Although Chen Ze complained that the Myriad Things System required Spirit Stones for everything, he ultimately did not choose to give up outright.
"Forget it. At least there's still a cultivation interface where spells level up through use. For now, I'll just treat this Myriad Things Space as a Storage Ring!"
Chen Ze withdrew his consciousness from the Myriad Things Space. Without Spirit Stones, he could not activate the Myriad Things Shop, so he could only make long-term plans.
Opening his eyes, Chen Ze wandered around the room.
Although it was nighttime outside, he had no intention of sleeping on that lousy bed.
As he wandered about, he toyed with the Ignition Art in his hand.
After circling the room once, he found nothing useful.
Chen Ze sighed.
"Not even a place to sit."
His gaze fell on that shabby bed again.
Helplessly, Chen Ze walked over and tossed the ragged quilt on the bed to the floor.
He plopped down on the bed, his mood dark.
"What am I supposed to do? Where am I going to get Spirit Stones?"
"I thought that after coming to a cultivation world and binding a system, I could be like in those novels—cultivate for longevity, soar through the skies and burrow through the earth, with spells filling the heavens.
But judging by the current situation, relying on automatic cultivation alone would still be rather difficult. The main problem was that I had no useful skill, nor any way to earn Spirit Stones."
After pondering for a while, Chen Ze still had no clue. He wanted to lie down and rest for a bit.
But when he saw the ragged pillow still on the bed, his irritation flared up.
He reached out, grabbed the pillow, and prepared to toss it off the bed.
"Eh! There's something inside?"
Chen Ze could tell that this was not a cotton-stuffed pillow. It seemed to contain something granular.
Chen Ze felt it again, but he could not make out what it was.
With a squeeze of his hand, the pillow tore open.
"This Qi Refining Second Layer body isn't bad. It's far stronger than that weakling body from my previous life."
The instant the pillow tore open, grain after grain of rice scattered across the floor.
Chen Ze was puzzled. They stuffed rice into the pillow as filling?
A moment later, Chen Ze recalled the original owner's memories, and joy rose in his heart.
These grains were not ordinary rice. They were Spirit Rice Seeds, deliberately saved by the original owner back when he farmed at the Qingyun Sect.
The original owner had thought that even after leaving the Qingyun Sect, he could continue his old trade and keep growing Spirit Rice. That way, at least he would not starve to death.
But after descending the mountain, he discovered that Spirit Rice could not survive in mortal soil without the support of formations.
And he knew nothing about formations, so he could only put away these Spirit Rice Seeds as a keepsake.
This was also the final straw that crushed the original owner. Cultivation had lost all hope, and life had lost all drive. He drank himself into a stupor day after day, until he finally drank himself to death.
After sighing over it for a while, Chen Ze looked at the Spirit Rice Seeds in his hand.
"I wonder whether these Spirit Rice Seeds can still be grown after being stored for so long?"
After hesitating, Chen Ze picked up all the Spirit Rice scattered across the floor and stuffed it back into the pillow.
"I'll put them in the Myriad Things Space and give it a try. There happens to be a Spirit Field in there."
"I just wonder whether, since my physical body can't enter the Myriad Things Space right now, these Spirit Rice Seeds can still be planted in the Spirit Field."
Next, Chen Ze stored all the Spirit Rice Seeds in the Myriad Things Space.
At Chen Ze's will, the pillow containing the Spirit Rice Seeds appeared right beside the Spirit Field in the Myriad Things Space.
"Just as expected. Even if my physical body doesn't enter, I can still control everything in the Myriad Things Space."
Chen Ze was delighted. Then, with a thought, he scattered the Spirit Rice Seeds throughout every small patch of Spirit Field.
Growing Spirit Rice was unlike growing spirit herbs; there was no need to plant only one stalk in each small patch of Spirit Field.
He evenly scattered some Spirit Rice Seeds in every small patch of Spirit Field.
"I wonder if they'll grow. For now, I can only wait quietly for the results."
After glancing at the Spirit Field brimming with Spiritual Energy, Chen Ze withdrew his consciousness.
Lying on the shabby bed, Chen Ze idly cast the Ignition Art, staring blankly at the tiny flame on his finger.
After using the Ignition Art nineteen times, Chen Ze suddenly felt his mind stall, and a wave of weakness swept through his entire body.
"This Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation is way too weak. With such a tiny flame, my spiritual power was exhausted after only twenty uses."
Chen Ze shook his head helplessly, sat up on the bed, and crossed his legs. Following his memories, he circulated the Xuantian Record to restore his spiritual power.
Half an hour later, Chen Ze opened his eyes. His spiritual power had fully recovered to perfection.
Having just transmigrated into this world, Chen Ze had no desire to sleep, so he continued using the Ignition Art.
He wanted to see what changes would occur after using the Ignition Art one hundred times.
The cultivation interface now displayed: Spell: Ignition Art (Beginner) 21/100.
After another twenty uses of the Ignition Art, his spiritual power was completely depleted.
Chen Ze stopped using the Ignition Art and continued cultivating the Xuantian Record to restore his Spiritual Energy.
And so, over and over again, he finally used the Ignition Art one hundred times.
Name: Chen Ze Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer 51/100 Talent: Earth-element Low-grade Spiritual Root Cultivation Method: Xuantian Record (Beginner) 6/100 Spell: Ignition Art (Proficient) 1/200 Myriad Things Space: Level 1
"The Ignition Art's proficiency has now reached Proficient, and the required number of uses has changed to two hundred. I never expected that after circulating the Xuantian Record five times, my cultivation would actually increase by one point."
"Then if this continues, and I cultivate the Xuantian Record five times every day, won't I break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer in less than two months?"
"The original owner spent fifteen years just reaching the Qi Refining Second Layer, yet I can break through a whole layer in only two months."
"It seems even the most useless Spiritual Root can cultivate quickly."
At that thought, Chen Ze was overjoyed. Looks like I can still stay in this cultivation world. There's hope for longevity, hope for soaring through the skies and burrowing through the earth, even hope for moving mountains and filling seas.
Still rejoicing, Chen Ze used the Ignition Art again. He wanted to test the difference now that its proficiency had reached Proficient.
With a bang, the sound of flames burning through the air rang out.
A fireball the size of an egg appeared in Chen Ze's palm.
The sudden noise and firelight startled Chen Ze so badly that he nearly flung the fireball away.
Fortunately, he restrained himself in time.
He had thought that when he cast the Ignition Art this time, the flame would still appear on his fingertip.
After steadying himself, Chen Ze looked at the egg-sized fireball in his hand.
"Just reaching Proficient has made that tiny flame more than ten times larger. I wonder what it'll be like when it's cultivated to the end?"
The fireball in his hand went out. Chen Ze glanced at the sky beyond the window; dawn was gradually breaking.
But Chen Ze did not care. Daybreak or not, cultivation was what mattered most now.
Chen Ze wanted to cast the Ignition Art once more when his vision suddenly went black.
"I can't. I can't keep grinding like this. My mind won't be able to take it." Chen Ze shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
"I still need to take things step by step. If I keep this up, I'll drop dead from overwork sooner or later."
With that thought, Chen Ze decided to get some proper rest first. His cultivation was still too low; he could not yet go without sleep every day.
Chen Ze lay directly on the shabby bed. His exhausted mind made him fall asleep instantly.
In his dream, Chen Ze imagined himself soaring through the skies and burrowing through the earth, sweeping across the entire Cultivation World and standing above all others.
A series of bang bang bang sounds rang out.
They scared Chen Ze, who had just been roaming atop a flying sword, so badly that he fell from it, nearly frightening his soul out of his body.
Chen Ze jolted awake and abruptly opened his eyes.
The same shabby room met his gaze, and his heart settled. Good thing it was only a dream.
His frightened soul flew back into place as well.
But then another burst of urgent bang bang bang sounds rang out, followed by shouting.
"Chen! Pay up! Don't think I don't know you're home just because you're keeping quiet!"
Only then did Chen Ze realize that someone outside was pounding on the door.
"Pay up?"
Chen Ze was puzzled. When had he ever owed money? Why did he have no impression of it at all?
Before you continue