High Martial Arts: Gains one point of health per second, sweeping across the heavens.

Time passed day by day.

The other martial artists within the secret realm, after the initial days of intensive training, began to show signs of fatigue, their spirits were low, and their training efficiency was greatly reduced. Some even had to stop to meditate and regulate their breathing, or take a short nap, filled with regret for the wasted time.

Su Jie remained lying comfortably on his air mattress, breathing steadily, with even a faint, contented smile on his lips.

His aura, however, was growing increasingly thick and profound at an astonishing speed, like a bottomless ancient well containing terrifying energy.

On the seventh day, Zhao Ming had to stop and recuperate because his forced cultivation caused a slight disruption in his qi and blood.

He looked at Su Jie, who was still "sleeping" in the distance, and felt a burning hatred in his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. "That lucky guy, sleeping so soundly, isn't he afraid of twisting his breathing!" He could only maliciously speculate like this.

Time flies, and it has been ten days since the secret realm opened.

Over the past nine days, Su Jie has steadily refined nine level-nine martial acupoints through "tempering resonance." The majority of his achievements, however, come from the continuous flow of qi and blood essence.

[Consuming 10 points of Qi and Blood Essence, Martial Aperture level increased to 9! Combat Power +20!]

When the final notification sounded in his mind, Su Jie's eighty-first and last level eight martial acupoint, which was instantly upgraded by relying on the essence of blood and qi, underwent a transformation, its inner radiance shining brightly, and he successfully entered the ranks of level nine!

The final step, and a perfect advancement!

"boom--!"

It was as if the universe had just begun, or as if some ancient constraint had been abruptly broken!

Within Su Jie's body, all ninety-nine level-nine martial acupoints vibrated simultaneously, emitting a profound resonance! They interconnected, their light flowing, instantly forming a flawless, self-operating, and massive internal circulation system!

A vast, boundless, and immense power, as if it could support the heavens and the earth, suddenly erupted like a dormant volcano, sweeping over his limbs and every inch of his flesh with unstoppable force!

All ninety-nine basic martial arts techniques are at level nine! The foundation is nearly perfect!

Half a day later, the signal that the secret realm was closing arrived as expected.

Su Jie woke up "at the opportune moment," slowly sat up, and casually removed his blindfold. He didn't even need to consciously circulate his qi; he simply clenched his fist, and the air around him emitted a low hum, subtly vibrating!

His eyes, opening and closing, shone with a divine light, deep and profound as if containing a starry sky. His aura was perfectly unified, as heavy as a mountain, giving off an unshakeable and immeasurable terrifying pressure!

With a slight thought, the panel of the strongest martial arts system in all realms naturally appeared:

[Current Martial Acupoints: Level 9, 99 in total!!]

[Current Qi and Blood Reserves: 69.47 points (+10/second, temporary status)]

[Combat Power: 6930 points!]

"The harvest is acceptable." Su Jie showed a satisfied smile. "After returning, I can start trying to break through to the tenth level of martial acupoints."

He stretched lazily before leisurely starting to pack up the air mattress that had been with him for ten days.

His gaze casually swept around, revealing faces that were weary yet unable to hide their excitement. These martial artists had trained diligently for ten days, most of them gaining over a hundred points of qi and blood, already feeling that their trip had been worthwhile and completely satisfied.

However, when their gazes happened to sweep over Su Jie, they all froze, and then an incredulous look appeared on their faces.

This guy who slept for ten days... not only showed no signs of weakness, but was actually radiant, with eyes like morning stars! The harmonious and restrained aura around him was much stronger than it had been ten days ago? It gave people a feeling of unfathomable depth and awe!

"What's wrong with his... his aura?"

"Can sleeping really make you stronger?"

"This...this doesn't make sense! You're a freak!"

Zhao Ming stared intently at Su Jie, trying to find any trace of a weak foundation or a forced breakthrough in him, but the result made him feel cold in his heart - the other party's aura was solid and heavy, perfect and flawless, and the power contained in that calm gaze made his soul tremble!

Overwhelmed by the shock and disparity, he was momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn't help but step forward, cup his hands in greeting, and ask, "Brother, do you perhaps possess some unique cultivation secret? Could you perhaps offer us some guidance?"

Upon hearing this, Su Jie merely glanced at him indifferently, his hands moving swiftly and efficiently rolling up and packing away the air mattress.

"No need for guidance." He said calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "Perhaps I was just sleeping very soundly."

After saying that, he shouldered his "cultivation artifact" and, under the watchful eyes of many martial artists who were questioning their existence, strolled out of the Star Origin Secret Realm as if taking a leisurely walk.

After eating, drinking, and taking a bath outside, Su Jie returned to his familiar rented apartment in Linjiang City. He locked the door and immediately brought up the system panel.

[Host: Su Jie]

[Current Martial Acupoints: Level 9, 99 in total!]

[Current Qi and Blood Reserves: 70.91 points (+1/second)]

[Combat Power: 6930 points!]

[Cultivation Technique: Primal Breathing Technique (Supreme Level)]

[Mastered Martial Arts: Sky-Stepping Step (Top-Tier Profound Rank), Void-Piercing Finger (Qi and Blood Skill), Flowing Shadow Sword Technique (Low-Tier Profound Rank)]

[Special Status: Tempering Resonance (Passive Skill: Double Martial Aperture Tempering Speed)]

Special Item: Breath of Time (Fragment)

[System Function: Qi and Blood Drying Oven]

Looking at the ninety-nine gleaming level-nine martial acupoints, Su Jie's heart surged with excitement. The power brought by the perfection of level nine far exceeded that before. He felt that he could now beat that old ghost Zhou Tianfang of the Zhou family to his knees and call him father with a single punch.

"However, we cannot be complacent yet. Above level nine, there is level ten! The main quest issued by the system, 'Supreme Dao Foundation,' requires all ninety-nine acupoints to be at level ten before the martial arts exam!"

He couldn't wait to lock onto a level nine martial acupoint and try to guide his qi and blood.

[Level 9 Martial Aperture → Level 10 Martial Aperture: Requires 50000 points of normal Qi and Blood; instant upgrade requires 25 points of Qi and Blood Essence. Estimated tempering time (with tempering resonance activated): 72 hours.]

"Holy crap?!" Su Jie almost jumped out of bed.

"50,000 points of Qi and Blood per level? 25 points of Essence for an instant level up? And even after halving the time, the tempering process will still take three days and three nights?!" Even though he was mentally prepared, the terrifying consumption still made him gasp.

One martial acupoint costs 50,000 points, so ninety-nine acupoints would cost 495 million points of Qi and Blood! A quick level up would require 2475 points of Qi and Blood essence, equivalent to 2475 million points of ordinary Qi and Blood!

Is this a martial acupoint? This is clearly a star-devouring beast! No wonder Yue Tianji, the strongest in the Federation, only managed to refine his martial acupoint to level nine before condensing his martial vein.

On one hand, the demand for vital energy is too outrageous. Even if the Federation could afford it and refine the blood essence of the hunted demonic beasts into vital energy pills for him to consume, the pills would contain impurities. Consuming too many would trigger pill poisoning and kill him in no time.

Another issue is that the tempering time is too long. Su Jie currently has a halved time state, and it still takes three days and three nights. If it weren't halved, it would take a full six days. Six days without eating or sleeping to concentrate on tempering a martial acupoint is simply outrageous.

Su Jie can multitask, but not for too long. He definitely couldn't maintain a continuous tempering state for six days.