Chapter 67: One Month Later - The Threshold

Chapter 67: One Month Later - The Threshold

The conversation had reached a critical point, and the brown-haired girl's gaze sharpened accordingly.

"At all costs, avoid those mentors who specialize in curse-related fields. Those adults..." Her voice dipped with disdain. "...treat their apprentices like expendable resources. In decades of records, only one apprentice - Aolifu - has survived more than five years under their tutelage."

Luo En nodded. This aligned perfectly with his previous assessments.

"There's one more thing." Cui Xi hesitated, weighing how much to reveal. "I'm not sure how close you and Madame Ellen have become, but if she's willing to recommend a mentor... that might be the most ideal path."

Feigning ignorance, Luo En asked, "Madame Ellen? Isn't she just the owner of a Herbal Medicine Shop?"

A mysterious smile played on Cui Xi's lips, though she revealed no concrete information. "You really think an ordinary Herbal Medicine Shop owner could survive alone in the Black Mist Jungle for years? Someone who possesses secret potion formulas and potentially much more valuable arcane knowledge?"

She stood and adjusted her long robe. "In any case, the choice is yours. I'm just offering some reference points. Regarding potion matters, feel free to contact me if you have time to take on another batch of orders."

As she departed, Cui Xi glanced back. "By the way, the one-year candidate apprentice probation period is about to end - we're down to about a month. Do you want to... Never mind, the 'defective products' outcomes no longer concern us anyway."

Defective products... After seeing his visitor out, Luo En stroked the increasingly thick stubble on his jaw.

Over a month ago, he'd been just such a "defective product", lying awake at night consumed by anxiety.

Back then, he never imagined the bright prospects before him now: "All aspects of progress are steadily advancing. Although recently has been particularly exhausting, this visible goal-oriented effort at least gives me something to strive for..."

Once he completed advancements in potion mastery and knights, he might consider purchasing books like "Alchemy Foundational" or "Enchantment Foundational" to explore branching into multiple career paths.

But for now... Luo En picked up his pocket watch and resumed his next cultivation cycle.

Time to burn the midnight oil and become a Demon God!

...

One month passed, and the Black Mist Jungle's seasons shifted subtly. The trees deepened in color, and the mana fluctuations in the air became more active.

Dawntime mists grew thicker, and when sunlight pierced the canopy, those tiny mana particles sparkled like stars within the beams, creating an otherworldly scene.

During this period, Luo En maintained an almost ascetic discipline.

Before dawn while most apprentices still slept, he was already awake, beginning his daily cultivation.

As the first wisps of morning light filtered through the windows, he'd sit cross-legged at the center of his room, a candle burning before him.

The candle's glow wasn't bright, but the flickering flame displayed a strange rhythm under Luo En's gaze, as if resonating with his breathing.

"Inhale for seven counts, hold for three counts, exhale for five counts."

This was the foundational rhythm of the Solar Corona Breathing Technique. With each breath, Luo En could feel subtle transformations happening in his meridians, as if being caressed by gentle sunlight, gradually expanding and strengthening.

Each inhale felt like drawing in faint solar essence from the air;

Each hold circulated that energy through his meridians;

Each exhale expelled impurities and turbid energy from his body.

The Blood Potions crafted from materials purchased from Lizard Alley, along with potions enhancing breathing technique efficiency, greatly accelerated both his breathing technique and physique forging.

【Breathing Physique Forging experience points +1】

【Breathing Physique Forging experience points +1】

【Breathing Physique Forging experience points +1】

...

A month of continuous breathing technique and physique forging cultivation brought noticeable increases to his physical attributes. Breathing Physique Forging was nearing a breakthrough to the proficient level:

【Physique 1.5→1.7】

【Current Progress: Breathing Physique Forging (Entry-level 90/100)】

After completing his daily breathing technique cultivation, came the most challenging segment - meditating with The Murmuring of the Star Devourer.

Madame Ellen's warning about this gem-grade meditation technique still echoed in his mind:

"Spirit corruption accumulates. Each meditation session brings some level of contamination. Without timely purification, long-term accumulation could cause irreversible damage."

Before each meditation session, Luo En constructed a complex protective structure in his spirit space using dozens of foundational runes, creating the first line of defense against spirit pollution.

Only then would he begin true meditation with The Murmuring of the Star Devourer.

In the initial stages, each time he saw that infinite starry sky and countless living stars shimmering in darkness, an indescribable terror would well up from his soul.

The first few times, he always terminated the meditation when the discomfort became too strong, using the pocket watch's "reset" function to restore his spirit energy.

But as experience accumulated, he gradually learned to endure longer periods through sheer willpower without external aids.

Each time he resisted the spirit erosion of those living stars, his spiritual energy increased slightly.

From an initial 2.4, to 2.5, then 2.6... step by step, steady progress.

By the end of the third week, his spiritual energy had reached 2.8, approaching within a hair's breadth of the intermediate apprentice threshold.

Meanwhile, he hadn't relaxed his alchemy studies.

Each afternoon at Madame Ellen's shop, he not only completed daily tasks but spent extra time researching more complex formulas.

Completely fulfilling special orders for Cui Xi had even deepened his understanding of certain rare materials' attributes.

Alchemy's progress wasn't as visibly dramatic as spiritual energy increases, but it built a more solid foundation.

His potion brewing skills had evolved from clumsy to basically mastering part of the advanced potion-making process.

His herb identification ability had improved dramatically. Even materials mixed with impurities, he could now quickly determine their true composition and quality.

As his core skill, Basic Alchemy was nearly reaching mastery level.

Luo En had a premonition that once this skill broke through to mastery, his overall alchemy proficiency would experience a qualitative leap.

At night, when most apprentices had finished their daily studies, Luo En began practicing Solar Corona Swordsmanship.

Though small, his room provided enough space for foundational swordsmanship practice. Every movement he executed with precision, perfectly synchronized with the breathing technique's rhythm.

His only regret: As "Foundational Swordsmanship" approached the mastery threshold, experience point accumulation became increasingly difficult.

Despite a month of diligent practice, he still needed a little more to break through, though he was nearing the critical point.

Once he used potions to rapidly increase his physique attributes, he would have the opportunity to choose either 【Bloodline Knight (Two-Star)】 or 【Arcane Swordsman (Two-and-a-Half Stars)】 for advancement.

This would also test his long-held suspicion - whether different advancement paths could be combined.

...

Daily cultivation often lasted deep into the night. When he finally lay on his bed, his muscles were always in an extremely fatigued state.

But the next morning, with the Timekeeper Pocket Watch's "reset", he could begin the next cultivation cycle at peak condition.

Through perseverance and divine favor, this near-maniacal cultivation rhythm had brought tremendous strength increases in a short time.

On the final day of this one-month period, his spiritual energy had reached 2.9, just a hair's breadth from breaking through to intermediate apprentice standards.

The cultivation progress of The Murmuring of the Star Devourer had also risen from initial single-digit percentages to nearly half completed.

Today, just after finishing his breathing technique cultivation, sweat still glistening on his forehead.

After a brief rest, he quickly entered the meditation phase. Suddenly, the vision before his eyes was torn apart by darkness:

【Current Inspiration Triggered - Maintain Highest Caution!】

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end