Chapter Two: Extraordinary Power

Upon entering the room, Chen Xian sat down on the chair by the window.

He let out a deep breath, calming the restless stirrings within his heart.

Picking up a pen, he rifled through the nearby cluttered pile of books and found several sheets of paper. He began to recall his actions over the past few days and jotted them down.

August 3rd: Clear weather, normal breakfast, practiced boxing, went to the market to seek ancient books, ate lunch out normally, practiced boxing at home, normal dinner, observed the stars, slept.

August 4th: Clear weather, normal breakfast, practiced boxing, went to the market, had lunch out but slightly reduced, practiced boxing at home, reduced dinner, observed the stars, slept.

[...]

August 6th: Clear weather, reduced breakfast, practiced boxing, went to the market, acquired an ancient book, reduced lunch, practiced boxing, reduced dinner, observed the stars, slept.

Today: Reduced breakfast, no hunger, anomaly detected.

Staring at the records on the paper, Chen Xian pondered deeply.

“It seems the changes in my body began on August 4th.”

“If I can repeat and verify each event from that day, the cause of these bodily changes will become clear.”

With this in mind, he set down the pen and walked outside.

His first test was to verify the weather — to see if it was the cause.

Today, coincidentally, was also a clear day, matching the weather on August 4th.

He arrived at the base of his apartment building, bathing in the morning light. Chen Xian emptied his mind, focusing on sensing his body.

Time passed slowly. After about half an hour, he felt no changes within.

“Seems it’s not the weather,” he thought, though he was not disappointed. After all, the events from that day were limited, and he could verify each one.

Suddenly, a wave of fullness swept through him, causing a jolt in his heart.

“Huh?”

“This morning, I only had a few bites, and though I didn’t feel hungry, I certainly didn’t feel this full.”

“This is…”

Calming himself, Chen Xian felt a flicker of anticipation and carefully sensed the changes in his body.

After a moment, he assumed the White Crane stance, directing his qi and blood to circulate rapidly through his body.

Though he had not yet reached the stage of “Bright Force,” three years of martial arts practice had already granted him an understanding of his internal qi and blood power.

Now, the only thing separating him from the first realm of martial cultivation was timing.

But that timing was precisely what made it difficult for him to advance quickly; he had to spend more time refining himself.

When his qi and blood reached his bones, strengthening them until his bones were as hard as iron and stone, he would enter the Bright Force stage.

He chose to squat in the White Crane stance because it allowed him a clearer awareness of his body, helping him pinpoint the source of these changes.

As his consciousness guided the circulation of his qi and blood, when the flow reached his face, he noticed a visible increase in volume with the naked eye.

At the same time, an even stronger sensation of fullness rose from his heart.

“This…”

“This defies logic!”

“How could the qi and blood increase at such a rapid rate? This surpasses all reason.”

“This is truly unbelievable,” Chen Xian gasped, astonished beyond measure.

“Wait—if this is a transcendent phenomenon, then it’s no surprise it defies logic.”

Circulating his qi and blood again, he realized the increase wasn’t limited to his face but also appeared in his hands.

“Hands… face,” he muttered, glancing upward at the dazzling sunlight.

Suddenly, a realization dawned.

“The sun!”

With this thought, an indescribable thrill stirred within him, followed by overwhelming joy.

“Transcendent power really exists!”

He had found it—he had truly found transcendent power.

For three years, ever since the dream had influenced him, he had believed in the existence of the transcendent and had been searching ceaselessly.

Little did he expect, the transcendent power had already manifested within him; he had simply overlooked it.

Had it not been for his mother’s words waking him from his dream, he might not have noticed this change for some time.

After all, this transcendent power was not as grand or earth-shattering as he had imagined, but rather subtle and quietly nourishing.

Having confirmed the source of this transcendent phenomenon, Chen Xian suppressed his excitement and began to test its function.

“If the transcendent power is related to the sun, then I should try increasing the area of my body exposed to sunlight.”

With that thought, Chen Xian removed his jacket, bared his arms, rolled up his pant legs, and resumed the White Crane stance.

After some time, the sensation of rapidly increasing qi and blood returned.

This time, the surge wasn’t only in his face and hands but also in his arms and legs.

“It seems that when the body is exposed to sunlight, it directly absorbs the light and converts it into qi and blood through some incomprehensible method.”

Feeling the flow of qi and blood, Chen Xian mused,

“Could this be photosynthesis? But can the human body truly have such a capability?”

“In medicine, it is said that qi and blood are the foundation of life, originating from the essence of food and drink absorbed by the spleen and stomach, circulating with the blood throughout the body to maintain health.”

“In that case, the sensation of fullness is not so surprising,” he thought quietly.

For the rest of the morning, Chen Xian immersed himself in understanding this transcendent power, testing whether it held other abilities he had yet to discover.

Approaching noon, the sun hung high in the sky, and the scorching heat rose from the courtyard, filling the air with oppressive warmth.

This half-day of experimentation granted Chen Xian a preliminary understanding of this transcendent force, and he summarized his findings into nine points.

First, his body had undergone mutation, gaining the ability to convert light energy.

Second, this transcendent phenomenon could increase his qi and blood power.

Third, it could stave off hunger and fasting.

[...]

In summary, this transcendent phenomenon transformed light energy into the body’s qi and blood.

Qi and blood are the foundation of man; strong qi and blood prevent disease, nourish the internal organs, strengthen the body, invigorate life, and resist external evils.

For Chen Xian, the existence of this transcendent power held two key significances.

First, it confirmed the reality of transcendent power.

Second, it offered tremendous aid in his martial cultivation.

As for whether the increased qi and blood would extend his lifespan, accelerate wound healing, or whether his qi and blood could increase infinitely…

Those questions required more time to verify and could not be answered in the short term.

After all, he could not very well harm himself just to test if wounds healed faster!

Such an act was unacceptable to Chen Xian, for in his heart, the body was the root of everything.

The heavens are vast, the earth immense, but the body is paramount.