[Ding] [Hidden condition successfully triggered. Congratulations, Master, on receiving the reward for your first failed Qi refinement attempt.] [Congratulations, Master, on receiving 5 trait draws.] [Would you like to draw traits?]
Chen Fan looked at the system panel. After hesitating for a moment, he decisively chose to draw.
[Automatic drawing enabled.]
As a flash of light passed, five streaks of light swept across the panel before Chen Fan's eyes. Then, a multicolored streak appeared.
Huh, what was this thing?
Chen Fan wondered. Had I pulled another gold?
He immediately opened the five traits before him and began examining them closely.
[Trait 1: Anger (White): Whenever someone enrages you, your strength increases by 10%.] [Trait 2: Tenacity (White): Possess an indomitable will, never admit defeat, and possess a certain degree of resilience.]
[Trait 5: Child of Destiny (???): Favored by destiny and blessed with fortune. No limit on equipped traits. The possibility of breaking through all limits!]
Chen Fan's eyes widened as he stared at everything before him in disbelief.
So I really was a prodigy of the immortal path!
He immediately equipped the Child of Destiny trait, then began examining the other traits closely, studying and equipping them one by one.
At this rate, wouldn't I become a monster with both mechanics and stats?
There was less than an hour left. I had to hurry and break through to the Qi Refining Realm.
As everyone knew, ever since the Immortal Palace's reform and opening up, its cultivation system had become increasingly comprehensive.
Under this cultivation system, whether Buddhist, demonic, Daoist, yao, or ghost, all had to begin cultivating from the Qi Refining Realm. Qi Refining was also known as Vein Opening, and its purpose was to use one's Spirit Root to open the meridians throughout the body.
Generally speaking, Qi Refining had no divisions of level or strength. As long as one opened a single Spirit Vein in the Qi Refining Realm, one had successfully crossed the threshold and could proceed directly to the next stage of cultivation: the Foundation Establishment Realm.
However, a cultivator's strength was intimately tied to Spiritual Qi. In the early stages, cultivators relied on Spiritual Qi to fight. Running out of Spiritual Qi was equivalent to being an AK-47 without bullets. Thus, just as a towering building rose from level ground, every additional Spirit Vein opened provided another measure of security.
Through years of continuous exploration and research, the Immortal Palace had discovered that the maximum number of Spirit Veins a person could open was tied to their physique. Some people with special physiques could even open more than twelve Spirit Veins.
That was getting off track. Back to the matter at hand.
Wasn't my Spiritual Qi affinity being too low the very reason I couldn't break through earlier? But things were different now. Where the enemy could go, so could I!
Chen Fan was going all in. Since his affinity was low, he would crank the Spiritual Qi concentration to the maximum and win through sheer quantity. He immediately shouted!
"Xiaoyi, Xiaoyi, raise the cultivation room's Spiritual Qi concentration to the highest setting!"
[Ding, acknowledged. Another reminder: today's remaining allowance can only support 5 minutes of cultivation!]
The entire cultivation room underwent another round of changes. The Spiritual Qi concentration soared, filling the whole room.
"This is so, so, so, so, so good!"
To hell with cultivation! If he could keep cultivating in an environment like this, he would even be willing to marry a mature beauty with long, straight black hair!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan immediately attempted another breakthrough!
The Spiritual Qi throughout the room began converging inside Chen Fan through his fire-attribute False Spirit Root. Although its Spiritual Qi conversion rate was not particularly high, sheer quantity made up for it, filling Chen Fan to the brim in mere moments.
"I'm so stuffed! This Spiritual Qi is going to turn me into a cream puff!"
Chen Fan felt as though his body was about to explode. Spiritual Qi surged chaotically inside him, transforming into fire-attribute spiritual power through his fire False Spirit Root.
The fire attribute was itself a thing of utmost yang between heaven and earth, incomparably scorching and violent. In mere moments, it began ravaging Chen Fan's body as though it would churn him to pieces.
Just then, the traits began flexing their power!
Perseverance, Anger, Tenacity... Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Aptitude, Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence, Child of Destiny, and a whole series of other traits began taking effect!
One effect after another began manifesting within Chen Fan's body.
Violent, blazing fire-attribute spiritual power rampaged through his meridians. The burning sensation was like being engulfed in raging flames, and every inch of his meridians throbbed with tearing agony, as though they would completely rupture in the next second!
[Tenacity trait triggered! Meridians' resilience under pressure greatly increased. The physical body's endurance limit raised, stabilizing meridian walls on the verge of rupture!] [Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Aptitude trait triggered! Deficiencies in aptitude temporarily compensated for. The fire False Spirit Root's Spiritual Qi conversion efficiency quietly increased. Chaotic spiritual power beginning to be brought into order!] [Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence trait triggered! The will to persist in arduous cultivation has received feedback from the Heavenly Dao. Breakthrough backlash weakened. Resistance to Spiritual Qi flushing continuously reduced!] [Child of Destiny trait operating silently!]
Formless destiny and fortune enveloped Chen Fan like a gentle, soothing shield. In the Unseen, every danger that should have spiraled out of control was quietly diverted by that thread of mysterious fortune.
The previously violent, uncontrollable fire spiritual power no longer merely crashed about and wreaked destruction. With multiple traits stacked together, it actually began finding its course, continuously battering the blocked Spirit Vein passage!
"Open for me!"
Chen Fan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. The high temperature steamed fine beads of sweat from his entire body, and the waves of heat had even baked his clothes slightly dry.
The Spiritual Qi concentration was filled to bursting. Forcibly piling up a vast quantity of Spiritual Qi, Chen Fan used an overwhelming torrent of it to storm the Vein Opening barrier!
Boom!
A muffled rumble came from deep within his body!
The first blocked Spirit Vein burst open!
The scorching fire-attribute spiritual power instantly completed its first full circulation through that Spirit Vein!
[Ding! Master has successfully opened his first Spirit Vein! Officially entered the Qi Refining Realm!] [Breakthrough successful!]
The instant the system notification sounded, Chen Fan's taut nerves relaxed slightly, but he did not stop!
The cultivation room's highly concentrated Spiritual Qi was still pouring madly into his body. Only a few short minutes of his allowance remained, and the opportunity would vanish in a flash!
"Not enough! Keep going!"
The Child of Destiny trait remained in effect, its blessing not stopping merely because he had successfully opened one vein. Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Aptitude and Tenacity continued exerting their power, constantly raising the limits of what his meridians could bear!
The fire spiritual power continued battering the next Spirit Vein barrier!
The second Spirit Vein opened!
The third Spirit Vein opened!
The scorching spiritual power formed a cycle within his body, and the fire-attribute spiritual power grew increasingly condensed. Under the combined boosts of highly concentrated Spiritual Qi and trait buffs, his False Spirit Root's conversion deficiency was forcibly compensated for!
[Ding! The cultivation room's Spiritual Qi allowance is nearly exhausted. Time remaining: 30 seconds!]
An alarm sounded inside the cultivation room!
Chen Fan's gaze hardened. Braving the burning pain in his meridians, he mobilized all the fire spiritual power in his body and slammed it viciously against the fourth Spirit Vein barrier!
Boom!
The fourth Spirit Vein opened!
[Allowance exhausted! Cultivation room's highly concentrated Spiritual Qi supply shut off!]
The intensely dense spiritual mist instantly dispersed. The Spiritual Qi concentration in the room fell back to normal, and the torrent of Spiritual Qi pouring violently into his body came to an abrupt halt.
Chen Fan slowly ended his cultivation, panting heavily. The waves of heat around his body gradually receded. The four fire-attribute Spirit Veins within him operated steadily, scorching fire spiritual power circulating endlessly through them. His foundation was solid and stable!
He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. Faint crimson firelight wreathed his palms.
It really worked!
[Ding! Congratulations, Master, on successfully breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm!] [Calculating rewards...] [Congratulations, Master, on receiving two draws.]
Looking at the two newly appeared draws on the panel, Chen Fan grinned, his eyes brimming with excitement.
Well, damn, breakthroughs came with extra rewards too?
He lowered his head, rubbing the fire spiritual power dancing in his palm as the thought crossed his mind.
Chen Fan stood up and stretched his still slightly burning meridians, his gaze settling on the system panel. Just as he looked at the two new trait draws, eager to give them a try-
The panel began another round of changes.
[Ding, detected that Master has broken through to the Qi Refining Realm.] [Initiating panel update and upgrade.] [Beginning to load upgrade template.] [Loading upgrade: 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%.] [Upgrade complete.] [New feature added: can identify other people's panel information.]
Chen Fan looked at the panel before him, excitement surging through his heart.
The X-ray cheat was finally here!