Chapter 59: The Second Realm, Second Barrier

"You want to spar with me?"

Inside the military tent, Wu Mi looked at Qin Jue standing before him, his face written all over with astonishment.

Had he not heard about yesterday's events, he would have suspected the young man was there to pick a fight.

"Captain, I wish to try," Qin Jue said earnestly, his gaze resolute as he met Wu Mi's eyes without a trace of jest in his tone.

With the outbreak of war likely imminent, he needed to first gauge his exact strength.

Only by doing so could he accumulate victory points on the battlefield while avoiding mortal danger.

Sensing the utmost sincerity in Qin Jue's words, and recalling the youth's astonishing display the previous day, Wu Mi mused inwardly: *This kid is now the commander's prized pupil; the commander must be hoping someone will give him a thorough tempering.*

Reason and emotion alike dictated that he could not refuse, nor could he go against the commander's implicit wishes.

"Very well, but you must steel yourself—I will not hold back," Wu Mi said as he stood up. Of sturdy build and imposing presence, his words were laden with solemnity.

Since this was meant to be a tempering session, it required giving his all. Even though his opponent was the commander's disciple, he would never intentionally pull his punches out of deference to status; such was his principle and pride as a martial artist.

"Understood!" Qin Jue's eyes instantly brightened like stars, and he nodded heavily before cupping his fists in salute, "Then I must trouble you, Captain."

Following that, the two selected an unoccupied patch of open ground.

"Qin Jue, the gap between the First Realm and the Second Realm is like a chasm, and within the Second Realm itself, the First Pass and Second Pass are equally worlds apart..." Wu Mi did not attack immediately, choosing instead to instruct him.

A First Realm martial artist tempers the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones to bolster their vital blood, nourish their innate primordial energy, and enhance their physical constitution.

Upon reaching the Second Realm, however, one must ignite the innate primordial energy accumulated during the First Realm.

The dantian serves as the furnace, and the primordial energy as the fire.

The furnace fire transforms into a torrent that washes over the physical body, strengthening the muscles and bones.

This is the origin of the Second Realm's Melting Furnace Stage.

At the First Pass of the Second Realm, the furnace fire is newly born; application of primordial energy remains unpolished, and its circulation is somewhat sluggish.

By the Second Pass, once the furnace fire turns orange, one can mobilize several times the primordial energy of the First Pass, and physical strength increases exponentially.

Qin Jue listened attentively, silently committing the principles to memory.

After all, he would soon step into the Second Realm himself.

When the lecture drew to a close, Wu Mi cut to the chase: "Now, let you experience the furnace fire of the Second Realm's Second Pass."

He immediately channeled the power of his furnace fire to the limit. In an instant, his ordinary skin gradually took on a striking golden hue, as if gilded by the sunlight.

The Second Pass of the Second Realm yields an orange furnace fire.

It is further divided into three phases: orange, golden-orange, and golden-yellow.

Clearly, Wu Mi had cultivated to the late stage of the Second Pass, and his furnace fire was potent and profound.

Witnessing this, Qin Jue took a deep breath, instantly gathering his aura inward. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he assumed an offensive stance.

At this moment, his posture was upright, his gaze resolute and fearless, showing not a shred of cowardice despite Wu Mi's transformation.

"Watch closely," Wu Mi said calmly, his voice low yet carrying immense penetrative force.

The moment the words left his lips, blinding, dense brilliance erupted from his entire body.

Immediately afterward, he moved like lightning, flashing forward like a golden arrow as he charged fiercely toward Qin Jue.

Seeing this, Qin Jue's pupils constricted sharply, a wave of shock rippling through him: *Such incredible speed!*

With no time for hesitation, he made a decisive choice and drove the Nine Nines Two Tigers Art to its peak.

Instantly, the vital blood within his body surged like a roaring river, flowing frantically to gather in his right arm.

Every muscle in his body tightened, each one containing immense power. He raised his right arm high, wrapped in the howling sound of the wind, and lashed out with a fierce punch.

Almost simultaneously, Wu Mi arrived right in front of Qin Jue.

With a calm and relaxed expression, he casually raised his right arm and threw a punch that looked deceptively effortless.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary blow actually concealed terrifying power.

"Bang!"

With a collision sound, Qin Jue's eyes widened as a horrific shockwave erupted from the point of impact.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Qin Jue staggered back several steps before barely managing to steady himself.

A stabbing pain flared through his right fist, draining the color from his face instantly.

"Is the gap really this wide?"

Qin Jue had not expected the disparity between himself and a Second Realm, Second Pass martial artist to be so vast.

At that moment, Wu Mi closed in on Qin Jue once more, his right fist whistling through the air with unstoppable momentum as he blasted forward again.

Qin Jue hastily raised his hands to block.

"Bang!"

This time, Qin Jue was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Without pausing for a breath, Wu Mi advanced relentlessly.

Deeply feeling the chasm between them, Qin Jue shouted inwardly in a rush: "Allocate points!"

Fifty victory points vanished instantly.

In a flash...

A scorching torrent of heat spewed from Qin Jue's dantian, sweeping through his entire body like a raging tidal wave.

His already solid muscles grew even more taut, veins twisting beneath his skin like crouching dragons.

He took a tentative deep breath and slowly exhaled, feeling a mighty surge of power course through his meridians like an electric current across his whole body.

The Nine Nines Two Tigers Art, Second Stage!

By now, Wu Mi had already closed the distance, his golden-yellow skin radiating brilliantly as his downward punch descended with irresistible force.

Yet this time, instead of retreating, Qin Jue met the attack head-on with a punch of his own.

"Bang!"

Another muffled explosion rang out. A formidable, peerless aura burst forth from the intersection of their fists, the air itself seemingly compressed and distorted by the sheer force, forming visible rings of shockwaves that rippled outward.

The immense impact sent a jolt of heavy pressure through both men, their arms trembling slightly.

Neither retreated, however, standing firm in their tracks.

Wu Mi narrowed his eyes, surprised to find that his opponent's comprehension of the technique had advanced to another level.

Such talent for improvement in the midst of battle was truly defying the heavens; no wonder even the commander had taken it upon himself to accept him as a disciple.

As for Qin Jue, his heart surged with uncontrollable excitement.

He had never imagined that once the Nine Nines Two Tigers Art broke through to the second stage, it would unleash such terrifying power, allowing him to contend directly with a Second Realm, Second Pass expert without falling behind.

"Don't celebrate too soon!" Wu Mi's voice rang out again.

His figure suddenly shifted like a phantom. With lightning speed, he retracted his arm and sidestepped.

Then, like a golden bolt of lightning, he moved with breathtaking swiftness to lash out a fierce punch directly at Qin Jue's ribs.

The entire sequence of movements flowed as smooth as natural silk, executed so rapidly that Qin Jue had no time to mount any effective evasion.

With a muffled thud, Wu Mi's fist smashed heavily into Qin Jue's ribs.

The force of the blow was tremendous; Qin Jue felt as though he had been slammed by a charging wild bull, throwing him off balance and nearly causing him to topple over.

"Combat relies on more than just brute fists," Wu Mi said, lowering his fist and standing calmly as his unhurried words drifted to Qin Jue's ears.

Since he bore the task of tempering Qin Jue, he intended to seize the opportunity to impart some practical combat essentials.

Qin Jue refused to yield, choosing instead to press the attack once more!

Faced with his persistence, Wu Mi naturally obliged.

Only this time, Wu Mi altered his strategy. Rather than launching an overwhelming, brute-force assault as before, he adopted a progressive approach, subtly adjusting his output of force and rhythm.

He hoped that through this method, Qin Jue would gradually perceive the tangible gap between them during the exchanges, thereby gaining enlightenment and growing stronger.