Hope of Breaking Free from the Shackles

Night fell.

Luo Chen leaped down from the rooftop like a thousand-pound boulder, yet landed as lightly as a feather.

Carrying the last bamboo tray into the house, he checked the herbs he had laid out to dry that afternoon and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hundred Herbs Hall's medicinal ingredients really do come with guaranteed quality!"

The herbs he had bought from independent cultivators in the past had often been only half-processed.

Some deliberately left the useless portions intact to increase the weight.

Others had not been dried thoroughly, leaving too much moisture and preventing the medicinal power from properly condensing.

In any case, there had always been one flaw or another.

As a result, after purchasing raw materials, Luo Chen had to give the ordinary ingredients another round of processing with his own methods, on top of any special treatment they needed.

But the batch he had bought from Hundred Herbs Hall had none of those problems.

After only a simple treatment, they had reached the standard required for pill refinement.

Sure enough, expensive goods had their reasons for being expensive!

After putting everything away, Luo Chen took out the spellbook he had bought from Wang Yuan during the day from his Storage Bag.

Five Spells Every Qi Refining Cultivator Must Know.

Fireball Spell, Attraction Art, Wind Riding Art, Spirit Eye Art, Healing Spell.

This set of spells sold for five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones at Spirit Source Studio, and buyers even had to swear a Dao oath not to resell it.

As for teaching it to someone else hand in hand, there were not many restrictions.

Still, not many people would specifically pay to learn such basic spells.

Buying it from Wang Yuan had cost Luo Chen only two hundred Spirit Stones. He had saved a great deal of money!

Of course, the consequence was that his brows remained furrowed as he read.

"Why does the cultivator who copied this book write like a dog crawling across the ground?"

"And this page is covered in bloodstains. I can barely make it out."

With a sigh, Luo Chen could only pinch his nose and continue reading. Wang Yuan had mentioned all of this before the purchase.

One was willing to strike, the other willing to take the blow!

"I've already learned Fireball Spell, and it's about to reach Grandmaster Level Proficiency. I did lose forty Spirit Stones for nothing."

"What a pity I could only buy the whole package. It's not like I could tear out a few pages!"

When he flipped to the page on Attraction Art, Luo Chen became interested.

The book's contents read, "Thus and thus, in this manner and that manner."

"So that's how it is!"

After reading the entire section on Attraction Art, Luo Chen suddenly understood.

Rather than calling it a spell, it was more accurate to say that it was a method for training control over spiritual power.

Humans were born with souls. Once cultivators began refining spiritual qi into their bodies, Spiritual Sense would be born within their souls.

However, Spiritual Sense was limited by a cultivator's realm. During the Qi Refining Stage, it could only be used for inner vision and could not be projected outward.

This confinement would only be lifted after a cultivator advanced to Foundation Establishment.

Since Spiritual Sense could not leave the body during the Qi Refining Stage, cultivators could not perfectly control the spiritual power they released.

So how could one freely control spiritual power released outside the body?

Some great expert, viewing the matter from a lofty height, had proposed a series of methods to gradually strengthen one's control over spiritual power.

From small to large, from Entry Level to Mastery Level, with time, one could easily manipulate released spiritual power.

"Then I'll give it a try!"

Luo Chen found a small pebble and held it in his palm.

It rose and fell, the pebble tumbling up and down above his hand.

With a whoosh, the pebble fell to the ground.

He reached out and beckoned. The spiritual power extending from his body and wrapped around the pebble gradually withdrew according to the reversed Attraction Art formula.

It did return, but it was very slow. Maintaining that spiritual-power tether also consumed quite a bit of spiritual power.

If it were a Magic Tool engraved with an array, he definitely would not be able to pull it back.

But Luo Chen was not discouraged. Being able to draw back a small pebble proved that this method of practice was feasible.

Next, he only needed to proceed step by step and gradually increase his training in spiritual-power control. Before long, he would be able to manipulate that set of Jade Knives.

He practiced several dozen more times before stopping when he felt that one-tenth of the spiritual power in his body had been consumed.

He opened the Attribute Panel.

[Name: Luo Chen]

[Lifespan: 27/75]

[Spirit Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]

[Realm: Fourth Layer of Qi Refining Stage: 1/100]

[Cultivation Method: Evergreen Art Perfect: 340/500]

[Spells: Fireball Spell Perfect 432/500, Carefree Wander Mastery Level 275/300, Entangling Spell Proficient 180/200, Cleanse Spell Entry Level 52/100, Attraction Art Entry Level 5/100]

[Skills: Tier 1 Alchemist: Grain Avoidance Powder Grandmaster 590/1000, All Wonders Pill Entry Level 70/100]

[Achievement Points: 2]

"Sure enough, this spell isn't difficult. I can easily reach Entry Level through self-study."

Seeing the additional Attraction Art entry in the spells section, Luo Chen was very satisfied.

Aside from a small formula for reversing spiritual power, Attraction Art consisted entirely of basic exercises.

Its Entry Level difficulty was far lower than spells like Fireball Spell, which required at least three formulas.

In truth, that was only natural.

Even without learning Attraction Art, one could manipulate Magic Tools during the Qi Refining Stage as long as one's control over spiritual power was sufficiently skilled.

The reason this spell existed was because great experts had reverse-engineered the process, then spread and developed it.

After examining the Attraction Art entry, Luo Chen also took the opportunity to inspect the other things on the Attribute Panel.

"My lifespan still hasn't changed?"

He felt a little depressed.

Logically speaking, after breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining Stage, his body should gradually improve. No matter what, he should live several years longer than the limit of his previous life!

Could it be that he truly could only live to seventy-five in this life? Or would his lifespan increase only after breaking through a major realm?

He could not figure it out!

The gloom in his heart dissipated somewhat when he saw the proficiency of several spells.

Fireball Spell was about to break through to Grandmaster Level, so all his persistent practice had not been in vain.

Carefree Wander, this Lightness Skill, had progressed the fastest. It should not be long before it advanced from Entry Level to Mastery Level, then broke through to Perfect Grade.

With deliberate practice, the proficiency of Entangling Spell, which had not moved for a long time, had also begun to rise.

Advancing these spell proficiency levels could not only bring a leap in combat power, but also provide Luo Chen with Achievement Points!

When Evergreen Art had advanced to the Perfect Level before, it had given him one point.

If he accumulated ten Achievement Points again, he could gain Entry Level proficiency in an entirely new pill.

Although he did not even have the shadow of a Pill Recipe yet.

But compared to these spells, what Luo Chen cared about most was still the skills section.

[All Wonders Pill Entry Level 70/100]

He only needed thirty more points of proficiency to level up!

At that time, the success rate of All Wonders Pill should rise, and he would possess a skill that could truly support a long-term life in the Inner City.

After reviewing the Attribute Panel, Luo Chen could not help letting out a long breath.

All along, the shortage of Spirit Stones had been shackles wrapped around his cultivation.

To break those shackles, he had kept increasing his production of All Wonders Pills, all so he could raise his proficiency and begin making a real profit.

Now, at last, he could see hope of breaking free from the shackles!

"This calls for celebration!"

Luo Chen walked outside. Before he knew it, it was already the dead of night.

He glanced toward Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, then immediately shook his head.

No, no. This brother truly didn't have money to spend there.

"Forget it. I'll set off some fireworks for myself!"

He fired four Fireball Spells into the sky.

Watching the fireballs explode in the night sky, sparks scattering and blooming with a soft rustle, he grinned.

Then he heard an angry roar from next door.

"Why are you making such a racket in the middle of the night?!"

It was a woman's voice, full of strength.

Luo Chen shrank his neck. After making sure he would not start a fire, he hurriedly fled back into the house.

That had been rash!