The morning sunlight filtered through the wooden window into the room, bringing a touch of the unique coolness of dawn, yet it also filled one with warmth and hope.

The first thing Tang Tian did after getting up was to write a letter to Qianhui.

"Qianhui: I recently made a friend named Amori. He’s quite an interesting person. Despite his rather unappealing appearance, which makes him look somewhat fierce, he actually has a kind heart. He talks a lot and thinks simply, which sometimes annoys me, so I jokingly call him ‘Fly Cow.’ His dream is to pursue martial arts. Although I have some concerns about his intelligence, I will support him because he says I am a god-like man. Well, that title certainly suits me. Qianhui, I have good news to tell you: I’ve started practicing second-tier martial arts. I just went through an incredibly tough ten days of training. Although it was quite a challenge, for a god-like man, this training is just a piece of cake. Um, I completed it easily, but I won’t be arrogant. My time is precious and should not be wasted. The new principal may look sleazy, but he’s a good person. He gave me a silver heart technique soul card, and it’s an ancient soul card too! I’ll be heading to the Celestial Constellation to find you soon; you must take me to eat golden coconuts..."

Tang Tian's words were poignant, and he was focused.

He poured his heart out about his life, hoping that after receiving this letter, Qianhui would also become stronger! He had to catch up in these five years, striving to meet Qianhui and step onto the heavenly path.

After carefully sealing the letter, Tang Tian completed the most important thing. With a mind free of distractions, he decided to start practicing the Crane Qi Technique. The silver card and the ancient soul card each represented immense value, and their combination made Tang Tian, who was not good at socializing, realize their preciousness.

He carefully took out the silver card and infused it with true energy. The soul card instantly burst forth with dazzling silver light, filling the room with blinding brilliance, and a clear crane cry echoed in Tang Tian's heart.

Tang Tian's spirit was shaken; the clear crane cry seemed to contain some kind of power. The vast silver light transformed into a light arrow, shooting straight into Tang Tian's body. His palm felt warm, as if the light arrow was attracted, piercing into his palm.

Sure enough... the Southern Cross Hard Training Token...

Tang Tian walked up to the light door, where a vivid white crane appeared, looking as if it were ready to take flight. The crane’s eyes were sharp as arrows, its claws as strong as steel, its posture elegant, and its beak pointed.

"It seems not to be trifled with," Tang Tian murmured to himself.

Just like last time, he passed through the light door, and in an instant, his body jolted as the white crane on the light door shattered with a sound.

An indescribable feeling filled his body, and a surge of power suddenly erupted from his second-tier dantian pool.

With a crash, the wall of fullness shattered instantly.

Above the dantian pool, a powerful suction force emerged, pulling the true energy in the pool into fine streams that flowed upward. In the blink of an eye, a brand-new dantian pool formed above the second-tier pool.

The newly formed dantian pool's capacity was several times larger than the one below; if the second-tier dantian pool was like a small teacup, then the third-tier pool was like a small basin.

The edges of the third-tier dantian pool connected to countless tiny meridians, which were the paths for the third-tier heart techniques. Each tier of heart techniques involved different meridians.

At this moment, Tang Tian’s soul was attached, and the various nuances of the Crane Qi Technique flowed rapidly in his mind. With a thought, he began to cultivate the Crane Qi Technique.

At this point, Tang Tian finally understood why Old Wei said the Crane Qi Technique was so difficult to cultivate.

The operational pathways of the Crane Qi Technique were exceedingly complex; in comparison, the Qi Nourishing Technique was as simple as a blank sheet of paper.

Tang Tian couldn't help but be amazed; ancient warriors were truly extraordinary, and the complexity of this heart technique made his head spin.

However, since he had already vowed, Tang Tian still gritted his teeth and cautiously began to channel true energy according to the pathway of the Qi Nourishing Technique.

The complex pathways left Tang Tian dizzy.

He silently focused on the pathways and suddenly gasped, as if he had discovered a new continent.

This... doesn’t it resemble the shape of a crane?

The more he looked, the more it resembled a crane. Aha! Indeed, a genius, he instantly grasped the essence.

Tang Tian's spirits lifted as he repeatedly channeled the heart technique, increasingly convinced that the operational pathway of the Crane Qi Technique perfectly outlined the silhouette of a crane.

No wonder he found it so complex; that Crane Master was indeed messing around out of boredom, creating such a bizarre diagram.

The decline of the Crane Sect was truly self-inflicted!

If he hadn’t uncovered the secret of this complex heart technique, wouldn’t it have really killed someone to practice?

Tang Tian felt quite disdainful towards the Crane Master; in his view, things in the world should be simple and easy to understand. Tang Tian actually guessed part of the reason—the excessive complexity of the Crane Sect's heart techniques was indeed a significant factor in its decline.

Now that he had discovered the "secret" of the Crane Qi Technique, it was no longer a problem for Tang Tian. Facing the crane shape, after a few explorations, he memorized the heart technique’s pathway.

The third-tier dantian pool gradually stabilized, and Tang Tian persisted in operating the Crane Qi Technique. This cultivation lasted a full two hours before the dantian pool was filled once more.

Having stepped into the third tier, he felt the explosive surge of true energy, as if it were endless, an unprecedented strength.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed a line of text behind the light door.

"First round of intense training complete, completion rate good, second round of intense training activated, duration ten days."

Tang Tian was overjoyed; good things just kept coming. Since the last intense training, he hadn't set foot in this place, and he didn’t expect there to be a second round of intense training.

It seemed he had performed quite well!

However, Tang Tian didn’t immediately start the intense training. His previous experience made him apprehensive; continuous intense training was nothing short of torture. He couldn’t quite remember how he managed to endure it last time, but it was indeed terrifying.

Even a god-like youth could find it hard to bear.

As Tang Tian's peripheral vision swept over that line of text, he suddenly froze.

"…you have no time to waste..."

Tang Tian stood up, the hesitation on his face cleared away, and he became resolute and determined once more. Indeed, he had no time to waste; if he couldn’t even endure this little pain, how could he talk about dreams?

He thought of Qianhui, recalled everyone’s promises, and remembered the vow he had made.

With his simple mind, Tang Tian was like a shot of adrenaline, reigniting his fighting spirit.

“Wow, wow, wow! Tang the youth fears nothing! Charge, charge, charge!”

Tang Tian raised his arms, shouting like a hero.

“Do you know why you’re suppressed by Tang Tian?” Old Wei, holding a broken knife, appeared with a serious expression.

Amori instantly perked up: "Why?"

He was also puzzled, not understanding why he always seemed to be on the losing end when fighting Tang Tian; he had never figured it out.

“You’re too fixated on certain meaningless things. For example, last time, why did you go unarmed? Your main focus is on the knife, yet you chose to fight Tang Tian barehanded. Don’t you think that’s a bit off?” Old Wei squinted his eyes.

“That’s true,” Amori replied, showing a thoughtful expression.

“This indicates that you don’t regard Tang Tian highly enough,” Old Wei pointed out. “I heard that Liang Qiu is your goal. Would you fight Liang Qiu unarmed?”

Amori's mind conjured the image of that oppressive figure, and he shook his head without hesitation: “No.”

“Exactly. You must learn to give your all against any opponent. This is the respect a warrior should have; you shouldn’t treat it lightly. Moreover, even if your talent might be stronger than Tang Tian’s, you lack his ferocity,” Old Wei said.

“Ferocity?” Amori muttered.

“Precisely, ferocity,” Old Wei narrowed his eyes. “If Tang Tian had a goal like Liang Qiu, he would charge forward without hesitation. Even if defeated, he’d return a few days later, keep failing, and come back until he wins.”

Amori fell silent; Tang Tian’s ferocity resonated deeply within him.

Indeed, although he admired Tang Tian, he hadn’t valued him enough. Coupled with a lack of Tang Tian’s ferocity, it was natural to be suppressed.

“The most powerful aspect of Tang Tian is his fearlessness, as if he was born without a sense of fear. You, however, cannot achieve this. Fear is not shameful; it’s a human instinct, but if you want to become stronger, you must overcome it.” Old Wei’s tone was unusually stern, completely devoid of his usual sloppiness, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.

“Your talent is outstanding, your character pure, making you very suitable for knife techniques. That’s why I have my eye on you. You are better suited for knife techniques than Tang Tian; he is a natural in close combat,” Old Wei said gravely. “I know you aspire to create your own martial path, which is a great ideal. Many may laugh at you for being unrealistic, but in my opinion, this dream is truly noble. Those who mock you are people without ideals; they are cowardly, standing on low hills, looking up at distant peaks, lacking even the courage to dream.”

Amori’s eyes instantly reddened, his fists clenched, feeling understood for the first time.

“All great dreams sound ridiculous, and all great paths are destined to be arduous. But so what? Besides staying still and not getting hurt by the stones on the road, what truly exists is a smooth path? Life is destined to be hard; if you don’t even have a dream, how bleak it becomes.”

“We are the same kind of people, Amori. I once harbored the same dream, and though I didn’t fulfill it, it’s not a pity. The pity is that I am now old and can’t move on. Amori, I hope you can go further than I did and realize this great dream; it is also my dream.”

“I will give my all to teach you, regardless of whether you inherit my sect, only hoping you can take fewer detours. Such a great dream, this road filled with hardships—what I have experienced is only a small segment, and what I can offer you is merely this little strength.”

Old Wei seemed to transform into another person, standing tall with his knife, exuding an intimidating aura, his white hair flying wildly in the air.

“Earthly Mad Blade, Amori, are you willing to learn?”