One Month to Second Grade

Qinghe Mine.

Blazing firelight wrapped around a crimson fist as it slammed into the uneven stone wall, leaving a fist-sized dent several inches deep.

The flying stone fragments hit the ground as sparks, burned to embers by the scorching heat.

Mu Ye spread his hand and casually dug out a Red Flame Stone with his pair of Ruthless Iron Hands.

"My Crimson Flame Fist feels different from the ones used by the senior brothers at the martial hall."

Mu Ye weighed the Red Flame Stone in his hand.

His mining efficiency was now on par with using the Golden Blade Art and a Pickaxe.

Mu Ye studied the countless fist marks scattered across the surrounding walls.

These marks were traces of his recent Crimson Flame Fist practice. Deep within them, faint red flames still flickered—the result of Punch Force leaking out, inflicting scorching heat for some time afterward.

"Palm, forearm, upper arm. After today, I should have opened fifty Divine Apertures..."

"In Sword and Blade Demon Sealing, opening fifty Divine Apertures makes you a Second Grade Martial Warrior."

Mu Ye had to admit, his Kirin Arm felt incredibly powerful now.

The fact that he could dig up Red Flame Stones with his bare hands proved it.

Although he wasn't digging any faster or more efficiently than with a Pickaxe enhanced by the Golden Blade Art, the Golden Blade Art was a spell, after all, and Mortals couldn't mine Red Flame Stones.

Being able to mine them with his bare hands meant he was already on the path of a Body Cultivator.

After stowing the Red Flame Stone in his Storage Bag, Mu Ye left the mine. He hadn't earned a single Spirit Stone this month; his only gain was the rapid improvement of his Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art.

"Could this Crimson Flame Fist actually be especially good for mining?"

"If I could secretly mine that Red Flame Crystal without taking it outside... Then, with the help of cultivation, maybe after another month or two, my Crimson Flame Fist could reach its peak and open a hundred apertures. Then I'd be a bona fide Third Grade Martial Warrior. Even Master Yan only has eighty Divine Apertures, putting him at Second Grade..."

Mu Ye pondered. This was the result of more than a month of experimenting.

Once his Crimson Flame Fist reached the second layer, Mu Ye had started trying to mine with it. At first, it hadn't been very effective, but after it advanced to the third layer, he began to see results.

The stone wall surrounding the Red Flame Stones was exceptionally hard and hot. Pickaxes were easily damaged, while his fists suffered little harm.

And he could cultivate as he mined...

"Even if I measure it by the Seventh Grade, as long as I have an even more powerful Divine Aperture True Martial Art, I can use the resources of the Cultivation World to cultivate while grinding away in the game, constantly opening Divine Apertures in my body. Maybe I could reach the Seventh Grade in a year or two..."

Mu Ye thought about it with a grin.

Reaching the highest level of strength in a game world had to be useful somehow, right?

For one thing, with the current might of Crimson Flame Fist, he could probably take out cultivators at the first or second Qi Condensation layer in one move—if they let him get close.

Of course, that was a big if.

The awkward thing about Body Cultivators was that they were often killed by a single spell before they could close the distance.

After leaving the mine, Mu Ye went to the marketplace as usual to see if any errand disciples were renting out Spirit Fields.

He'd been looking for a month, and perhaps luck had finally come his way: he found a Spirit Field that he could afford.

"This one-acre Spirit Field of mine is at the foot of Qinghe Mountain Ridge. It's been deserted for months and is overgrown with weeds. Since it hasn't been tended in ages, I'm renting it out cheap. Thirty Spirit Stones, and the remaining month on the lease is yours for free. Give me the deposit, and I'll hand over the land deed."

Transactions in the marketplace were crude and simple.

The man renting out the Spirit Field was an errand disciple, too, but he was at the third Qi Condensation layer. He looked upright and honest, with a tall build, and laid out all the field's pros and cons.

Mu Ye was interested because the field was close to the mine. It would take a month or two to clear it before he could start planting, but getting a free month on the lease was a nice bonus.

After carefully inspecting the land deed, Mu Ye paid the Spirit Stones and left the marketplace, returning to the Stone House.

Still, he had a feeling there was something wrong with the Spirit Field. Otherwise, the man wouldn't have rented it out so cheaply. There could be a catch.

But the price was acceptable. Even if there was a catch, it wasn't necessarily a dealbreaker.

At worst, he'd have to spend extra time tending it.

The errand disciple watched Mu Ye walk away, smiling without a word.

Back at the Stone House, Mu Ye didn't enter the game right away. Instead, he practiced the Peiyuan Manual for several cycles.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination..."

"It feels like I'm absorbing Spiritual Energy a little more efficiently... and my bottleneck has loosened a little..."

The change was subtle. It had taken Mu Ye a month to notice it.

Normally, a change like this meant the Spiritual Energy in the world as a whole had grown richer, with nothing to do with the individual.

But the Spiritual Energy around Qinghe Mine hadn't changed at all.

As for Spiritual Root Aptitude, that was even harder to improve.

"Could opening Divine Apertures also help with cultivation?"

Mu Ye wasn't sure. At this rate, even opening a thousand apertures might not lead to much improvement.

After entering the game again, Mu Ye guided his character to the Divine Fist Martial Hall.

When the Martial Hall Disciples saw Mu Ye arrive, they all looked impressed.

"Junior Brother Mu is the most disciplined disciple I've ever met. He comes to the martial hall every day and never takes a break while practicing his fists. He only leaves at sunset. Wind or rain, it doesn't matter—even during the downpour a few days ago, he never slacked off or backed down. He puts us all to shame..."

"..." Mu Ye.

If this were real life, he definitely wouldn't be able to keep it up.

Even when mining, he took a few days off every month. When he got tired of practicing his fists, he'd chat with the other errand disciples about the latest gossip.

A person's willpower was different from that of a game character.

Making his character practice was easy—he only had to think about it, and he could clearly see the proficiency go up.

Damn, practicing in real life was exhausting and miserable. The improvement was greater than in the game, sure, but it was no easy thing to endure.

At the Martial Arts Arena, Mu Ye was about to spar with Senior Brother Qin.

Sparring increased proficiency far more than practicing directly.

Senior Brother Qin was an excellent sparring partner. Training with him made Mu Ye's Crimson Flame Fist proficiency rise at a fantastic rate.

Especially at first, the gains had been greater than when he practiced in the mine. It was only gradually that they began to slow.

But this time...

"Junior Brother, your Crimson Flame Fist may already be at the fourth layer... I'm afraid I can't spar with you anymore."

Senior Brother Qin sighed. "To train your Crimson Flame Fist to this level in a month... Perhaps only the Divine Fist Master who founded our martial hall could do that. By the way, Master is in the inner hall. He seems to be looking for you. Go see him first."

Mu Ye thought, Damn, there goes my sparring partner.

The other two senior brothers at the Divine Fist Martial Hall were still recovering from their injuries after their earlier clash with the Iron Leg Sect.

That left only his master to spar with.

Master Yan had been away and had only returned today. Mu Ye had no idea what he wanted.

Entering the inner hall, he saw Yan Zhennan practicing the Crimson Flame Fist.

"Huh..."

"Why is Master's Aura so much weaker than when I first met him?"

He had no idea what the old man had been up to this past month.

"Little Mu, you're here?"

Yan Zhennan drew his fists back and stood straight. His face was a little pale, but his smile was as warm as ever. "I've heard all about you from the disciples this past month. With talent like yours and such diligence... I feel the Divine Fist Martial Hall might not be worthy of you."

"..." Mu Ye.

"Senior Brother Qin told me your Crimson Flame Fist is nearly at the fourth layer... I've decided to reward you."

Yan Zhennan rummaged through his robes and took out a pair of gauntlets. "I had these Special Gauntlets made. They're called the Flowing Flame Gauntlets, and they work in harmony with the Crimson Flame Fist."