Projection of the Golden Core World

Yang Wenqing returned to the dormitory at three in the afternoon.

He carefully placed the badge in the wardrobe, then went to the window to steady his emotions. Dipping a finger in water, he slowly traced the hand seal from memory onto the glass.

Once, twice, three times. His emotions remained exceptionally stable as he kept practicing and growing more proficient. Before he knew it, an hour had passed, and he only stopped once he could complete the entire hand seal within ten seconds.

Afterward, he rested for fifteen minutes. After drinking a cup of water, he sank his consciousness inward, condensed a Golden Core within his mind, and smoothly entered the Golden Core World.

Simulating the inscription of hand seals in the Golden Core World meant that the energy spent on twenty attempts only equaled two attempts in reality. His Qi Sea could currently only support two real inscriptions before he needed to rest for an entire night.

Yang Wenqing entered the Golden Core World and first examined the Spirit Veins within his projection. Based on what had happened when the Security Academy and Liao Feng broke through to the Qi Refining Stage, he could confirm that advancing into the Qi Refinement Realm required an enormous amount of spiritual energy, while the Spirit Veins also had to expand to a certain extent.

Yang Wenqing could only obtain pills, not a Spirit-Gathering Formation. He had exchanged eighty merit points for a Dragon Ginseng Pill, but that was clearly not enough. He needed to draw sufficient spiritual energy into his Qi Sea for refinement, and the only way was to strengthen the spiritual sensation within his Spirit Veins.

"I'll get it done within two years!"

He softly stated a deadline. By then, he would only be twenty-one. Although he might seem somewhat inferior to geniuses who reached the Qi Refinement Realm at eighteen, compared with most people, he could absolutely still be called a genius.

Given his family circumstances in this life, achieving such a result would already be more than fortunate. He also had to thank the advanced cultivation civilization of this world. Basic cultivation methods had undergone countless evolutions and had become something even ordinary people could practice.

Yang Wenqing let out a long breath. Having lived two lives had given him ample patience. He quickly gathered his thoughts and focused entirely on inscribing the hand seal for the Golden Light Bodyguard Spell.

In the Golden Core World, his projection raised both hands. As his ten fingers moved nimbly, the hand seal from his memory rapidly took shape before him...

On his first attempt, he sought precision, so his speed was inevitably a little slow. When the rune was nearly halfway complete, a tiny turn failed to connect smoothly with the flow of spiritual energy, causing the hand seal to collapse into specks of golden light.

Yang Wenqing's expression did not change as he rapidly replayed the process in his mind.

On the second attempt, he adjusted the rhythm of his spiritual energy output. The beginning went rather smoothly, but during the final strokes near completion, he underestimated the overall energy consumption, and the seal fell apart again just before it could form.

Third attempt...

On the eighth attempt, a complete but extremely dim halo barely emerged. Yet it failed to last even a breath before shattering.

Yang Wenqing was not discouraged. He continued...

On the thirteenth attempt, he cast aside every distracting thought. With the movement of his fingertips, golden rune lines swiftly intertwined.

With the experience accumulated from the previous twelve failures, he precisely controlled the force behind every turn and deftly balanced the distribution of spiritual energy throughout the seal's overall structure. The instant the final rune line closed perfectly...

"Bzzz!"

A faint hum rang out within the Golden Core World.

A dazzling pale-golden halo abruptly formed, hovering steadily before the projection. Brilliant light flowed across its surface, radiating a stable, reassuring aura. Only after lasting a full three breaths did it slowly fade away.

He had succeeded!

An uncontrollable surge of joy had just begun to rise from the depths of his heart when Yang Wenqing forcibly suppressed it. He knew that success in the Golden Core World did not mean he could cast it successfully on his first try in reality.

What he needed most right now was calm.

He did not greedily attempt more and immediately exited the Golden Core World.

When his consciousness returned to reality, dusk was already approaching outside the window. After taking a deep breath, he checked the condition of his Qi Sea. A little more than half of his spiritual energy remained, enough to support one attempt in reality.

Without hesitation, he recalled the sensation from the moment of success, raised his right hand, circulated the spiritual energy within him, and swiftly yet steadily traced the hand seal lines of the Golden Light Bodyguard Spell.

Spiritual light bloomed from his fingertips once more, drawing complex paths through the air. His movements carried an unprecedented smoothness and confidence.

Several breaths later, as the final rune settled...

"Bzzz!"

The same faint hum sounded within the quiet dormitory.

Then a solid, stable pale-golden barrier roughly half a meter in diameter appeared before Yang Wenqing. Golden light flowed across its surface. Though it was not as dazzling as the one in the Golden Core World, it truly radiated protective power.

It worked!

The golden barrier lasted for roughly five or six seconds before dissipating as his remaining spiritual energy failed to sustain it.

Yang Wenqing let out a long breath. At last, a relieved and gratified smile appeared on his face. Feeling the spiritual energy in his body nearly exhausted, his heart was filled with accomplishment.

He sat by the bed, savoring this moment of joy alone. Then, as he watched the last streak of sunset beyond the window, he felt full of anticipation and confidence for the path of cultivation ahead.

Since he had to work a four-hour shift the next day, which was the weekend, standing guard in the rear courtyard passage from four to eight in the morning, he rested briefly before making himself something to eat. After eating, he went to the courtyard and completed three sets of punches, then returned to the dormitory early to rest.

The weekend was somewhat quiet. After finishing his shift, Yang Wenqing returned to the dormitory and hurried to meditate and cultivate. In the blink of an eye, Monday arrived again.

Early Monday morning, after roll call.

The members of the Second Patrol Squad did not immediately head out on patrol. Instead, led by their captain, Xiao Liang, they went to a training ground paved with gravel in the rear courtyard of the Public Security Office.

They needed to carry out their regular Monday exercise here: practical combat drills.

"The usual rules. Groups of three. Draw lots to determine your opponents and teammates." Xiao Liang held a bamboo tube containing several bamboo slips engraved with names.

"Take this seriously. Don't even think about slacking off!"

The drawing results were quickly announced. Yang Wenqing was grouped with Li Ming and Zhou Kun, while their opponents were Zhu Lin, Ye Yong, and Wang Yuanfeng.

"Wenqing, stay close to me and watch the flank. Zhou Kun, you'll provide support," Li Ming quickly assigned their roles. Though he was usually all smiles, he became exceptionally steady once he entered combat mode.

Zhu Lin was also quietly arranging tactics on the other side. "Ye Yong, press forward with me from the front. Wang Yuanfeng, look for a chance to disrupt them with your Binding Spell. Li Ming is the priority target!"

The two sides took their positions at opposite ends of the training ground. With Xiao Liang's command, the match began!

"Go!" Zhu Lin shouted lowly as he and Ye Yong rushed toward Li Ming's group from the left and right like tigers unleashed from their cages. Zhu Lin wielded a police baton, swinging it with fierce force and imposing pressure. Ye Yong held a short sword, moving agilely as he waited for an opening.

As the core of the group, Li Ming fearlessly stepped forward. His standard wooden sword knocked aside Zhu Lin's baton, while Yang Wenqing took on Ye Yong, driving him back in just two exchanges...

The first match ended quickly. Naturally, Li Ming's group emerged victorious.

The second match had the same result. Ye Yong was simply too useless. In the end, even Captain Xiao Liang could not stand watching any longer and changed the group battle into one-on-one matches.

Yang Wenqing kept a low profile. In the individual matches, he only defeated Ye Yong. When facing the others, he honed his combat techniques before deliberately exposing openings and losing.