C12 Purifying the Jade Stones
The steel bar stood out clearly from the rest; the rust that once clung to it had been significantly reduced. It seemed that the bending of the bar had scraped away the rust from its surface.
"This kid is something special! Consider this a good deed," Hee Gaang thought to himself. With that, he turned and walked away, keeping the incident to himself.
"Dad, you just focus on taking care of Mom here! Don't worry about things at home or the money. I'll gather the funds as quickly as possible." His mother's condition had stabilized after receiving several doses of medication. Dr. Hee had personally come to check on her and, seeing that she was out of danger, had departed.
Now, it was time for Yun Buhui to head back. A mountain of chores awaited him at home. On top of that, he still owed a 10,000 yuan deposit for the hospital. It felt as though there was a heavy stone weighing on his heart.
He left 1,900 yuan for his father and took 100 yuan for travel expenses. Throughout his journey home, he racked his brain for ways to earn money quickly. Eventually, he realized that his only option might be the so-called Almighty Immortal Cultivation System.
He calculated that it would take two more days before the Almighty Immortal Cultivation System could be activated again, which left him feeling somewhat disheartened. With a heavy heart, he stepped off the bus and made his way home. First, he visited the pigsty to apply the Spirit Liquid once more, then he fed the pigs their slop. Watching the tenacious appetite of the large and small pigs, he found a measure of solace.
He could sense that the Spirit Liquid truly expedited their growth. Yet, the Spirit Liquid was no Divine Pill; it couldn't produce instant results. He then headed to his fields to finish the unfinished tasks. To his astonishment, in just half a day, the crops had grown as if spurred by a catalyst, shooting up at an incredible rate.
This observation led Yun Buhui to ponder whether plants might be more receptive to the Spiritual Qi than animals. That night, as he lay on his kang bed, sleep eluded him. He mulled over a question: despite sweating profusely while working in the fields today, why hadn't any Spiritual Qi escaped? This thought led him to suddenly remember the jade stone that Xu Erleng had given him.
Yun Buhui's train of thought halted abruptly, and he swiftly turned on the light to locate the jade stone. Holding the fist-sized piece in his hands, he examined it once more and was astounded by what he saw. Originally, the jade was riddled with impurities, and the pattern appeared to have fractures within it.
Yet, under the light, the once noticeable spots within the jade had significantly faded, and in many areas, the impurities had vanished entirely. This baffling transformation left Yun Buhui perplexed; jade, once formed, should not undergo any changes. What could possibly explain this phenomenon?
"Could the spiritual energy that's been emanating from me have been absorbed by the jade, purifying it?" he wondered aloud, his surprise giving way to a growing conviction. It seemed the only plausible explanation for the dramatic alteration before him.
A smile crept across his face as he considered the implications. The quality of jade varied greatly, and high-quality pieces fetched a handsome price. If he could indeed refine jade in this way, it might just be the solution to his urgent need for medical funds.
With this in mind, Yun Buhui hastily slipped on his shoes and darted to another room in his house. He rummaged through his toolbox and retrieved the Sculpture Blade. Assessing the jade's dimensions, he resolved to carve a Jade Qilin. In Fallen Mountain Village, stone carving was a common skill, with villagers producing exquisite designs, a craft handed down through the generations. Almost everyone in the village had some proficiency in this traditional art.
With the Sculpture Blade in hand, Yun Buhui began his work, channeling his spiritual energy into the tool, which made the carving process feel effortless. After an hour had passed, a vividly detailed Jade Qilin materialized before him.
Despite the remaining impurities on the Jade Qilin, Yun Buhui was undeterred. He strung a rope around it and secured it to his waist. The Jade Qilin, although not of the finest jade quality, was a testament to his exceptional carving skills.
To validate his hypothesis, Yun Buhui took the Jade Qilin with him to the fields early the next morning. As he worked and sweat poured from his body, he could distinctly feel the Jade Qilin absorbing the Spiritual Qi that was emanating from him.
By the end of the day's labor, and into the evening, he noticed a significant reduction in the impurities on the Jade Qilin. This discovery thrilled him to no end, and that very night, he couldn't resist going outside to exercise. The exercise was merely a pretext, though; his true intent was to let the Spiritual Qi spill out from within him for the Jade Qilin to absorb.
Completely spent, he collapsed onto his brick bed and fell into a deep sleep, not waking until the following morning. The first thing Yun Buhui did upon rising was to examine the Jade Qilin, and to his amazement, it had transformed into what could only be described as a Grade One Jade.
The Jade Qilin was now utterly translucent, its internal patterns appearing as if crafted by nature itself. Yun Buhui couldn't find a single flaw on it. The sight filled him with a mix of astonishment and elation. He wondered about its worth; surely, it wouldn't be cheap.
After a quick wash with cold water and changing into fresh clothes, Yun Buhui set out for the County City Jewelry Store, intent on selling the Qilin to settle his outstanding hospital bills.
Yet, as he was about to leave his house, a message suddenly echoed in his mind: "Friendly notification, the cooldown period is over. The host may now access the Almighty Immortal Cultivation System."
The unexpected announcement brought a surge of happiness to Yun Buhui. Good fortune seemed unstoppable, arriving one after another. He had anticipated the cooldown to end later that evening, but it had come several hours early. Securing his house, he pulled out his phone and launched the Almighty Immortal Cultivation App.
"Xiaoling, I wish to enter the Almighty Immortal Cultivation World," he said.
"Alright, as you wish," Xiaoling from the Almighty Immortal Cultivation System responded.
A white light enveloped Yun Buhui again at Xiaoling's words. He felt himself whisked away in a flash. When he next opened his eyes, he was once again in the familiar surroundings of the Immortal Cultivation World.
The unlimited Cultivation Function has now accumulated Spiritual Qi to its peak. "Would you like to break through to Vortex Grade Two now?" Yun Buhui hadn't expected to achieve a breakthrough so soon upon entering, which brought him immense joy. He was well aware that the Cultivation Function was constantly in operation. Thus, nearly seven days had passed since his last advancement to Grade One, and he felt there was nothing unacceptable about progressing once again.
During his cultivation, he realized he didn't have to train as the legends required. This freed up a considerable amount of time for him to pursue other endeavors, effectively giving him a powerful shortcut in his cultivation journey.
"Breakthrough!"
With that command, Yun Buhui sensed a potent surge of energy at his location, this time feeling the power within him had doubled. Regrettably, he was still unable to employ Inner Sight and remained unaware of the specific changes inside his body.
"Xiaoling, are there any new functions available to activate this time?" He vividly recalled the last time he had unlocked the unlimited cultivation feature and wondered what unexpected surprises might await him now.
"Based on the host's current Spirit Qi absorption rate and bodily strength, the tempering function or the Spirit Root recovery can be activated," came the prompt response. Information flowed into Yun Buhui's mind, and he instantly grasped the significance of these two functions.
To cultivate effectively, one must possess a robust physique; ordinary flesh simply cannot withstand the vast Spirit Qi stored in the Dantian, which could potentially turn into an invisible bomb within the body. Over time, an overloaded Dantian would inevitably self-destruct. Hence, fortifying the body's strength was crucial!
The Spirit Root Restoration System, on the other hand, was designed to repair one's innate talent. It is generally accepted that a person's talent is fixed from birth, making it nearly impossible for those with lesser gifts to reach advanced levels of cultivation. However, within the Almighty Immortal Cultivation System, self-repair is possible. For each increment the Spirit Root is restored, the speed of cultivation increases proportionately.
After weighing his options, Yun Buhui decided that repairing his Spirit Root was more crucial than enhancing his physical form at the moment. The restoration of the Spirit Root could be tackled gradually over time. However, if his dantian were to burst due to his frailty, resulting in death, it would be a tremendous waste.
"Activate the Physical Body Tempering function." With deliberate thought, Yun Buhui unhesitatingly initiated the Physical Body Tempering function. This process of strengthening the body wasn't a quick fix but a continuous and incremental evolution. The silver lining was that this function worked similarly to his Almighty Immortal Cultivation function. Without any extra effort on his part, his body would naturally undergo tempering.
Naturally, he needed to be present here to sync with his physical body. Once he had resolved the current affairs, Yun Buhui's attention turned to the Secret Realm. During his last visit, he had acquired two treasures. He was curious about what new treasures he might find this time.
"Xiaoling, is there anything else we need to address? If not, please activate the Secret Realm Map for me."