Chapter 98: Fast Cultivation
Clayne remained seated in the center of the ruined classroom while the remnants of spiritual energy still swirled around him. The breakthrough he had just achieved left him feeling as though every muscle in his body had been reforged. Even breathing felt different now. The air entering his lungs seemed lighter. His senses stretched farther than before. He could hear distant crashes from the city, hear the flapping of Scytherion’s wings whenever the mantis returned from a hunting trip, and even hear the faint scratching sounds of creatures moving within nearby buildings.
The increase in strength was intoxicating.
Yet despite that feeling, his attention remained fixed on the pile of crystals beside him.
More specifically, the parasitic crystals.
Those strange crystals had changed everything.
The ordinary beast crystals had been nearly useless.
The undead crystals had proven equally disappointing.
Even some treasures from the Tiny World only provided limited results now.
Like the dried fruit. Chocolate. Water.
At first they are okay but after trying more, he couldn’t raise his cultivation.
But these parasitic crystals...
These were different.
These resonated with him.
These felt as though they belonged inside his body.
That realization alone was enough to make him abandon every other type of resource.
When Scytherion returned once more carrying several crystals in its claws, Clayne immediately grabbed the largest one.
Before beginning another cultivation session, however, he suddenly remembered something.
His gaze shifted toward the mantis.
"Where are you even finding these?"
Scytherion paused in the middle of chewing a crystal.
The creature looked genuinely puzzled by the question.
It thought for several moments.
Then another several moments.
Finally, a response entered their connection.
"Ugly thing."
Clayne blinked.
"What ugly thing?"
Scytherion shrugged.
Or at least attempted to shrug.
The movement looked strange coming from a giant mantis.
"Very ugly."
"How ugly?"
The mantis thought again.
Then projected an image.
The image that appeared inside Clayne’s mind looked like a horrifying mixture of insect, beast, and human flesh fused together into something that should not have existed.
The thing possessed too many limbs.
Too many eyes.
Too many mouths.
Several tentacles protruded from its back.
The creature looked less like a living being and more like a nightmare.
Clayne immediately frowned.
"What the hell is that?"
Scytherion answered confidently.
"Ugly thing."
The mantis clearly believed it had explained everything necessary.
Clayne stared for several seconds before finally giving up.
Honestly, he did not care.
Not anymore.
The source of the crystals was irrelevant.
The only thing that mattered was that they worked.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, he had discovered a reliable cultivation resource.
A resource that actually pushed his cultivation forward.
A resource that did not waste ninety-nine percent of its spiritual energy before entering his body.
That alone was enough.
"Bring me more."
The order came without hesitation.
Scytherion immediately nodded.
Then another thought entered their connection.
"Lots?"
"As many as possible."
The mantis seemed delighted.
The creature practically vanished before the sentence finished.
A gust of wind swept through the room.
Several loose papers flew into the air.
Then Scytherion disappeared into the city once more.
Clayne immediately resumed cultivating.
The first parasitic crystal entered the Tiny World.
Heavenly tribulation descended.
Lightning repeatedly struck the crystal.
After the process finished, Clayne retrieved it and began absorbing the energy.
The result remained just as incredible as before.
The spiritual energy flowed through him naturally.
No resistance.
No rejection.
No wasted energy.
His cultivation surged.
The Seventh Stage of Qi Infusion Realm that had once taken him so much effort to reach rapidly stabilized.
Then it strengthened.
Then strengthened further.
Spiritual energy gathered continuously around him.
The circulation speed inside his body increased.
His meridians expanded.
His bones became denser.
His muscles became stronger.
The changes accumulated with every passing minute.
Hours later, another breakthrough occurred.
The Eighth Stage arrived.
The moment the bottleneck shattered, a wave of energy erupted outward from his body.
Several broken desks nearby were pushed away.
Dust exploded into the air.
The sensation felt incredible.
Yet Clayne barely paused.
His eyes remained fixed on the remaining crystals.
Another crystal entered the Tiny World.
Another heavenly tribulation descended.
Another cultivation session began.
The cycle repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
By the time Scytherion returned carrying more crystals, Clayne was already advancing toward the next stage.
The mantis looked increasingly impressed.
The creature had become accustomed to seeing its master cultivate.
But this pace was absurd.
Even through their connection, Scytherion could sense the rapid growth occurring within Clayne’s body.
The creature immediately dumped a pile of crystals beside him.
Then left again.
Then returned again.
Then left again.
The city outside gradually became Scytherion’s personal hunting ground.
Every few hours, the mantis would return carrying another collection of parasitic crystals.
Sometimes dozens.
Sometimes hundreds.
The creature seemed to enjoy the task.
After all, every battle allowed it to feed as well.
Meanwhile, Clayne cultivated almost nonstop.
The Ninth Stage arrived.
Then stabilized.
Then strengthened.
Then approached perfection.
The speed was so absurd that even Clayne occasionally stopped to confirm he was not imagining it.
Each time he checked, the result remained the same.
His cultivation was genuinely rising.
Not slowly.
Not steadily.
Explosively.
Every crystal absorbed felt like adding another layer to a growing mountain.
Every cultivation session pushed him farther.
The spiritual energy inside his body became increasingly dense.
The amount he could store multiplied.
The strength contained within every movement increased.
Eventually, another bottleneck appeared.
Then shattered.
The Tenth Stage arrived.
The breakthrough caused the surrounding classroom to tremble.
Cracks spread across several walls.
The spiritual pressure leaking from his body became heavy enough to distort the air.
Yet even then, Clayne continued.
The Tenth Stage stabilized.
Then strengthened.
Then approached completion.
Soon after, the Eleventh Stage followed.
By now, even the process of breaking through felt unreal.
The cultivation stages that should have taken months or years seemed to collapse before him one after another.
Every time a bottleneck appeared, another tribulation-refined parasitic crystal would smash through it.
Every time he slowed down, another crystal provided enough power to continue climbing.
Days passed.
The pile of consumed crystals grew.
The city outside suffered greatly.
Scytherion practically exterminated everything carrying parasitic crystals within several districts.
Yet the results justified the effort.
The Eleventh Stage eventually reached perfection.
Then another breakthrough arrived.
Boom.
A wave of energy exploded outward.
The entire building shook.
Glass fragments scattered.
Even distant undead creatures outside reacted to the sudden pressure.
Clayne slowly opened his eyes.
His aura had transformed completely.
The amount of spiritual energy circulating through his body now vastly exceeded what he possessed only days ago.
Most importantly...
He had reached the Peak Twelfth Stage of the Qi Infusion Realm.
The very peak.
The absolute limit.
The highest point possible before the next major realm.
For several moments, Clayne simply sat there.
The realization slowly settled into his mind.
From the Seventh Stage...
To the Peak Twelfth Stage.
The speed was unbelievable.
The growth was unbelievable.
Even he found it difficult to believe.
Yet after examining himself carefully, he confirmed it repeatedly.
There was no mistake.
He had truly reached the peak.
Only one final step remained.
Only one final barrier stood before him.
As he slowly clenched his fist and felt the tremendous power flowing through his body, a smile finally appeared on his face.
He could sense it clearly now.
One more.
Just one more breakthrough.
And he would enter an entirely new realm.
