“The system's yield rate is getting higher and higher.”
“Truly blunt, but I like it.”
“And the spirit stones on me have actually passed five digits.”
Ye Hao looked at the over 10,000 low-grade spirit stones returned by the system and couldn't help but gasp.
16,500 low-grade spirit stones... if converted entirely into white spirit rice, that would be 495,000 jin.
It could probably be piled into a small mountain.
If he ate three meals a day, one jin per meal...
...that would be enough for him to eat for hundreds of years.
“Dammit, I'm too excited to sleep again tonight.”
Ye Hao closed his eyes, intending to sleep.
An hour later, he snapped his eyes open.
He then wore a bitter look; five digits of low-grade spirit stones made him far too excited.
He figured he wouldn't be able to sleep again.
...
The next morning.
Ye Yu, sword in hand, was practicing the Burning Wind Sword that Ye Hao had previously taught him.
After all, it was still a First-Tier low-grade sword technique.
To him, even though he got it for free, it was given by Ye Hao.
He couldn't waste Ye Hao's good intentions.
Not to mention he also liked sword techniques, and after breaking through to Third-Layer Qi Refinement, he would be going to hunt demon beasts.
The Burning Wind Sword was just right to meet his current needs.
However, as he practiced, he saw Ye Hao pushing open the door and walking out.
Seeing the dark circles under Ye Hao's eyes, he instantly realized Ye Hao definitely hadn't slept well again last night.
With a flourish of his sword in his right hand, he sheathed it and couldn't help teasing Ye Hao, “Where did you go again last night? Still, as your brother, I have to remind you of one thing.”
“A man needs restraint; don't be insatiable.”
Hearing this, Ye Hao's face darkened. “Get lost! I see you're looking for a beating.”
“Can't even talk about it,” Ye Yu curled his lips.
“Can't be bothered with you.”
Ye Hao turned around and left.
Those three mu of spirit fields were due for irrigation again.
He might as well handle it now so he could rest properly after returning.
...
Cultivation takes no note of time.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
During this time, relying on the Qi Gathering Pills and the system's yield, Ye Hao successfully broke through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement.
If he wanted, he could apply to enter the outer sect at any time.
However, for safety's sake, he still planned to remain as a handyman disciple.
“The jump from Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement to Seventh-Layer Qi Refinement is also a minor bottleneck. It'll probably take quite a while.”
Ye Hao checked his body and murmured in his heart.
The shift from Third-Layer Qi Refinement to Fourth-Layer Qi Refinement is a minor bottleneck, and so is Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement to Seventh-Layer Qi Refinement.
Whereas Tenth-Layer Qi Refinement great perfection is a major bottleneck.
Many cultivators without the aptitude to break through get stuck here, stuck for a lifetime.
Yet once one breaks through to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, lifespan greatly increases.
Possessing a base lifespan of two hundred years.
Practicing a longevity cultivation technique can even raise it above the two-hundred-year baseline, though it still cannot exceed the absolute limit of three hundred years.
Still, a two-hundred-year Foundation Establishment cultivator is enough to support a vast immortal cultivation family.
This is why people say that only upon Foundation Establishment has one truly stepped into the cultivation world.
...
At the end of October, the weather was still hot.
Fortunately, even First-Layer Qi Refinement cultivators had the ability to condense an energy shield—no matter how thin—to block out the heat.
It kept them from passing out from the heat while tilling the spirit fields.
It was already far better than ordinary mortals.
Ye Yu was still wearing coarse hemp clothes, running swiftly along the field ridge, and soon arrived before Ye Hao.
Panting as he rested, Ye Yu picked up the drawn spring water from the side and took a satisfying gulp.
“What's the rush?”
Ye Hao looked helplessly at Ye Yu in front of him.
The sweat on his head was as big as soybeans. He had no idea what urgent matter could make Ye Yu so frantic, as if some extremely ferocious demon beast were chasing right behind his rear.
After a long moment, Ye Yu finally caught his breath.
Ye Yu quickly sat on the adjacent field ridge and whispered, “Senior Brother Wan Bao failed his breakthrough to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement.”
“He failed his breakthrough?”
Ye Hao was taken aback slightly. Although he had long anticipated that Wan Bao's breakthrough wouldn't succeed so easily...
...actually hearing about his failure still left him feeling a bit down.
Cultivators in the Qi Refinement realm were like this; as they grew older, the meridians inside their bodies gradually became obstructed, far less smooth than when they were young.
Even their blood qi decayed with age.
Therefore, the older one got, the lower the probability of breaking through.
This was also why the sect had such a requirement—only those who broke through to Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement before twenty were eligible for an exceptional promotion to inner disciple.
Because only then would they possess a chance at successful Foundation Establishment.
However, becoming an inner disciple didn't mean a guaranteed hundred-percent Foundation Establishment success either.
“Yeah. Senior Brother Wan Bao is actually doing fine; he had long anticipated he might fail.”
“So he prepared pills early on, preventing his realm from falling due to the failed breakthrough.”
Ye Yu nodded heavily.
Ye Hao smiled and said, “That's good then. Since it was just a failed breakthrough, consider it an attempt.”
“Hold on. If it were just this, I wouldn't be in such a rush.”
Ye Yu's voice grew lower and lower, his face filled with gravity, and he leaned down to continue, “The resources Senior Brother Wan Bao spent on this breakthrough attempt amounted to several hundred low-grade spirit stones.”
“So some people got very curious about where he got so many resources.”
“So people started inquiring, and soon someone found out he sold a Dew Condensation Grass and got 560 low-grade spirit stones.”
“Senior Brother Wan Bao took half, and you took half.”
“Now, because Senior Brother Wan Bao failed his breakthrough, he has no extra resources left on him, and his spirit stones are probably almost gone.”
Hearing this, a strange smile appeared on Ye Hao's face. “You mean those guys might turn their sights onto me?”
“You really have nerves of steel. How can you even laugh at a time like this?”
Ye Yu froze slightly upon seeing the smile on Ye Hao's face, wishing he could pry open Ye Hao's head to see how he could possibly laugh right now.
Ye Yu quickly snapped out of it and continued, “It's not just possible—they will one hundred percent target you.”
“In the face of sufficient profit, especially such a huge pile of spirit stones, even within Baiyun Sect and even if it violates sect rules, they'll still choose to strike.”
“After all, as long as they succeed, even if they defect from Baiyun Sect, that huge sum of spirit stones will be enough for them to break through to a higher realm.”
“When the time comes, they can find any random sect and still get into the outer sect.”
“How about this: from now on, we'll live in the same wooden hut. That way, even if someone breaks in, the two of us can face them together, which is better than fighting alone.”
In the end, Ye Yu offered a suggestion.
Rate on N.U.
