paranoianovel Chapter 374: Teacher Han’s Warning
Chapter 374: Teacher Han’s Warning
He could feel that with each Visualization, his Heart Image grew more solid and its connection with his body tightened.
The silhouette of the dark gold mountain grew clearer. On it rested the Golden Crow Illusion, the patterns on its feathers faintly visible and its eyes so lifelike it seemed ready to spread its wings and take flight at any moment.
The Earth imagery also grew more substantial and vast. It was no longer merely about "support"; it now faintly exuded a sense of "nurture" and "embrace."
In three days, Xu Wuyi had circulated the "Golden Crow Carrying the Earth" Visualization Method over three hundred times.
His Heart Image was completely stabilized, and his Spiritual Realm was fully consolidated at Level 40, yet it continued to rise slowly.
If word of this cultivation speed got out, it would be enough to leave most Martial Artists utterly dumbfounded.
But Xu Wuyi knew this wasn’t just due to the profundity of the Visualization Method or the boost from his Hundred Chances of Enlightenment. It was even more so because of the accumulation he had built up over several months.
All that accumulated potential had been detonated the moment he achieved Great Success in his Heart Image, transforming into tangible progress.
On the morning of the fourth day, Xu Wuyi finished his final Visualization and slowly opened his eyes.
The light in the Cultivation Room was soft, and the air was fresh.
He stood up and stretched his limbs, which were slightly stiff from sitting for so long. His Qi and Blood circulated naturally, emitting a faint hum.
He walked over to the console in the corner of the Cultivation Room, brought up his personal terminal, and sent Teacher Han a short message:
"Teacher, I’ve achieved Great Success in my Heart Image, and my realm is stable. When are you free? I’d like to talk with you."
After sending the message, Xu Wuyi didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, he went into the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into a clean training uniform.
By the time he walked out of the bathroom drying his hair, his personal terminal had received a reply. It wasn’t a text message, but a direct call request.
Xu Wuyi accepted the call.
Han Mo’s holographic image instantly materialized in the center of the living room. His expression was unusually serious, even tinged with a hint of urgency. "Great Success in your Heart Image? Are you sure? Not the nascent stage, but true Great Success?"
"I’m sure," Xu Wuyi nodded, his tone calm. "I can manifest it in solid form, and it’s perfectly integrated with my Qi and Blood and Spirit."
Han Mo fell silent for two seconds. The image wavered slightly, as if he were pacing on the other end.
"Stay in Hidden Dragon Garden. Don’t go anywhere. I’m on my way."
The call ended.
Xu Wuyi was taken aback for a moment, but then he understood.
He knew his progress was fast, but he hadn’t expected his teacher to take it so seriously that he would come over in person.
’Well, this saves me a trip.’
He hung up the towel and walked to the living room window.
Outside, the gardens of Hidden Dragon Garden were as elegant and tranquil as ever. In the distance, a few students strolled along a path, chatting. Everything seemed the same as always.
But Xu Wuyi knew that starting today, many things were going to be different.
Achieving Great Success in his Heart Image meant he already had one foot through the door of the Innate Realm.
At his age and at this stage of his cultivation, such an achievement would bring him glory, but also scrutiny, and possibly even unnecessary trouble.
Teacher Han’s reaction had already made that much clear.
About ten minutes later, the villa’s security system chimed with an alert.
Xu Wuyi walked to the entrance and saw Han Mo on the security monitor, standing outside the courtyard gate. He was still in his Star Martial University instructor’s uniform, looking as if he had rushed straight from his office.
He quickly opened the gate.
"Teacher."
Han Mo strode into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over Xu Wuyi, and said bluntly, "To the Cultivation Room."
The two of them went down to the basement Cultivation Room, one following the other.
Han Mo wasted no words. He turned to Xu Wuyi and said, "Show it to me."
Xu Wuyi nodded, and his will stirred.
A dark golden light rose from his palm, rapidly condensing and taking shape.
Within the span of a breath, a palm-sized, miniature Heart Image hovered quietly above his hand. It was entirely dark gold, depicting a mountain with a Golden Crow Illusion resting upon it.
The Heart Image was as solid as a physical object, exuding a restrained yet profound aura.
The mountain’s silhouette was distinct, the texture of its rock faintly visible. Though small, the Golden Crow Illusion’s feathers were lifelike, its gaze was sharp, and a faint halo of flame flowed around its body.
More importantly, there was a "connection" between the Heart Image and Xu Wuyi that was visible to the naked eye.
Threads of dark golden light, like veins, extended from Xu Wuyi’s palm and connected to the base of the Heart Image. Energy circulated through them, flowing in an endless cycle.
Han Mo stared at the Heart Image, his gaze as sharp as a blade, as if trying to pierce through to its every detail.
After a long moment, he slowly let out a breath.
"Put it away."
Xu Wuyi did as instructed and retracted his Heart Image. The dark golden radiance subsided, and the Cultivation Room grew quiet once more.
Han Mo said nothing. He walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest. His gaze was distant, as if he were processing everything he had just witnessed.
Xu Wuyi stood quietly to one side, not daring to disturb him.
He knew his teacher needed a moment.
A full two or three minutes passed before Han Mo finally looked up at Xu Wuyi, his expression complex.
"A third-year... achieving Great Success in his Heart Image..." he muttered to himself, then gave a wry laugh. "Back in my day, I was stuck at this very stage for two whole years. Two years!"
Xu Wuyi didn’t know how to respond, so he just scratched his head.
’He’d thought Teacher Han was pondering something important, not... this.’
Han Mo waved his hand, signaling that it was nothing. His expression then turned serious. "Xu Wuyi, do you know what this means?"
"I do," Xu Wuyi replied earnestly. "It means I have a chance to break through to the Innate Realm before I graduate."
"It’s more than that," Han Mo said, shaking his head. "Hong Nianyi and Pan Yan, the two widely acknowledged as the top geniuses of your generation, are still stuck, hovering just outside the threshold of Great Success in their Heart Images."
"They might be just a single step away from their breakthrough, but that’s a step they could take next month, or it could take them another year, maybe even longer."
He paused, his tone growing even more serious. "But you... you’ve already taken that step. This means that on the racetrack to the Innate Realm, you’re already ahead of them by at least a full length."
Xu Wuyi fell silent.
He truly hadn’t considered that. In his mind, Hong Nianyi and Pan Yan were figures he had to look up to. The scenes from last year’s youth tournament were still vivid in his memory.
Over a year ago, that single strike from Hong Nianyi had left a profound impression on him, giving him limitless motivation.
But now, his teacher was telling him that in the most crucial step of all, he had already pulled ahead of them.
"How does it feel?" Han Mo suddenly asked.
Xu Wuyi thought for a moment before answering honestly, "I don’t feel anything in particular. I don’t think speed is what’s important. Going the distance is what matters."
Han Mo stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly broke into a smile.
"Good. Very good." He nodded repeatedly. "That kind of mentality is even rarer than your talent. So many geniuses have stumbled over the pursuit of ’speed.’ They become impetuous and rash, their foundations grow unstable, and in the end, they either get stuck at a bottleneck forever or suffer from cultivation deviation."
He stood up, walked over to Xu Wuyi, and clapped him on the shoulder. "The fact that you think this way puts my mind at ease."
"But you must understand, you’re not the only person in this world. When you advance this quickly, people will watch you. They’ll study you. And some might even try to find ways to hold you back."