Take a Gamble, Turn a Bicycle into a Motorcycle
In mere moments, a violent surge of Five Elements spiritual power rampaged through his meridians.
Liu Yi let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his robes red.
"Damn it! I nearly went to see my great-grandma."
He quickly stopped cultivating and opened his eyes. His heart still pounding, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Creating his own Cultivation Method was indeed like walking a tightrope. One careless step, and he would be smashed to pieces.
But time was short, and he could not afford to back down.
As he circulated his spiritual power to mend his roiling internal injuries, he rapidly reviewed and worked through the attempt in his mind.
The paths of the spiritual power as it had rampaged through him while he circulated the Cultivation Method, and the tearing agony in his meridians, now replayed in his mind as precious data.
For the next ten days, he seemed trapped in an endless cycle.
He repeatedly revised the details of the Cultivation Method and risked trying the new version. Every time he spat blood, he closed his eyes to heal, then returned to working through it as soon as he had recovered a little.
His pale face and sunken eye sockets showed just how severely he had overtaxed his body, yet the fire in his eyes burned ever brighter.
In this mad world of immortal cultivation, there was no survival without madness.
He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and carefully circulated the newly revised Cultivation Method.
In an instant, five-colored spiritual power slithered through his meridians like spirit snakes, infusing every acupoint it passed with a wisp of Five Elements spiritual power.
When the spiritual power reached the hundred-thousandth acupoint, his expression suddenly changed.
The spiritual power in his Dantian was nearly exhausted. The rate at which he absorbed and converted the surrounding Spiritual Qi was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the Cultivation Method's consumption!
At that critical moment, he pulled out the five Spirit Stone fragments Qian Duoduo had given him and clenched them tightly in his palm. A vast surge of Spiritual Qi poured into his body like a tide.
Replenished, the Five Elements spiritual power surged forward once more along the path of the Five Elements Qi Refining Instruction 2.0.
"Boom!"
A muffled boom erupted from within him, and a dazzling five-colored light burst from his body.
A total of 129,600 acupoints covered his body like stars, while Five Elements spiritual power rapidly tempered his body and soul.
Spiritual Qi from several zhang around him converged madly, pouring into his body like a tornado and being refined entirely into Five Elements spiritual power.
His robes snapped in the storm of spiritual power, every strand of his hair stood on end, and he became the center of a Spiritual Qi vortex.
An hour later, the five-colored light gradually faded.
He slowly opened his eyes, five-colored divine light swirling in them, and threw back his head with a laugh. "I, the Daoist master, did it!"
A moment later, he fully reined in his surging emotions and began carefully examining the state of his body.
A total of 129,600 acupoints covered his body like stars, linked together by his meridians, with Five Elements spiritual power racing through them.
Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth poured into him without end. It was quickly refined the moment it entered his body, and his cultivation continued to grow.
His control over the Spacetime Realm had also reached 1.2%.
"I really am a genius!"
He could not help cheering inwardly. The Five Elements Qi Refining Instruction can run on its own, doubling its efficiency.
Although cultivating 129,600 acupoints requires more Spiritual Qi, even so, it's three times faster than before.
Although I haven't broken through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining yet, at this cultivation speed, I have every chance of attempting a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm in the time I have left.
As long as I break through, I'll gain another 150 years of life and escape my current predicament completely.
Liu Yi checked the time, got up and grabbed breakfast at the cafeteria, then planned to go to work operating the formation.
As soon as he stepped out of the cafeteria, he saw Zhao Jiuxiao approaching with two lackeys. Zhao Jiuxiao's face was dark, and he blocked Liu Yi's path completely.
He groaned inwardly. Another creditor.
His predecessor had owed this man 50 Spirit Stone fragments, another mess he had left behind.
At present, he had no way to repay them. He could only wait until he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm before returning the Spirit Stone fragments.
"When are you going to pay back the 50 Spirit Stone fragments you owe me? I don't want interest, just give me back the principal!" Zhao Jiuxiao roared angrily.
Liu Yi forced himself to answer, his voice full of helplessness. "Once I earn the Spirit Stone fragments, I'll definitely pay you back."
"Earn the Spirit Stone fragments?" Zhao Jiuxiao shrieked, looking ready to tear his hair out. "You don't even work overtime anymore. How are you going to earn Spirit Stone fragments?"
"More importantly, if you don't break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm within eleven months, you'll be kicked out of the Heavenly Revelation Sect!"
"With your aptitude, there's no way you'll break through. Am I supposed to collect a debt from a dead man?"
Liu Yi's mouth twitched uncontrollably at those words, but everything Zhao Jiuxiao said was true, and he had no way to refute it.
He could only grit his teeth and squeeze out, "Trust me, I'll definitely break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. I'll pay you back the Spirit Stone fragments then!"
"You think I can still trust you?"
Zhao Jiuxiao's face was full of contempt. "My brain must have been waterlogged when I lent you those Spirit Stone fragments! Get back to working overtime and pay me as soon as you earn the Spirit Stone fragments!"
"Working overtime is out of the question. When I have the Spirit Stone fragments, I'll naturally pay you back."
Looking utterly unconcerned, Liu Yi headed straight for the side, intending to walk around him.
He was not worried in the least. After all, the Heavenly Revelation Sect expressly forbade private fights between disciples, and any violation would be punished severely without exception.
The sect had made this rule because it feared disciples would be injured and have to spend time recovering, delaying their work operating the formation.
"Zhao Jiuxiao, what kind of person is Brother Yi? Don't you trust him? The Foundation Establishment Realm is as easy for him as plucking something from his pocket!"
Qian Duoduo sauntered over, his face full of schadenfreude.
At those words, Zhao Jiuxiao's face instantly grew so dark it looked ready to drip.
It was precisely because he had seen Qian Duoduo lend Liu Yi Spirit Stone fragments without hesitation that he had let down his guard and followed suit.
Even as Qian Duoduo's old rival in business, he had to admit that Qian Duoduo had a better eye and better methods for making money than he did.
He had not expected to come a cropper with Liu Yi.
"Stop gloating here. Didn't you lose out too?"
Zhao Jiuxiao's eyes went wide with anger. He glared viciously at Qian Duoduo, then turned his icy gaze on Liu Yi.
"Do you dare fight me in the arena? If you win, the 50 Spirit Stone fragments you owe me will be wiped clean, and I'll give you another 50!"
Liu Yi glanced helplessly at Qian Duoduo. If the guy had not suddenly cut in, Zhao Jiuxiao would probably have left after a bit of cursing.
Even so, the arena match Zhao Jiuxiao proposed was indeed tempting.
If he had any other choice, he did not want to owe anyone Spirit Stone fragments.
Zhao Jiuxiao was a cultivator with three Spirit Roots who primarily cultivated a Fire Element Cultivation Method and had already reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.
To make its outer sect disciples focus on cultivation and work harder at operating formations, the Heavenly Revelation Sect had never taught them Law Techniques.
However, he had heard that Zhao Jiuxiao had spent Spirit Stone fragments to enter the second floor of the Scripture Repository and learned the Fire Dragon Technique.
As for himself, he had yet to learn any Law Techniques or martial skills. Compared to Zhao Jiuxiao, the gap in their strength was clear.
Fortunately, the Five Elements Qi Refining Instruction 2.0 he had just mastered had refined all 129,600 acupoints in his body, granting him extraordinary speed, physical toughness, and spiritual power reserves, narrowing the gap.
Take a gamble, and a bicycle could become a motorcycle. If he lost, the worst that could happen was a beating.
The stakes were so enticing that even the Buddha would be tempted.
At that thought, his expression turned stern, and he said in a low voice, "Fine. See you in the arena after work!"
When Zhao Jiuxiao saw Liu Yi agree, a smile instantly appeared on his face. He simply answered, "Good," then turned and left with his two lackeys.
"Brother Yi! Have you gone mad?"
Qian Duoduo hurried over, his face full of anxiety, and slapped a hand on Liu Yi's shoulder. "Zhao Jiuxiao doesn't really want a match. He clearly just wants an excuse to beat you up!"
Liu Yi calmly brushed his hand away and said evenly, "Don't panic. I have some confidence."
Qian Duoduo's eyes widened as he looked Liu Yi up and down, his face full of doubt.
He simply could not understand how Liu Yi, whose cultivation was a layer lower and who had never learned a Law Technique, dared accept the challenge.
Fearing that Liu Yi would suffer for it, Qian Duoduo hurriedly went over Zhao Jiuxiao's cultivation, Law Techniques, and other details again.
After listening, Liu Yi nodded slightly.
The information was no different from what he had heard before.