'Let's see... units, tens, hundreds, thousands... billions.'
Two point two billion!
'Hiss... Just how many Spirit Stones would that be?'
'That's probably enough to build a mountain of Spirit Stones.'
But the prerequisite for this Augment was too high. Based on Xiao Chen's experience, he'd likely die long before he could ever claim it.
In his previous life, when he played auto chess, he was often knocked out in eighth place, with no chance of reaching level nine.
Although the effect looked powerful, it wouldn't solve his immediate problems. It was not a good choice.
The second option, however, looked pretty good: 20 years of life in exchange for 700 Spirit Stones.
For a Middle Stage Qi Refining cultivator who earned an average of three Spirit Stones a month, this deal was basically taking an advance on his future earnings.
It was the definition of living on credit.
But as the old saying goes, time is more precious than gold.
If he traded his life for Spirit Stones now, he probably couldn't buy that time back later, even with several times the number of stones. It was a bit risky, not a prudent choice.
The third Augment, on the other hand, was very interesting.
[Featherweight I: Cultivation speed of Yellow-level Cultivation Techniques increased tenfold, Magic Power of Yellow-level Techniques increased tenfold.]
There were also differences in quality between Cultivation Techniques, divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Different grades had their own advantages.
The higher the grade, the greater the power of the technique, and the more wondrous its benefits.
The lower the grade, the lower the cultivation difficulty and the lower the aptitude requirements.
Choosing the right Cultivation Technique based on one's Spiritual Root, comprehension, and background was crucial for every cultivator.
The Basic Breathing Technique that Servant Disciples practiced wasn't even considered a proper technique. Anyone could practice it; it was a fundamental skill, like learning a horse stance in martial arts.
Only after becoming an Outer Disciple could one come into contact with Yellow-level or even Profound-level techniques and officially begin their cultivation path.
'And as it happens, I'm about to go choose a Cultivation Technique myself.'
'If I take this Augment, I'll be able to use it very soon.'
And the effect of this Augment was also surprisingly powerful.
Ten times the cultivation speed!
Ten times the Magic Power!
Cultivating Yellow-level techniques was already simple, so the pace was naturally a bit faster; the only drawback was the low ceiling.
'If I can speed that up by a factor of ten, my progress will advance by leaps and bounds.'
And if he remembered correctly, the difference in Combat Power between Profound-level and Yellow-level techniques was usually only about two or three times.
With a tenfold boost to Magic Power, even if he chose a Yellow-level technique, he could completely surpass a Profound-level one.
Thinking of this, Xiao Chen decisively chose the third Augment.
A moment later, the morning lesson ended. The other disciples returned to their quarters, while Xiao Chen and the other two stayed behind.
Old Man Wu habitually advised, "Starting from the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, for every minor realm you break through, you need to complete the Refinement of three streams of Magical Power. Many disciples spend eight to ten years just to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining."
"When you go to the division, you must not slack off. You need to seize the time and practice diligently."
...
Xiao Chen and the others nodded, promising one by one.
As they were speaking, a middle-aged man in a long green robe walked in. "Instructor Wu, are these the three disciples who successfully broke through?"
"They are indeed. Come, let me introduce you. This is Steward Chen from the Second Division. He also serves as an instructor there."
The three said in unison, "Greetings, Steward Chen!"
"Mm." Steward Chen looked the three of them up and down.
"Back then, that kid Lin Ping'an was also stuck at the first layer of Qi Refining for three years. By a stroke of luck, he consumed a Purple Orchid and was promoted directly to the Ninth Division."
"I didn't expect that after only half a year, another lucky one would appear who went straight to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining. You're Xiao Chen, right? I've heard of you."
He teased him a bit but didn't wait for Xiao Chen to respond.
Steward Chen waved a hand. "Let's go. First, come with me to receive your Cultivation Techniques. We'll talk about the division's rules on the way."
"Outer Disciples are different from Servant Disciples. Only now are you considered to have truly entered the Sect."
"From now on, you will take on more of the Sect's duties, and in return, you will receive more support from the Sect."
"Besides tending Spirit Fields, Outer Disciples can also choose other duties. The places currently short on people are the Alchemy Hall, the Artifact Refining Hall, Little Feng Mountain, and the Stone Quarrying Workshop."
"If you have a place you'd like to go, just say so, and I'll report it for you. If not, you'll wait for an assignment from above."
Hearing this, Ye Fei immediately spoke up, "I choose the Alchemy Hall."
Steward Chen glanced at him. Instructor Wu had clearly said he had a Wind Spirit Root, yet he chose the Alchemy Hall, which was mostly filled with those who had Fire Spirit Roots.
'He probably has future plans. He intends to learn Alchemy and seems very confident in his talent for it.'
Jiang Sixuan was also prepared. "I'll go to the Stone Quarrying Workshop."
Huh?
Steward Chen was stunned for a moment. The Stone Quarrying Workshop was responsible for excavating Spirit Ore for the Li Huo Sect. It was heavy manual labor, and most cultivators were unwilling to go, so it was often short-staffed.
'This girl has a Fire Spirit Root, so why did she volunteer for that place?'
Her bearing wasn't like that of a Loose Cultivator. "Are you a young lady from the Jiang Family?" he asked.
Jiang Sixuan nodded.
Steward Chen then advised, "Although you don't have to work at the Stone Quarrying Workshop as long as you hand in the Spirit Ore on time, remember to go check your name at the end of each month to avoid any mistakes."
Jiang Sixuan obediently agreed.
Then, Steward Chen looked at Xiao Chen. "Where do you plan to go?"
Considering he had already tended Spirit Fields for three years and had some experience, Xiao Chen made a conventional choice. "I'd like to continue tending Spirit Fields."
'Steward Chen understood immediately. A choice like that meant the boy had neither exceptional talent nor a powerful background. He was probably just a lucky kid, nothing more.'
"We're here. This is our Second Division, and over there is the division's Scripture Pavilion. First, come and choose your future Cultivation Techniques."
"The division's Scripture Pavilion has three floors. The first floor has miscellaneous books, the second floor has Yellow-level Cultivation Techniques, and the third floor has Profound-level Cultivation Techniques."
"Choosing a Cultivation Technique will affect your future path of development, so you need to be extremely careful. Take your time, choose carefully, and don't rush."
Ye Fei and Jiang Sixuan naturally headed straight for the third floor, but Xiao Chen stopped on the second.
As expected, the Cultivation Techniques on the second floor had nothing particularly outstanding about them.
The comments left by the Sect's seniors were all descriptions like "balanced and moderate" or "simple to cultivate."
Xiao Chen sifted through the options and finally found a book titled *Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique*.
The only unique feature of this Cultivation Technique was that it could cultivate a reserve of Yang Qi in the Dantian, slightly reducing the difficulty of a cultivator's bottleneck when breaking through to the Late Stage of Qi Refining in the future.
According to the summaries from the Sect's seniors, it could increase the success rate of a breakthrough by about ten percent.
This was the only Cultivation Technique on the entire second floor that could reduce the difficulty of a breakthrough.
Xiao Chen's eyes twinkled as he looked at the *Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique*. 'If the effect of the Featherweight Augment can apply to the technique's special feature...'
'...then I've really struck gold.'
He had thought it through very clearly. Perhaps for other cultivators, it wasn't just about progressing quickly but also about progressing steadily.
But for him, breaking through Cultivation Realms quickly was the most important thing.
As long as he could raise his Realm quickly, he could get new Augments to further strengthen himself.
He came out with the Cultivation Technique and saw that Ye Fei and Jiang Sixuan were already waiting by the door.
Their goals were clear, and they had quickly chosen their desired Profound-level techniques.
When they saw Xiao Chen actually come down with a Yellow-level technique, they couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
Although it was best for ordinary disciples to choose Yellow-level techniques, Xiao Chen had broken through three minor realms this morning. No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem like an ordinary disciple.
'Ye Fei was puzzled. He'd previously judged Xiao Chen to be a genius with superb comprehension.'
'A person like that would surely choose a Profound-level technique. For them, a chance to compete based on comprehension is the perfect opportunity to play to their strengths.'
'But Xiao Chen actually took a Yellow-level technique. It's so strange. I don't get it.'
'Could it be that he's given up on himself and started slacking off again?'
'Or... is there something special about that technique?'
Ye Fei couldn't help but take another look, secretly memorizing the name *Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique*.
Jiang Sixuan was also wondering why Xiao Chen would voluntarily choose an inferior Cultivation Technique.
'Could it be because he comes from a Loose Cultivator background and lacks cultivation resources?'
An idea for how to probe him suddenly struck her.