Translator: AnubisTL
The most unique aspect of the refining essence into qi system lies in its holistic view of "essence," "qi," and "spirit" as a unified whole.
Jieming's rapid advancement in mental power (spirit) has profoundly accelerated the growth of his physical constitution (essence) and true essence (qi).
Conversely, the overall improvement in his immortal cultivation has nourished his mental sea and soul strength, further enhancing his progress with the Wizard Meditation Technique.
In this way, each system secretly fuels the other, creating a nearly infinite cycle of rapid advancement.
Had Jieming not discovered several methods in the Great Dao Library Pavilion to suppress his cultivation and stabilize his foundation, he would likely have already surpassed the first layer of qi refining.
Even so, now that he had reached the peak of the first layer, he found it increasingly difficult to contain his power.
The true essence within him surged like a flood about to breach its dam, threatening to break through its restraints and advance to the second layer of qi refining at any moment.
However, if he rashly attempted a breakthrough in his dormitory, the sudden surge of power within him would likely be detected by the academy's omnipresent Monitoring Rune Array, or even noticed by passing wizards. That would be a catastrophic disaster!
He had no choice but to find a safe, isolated environment for his breakthrough—such as a laboratory equipped with a powerful isolation magic formation.
But... Jieming's entrepreneurial venture had collapsed midway, leaving his pockets emptier than his face.
This was a major reason why he was frantically searching for missions to earn merit points. Jieming had never imagined that in a spirit-void world, he would be worrying about suppressing an impending breakthrough.
Damn merit points!
He glanced at the deep night sky outside the window, then sensed the surging true essence within him. He knew time was running out.
He had to earn enough merit points to rent a laboratory before the breakthrough occurred.
With a sigh, Jieming left his dormitory and hurried toward the mission hall in a nearby teaching building.
The distillation tower cleaning missions were paid per task, and the next one wouldn't be available for another ten days. He needed to find new missions to fill the merit point gap.
A crowd of apprentices always gathered before the mission board, their eyes fixed on the constantly refreshing task entries, filled with longing.
Jieming was now one of them, desperate for merit points—immediately, urgently!
As he scanned the mission list, a slightly hurried voice came from beside him.
"Move aside! Look carefully before choosing! Don't block the way!"
A tall, slender young apprentice with shrewd glints in his eyes squeezed past, his fingers flying across the mission board, his gaze even faster than the refresh rate of the magic net terminal.
Jieming recognized him. The apprentice's name was Victor, the last of the three alchemy apprentices in their year.
Victor didn't even glance at Jieming, his eyes glued to the mission entries as he muttered rapidly, "Cleaning tasks... repetitive, stable merit points... Sorting... time-consuming and exhausting... This one! 'Prepare Basic Stabilizing Potion'! Looks complex, but the process is fixed, materials are provided by the academy, just needs to pass the final inspection... High merit points!"
Before he finished speaking, Victor tapped the "Prepare Basic Stabilizing Potion" task entry, and it instantly vanished from the board, already claimed.
Jieming observed everything.
Victor was clearly a descendant of wizards. Although he hadn't practiced magic before enrolling, his cultivation in related knowledge had been thorough, giving him a distinct advantage over ordinary apprentices when selecting missions.
After securing his mission, Victor smiled smugly before noticing Jieming standing nearby.
His gaze swept over the alchemical cauldron badge on Jieming's chest, then lingered on his empty mission slot, a subtle air of superiority flickering in his eyes.
"Hey, Jieming, still looking?" Victor's tone was casual, yet a hint of undisguised boasting crept into his voice. "You've got to be quick when choosing missions. The good ones don't wait around. If you're skilled enough, you can pick any mission you want!"
His words, ostensibly meant as "advice," were actually a thinly veiled display of his own discernment and ability, while simultaneously belittling the apprentices who could only take on ordinary tasks.
Jieming's expression remained unchanged. He simply nodded calmly. "Thanks for the reminder. I'm still considering my options, trying to find something that suits me."
Victor shrugged, offering no further comment.
Without another word, Victor turned and walked toward the other side of the workshop, presumably to the materials storage area to retrieve the ingredients needed for his potion.
Although they were all alchemy apprentices, Jieming hadn't had much interaction with Victor lately, as their social circles were completely different.
Amy, however, had become quite familiar with Victor thanks to her exceptional interpersonal skills. Before this encounter, most of Jieming's impressions of Victor had come from Amy's accounts.
As Jieming watched Victor's retreating figure, his assessment of the man became clearer.
Intelligent, calculating, efficient, yet radiating an obvious sense of self-interest and superiority. He makes no attempt to hide his pursuit of profit, even taking pride in it.
He might offer "friendly" reminders in public, but those reminders often come with displays of his own advantages and boasts of his achievements.
He won't be your enemy, as long as you don't stand in the way of his money-making or pursuit of benefits. But he'll never be the kind of person who genuinely helps you.
Victor is a product of the Wizard World's rational rules, a quintessential high-efficiency egoist.
"He's the very definition of a typical wizard," Jieming thought. "Not necessarily a bad thing for me."
People with this kind of personality have both clear strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, they are generally intelligent and won't harbor hostility based on simple jealousy or personal dislike.
If you can offer them benefits, they might even become allies.
Of course, don't expect them to help you in dangerous situations.
"Still... given my current state, I hardly have the right to look down on him."
Recalling his pitiful merit point balance, Jieming shook his head and stopped thinking about Victor. He turned his attention back to carefully studying the mission board.
Fortunately, Jieming's luck held. He soon found a suitable task.
"Sort common minerals in Warehouse 5. Weight: 10 tons. Merit points: 2." Jieming's eyes lit up at the sight of this mission.
Such tasks offered low merit points, required heavy labor, and were performed in harsh environments, making them unpopular.
The advantage was that they were purely physical work, requiring little specialized knowledge. The mission provider even supplied mineral identification guides, offering an opportunity to gain additional knowledge.
Most importantly, like the distillation tower tasks, these missions were paid per completion rather than monthly, making them perfect for Jieming's current situation.
He accepted the mission and confirmed.
(End of the Chapter)
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