Chapter 180 - 179: Innate Rebirth
Time flew by in the blink of an eye...
Summer was in full swing, and a strange mugginess hung in the air, even in the early morning.
Jianghuai, Celestial Martial District... On the roof of an abandoned factory at the edge of the suburbs, a tall figure sat cross-legged.
The faint Spiritual Qi in the air was being rapidly guided into his body.
An early bird would occasionally hop over, chirping curiously at the large figure who had appeared on this rooftop, a place where humans rarely set foot.
As Dongjun, the sun god, began his slow ascent on the horizon, the first faint, cool ray of daylight swept across Yang Shen’s eyes. He seemed to sense it, and his eyes fluttered open.
A Spiritual Light flashed in his eyes before vanishing.
The moment he opened his eyes, the Spiritual Qi and Qi and Blood Value within him broke through a critical point...
In the modern, artificially devised classification system, this meant a Qi and Blood Value of 1,000.
Inside Yang Shen’s body, the Spiritual Qi—denser and more cumbersome than that of the Qi Sea, but also far more substantial—began to boil...
Throughout his limbs and bones, countless tiny streams of Spiritual Qi surged, searching the body for any flaws or injuries.
But it found... a body as flawless as jade, incredibly refined!
Skin Refining, Bone Training, and Marrow Refining—with the three initial realms mastered and connected, and the Spinal Dragon clear and unobstructed, one could reach the Innate Realm.
The most obvious benefit of first entering the Innate Realm was "Innate Rebirth." Under the influence of "the Source," a Martial Artist would undergo a metamorphosis from the inside out, their genetic expression gradually optimizing toward a theoretical ideal.
And what was this theoretical ideal?
Modern research indicated that if a person inherited genes for both "tall" and "short" statures but their expression unfortunately favored "short," then during Innate Rebirth, their body would gradually correct itself in the "tall" direction.
Genes themselves are neither superior nor inferior. The purpose of natural evolution isn’t to create the strong, but to ensure survival and procreation.
But for the path of Martial Arts, there was a difference. In most cases, "taller" was superior to "shorter."
The degree and even the direction of the benefits each Martial Artist gained from Innate Rebirth varied, depending on the foundation they had built in the three initial realms.
If there was an excessive accumulation of medicinal residue, the energy from Innate Rebirth would prioritize repairing deficits and hidden injuries. If the body was flawless as jade, however, the energy would convert into a purer form, dedicated entirely to elevating one’s life level.
And Yang Shen was, quite clearly, the latter.
In the world of Martial Arts, this was known as "Extreme Innate"... a state countless Martial Artists dreamed of but could never hope to achieve.
After all, what modern Martial Artist didn’t rely on pills and potions?
Forgoing them meant following the path of ancient Yanhua Martial Artists, who on average didn’t reach the Innate Realm until after age fifty. No one was willing to waste decades just for the sake of achieving Extreme Innate.
But within Yang Shen’s body, the energy of Innate Rebirth found no hidden injuries or medicinal residue. It seemed to rejoice, beginning a new round of Nurturing.
During his Marrow Refining stage, he had taken five Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, their unique effects intended for this very moment.
His Spinal Dragon, the main channel for the energy of Innate Rebirth, was wider and clearer than anyone else’s, allowing it to stimulate even greater potential...
And within Yang Shen’s Qi Sensitivity, his persistence in the dual-track system of the Cultivation Side and the Martial Arts Side finally yielded a brand-new advantage...
He possessed two "Energy Systems": the source from Martial Arts Body Forging, embedded in his very flesh and blood, and the Spiritual Qi of the Cultivation Side, stored in his Qi Sea.
The former acted as the "main force" in remodeling his physical body during the Breaking Realm process.
The latter, influenced by the unique principles of Innate Rebirth, also began to surge. The silhouette of the Rising Sun Wheel spontaneously manifested above his Qi Sea, becoming the "reserve force."
A tingling numbness spread through Yang Shen’s entire body. His spine emitted a series of sharp CRACKS—the sound of his skeleton undergoing minute adjustments.
His muscles ached as if tiny air pockets were being squeezed out, making them tougher and more unified.
Yang Shen couldn’t help but stand and begin performing the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist. Theoretically, this would be the last time this Cultivation Technique would be of use to him.
With each leap and exertion of force, he assisted the spread of the Innate Rebirth energy. Yang Shen’s Power and speed increased rapidly.
Each punch and kick sent force surging through his limbs, stretching and condensing his body, making it ever more solid.
Finally, as the sun finished its ascent, Yang Shen slowly relaxed his stance.
As he straightened up, he could clearly feel that he had grown taller...
He was about six-foot-one now.
If his genes didn’t have any more surprises in store, he would likely remain at this height.
While it was certainly tall enough, it was still a bit of a shame. Yang Shen had actually hoped to grow to eight-foot-two.
But the real gains had occurred within his body.
His fundamental stats—Power, speed, metabolism, reflexes, and so on—had all been unceremoniously enhanced.
That single point difference in Qi and Blood Value, from 999 to 1,000, had brought a thirty percent boost in his overall abilities.
This was Innate Rebirth. This was Extreme Innate. Yang Shen’s gains were far greater than those of other new Innate Realm cultivators, putting his physical constitution on par with someone at the Middle Stage of Innate.
’I hadn’t planned on breaking through to the Innate Realm here. An occasion this special should be marked with a ritual bath and incense out of respect... But hey, it just sort of happened, didn’t it?’
With this, Yang Shen had reached the Innate Realm and the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.
His breakthrough on the Cultivation Side had come earlier, about half a month ago. However, the jump from the third to the fourth layer hadn’t introduced any new mechanics like previous breakthroughs; it was purely a quantitative improvement.
His Qi Sea was larger, his control over Spiritual Qi was more precise, and so on.
The next major mechanical change on the Cultivation Side would come at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer with the acquisition of "Divine Sense," which was still a long way off.
Still... Yang Shen’s strength had been upgraded to a new version. The path of an Immortal Martial Cultivator might not be the fastest, but it was far more stable and powerful than any single path.
Yang Shen instinctively clenched his fist, feeling the immense Power coursing within.
He gathered his strength for a moment, then swung his fist forward! Red lightning seemed to tear through the air, accompanied by a sharp, buzzing CRACKLE.
Overlapping Waves! He could now use it with much greater skill. His absolute Power, speed, and stamina were all on a completely different level.
’It’s a shame the intensity of Innate Rebirth is so difficult to quantify... Beyond just Power, the key is the changes in genetic expression... That will take time to explore.’
Since it was called "Rebirth," it was about more than just Power.
Color blindness could be cured, digestive systems restored to perfect health, flat feet could develop arches, and the risk of cancer was virtually eliminated...
These changes in genetic expression could impact a Martial Artist’s entire life far more than a simple increase in Power.
’But all things considered... even against a Middle or Late-Stage Innate opponent, I wouldn’t feel much pressure. If I really cut loose with my ’hacks,’ I could probably even one-shot them.’
This wasn’t really a case of fighting above his level. After all, the power disparity within the Innate Realm could be greater than that between a human and a pig.
Chen Beiwang had proven it long ago, and Jin Wu had also demonstrated it with his own life: a cultivator’s realm was just a reference point. In a real fight, far too many factors determined victory, defeat, life, and death.
Even an Innate Realm master like Yang Shen would die if he were unconscious and someone put a rifle to his eyeball and pulled the trigger. Would you call that ordinary person a "realm-breaking killer"?
Victory wasn’t decided by comparing realms, and neither was life or death.
Having completed this important breakthrough, Yang Shen formed a Finger Technique with one hand. Spiritual Power coiled around his feet, and he began to slowly sink into the rooftop.
This was a new application he’d discovered for the Five Elements Escape. Concrete walls and similar structures were also of the Earth Attribute, meaning the Earth Element Escape could pass through them.
Compared to slowly trudging through the earth, this "Wall Penetration" technique had much broader applications in modern society. It had its limits, however:
It wouldn’t work on anything with too much steel rebar... but this derelict old factory was clearly not one of those buildings.
...
Inside the factory, however, was another scene entirely.
Unlike the sun-drenched rooftop, the old brick factory was poorly lit, dim, and filthy.
Piles of discarded waste and garbage lay everywhere. From the shadows came the RUSTLE of rats and insects. A tall figure in a black mask and a hooded sweatshirt stood silently in the center.
She just stood there, motionless, expressionless, her vacant eyes like those of a doll waiting to be awakened.
And all around her, bodies lay strewn about in disarray—men and women alike. All had died from having their throats cut. The massive wounds were a deep crimson, and some had even been decapitated.
Yang Shen dropped from the ceiling, landing steadily on the ground. He glanced at the surrounding corpses.
This was the thirteenth Rebel Species stronghold he had purged this summer vacation...
The law couldn’t touch these gutter rats, but violence could.
"Is it done? Did you get any information on the Altar Master?"
Long Jiu shook her head blankly.
’If even Long Jiu couldn’t get it out of them, then they really must not have known,’ Yang Shen thought.
Yang Shen raised his hand and waved. The Rising Sun Flame erupted, igniting all the corpses and incinerating every last trace.
He was getting more and more proficient at murder and arson.
"Alright... Let’s lay low for a couple of days. I have to make a trip to Jiangti."
The semester wouldn’t start for another week, but as a Champion Scholar, he’d been invited to an early campus tour.
Along with the other Champion Scholars.
Long Jiu showed no reaction, simply falling in behind Yang Shen at his command, silently resuming her role as his Shadow Guard.
Outside the factory, the air was once again filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Yang Shen stretched his back. "This has been one busy summer vacation!"
Shooting commercials, buying an estate, hunting Rebel Species...
But he knew his summer vacation was finally over.
Soon, he would become a "fresh-faced new student" and enter the legendary Jiangti.
’Innate Rebirth... I guess that makes me a freshman in more ways than one, huh?’
Yang Shen shrugged on the backpack Lei Lv and Lei Yi had given him for his birthday, adjusted his clothes, and covered up his marble-like muscles.
His eyes were bright and full of youthful energy.
If you ignored the crispy, barbecue-scented corpses behind him... he looked every bit the pure, innocent college boy.
Just your average freshman!
’Hopefully, the student body at Jiangti is a friendly bunch.’
’I’m super scared of school bullies!’
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