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Chapter 29: The Hope of Unshackling
Chapter 29: The Hope of Unshackling
As night fell, Luo Chen leaped from the rooftop, landing as lightly as a feather despite the force of his descent.
Carrying the last basket inside, he inspected the herbs he had dried in the afternoon and nodded in satisfaction.
"The herbs from the Hundred Herbs Hall are indeed of top quality!"
In the past, the herbs he bought from wandering cultivators were often half-processed. Some were weighed down with unnecessary parts to increase their weight, while others were not dried properly, leading to excessive moisture and reduced potency.
There were always various issues.
This meant that after each purchase, Luo Chen had to reprocess the ordinary herbs using his own techniques, in addition to any special treatments.
But this time, the herbs from the Hundred Herbs Hall had none of these problems. With just a bit of simple handling, they were ready for refinement.
Indeed, you get what you pay for!
After putting everything away, Luo Chen took out the spellbook he had bought from Wang Yuan earlier in the day.
Five Essential Spells for Qi Refinement Cultivators.
Fireball, Grasp, Wind Mastery, Spirit Vision, and Healing.
This set of spells would cost five hundred lower-grade spirit stones at the Spirit Source Pavilion, and you had to swear not to resell it.
Teaching it to others wasn't strictly prohibited, but it was rare for anyone to spend so much just to learn these basic spells.
Luo Chen had bought it from Wang Yuan for only two hundred spirit stones, saving a significant amount.
Of course, the downside was that he had to squint and frown while reading the book.
"The scribe who copied this book must have written like a dog crawling! And this page is covered in bloodstains, barely legible."
Sighing, Luo Chen pinched his nose and continued reading. Wang Yuan had warned him about the condition of the book before the purchase.
It was a fair deal, after all!
"I've already mastered Fireball and am about to reach Master-level proficiency. I only lost forty spirit stones on this one."
"Unfortunately, it had to be bought as a set. I can't just tear out a few pages!"
Flipping to the page on Grasp, Luo Chen's interest was piqued.
The book described the spell in detail: "This way and that way."
"So that's how it works!"
After reading the entire section on Grasp, Luo Chen had an epiphany.
Rather than a spell, it was more of a method for enhancing the control of one's spiritual energy.
Humans are born with a soul, and when cultivators begin to refine spiritual energy, a spiritual sense is born within their soul. However, this spiritual sense is limited by the cultivator's realm. During the Qi Refinement stage, it can only be used for internal inspection and cannot be projected outward.
This limitation is only lifted when a cultivator advances to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Since the spiritual sense cannot be projected outward during the Qi Refinement stage, one cannot perfectly control the spiritual energy they release.
So, how does one gain better control over the released spiritual energy?
A wise master had developed a series of methods to gradually strengthen control over spiritual energy, from the smallest to the largest, from the simplest to the most complex. Over time, this would allow for effortless control of released spiritual energy.
"I'll give it a try!"
Luo Chen found a small pebble and held it in his palm.
Up!
Down!
Up and down, the pebble danced in his hand.
Go!
With a swift motion, the pebble dropped to the ground.
Return!
Extending his hand, he summoned the spiritual energy that enveloped the pebble and, following the reverse method of Grasp, slowly retracted it.
The pebble did return, but the process was slow and consumed a fair amount of spiritual energy. Using an enchanted artifact with an array inscribed would have made it impossible to retrieve.
But Luo Chen was not discouraged. The fact that he could bring the pebble back proved that this practice was effective.
Next, he just needed to follow the steps, gradually increasing his control over spiritual energy. Soon, he would be able to wield the set of Jade Green Knives.
Here is the rewritten chapter with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations:
After practicing dozens more times, Lucas Chen finally stopped when he felt that about one-tenth of his spiritual energy had been depleted.
He opened his attribute panel.
Name: Lucas Chen
Lifespan: 27/75
Spirit Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth
Realm: Qi Refinement Level 4: 1/100
Cultivation Technique: Eternal Spring Technique Perfect: 340/500
Spells: Fireball Perfect: 432/500, Soaring Flight Proficient: 275/300, Entangling Spell Proficient: 180/200, Cleaning Spell Novice: 52/100, Gravitational Pull Novice: 5/100
Skills: First-Class Alchemist: Mastered Fasting Powder 590/1000, Beginner's All-Purpose Pill 70/100
Achievement Points: 2
"Sure enough, this spell isn't difficult. I can easily master it on my own."
Lucas Chen was satisfied as he saw the new entry for Gravitational Pull in the spell section.
Gravitational Pull required only a small spiritual energy reversal technique, with the rest being basic exercises. Its difficulty was much lower compared to spells like Fireball, which required at least three techniques.
In fact, this was to be expected. Even without learning Gravitational Pull, one could control magical artifacts in the Qi Refinement stage with sufficient spiritual energy control. The spell was developed and popularized by experts who had reverse-engineered it.
After checking the Gravitational Pull entry, Lucas Chen also reviewed the other items on his attribute panel.
"My lifespan hasn't changed at all?"
He felt a bit frustrated.
Logically, after breaking through to Qi Refinement Level 4, his body should have improved, giving him a few more years than his previous life. Could it be that he was really only going to live to seventy-five? Or perhaps, his lifespan would only increase after breaking through a major realm?
He couldn't figure it out!
His frustration eased a bit when he saw the proficiency levels of his spells.
Fireball was about to break through to the Master level, making all his persistent practice worthwhile.
Soaring Flight, a lightness technique, was progressing the fastest and should soon reach the Perfect level.
With his focused practice, the long-stagnant proficiency of Entangling Spell had started to climb.
These advancements in spell proficiency not only boosted his combat power but also provided achievement points. The previous time he had advanced the Eternal Spring Technique to the Perfect level, he had gained one point.
If he could accumulate ten achievement points, he could learn a new type of pill, even though he didn't have the formula yet.
However, what Lucas Chen was most concerned about was the skill section.
Beginner's All-Purpose Pill: 70/100
Just thirty more points, and it would upgrade!
At that point, the success rate of the Beginner's All-Purpose Pill would improve, and he would finally have a genuine skill to support his long-term life in the Inner City.
After reviewing his attribute panel, Lucas Chen let out a deep sigh of relief.
The shortage of spirit stones had always been a constraint on his cultivation. To break this constraint, he had been increasing production of the Beginner's All-Purpose Pill to boost his proficiency and generate real profits.
Now, he finally saw a glimmer of hope!
"Time to celebrate!"
Lucas Chen walked outside, only to realize it was already deep into the night. He glanced in the direction of Heavenly Fragrance Tower, then immediately shook his head.
No, no, he couldn't afford it.
"Fine, I'll set off some fireworks for myself!"
He fired four Fireballs into the sky. As the fireballs exploded in the night, scattering sparks in all directions, he grinned.
Then, he heard a furious shout from next door.
"What the heck are you doing at this hour of the night?"
It was a woman's voice, strong and clear.
Lucas Chen ducked his head, making sure there was no risk of a fire, and quickly retreated back inside.
He had been too hasty!
(End of Chapter)
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