"I never expected the Azure Pool Sect's laborer mine to have someone like this."
"Elder Jian, do you think this person might have a 'special' presence within him, just like me?"
Watching Lu Li cultivate amid a steady spiritual glow,
Ye Chenfeng's gaze filled with astonishment.
The thought had barely formed when an aged voice abruptly rang out in his mind.
"No. I haven't sensed anything unusual about him."
"Perhaps this lad simply happens to have some talent for cultivation methods."
"Really...?"
Still somewhat unconvinced, Ye Chenfeng studied Lu Li curiously.
He wanted to discern something from Lu Li's rather delicate features.
"Enough. Stop letting your thoughts run wild."
"If you have time for that, you'd be better off cultivating. Time is short."
"Once you refine this strand of sword essence, hurry and enter the outer sect."
"After that, you'll still need to reach Foundation Establishment before you can retrieve the broken sword I left here."
Elder Jian's voice carried a trace of helplessness.
Mixed with a little hope.
Hearing this, Ye Chenfeng withdrew his gaze.
He stopped looking at Lu Li.
Quietly mobilizing his Spiritual Power, he carefully refined an ancient-looking sword pellet the size of a thumb inside his Dantian.
That aged voice just now had come from this sword pellet.
There was a seven-day interval between each trip down the mine.
With seven days of free time, Lu Li finally experienced the rare feeling of his cultivation advancing faster.
For seven days, he circulated his cultivation method day and night to increase his cultivation.
His Intermediate Five Elements Instruction left all the laborers green with envy.
They could clearly sense his presence growing more profound and substantial with each passing day.
He seemed only a step away from the Qi Refining Second Layer.
This made Ye Chenfeng's gaze grow increasingly astonished as he looked at Lu Li.
Does comprehending a first-tier cultivation method to the intermediate level really have such a great effect?
Is this really someone with five spirit roots?
As Ye Chenfeng refined the sword pellet in his Dantian, he pondered to himself.
The mysterious presence within the sword pellet seemed to know what he was thinking.
The aged voice sounded in his mind just then.
"Boy, stop letting your thoughts run wild."
"Sudden enlightenment in a cultivation method does help cultivation, but ultimately, it can hardly lead to the Great Dao."
"You were born with a mutated sword spirit root, and you were fortunate enough to receive my supreme Sword Dao cultivation method."
"Becoming a venerable master and patriarch is assured in your future. You're only lying low in this mine for now to avoid drawing attention."
"Of all the myriad Daos beneath heaven, the Sword Dao reigns supreme. Just cultivate properly as I tell you, and this lad won't even be able to catch your shadow!"
Elder Jian's voice brimmed with pride and confidence.
This was merely the road he himself had traveled.
As a great sword cultivator renowned for hundreds upon thousands of years, he had seen far too many heavenly prodigies.
He had also seen far too many heavenly prodigies fall. In his eyes, Lu Li's little bit of talent truly amounted to nothing.
Ye Chenfeng, however, did not share those feelings.
He had originally been nothing more than a farmer's son and knew little about aptitude, talent, or the Great Dao.
Had he not picked up an ancient-looking sword pellet in his family's fields one day,
he probably would never have had a chance to embark on cultivation in his lifetime.
He nodded at once.
"I understand, Elder Jian. I expect I'll need another ten days or so to completely refine the sword essence within this sword pellet."
"Then I'll be able to enter the outer sect."
"Mm, good, good. A teachable young man."
After offering this praise, Elder Jian paid it no further mind and fell silent within the sword pellet again.
Lu Li, naturally, had no idea that there was actually an expert in this tiny wooden hut.
Cultivating day and night for seven days
had brought his presence to a peak.
The Five Elements Instruction improved by the nation had not only increased his cultivation speed.
It had also greatly strengthened his reserves of Spiritual Power.
In just seven days, the Spiritual Power inside his Dantian had grown several times denser than at the start.
Hum~!
Hum~! Hum~!
As his Spiritual Power circulated,
Lu Li seemed to touch a transparent barrier.
Then, he exerted a little force.
His Spiritual Power became a needle, easily piercing the barrier.
The next second,
a somewhat profound and substantial presence rose from within him.
"Qi Refining Second Layer!"
"I did it!"
Sensing the thickness of the Spiritual Power accumulated in his Dantian, now two-tenths full,
Lu Li slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
From the First Layer of Qi Refinement to the Qi Refining Second Layer, he had taken no more than half a month in total.
This speed... considering his aptitude, it could be called very fast indeed.
The disturbance from his breakthrough naturally drew the other laborers' attention.
"Junior Brother Lu broke through!"
"So fast! The Intermediate Five Elements Instruction really is different."
"At this rate, won't Junior Brother Lu enter the outer sect in a few months at most?"
"..."
Envious voices filled the wooden hut.
Ye Chenfeng opened his eyes and sensed Lu Li's presence.
He did not reveal much surprise.
If Elder Jian had not made him refine a strand of natal sword essence and deliberately concealed his spirit root,
with his aptitude, he could have entered the outer sect in less than two months.
"Still, this lad really is different."
"Five spirit roots give him extremely poor aptitude. Cultivating would be incredibly tedious."
"To cultivate day and night without stopping, his temperament can be considered exceptional!"
As he sighed faintly in admiration, a familiar, icy voice reached everyone's ears from outside the hut.
"Everyone, down the mine!"
The bone-chilling voice resounded throughout the mining area.
Withdrawing their envious gazes,
the laborers filed out.
Bai Sheng swept his icy gaze over them, seemingly counting their numbers.
But when his gaze moved to Lu Li, it instantly paused.
"Hmm? You broke through? The Qi Refining Second Layer?"
Faced with Bai Sheng's surprise, Lu Li cupped his fists and quickly replied.
"This junior brother gained a little sudden enlightenment recently and happened to break through."
"Only half a month, and you're at the Qi Refining Second Layer."
"Mm, that's still fairly normal. It seems you're not just lucky, but diligent as well."
Bai Sheng nodded.
A trace of approval actually appeared in his eyes.
Without realizing it, his impression of Lu Li had already undergone a subtle change.
"All right. Since your cultivation has advanced, fulfilling your quota presumably won't be difficult."
"Off you go, all of you. Unlike last time, you won't be exempt from punishment on this trip down the mine."
"Anyone who falls short, hmph, hmph."
Those familiar cold snorts made everyone shudder involuntarily.
They scrambled toward the mine.
Lu Li followed the crowd into the mine, intense anticipation showing in the depths of his eyes.
Today was not only his day to go down the mine.
It was also the day for the cross-world communication held every seven days, as agreed with the nation!
I wonder whether the nation has made any major progress in researching the purification of azure gold ore.
And whether they've made any further achievements with the cultivation method.
Mm, Director Li and the others will probably be delighted if they learn I've broken through.
And Academician Elder Wang is probably already itching to ask about my experience cultivating the new method.
With these thoughts turning in his mind, Lu Li entered the mine in high spirits, winding through twist after turn.
At last, he reached a deserted spot and confirmed it was safe.
Only then did he take the jade pendant from his robes and pour his much more abundant Spiritual Power into it.
Hum~!
As light flickered,
a reassuring voice speaking Mandarin rang out beside his ear.
"Comrade Lu Li, hello!"