Li Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly concluded his cultivation.
Outside the window, the sky was already bright. Morning light squeezed through the cracks in the window, drawing a thin line across the floor.
After stretching his limbs a couple of times, he pushed open the door and headed toward the outskirts of the market.
To the west, near the foot of the mountain, lay a stretch of Rocky Beach. It was a fine place to test his skills.
Li Yuan came to a stop, facing a boulder half the height of a man.
Spirit power gathered in his palm as the incantation for the Fireball Technique revolved through his mind.
A ball of crimson flame condensed in his palm. Compared with before, it carried an additional, barely noticeable layer of dark texture, as though the depths of the fire had gained another undertone.
Li Yuan thrust the fireball forward. It smashed into the boulder and exploded with a boom.
Stone fragments scattered everywhere. A black crater had been scorched into the rock's surface, while the stone around its edges cracked apart, the fractures extending a little farther than those he had made before.
Li Yuan walked over and crouched down to inspect the depth and spread of the crater.
It was deeper than before, but the difference was not great.
He retreated to his original position and fired three more fireballs in succession, carefully observing the scorch marks and degree of shattering at each point of impact.
The results were all about the same—the power had indeed improved by a little over ten percent. He could feel it, but it was far from a qualitative transformation.
That made sense. The panel had stated it clearly: the increase would grow with the number of fire-element spells he cultivated.