Never before had I meditated for this long.

It felt like dreaming within a dream, and even when I woke from it, I still hadn’t escaped the dream. And yet, my mind was calm.

After walking a single-log bridge for what felt like forever, I arrived at an unknown realm and discovered a giant hand.

If it had been the Buddha’s palm, I might’ve been surprised—but it was just my own hand. I knew because I saw a scar left by a nail.

Even though the hand had suddenly emerged…

I recognized this place as the realm of martial enlightenment—specifically the preliminary stage of Geumgu Soyo Gong—and wasn’t disturbed by it. With my arms crossed, I stared at my palm, then infused wood qi into my pinky finger.

Amazingly, the massive pinky was soon covered in a grainy, wood-like hue.