Chapter 60: The Third Floor

“I never expected your swordsmanship to reach such mastery,” Han Wenqin said, looking at Li Zhen as if he were a marvel. “When Curator Zhang informed me of your progress, I almost thought he was joking!”

Curator Zhang had reported Li Zhen’s achievements to the Han family. Since Han Wenqin had recommended Li Zhen, according to their customs, she received a reward for his success. Moreover, as Li Zhen’s accomplishments grew, so would her own recognition and perks.

“I must express my deepest gratitude to Class Leader Han,” Li Zhen responded. “Without the Going Beyond Swordplay’s support, I could not have made such strides in my swordsmanship!”

“Even without the Going Beyond Swordplay, you would have been extraordinary,” Han Wenqin shook her head. She nodded at Li Zhen and then left to train in her personal practice room, feeling inspired by Li Zhen’s rapid progress.

Instead of training, Li Zhen headed straight for the Simulation Room. He could now access it freely, without any restrictions. Activating the private mode, he halted his ‘Qi Concealment Art’. The Simulator promptly scanned him from head to toe.

“Success rate for advancement to the third stage of Qi Refining: 99%. This result is for reference only!”

The Simulator’s output indicated his chances for successfully advancing to the third stage of Qi Refining.

Li Zhen noted that this success rate was identical to when he had attempted to advance to the second stage of Qi Refining.

He now fully comprehended the significance of a mid-grade spiritual root. Mrs. Li had always been a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining, and as someone who had attended cultivation classes, her accumulation of spiritual energy wasn’t an issue. The only thing restraining Mrs. Li from advancing to the third level of Qi Refining was the boundary bottleneck.

In contrast, with his mid-grade spiritual root, Li Zhen could ascend from the second to the third level of Qi Refining without such a bottleneck.

Li Zhen cleared the simulation instrument’s data; these results were not meant for others’ eyes.

Exiting the simulation room, Li Zhen headed to a dedicated practice chamber.

While Mr. Zhang advised Li Zhen to engage more in actual combat, Li Zhen knew his own limitations. His swordsmanship potential was far from fully realized.

Though progress through this mundane practice was slow, he understood that consistent training over time would still yield benefits.

Upon returning home that evening, after sharing dinner with his family, Li Zhen entered his cultivation chamber as usual.

With his spiritual energy having filled up to 30 points, all he needed was a breakthrough past this threshold to ascend to the third level of Qi Refining. Consequently, he needed not concern himself with the quality of available spiritual energy.

Besides, at home, they had only low-grade first-tier spiritual energy. However, this type of energy was suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining, encompassing the first to third levels.

Settling cross-legged in his cultivation chamber, Li Zhen began practicing the Seventeenth Foundation Qi Refining Technique. Sprays of spiritual energy entered his body, merging seamlessly with his essence.

In no time at all, as the first wisp of spiritual energy transformed into spiritual power and entered his dantian, Li Zhen felt a sudden jolt. The dantian contracted sharply, compressing the whirlpool of spiritual energy to its limit before it exploded within.

The blast doubled the size of his dantian.

As the dantian expanded, he sensed an overall enhancement of himself, with the most notable change being in his spirit.

The physical changes were subtle, which was unsurprising given that he had already reached the middle stage of the first level of body refinement—a significantly higher cultivation than mere qi refinement.

Despite breaking through to the third layer of Qi Refining, he continued practicing until all the spiritual energy in the cultivation room was depleted.

He stood up, now at the cultivation base of Father Li—third layer of Qi Refining.

In the Dragon Heart Space, there were ten mid-grade Qi Guidance Pills that he had obtained from school.

Li Zhen issued a command, and the Dragon Heart Space devoured the ten mid-grade Qi Guidance Pills, transforming them into a sphere of energy suspended within.

These ten pills would, over the coming days, grant him an additional 14 spiritual power points, allowing him to make giant leaps in the third layer of Qi Refining.

Now more than ever, Li Zhen had to be careful not to reveal his cultivation base.

If Principal Wang were to observe Li Zhen’s cultivation after today using secret techniques, he would no longer worry about Li Zhen’s cultivation progress.

After all, someone who could ascend to the third level of qi refinement in such a short time undoubtedly possessed superior spiritual roots, at least mid-grade spirit roots.

In fact, his spiritual roots must be exceptionally gifted even among mid-grade spirit roots; otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved such astonishing cultivation speed.

While Li Zhen’s wood-type spiritual roots with attributes 21.22 were considered mid-grade spirit roots, even with medicinal pills as aids, it was impossible to cultivate at his pace based solely on these roots.

The true reason for Li Zhen’s rapid cultivation growth was the Dragon Heart Space’s consumption capabilities.

Li Zhen felt somewhat puzzled. Given the Xian Nation’s system, he feared that prodigious cultivators with earth or heavenly spirit roots might struggle to thrive safely. History had never recorded such cases in Yunxi County, and even high-grade spirit roots were exceedingly rare over centuries.

Soon, Saturday arrived. Early in the morning, Li Zhen woke up and informed Mother Li that he would not return home for lunch.

Recognizing Li Zhen’s exceptional abilities, Mother Li didn’t impose strict restrictions on him. On days when he wasn’t at home during breaks, he would usually be at the Going Beyond Swordplay Hall.

Leaving his house, Li Zhen boarded a bus and got off at the stop near the North City Gate.

After traveling some distance beyond the north city gate, faint traces of holes began to appear in the ground.

There were no established roads outside the city, not because the Xian Nation didn’t build them, but because any roads constructed would inevitably be destroyed.

Weak monsters like the puff rats, with combat capabilities only slightly higher than ordinary people, posed a significant threat due to their astonishing reproductive power.

Most troubling of all, these creatures lived underground. Even if the Xian Nation organized cultivators to hunt them, it was impossible to completely eradicate the puff rats. As long as a small number remained, their population would rapidly recover.

No matter how sturdy the constructed roads might be, without specific protections against monster attacks, they could easily be destroyed by the sharp teeth of the puff rats. These rodents particularly enjoyed such destructive activities.

Puff rats were just one type among numerous weak monsters. Their distribution varied depending on different environments.

Yunxi County was most plagued by puff rats, which also made them the favorite target for low-level cultivators in the area.

Of course, puff rats possessed intelligence. They wouldn’t actively provoke powerful cultivators, and if a strong cultivator approached too closely, the rats would flee underground.

Thus, the best choice for hunting puff rats was cultivators with a cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refinement or lower. Cultivators at the fifth level or higher would rarely encounter these creatures in the wild.

Upon sighting the demon rat burrow, Li Zhen realized he had ventured beyond the city’s protected zone.

He cast the ‘Lightness Spell’ on himself, and with a sudden surge of speed, he delved deeper into the wilderness.

As he reached a dense forest, he checked behind him but saw no one in pursuit.

His experiences had taught him to be ever vigilant, yet in the realm of the Xian Nation, where the Demon-Worship Cult wasn’t causing trouble, it was relatively safe to travel.

No sooner had he stood still than a demon rat leaped from the canopy above, its jaws snapping towards his neck.

The rat moved with incredible speed, seeming to appear before Li Zhen in the blink of an eye.

His body reacted even faster. Instead of drawing his sword, Li Zhen swatted at the demon rat, deliberately testing the power of his Black Iron Body. He did not hold back, striking with full force.

The demon rat exploded in mid-air, its blood splattering on Li Zhen’s hand.

“Too weak!” Li Zhen felt the frailty of the demon rat, unsuitable for gauging the strength of his mid-stage first level body refinement.

Even more frustrating was that his powerful strike had left no remains, thus depriving him of any potential loot.

Demon rat meat was considered a type of spiritual flesh, and it made up a significant portion of Yunxi County’s spiritual food market.

Y fiendish mice were small creatures, and only the meat from their backs, a narrow strip, was suitable for consumption. Cultivators venturing out to hunt these rodents primarily sought this spiritual flesh.

Li Zhen’s excursion from the city aimed to gather such spirit meat as well. This would allow his family to conserve credit points typically spent on purchasing it.

He shook his hand, flinging off the blood. Then, from the Dragon Heart Space, he retrieved the Green Jade Flying Leaf, a mid-grade flight magical item he had previously refined.

In the city, he lacked opportunities to use it, so with no one around outside, he seized the chance to experience the thrill of flight.

Li Zhen channeled spiritual energy into the Green Jade Flying Leaf. Now at the third level of Qi Refining, though struggling slightly with the mid-grade item, he could manage short-term use without issue.

As the spiritual energy flowed from his body into the Green Jade Flying Leaf, he expended 10 points, roughly a third of his total.

The Green Jade Flying Leaf instantly enlarged upon the infusion of spiritual energy, transforming into a jade leaf about a meter long. This, however, was not its maximum size; with more spiritual energy, it could grow even larger.