"A purple talent?"
Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.
Talents were divided into white, green, purple, gold, and rainbow.
After his first simulation, Zhou Qing had received the white talent "Pill Toxin Bane."
Although this talent was only white, its usefulness to Zhou Qing was far from insignificant.
With a low-grade spiritual root, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was incredibly slow. But by taking pills so frequently, Zhou Qing had brought his cultivation speed almost up to the level of someone with a mid-grade spiritual root.
No matter how many spirit stones other cultivators had, they would never dare do the same. Otherwise, pill toxins might accumulate in excessive amounts and invade their organs, leaving them wishing they were dead.
If a white talent could do so much, what about a purple talent?
Zhou Qing stared intently at the constantly shifting illusory text.
[You have awakened a purple talent: Unyielding Will]
"Unyielding Will?"
Zhou Qing paused, then kept reading.
[Unyielding Will: Your will shall be unwavering]
"That's it?"
Zhou Qing blinked.
"No, wait."
After thinking for a while, Zhou Qing realized where this talent's usefulness lay.
Willpower was something that barely came into play during the Qi Refining Stage.
Qi Refining Stage cultivators were essentially no different from mortals. Their battles relied on magical power, magical artifacts, and the like.
But at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and even more so at the Core Formation Stage, willpower became increasingly important.
The simplest example was possession.
The stronger a cultivator's own will, the harder they were to possess.
If Zhou Qing had been supported by Unyielding Will during his second simulation, he would never have needed to abandon resistance and focus on transforming his spiritual sense to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm if at all possible.
He had made that choice because he had been certain he could not resist possession by the Blood-Sea True Person. Knowing death was inevitable, he had chosen the course that would benefit him most.
Even if he had to die, he would die only after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm. That way, both in reality and in his next simulation, his starting point would be higher.
But with Unyielding Will, Zhou Qing had another option.
He could withstand the Blood-Sea True Person's attempt at possession head-on.
Although the Blood-Sea True Person was a Core Formation Stage True Person, only a wisp of his soul essence remained. He was nowhere near his peak strength.
If Zhou Qing could withstand him, there was every chance he could turn the tables, seizing the host's place for himself and refining that wisp of the Blood-Sea True Person's soul essence.
Then this Core Formation True Person, who had once swept unhindered across the world, would become his utter slave.
Withstanding possession was only one aspect of having a powerful will.
There were many other benefits as well.
For instance, resisting attacks on the soul or Divine Sense Attack?
Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators experienced a tremendous increase in spiritual sense, and their means of attack were no longer confined to the physical world.
They also began to employ intangible, elusive attacks on the soul and Divine Sense Attack.
At the Core Formation Stage, such attacks became even more common.
"This is a late-game talent."
Zhou Qing reached his conclusion.
The stronger he became and the higher his cultivation realm rose, the more this talent's usefulness would reveal itself.
They say that when Core Formation Stage True Persons attempt to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, they must undergo the legendary Heart-Demon Tribulation. I wonder whether this talent can help resist it...
Zhou Qing thought to himself.
Of course, at his level, he had only a hazy understanding of the Heart-Demon Tribulation. That was a secret truly belonging to the domain of Core Formation Stage True Persons.
"With this talent, I'll have some confidence when I deal with the Blood-Sea True Person in my next simulation."
A smile appeared on Zhou Qing's face.
He had originally still been considering how to deal with the Blood-Sea True Person in his third simulation.
After all, the man was a Core Formation True Person. Even with only a wisp of soul essence remaining, he might well have some means of dragging them both to their deaths.
Now that he had this talent, Zhou Qing felt much more confident.
After inheriting his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, Zhou Qing did not leave his cave abode.
Instead, he remained in seclusion to consolidate it.
After all, at the end of his second simulation, Zhou Qing had detonated himself almost the instant he entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, ending the simulation.
He had never consolidated that realm.
Of course, this so-called consolidation merely meant becoming more familiar with it.
Having entered the Foundation Establishment Realm through the Mountain Sea Art, Zhou Qing possessed incredibly stable magical power and spiritual sense alike.
Half a day later, Zhou Qing began trying to cultivate.
"The spiritual energy in a first-tier mid-grade cave abode still isn't enough..."
After circulating the Mountain Sea Art for less than half a day, Zhou Qing abandoned the idea of cultivating in reality.
He was not making even the slightest progress.
In reality, Zhou Qing was unwilling to take pills, lest doing so affect his later simulations.
"Second-tier pill-refining skills..."
Zhou Qing sat cross-legged, took out his pill furnace, and attempted to refine pills.
By the end of his second simulation, Zhou Qing's pill-refining skills had already reached the peak of the high grade.
Moreover, he had spent a fortune acquiring numerous pill-refining legacies. Although he had not understood them at the time, he had memorized them all.
Now that he had entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, his spiritual sense had undergone a tremendous transformation, and the essence of his soul had also risen to a higher level. Revisiting his previous understanding of pill refining gave him fresh insights.
This was the importance of one's own cultivation realm.
No matter the skill, a cultivator's realm was the foundation.
Perhaps some genius pill refiners in the cultivation world could possess second-tier pill-refining skills while still in the Qi Refining Stage.
But they were ultimately a minority.
Using Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation to bring one's pill-refining skills up to the second tier was the norm.
In fact, the higher one's cultivation realm, the easier it was to grasp things from a lofty vantage.
If a Core Formation Stage True Person was willing to spend time and effort studying a particular skill, their progress would inevitably soar by leaps and bounds, surpassing any so-called genius. They could comprehend that skill to the peak of the high grade, or even the second tier, in a short time.
"My pill-refining skills should be close to the second tier."
Zhou Qing looked thoughtful. Under the control of his Foundation Establishment Realm spiritual sense, his pill-refining skills had already risen a notch. Becoming a second-tier pill refiner was merely a matter of progressing step by step.
Gathering his thoughts, Zhou Qing looked once more at the illusory text below his line of sight.
[Name: Zhou Qing] [Race: Human] [Strength: Foundation Establishment, first level] [Skill: High-grade pill refiner] [Age: 16] [Talents: Pill Toxin Bane, Unyielding Will] [Simulations remaining: 0]
Zhou Qing's gaze moved to the [Simulations remaining] field.
An illusory countdown
appeared.
[09:28:12:14:25]
"A cooldown of nine months and twenty-eight days?"
Zhou Qing rubbed his chin.
In the spiritual energy environment of a first-tier mid-grade cave abode, the cooldown between simulations was close to ten months.
In a First-Tier Upper Grade cave abode, it would shorten to just over eight months.
He had verified this after his first simulation.
Once everything is settled, I'll go to Azure Moon Immortal City and rent a cave abode on a second-tier spirit vein as my permanent residence.
Zhou Qing silently considered his plans.
In the spiritual energy environment of a cave abode on a second-tier spirit vein, the cooldown for his simulations would shorten further.
Zhou Qing stayed in his cave abode for several days. Only after thoroughly familiarizing himself with his Foundation Establishment Realm strength did he rise and leave.
"Young master!"
Dachun hurried over and fell in behind Zhou Qing.
"Where are we going?"
Dachun asked curiously.
"Where?"
Zhou Qing stopped, glanced at Dachun, and said calmly, "Let's go home!"