Qi Hong received no answer, yet her curiosity lingered, deepening her interest in Han Yi. However, she refrained from pressing further, respecting the secrecy surrounding his Immortal Path.
After finishing the Spirit Wine, the group dispersed. As Han Yi was about to leave, Chu Jinmo stopped him.
"Junior Brother Han," she said, "I'll be leaving the Sect for a while. I'll repay your favor upon my return."
A wisp of ethereal Sword Light flickered in Chu Jinmo's eyes, as fine as a strand of hair. Han Yi, who had been looking directly at her, immediately averted his gaze. Prolonged eye contact, though harmless, would undoubtedly be uncomfortable.
"Senior Sister Chu," Han Yi asked, his brow furrowing slightly, "will this journey take a long time?"
He remembered Chu Jinmo's previous disappearance during his time on the Outer Peak. Whatever reason could prompt her to give him such a special heads-up must be significant.
"Yes," Chu Jinmo replied calmly, radiating an otherworldly aura. "I'm heading far north, to a place that will take a considerable amount of time to reach."
Han Yi nodded solemnly. "Very well. Then I shall await Senior Sister Chu's triumphant return."
Returning to the courtyard, Han Yi activated the Formation Arts and settled into his meditation chamber.
A faint crimson panel silently materialized before him.
Name: Han Yi
Lifespan: 34/135
Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (43/100)
Cultivation Technique: Fire Astral Profound Art (Mastery 39/100)
Skills:
- Alchemy Technique (Perfected Purity 49/100)
- Spirit Void Finger (Perfected Purity 73/100)
- Sword Control Technique (Perfected Purity 68/100)
- Light Body Technique (Perfected Purity 96/100)
- Fire Shield Technique (Perfected Purity 23/100)
- Turtle Breath Technique (Perfected Purity 21/100)
- Li Fire Sword Manual (Hall Entry 69/100)
- Qi Observation Technique (Hall Entry 12/100)
- Talisman Crafting Art (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 29/100)
Compared to six months prior, the original skills on the panel had undergone only minor changes. However, a new skill had appeared:
Qi Observation Technique (Hall Entry 12/100)
This was a technique Han Yi had specifically practiced after returning from the Myriad Demon Mountain Range.
The Qi Observation Technique was a common spell that could be purchased from the Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
Apart from the Qi Observation Technique, the most significant change on the panel was his Cultivation Realm.
Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (43/100)
Three and a half years ago, shortly after reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, Han Yi's progress was only 2/100. Six months ago, before consuming the Blood Bone Spirit Flower, it had reached 29/100.
Now, just half a year later, his cultivation had soared to 43/100.
This 14% improvement in progress within six months was astonishing. It meant that half a year of cultivation had yielded half the progress of his previous three years combined—a staggering threefold increase in efficiency. And this didn't even account for the increasing difficulty of progress at higher cultivation stages.
All of this was thanks to the Blood Bone Spirit Flower he had consumed six months ago.
Although the Panel didn't display specific data about the Blood Bone Spirit Flower, the rapid advancement of his cultivation realm unmistakably reflected the transformative changes it had wrought upon his body.
In essence, this rare flower, renowned for enhancing one's Root Bone, had more than tripled Han Yi's innate potential.
While a threefold increase might seem modest, it meant that the time required to reach a certain cultivation milestone had been reduced from ten years to just three and a half.
Cultivation, at its core, is a pursuit of immortality. This enhancement to his Root Bone filled Han Yi with renewed confidence in his future journey along the Immortal Path.
The True Immortal Path beckoned.
Before consuming the Spirit Flower, Han Yi's Root Bone was the worst among the Outer Peak disciples—a Four-Attribute Pseudo-Spiritual Root, the minimum requirement for admission to the Profound Pill Sect's Outer Sect.
Under normal circumstances, without his transmigration or the Proficiency Panel, the original owner of his body would have never reached the Late-Stage Qi Refining. After being assigned to an outpost, he would have settled in a large city, started a family, and stagnated at the Third or Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.
But now, with his enhanced Root Bone, his cultivation speed rivaled that of Inner Sect disciples with True Spiritual Roots. He speculated that he might possess a high-quality Three-Attribute True Spiritual Root, akin to Luo Yunzhou's.
Still, there were limits. He had started from such a weak foundation that instant ascension was impossible. If it had been a Nine-Petaled Blood Bone Spirit Flower, he might have directly upgraded to a Dual-Attribute True Spiritual Root, or even a Single-Attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root. But this rare flower had only three petals. The transformation he had already achieved was beyond his wildest dreams.
"The Immortal Path stretches endlessly before me, and my true journey begins today."
Han Yi took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement and focusing on the choices ahead.
"The Earth Ranking has been open for four months. There are still eight months until the year-end deadline."
"I only need to step onto the Combat Arena three times before the eight-month deadline," Han Yi thought. "There's no rush."
Unlike You Wu, Han Yi had no desire for ostentatious displays; it simply wasn't in his nature. All he needed to do was retain his courtyard on Inner Peak, a task now easily within his capabilities.
"Next, while continuing my cultivation, I need to focus on improving specific skills to break through to the next level."
"Sword Control Technique, Light Body Technique, and the Li Fire Sword Manual—these three are my priorities for now."
Han Yi's choices were far from arbitrary. Among his Perfected Purity-level skills, Light Body Technique and Sword Control Technique were the closest to advancement. The Li Fire Sword Manual, still at the Hall Entry stage, offered a significant boost to his combat prowess and deserved to be pushed to Perfected Purity as quickly as possible.
After the battle in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, over seventy percent of Han Yi's current combat strength stemmed from his Sword Control Technique, making this skill paramount. Light Body Technique, currently at 96/100 progress, was on the cusp of advancement. Achieving the next level would undoubtedly yield unexpected benefits.
With his plan set, Han Yi resumed his cultivation. This time, however, he didn't fully seclude himself. Instead, he continued to train while monitoring the Earth Ranking and occasionally visiting Combat Peak to observe battles in the Combat Arena.
As Han Yi's skills improved and his techniques refined, the battles in the Combat Arena offered him diminishing returns, and his visits became increasingly infrequent.
This monotonous yet rewarding routine captivated Han Yi, allowing him to immerse himself completely.
During this period, he also selected three ordinary Qi Refining Seventh Layer opponents, defeated them in the arena without displaying overwhelming dominance or attracting undue attention, and thus fulfilled the Sect's minimum combat requirements.
He harbored little enthusiasm for the cultivation resources offered through the Earth Ranking. His true obsession lay with the five unopened Storage Pouches he possessed, particularly two among them, whose contents undoubtedly surpassed anything the Sect could provide.
One pouch had been acquired in Heavenfall City from the cold youth who wielded the Top-Grade Magic Artifact, the Golden Light Shuttle. For an Eighth Layer Qi Refining cultivator to possess such a treasure suggested an extraordinary background, and his Storage Pouch surely held great surprises.
The other pouch belonged to the halberd-wielding cultivator from the Myriad Demon Mountain Range, suspected to be a descendant of a Duke or Marquis from the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom. His Storage Pouch, too, must contain remarkable treasures.
Just as Han Yi believed this tranquil existence would persist until the official announcement of the Earth Ranking for the following year, Luo Yunzhou arrived at his doorstep. His face, pale and taut, barely concealed his fury. He had come to seek assistance.