Tier 3

[Wu Tao the Cultivator's Daily Schedule]

[Chou Hour--Yin Hour]: Sleep.

[mao hour]: Get up at the start of mao hour, wash up, empty the chamber pot, eat breakfast. Begin cultivating the Sanyang Technique at mao hour.

[chen hour--si hour]: Cultivate the Sanyang Technique.

[wu hour]: Make lunch at the start of wu hour. Rest for half an hour after eating (the rest time was actually spent doing problems from One Thousand Basic Knowledge of Artifact Refining). Begin cultivating the Dragon Spear Technique at wu hour.

[wei hour--Shen Shi]: Cultivate the Dragon Spear Technique.

[you hour]: Make dinner at the start of you hour. Rest for half an hour after eating (the rest time was actually spent doing problems from One Thousand Basic Knowledge of Artifact Refining), then spend half a shichen at you hour recovering his condition.

[xu hour--hai hour]: Practice restrictions.

[Note: This was the schedule for the first, fifth, sixth, and seventh days. The time allocation on the second, third, and fourth days was slightly altered. For instance, on the second and third days, Dragon Spear Technique practice was moved to Xu Shi and Hai Shi, while Wei Shi and Shen Shi were used to refine magic robes. On the fourth day, he would go to the marketplace to set up a stall and return at You Zheng, then continue practicing restrictions during Xu Shi and Hai Shi. If there were no restrictions to practice, he would practice the Dragon Spear Technique.]

[Only through perseverance and unrelenting persistence could one achieve success!]

This world's Immortal Calendar recorded only years, months, and days; there was no concept of weeks. Wu Tao made slight adjustments and formed his own Weekly Method, making it easier to plan his daily routine.

Setting down his brush, Wu Tao carefully blew dry the schedule in his hand. Then he brought over some rice paste—naturally made by boiling common rice, since he was not yet wealthy enough to use spirit rice—and solemnly pasted it onto the wall as a daily reminder.

Of course, this was only a short-term schedule. If there were other changes in the future, it could be revised.

"By cutting my sleep down to two shichen, four hours, and greatly increasing my cultivation time, I can improve faster. They used to talk about staying up late to cultivate immortality in my previous life. Who would have thought it would actually come true?"

For his current cultivation, two shichen was neither too much nor too little—enough to properly restore his spirit.

If he did not push himself, then with talent and background like his, how could he compete with the second-generation immortals from those Major Cultivation Sects on the road to longevity?

It was now just after the start of wu hour. Wu Tao had finished lunch and used his break to make this schedule. Turning to glance at the water clock, he saw that it was already wu hour.

"Time to cultivate the Dragon Spear Technique!"

He took out the Dragon Spear Technique manual and began reading. What he needed to cultivate now was its first movement, Fire Sweep. It did not contain many variations; the truly complex parts were its method of circulating qi and its method of exerting force.

With Wu Tao's current understanding, he could distinguish between body techniques and non-body techniques. Take the Fireball Technique, for instance—it was a non-body technique. It only had a method of circulating qi, contained within the incantation. As long as one circulated qi correctly, one could rub a fireball into existence.

But a Melee Spell like the Dragon Spear Technique had an additional method of exerting force.

How could one put one's strength to use, exert force with precision, and waste not a single shred of power? The posture of the body, even the force exerted by one's muscles, tendons, and bones—every aspect was extraordinarily intricate.

And amid such complicated techniques of exerting force, how was one to combine them with qi circulation?

It emphasized the union of qi and strength. Move a single hair and the whole body followed; it was a momentum that pressed onward without retreat, the momentum of swearing never to return without slaying the enemy.

Moreover, that was only the first difficulty. The second was that the words used to record spells in this cultivation world were exceedingly obscure and difficult to understand, no less challenging than having an elementary school student solve advanced mathematics problems from his previous life.

Had it been the original owner, before the Game Panel awakened and generated professions, he would surely have been lost in clouds and mist before this Dragon Spear Technique, utterly unable to make heads or tails of it.

Wu Tao read every word and every sentence carefully. The talent of his Secondary Profession, Body Cultivator, quietly activated, and the previous feeling of obscurity vanished. He only felt that the Dragon Spear Technique was profound and unfathomable, requiring careful study before it could be fully understood.

Wu Tao repeatedly studied the Fire Sweep movement. Only after a full shichen did he finally glimpse the doorway, feeling that he could try practicing it. Any shortcomings could then be discovered and corrected one by one.

Putting down the manual, Wu Tao rested his mind for a moment before rising and walking to the corner. He gripped the Three-Pointed Great Spear leaning against the wall, lightly hooked it with his right foot, and the spear began to whistle through the air.

Wu Tao stood silently as the qi circulation method and force-exertion method of Fire Sweep flashed through his sea of consciousness. Seemingly confident, he finally gave a low shout. "Fire Sweep!"

The spear shot forth!

It had no form to speak of!

His method of exerting force had failed to keep up with his method of circulating qi. The two were out of sync, causing the movement to lag and robbing it of all continuity.

Again.

Over and over.

Untiring.

One shichen later.

"Fire Sweep!"

The spear shot out, and the red tassel abruptly appeared. Though it was not fast, it had begun to take shape. The qi circulation method and force-exertion method could now synchronize, though it looked as if it were being played in slow motion.

He withdrew the spear.

"Huff, huff!"

Wu Tao panted heavily. He felt that the Spiritual Power in his dantian was nearly exhausted, while all the strength in his body had been drained away. Sweat poured down like rain. This Body Cultivation Technique truly was bitter beyond measure to cultivate.

Yet joy appeared on his face, because his Personal Status had already recorded the Fire Sweep movement of the Dragon Spear Technique.

[Secondary Profession Cultivator]: Dragon Spear Sweep Beginner (1%)

"I've entered the beginner stage. Next comes the grind of water wearing through stone, slowly raising this movement."

Wu Tao closed his Personal Status and set down the Three-Pointed Great Spear. It was now you hour, and hunger gnawed at his insides. He hurriedly measured out two jin of spirit rice and one jin of ordinary dried meat, then quickly cooked a meal.

Half an hour later, he had finished two jin of spirit rice and one jin of meat. Only then did his hunger subside.

"Cultivating body techniques greatly increases one's appetite. In the future, my spending on food and meat will increase greatly too. This is why body cultivators stay poor their whole lives." Wu Tao sighed in his heart, took out a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, and began restoring his condition.

By xu hour, Wu Tao had restored his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their peak state. He then took out the Formation Practice Board and practiced the Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction.

Tier 1 Level 3 Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction (90%)

"At most, within the next few days, I'll completely master the Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction." Wu Tao's heart surged with excitement as he began practicing on the Spirit Board.

He practiced for two shichen. When chou hour arrived, he went to sleep on time.

Two days passed like this, and in the blink of an eye, the third day arrived.

[Secondary Profession Cultivator]: Dragon Spear Sweep Beginner (16%)

Tier 1 Level 3 Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction (98%)

Over these two days, Wu Tao had been lucky. Both his Primary Profession and Secondary Profession triggered a Lucky Bonus once, greatly increasing his progress.

"Today, I will master the Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction."

The lamplight was like a bean. Wu Tao took out the Formation Practice Board and sat cross-legged on the bed, clearing his mind and confirming that he was at his peak. Only then did he circulate the Sanyang Technique. Spiritual Power became like a blade as it descended onto the Spirit Board.

The lines were graceful, and his Spiritual Power flowed without interruption, like a dancing girl moving across the Spirit Board and leaving beautiful footprints behind.

The lines intertwined and overlapped. A Restriction Rune slowly took shape, its Spiritual Charm becoming more and more pronounced. It was not far from a complete Restriction Rune, but Wu Tao did not dare relax. A Tier 1 Level 3 restriction was far more complicated than a First-Rank Level 2 one, so even with only one step remaining, he had to treat it seriously.

"Complete!"

As the final stroke fell, a complete Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction Rune appeared on the Spirit Board. The instant it was inscribed, a dazzling flash of light flickered and vanished, followed by faint Spiritual Charm lingering around it.

"Whew!"

Wu Tao completely relaxed, saying happily, "The Small Spirit Light Shield Restriction has finally been fully inscribed. A Tier 1 Level 3 Defense Restriction can withstand spell damage and physical damage. Theoretically, that depends on the wearer's strength—the stronger the wearer, the stronger the defense.

But it is only a Tier 1 Level 3 restriction, after all, and it has its limits. Attacks from Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators would be difficult for it to withstand."

"Tomorrow is the second day. I'll begin refining the Small Spirit Shield Robe. Refining a Tier 1 Level 3 magic robe is more difficult than a First-Rank Level 2 one, and the required materials have increased greatly as well. The Starfire Stones have increased to five, while the Demon Silkworm Silk has increased to one and a half jin."