Chapter Twelve: The Beginning of Cultivation

On a broad, flat expanse of mountain terrain, five hundred people sat on the ground, waiting for their battalion commander, Chen Sheng. As the commander and instructor of the Flying Dragon Battalion, Chen Sheng oversaw ten sub-battalions. He was the most senior among them, about forty years old, with a resolute face that radiated authority even in calmness.

He was a disciple of Chen-style Tai Chi, possessed mastery over several disciplines, and had graduated from Tsinghua University before joining the military. Now, he was a professor of martial arts, invited by the Premier to establish the Flying Dragon Battalion and serve as its commander. This cohort was the third group of trainees.

A middle-aged man in camouflage approached, climbed onto a stone, and introduced himself with warmth. Then, his voice thundered across the assembly: “Today marks our first day of training. I want to ask—have you ever heard of cultivation?”

“Yes... read about it in books...” came murmurs of reply from below.

“You must remember the spatial fusion of 2052, don’t you?” Chen Sheng continued, smiling. Seeing the trainees nod, he went on: “That spatial fusion brought about genetic mutations, giving us the chance to experience cultivation—a term once found only in novels. The laws of Earth were changed; immense pressure and subsequent fusion forces caused disaster. In just three days, thirty billion people perished or vanished, reducing humanity to four billion. Then, due to nuclear warfare and other factors, only about four hundred million remained.

Flora and fauna suffered greatly; some animals nearly went extinct. Eventually, someone discovered a way to resolve the crisis; many martial arts families and hidden masters sacrificed their lives, transforming their vitality to save humanity. My grandfather perished in that catastrophe.” He paused before continuing, “Now, there are predictions that the calamity has not ended. It is like a dormant volcano, soon to erupt again. Whether we can survive, no one knows.

Only by growing stronger do we stand a greater chance. Thus, the Flying Dragon Battalion, along with elite units like the Snow Leopard Commando and Shadow Commando, were founded across China and the world—to face this possible crisis. Now we can only rely on ourselves! The Earth is divided into three major camps; aside from Australia, which was occupied by aliens, and the Bermuda Triangle, haunted by unknown creatures, humanity is only strong enough to guard half the former lands and seas. Even the once powerful R Nation is now unfit for habitation, its people fleeing to E Nation and other Southeast Asian countries.”

Hearing this, the trainees’ spirits surged, feeling the weight of their responsibility grow heavier. Zhang Yu and Yun Meng exchanged glances, each silently making a decision. Wang Yue, Yang Tian, and Shuang Ning clenched their fists in determination.

“Next, I’ll teach you some cultivation methods—just an introduction. Your future progress will depend on yourselves. I believe some of you from martial arts families already possess basic cultivation abilities, but today I’ll teach you a method I devised after integrating many schools over the years, named ‘Flying Dragon Formula.’ It incorporates the yin-yang of Tai Chi, various grappling techniques, and more. The most important principle is: tranquility of mind. Without peace in your heart, nothing can be achieved. Remember this well!” With these words, Chen Sheng stepped down from the stone and instructed a sub-battalion instructor to distribute the Flying Dragon Battalion manual.

Hua Feng glanced at the training manual’s introduction to current vitality cultivation: According to the World Cultivation Association, vitality is divided into one hundred levels. Every five levels mark a minor stage, every twenty a major stage, and each major stage is further divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, and peak.

These are:

1–20: Vitality Person. Equivalent to the strength of an ordinary special forces soldier.

21–40: Vitality King. Comparable to the range between skilled experts and peerless masters, roughly matching the legendary Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang. Average lifespan reaches about two hundred years.

41–60: Vitality Emperor. At this stage, the average lifespan theoretically exceeds five hundred years. With a single move, one can traverse a thousand meters in an instant and claim the enemy’s head amidst thousands.

61–80: Vitality Sovereign. Few reach this level; average lifespan is unknown. Possessing enough energy to move mountains and fill seas, mere pressure can kill.

81–100: Vitality Sage. Legendary beings, theorized by the World Cultivation Association. Those who attain this level transcend the cycle of reincarnation and the abyss of hell, their Dao unshaken, achieving immortality. It is said that even higher realms exist, more mysterious and elusive, and those above the Vitality Sage truly achieve undying, eternal existence.

...Hua Feng knew his path would be long, and only through greater effort could he survive in this turbulent world—to prevent nightmares from becoming reality, for his family, friends, those who loved him and those whom he loved.

Training continued until everyone was utterly exhausted before the day ended and they returned to the camp for rest. Before departing, the commander told them to comprehend the formula in their respective camps, and that they would regroup for training in seven days.

Dragging his weary body down the mountain, Hua Feng coincidentally encountered a girl—his childhood classmate Wang Yuxuan, a lovely and beautiful girl.

She was exhausted as well; after all, heavy physical training was difficult for a girl.

“What a coincidence! You joined the Flying Dragon Battalion too?” Hua Feng’s tone was tinged with surprise.

“So what? You can come, but I can’t?” Wang Yuxuan teased with a smile.

“No, no... I’m really happy to see you here! It’s been years, and you’ve become so beautiful.” Hua Feng turned to look at her as he spoke.

“Thanks for the compliment, you’re not bad yourself! The little rascal from before has turned into a handsome guy. Ah, time flies! In the blink of an eye, it’s been years since graduation...”

Yun Meng, though also their mutual classmate, fell silent after the pleasantries, her gaze reflecting something else.

The gentle mountain breeze swept by, carrying a few red maple leaves down in autumn. As the sun set, Hua Feng suddenly felt an illusion, as if he had returned to an autumn many years ago. Back then, the sky was blue, days passed slowly, and his mood was always good.

Afterward, Hua Feng, Wang Yuxuan, and Yun Meng left together. Their conversation on the road revealed much about each other's lives over the years. She was at the Central Military Academy, stationed in Battalion 3, right next to Battalion 2. Soon they reached the vicinity of the camp, exchanged hurried farewells, and Hua Feng promised to visit her when he had time. Yun Meng also returned to the girls’ dormitory to rest.

As Hua Feng washed up in his camp, he still thought about the past, about Wang Yuxuan. Suddenly, he was tapped on the shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing? Don’t you know you can scare someone to death?” Hua Feng said angrily to Yang Tian, who had interrupted his reverie.

“Brother, hey, not to criticize, but you’ve been absent-minded and grinning to yourself. Are you thinking about someone special? Share with us!” Yang Tian laughed.

“It’s nothing, just ran into a childhood classmate on the way down, felt a bit nostalgic.”

“It must be a girl, right? Do you like her?”

“Get out of here! When did you become as gossipy as Wang Yue?” With his comrades, whom he had fought alongside, Hua Feng relaxed.

He ignored Yang Tian’s teasing, grabbed his things, and went back to the dormitory. Seeing Wang Yue and Li Long discussing cultivation, and noticing himself and Yang Tian arriving, Wang Yue said, “Alright, now everyone’s here, I’ll teach you meditation—it’s the foundation of cultivation.” He demonstrated, sitting cross-legged like a monk. After some time with no response:

“Don’t just sit there! We need to get started, can’t fall behind the others, and mustn’t let Battalion 2 lose face!” Wang Yue’s earnest tone amused everyone.

Except for Yang Tian, the others present were at least mid to late Person-level cultivators, and Hua Feng had already broken through to King-level. It was boredom, so everyone sat down and assumed the posture of meditation, looking very much like beginners.

Following the instructions in the Flying Dragon Formula, Hua Feng and the others closed their eyes to sense the energy in the air, concentrating fully on their meditation. Gradually, subtle changes occurred around them; tiny points of light entered their bodies. From this moment, their initiation into the Flying Dragon Formula was complete. Hua Feng thought: One day, the name Flying Dragon will be known to the world because of them. The descendants of Yan and Huang, growing on the land of China, are destined to shoulder the backbone of this era!

That night, they drifted into dreams.