Su Yuan looked at the clock in the cultivation room and found that more than an hour had passed.
"It's almost exactly 0.8 hours!"
Su Yuan suddenly understood, the time to enhance the cultivation effect was one-tenth of the rest time.
With this, Su Yuan had a rough idea.
Lowering his head, he found that the crushed Spirit Stones had turned into powder at some point.
Crushed Spirit Stones were necessary for the effect, otherwise, the time for his third cycle of circulation would definitely not have been enough; it wouldn't have been just enough time.
Su Yuan pondered for a moment and tried cultivating on his own.
The moment the Cultivation Technique started circulating, trouble arose. He could only circulate the cycle based on a wisp of spiritual energy. As for the triple effect, that was out of the question, because even with a wisp of spiritual energy as the base for circulation, his Cultivation Technique's circulation speed was twice as slow as before!
When the cycle of circulation finished, he gained an extra wisp and a half of spiritual energy: one complete wisp and one incomplete wisp! The effect dropped significantly, but compared to other Low Grade Spiritual Roots, it was still much stronger.
Su Yuan felt relieved: "After the entry cools down, the cultivation experience is retained and won't be forgotten due to the entry cooling down. My proficiency with the Cultivation Technique has greatly increased. If I train my spiritual energy control well in the future and become proficient in circulating the cycle, I can eventually achieve the effect of the entry activation, provided the resources are met."
At the same time, Su Yuan also discovered a problem: during the cycle circulation, due to lack of experience, he caused quite a bit of damage to his Meridians. Now, a slight throbbing pain was coming from his Meridians, so he couldn't continue cultivating. He needed to rest for half an hour before trying again.
"The entry effect is still quite Heaven-Defying. It improves the cultivation effect in various aspects. Choosing this entry was the right choice!"
Just then, a light prompt appeared from a part of the cultivation room. Someone was knocking.
Su Yuan walked out of the cultivation room and into the courtyard, where he saw Zhang Wei outside, peeking into the courtyard again.
Su Yuan asked doubtfully, "Zhang Wei, aren't you cultivating?"
"I just saw a lecture notice at the Lecture Hall. An Inner Sect Senior Brother will be giving a lecture later. Do you want to go listen together?"
"Oh? Really? I happen to be free!" Su Yuan nodded.
The two walked together towards the Lecture Hall.
Halfway there, Su Yuan saw Zhou Wuyou again. This time, he was followed by seven Disciples, looking imposing!
Zhou Wuyou saw Su Yuan and Zhang Wei, and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.
"Move aside!" Zhou Wuyou said.
Su Yuan and the other could only stand by the roadside and watch Zhou Wuyou and the others leave.
"So arrogant!" Zhang Wei's anger surged. "If there weren't so many people, I'd fight him right now!"
Su Yuan asked doubtfully, "Didn't you also take on followers?"
Zhang Wei was startled and said, "When did I take on followers?"
"Didn't you find someone to get crushed Spirit Stones?" Su Yuan asked.
"That was just a transaction! I'll repay it a thousandfold later! Taking on followers requires giving more Spirit Stones, I'm not that stupid!" Zhang Wei said proudly.
"Did your brother teach you that?"
Zhang Wei said with a hint of pride, "Does this even need teaching? I understood it at a glance!"
Su Yuan: "..."
"Alright, let's go listen to the lecture!"
The two quickly arrived at the Lecture Hall.
This was the first lecture, and many people came, but there were only three hundred and sixty seats inside!
Fortunately, they arrived in time and found empty seats in the last row.
Soon after, everyone was present!
The main door of the Lecture Hall closed, and Disciples who didn't make it could only leave with regret.
Above the Lecture Hall, a figure arrived on a sword, performed a 720-degree low-altitude flip above the lecture hall, then instantly stopped in mid-air above the platform, and then lightly sat cross-legged on the high platform like a falling leaf, revealing a handsome young man.
"Another one showing off!" Zhang Wei said enviously.
Su Yuan nodded. These cultivators really liked making grand entrances, perhaps also to inspire the Disciples' aspirations.
"Hello, fellow Disciples. I am the Inner Sect Senior Brother, Zhuge Jian, at the Peak of the ninth layer of Refining Qi, ready to break through to Foundation Establishment at any time. Today, I will give the first cultivation lecture for everyone: The Way of Refining Qi!"
"Qi, originating from heaven and earth, gives birth to all things, flows unstably, cycles endlessly, gathers but does not disperse..."
Zhuge Jian immediately began his lecture, and sentence after sentence of difficult-to-understand words fell into Su Yuan's ears.
Su Yuan listened with a bewildered expression. Why did this feel different from the lecture he imagined?
He turned his head to look at Zhang Wei, only to see a thoughtful expression on his face.
Looking around again, some people were already listening entranced, while others, like Su Yuan, had bewildered expressions.
Soon, Su Yuan understood. It was evident from their skin: those with fair, tender skin could understand, while those with dark, rough skin couldn't. The issue wasn't their skin, but their family background.
Disciples with good family backgrounds had already received extensive education and were very knowledgeable, making it much easier for them to understand the lecture content.
As for Disciples from poor families, some couldn't even read. Their ability to remember Cultivation Techniques was due to cultivation methods that forcibly imprinted the information. Now, when it came to listening to lectures, their true state was revealed.
Undoubtedly, Su Yuan was a 'study slag' in both his previous and current lives.
Su Yuan subconsciously glanced at the entry, but seeing that it hadn't accumulated much time, he dismissed the thought of activating it. He gradually began to wander beyond the material world (zone out), roaming the great void (daydream).
After an unknown amount of time.
He felt a tap on his shoulder.
Su Yuan snapped back to reality and looked at Zhang Wei with a puzzled expression.
Zhang Wei looked at him speechless and pointed forward.
Su Yuan looked and saw that the Lecture Hall was quite empty. The Inner Sect Senior Brother had already left, and most of the Disciples were gone.
"It's finished?"
"What do you think? More than an hour has passed!" Zhang Wei rolled his eyes.
Su Yuan coughed and asked, "How much did you understand?"
"About twenty to thirty percent!" Zhang Wei said proudly. "Mainly, Senior Brother Zhuge lectured quite deeply, and the later content was too profound. But I've memorized it all. If I recall it during cultivation later and verify it more, I might even gain more insights!"
"Hehe, in this regard, I estimate I'm not too far off from top-grade Spiritual Roots. I'm quite confident in my comprehension. Even my brother praises my high comprehension!"
Su Yuan replied perfunctorily, "Then congratulations!"
Zhang Wei comforted him, "I know you didn't understand, don't be discouraged. Even if you understood all of it, it would only increase your cultivation speed by twenty to thirty percent at most, it won't affect you much!" Zhang Wei laughed heartily.
Su Yuan glanced at him and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you're asking for a beating? I think I understand why so many people dislike you!"
Zhang Wei sighed, "I just like telling the truth! I understand the principles, I'm just... simply kind, you know?"
"Let's go!"
Su Yuan turned his head and left.
"Hey, wait for me!"
The two walked back side by side. Along the way, Zhang Wei talked extensively about the recent lecture content, his face still wearing a smug expression.
Su Yuan listened for a few sentences and also understood some things.
On the way back, Su Yuan conveniently collected his cultivation resources, including a Pilgrimage Pill, a crushed Spirit Stone, and a bottle of spiritual water for nourishing Meridians.
As he entered the door, Su Yuan saw Zhang Wei going to ask for resources from someone again. He shook his head and returned to his room.
He glanced at the System panel.
"Work-Rest Balance" : Rested time: 1.8 hours.
Su Yuan thought for a moment and waited for an hour.
When the rest time reached 3 hours, he immediately activated the entry.
He wanted to test the effect of the entry to see if the cultivation effect increased linearly or curvilinearly after increasing the rest time.
This time was the effect of three hours, and the next time he tested six hours, he could roughly draw a conclusion.
However, the moment he activated the entry, countless pieces of content from the Inner Sect Senior Brother's lecture automatically surfaced in his mind.
Although he hadn't listened attentively, his mind had passively memorized those words, and now they all finally surfaced.
The content that Su Yuan had originally found confusing became simpler, and combined with Zhang Wei's earlier words, it was easier to understand.
His understanding of the Cultivation Technique was slowly but steadily deepening.
Su Yuan hadn't expected "Work-Rest Balance" to have this effect, but now was not the time to digest this content.
He immediately began circulating the cycle to Cultivate.
To his surprise, this time circulating the cycle, he could still only circulate it with a single wisp of spiritual energy, but the process became incredibly smooth. After the cycle circulation finished, he successfully gained two more wisps of spiritual energy.
The effect was slightly better than cultivating on his own, the overall time spent was much less, and the damage to his Meridians was minimal.
"It seems the effect of three hours is also good, but it's far worse than that of over 8 hours."
With a little time left, Su Yuan turned back to understand the lecture content.
A few more minutes passed.
Su Yuan also exited the entry state, and his mind became a bit muddled again. In reality, his mind didn't worsen after exiting the entry state; it was just an illusion caused by the comparison after experiencing a clearer state.
Su Yuan recalled the feeling when he activated the entry state and had a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"If the cultivation state of 'Work-Rest Balance' is compared to a minor enlightenment, then the more I accumulate in normal times, the better the cultivation effect will definitely be! This accumulation doesn't require me to deliberately comprehend; passive sensing is enough. For example, zoning out during a lecture, reading leisure books, or appreciating natural scenery! These things can all turn into accumulation and become resources for cultivation during the minor enlightenment!"
Just like now, he had already comprehended fifty percent of the meaning of the Inner Sect Senior Brother's lecture content. He estimated that the next cultivation session could improve the cultivation effect by ten percent, which was an unexpected gain.
Su Yuan's eyes lit up. He had figured out a little trick for using the entry!
With that thought in mind, Su Yuan went out.
Before long, he arrived in front of a building.
[Library Pavilion]!
There was only a one-word difference between the Library Pavilion and the Scripture Pavilion, but the difference was significant. In the Scripture Pavilion, all were cultivation methods, techniques, and Spells that could only be exchanged with contribution points or Spirit Stones. The previous Cultivation Technique selection was merely a new Disciple benefit.
The Library Pavilion was different. It contained a large collection of books, some were cultivation insights, some were biographies, some were about local customs, some were poetry and songs. In short, there were many miscellaneous books, and viewing them didn't require contribution points, which was considered a sect benefit.
Su Yuan entered the Library Pavilion and saw an older Disciple wearing service Disciple attire dozing off.
"Senior Brother?" Su Yuan called out.
The older Disciple woke up, yawned, glanced at Su Yuan's Disciple token, and said, "Feel free to look around yourself, just don't mess things up!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Su Yuan bowed and then entered the Library Pavilion to browse.
The older Disciple secretly sized up Su Yuan and thought to himself, "The valley just opened, and this kid is already here reading leisure books? It seems he's not thinking about entering the Outer Sect. Has he started giving up on himself after just one day? I also worked hard for three months back then..."
He began to recall the past.