A month slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Every morning, after finishing his cultivation, Ji An would stroll around his spirit field, practicing the Withering-Bloom Formula.
When half of his mana was spent, he would return to his bamboo house to ponder over spellcraft.
He maintained a schedule of one hour of cultivation in the morning and two at night, taking a Yellow Sprout Pill every three days. His progress soared.
Refining a single Yellow Sprout Pill increased his mana reserves by the equivalent of half a month's hard work.
This only strengthened his resolve to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible. Once he reached mid-stage Qi Refining, he could slowly pay off his debts.
When his credit was restored, he could "crowdfund" his cultivation for another year or so.
Under the silent light of the moon, Ji An lit a stick of incense and sat cross-legged on a meditation mat in the courtyard.
He noticed that in the mornings, his dantian no longer grew in capacity. Clearly, he had reached a bottleneck.
Breaking through from Qi Refining Level One to Level Two was simple enough. The method was written clearly in his cultivation manual; he only needed to follow it step by step.
He took out a jade vial and shook it. Inside were three pills.
"Ten Yellow Sprout Pills just to reach the second layer… my aptitude, well, let's not even talk about it."
He gave a self-deprecating smile, then swallowed a pill.
The influence of aptitude on cultivation was even greater than he had imagined. His absorption of heaven and earth qi was slow, and refining pill energy into mana wasn't fast either.
Worse, if it dragged on too long, some of the pill's medicinal power would seep out through his pores before he could refine it. It was frustrating.
Pushing aside distracting thoughts, Ji An calmed his mind and began his assault on the second level of Qi Refining.
Breaking through required reversing the qi flow. Mana coursing through his immortal veins no longer moved with the steady rhythm of daily practice; it had to alternate between bursts of speed and sudden lulls, carefully controlled.
In simple terms: he had to slowly draw some mana out of his dantian, then ram it back in at full force, striking at the bottleneck again and again until his dantian expanded.
After merging souls, Ji An's spiritual sense was far stronger than others at his level, making him adept at controlling his mana.
Half a quarter-hour later, he felt his dantian swelling faintly.
The bottleneck was loosening; he was on the verge of a breakthrough!
He reversed the qi flow, drawing out more mana. His immortal veins gathered it, sped it up, and then forward flow! Like a river in flood, the mana surged back into his dantian, swelling it to the point of bursting.
With a final push, the bottleneck shattered.
Sensing that nearly half the pill's medicinal power remained, Ji An naturally shifted into the second-layer method of the Clear Source Sutra, refining the leftover energy into mana.
Half an hour later, he reluctantly stopped cultivating.
The manual was clear: after a breakthrough, one shouldn't train for too long. Ji An obediently followed the instructions.
"This… this is the benefit of being in a sect. Absolutely worth it!" Ji An let out a heartfelt sigh.
The manuals included detailed notes from countless predecessors, polished and perfected over generations. As long as one followed them step by step, minor breakthroughs were simple.
Loose cultivators had no such luxury. Not only did they lack complete techniques, but they also lacked manuals that practically let you "level up" by following directions without thinking.
Looking inward, Ji An saw that his dantian now held twice as much mana as before. His immortal veins had also sprouted a few tiny new branches.
The more developed the veins, the more efficient the absorption of heaven and earth qi, and the more effective the refinement of pills.
It didn't look like much, but accumulated over the years, the improvement would be enormous.
With his current mana reserves, he could now cast the third-layer Minor Rain Technique three times a day and still have mana left over.
His eyes gleamed as glowing words surfaced in his mind:
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 18.5, Kun 11.7, Xun 3.7]
[Spells: Minor Rain (Small Accomplishment 1%)
Thick Earth Formula (Small Accomplishment 1%)
Withering-Bloom Formula (Small Accomplishment 1%)]
Ji An's lips curled into a smile. With such a windfall of resources, all he needed was a trip to the Affairs Hall to exchange for the jade slip containing the third-layer spell formula, and then, his rapid ascent would truly begin.
All-In Is a Kind of Wisdom
The next day.
Ji An finished his cultivation, twin beams of light flashing in his eyes. His whole body felt clear and refreshed.
After breaking through yesterday, he found that cultivation once again expanded his mana capacity. The feeling was nothing short of marvelous.
He strolled out of the bamboo house, casually closed the fence gate behind him, and headed straight for his spirit field.
In just a few days, the spirit grain would begin to sprout, and he would be busy again.
Reaching the edge of the field, he immediately cast the Thick Earth Formula.
Earthen-yellow spiritual light sank into the soil, and the stalks of spirit grain swayed without wind, as if bowing in greeting.
The third-layer Thick Earth Formula could enrich the soil, increasing the harvest yield.
Afterward, Ji An calmly invoked the Minor Rain Technique. A subtle rhythm shimmered around him.
His brows lifted slightly as he willed the stone turtle to respond.
[Spell: Minor Rain Technique (Small Accomplishment 1% → 2%)]
A smile tugged at his lips. After casting rain several times these past days, he had finally advanced a step.
White clouds spread over the half-acre field, and rain, clear as pearls and jade, fell onto the grain, pattering crisply.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ji An watched the falling rain with self-satisfaction.
"Junior brother, your Minor Rain Technique has already reached Small Accomplishment, congratulations."
The warm voice came from behind. Ji An turned to see Liu Yu walking along the path.
Sunlight spilled across his skin, fairer than a woman's, glowing faintly with crystalline radiance.
For no reason, Ji An thought of a phrase: like jade upon the road, a gentleman unmatched beneath the heavens.
His face reflexively broke into a smile.
"Congratulations to you as well, Senior Brother Liu. I hardly ever see you out and about. What brings you here today?"
"Last night I broke through in cultivation. I thought I'd take a little walk to relax."
Ji An's smile deepened. He cupped his hands politely.
"I can feel the spiritual pressure around you, Senior Brother. In just this past month, you must have advanced several times?"
Back at Bihai Lake, Liu Yu had mentioned he'd just reached the third layer of Qi Refining. Now, Ji An suspected he was at the fifth.
"Mm. Qi Refining, sixth layer."
Ji An felt his smile stiffen. He rubbed his face to ease the awkwardness.
"Senior brother, your talent is remarkable."
His words carried admiration but also a hint of envy.
"My family provides backing. I don't need to farm or practice spells. I spend half my day cultivating, and even then, this is all I've achieved.
Compared to the true prodigies born with fully open immortal veins, I fall far short.
But you, junior brother, you've been here barely a month, and already your spell has reached Small Accomplishment.
Though your path seems hard now, like a dragon stranded in a shallow well, one day you may soar into the heavens."
Liu Yu sighed inwardly. Every household had its own burdens. He, too, had to compete with other family scions.
If he failed to meet expectations, his resources would surely be cut.
Well, well, Ji An thought, this senior brother is handsome, speaks pleasantly, and most importantly, has an eye as sharp as a blade!
He quickly shook off his momentary discouragement. His good days still lie ahead.
"Senior brother claims not to practice spells, yet you spotted at a glance that my Minor Rain Technique advanced. Don't tell me you also study agricultural arts?"
"My clan rose from spirit farming. I grew up immersed in it, so I picked up a fair bit about tending fields."
As he spoke, Liu Yu pointed to the spirit field.
"This row of grain has developed aphids. Junior brother, you'd best deal with it quickly."