Chapter 24: Supplementing Qi Spirit Water

Chen Mobai looked conflicted.

There was no doubt that letting Guibao manage his National Library account would be far more beneficial than the second-rate cultivation assistance software.

The Immortal Sect operated under a strict hierarchical system: the higher one's cultivation base, the greater the privileges one could enjoy. The National Library was undoubtedly one of the Immortal Sect's most vital treasures, housing eighty-four thousand Daoist scriptures, said to encompass everything. As long as a cultivator reached the required rank, they could access corresponding cultivation insights, techniques, and Daoist arts. Even the seven cultivation methods passed down by the Immortal Sect, capable of leading to the Divine Transformation stage, were stored there. However, only Nascent Soul True Monarchs could view this particular content.

Although Chen Mobai understood the principle of acting within one's capabilities, he was currently only a small-time Qi Cultivation Level Six cultivator. Even if a Divine Transformation cultivation method were placed before him, he could only look at it, not practice it. But humans are naturally curious. If Guibao successfully managed his account and elevated his access to Level Five, wouldn't he be able to browse the entire contents of the National Library? While downloading full texts still required points, it was a Divine Transformation cultivation method; just seeing the beginning would be exciting.

However, he still retained some rationality. He felt he needed to devise a foolproof plan to ensure the Immortal Sect wouldn't trace it back to him before proceeding with the proxy. Chen Mobai opened his user interface in the National Library. His account name was an ancient poem he thought sounded cool when he was young: "If I were the Green Emperor in the years to come!" Looking at it now, it seemed a bit childish, but since only he knew it, he hadn't bothered to change it over the years. There was also a small checkmark next to the account name, indicating that it had passed real-name verification. If this account were upgraded to a Level Five user, the Immortal Sect would be knocking on his door that very night. It was better to take it slow.

After calming down, Chen Mobai stood up, packed his belongings, and prepared to leave the Water Mansion. Successfully breaking through to Qi Cultivation Level Six today was already a great joy; he shouldn't be greedy and risk misfortune from excessive happiness. He packed the tin foil box that had contained the Purple Flame Pill, the drained and grayed spiritual stones, and his empty drink bottles and snack bags, intending to take them home for recycling. As he put on his backpack and was about to press the return button on his phone, he suddenly noticed the three side halls that had always been sealed off. Lately, he had been so engrossed in cultivation that he had almost forgotten about the three side halls within the Water Mansion. Leaving aside the two side halls sealed by lightning spell restrictions, he could now try to decipher the water-wave formation array.

"I'll go buy some more Green Arrow Talismans," Chen Mobai muttered to himself, "and break it open in the next couple of days." He mumbled to himself, then disappeared in a flash of silver light.

At school, while the teacher lectured, most students, including Chen Mobai, were preoccupied with their own affairs. In Immortal Sect cultivation, one's cultivation level was paramount. After all, the higher one's cultivation, the longer one's lifespan. Knowledge could always be acquired later, when cultivation reached a bottleneck. The teachers were aware of this, so they didn't interfere and simply continued their lectures.

Generally, there were two types of cultivators who became teachers: those who were old and had no hope of Foundation Establishment, like Ding Jinglue. The other type wanted to use teaching as an opportunity to re-experience the four arts—spells, alchemy, artifact forging, and formations—and earn some merit points. For example, their homeroom teacher, Chai Deyun, had his cultivation bottlenecked, while their formation teacher, Chansi, had taken on a teaching assignment from Jiumang Daoist Academy. Chansi herself was also studying formations and used the teaching opportunity to solidify her own foundation more deeply.

Chen Mobai was online shopping. The Green Arrow Talismans he bought last time had been very effective, so he placed another order at the same shop. Now that he had money, he bought ten talismans in one go to ensure nothing went wrong. Although half the money on his card was gone, he didn't feel bad; after all, these merit points were acquired without any initial investment. With the remaining funds, he bought two Wood Armor Talismans. Spending money felt great.

Chen Mobai was also incredibly lucky, managing to grab two bottles of "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water" that Jiumang Daoist Academy had just put on sale. These were Tier One mid-grade, capable of quickly filling up one's cultivation at a new level after a breakthrough. For instance, Chen Mobai had just broken through to Qi Cultivation Level Six. If he cultivated the Five Elements Technique by absorbing spiritual energy on his own, it would take approximately two years to fully complete Qi Cultivation Level Six and attempt to break through to the late Qi Cultivation stage. However, taking "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water" could significantly shorten this process. According to the elixir's instructions, consuming one bottle and cultivating in a place with abundant spiritual energy could achieve ten days' worth of progress in one day. This meant that if Chen Mobai took the "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water" daily, he could shorten the two years required to fully complete Qi Cultivation Level Six to just 70 days. Many so-called young prodigies were "fed" with this kind of "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water."

However, there were both pros and cons. Firstly, the price was not cheap: 200 merit points per bottle. Secondly, shortening cultivation time by consuming "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water" naturally led to an unstable foundation. The time required to break through bottlenecks would also far exceed that of cultivators who progressed steadily, step by step. Bottlenecks in minor cultivation stages were manageable, but if one's foundation was unstable when facing the major hurdle of Foundation Establishment, failure was almost guaranteed.

Chen Mobai wouldn't have considered buying this originally, but after breaking through to Qi Cultivation Level Six, he felt that with some effort, he might have a chance to advance to Qi Cultivation Level Seven before the college entrance examination. Reaching the late Qi Cultivation stage was entirely different; it would virtually guarantee him a spot in one of the Ten Great Academies. Even if his foundation was a bit unstable, he could find ways to compensate for it later. True Monarch Qingping had said that cultivation level was paramount. This Nascent Soul True Monarch had engaged in over three hundred battles since beginning his cultivation, never once suffering a defeat. His reliance was on his high cultivation level. He defeated Qi Cultivation cultivators during his Foundation Establishment stage, vanquished Foundation Establishment cultivators when he reached Core Formation, and after becoming a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he only engaged with Core Formation cultivators, never confronting those of his own realm.

Chen Mobai felt that True Monarch Qingping's words made perfect sense. In his battle at the Water Mansion, if he hadn't been a mid-Qi Cultivation stage cultivator and the old man only Qi Cultivation Level Three, he might not have won. Therefore, improving his cultivation level was still the most important thing. It was precisely for this reason that he bought the "Qi Replenishing Spiritual Water." He was also lucky, as this was a best-selling item, typically selling out within a minute of being listed. Each account was limited to purchasing five bottles. If Chen Mobai hadn't been refreshing Jiumang Daoist Academy's official flagship store at that exact moment, catching it by chance, he might not have managed to get any. It was a pity he was short on funds; otherwise, he would have bought all five bottles. Even if he didn't use them himself, reselling them could earn him a hundred merit points.

As he felt a pang of regret, Chen Mobai heard the dismissal bell ring. In the school's cultivation room, this time he didn't rewatch True Monarch Qingping's Five Elements Technique lecture videos. Instead, he looked for videos on breaking restrictions. Relying on his high access level, he found over three hundred methods for dismantling formations similar to the water-wave composite restriction.