[Sword Immortal Cultivation Assistant... Activation complete.]
[Updating Personal Status...]
[Class Promotion: Apprentice Sword Cultivator.]
[Rewards distributed: Basic System Functions—Skill Proficiency, Skill Implantation, and Performance Technique—unlocked.]
A series of prompts echoed in his mind.
The instant the voice faded, a warm current erupted out of nowhere from the very depths of Han Feng's bone marrow!
It was warm and pure, carrying a distinct sensation of sharpness as it instantly washed through his entire body.
[Class change complete. Initiating preliminary body modification...]
[Root Bone transforming into Sword Bone... Current progress: 2/100.]
[During Root Bone Transformation: Body Tempering Cultivation +200.]
[Body Tempering Cultivation has reached 988/800. Breakthrough to the Body Tempering Fifth Layer!]
A tingling sensation spread through him as a strange power began to sculpt his bones, fascia, and flesh.
The exhaustion and weakness from overworking and skipping meals were rapidly washed away by this power.
He could even "hear" the faint, crisp crackling of his own bones as their density and resilience soared at an unimaginable rate.
His muscle fibers were being rewoven, now brimming with astonishing explosive power.
At the same time, a torrent of knowledge and insight into the [Sword Control Technique] flooded his mind, awakening like a dormant instinct and integrating seamlessly into his consciousness.
How to channel energy.
How to establish a connection with a "Flying Sword."
How to make a "Flying Sword" an extension of his arms, his fingers, his very nerve endings...
It all felt perfectly natural.
Han Feng's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in their depths before vanishing.
'It worked!'
With a mere thought, a translucent blue virtual panel unfolded before his eyes.
[Name: Han Feng]
[Class: Apprentice Sword Cultivator (!)]
[Cultivation: Body Tempering Fifth Layer (188/1000)]
[Flying Sword: Initial Training-3 (Pseudo-Magical Artifact)]
[Cultivation Technique: Body Forging Technique (Proficient 388/400)]
[Swordsmanship·Body Technique: Sword Control Technique·Entry Level (0/1000)]
[Divine Techniques: None]
[Root Bone: Sword Bone (2/100, transforming)]
[Qi Blood: 518/518]
Every word on the panel heralded a brand-new future!
The corners of Han Feng's mouth curled up uncontrollably.
His hand on the control stick didn't move, but his mind had already soared ahead.
[Activating: Sword Control Technique·Entry Level]
VMMMM—!
The Qi Blood Power that had just exploded within him instantly found a new channel, roaring to life and circulating along a strange and profound path.
In the next instant, Han Feng's consciousness suddenly expanded, connecting completely with the entire Initial Training-3!
In that moment, he was no longer the pilot.
He *was* the plane!
The caress of every wisp of air over the wings felt like a touch against his own skin.
The roar of the engine became his heartbeat.
The vibration of every screw, the movement of every piston—all of it registered clearly in his Perception.
This old trainer had truly become a part of his body.
[Flying for 1 minute using "Sword Control Technique·Entry Level": Qi Blood consumed: 10. Body Tempering Cultivation +1.]
The look in Han Feng's eyes changed completely when he saw this notification.
'One minute of flight for one point of Cultivation!'
'What kind of cultivation speed is this?'
For perspective, a D Level Student at East Sea Martial Arts University practicing the Basic Body Forging Technique would be considered exceptionally talented if they could increase their Cultivation by 3 points in a single day—and that was with harsh training supplemented daily by Tier One Demon Beast Flesh!
And now, all he had to do was take a plane for a spin in the sky!
"This... this is my path!"
Han Feng no longer hesitated. He slammed the throttle all the way forward!
The engine of the Initial Training-3 let out a joyous roar unlike any before. Its airframe, belying its age, moved with a nimbleness that carved one smooth arc after another through the sky.
Climbing, banking, diving...
The system precisely registered every basic flight maneuver as an instance of practicing the [Sword Control Technique].
[Sword Control Technique·Entry Level Skill Proficiency +1.]
[Body Tempering Cultivation +1...]
He could clearly feel the Qi Blood in his body being consumed at a rapid rate.
But immediately following that, an even purer, more condensed power would well up from his transforming Sword Bone, causing his Cultivation to climb steadily higher.
His body was growing stronger.
Under the combined effects of the Skill Implantation and his spiritual resonance, his control over the plane was becoming masterful.
Han Feng's mind raced. 'This cultivation efficiency is absurd. Looks like from now on, the Body Forging Technique can only be a secondary practice. My main focus has to be the Sword Control Technique.'
He even had a strong intuition that if he was willing to pay the price in Qi Blood, he could make this unaerodynamic hunk of iron perform hyper-maneuvers that only a true Flying Sword should be capable of.
But he immediately crushed the tempting thought.
'No, the mass of this 'Pseudo-Magical Artifact' is too great. A single unconventional maneuver would probably drain all my Qi Blood in an instant.'
'It's a trump card for a life-or-death situation. I can't use it rashly.'
'Right now, the most important thing is to just keep grinding my Cultivation and Skill Proficiency.'
'Still, the consumption rate is a huge problem.'
He glanced at his Qi Blood Value: 518.
At a consumption rate of 10 points per minute, he could maintain this high-efficiency cultivation for 51 minutes at most.
And that was just in the most basic flight mode.
'The higher the efficiency, the greater the consumption. Just as I thought, you can't get anywhere without money.'
Han Feng was reminded once again that no matter the world, resources were always the cornerstone of the path to power.
'I have to figure out a way to make money!'
「Time passed.」
By the time the fuel warning light began to flash, Han Feng's Cultivation had steadily risen from the Body Tempering Fifth Layer (188/1000) to (218/1000).
In just half an hour, he had gained a full 30 points of Cultivation!
His Skill Proficiency in the [Sword Control Technique] had also reached [Entry Level: 30/1000].
Still feeling like he could go on, Han Feng pulled his focus back, adjusted the plane's attitude, and smoothly entered the landing pattern.
Lining up with the runway, lowering the landing gear, cutting the throttle...
With a barely perceptible touchdown, the Initial Training-3 came to a steady stop at the end of the runway.
The entire landing was silky smooth, his landing roll nearly a third shorter than his takeoff roll.
It was, in a word, perfect!
At the entrance to the hangar, Uncle Sun, who had been dozing with his eyes narrowed, was now standing bolt upright.
His cloudy old eyes were now filled with astonishment and disbelief.
'This kid's technique...'
'That landing just now... it wasn't just 'smooth,' it was 'light.''
'That level of control, precise to the absolute limit... He's no rookie. He's even more seasoned than the B Level Elites at the academy who fly High Level trainers every day!'
The cockpit canopy opened.
Han Feng leaped down nimbly, landing without a sound.
He still wore the same faded gray training fatigues, but the entire aura he exuded, from the inside out, was completely different.
"Uncle Sun, thank you," Han Feng said, walking up to the old man and giving a slight bow.
"How... did it feel?" Uncle Sun asked, staring at him. His tone carried a hint of probing that he himself hadn't even noticed.
"Better than ever," Han Feng said with a smile.
His smile was filled with a newfound confidence and ease.
He didn't offer any further explanation. With a simple wave, he turned and walked toward the Outer City.
He strode with firm, powerful steps through the rusted steel graveyard, heading toward the distant lights of the maglev station.
All confusion in his heart was gone.
He had only one goal.
Earn more Contribution Points. Exchange them for more fuel.
And then... practice Sword Control and cultivate!