Cheng Buzheng stealthily followed the cultivator surnamed Li underground. Along the way, the man collected several more batches of Spirit Stone Raw Ore.
At last, he reached a Stone Cave. He handed his basket to a guard for inspection and discussed the entry fee with another cultivator.
Then he took the basket back and entered the cave.
Before long, he came back out, greeted the two cultivators standing guard outside the cave, and turned to leave.
Cheng Buzheng didn't follow the guide any farther. He knew this must be where the Spirit Stone Raw Ore was stored.
Without hesitation, he headed straight for the cave, burrowing underground.
Three zhang beneath the earth, a streak of Yellow Spirit Light flashed into the ground beneath the Stone Cave.
When he reached the earth beneath a corner of the cave, Cheng Buzheng sent out a thread of Divine Sense. No one was inside, but he didn't appear in the cave directly. There were still two cultivators guarding the entrance.
He burrowed beneath the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore. Suddenly, a hand emerged from the rocky floor, grabbed a piece of ore, and stuffed it into his basket.
This miraculous scene played out again and again inside the cave, while the two cultivators standing outside remained completely unaware.
Only after Cheng Buzheng had filled nearly half his basket did he stop.
Then he sank until he was three zhang beneath the rock layer. He didn't go any farther; the deeper he burrowed, the more magical power it consumed. This depth was safe enough.
After that, he went straight to the junction of the Fourth Branch Path and the Fifth Branch Path and stopped.
Cheng Buzheng didn't stay there. He burrowed a full ten zhang underground and checked that there were no small side tunnels nearby.
He flipped his right hand, and the Purple Crystal Bracelet appeared in his palm. With a casual wave, it expanded to the size of a millstone.
Before long,
a Secret Chamber two zhang across appeared before him. The surrounding rocks had been packed tightly by the Purple Crystal Bracelet, leaving no danger of a sudden collapse.
Cheng Buzheng tossed the basket of Spirit Stone Raw Ore into a corner, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes, silently recovering his magical power.
Spirit energy quickly gathered around him, forming a thin Spirit Energy Layer.
Half an hour later,
he opened his eyes, sensing that his magical power had fully recovered.
Cheng Buzheng stretched out his right hand. One irregular piece of Spirit Stone Raw Ore flew from the pile in the corner into his palm.
"I never thought I'd become so extravagant that I'd use Spirit Stones to cultivate.
"Still... I'm not short those few Spiritual Power Value points. I'll upgrade the Crimson Fire Technique first. It'll greatly improve my cultivation efficiency from now on."
Cheng Buzheng didn't delay. Memories of the Crimson Fire Technique surged through his mind. He immediately drew out the complete set of memories and condensed them into a seed.
Then he placed it in the recessed nest at the center of the Small Plate. The Tricolor Soul Figure, formed from his soul, floated above the plate and extended an index finger, lightly pressing it against the Crimson Fire Technique on the panel.
At once,
the Spiritual Power Value on the panel dropped by two. Below it, the patterns on the Small Plate glimmered faintly, and strands of white light wound around the seed in the recessed nest.
The seed was enveloped in white light. As the Small Plate deduced the technique, the light slowly faded, finally forming a Crimson Bead.
This Crimson Bead was no different from the one before. It glowed a fiery red, and countless crimson characters could just barely be seen swimming inside it.
Cheng Buzheng glanced at it, then swallowed it without hesitation.
At once,
fiery red light shone from his soul, as if the God of Fire had descended to scorch the world.
His consciousness entered a boundless white world. There, he practiced the Crimson Fire Technique day and night, advancing from the initial stage of mastery to familiarity.
Who knew how much time passed? Time lost all meaning. Day after day, he circulated the Crimson Fire Technique until his grasp of it rivaled its creator's.
In the outside world, Cheng Buzheng's body followed his mind, continuously circulating the Crimson Fire Technique as he comprehended it. What began as ordinary cultivation ended with the Spell Technique operating twice as fast as before.
He opened his eyes. After the Crimson Fire Technique had been refined, much of its content had been cut away, though some had also been added. Overall, it had become more concise.
But its effects truly surprised him. The upgraded Crimson Fire Technique absorbed Spirit Energy three times as efficiently, and its circulation speed was twice what it had been before.
Now he understood why cultivators with good aptitude, good techniques, and ample pills advanced so quickly. With every advantage stacked in their favor, it would be hard not to progress fast. In the end, cultivation still came down to resources.
Cheng Buzheng didn't upgrade the Crimson Fire Technique further. It was good enough for now. Besides, he had a wild idea, but the time wasn't right yet; he was missing the necessary conditions.
Next, he decided to upgrade both Spell Techniques to the peak of the First-order Low-grade.
He didn't consider a First-order Mid-grade Spell. It wasn't that he lacked Spiritual Power Value; he simply didn't have enough magical power to support its use in a fight.
A Mid-grade Spell would exhaust his magical power after only one or two uses, leaving him at the mercy of others. Upgrading his Spell Techniques to First-order Mid-grade would only become a burden.
Besides, a Low-grade Spell upgraded to its limit could rival a Mid-grade Spell in power. He just wasn't sure exactly how powerful it could become.
With that in mind, Cheng Buzheng didn't hesitate.
Memories of the Earth Escape Technique surged through his mind. He immediately drew out all its memories, condensed them into a seed, and placed it in the recessed nest at the center of the Small Plate.
His Tricolor Soul Figure extended a finger and lightly tapped it.
At once, his Spiritual Power Value dropped by four.
At the same time, the patterns on the Small Plate glimmered, and countless rays of white light enveloped the seed. As the plate deduced the technique, the patterns on its surface flashed continuously.
Before long,
the white light slowly dimmed, finally forming a Yellow Bead.
Cheng Buzheng didn't take it out to swallow. Instead, he glanced at the panel floating above the Small Plate.
Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng Realm: Qi Refining Level 2 Cultivation Method: First-order Mid-grade (Peerless Version) Crimson Fire Technique (Perfection) Spell: First-order Low-grade (Peerless Version) Purple Crystal Bracelet (Perfection), First-order Low-grade (Peerless Version) Earth Escape Technique (Perfection) Spiritual Power Value: 30
He saw that after the Earth Escape Technique had been refined, its quality had improved once again. He wasn't sure what effect it would have, but the refined version was certain to be better.
The Tricolor Soul Figure, formed from his soul, lightly tapped the Earth Escape Technique again.
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