Genius?

Back in the Third Squad office, Yang Wenqing sat before his desk, his gaze returning to the case file as he prepared to complete the closing report.

When he closed the report and handed it to Liu Qin to enter into the City Defense System, the sky outside suddenly darkened. It was the prelude to a storm. He unconsciously rose and stood by the window, watching the sky outside and waiting for the downpour to fall.

Who knew how long passed before the office door was gently pushed open and Wu Yan walked in. When Yang Wenqing looked at him, he made a gesture indicating that everything had been taken care of.

Half an hour later, a major public security conflict case in the North City District was sent to the Major Crimes Unit, requiring someone from the unit to follow up on it. Wu Yan volunteered, and Yang Wenqing let him have his way.

Near the end of the workday, Liu Qin said softly, "Captain, the case file has been entered."

Yang Wenqing checked the time and instructed, "Archive the file, then you can leave work early."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qin immediately tidied up, took the case file, and happily left the office.

At that moment, the rainstorm that had brewed outside for so long finally came pouring down. Raindrops as large as beans pounded densely against the windows, producing a dull, unceasing sound.

Yang Wenqing listened to the rain until the hands of the wall clock pointed to the end of the workday. Only then did he rise, turn off the lights, lock the door, and head downstairs, walking without hesitation into the curtain of rain.

When he returned to Room 305 of Building Three in Dongning Community, the room was silent. Only the endless patter of rain outside reached his ears. He did not turn on the lights, instead walking straight to the center of the living room. The "Foundation-Stabilizing Formation" here could still be used for some time.

He removed his coat, leaving only a simple training outfit, then sat cross-legged at the formation's core. Taking a deep breath, he calmed the somewhat tangled emotions brought on by the case and the storm, focusing his attention on the Spirit-Gathering Bracelet around his left wrist.

All dissatisfaction stemmed from one's own weakness. Weakness was the root of it all.

Yang Wenqing formed a hand seal, sending an almost imperceptible glimmer of spiritual light into the bracelet. The Spirit-Gathering Bracelet on his wrist gave a faint tremble. The tiny, intricate runes along its inner ring lit up one by one, while the piece of Radiant Jade set within its groove became crystal-clear at a visible rate.

The next moment—

Buzzz!

A torrent of spiritual energy was forcibly drawn in from the surrounding space, converging around Yang Wenqing. Its efficiency was more than ten times faster than when he had previously relied on the community's environment and his own breathing exercises!

Yang Wenqing did not dare slack off. He immediately circulated the method of the First Refinement, Bones and Muscles Resonance, from the Ninefold Refinement Method. The spiritual energy that had originally lain tranquil within his Qi Sea was stirred, surging along that complex route and once more being endowed with that unique vibrational frequency.

Yet this time, the sensation was utterly different from before!

Supported by such vast and pure spiritual energy, the unbearable numb soreness, stabbing pain, itching, and swelling became even more intense, causing the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation to be depleted more quickly as well.

"Buzzz, buzzz..."

It sounded as if countless tiny bolts of lightning were rolling between his bones and muscles.

Yang Wenqing could clearly see that, within the Golden Core World, the fine cracks on the surface of his projection's bones were being repaired at an even faster rate amid the vibrations and nourishment of spiritual energy, becoming sturdier than before. His muscle fibers seemed to be torn apart and reassembled time and again, growing tougher and brimming with vitality.

The Spirit-Gathering Formation's effect was actually this remarkable!

Yang Wenqing was exhilarated. He fully settled his mind and guided the surging spiritual energy with all his strength, tempering his bones, muscles, and flesh over and over again. The torrential rain outside became distant background noise. His entire world contained only the thunderous roar of countless temperings within his body and the sense of fulfillment brought by his steadily rising strength.

He felt that at this rate, the First Refinement, Bones and Muscles Resonance, might require only a year. And that was without even using the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Grass.

Suddenly, Yang Wenqing noticed that a considerable portion of the overflowing spiritual energy was being absorbed by the Golden Core. He immediately sank part of his consciousness into the Golden Core World and carefully observed the specific condition of his physical projection.

At this moment, the Golden Core was like an efficient energy transfer station, transforming the surplus spiritual energy it absorbed into a gentle, peaceful force and feeding it back into his body.

Moreover, that energy was not limited to the bones and muscles currently being tempered. Nourished by it, his skin membranes were becoming tougher. This was precisely the preliminary effect that the Second Refinement, Skin Membranes Like Drums, sought to achieve.

Furthermore, it was as if spiritual energy had merged into his blood. When it surged through him, it carried a faint warmth. This was the cultivation effect of the Third Refinement, Blood and Qi Like Quicksilver.

Even his five viscera and six bowels felt clearer and more comfortable under the caress of that gentle energy. Some subtle chronic ailments that were usually difficult to notice quietly dissolved away. This was the response of cultivating the Fourth Refinement, Viscera Containing Essence.

After observing these changes, Yang Wenqing could no longer suppress the joy in his heart. He awoke from his meditative cultivation state, then immediately rose and went to his desk, pulling out some notes he had recorded at the Security Academy.

Very quickly, the joy on his face deepened. Just as he remembered, his current condition was precisely the state possessed by those geniuses born with cultivation aptitude. As long as such geniuses sat in meditation and refined Qi, they could cultivate the first four refinements simultaneously. Furthermore, their meditation and Qi refinement itself constituted "Meridian Opening and Channel Expansion," widening the twelve primary meridians. This was the Fifth Refinement.

In addition, outside of cultivation, they would gradually expand their Divine Sense. This was precisely the Sixth Refinement. Thus, these geniuses needed only cultivate normally in meditation, and within five or six years, they could reach the Sixth Refinement. An ordinary cultivator, however, might already be past fifty by the time they reached this stage.

After that came continuing to expand the eight extraordinary meridians, opening the qi apertures, and merging the spiritual energy within the body to enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm. Since those with excellent cultivation aptitude naturally possessed broad meridians and qi apertures through which spiritual energy already flowed, their cultivation would proceed as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

But such people were nearly one in ten thousand. Whenever one was discovered, they would be sent directly to the General Bureau for training. Ordinary places simply never saw them.

And now, Yang Wenqing had discovered that he himself was one of the geniuses described in the records. How could he not be overjoyed? Before he had even reached the middle of the notes, he could no longer restrain himself and rose to pace back and forth through the living room.

After finishing the notes, he let out a long breath. With the immense willpower of someone who had lived two lives, he finally managed to suppress the joy in his heart. Only then did he realize that the Spirit-Gathering Formation on his wrist was still active, while the Golden Core in his mind had been continuously absorbing spiritual energy to nourish his body throughout the entire process. Without his guidance, however, the process was simply very slow.

This caused the joy he had suppressed to rise again. Yet immediately afterward, he reined in his delight. Not to mention that doing so could easily draw the attention of others, he could not afford the consumption of Radiant Jade either.

After all, this was a world of cultivation. The General Bureau had quite a few old monsters who had lived for more than a thousand years!

After quite some time, Yang Wenqing suppressed his wild elation and all his concerns, then once again sat cross-legged in the center of the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation. He decided to personally test it and see whether he truly could cultivate like the geniuses recorded in those notes.

He activated the Spirit-Gathering Bracelet again, but did not immediately circulate the specific route of the First Refinement of the Ninefold Refinement Method. Instead, he tried to guide the pure spiritual energy within his Qi Sea to slowly circulate through his body in a grander cycle, attempting to widen the twelve primary meridians.