When Su Li opened his eyes in the woodshed, dawn had yet to break.
The aether circulating within him was another full cycle faster than it had been last night, and he could now clearly sense the thin barrier lining the walls of his meridians.
The threshold of Tier Two.
With another three to five days of accumulation, he would be able to punch through it.
Su Li rose and loosened up his limbs.
The physical prowess of a Tier One peak was already considerable—twice the strength and speed of an ordinary person. Combined with the complete Sword Spirit Root's precise perception of aether, he could now sense the location of every ant in the courtyard even with his eyes closed.
He pushed open the woodshed door, and the morning breeze poured in, carrying the scents of earth and rust.
Saina was already busy in the kitchen. The fire in the stove blazed brightly, and steam bubbled up from the pot.
"Awake? The porridge is almost ready." Without looking back, Saina stirred the pot twice with her ladle.
Su Li went to the well to wash his face. Just as he was about to enter the kitchen, Elena turned in from the mouth of the alley.
Today, she wore that set of dark gray coarse cloth garments, her hair tied back neatly, with a cloth bundle in her hand.
"Morning." Su Li nodded at her.
Elena set the bundle on the table. Inside were two bottles of dark brown liquid, handwritten labels pasted onto their bodies.
"Low-tier potion. I brought it out from the royal capital. One bottle can speed up aether condensation and shorten the time needed for a breakthrough."
Su Li picked up one bottle for a look. The liquid inside glimmered with a dark red sheen in