https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-14-Choosing-the-Ink-Spirit-Bamboo-Mastering-the-Complete-Cultivation-Technique/12549090/
Chapter 13: Talent Refreshes Once More
Chapter 13: Talent Refreshes Once More
By the time Chu Ning finished harvesting all the rice and brought it back to Cao Dongxin's courtyard, night was falling.
Chu Ning cooked the meal and skillfully took care of the other chores before taking a shower and returning to his room.
Over the past two months, Chu Ning had become adept at handling Cao Dongxin's various demands and had precise control over his time.
He was very efficient with the chores and never gave Cao Dongxin any reason to complain.
Seeing Chu Ning's cooperation and how well he performed his tasks without taking advantage, Cao Dongxin was content.
As a result, Chu Ning was usually able to ensure he had sufficient cultivation time in the evenings.
After returning to his room and adjusting his state, Chu Ning sat cross-legged on the bed and began to cultivate the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.
Without using the Green Wood Springtime Art to enhance his spirit plants, Chu Ning, now at the third layer of Refining Qi, absorbed spiritual energy at a faster rate than before.
As he circulated the technique, strands of wood-attribute spiritual energy, invisible to the naked eye, permeated his body and entered his dantian.
At this moment, Chu Ning's dantian contained three layers of spiritual power rings.
The bottom two layers were solid and dense, and the topmost layer was also close to achieving this state.
As more and more spiritual energy entered, the top layer of the spiritual power ring became even denser.
Then, at a certain moment, this layer of spiritual power could no longer contain so much spiritual energy and seemed ready to split apart.
Chu Ning's heart trembled, and he immediately withdrew from his cultivation state.
Third layer of Refining Qi, complete!
Without the fourth layer of Refining Qi technique, he couldn't break through any further, which left him slightly disappointed.
He could sense that there was no bottleneck in his current state, and with a fourth-layer Refining Qi technique, he would be able to advance to the fourth layer in one go.
"I heard that as long as you obtain the qualification to cultivate a separate spirit herb field and reach the second layer of Refining Qi, you can request the complete Green Wood Eternal Spring Art from the sect for future needs."
Thinking of this, Chu Ning felt much more relieved.
In six days, it would be the assessment period, and by then, obtaining the complete Green Wood Eternal Spring Art wouldn't be a problem.
Suddenly, Chu Ning thought of something, and his mind sank into his sea of consciousness. The next moment, a delighted expression appeared on his face.
【Green Wood Eternal Spring Art (Lower Rank Yellow), First Layer (300/300)】
【Talent Refresh: Reward Talent "Fuyuan Spiritual Body":
1. Significantly enhances comprehension and cultivation talent for talisman techniques;
2. Increases success rate and quality of talisman crafting.】
His talent had refreshed once more! Chu Ning's eyes lit up as he looked at this new talent.
In the cultivation world, there were a hundred different arts, among which the four most common were formation techniques, artifacts, pills, and talismans. Each of these arts was challenging, and proficiency in any one of them would allow one to stand firmly in the cultivation world.
And it was evident that his new talent, the Fuyuan Spiritual Body, was related to talisman crafting.
It meant that with just a bit of cultivation, he would have a skill to rely on!
"What about my previous talent?" Chu Ning suddenly thought of this crucial matter and calmed himself to check again, letting out a sigh of relief.
【Nine Yin Body Tempering Technique (100/100)】
【Green Wood Eternal Spring Art (Lower Rank Yellow), First Layer (300/300)】
【Talents: Yin Wood Spiritual Body, Fuyuan Spiritual Body】
At this moment, the information displayed in his sea of consciousness had changed, showing him that his previous talent, the Yin Wood Spiritual Body, was still there.
"My cultivation talent is still here, and now I have a great chance of learning the art of talisman crafting. The path to immortality is opening up!"
...
The next morning, as usual, Chu Ning woke up early. Of course, he wouldn't reveal his talent, but it was acceptable to display his cultivation progress appropriately.
After nearly three months, reaching the second layer of Refining Qi couldn't be considered excessive.
After all, the first three layers of Refining Qi were relatively basic. The difficulty increased exponentially from the fourth layer onwards. Some talented cultivators could even reach the second layer of Refining Qi within a month.
So, Chu Ning's progress over nearly three months was very reasonable!
However, what Chu Ning considered reasonable, in Cao Dongxin's eyes, was something else entirely.
It was not uncommon for cultivators with pseudo spirit roots to reach the second layer of Qi Refining within three months, but they were not exactly plentiful either.
And now, Chu Ning had become one of them, which was more than enough to astonish Cao Dongxin.
Reaching the second layer of Qi Refining in three months meant that even if Chu Ning's spell cultivation wasn't particularly remarkable, the sect would definitely grant him the qualification to cultivate his own spirit herb field. Moreover, they might even assign him a relatively good spirit herb field within the Ding district.
It was common knowledge that even the lowest-grade spirit herb fields in the Ding district varied in quality, with some being superior to others.
As this realization struck Cao Dongxin, the sense of satisfaction he had felt the previous day suddenly vanished.
He abruptly became aware of an issue—if all his speculations turned out to be true, then after the assessment in a few days, even if Chu Ning's cultivation was temporarily inferior to his own, Chu Ning's status in the upper echelons of the Spirit Herb Garden might surpass his.
Upon this realization, the complexity of Cao Dongxin's emotions was palpable.
His attitude began to shift subtly.
Although he didn't say anything, after finishing breakfast, Cao Dongxin didn't just walk away as he usually did. Instead, he started to clear the table and wash the dishes.
When Chu Ning moved to take over the dishwashing, Cao Dongxin stopped him and cast a cleaning spell, leaving the dishes spotless.
Sensing the change in Cao Dongxin's attitude, Chu Ning understood the reason behind it, but he didn't call him out.
At the same time, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of resignation.
Indeed, in the cultivation world, strength was paramount. All it took was for him to display slightly more exceptional talent than the average pseudo spirit root disciple, and Cao Dongxin, realizing that his future prospects might be inferior, immediately changed his behavior.
To survive better in this world, it was essential to keep a low profile and focus on self-improvement.
However, occasionally, it was necessary to reveal one's capabilities, just as Chu Ning had done now.
Chu Ning's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Later, when they arrived at the fields, Cao Dongxin didn't give Chu Ning any specific instructions as he had done the previous day.
Chu Ning chose a patch of field and began to harvest the rice using the Blade Edge Spell, not wanting to waste this excellent opportunity to practice the spell.
Moreover, since he couldn't break through his current realm for the time being, even if he cultivated his spiritual power, it wouldn't lead to any improvement. Therefore, using his spiritual power to practice spells and then meditating to restore it would help refine his spiritual power and enhance his spellcasting.
As for Chu Ning's improved performance with the Blade Edge Spell, having broken through to the next level, it was only to be expected.
Of course, Chu Ning knew to maintain a low profile, so he controlled his spiritual power to match the strength of the second layer of Qi Refining.
Since his proficiency with the Blade Edge Spell wasn't particularly remarkable to begin with, the difference in the spell's effectiveness between him and Cao Dongxin wasn't too noticeable, which didn't arouse any strong suspicions.
Thus, with the "normal" performance of both Chu Ning and Cao Dongxin, the remaining fields from yesterday were quickly harvested, marking an early end to their morning's work.
As the two of them headed back, on the rice fields across the road, Shang Zhaoxiang and Qiu Shunyi were still toiling away.
Shang Zhaoxiang happened to be harvesting the section closest to the road, and when he saw Cao Dongxin and Chu Ning carrying their loads of rice back, he was taken aback.
When did Cao Dongxin change his attitude? And why was he taking the initiative to carry the rice himself?
Moreover, had they finished their work so early? Shang Zhaoxiang wondered. Just as he was thinking this, he couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Cao, why did you finish the harvest so quickly this time?"
As he spoke, Shang Zhaoxiang's gaze fell on Chu Ning, and the next moment, he exclaimed in surprise once again, "Hey, Chu Ning, you've reached the second layer of Qi Refining?"
Hearing this, Qiu Shunyi, who was about to cast a Blade Edge Spell to harvest the rice, looked up. Unconsciously, his spell followed his gaze and flew towards the road!
For some unknown reason, neither Shang Zhaoxiang nor Cao Dongxin made any move to stop it. The blade formed by the spell flew straight towards Chu Ning.
"Oh no, watch out!" Qiu Shunyi finally realized what was happening and shouted in alarm.
(End of Chapter)
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