After dinner with his parents, Zhou Ling handed the Thunderfire Pearl to his father.
Having already been pleasantly surprised before, Zhou Shan was now able to accept it calmly, though his heart still swelled with joy.
This time, the herb-gathering team would be venturing into deeper, more dangerous territory, so every extra layer of protection counted.
Returning to his room, Zhou Ling immediately began studying the Spirit-Gathering Inscription.
It wasn't particularly difficult, and after a night of focused practice, he had mostly grasped its essence.
The next morning, he took out spirit paper and attempted to inscribe it.
However, his first two attempts failed.
Though the Spirit-Gathering Inscription seemed simple at a glance, its interconnected runes demanded extreme precision.
The slightest oversight could ruin the entire inscription.
Fortunately, with his [Primary Analysis] talent, Zhou Ling quickly identified the key techniques.
By the time he returned home that evening, he had successfully inscribed it on spirit paper.
But to ensure a success rate of at least sixty percent, he didn't rush to inscribe the Golden Bristle Brushes just yet.
Instead, he spent five more days practicing on spirit paper. Under the influence of his [Born Talent] ability, his proficiency with the inscription improved dramatically.
Only then did he attempt to inscribe the brushes.
Yet his first try still encountered issues.
From the first stroke to the last, the process seemed flawless—but upon closer inspection, he found that the spirit energy conduction in the brush was subpar.
After some analysis, he realized the problem lay in his spirit ink.
Since the brush handles were forged from Blue-Striped Bamboo, using wood-attribute spirit ink would have been more compatible.
Zhou Ling sighed—he had been careless.
The next day, he went to the market and purchased high-quality wood-attribute spirit ink.
From then on, the inscription process went much smoother.
Over five days, he barely managed to successfully inscribe six Golden Bristle Brushes—just enough to meet the quota.
In the following months, Zhou Ling consistently produced around ten brushes per month.
With each batch, his skill grew sharper.
After two months, his success rate climbed to nearly seventy percent, and his spiritual energy consumption decreased significantly.
At first, he could only inscribe one brush per night.
But as his efficiency improved, he could complete two in the same timeframe.
This was largely due to his deepening understanding of inscriptions and the enhanced precision from his [Precise Control] talent, which steadily reduced energy expenditure.
The difference was stark—where his first Thunderfire Inscription had drained half his spiritual energy, it now took only a quarter.
Meanwhile, each month, he set aside eight spirit stones to buy Fireglow Grass, refining its medicinal energy to boost his cultivation.
The rest he saved for his mother's brewing cauldron.
By the third month, Zhou Ling was producing one or two extra brushes per batch.
After some calculations, he enlisted Yuan Hu to discreetly sell the surplus to disciples studying inscriptions, runes, or formations within the academy—at one spirit stone below market price.
Even at seven stones per brush, they sold quickly, padding his income further.
Of course, for every three brushes sold, Yuan Hu received one stone as commission.
Additionally, through Chu Xing's referrals, Zhou Ling began taking repair jobs from herb hunters—items like Flame-Patterned Blades, Golden Thread Nets, and Dark Jade Swords.
Most were low-grade first-tier artifacts, typically inscribed with six to seven runes, though he gradually tackled those with eight or nine.
Unsurprisingly, most clients were low-level wandering cultivators. Even those at mid-stage Qi Refinement often relied on low-grade artifacts, as mid-tier ones cost several times more—a luxury few could afford.
His repairs earned their deep gratitude, though not for free—they paid in medicinal herbs, still far cheaper than market rates.
For Zhou Ling, these jobs were doubly rewarding. Not only did he earn herbs (prioritizing Fireglow Grass and ink-modifying varieties), but his [Born Talent] also honed his inscription skills, deepening his grasp of different runic attributes.
Each material posed unique challenges—spiritual energy consumption, stroke precision, and handling nuances—but his [Perseverance] talent ensured steady progress through relentless practice.
The remaining herbs he passed to Wang Xin for alchemy.
Unbeknownst to him, she had already advanced to mid-tier first-grade pill refinement—surpassing his current crafting level.
But this was no surprise. Wang Xin had talent, resources, and heritage on her side.
For a wandering cultivator like Zhou Ling, his achievements were already remarkable.
And so, nine months slipped by in a blur.
Spring faded into summer.
[You are absorbing Fireglow Grass. Perseverance +1, Spiritual Energy +3]
[You are absorbing Fireglow Grass. Herbal Resilience +1, Fireglow Grass Potency +1]
That night, as Zhou Ling sat cross-legged, circulating the Blazing Flame Art to refine the herb's energy, a crisp pop echoed within his meridians.
The newly absorbed medicinal power surged like wildfire, violently coursing through his channels—until finally, the thirty-first spiritual acupoint ignited.
"Fourth layer of Qi Refinement—finally!"
Exhaling in relief, Zhou Ling grinned.
His spiritual energy had swelled by over thirty percent, and his spiritual sense sharpened noticeably.
With over a month until his ninth birthday, he had broken through well ahead of schedule. Barring unforeseen setbacks, next year's academy entrance exam was as good as passed.
As he savored the changes, he summoned his status panel:
[Spiritual Roots]: Five-Element Low Grade (2/100)
[Cultivation]: Qi Refinement - 4th Layer (2/100)
[Body Refinement]: 1st Tier - 3rd Layer (85/100)
[Physique]:
Comprehension (Average Aptitude 920/1000)
Constitution (Notable Potential 43,600/100,000)
[Unique Talents]:
Perseverance (2nd Tier 430/1000)
[Growth Talents]:
Congenital Malnutrition
Non-Breastfed
Crisis Response (1st Tier 80/100)
Physique Evolution (3rd Tier 4,636/10,000)
Mountain Scavenger (2nd Tier 370/1000)
Sage's Wisdom (2nd Tier 873/1000)
Primary Insight (3rd Tier 1,368/10,000)
Spiritual Energy Affinity (4th Tier 17,600/100,000)
Lion's Roar (4th Tier 13,430/100,000)
Born Talent (3rd Tier 2,170/10,000)
Primary Analysis (3rd Tier 1,218/10,000)
Precise Control (2nd Tier 468/1,000)
Herbal Resilience (1st Tier 38/100)
[Cultivation Arts]:
Blazing Flame Art (1st Layer Perfected 330/1000)
[Techniques]:
Great Sun Fist (1st Layer Perfected 820/1000)
Five-Element Basic Inscriptions (Perfected 70/1000)
Zhou Ling's heart raced. Nearly all his talents had leveled up significantly.
"Now that I've reached the fourth layer… it's time to attempt mid-tier first-grade inscriptions!"
(End of Chapter)