The Transformation and Sublimation of Lv. 7

Lu Yi clicked to claim the reward for the second mission. At once, a pair of light-blue boots embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns appeared on the table before him.

Middle-Grade Magic Item, Flowing Cloud Boots.

Lu Yi felt a little excited. He was someone with a Middle-Grade Magic Item now! Just think of that miserly Old Lu—he would not even let Lu Yi touch a Middle-Grade Magic Item sword. Now Lu Yi had one of his own! If Old Lu found out, who knew how envious he would be.

Lu Yi could not wait to bind it to himself. All treasures needed to be bound to an owner; only then could they unleash their full power. Binding a magic item was simple. Lu Yi sent his spiritual power into the item and left behind his spiritual imprint, easily completing the process.

After binding it, Lu Yi took off the boots on his feet and changed into the Flowing Cloud Boots.

Once he had put them on, Lu Yi stood up and bounced twice in place, delight filling his heart. As expected of a Middle-Grade Magic Item—it is so comfortable to wear!

What delighted Lu Yi even more was that, after putting on the Flowing Cloud Boots, he felt his body become somewhat lighter. Would that mean his speed would increase?

Lu Yi poured Spiritual Qi into the Flowing Cloud Boots, fully activating the magic item. Then he circulated the White Cloud Footwork. His body swayed, and in the next instant, Lu Yi flashed from one end of the room to the other, his face only a centimeter away from the wall.

That was close. His handsome face had nearly slammed into the wall.

Lu Yi was a little shaken, but then even more delighted. These Flowing Cloud Boots have increased my speed by nearly thirty percent!

One had to know that Lu Yi had already cultivated the White Cloud Footwork to the realm of Return to Simplicity. His speed was incredibly fast, comparable to that of cultivators at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer or even the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. With another thirty percent increase, even Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators probably could not match him in speed.

A Middle-Grade Magic Item truly was powerful!

Like a child who had gotten a new toy, Lu Yi circulated the White Cloud Footwork, his figure constantly flickering through the room—here one moment, there the next, elusive and shifting like a ghostly shadow.

Only after a while did Lu Yi finally have his fill. He sat contentedly in his chair and continued taking stock of his gains.

The third mission had likewise been to defeat an Outer Sect Disciple, but the opponent had been Wang Xinqi. The reward was two Perfect Qi Condensation Pills. Lu Yi claimed them and held the Qi Condensation Pills in his hand. He had three now, which he could use during his next cultivation session.

The fourth mission had been to demonstrate the White Cloud Swordplay with Senior Sister Liu Ningshuang. His White Cloud Swordplay level increased by 1.

After Lu Yi claimed the mission reward, his head suddenly swelled with pain as a vast amount of information flooded into his mind: all of it insights into the White Cloud Swordplay.

Lu Yi closed his eyes and absorbed the information. Once he had fully assimilated it, he opened his eyes, and something like sword-light flashed through them. He softly exhaled a breath of stale air, then raised a finger. Cloud Qi curled around it, looking exceptionally gentle. With a sweep of his finger, ripples like drifting clouds abruptly appeared in the air. The ripples slowly descended, silently imprinting several cloud patterns upon the ground.

Lu Yi stared at the cloud patterns on the floor, his heart surging with excitement. Lv. 6 and Lv. 7 were completely different concepts!

Though the White Cloud Swordplay was still the White Cloud Swordplay, the way Lu Yi circulated his Spiritual Qi was no longer the same as before. After altering several routes through which Spiritual Qi flowed, its efficiency had become higher, and its power had grown stronger as well!

This was an optimization! If the White Cloud Swordplay before Lv. 6 had merely been a matter of becoming increasingly proficient in the original swordplay, then upon reaching Lv. 7, it had already broken free of the original framework and sublimated the White Cloud Swordplay.

Lu Yi had a feeling that if he went all out now, its power would be nearly fifty percent greater than before. His control over it had also become far more natural and effortless. Most importantly, the Spiritual Qi consumption had not increased at all!

The Spiritual Qi consumption had not increased, yet the power had risen by fifty percent. Could you believe that?!

This kind of change was simply unimaginable.

Lu Yi was shaken. Even Lv. 7 White Cloud Swordplay was this powerful—then what about Lv. 8 and Lv. 9? If it continued to be optimized, would the White Cloud Swordplay's power keep increasing? And would its Spiritual Qi consumption remain unchanged?

...What kind of technique would that be?

Generally speaking, Qi Refining Realm cultivators could only cultivate Qi Refining Realm techniques in order to unleash their full power. Some geniuses truly could master Foundation Establishment realm techniques while still in the Qi Refining Realm, but the Spiritual Qi consumption of Foundation Establishment realm techniques was an enormous burden for Qi Refining cultivators. Even geniuses with solid foundations could not use them normally, at most treating them as trump cards.

But if Lu Yi's White Cloud Swordplay continued to level up, and its power increased while its Spiritual Qi consumption remained unchanged, would that not mean he was using a Qi Refining technique with the power of a Foundation Establishment Technique?

Lu Yi's expression turned a little strange. The techniques those geniuses used as ultimate moves would be nothing more than basic attacks to him?

...Would that not be a little unfair to everyone else?

As Lu Yi thought about it, the corners of his mouth began to rise wildly—not because he wanted to laugh, but because he truly could not hold it in.

After all, he seemed to have become a little fierce.

Lu Yi grinned for quite a while before taking a deep breath and calming his restless emotions. Calm down, calm down! Even if I can use ultimate moves as basic attacks, I am still just an ordinary little rookie at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!

I am really weak! How can I be this weak?!

Not to mention anything else, I am not even invincible in the Outer Sect!

I cannot even beat a Golden Core cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm, and I have the nerve to say I am powerful?! Shameless!

Using basic attacks as ultimate moves has its limits too. It is not like I can casually throw around forbidden spells! What am I getting carried away for?!

As long as I have not transcended the timeline, I am still a weak little mutt!

The stupid bird flies first!

Hold steady, do not throw, we can win!

Lu Yi silently drilled into himself the idea that he was still a weak little mutt, lest he become too inflated. Once a person became inflated, they easily grew arrogant; once arrogant, they lost their wits, and then, for no reason at all, began courting death.

Lu Yi felt that while he was not an exceptionally cowardly person, courting death was simply wrong!

Refuse to court death, starting with me!

After repeatedly giving himself these psychological suggestions, Lu Yi gradually came to feel that this was all perfectly normal. So what if he was a Qi Refining cultivator whose basic attacks had the power of Foundation Establishment Techniques? He was still a Qi Refining cultivator, was he not?

I, Lu, am just an ordinary little cultivator at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer! I still need to keep cultivating diligently and walk steadily down the path of immortality!

Lu Yi nodded slightly, approving of his own thoughts.

Having finished taking stock of his gains, Lu Yi looked outside. The horizon was orange, and the sun had already set. Senior Sister Liu Ningshuang had lectured for an entire day, and it had already been late when he returned. Then he had taken stock of his rewards and comprehended the Lv. 7 White Cloud Swordplay. Without realizing it, it had gotten this late.

He wondered whether Old Lu and Old Mom had gotten off work yet. Lu Yi felt a little hungry.

Meanwhile, inside the Outer Sect Affairs Hall, Lu Gaoyang and Wang Siqi were preparing to tidy up and get off work. As stewards, they had assigned duty hours, and it was now their turn to leave.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a rosy nose hurried over. The moment he saw Lu Gaoyang, he called out, "Well, well, Old Lu! I never expected that boy of yours to be so formidable! Why have I never heard you mention it before??"

Lu Gaoyang looked at the rosy-nosed man with a baffled expression. "Huh? What are you talking about?"