Translator: AnubisTL
"This ore... the manual says it's moonshadow stone, but it feels almost identical to the stellar iron next to it," an apprentice's voice nearby drew Jieming's attention.
The apprentice rubbed his eyes, struggling to distinguish the ores.
Jieming silently scanned the ore with his mental power, and its elemental composition and energy properties immediately surfaced in his mind.
"It is moonshadow stone, but it's a lower grade and contains some iron ore impurities," he casually remarked.
Without hesitation, he picked up a common ore, weighed it in his hand, and swiftly sorted it into the corresponding crate.
"Ah... thank you," the apprentice stammered, momentarily stunned before quickly recovering and instinctively expressing his gratitude.
"No problem," Jieming replied with a shake of his head. After all, identifying ores also helped him familiarize himself with his current power.
With the three truth runes—each bearing core patterns of alchemical runes—now firmly established in his mind, Jieming could clearly sense their influence on his soul and spirit. He felt a subtle "evolution" occurring within him almost constantly.
His understanding of the distinctions between various substances and energies grew increasingly clear. Even without having yet constructed the framework of alchemy in his mind, he could analyze everything his fingers touched.
Though this information was currently disorganized, Jieming could clearly sense the changes occurring within his mind as he practiced.
He was certain that once these changes were complete, the first wizardry—alchemy—would be imprinted upon his mental sea, even without deliberate study.
While Jieming was busy, Victor donned protective gear and brought another apprentice to join the group.
Seeing the several large, heavy crates before Jieming, Victor's eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction.
Pointing to two piles of minerals on the ground, Victor spoke with barely concealed pride: "I'll show you once, so pay attention. See, this pile of feldspar looks large, but each piece is light and uniformly shaped, making it easy to sort. The spinel pile is smaller, but the pieces are large and have sharp edges that can cut you. Let's finish the feldspar first—it's quick and we can settle the accounts sooner. Then we'll take a break before tackling that troublesome spinel."
Victor's partner seemed to have overlooked this point, pausing in surprise before nodding in agreement.
A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of Victor's lips as he immediately began sorting the feldspar with the practiced efficiency of an assembly line worker.
Jieming observed the entire scene.
It was clear that these wizard apprentices were also short on merit points. "Clever" individuals like Victor had even started earning commissions by guiding newcomers.
This highlighted the fundamental difference between apprentices with and without wizarding backgrounds. While their innate talent might be comparable, the accumulated knowledge gap from childhood was impossible to bridge overnight.
Jieming silently continued his own sorting, steadily accumulating knowledge without comment. He felt nothing toward Victor's ostentatious "demonstration."
After all, Victor merely had a slight advantage, while Jieming had no advantage at all.
The night was deep.
Having finally completed his task, Jieming left warehouse no. 5, still feeling as if he were covered in the dust from sorting ore and the pungent aroma of plants.
But there was no time to return to his dormitory to wash off the grime, nor any time for even a moment's rest. His heart burned with urgency.
The merit point balance on the task board had finally reached the number he desperately needed: five.
Five merit points were enough to open the "private room" once more.
Without returning to the alchemy department's workshop, Jieming reserved a laboratory using the magic net terminal near the warehouse and sprinted toward the potionology laboratory area next door.
Through his ordeal "sorting" in warehouse no. 5, the three truth runes in his mind had become increasingly active, and his mental sea churned with unrest.
Simultaneously, his true essence burned like a raging fire, surging wildly through his meridians. Each pulse felt like a reminder that his breakthrough was imminent, demanding immediate action!
Jieming knew that if not for his extraordinary self-control, he would have already lost his composure. But even now, he teetered on the brink of a breakthrough, ready to erupt at any moment.
Jieming swiftly activated his temporary laboratory, pushed open the door, and stepped into the cramped, spartan isolation chamber.
The moment the door closed, all the external noise and worries vanished, leaving only himself and the surging power about to erupt within him.
Without hesitation, Jieming sat cross-legged in the center of the laboratory, took a deep breath, and focused his entire mind inward.
Second layer of Qi Refining.
In the cultivation system, this stage wasn't particularly crucial. According to the Great Dao Library Pavilion, anyone who reached the first layer of Qi Refining—regardless of their innate talent or resources—could, with enough time, at least reach the third layer.
After breaking through, his true essence would become more condensed, circulate faster, and provide significantly enhanced nourishment to both his physical body and spirit.
However, precisely because there were no obstacles to overcome, suppressing the breakthrough after fully accumulating spiritual energy became exceptionally difficult.
"Now!"
He stopped suppressing the breakthrough, allowing the massive torrent of true essence within him to surge through his meridians.
The methods recorded in the Great Dao Library Pavilion flashed through his mind, guiding this rampaging power.
Rumble—
The world within his body seemed to undergo a cataclysmic transformation!
His meridians expanded and strengthened under the relentless surge of true essence. The lake of true essence in his dantian swirled violently, compressing with a deep, resonant roar.
Agonizing pain swept through his entire being, yet Jieming's divine sense remained remarkably clear, precisely guiding the true essence along its predetermined path to complete the metamorphosis.
The makeshift isolation magic formation in the laboratory hummed faintly, resisting the sudden eruption of energy waves from within Jieming's body.
The process lasted approximately half an hour. Sweat soaked through Jieming's clothes, his body trembled slightly, and his face was deathly pale.
But as the final meridian completed its restructuring, a surge of entirely new, far more potent power coursed through his veins!
Qi Refining Stage Two!
He had succeeded!
The true essence within him had solidified to the consistency of mercury, its quantity more than doubling compared to his Qi Refining Stage One state.
Within his meridians, the true essence flowed like a mighty river, its surging currents producing a melodious roar.
Under the nourishing influence of the true essence, his physical body gradually strengthened, while his mental sea seemed to be infused with new vitality, becoming clearer and more expansive.
Jieming slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a long breath of black, tainted air.
Though his body felt weak, he sensed an unprecedented strength and clarity within him.
"Excellent. This enhanced mental power should be enough to carve another truth rune."
Sensing the intensity of his mental power within his mental sea, Jieming smiled with satisfaction.
Becoming a second-tier wizard apprentice was now within reach.
"Come to think of it, both cultivators and wizards continuously advance their cultivation methods."
Reflecting on the similarities between the two cultivation systems, he fell into deep thought.
The Basic Qi Refining Method Jieming practiced, though based on the ancient principle of refining essence into qi, was considered a relatively new technique according to the Great Dao Library Pavilion.
While Jieming wasn't entirely sure how the age of cultivation methods was calculated, both qi refining and meditation techniques shared a striking characteristic: few bottlenecks.
The Basic Qi Refining Method only had bottlenecks when advancing from the third to fourth layer of qi refining, the sixth to seventh layer, and the ninth layer to foundation establishment. Theoretically, the remaining levels could be gradually attained with enough time and effort.
The wizard's meditation technique followed a similar pattern. Only the transition from third-tier wizard apprentice to formal wizard posed a significant challenge. Beyond that, the three tiers of wizard apprentice were entirely devoid of bottlenecks. Advancement simply required inscribing a sufficient number of truth runes.
"In theory, given enough time, anyone could reach third-tier wizard apprentice. But that's just in theory."
The key phrase here was "enough time."
Qi refiners fared better. Even the most basic first-tier of qi refining integrated their life force, allowing them to live vigorously and free from illness until the age of 160 without issue.
Wizards faced a more complex situation. While elemental power strengthened both their spirit and body, it simultaneously eroded their life force.
Without becoming a formal wizard, the lifespan of an ordinary wizard apprentice was limited to around 70 years.
Moreover, unlike qi refiners who grew stronger with age, wizard apprentices experienced a decline after their peak. The aging of their physical bodies gradually weakened their mental sea, causing them to become progressively weaker.
Of course, this problem vanished entirely upon becoming a formal wizard. In fact, thanks to wizards' mastery of human body modification techniques, they could even surpass foundation establishment stage cultivators in longevity.
"Overall, while qi refiners have longer lifespans, they face more bottlenecks and more complex advancement requirements. Wizard apprentices advance more easily, but... I suspect the difficulty of a wizard apprentice becoming a formal wizard will be far greater than imagined."
Shaking his head, Jieming stopped pondering these questions and stood up, feeling his body had fully recovered.
With plenty of laboratory time remaining, Jieming began to worry about how to use the remaining time.
Should he check the magic network?
But renting the laboratory cost the equivalent of five cubic meters of gold. Using it as a mere internet cafe seemed a bit extravagant, didn't it?
Yet aside from that, there seemed to be nothing else to do...
Just then, the laboratory's sole window—a small aperture made of special materials that blocked external observation while allowing light to pass through—caught the first soft rays of dawn.
Daybreak had arrived.
Jieming stood there, watching the gradually rising sunlight, his body trembling involuntarily!
(End of the Chapter)
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