'How is this possible?'
Zhiran suddenly woke up in extreme shock, feeling the inexplicable new information in his mind.
However, his shock wasn't about the information he received, but about the level of technique and its proficiency he had reached.
'An Early-rank Earth Grade technique, and I already mastered it to a Proficient level?'
As far as Zhiran knew, in this world, while the cultivation techniques were divided similarly to weapons and artifacts, proficiency was different.
Proficiency basically meant how skilled a person was in a certain technique or skill, allowing them to use it to their absolute advantage.
It was divided into Beginner, Basic Mastery, Skilled, Proficient, Expert, Master, Saint, and Legendary.
The more proficient a person was in a skill, the more powerful he would be at the same rank.
That's how a genius with high comprehension power could absolutely crush a mediocre cultivator.
Of course, this was when they both practiced the same rank technique.
And Zhiran was precisely that mediocre fellow who was still at the beginner stage of the Crimson Ember Manual, a middle-grade Yellow-rank cultivation technique given to all the outer disciples.
Besides the lack of resources, it was also one of the reasons why he was so weak.
That's why he embraced the demonic technique in his previous life, reaching Gold Core forcefully.
But that also managed to gulp all his innate potential, leaving little hope for a higher realm.
"Wait… how am I already at Sixth Stage Qi Condensation?"
Just when Zhiran was savoring the feeling given by his Golden finger, he suddenly felt something different in his body.
He felt far stronger, his Qi flowing smoothly without obstruction.
Then he suddenly realized that, somehow, within this cave, he had already reached the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation.
'Wow, is this the power of comprehending an Earth-rank cultivation technique at the Proficiency Level?'
Zhiran couldn't help but feel delighted as he realized that his cultivation speed had significantly increased all of a sudden.
He even took out a few low-grade spirit stones and began to absorb them on the spot, only to be surprised at how quickly and efficiently he could assimilate them into his body now.
He felt that if he absorbed dozens of low-grade spirit stones, he might directly reach the Seventh Stage of Qi Condensation, officially becoming a late-stage Qi realm cultivator.
'Damn, that Tianyu is so lucky.'
And the more he realized how easy it felt to cultivate, the more he realized how powerful that guy Tianyu, the protagonist, was.
This was because he knew that the bastard already had a Heaven-grade cultivation technique with him, which he had practiced to an unknown realm of proficiency by this time.
'No wonder nobody was his match before.'
Zhiran thought bitterly and shook his head.
In this cultivation world, where one step behind meant always being behind, he knew how important it was to have powerful comprehension, powerful talent, and a powerful background.
In his previous life, he had none; hence, he died a pathetic death, a side character thoroughly played by heaven.
'But this time, things will be different. Very different.'
Zhiran finally smiled as he looked at the severed head in his hand, gripping it by the hair, giving off the unsettling vibe of a madman.
If before he had nothing to rely on but the broken memories of his previous life, now he possessed his own golden finger.
Naturally, his confidence had grown.
He couldn't wait to grow stronger and trample that hateful brother of his beneath the gaze of heaven, showing both of them exactly who they had provoked.
'It is time to leave. I should reach the late stage of Qi Condensation quickly so that I can participate in the upcoming Inner Sect Trial.'
Zhiran came out of his dream and grew serious once again.
Having the dream was one thing, but making it real was an entirely different matter.
Swish!
As he decided to leave, he tossed the useless head onto the corpse lying on the ground, drew out his Qi, and burned the entire body to cinders within minutes.
Since the Divine Cauldron Sect specialized in fire-based cultivation, conjuring flames with a bit of Qi was easy.
Fortunately, this elder was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment and not a body cultivator, so Zhiran had no qualms about reducing him to ash.
Once he was certain the body was completely destroyed, Zhiran slammed his palm against the cave wall, collapsing it from within before stepping out of the waterfall.
From that moment on, the hidden cave behind the waterfall in the Crimson Bamboo Forest ceased to exist, along with the elder's remains, never to be found.
The Divine Cauldron Sect wasn't strong enough to track the location of their deceased elders, nor were they willing. Zhiran had considered this risk before deciding to act.
"It's almost night. I'd better leave quickly before I run into that guy."
Zhiran glanced at the sun, now nearly touching the horizon, and marched out of the bamboo forest without hesitation. Although the risk of exposure was low, he wasn't taking any chances.
So, after leaving the forest, he immediately paid five low-grade spirit stones and made his way to the outer sect.
…
"Hmm? Did someone come to this place before?"
Under the huge waterfall, where Zhiran had just left the cave half an hour ago, stood a tall man with sharp features, his handsome face scrunched in curiosity as he muttered to himself.
Although it had been a while since someone had passed through, his heightened perception still detected the faint trace of a person lingering in the area.
This person was none other than Mo Tianyu, the so-called protagonist who had betrayed Zhiran before.
"This place is famous for its outer sect missions. Maybe someone was here, maybe not, who knows? Aren't you drifting too much?"
Surprisingly, though he was mumbling alone, a faint ethereal female voice answered him from nowhere.
"Don't waste your time. Go search for the Crimson Spirit Bamboo. If you're late, it might run away."
The voice carried a clear sense of annoyance at his constant distractions.
"Haha… Master, don't get angry. I just found it weird, that's all. Let's go, I will definitely catch that spirit or whatever."
After being scolded by his master, Tianyu scratched his head awkwardly and hurried off, putting aside the uneasy feeling he had just experienced.
As his master said, capturing the Crimson Spirit Bamboo came first.
If he could catch it, he could finally begin practicing his body cultivation alongside Qi cultivation.
After all, his goal was to become the top of this world, just like his master, wasn't it?