Exploring, Cultivating, Leaving the Hospital

Deep Sleep!

Chen Yuan muttered to himself, That's right. According to the original description, when Luo Feng practiced the Five Hearts Toward Heaven, besides the specific posture, the most important thing was to calm the mind, making it as still and ripple-free as a tranquil lake.

In this regard, Deep Sleep can easily achieve that state, so relying on Deep Sleep to improve the efficiency of absorbing cosmic energy makes perfect sense.

According to the instructions, the "Hibernation Method: Crystal Visualization" optimized by the system requires one to visualize a crystal filled with impurities. Then, through a breathing technique, one imagines that with every inhalation and exhalation, the impurities in the crystal gradually diminish until it becomes transparent, causing one's own inner self to become as clear as the crystal. Once the mind is calm, one naturally enters the state of "Deep Sleep."

Theoretically, if one can achieve the Deep Sleep described in the Hibernation Method, it would indeed improve cultivation efficiency.

However... Chen Yuan took a deep breath, struggling to calm the agitation in his heart.

What Hibernation Method? This is clearly the Crystal Meditation Method from Star River Emperor! Chen Yuan was still deeply shocked. If even techniques from other novels could be optimized, then the effect of this Optimization System was simply heaven-defying!

After all, if techniques that improve efficiency could be optimized, what about those that improve aptitude?

For instance, the heaven-defying Dragonless Heart Method...

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuan couldn't wait to start experimenting.

Half an hour later...

"It really doesn't work." Looking at the "Cannot be optimized" message displayed on the panel, Chen Yuan slowly exhaled, shook his head, and felt a twinge of regret.

After half an hour of testing, Chen Yuan had tried every technique he could think of that might improve aptitude, from the heaven-defying Dragonless Heart Method to various techniques from fantasy novels. Without exception, the panel displayed that they could not be optimized.

"One last try. I'll lower the standard from fantasy to wuxia novels and see..." Although he no longer held much hope, Chen Yuan prepared for one final attempt.

"System, optimize Five Hearts Toward Heaven. Optimization direction: improve aptitude, using the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic as a template."

"Optimization task created. Current optimization target: Five Hearts Toward Heaven. Optimization direction: improve aptitude using the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic as a template."

"Carrier error. Insufficient data. Optimization failed."

"Huh?" Chen Yuan sat up from the bed, his eyes fixed on the words on the panel.

"This time it wasn't 'cannot be optimized,' but 'carrier error' and 'insufficient data'?" Chen Yuan pondered. Carrier error must be because the Five Hearts Toward Heaven technique lacks the function to improve aptitude; I need to find a secret technique that has the effect of improving aptitude or changing one's marrow and bones to serve as a carrier.

And 'insufficient data' means I know too little about this? Is the foundation of this system's optimization based on my memories? Chen Yuan thought thoughtfully. In other words, as long as he solved those two points, he could optimize the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic?

First, the lack of an optimization carrier; second, the lack of relevant data in his memory.

Did such carriers exist? Chen Yuan knew from his memories that they did, and quite a few of them.

But they were mostly gimmicks, with more hype than substance.

Each one required decades of practice, and the effect on improving aptitude was negligible, making them extremely cost-ineffective.

But Chen Yuan only needed the original technique to serve as a carrier. As for the missing data...

The Muscle Tendon Changing Classic and the Marrow Cleansing Classic are techniques described by novelists based on real-world materials, so as long as I find the real-world data for these techniques, it should suffice as supplementary data for the optimization, Chen Yuan thought.

As for whether that data existed in this world, it did.

Chen Yuan had already confirmed through the memories of his predecessor that the history of Earth in this world, before the appearance of the R Virus, was basically the same as in his previous life.

As long as there was a computer, it would be easy to search for historical data from decades ago.

"Phew... no rush." Thinking of this, Chen Yuan actually stopped worrying. "Since there's a way to succeed, I can look for it after I'm discharged. Besides, I don't have any Kill Points right now anyway."

"The top priority is to practice this optimized 'Hibernation Method,' enter the Deep Sleep state as soon as possible, repair my body, and absorb cosmic energy to cultivate!"

He acted on the thought.

Chen Yuan had already claimed all the content of the Hibernation Method from the panel. If fully expanded, it would be about six or seven thousand words, teaching him step-by-step how to meditate, how to breathe, and various tips for sleeping.

This content was far more than what those few lines in a novel could express. The description in the novel was at most a summary, but after reading the full content, Chen Yuan actually felt that he could succeed in practicing it.

Facts proved that Chen Yuan's intuition was correct. Only half an hour later, he had already closed his eyes and fallen into an infant-like sleep.

A long time later.

Chen Yuan suddenly opened his eyes: "I fell asleep?"

His gaze turned to the electronic clock hanging on the wall, and he was immediately startled: "I actually slept for an hour!"

"Did I succeed, or did I just fall asleep?" Thinking this, Chen Yuan opened the panel.

In fact, he vaguely felt that he had succeeded, because he now felt full of energy, his body felt strong, and even his internal organs didn't feel as painful as before.

Sure enough, a new item had appeared under the secret techniques column on the panel.

Hibernation Method: Crystal Visualization: Cultivation-type secret technique, Grade B, current progress: Entry (1.1%)

"It really succeeded, and it's Grade B—it jumped two levels!" Chen Yuan felt a surge of spirit, then looked at his current attributes. "Strength is 2021.32 kilograms?"

"I remember my strength was 2010.72 before." Chen Yuan's eyes flashed. "Sleeping for an hour increased it by over 10 kilograms?"

"That's quite an improvement." Chen Yuan was both surprised and delighted.

Back then, after Chen Yuan had mastered the Five Hearts Toward Heaven, he had only increased his strength by six hundred kilograms after two months of practice, averaging only about ten kilograms per day!

And now, just one hour of sleep could match the effect of a whole day's practice from before?

His predecessor had only reached that efficiency after practicing the Guiding Technique!

"Right, the Guiding Technique!" Chen Yuan was jolted. "I absorbed cosmic energy for an hour while sleeping, and my body still isn't saturated?"

One had to know that when his predecessor was practicing, if he didn't use the Guiding Technique and only used the Five Hearts Toward Heaven to absorb cosmic energy, he could only absorb it for half an hour at a time. It was only after practicing the Spirit Wind Sword Art and the Guiding Technique that he could absorb it for an hour!

Yet, Chen Yuan had not even begun practicing his Guiding Technique; he had absorbed cosmic energy for a full hour simply by relying on Deep Sleep.

Furthermore, I feel that my body hasn't reached saturation yet; this actually isn't my limit. Chen Yuan thought, taking a deep breath. If I combine this with a Guiding Technique in the future, how fast will my cultivation progress?

Also, the speed at which I practiced the Hibernation Method is too fast. On my very first attempt, I naturally entered Deep Sleep in just half an hour!

Could it be that I possess the Innate Sleep Saint Body?

Or is it that the technique, having discarded universality and been optimized based on my own body, has a one-hundred-percent compatibility with me? Chen Yuan felt this was highly likely; otherwise, there was no other way to explain it.

Stop thinking about it; this is a good thing! Chen Yuan's eyes flashed. The most important thing right now is to test my daily cultivation limit.

Action followed thought; Chen Yuan quickly began meditating, and half an hour later, he entered a state of Deep Sleep.

Two hours passed, and Chen Yuan opened his eyes again: "The body is saturated; this time it took two hours!"

He glanced at the panel, and his strength had increased by another 20 kilograms.

"The rate of growth hasn't diminished."

"In other words, setting aside the time spent meditating, I can cultivate for three hours every day by relying on Deep Sleep, increasing my strength by 30 kilograms."

"Without a Guiding Technique, my cultivation speed is three times faster than before!" Thinking of this, Chen Yuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"And..." As he thought this, Chen Yuan's gaze drifted to the Hibernation Method, which showed a proficiency of Beginner (3.9%).

If the Hibernation Method breaks through to the next stage, will my Deep Sleep also break through to the second stage? Chen Yuan pondered. He currently needed half an hour of meditation to enter Deep Sleep; if he reached the second stage, he could enter Deep Sleep anytime, anywhere.

By the third stage, he could even sleep while moving—the spirit sleeps while the intent remains awake.

That would be formidable; he could practice his Guiding Technique while absorbing cosmic energy, greatly extending his cultivation time. It might even be possible to increase his strength by one hundred kilograms a day!

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan's eyes shimmered with motivation: "In that case, I'll continue meditating; I might as well grind for proficiency."

"Even if I can't absorb any more cosmic energy, it's still good for repairing my body."

Thinking this way, Chen Yuan sank back into a state of meditation.

After all, the doctor had told him to rest quietly, and since he couldn't move his body, he did nothing but eat and meditate every day.

Time passed, and a week went by in the blink of an eye.

This morning, after Chen Yuan woke up from Deep Sleep, he didn't continue meditating but instead looked at his panel first.

Name: Chen Yuan
Age: 19
Strength: 2264.58 (kg)
Realm: Intermediate Warrior
Secret Arts:
Hibernation Method: Crystal Meditation: Cultivation-type secret art, B-rank rating, current progress: Beginner (34.85%)
Spirit Wind Sword Art: Combat-type secret art, C-rank rating, current progress: Overall Beginner 35.65% (Sword Art 37.72%, Movement Technique 31.58%, Guiding Technique 37.65%)
Force Output Level: 0.97
Current Optimizable Items: Secret Arts
Kill Points: 1

Chen Yuan smiled slightly. Over this past week, besides the increase in his strength, more importantly, his injuries had completely healed thanks to the restorative effects of Deep Sleep.

Therefore, today, he was going to be discharged from the hospital!