Each Had Their Own Gains

Unlike last time, when he had faced obstacle after obstacle,

perhaps thanks to the support of Shen San Qi Fei's mental strength, or perhaps because the three of them had combined their talents,

Qi Fei entered a meditative state at once.

He was able to see the active elemental particles in the air around him.

Perhaps because he was sharing with the other Qi Feis, he could see no fewer than five kinds of elements.

The crimson Fire Element, the earthy-yellow Earth Element, the teal Wind Element, and the deep-blue Water Element.

And hidden away in the corners, the hard-to-detect Darkness Element.

"Damn, I've got even more attributes than Linley."

Qi Fei couldn't help remarking.

He already had five kinds. Once a few more Qi Feis joined in, he might end up collecting every attribute.

Of course, just thinking about that was pretty exciting.

After becoming a god in the future, he could line up his seven Divine Clones—earth, wind, water, fire, light, darkness, and thunder.

Wouldn't everyone else call that terrifying?

After indulging in his daydreams about the future, Qi Fei eagerly began refining the elements of Heaven and Earth.

Soon, a few wisps of Magic Power, faint as mist, gathered in the center of his chest.

Qi Fei stopped meditating and excitedly played with the five wisps of Magic Power, each a different color.

Although they were inferior to the Dou Qi in his body, which had already reached Level 5, in both quality and quantity,

the feeling of cultivating something from nothing with his own hands was something Dou Qi couldn't match.

Unfortunately, Qi Fei's level as a mage was still too low.

After only a moment, all five wisps of Magic Power dissipated.

Qi Fei couldn't help feeling disappointed, but it also brought him back down from his excitement.

After sitting still and adjusting his mindset, Qi Fei stood up and continued cultivating the Battle Qi Secret Manual.

When he grew tired, he used his breaks to meditate and cultivate Magic Power.

And so the cycle continued.

Mythical Three Kingdoms World.

Qi Fei opened his eyes with a smile as he rested in his room.

The smile at the corners of his mouth grew wider and wider, until at last he couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha—"

There was no other reason: his gains had been tremendous.

In this world, there were two methods of cultivation: Internal Qi and mental strength.

At present, Internal Qi cultivation had four realms in total.

First came Qi Entry, the stage at which one cultivated a stream of Internal Qi.

Most elite soldiers in this world were at this stage; the only difference was how much Internal Qi they had.

Next, Internal Qi filled the whole body and was condensed into a unified whole. This was known as Internal Qi Condensation.

At this level, one was already fit to lead troops as a junior officer.

Chen Xi, the original protagonist, had been recruited by Liu Bei as a fierce general because his original body had already possessed Internal Qi Condensation.

Later, however, Chen Xi's mental strength proved so powerful that it suppressed his Internal Qi. His fighting ability briefly became comparable to that of Guo Jia, who was sickly and addicted to wine and women.

It was truly something to marvel at.

Then, with Internal Qi as a bridge, one linked the paths of Essence and Spirit and nurtured the body at a deeper level. This was Qi Solidification.

At this stage, one could generally secure a position in any major faction.

Before Dong Zhuo and the Coalition Army went to war, Hua Xiong and Xiahou Yuan were both at this level.

The final stage was Internal Qi Separation.

Internal Qi broke free from the body's restraints, allowing one to unleash attacks from a distance. One could also refine the Heaven and Earth Essence outside the body to replenish oneself at any time.

So far, this was the pinnacle for martial generals.

Lu, Guan, Zhang, Zhao, Dian, Xu... Most of the famous generals were at this level.

The classification of mental strength, however, was far less clear-cut.

There were only two categories: famous ministers who could awaken a Mental Talent, and riffraff.

In the past, Qi Fei had belonged among the riffraff.

His mental strength could improve his thinking and let him influence the weather a little.

That was all he could do.

But now, with the talents and mental strength of all three combined, he could vaguely sense a direction.

It was still extremely faint and fragile, but there was a difference between having something and having nothing.

How could Qi Fei not be delighted?

It took a while for his laughter to subside. Then he began checking his Internal Qi cultivation.

Previously, Internal Qi had filled his whole body; the only thing standing between him and Internal Qi Condensation was condensing it into a unified whole.

But this step demanded considerable control over Internal Qi.

Qi Fei had estimated that he would need at least half a year of practice before he could break through.

Now, however, the step felt effortless.

He casually moved his body.

In the next instant, the Internal Qi throughout his body unified.

Internal Qi Condensation. Breakthrough.

"Now I can call myself both a scholar and a warrior when I go out."

Feeling the two different kinds of power in his body, Qi Fei spoke with excitement.

Heavenly Jewel Change World.

In a room at Marshal Zhou Shuiniu's Mansion.

Qi Fei slowly finished his cultivation.

"Phew. I almost broke through."

He opened his eyes, feeling relieved.

In this region, a person's cultivation level was there for all to see.

Every four levels of Heavenly Power added one Jewel, and three Jewels counted as a major realm, with nine Jewels as the limit.

Heavenly Jewel Masters possessed both a Will Jewel and a Physical Jewel, so when they broke through, one Jewel appeared on each side, making a pair.

At the same time, the limit of a Heavenly Jewel Master's cultivation rose to twelve Jewels, or twelve pairs.

The power shared by the other Qi Feis had just caused Qi Fei's Heavenly Power to surge, nearly pushing him into a breakthrough.

Fortunately, he had done everything he could to suppress it and barely managed to hold it back.

Otherwise, he would have had to figure out how to conceal his sudden emergence as a Two-Jewel cultivator.

"Never mind. I'll check my attributes first, then go straight to see Old Zhou."

Qi Fei made up his mind.

Zhou Shuiniu had saved his life and taken in the delirious Qi Fei, raising him for four years.

It was hard not to feel grateful to him.

So Qi Fei didn't want to hide this from him.

Of course, gratitude and a desire to surprise Zhou Shuiniu weren't the only reasons behind his decision.

He was also thinking about his own future.

Zhou Shuiniu was currently the only Heavenly Jewel Master in the entire Heavenly Bow Empire. The country was desperate for high-level fighters.

Qi Fei's arrival wouldn't make others wary of him. On the contrary, they would make a point of nurturing him.

This world was different from Coiling Dragon and God Three. Cultivation here cost a great deal of money.

After thinking it over, Qi Fei summoned his Life Bead.

Then he noticed that the number of Life Beads he had seemed wrong.

He should have had one Will Jewel and one Physical Jewel, but now he had two Physical Jewels on his right wrist.

One was Dragon Stone Jade, representing agility; the other was Ice Jade, representing strength.

"?"

Qi Fei clearly remembered that he should have had only one Dragon Stone Jade.

Why was there another one now?

Despite his surprise, delight spread across his face.

Although Mutated Dual Physical Beads were rare in the original story, their power had been clearly demonstrated.

Each Physical Jewel granted Heavenly Jewel Masters a 1.5-fold boost to its corresponding attribute, and Mutated Dual Physical Beads did the same.

In other words, Qi Fei's Dual Physical Jewel gave him an additional boost.

And that wasn't the only advantage of Dual Physical Jewels.

By using a Consolidation Scroll, one could transform a Physical Jewel into a weapon or piece of equipment.

But this ability had a limit on volume.

One Physical Jewel could only transform into one weapon or one piece of armor. It couldn't produce a whole suit of armor.

The volume of a Dual Physical Jewel wasn't quite twice that of an ordinary Physical Jewel, but it came close.

While others could transform theirs into a One-handed Sword, Qi Fei could make a Two-handed Greatsword.

While others had to use every one of their Physical Jewels to equip a full set of gear, Qi Fei could do it with only most of his.

The advantage this gave him was no small thing.

As his delight settled, Qi Fei gradually figured it out.

His Physical Jewel had probably mutated because of the shared power.

Although the Coiling Dragon Qi Fei was weak even among Level 2 Warriors, he could still lift two or three hundred pounds.

And Shen San Qi Fei, who diligently cultivated, routinely trained with weights starting at four hundred pounds.

That was still taking his young age into account; he couldn't train under too heavy a load.

Then there was the strength of his own One-Jewel-level body.

A thousand pounds of strength clearly exceeded the limit of an ordinary One-Jewel agility-type Heavenly Jewel Master.

The change in his body had been reflected in his Physical Jewel, and so another Jewel had naturally appeared.

Of course, that was only one possibility.

It might also have been because the three of them had combined their talents, giving him another Life Bead to awaken.

In the Heavenly Jewel Change World, each person had one Life Bead.

Now that he was here, wasn't it normal for two people from other worlds to combine and produce one?

Thinking about it that way, Qi Fei even felt that two Physical Jewels weren't enough. He should have had three.

"So, should I still go see Old Zhou?"

Qi Fei couldn't help wondering.

After thinking it over, he decided to go anyway.

Physical Jewels were bound to be exposed unless he stopped fighting people altogether.

Rather than have them come out later without warning, he might as well tell Zhou Shuiniu himself. That would show more sincerity.

Of course, more importantly, there was no mind-controlling enslavement technique in this world like there was in Swallowed Star.

Even if they had other ideas, all they could do was try to win Qi Fei over.

Otherwise, he would have to find a way to run.

After sorting out his thoughts, Qi Fei left his room and asked the servants at Marshal's Mansion to arrange an audience with the marshal.

When the servants saw that Qi Fei could speak normally, they immediately reported it to their superiors.

It wasn't long before a muscular man with a square face hurried over.

It was Zhou Shuiniu.

"Greetings, Marshal."

Qi Fei cupped his hands and bowed to Zhou Shuiniu.

"Good. Very good."

Zhou Shuiniu patted Qi Fei on the shoulder, then stood beside him and looked him up and down.

He seemed unable to believe that Qi Fei had recovered.

Zhou Shuiniu was so excited that he didn't know what to say, but Qi Fei needed to keep the conversation going.

"I asked to see you, Marshal, first to thank you for saving my life and caring for me for four years."

Qi Fei bowed deeply to Zhou Shuiniu.

"That was my fault for arriving too late. It doesn't count as a kindness."

Zhou Shuiniu hauled Qi Fei upright.

In his eyes, Qi Fei had suffered because of him.

If he had captured the Heavenly Jewel Master who had infiltrated the Heavenly Bow Empire in time, Qi Fei would never have suffered such a calamity.

That was why he didn't want to accept Qi Fei's thanks.

Zhou Shuiniu's refusal surprised Qi Fei, but it didn't matter. He could repay him gradually in the future.

There was something else important to do now.

"Marshal, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Something seems to have happened to my Life Beads."

Qi Fei held out both hands, showing his wrists.

Then three Life Beads slowly appeared, circling around his wrists.

Zhou Shuiniu grabbed Qi Fei's hands and brought them close, carefully examining the three Life Beads.

The Will Jewel's Alexandrite Cat's Eye was one thing. It was unusual, but at least it was normal. The key point was that Qi Fei actually had two Physical Jewels.

Was he seeing things, or had someone cast an illusion on him?

"What's going on?!"

Zhou Shuiniu turned to look at Qi Fei, his face full of astonishment.

"I don't know either."

Qi Fei shook his head, feigning confusion.

"Right, how could you know?"

Zhou Shuiniu let go of his hands and stepped aside, bewildered.

"Marshal, is there something wrong with my Life Beads?"

Qi Fei asked anxiously.

His words snapped Zhou Shuiniu out of it.

"No, there's nothing wrong. You're simply exceptionally gifted."

Zhou Shuiniu forced a faint smile.

"Look, Heavenly Jewel Masters have one more Life Bead than ordinary people, which makes them stronger. You have one more than even a Heavenly Jewel Master. Doesn't that prove you're stronger than they are?"

He tried, somewhat clumsily, to comfort Qi Fei.

Though what he said was more or less nonsense, his feelings were genuine.

That helped Qi Fei, who was carefully watching Zhou Shuiniu's expression, relax a little.

"Little Fei, what's your Will Jewel's attribute?... No, don't answer that. Just tell me whether your Will Jewel has the spatial attribute."

Zhou Shuiniu corrected himself.

"You've done me a great kindness, so I'm willing to tell you."

As he spoke, Qi Fei focused a sliver of his mind on his Will Jewel.

He'd forgotten to check its attributes earlier because of the mutation in his Physical Jewels.

He'd have to check them on the spot now.

"Could you come a little closer?"

Qi Fei said.

Zhou Shuiniu hesitated, then came over to Qi Fei.

He knew he shouldn't listen to this, but he simply couldn't resist.

"My attributes are time, space, spiritual, darkness, wind, fire, earth, and water. Nine in total."

Qi Fei whispered into Zhou Shuiniu's ear.

Because they were so close, Qi Fei could clearly see Zhou Shuiniu's expression change with each attribute he named.

By the time he'd named eight, Zhou Shuiniu's face was already twisted into a knot.

Joy, envy, astonishment, amazement...

So many emotions mingled and changed so quickly that Qi Fei could barely make them out.

Of course, Zhou Shuiniu was stunned, but Qi Fei himself wasn't doing much better.

When he saw the Alexandrite Cat's Eye, he'd been somewhat prepared.

In this world, the spiritual Holy Attribute only appeared in Alexandrite Cat's Eyes, and Alexandrite Cat's Eyes represented four or more attributes.

The problem was, he hadn't expected there to be so many.

Wind was probably his own; it matched perfectly with the Agility Physical Jewel. Fire and earth belonged to Coiling Dragon Qi Fei, while water most likely belonged to Shen San Qi Fei.

But where had the remaining attributes come from?

Qi Fei wanted to ask, but didn't know whom he could ask, so he could only bury the question deep inside.

Some time later.

"From now on, try not to tell anyone else your attributes. At the very least, don't tell them all of them."

Zhou Shuiniu warned him solemnly.

"I understand. I'll only tell you."

Qi Fei wore an expression that said, You're the only one I'm telling this secret to.

It stirred a faint feeling of gratitude in Zhou Shuiniu.

Then he began making arrangements for Qi Fei.

"I'll hide you away first, then go to the palace to meet His Majesty."

As he spoke, Zhou Shuiniu took out a token and poured his Heavenly Power into it.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll arrange for someone to come and help you escape. Remember, make sure he shows you this token."

Zhou Shuiniu handed the token to Qi Fei and had him memorize the power it carried.

"Yes, Marshal."

Qi Fei answered earnestly.

"Don't worry too much. It's just a precaution."

As he reassured Qi Fei, Zhou Shuiniu put the token away.

He then activated his skill, concealing both their figures.

After that, he and Qi Fei left the Marshal's Mansion together.