https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-18-Soul-Piercing-Nails-and-Calming-Incense/12831387/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-20-Tapping-into-the-Great-Mountain/12831389/
Chapter 19: The Relentless Mobile Cannon
Chapter 19: The Relentless Mobile Cannon
Luo Chen's greatest weakness was indeed his lack of practical combat experience. This shortcoming, however, was the result of multiple factors, with his cultivation level being the biggest constraint.
You can't expect a wandering cultivator without good magical artifacts, powerful spells, or a high cultivation realm to have a wealth of combat experience. Wang Yuan was a rare exception.
Mortal martial grandmasters inherently possess a physical strength that surpasses most Qi Refinement cultivators. Moreover, before he started cultivating, Wang Yuan had already accumulated a significant amount of combat experience against humans. Otherwise, why would he be the one among thousands of wandering cultivators in the Great River Market, with hundreds at the late Qi Refinement stage, to have a well-deserved reputation? How could he sell dubious magical artifacts in the market every day and still live a good life?
Now, Luo Chen finally had a good magical artifact (the Soul-Piercing Nail) and a powerful spell (the Perfect Fireball Spell).
Boosting his cultivation level became the top priority.
Fortunately, Luo Chen had the basic conditions to do so!
That bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills contained ten whole pills, all unopened.
According to rumors, if you were willing to spend the resources, a thousand bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills could create a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
Of course, this was just a rumor.
A thousand bottles would cost ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, which is equivalent to ten high-grade spirit stones!
Even large sects wouldn't invest such a huge amount of resources.
Moreover, people with good spiritual roots would advance quickly even without taking pills.
Luo Chen's spiritual roots were very poor, so he definitely needed to take the pills.
With the help of the Soothing Incense, Luo Chen once again practiced the Eternal Spring Technique, bringing his condition to its peak.
In this optimal state, he took one Qi Nourishing Pill.
The pill entered his body, stimulated by his spiritual energy, and transformed into a surging hot current that rushed through his meridians and spiritual channels.
A feeling of fullness and expansion filled Luo Chen's body.
He frowned, practicing the Eternal Spring Technique to channel the medicinal energy into his dantian.
The efficiency of the technique in absorbing and refining spiritual energy was significantly affected by his spiritual roots, but the pills were different!
As long as he swallowed them, the medicinal energy would remain in his body, even if it took longer to refine.
With some time, he would eventually refine and assimilate it.
The process of taking the pill and refining the medicinal energy lasted for an hour.
When Luo Chen felt the changes in his body and opened his eyes, he was filled with joy!
He opened his attribute panel.
Name: Luo Chen
Lifespan: 27/75
Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth
Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement Level 3: 78/100
Technique: Eternal Spring Technique Proficient: 280/300
Spells: Fireball Spell Perfect 355/500, Free Roaming Proficient 203/300, Binding Spell Skilled 176/200, Cleansing Spell Novice 52/100
Skills: First-Class Alchemist: Fasting Powder Master 540/1000, Wondrous Pill Novice 37/100
Achievement Points: 2
It had increased! It had increased!
Having a real-time attribute panel was incredibly useful.
Luo Chen could always monitor his condition.
The last time he checked, his cultivation level was at Qi Refinement Level 3: 76/100.
After refining the Qi Nourishing Pill, it had increased by two points, reaching 78.
Luo Chen also noticed that the panel's attributes were not on the same scale.
For techniques, spells, and skills, it showed proficiency levels.
For lifespan and cultivation level, it showed progress bars.
If he completely refined the entire bottle of pills, the progress bar should reach 96/100, bringing him very close to breaking through to the fourth level.
"The proficiency of the Eternal Spring Technique is also increasing rapidly. With the help of the Soothing Incense, it should reach the perfect level soon."
"The Fireball Spell underwent a qualitative change when it reached the perfect level. What kind of change will the Eternal Spring Technique undergo when it reaches the perfect level?"
Luo Chen was very excited!
The next day, Luo Chen returned to his regular routine.
Regular, but not monotonous.
Each pill he refined represented an increase in wealth.
Each Qi Nourishing Pill he refined represented an increase in cultivation.
Each increase in the proficiency of the Fireball Spell and Free Roaming represented an enhancement in combat power.
This visible and continuous improvement was addictive.
If not for the limited resources and external dangers, Luo Chen would be willing to spend his entire life in this kind of secluded cultivation.
Three days later, in the dead of night, Luo Chen shivered.
He then opened his eyes, beaming with joy.
"Perfection! My Everlasting Technique proficiency has reached the Perfect level!"
"I wonder what changes this will bring?"
After a brief rest, Luo Chen tried to activate the technique again, carefully observing to detect any differences.
Half an hour later, his expression turned somewhat peculiar.
"The time it takes to complete a cycle has been halved. It used to take an hour, but now it only takes half an hour."
"The amount of spiritual energy I can refine has also doubled."
If the efficiency of absorbing and converting spiritual energy for a practitioner with five spirit roots is considered the baseline, then a practitioner with four spirit roots is roughly twice the baseline, three spirit roots is four times, and dual spirit roots is eight times.
Luo Chen had yet to determine the exact standard for a single spirit root practitioner, or a celestial spirit root practitioner, as he had never met one. But it was at least twenty times the baseline!
After all, in the world of cultivation, it was said that a celestial spirit root practitioner could reach the Foundation Establishment stage in just ten years without any elixirs.
That was truly terrifying!
One of the main reasons why the sects had not accepted Luo Chen in the past was his age, but more importantly, his five spirit roots were a significant hindrance.
Without any external assistance, it would take him at least two hundred years to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, the maximum lifespan for a Qi Condensation practitioner was only around one hundred and twenty years.
But now, the efficiency of the Everlasting Technique in absorbing and converting spiritual energy had doubled!
What did this mean?
It meant that his current potential was now on par with a practitioner who had four spirit roots. Without any external assistance, he could reach the Foundation Establishment stage in just a hundred years.
"This is good news. It means my recovery of spiritual energy will be much faster, allowing me to dedicate more spiritual power to improving my spell proficiency."
"However, I mustn't become complacent."
"Even though my potential is now comparable to a four spirit root practitioner, four spirit roots are still considered mediocre. And with only forty-eight years left in my lifespan, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage is still a distant goal. So, mere hard practice isn't enough."
Ultimately, he still needed to take elixirs!
And taking elixirs required spirit stones, which were not something everyone could afford.
His plan to earn spirit stones must continue.
This was a lifelong, century-long plan!
With his thoughts in order, Luo Chen took advantage of the lingering scent of the calming incense and drifted off to sleep.
Dawn broke.
In the misty plain beside the stream, a figure soared and darted like a mighty eagle, leaving trails of afterimages in its wake.
"Fireball, go!"
With a low command, a scorching fireball shot out, blasting a large crater in the grassy plain.
The figure didn't stop to check the results but continued to move at an incredible speed to the other side.
From a tilted angle, it fired another fireball.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
When Luo Chen finally stopped, the plain was a mess, with craters of various sizes still radiating heat.
Breathing slightly heavier, Luo Chen was satisfied with today's training.
He no longer fantasized about flying through the air and decapitating enemies with a single strike.
Instead, he began to emulate Wang Yuan's combat style.
Wang Yuan, who had transitioned from martial arts to cultivation, retained some of his human combat techniques.
He used his powerful physique to move quickly, combining sharp magical implements and various tactics to engage enemies.
The image of Wang Yuan wielding a large blade, leaping from the rooftops, and descending like a god had a profound impact on Luo Chen.
Wang Yuan's ability to fight three opponents at once was truly awe-inspiring.
Luo Chen was no fool; he quickly absorbed the strengths of this combat style.
"Although I lack the powerful close-combat skills, my Perfect-level Fireball has an incredibly fast casting speed and considerable power."
"Using the Free Roaming Light Step, I can become a merciless mobile artillery."
"If I encounter an enemy that my Fireball can't penetrate, I still have two Soul-Piercing Nails as a last resort."
Close combat was too dangerous for a cultivator with a frail body.
A mobile artillery platform was safer, allowing for both attack and retreat.
Through constant practice over the past few days, Luo Chen had initially determined his future combat style.
Once his realm advanced, he could start gaining more combat experience.
And that day was not far off!
Bathed in the cool morning breeze, Luo Chen leaped over the stream and returned home.
"Refining elixirs, refining elixirs!"
Right now, all he wanted was to make money!
(End of Chapter)
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