Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A Wisp of Spiritual Qi Swallowed into the Abdomen
Not only could Cultivation replace sleep, but it was also more effective.
This was an absolutely massive boon!
’Of course, it would have been even better if I hadn’t lost my job...’
Yang Shen checked his watch. There was still over an hour until dawn. He wanted to practice his fist techniques and stretch his limbs, but he was afraid of waking his sister, so he went straight to the Celestial Platform.
On the Celestial Platform, it was the darkest hour before dawn. The night wind had carried away all the day’s warmth, stealing the heat from his very sleeves.
But it could not steal the fire in the young man’s heart.
Yang Shen gazed at the quiet streets of Jinshui District and, further in the distance, the decadent glamour of Yanhua’s largest metropolis, Jianghuai City.
Even at this early hour, the skyscrapers never went dark, shamelessly flaunting their prosperity.
Yang Shen took a deep breath, filling his lungs completely, as if inhaling that distant opulence and turning it into Nourishment for his journey forward.
He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, sank his hips, and tucked his abdomen.
His arms were like mighty dragons, his waist like an ancient vine. His stance was as solid as a bell, his fists hammering his own body.
He began the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist.
Although Cultivation was magical, he was, after all, in a society that prioritized Martial Arts. The two biggest hurdles, his grades and the college entrance exams, were inextricably linked to improving his Martial Arts Realm.
He wasn’t sure what the future path of Cultivation would be like—whether it was completely different from Martial Arts or two paths to the same goal. But the soul-crushing pain of losing his job at the milk tea shop had taught him a lesson: until he was fully prepared, he’d better not just drop everything.
Martial Arts training, the complete opposite of Cultivation, favored movement over stillness, requiring intense physical tempering and an indomitable will.
A sharp, fierce power gradually infused Yang Shen’s every punch and kick.
A person burdened by frustration, even with ten thousand pounds of force, would still strike with timid hesitation. But Yang Shen, after a single night of Cultivation, moved with an air of freedom and directness.
The young man held on to that will, and that will, in turn, nourished him. Yang Shen felt his Fist Intent flowing with increasing smoothness.
He knew he couldn’t abandon Martial Arts just for Cultivation, and he knew all too well that he still had a heavy burden to bear.
Right now, he needed to consolidate the nourishment provided by his increased Qi and Blood Value.
Whether it was from what he had absorbed from Xu Bamboo’s "Initial Realm Passage essence" or what he’d gained by "drinking the northwest wind" through Cultivation, his Qi and Blood Value needed to be tempered into his physical body again and again to truly consolidate his realm.
Liu Yuankui had once used an analogy in PE class. ’Even if there’s something off about the guy,’ most of his teachings were probably sound, reflecting the common consensus on Cyan Blue:
Qi and Blood Value is like currency in a video game. But you can’t just convert currency directly into combat power; you have to use it correctly.
Taking supplements, receiving acupuncture, and even eating are all ways to acquire this "currency"—it’s basically like adding funds to your account.
Generally, the more you pay, the stronger you get. An account with 10,000 put into it is naturally stronger than one with a mere 6 from the first-purchase bonus. But there must still be a "conversion process."
The "training" part is what converts the "currency" into "combat power." Depending on the Martial Arts Techniques one practices and one’s personal aptitude, the conversion efficiency varies.
Neither can be neglected. The former is a test of financial resources, while the latter encompasses talent, lineage, and hard work.
Of course, if you’re exceptionally "talented"—with money—you can just brute-force your way up, even with low efficiency in those other areas.
Once the currency is converted to combat power, it doesn’t just disappear. It settles in as the "total account value." Therefore, Yang Shen’s Qi and Blood Value wouldn’t decrease as he trained.
Conversely, if someone "only topped up and never trained," their Qi and Blood Value would rapidly decline due to daily activities and bad habits. Like a leaking balloon, their "account" would automatically lose funds.
Yang Shen had gained nearly 7 points of Qi and Blood Value in the last few days, but most of it was still "liquid assets." He needed to continuously practice his fist techniques to consolidate it into his Martial Arts Realm.
And he had to do it quickly and consistently, training every day to prevent his hard-won Qi and Blood Value from draining away for nothing.
That was unacceptable to him.
How was that any different from just spilling the Initial Realm Passage essence on the ground?
Coming from a humble background, his only "conversion method" was the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist. But it was by no means inferior to what others had; it was the standard technique issued by the Yanhua Official, revised and perfected by countless top experts.
Once, twice, three times...
A thin sheen of sweat appeared on the young man’s forehead. He could feel his Qi and Blood Value continuously becoming the Nourishment that tempered his body.
Moreover, after five hours of Cultivation, Yang Shen felt the minor strains from his daily studies begin to ease. His punches and kicks became even more fluid and effortless.
He even felt his vision sharpening and his reflexes quickening...
’Cultivation is amazing...’
’I have to learn Cultivation!’
He lost track of time. A thin, cool white mist began to appear on the horizon, growing steadily brighter.
The sun was rising.
Yang Shen’s hands never stopped moving, but his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the Rising Sun. It was one of the few times of day one could gaze directly at it.
Warm. Resolute.
Though not yet scorching, the sun’s ascent was an unshakable certainty.
Unconsciously, Yang Shen forgot he was practicing. His entire focus was fixed on meeting the gaze of the morning sun, as if he were seeing a reflection of himself.
As if he had become the sun at dawn.
But his body never paused. Though he was almost completely unaware, Yang Shen’s fists moved with ever-increasing smoothness and grace. They even seemed to carry a hint of the vital energy of the "sun rising in the east."
Bathed in the morning sun, the young man seemed to be cloaked in a golden radiance that lingered around him.
At this moment, his mastery of the Sixth Set of Initial Realm Body Refining Fist reached a whole new level.
No, it was more than that. He had consumed this Fist Technique as Nourishment, absorbing it along with the distant prosperity, turning it all into fuel for the journey ahead.
Finally, as the sun continued its slow ascent, Yang Shen lost count of how many more sets he performed. He only stopped, somewhat regretfully, when the sun became too bright to look at. He had a faint feeling that some kind of fortuitous opportunity had just passed him by, and it was a shame.
He raised his hands level with his chest, then slowly lowered them, exhaling a faint stream of white vapor. Yang Shen could feel that the Qi and Blood Value he’d gained over the past few days had been completely consolidated.
Meanwhile, in the Immortal Race System, his information had changed.
"Clan Leader: Yang Shen."
"Cultivation: Qi Cultivation, Level 1."
"Spiritual Root: Water, Fire, Earth, and Wood Four Spiritual Roots."
"Cultivation Technique: , ."
"Life Chart: Life of Labor and Struggle."
He hadn’t expected the system to display Martial Arts Techniques as well. What made him even happier was that both of his techniques had achieved the system’s "Entry-Level Recognition."
He had been practicing the Initial Realm Body Refining Technique for several years, yet it hadn’t appeared on the system at all when he first acquired it.
The first level of Qi Cultivation was merely the beginning of the Cultivation path. Even in the Cultivation World, it wouldn’t be considered a significant change in strength.
It was just like when he had first reached the initial stage of Skin Refining; the actual increase in his strength only became apparent after several months.
But it was a groundbreaking first step.
Yang Shen was confident that as long as he persisted as an Immortal Martial Cultivator, he would eventually possess strength far exceeding that of someone on a single path!
And to his even greater surprise...
"Detected that the Clan Leader has officially embarked on the path of Cultivation. Achievement Unlocked: Qi Cultivation Ancestor."
"Clan Title: Qi Cultivation Ancestor"
"Equipping this title will cause the Cultivation Realm to look down on your clan, but it will slightly increase the respect you receive from mortals."
"The maximum number of clan titles is determined by clan strength. Current maximum: 1."
"Achievement Reward: Peiyuan Pill"
"Note: You’re already an ’Ancestor’ just for Qi Cultivation. What more do you want, a bicycle? Just pop some pills and get to training."
Yang Shen was stunned. His understanding of the system was still just scratching the surface. ’So clan titles can be system rewards?’
’I thought they were just earned through word of mouth...’
’But this effect... It’s hard to know what to make of it.’
’But then again, where on Cyan Blue is there even a Cultivation Realm?’
’Even if one existed, it would just be me. A one-man realm! At most, my clan members would join me in the future.’
’Isn’t this just a straight-up buff, then?’
Yang Shen figured the effect wouldn’t be very noticeable—after all, the system did say "slightly." He decided to equip it for now and see how it went. He could always change it if it didn’t work out.
His clan information changed to:
"Clan Name: Jianghuai Yang Family (Qi Cultivation Ancestor)"
"Clan Prestige: 2"
(News of your uncle’s wrongful death has circulated within a small local area, appearing in a few news reports and court documents. This is the Yang Family’s only claim to "fame.")
"Clan Leader: Yang Shen."
Yang Shen sighed. The clan’s prestige had gone up by one point, but he couldn’t feel the least bit happy about it.
’It felt like his uncle was still suffering from his wretched fate, even in death.’
As for the achievement system’s physical reward... Yang Shen reached into his pocket.
Inside was a small porcelain bottle that hadn’t been there before.
Peiyuan Pill.
He pulled out the wooden stopper. Inside were ten pitch-black pills, each about the size of a peanut.
The moment he opened it, a refreshing medicinal aroma wafted out. Just a single whiff made Yang Shen feel a sense of bliss, as if his own body’s senses were telling him:
’This stuff is definitely good for you!’
Elixir Pills... The had mentioned them in passing.
To be precise, it had touched upon the concept of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.
It was a very broad term; there were far more than a hundred skills, in fact. It was just a catch-all phrase. Yang Shen had even read about skills like "Spirit Weaving" for making clothes and "Spiritual Building" for constructing houses.
Oh, and that "Refine into a Puppet" ability connected to Xu Bamboo was one of the Hundred Skills, too.
And the introductory section had made a special point of mentioning: Alchemy is the foremost of the Hundred Skills!
That showed just how special it was.
Yang Shen shook the small bottle, curious about how these Peiyuan Pills differed from the vast array of "Rich Source Supplements" on Cyan Blue... Judging by the system’s tone, they weren’t considered particularly high-level.
’But hey, free is always good!’
’I wonder if the system will grant me the skill of Alchemy later...’
He had a vague feeling that the seemingly moronic practice of releasing External Spiritual Qi in Cultivation might be related to Alchemy. But his realm was too low, and he knew far too little.
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