
But it let shadow clones assist in cultivation!
When using the Secret Art of Shadow Cultivation, shadow clones—including martial soul clones—could train just like the main body.
When they merged back, their cultivation experience would transfer to him.
Naturally, this demanded immense soul power. If that ran dry, it’d be unusable.
Luckily, back at the Ling family, Ling Xiao had trained with the Soul Condensation Art, giving him far stronger soul power than most martial artists. Plus, his Mountain River Martial Soul meant his soul was innately robust.
Across the whole Hidden Dragon Camp, he was likely the only one who could pull off the Secret Art of Shadow Cultivation.
From the Merit Hall back to his room, Ling Xiao handed all the herbs he’d claimed to Leng Mei.
With Gang Qi Pills, low-grade spirit stones, and Golden Snow Lotus already in his stash, he didn’t care much for those extras.
He also gave Leng Mei a top-tier martial art, Shadow Assassination Technique.
It was an advanced top-tier skill he’d nabbed from the Jade-Eye Clan boss—perfectly suited to Leng Mei’s Snow Plum Remnant Soul.
He gave her these partly to win her loyalty.
But also because, as a teammate this time, she’d gotten no merit points—a raw deal for the girl.
“Thank you, Captain!” Leng Mei said, hands trembling as she took the top-tier martial art.
As a servant, forget top-tier skills—she’d barely had access to advanced ones.
“Go on, get to training. Stay in this room. And stop calling me ‘Captain’—‘Brother Ling’ will do,” Ling Xiao said, waving her off casually.
“No way, if Captain doesn’t like that title, I’ll call you ‘Young Master’ instead,” Leng Mei said hurriedly.
“Fine, whatever you like,” Ling Xiao said, closing his eyes to start cultivating.
Leng Mei took a deep breath, calming her excitement, then sat cross-legged, popped the herbs in her mouth, and began studying the Shadow Assassination Technique.
Meanwhile, other Hidden Dragon Camp geniuses were cultivating too.
With the merit points they’d earned—however many—they’d all nabbed some rewards, and now was the perfect time to train.
These geniuses already had solid talent, and with the herbs’ boost, breakthroughs came quick.
Some jumped from fifth vein to sixth.
Others climbed from early sixth vein to higher stages.
Even those whose cultivation didn’t budge saw their martial arts improve.
Time ticked by slowly.
More and more camp disciples broke through, and over those few days, excited shouts rang out almost daily.
Three days later, Leng Mei opened her eyes, staring at her hands in glee.
Breakthrough!
In just three days, she’d shot from early sixth vein to peak sixth vein.
Not only that, she’d nearly mastered the Shadow Assassination Technique.
It stunned her.
Her talent was decent, but not this good.
Sensing a strange energy in the air, she realised the truth.
It wasn’t her—it was Ling Xiao.
The aura leaking from him carried a peculiar martial law, speeding up both her cultivation and her technique comprehension.
She glanced at Ling Xiao and saw that the one Ling Xiao had multiplied into five.
Each sat cross-legged, cultivating, aligned with the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth.
“Young Master’s truly extraordinary—following him was the right call!” Leng Mei thought, watching briefly before slipping out of the room.
The Shadow Assassination Technique was a combat skill—sitting there wouldn’t improve it further. She decided to stand guard for Ling Xiao outside.
