Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 30: Five Hearts Turning Towards the Sky

After leaving the Extreme Club, Lin Yun didn't rush home.

He first went to the property management office of Mingyue Residential Area to complete the selection procedures for a detached villa in the Martial Artists' Community. According to the contract, he could choose any detached villa in the Martial Artists' Community within Yangzhou City and its subordinate areas. The staff member in charge of receiving him was overly enthusiastic—after all, those who own property in Mingyue Residential Area are either martial artists or their family members, and he couldn't afford to offend either of them.

"Mr. Lin, this is the floor plan and location of the currently vacant detached villas in Mingyue Community. Please take a look." The staff member handed over a tablet computer, on which detailed information about the villas was displayed.

Lin Yun glanced at the list and chose the one closest to the Extreme Sports Hall. It wasn't because he liked crowds, but because it was close by, making it convenient for future training.

"Okay, Mr. Lin. Here are the keys to this villa. The property certificate will be processed within seven business days and delivered to your home. You can move in anytime."

Lin Yun took the keys, thanked him, and turned to leave the property management office.

Standing on the tree-lined path of Mingyue Residential Area, Lin Yun looked at the brand-new key in his hand, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

He and his grandfather had lived in the low-rent housing for over a decade. Although the house was dilapidated, every inch of the walls and every piece of furniture was imbued with his grandfather's sweat and love. Now that they were moving, he couldn't help but feel a pang of reluctance. But he knew it was a necessary step. His grandfather was getting old and couldn't continue living in such a place. The Wuzhe residential area had a better environment, stronger security, and professional medical facilities, which would be beneficial to his grandfather's health.

"Grandpa should like it here," Lin Yun murmured, quickening his pace.

When Lin Guodong got home, he found him sitting on a small stool in front of the convenience store downstairs, playing chess with Grandpa Wang who owned the store.

Seeing Lin Yun return, Lin Guodong immediately put down his chess pieces, stood up, and greeted her: "Yun'er, how did it go? Did you pass the exam?"

His voice trembled slightly, and his cloudy old eyes were full of expectation.

Lin Yun smiled, took out the quasi-martial artist certificate from his pocket—although the official certificate would take a few more days to arrive, the Limitless Club issued a temporary certificate on the spot—and handed it to his grandfather.

Lin Guodong took the certificate, his hands trembling slightly. He looked at it several times, then suddenly looked up, his eyes reddening: "I passed? I really passed?"

"I've passed," Lin Yun said. "Grandpa, from today onwards, I am a prospective martial artist."

"Good! Good!" Lin Guodong's voice choked with emotion. He patted his grandson's shoulder hard, his lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.

Grandpa Wang from the convenience store leaned over to take a look at the certificate, his eyes widening in disbelief: "Old man Lin, your Yun'er has become a martial artist? A fifteen-year-old martial artist? My goodness, what an achievement that is!"

"Of course! My grandson!" Lin Guodong puffed out his chest, every wrinkle on his face radiating pride.

Lin Yun helped his grandfather climb the stairs back home, then said, "Grandpa, there's one more thing. The Extreme Martial Arts Academy allocated me a villa in Mingyue Community. Let's pack up and move in in the next couple of days."

Lin Guodong was stunned.

"Villas? Bright Moon Residential Complex?" His voice was slightly unsteady. "You mean that Bright Moon Residential Complex... where all the martial artists live?"

"Yes." Lin Yun nodded. "It's written in the contract that it's a detached villa with freehold ownership. Grandpa, you don't need to live here anymore."

Lin Guodong remained silent for a long time. He turned his head and looked at the mottled iron gate, the peeling paint on the wall, and the scrap metal piled in the corner. Finally, tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

"If your parents were still here, how happy they would be..." the old man murmured, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

Lin Yun didn't say anything, but just held his grandfather's hand tightly.

The move went much more smoothly than Lin Yun had imagined.

There weren't many things in the low-rent apartment to begin with: a few pieces of old furniture, a few quilts, some pots and pans, plus a box of "treasures" that Grandpa had treasured for decades—containing photos of Lin Yun's parents, some yellowed letters, and a few old items that even Lin Yun couldn't recognize.

With the help of Luo Feng's family, they quickly packed everything up, called a truck, and delivered the large group of people to Mingyue Community.

The moment Lin Guodong pushed open the villa door, he stood there for a long time without taking a step.

Marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a spacious living room, and bright floor-to-ceiling windows—all of this felt like a dream to the old man who had lived in the slums his entire life.

"Grandpa, let's go inside." Lin Yun gently supported the old man's arm.

Lin Guodong then cautiously took a step, his feet landing on the marble floor as if afraid of breaking something. He looked around, his lips trembling, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "This...how much will this cost?"

"It's free, the martial arts school gave it to us," Lin Yun said with a smile. "Grandpa, please settle in comfortably. From now on, our lives will only get better and better."

Lin Guodong nodded, his eyes reddening again.

After finishing the move and seeing Luo Feng's family off, it was already evening. Lin Yun suggested that Luo Feng and his group stay there as well, but Luo Feng refused. Lin Yun knew that he wanted to move in on his own merits. Considering Luo Feng's current strength, Lin Yun didn't try to persuade him any further.

After settling her grandfather in, Lin Yun went to the supermarket at the entrance of the community to buy some daily necessities. Then she returned to her room, closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

It's time to cultivate genetic energy.

He took out the "Gene Primal Energy Cultivation Method" he had brought back from the Extreme Club from his pocket and read it carefully again. The principle of the Five Hearts Facing the Sky Cultivation Method is actually very simple—the palms of both hands, the soles of both feet, and the crown of the head are all facing the sky. Through special breathing techniques and mental guidance, one absorbs the energy of the universe, refines it into gene primal energy, and integrates it into every cell of the body.

But simple does not mean easy.

Lin Yun mentally reviewed every step of the cultivation method, then took off his shoes and socks, and assumed a proper posture on the bed—sitting cross-legged with his palms facing upwards, head upright, spine straight, and his whole body relaxed.

Five hearts facing the sky.

He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing according to the methods taught in the Dharma.

His breaths were slow and deep. He focused his mind on five points: the palms of his hands, the soles of his feet, and the crown of his head, imagining them as five vortexes, slowly rotating and attracting some kind of power from heaven and earth.

At first, nothing happened.

But Lin Yun wasn't in a hurry. He knew that the worst thing in cultivation was to be impatient. He had already learned patience when he was cultivating magic in the Panlong World.

Time passed by, second by second.

After an unknown amount of time, a strange feeling suddenly arose deep within Lin Yun's consciousness. The feeling was very faint, like a spring breeze brushing across a lake, or like fine rain sprinkling on flower petals; it was almost imperceptible, yet undeniably real.

Cosmic energy.

He sensed it.

Those energies permeated the heavens and earth, omnipresent yet elusive. Unlike the colorful and vibrant magical elements of the Panlong world, they were more restrained and profound, like an ancient power that had slumbered for billions of years, slowly awakening.

Following the methods in the Dharma, Lin Yun used his mind to guide the cosmic energy to converge into his body.

A cool, refreshing energy flowed into the five centers of the body, traveling along the meridians to every corner of the body. Wherever that energy reached, the cells, like long-starved beasts, devoured them frantically.

The cells are cheering, rejoicing, and evolving.

Lin Yun could clearly feel the changes in his body—muscle fibers were reorganizing after being torn, becoming more resilient; bones were becoming denser under the tempering of energy; blood was surging in the blood vessels, carrying more oxygen and nutrients; and internal organs were becoming more functional under the nourishment of energy.

This feeling is amazing.

He forgot about time and everything around him, immersing himself completely in cultivation.

Cosmic energy continuously flowed into his body, was absorbed by his cells, and transformed into genetic energy. This genetic energy was stored deep within his cells, like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment, granting him strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

Lin Yun didn't know how long he had been cultivating until the cells in his body finally sent out a "saturation" signal—they could no longer consume anything.

He slowly opened his eyes and found that it was already daylight outside the window.

The night passed.

Lin Yun took a deep breath, feeling the changes within his body.

He clenched his fist—his strength was many times greater than yesterday. He leaped lightly off the bed, his feet landing almost silently on the ground. He tried to throw a punch, his fist tearing through the air with a crisp "crack," the sound of speed breaking the sound barrier.

"According to the cultivation method, since the human body has never consciously absorbed cosmic energy since birth, it has always been in a state of hunger. The first time it absorbs cosmic energy is the most absorbed and the fastest time to improve strength!" Lin Yun felt that his whole body was undergoing a fundamental change from the inside out.

High-ranking general.

His martial arts cultivation level rose from intermediate-level warrior to advanced-level warrior!

This is the effect of the first cultivation of genetic energy. Cells undergo a qualitative leap after being cleansed by cosmic energy. Subsequent cultivation will still result in progress, but never another leap as tremendous as the first.

Lin Yun suppressed his excitement, closed his eyes, and switched his consciousness to the Panlong World.

In the grove behind Ernst Academy, Lin Yun from the Panlong World sat cross-legged on a bluestone and slowly opened his eyes.

He looked down at his hands, feeling the changes within his body—his warrior cultivation had broken through from the peak of level five to level six.

This is no coincidence.

When the body in the Swallowed Star World cultivated its genetic energy, the power of evolution, through the resonance effect of the small cauldron, was simultaneously fed back to the body in the Panlong World. Although the two bodies were independent, their souls were the same, and that leap in life could not be separated.

It's not just about warrior cultivation.

Lin Yun sensed his mental power—peak of intermediate-level War God. He was only one step away from becoming an advanced War God.

Magic power—peak of level eight. Only one step away from level nine.

Two worlds, two bodies, breaking through simultaneously in the same cultivation session.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, a flash of seven-colored light appearing briefly before disappearing, and an overwhelming surge of excitement welled up within him.

The effects of his first cultivation of genetic energy were indeed astonishing. But what excited him even more was the power of the dual-world resonance—a breakthrough in one world would simultaneously benefit the other. This synergistic effect made his cultivation efficiency far exceed that of ordinary people.

"Unfortunately, such a significant breakthrough only happens once in a lifetime," Lin Yun murmured.

While he could still improve through cultivating genetic energy in the future, he would never again leapfrog an entire realm at once like today. However, this was already enough. With the martial arts cultivation of a high-level warrior general, the mental power of a peak mid-level war god, and the cultivation of a peak level eight mage—at fifteen years old, he was already considered a top genius on Earth.

Lin Yun stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The morning sunlight streamed in, warming his face. In the distance, the detached villas of Mingyue Community stood in a picturesque arrangement in the morning light, and dewdrops on the lawn sparkled with a crystalline brilliance.

Grandpa was already busy downstairs; the sounds of pots and pans clattering came from the kitchen, and the aroma of millet porridge filled the air.

Lin Yun took a deep breath, turned around and went downstairs.

"Grandpa, what are we having for dinner today?"

"Millet porridge, salted duck eggs, and your favorite meat buns!" Lin Guodong's voice came from the kitchen, full of energy and much more spirited than yesterday.

Lin Yun smiled and sat down at the dining table.

A new day, a new home, a new beginning.

From this day forward, he is no longer a helpless orphan, but a genius martial artist being groomed by the Limitless Martial Arts Academy. His journey has only just begun.