"You're the newcomer, Su... Su Ci? What happened to you?"
Li Wu looked puzzled.
Su Ci straightened his clothes, rubbed his aching chest, and recounted what had just happened.
"Blue-Clad Woman?"
Li Wu's pupils constricted upon hearing this.
The few people beside him also showed a slight change in expression.
They immediately knew who this person was.
"Idiot, I told you before, you must be respectful to Outer Sect Cultivators. They are high and mighty adults, even I wouldn't dare to neglect them!"
"You're lucky this time!"
"If that adult was unhappy, she could have killed you with a flick of her hand!"
Listening to Li Wu's scolding, Su Ci's mouth twitched slightly. He could only cup his hands and apologize, promising to remember it.
After being reprimanded, Su Ci watched Li Wu and the others walk away before he fully recovered.
Rubbing his still aching chest, he felt a little down.
This was the first time he had truly felt the class disparity.
His life was like a blade of grass, easily taken by others. This feeling was very unpleasant.
"Strength, strength is everything..."
His gaze slowly firmed. He sighed, suppressed his thoughts, and turned to set the bucket upright to fill it with water.
...
In a flash, most of the day had passed.
Su Ci had finished his tasks.
After breaking through to Qi Refining First Layer, these tasks became much easier, but he still deliberately slowed down a bit.
Just as he was about to finish work, he saw Feng Huai walking over from a distance.
"Su Ci, I heard you were injured by the Blue-Clad Ancestor?"
As soon as he arrived, Feng Huai asked with some concern.
"Blue-Clad Ancestor?"
Su Ci was speechless. Was that the woman's title?
A girl in her twenties being called an Ancestor, one could imagine her domineering nature...
He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a bruise on my chest, no big deal."
Feng Huai was relieved and continued, "That Blue-Clad Ancestor is notoriously vicious. You must never offend her, or your life might not be safe."
"Uncle Feng, I know," Su Ci nodded.
Feng Huai examined Su Ci and asked, "By the way, have you used the Qi Induction Pill I gave you? Have you perceived the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi?"
Su Ci was startled. Feng Huai, at Qi Refining Third Layer Realm, couldn't tell that he had already entered Qi Refining First Layer?
He replied, "I have already entered Qi Refining First Layer, thanks to the two Qi Induction Pills Uncle Feng gave me. Otherwise, it would have taken at least another month."
"Really?" Feng Huai raised an eyebrow.
"You're good, kid. It seems the effect of the Qi Induction Pill is indeed significant. No wonder those Outer Sect Disciples never miss a chance to learn Alchemy if they have it."
Su Ci asked, "Are there other Medicinal Pills like this that help with Qi Refinement Stage Cultivation? How many Contribution Points do they usually cost?"
Feng Huai laughed and scolded, "You've tasted the sweetness of Medicinal Pills, haven't you, kid?"
"Don't even think about it. While Medicinal Pills are good things, you can't take too many. Although the toxicity they contain isn't high, it will accumulate in the body if you take too many."
"Occasionally using them for emergencies has no impact, but taking too many has considerable drawbacks."
"Although the toxicity of High Grade Medicinal Pills is almost completely removed, they are valuable and not something you can afford, kid."
Upon hearing this, Su Ci dismissed the idea.
He looked at Feng Huai, scratched his head, and asked, "Uncle Feng, how long did it take you to Break through from Qi Refining First Layer to the Second Layer?"
Feng Huai blurted out, "Four months."
"Four months?!" Su Ci's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Breaking through to Qi Refining First Layer took him just over ten days, but breaking through to the Second Layer took ten times longer!
Feng Huai grinned and said, "You think Cultivation is one plus one, kid?"
"Every time you Break through a Realm, the difficulty increases several times, especially for Cultivators with Low Grade Spiritual Roots. This is even more so."
"It took me nearly a year to reach the Third Layer."
"I don't know how long the Fourth Layer will take. Without Medicinal Pill assistance, it might be two years, or even five years, or perhaps never in this lifetime."
His tone was somewhat emotional, as if he saw the end of his path.
Su Ci also felt a bit despairing after listening.
If a Low Grade Mortal Spiritual Root was like this, wouldn't his miscellaneous Spiritual Root be even worse?
However, he thought of the treasure pearl within his body and slowly clenched his fist. There should be a chance for change; it would definitely not be this slow.
Although Uncle Feng treated him well, such a treasure should not be easily revealed to others, lest it invite a fatal disaster.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Cultivation for those with poor Spiritual Roots is just like this."
"Just treat it with a normal mindset; don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Feng Huai raised his hand and patted Su Ci's shoulder, comforting him.
He was already over forty and had completely come to terms with things, taking life as it came and no longer pursuing any Realm.
"Wait a little longer, in about twenty days, you will have been in the Miscellaneous Service Hall for a month."
"There might be a relatively easy assignment during that time, and I can ask Li Guanshi to give it to you then."
Su Ci's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. He asked, "Uncle Feng, what kind of assignment is it?"
Feng Huai smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll know when the time comes. It's much easier than this, not physical labor, and you'll earn more Contribution Points."
"Alright," Su Ci could only nod.
Although with his current physique, he recovered quickly from carrying water and chopping wood.
But it was still quite tiring. He would naturally be happy to have an easier assignment that also earned more Contribution Points.
After tidying up their things, Feng Huai took Su Ci to eat a delicious meal.
During this time, Su Ci had always just eaten some dry rations to fill his stomach. This time, he ate a hearty meal with Feng Huai and satisfied his craving.
At night, Su Ci returned to his room.
"Cultivate!"
The Tai Xu Refining Qi Art was previously formed by the treasure pearl within his body and appeared in his mind.
Su Ci was afraid of forgetting it, so he read it thoroughly more than a dozen times.
But he found that he had completely overthought it, because with a thought, the golden treasure pearl in his Dantian seemed to have some kind of connection.
The Tai Xu Refining Qi Art would instantly appear in his mind, word for word.
"What a good treasure."
Su Ci licked his lips, trying to calm his emotions.
Qi Refining First Layer involves absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, circulating it through the body's major and minor circulations, and finally refining it to be stored in the Dantian.
During these processes, he needed to continuously absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to strengthen his body and refine more Spiritual Qi.
At this moment, the wisp of Spiritual Qi in Su Ci's Dantian was only as thin as a few strands of hair, very tiny.
When it grew to a certain size, that would be the time he entered Qi Refining Second Layer!
"Swish!"
As Su Ci circulated the Tai Xu Refining Qi Art, the surrounding Spiritual Qi rapidly entered his body.
If anyone were present, they would be extremely shocked, because the absorption speed was astonishing, and the absorbed Spiritual Qi was immense!
However, Su Ci could not be happy.
Because although the Spiritual Qi absorption was much faster, what he could ultimately control and refine within his body was not much more than before.
"My body is like a bucket full of holes. A torrential rain pours down on me, but the amount of rainwater I can ultimately retain is only a tiny bit!"
Su Ci felt a bit annoyed.