Level Up

Shi Feng's performance during his punishment yesterday, so relaxed, must mean his strength is extraordinary. In the System's virtual space, Shi Lan couldn't even see his movements before being defeated.

Shi Feng's strength had clearly surpassed the Body Tempering Realm.

Shi Feng hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I do indeed only have the strength of the Foundation Realm."

"Then can you take me to the sky?" Shi Lan asked with anticipation. After seeing Lu Yueqing's graceful flight on her artifact, she too had developed the desire to soar through the heavens.

She was currently only at the first level of the Body Tempering Realm, with the Foundation Realm still a distant dream. If she wanted to reach the sky, she'd have to find another way.

"Young Master wishes to go to the sky, and of course, that can be arranged. However, you are currently confined by the family head. Once the confinement period is over, I will send you to the sky, alright?"

Shi Lan nodded with some disappointment.

After Shi Feng left, Shi Lan continued to cultivate the Jade Body Forging Technique.

As dusk gradually fell, apart from Zi Que delivering a medicinal meal once, no one else came.

Shi Lan popped the last ginseng root into her mouth and smacked her lips. A faint, almost imperceptible warmth surged within her, vanishing in an instant.

Ever since Shi Lan entered the first level of the Body Tempering Realm, the efficacy of the Blood Ginseng had become almost visibly diminished. Even half a root of Blood Ginseng only slightly increased her strength, its effect far less pronounced than before.

After finishing her evening medicinal meal, Shi Lan practiced the Vajra Divine Fist once more. After bathing and changing, she lay down on her bed and her consciousness once again entered the System's virtual space.

Nearly an hour after Shi Lan lay down.

Click. With a nearly inaudible sound, the lock on the door slowly slid open.

Shi Feng pushed the door open and walked silently to the bedside. With a gentle flick of his finger, he touched Shi Lan's right shoulder, sending a wisp of Innate Qi into her body.

He still couldn't rest easy, worried that Shi Lan might not be able to handle the supplements.

After a thorough examination, and receiving feedback from the true qi, Shi Feng's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Not only were there no hidden ailments in Shi Lan's body, but it was also incredibly strong.

The day Shi Lan fainted while practicing punches in the courtyard, when he had helped clear her meridians, she had still been an ordinary woman without the strength to even tie up a chicken.

Only a few days had passed? Shi Lan's physique had already surpassed that of a typical first-level Body Tempering Realm martial artist. This rate of growth was simply astonishing.

Shi Feng's own talent could be described as exceptional, yet when he first started practicing martial arts, it had taken him nearly a month to transform from an ordinary person into a martial artist. And at that time, he was only eight years old, at the prime age for martial arts training.

Now, Shi Lan was nearly twenty, her bones already fully formed. The difficulty of practicing martial arts was far greater than in her youth, so how could her progress be so rapid?

Shi Feng withdrew his Innate Qi and glanced at the desk. Noticing that the remaining half-piece of Blood Ginseng was also gone, he couldn't help but frown, his expression puzzled as he couldn't figure it out.

A single Hundred-Year Blood Ginseng could indeed turn an ordinary person into a martial artist, but how had Shi Lan perfectly absorbed its medicinal power and turned it into her own in just a few days?

After much thought, Shi Feng couldn't find any leads. He slowly retreated from the room. Regardless of the reason, Shi Lan's improvement in strength was ultimately a good thing.

After Shi Feng left the room, he went straight out of the courtyard and into Shi Tianlu's room. He recounted Shi Lan's changes to Shi Tianlu in detail.

Shi Tianlu remained silent for a long time before taking out the key to the mansion's storeroom and handing it to Shi Feng. "For the medicinal ingredients A Lan needs, go to the storeroom and get them yourself. Keep a close eye on her, and inform me immediately if any abnormalities appear in her body."

Shi Feng accepted the order and left.

The next morning, as Shi Lan got up and opened the door, she found Shi Feng standing outside. Shi Feng was holding a large package.

"When did you get here? Come in and talk."

"Just arrived not long ago," Shi Feng replied, entering the room and placing the package on the desk.

Shi Feng unwrapped the package, revealing layers of wooden boxes of various sizes inside.

"This is Blood Net Fruit."

"This is Golden Sun Grass."

"Red Star Vine."

Shi Feng opened the boxes one by one, briefly introducing their names. He intended to explain the specific dosage for each, but then he remembered the bite marks on the Blood Ginseng from the previous day and fell silent.

Shi Lan looked at the various spirit fruits on the table with burning eyes. Suddenly, she seemed to recall something, her expression changing slightly, and she asked with some hesitation, " Shi Feng, how much do these cost?"

Although Shi Lan's monthly allowance was far from poverty, it wasn't exactly wealth either. Judging by Shi Feng's reaction yesterday, these should not be cheap.

"Don't worry, these medicinal ingredients aren't valuable. They don't cost much silver."

"How could that be? Didn't you say yesterday..."

"Young Master misunderstood my meaning. While these medicinal ingredients aren't radishes, they're... pretty much like radishes, not valuable at all," Shi Feng lied with a straight face.

Shi Feng knew what he was doing. Based on Shi Lan's words yesterday, she had no concept of the actual value of these medicinal ingredients, so he could easily fool her.

The value of these dozen or so medicinal ingredients was such that with Shi Lan's meager savings, she probably couldn't afford even one.

"Really?" Shi Lan asked, half-believing.

"Really," Shi Feng nodded seriously.

Shi Lan couldn't detect any flaws in Shi Feng's expression. After a moment's thought, if these medicinal ingredients were truly valuable, a mere guard like Shi Feng wouldn't be able to obtain them.

Shi Feng was just a guard, so he probably didn't have much money.

"Thank you, Shi Feng."

"Young Master, there's no need for thanks."

Shi Lan shook her head, her expression earnest. "In the future, when I'm eating and drinking well, I won't forget you."

"Uh... thank you, Young Master." Shi Feng felt a bit strange. Hearing these words from Shi Lan, why did they sound so peculiar?

"You can't eat too much of these herbs at once. At most... a small mouthful." As Shi Feng was about to leave, he saw Shi Lan pick up a Blood Net Fruit, wipe it with her sleeve, and pop it into her mouth. He couldn't help but warn her.

He had figured it out. Shi Lan would probably just gnaw on it directly.

For the next few days, Shi Lan stayed indoors. During the day, she focused on practicing her cultivation, and at night, she entered the System's virtual space to hone her combat skills. She was training for all twelve hours of the day, non-stop.

Seven days passed in a blink of an eye.

Inside the virtual space...

Shi Lan stomped her foot on the ground, stretching her muscles and bones. Her strength condensed into a single point, and she punched the chest of the mirror image in front of her!

"Crack—"

A crisp bone-cracking sound echoed. A fist print nearly an inch deep appeared on the mirror image's chest. It staggered back more than ten steps before finally falling to the ground and slowly dissipating.

Shi Lan slowly retracted her stance, exhaling a long breath. From being at a disadvantage to barely holding her own, and then to defeating it, she could now defeat the mirror image within thirty moves!

This progress was undeniably significant.