Chapter 244 - 174: Breakthrough, Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, Conflict Arises

Chapter 244: Chapter 174: Breakthrough, Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, Conflict Arises

His Cultivation breakthrough was a success, increasing both the amount and intensity of his Mana. Mana intensity essentially acted as an amplifier—the power behind activating a Magical Artifact or using a Magic Skill was directly tied to it.

Zhao Zuo stood up and stretched his limbs. As he felt the potent Mana coursing through his body, his spirits soared. ’Four minor stages in two years of Cultivation... that’s not a slow pace at all!’

After a brief rest, he took out the book containing the Heaven-Melting Scripture.

"——Focus, activate!"

All sounds fell silent, and the world went dark.

The book in his hands became the only point of light in his vision. Zhao Zuo’s consciousness split once more. One part of his mind worked to decipher the contents of the Heaven-Melting Scripture, while the other took the resulting insights and began conducting hands-on experiments within his Spiritual Space.

Extraction, success!

Transfer, success!

Fusion, success!

The second attempt failed. The third failed as well. But the fourth attempt was another success!

About forty minutes later, Zhao Zuo returned to normal. He immediately lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to greedily absorb the knowledge that now filled his mind. His mastery of the Heaven-Melting Scripture had improved dramatically, so much so that he had the illusion of having already perfected it.

Zhao Zuo knew, of course, that this feeling was just an illusion born from his successful simulations in the Spiritual Space. In reality, while his brain might have learned the process, his body still found the physical execution difficult.

After another rest, he sat up. ’My success rate with the Heaven-Melting Scripture in the Spiritual Space is already nearing fifty percent,’ he mused. ’Logically, I should be able to perform it in reality now.’ However, considering the potential loss of materials from failed attempts, Zhao Zuo decided to continue practicing until his mastery improved further.

He would only attempt it in the real world once his success rate in the simulated Spiritual Space reached one hundred percent. After all, he came from a humble background. Every piece of Spiritual Material for Artifact Refining was something he had toiled to obtain, and he couldn’t bear to waste any of it.

Zhao Zuo’s eyes narrowed as he noticed another delightful change. This time, his ’Focus’ state had lasted for a full forty minutes—ten minutes longer than before.

’Perhaps it’s an improvement from my Cultivation breakthrough, or maybe it’s something else,’ he thought. In any case, an increase in his focus time was definitely a good thing.

He got up and drank some water, only then noticing the hunger in his stomach. On second thought, it had been about two days since he’d last eaten. He first used a Cleaning Talisman to cleanse the blood scabs and sweat from his body before finally standing up and opening the door to his Seclusion Chamber.

Almost instantly, a crimson shadow darted through the crack in the door. It swiftly coiled around Zhao Zuo, its triangular head held erect, its forked tongue gently licking his palm.

"You haven’t eaten in two days. You must be starving," Zhao Zuo said, stroking the Fire Spirit Snake apologetically. He then took five Fire Element Seeds from his wrist and fed them to it. Its appetite had grown again recently. ’It’s probably on the verge of a breakthrough,’ he guessed.

The Fire Spirit Snake was truly a magical type of Demon Beast. It only needed a sufficient supply of Fire Series Spiritual Objects to grow at an incredible speed, almost as if it had no bottlenecks. Then again, considering the price of Fire Series Spiritual Objects, its daily food cost was around five hundred Spirit Stones. ’When you think about it that way... I guess it’s reasonable,’ he thought.

After spending some time placating the Fire Spirit Snake, Zhao Zuo took out a tough Beast Tendon. Using his Sky-Breaking Saber, he cut off a fifty-centimeter length, fashioning it into a thin cord. He then retrieved nearly a hundred low-grade Fire Element Seeds from his Storage Bag, strung them onto the cord to make a bracelet, and tied it around his wrist.

Although these items were all called Fire Element Seeds, they weren’t uniform in size or shape. Most were the pits from Fire Series Spirit Fruits, which were collected after consumption and sold as a type of Spiritual Material, often used as premium food for Fire Series Demon Beasts.

Zhao Zuo had spent five thousand Spirit Stones to buy a huge pile of them—enough to last the Fire Spirit Snake until its bloodline potential was exhausted and it reached One Tier Perfection. The Fire Spirit Snake could grow smoothly to become a One Tier Perfection Demon Beast, but breaking through any further would be difficult unless he was willing to spend a vast amount of Spirit Stones on resources.

"So... do you have any dreams?" Zhao Zuo asked offhandedly, patting the Fire Spirit Snake’s smooth back and feeling the warmth from its triangular scales.

Not that he expected an answer from the Fire Spirit Snake.

Zhao Zuo had originally planned to just whip something up at home, but since today had brought a trifecta of good fortune, he decided it was worth celebrating. He changed into a clean Taoist Robe, left his Cave Mansion, and headed for the Ruyi Pavilion.

The moment he stepped out of his Cave Mansion, Zhao Zuo channeled his Mana into the Breath-Concealing Ring on his finger. His aura instantly plummeted, settling at the level of the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. His physical form also shifted rapidly; his height shrank by about ten centimeters, and he adjusted his presence to appear reserved and harmless.

As he walked, Zhao Zuo suddenly remembered that he had missed the Inner Sect trade fair in early October while preparing for his breakthrough to the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation. ’If I want to buy more Magical Artifacts, I’ll have to wait for the next one on October twenty-fifth,’ he thought. It didn’t affect his immediate plans, though.

This breakthrough marked the completion of one stage of his cultivation goals.

On his way to the Ruyi Pavilion, Zhao Zuo changed course and headed for the Ministry of Affairs Hall instead. It was nearly evening, so the hall was mostly empty. Most of the staff behind the counters had already left, with only two still open for business.

"Excuse me, sir, is there anything I can help you with?" asked a young woman in a green Taoist Robe from behind the counter. From the way she addressed him, Zhao Zuo guessed she was an Outer Sect disciple.