Attempts at Cultivation

"Instructor Mo, I refuse to accept this! With Liu Bai's strength, it's impossible for him to have hunted a mid-stage intermediate Spirit Beast alone. He cheated!"

Zhang Jie of the East Academy stepped forward and protested to his Mentor.

"Besides, everyone knows that so many experts came to their Liu Domain before this. Who can guarantee that this Spirit Beast Core wasn't obtained through some other means..."

That last sentence was the key.

However, Zhang Jie had miscalculated this time. His own Mentor did not take his side, merely giving him an indifferent glance before saying, "Liu Bai broke through to the Spirit Wheel Realm on the first day, so he is fully capable of killing an intermediate Spirit Beast."

After leaving those words as an explanation for the many students who still had doubts, the two Mentors ignored Zhang Jie's dissatisfaction and signaled for things to continue.

In the end, Liu Bai unquestionably took first place and received the Spirit Nurturing Pill as his reward... And because he had been alone, unlike the two-person teams in second and third place, the two Mentors discussed it and directly gave him two pills...

Naturally, Liu Bai gladly accepted them.

Although he could directly raise his cultivation with Experience Points, he did not mind saving himself some if there were other ways to improve.

The Spirit Nurturing Pill was an emerald-green pill roughly the size of a thumb. It was effective for cultivators below the Divine Soul Realm and was considered a very common medicinal pill for increasing spiritual energy. Yet in the Northern Spirit Realm, it was quite expensive. Only the Northern Spirit Academy had the channels to obtain it.

"With two pills, I'll keep one to test its effects and give the other to Mu Bai."

Although his little brother was still only at the Perception Realm and could not use medicinal pills yet, Liu Bai knew very well that, with his brother's talent, he would likely break through to the Spirit Movement Realm very soon. In that regard, he was definitely better than Liu Bai himself. With this Spirit Nurturing Pill as well, he would surely be stronger than he had been at the beginning of the original story.

He wondered whether Mu Bai would still clash with Mu Chen, the child of destiny, when the time came.

Although the Mu Domain and Liu Domain had not gotten along in the original story, the true reason the two sides became enemies was definitely not the conflict between Liu Yang or Liu Mubai and Mu Chen.

Those were merely children competing with one another. No matter how intense it became, it could never provoke a confrontation between two major powers. The real reason was the Liu Domain's overbearing expansion and its ambition to unify the Northern Spirit Realm.

However, Liu Bai found that rather laughable.

It was like two ants shouting at each other outside their respective nests, unaware that the world they fought desperately to claim was merely the most inconspicuous corner of someone else's home.

Liu Bai had no desire to confine himself to such a place, nor did he have any intention of ruling supreme in this backwater corner.

After the cultivation trip ended, the Northern Spirit Academy gave everyone a month-long break.

However, Liu Bai did not return to the Liu Domain. Instead, he planned to remain at the Northern Spirit Academy for a while.

When he arrived at the Earth Tier Training Ground of the West Academy and looked at the young men and women below sitting cross-legged as they sensed the spiritual energy, Liu Bai could not help feeling a little nostalgic.

After all, he himself had lived here for more than a year.

"Big Brother!" A delighted voice rang out beside Liu Bai.

Then, before the many young men and women, a handsome youth rushed over with an excited expression.

His shout woke quite a few people. When they saw Liu Bai, discussions immediately broke out.

After all, Liu Bai was a prominent figure in the Heaven Tier of the West Academy and even faintly held the position of the West Academy's number one. Many Earth Tier youths regarded him as their idol.

Among the crowd, when a charming Red-dressed Girl saw Liu Bai, her eyes immediately turned bright and glistening. Her curvaceous figure had developed far beyond that of others her age, making it difficult for anyone to look away at first glance.

Looking at the youth whose appearance was flawless beyond reproach, the girl's heart trembled. He's become even more handsome...

Before she realized it, the girl had already risen to her feet and walked toward the figure in her eyes.

At that moment, Liu Bai had no idea that his appearance had stirred a young girl's heart. Looking at his adopted little brother, he could not help patting the latter's shoulder. "Not bad. It seems that it won't be long before you enter the Spirit Movement Realm, Mu Bai."

Having received praise from the big brother he admired, Liu Mubai was clearly excited. However, he forcefully restrained himself and said in an even tone, "Yes, that's what I think too. I'll catch up to you soon, Big Brother, and enter the Heaven Tier as well."

"Haha, you brat are pretty confident!"

Liu Bai chuckled, casually ruffling his little brother's hair. Amid the latter's dissatisfied muttering, he said,

"But I'll soon be taking part in the selection for the Five Great Academies, so if you want to catch up to me, you'll have to wait a few more years..."

The Five Great Academies recruited students once every three years, and anyone over eighteen who had not reached the Spirit Wheel Realm was rejected outright. Therefore, once the many students of the Northern Spirit Academy missed an opportunity, they would never get another.

Liu Mubai froze at those words. Clearly, he had not considered that, and he immediately felt somewhat dejected.

It seems the distance between Big Brother and me will only grow greater...

"Alright, how old are you now? By the next recruitment of the Five Great Academies, you'll definitely pass the assessment. I'll be waiting for you at the Five Great Academies then!"

Hearing that, Liu Mubai truly regained his fighting spirit and said with a determined expression, "Yes, Big Brother. Just wait. Next time, I'll definitely go to the Five Great Academies to find you!"

"Very good. That's the spirit!"

"Since that's the case, Big Brother brought you a gift today..."

As he spoke, Liu Bai took out an exquisitely crafted little jade box. Inside was the Spirit Nurturing Pill he had received as the reward for taking first place in the cultivation trip.

"This is a Spirit Nurturing Pill. You should know its effects. You can use it once you enter the Spirit Movement Realm. Of course, you can also save it for when you break through to the Spirit Wheel Realm in the future."

Liu Mubai's eyes immediately widened.

Naturally, he knew about the Spirit Nurturing Pill, but he had never expected his big brother to possess one, much less give it to him just like that...

"But Big Brother, you yourself..."

Before the shocked youth could finish, Liu Bai waved a hand. "Don't worry, I still have one. Besides, I'm already in the Spirit Wheel Realm. This pill won't improve me that much."

"What? Big Brother, you broke through to the Spirit Wheel Realm?!" Liu Mubai was shocked once again.

That voice also caused a certain Red-dressed Girl, who had been approaching, to pause briefly before moving forward with even greater determination.

While Liu Mubai was still in shock, a gentle young girl's voice drifted over.

"Big Brother Liu Bai..."

Liu Bai looked up and saw a young girl's face tinged with a faint blush.

At such a young age, she already possessed such bewitching charm. Liu Bai could not help clicking his tongue in admiration.

As for Liu Mubai, when he heard someone daring to compete with him for the title of "Big Brother," he immediately frowned and looked over. Then, upon seeing the girl, he could not help frowning again.

Naturally, he knew this girl. She was even called a genius beauty among their generation, and her aptitude was only slightly inferior to his. He simply had not expected that she knew his big brother too.

The current Liu Mubai was wholly devoted to cultivation, with no distracting thoughts in his heart. Thus, even when facing such a beautiful girl, he had no particular feelings.

However, he was not stupid. From the situation, he could tell that this girl harbored improper intentions toward his big brother. This displeased Liu Mubai, who felt that she might affect his big brother's cultivation.

If Liu Bai knew what his little brother was thinking, he would probably consider taking back his gift.

Looking at the girl, Liu Bai naturally revealed a gentle smile and greeted her, "So it's Hong Ling."

She had called him Senior before, yet this time she was directly calling him "Big Brother." It seemed this girl's intentions were far from simple...

Hong Ling nodded somewhat shyly, then asked curiously, "Big Brother Liu Bai, have you finished your cultivation trip?"

"Yes, we returned yesterday evening. How about it? Have you gotten used to life at the academy these past few days? No one has been bullying you, right? If they have, just find Mu Bai and have this brat stand up for you."

Liu Mubai was immediately speechless. Big Brother, if you want to court a girl, can you not drag me into it? I cultivate every day. Where would I find the time to deal with such trivial matters?!

"No. Thank you, Big Brother Liu Bai. You must have encountered many interesting things during this cultivation trip, right? I heard the academy ranks everyone after each trip. Big Brother Liu Bai, you must have come in first!"

The little girl spoke with great certainty. Clearly, she had tremendous confidence in Liu Bai.

"Of course! With my big brother there, how could anyone else possibly compete with him?" Liu Mubai added.

"There weren't many interesting things, but there was plenty of danger. The students who fought for the first time especially suffered quite a bit. You two need to be careful in the future as well. You can't become strong just by hiding in the academy and cultivating. Many times, experience in the outside world is important too."

"Hong Ling, even though you're a girl, many things are unavoidable. So work hard."

"Yes, I'll remember that, Big Brother."

"I'll work hard, Big Brother Liu Bai."

The two youths nodded firmly.

Liu Bai did not stay any longer. He had only come this time to give his little brother a gift.

As for Hong Ling, she had merely been incidental...

After returning to the West Academy, he went directly to the Cultivation Hall.

With the Level Three Spirit Gathering Array, the spiritual energy in the Cultivation Hall was extremely dense. The best location was naturally the golden stone pillar in the center, beside which three seats extended outward.

Liu Bai walked directly over and took one of the seats.

The others all glanced over, but no one stepped forward to object.

After all, they had already heard the rumors about Liu Bai's strength. Given his status and power, he was indeed qualified to sit there.

Liu Bai did not immediately begin cultivating, because he had tried cultivating here before. He had cultivated for an hour, yet his attributes had not changed at all. He did not know whether it was because of his aptitude, which made his cultivation speed too slow for any changes to appear.

This time, he was prepared to try again.

Of course, aside from the fact that he now possessed Spirit Veins and had improved his physique, he would also take a Spirit Nurturing Pill. If even that could not cause any change in his cultivation, then he could abandon this cultivation method in the future.

With that thought, Liu Bai took a deep breath, then took out the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

This scene entered the eyes of many people and immediately drew looks of envy and jealousy. There was no helping it—that was a Spirit Nurturing Pill, a treasure they could only dream of obtaining.

"He's actually taking a pill so openly here. He really is arrogant. Isn't he afraid someone who dislikes him will directly interrupt his cultivation..."

Someone muttered softly.

Of course, everyone knew that was impossible.

Forget doing it deliberately—even doing so by accident would likely bring great trouble upon oneself. Some people were already considering whether they should leave first.

If something happened, would they not be caught in the crossfire?

After the pill entered his stomach, Liu Bai felt a vast surge of spiritual energy flood into his body. It flowed through his limbs and bones into his meridians, eventually gathering in his Sea of Qi, where it was absorbed by the rotating Spirit Wheel.

Again and again, the Spirit Wheel continuously spun. Liu Bai could clearly feel his spiritual energy steadily increasing, slowly approaching the peak of the Spirit Wheel Realm Initial Stage.

This delighted Liu Bai. It seemed that cultivation was not useless for him after all. The reason he had not felt anything before was simply because he absorbed spiritual energy too slowly, making the changes impossible for him to notice. In the end, it was still because his previous aptitude had been too poor, so an hour of cultivation had not been enough to produce any obvious change.

Slowly, five minutes, ten minutes, half an hour...

After two hours, the medicinal power of the Spirit Nurturing Pill had completely dissipated. At that moment, Liu Bai could feel a sense of fullness coming from his Sea of Qi.

"Unfortunately, I still didn't break through to the Spirit Wheel Realm Middle Stage."

Sure enough, relying on a single Spirit Nurturing Pill to directly raise his realm by one stage was still somewhat insufficient.

However, Liu Bai was not worried at all, because he still had a large amount of unassigned Experience Points...

"Huh?! This..."

When Liu Bai opened his attribute panel, he was immediately stunned, followed by overwhelming joy.

Because the number after the Blazing Sun Art, which had previously displayed zero, had now become two thousand five hundred!

One only needed two thousand seven hundred Experience Points to advance from the Spirit Wheel Realm Initial Stage to the Middle Stage...

"Haha, as expected, my guess was right. Cultivation can also increase Experience Points. There was no change before because the problem was with me after all."

So his innate aptitude had actually been this terrible. Not even one Experience Point after an hour—how long would it take to reach the Spirit Wheel Realm Middle Stage through cultivation alone?

That was far too useless!

It was truly difficult to imagine how a person with no talent, no Spirit Veins, and no Cultivation Method could survive in the Great Thousand World. Yet looking at the current Northern Spirit Realm, many people cultivated their entire lives without being able to break through to the Divine Soul Realm. Were they not all people like this?

However, since he had obtained the result he wanted, he could cultivate various Attack Spiritual Arts and Movement Spiritual Arts himself in the future... Although it would definitely not be as fast as using cheats, it was still a method of improvement. At the very least, without cheats, he would not truly become someone who was good for nothing.