Era of Mist

Chapter 133: Chapter 132: Mathematics and Rhetoric, Both at the Second Level

Tumu Fortress Space City was bustling with people, a constant flow of traffic. The simulated sun rose, radiated light and heat, and then set. The entire dome of Tumu Fortress had been upgraded with special optical projection components, ensuring that the "sun" appeared at the same angle no matter where one was inside the Space City.

It was as if it were exactly the same as the sunrise and sunset on Earth.

The Iron Tyrant’s Imperial Palace in the Mu Yuan District Orphanage was one of the rooms with the best lighting in the entire building. Sunlight streamed through the decent-sized balcony window into the bedroom, casting a bright band of light. As time passed, the band of light crept from the wall up the foot of the bed, then swept toward the headboard.

The large figure on the bed was perfectly still. A closer look revealed only the constant twitching of his eyeballs beneath his eyelids, a sign that his mind was immersed in a dream and operating at high speed. When the band of simulated sunlight swept to the head of the bed and shone steadily upon his eyelids, the big guy’s eyes suddenly flew open, a faint, almost imperceptible glow radiating from within.

The secrets of the second realm of Basic Mathematics and Basic Rhetoric were now completely etched into his mind!

Not only had he comprehended the secrets, but the Top-Grade Master in his dream had given Shi Tiexin precise and detailed guidance, allowing him to know every bottleneck, detail, pitfall, and secret of the second realm like the back of his hand.

This was a state even more formidable than complete comprehension, even more potent than simply being boosted by the Champion Scholar Stone.

This time, the wisdom of the Champion Scholar Stone and Shi Tiexin’s own wisdom had overlapped and combined, cultivating together under the guidance of the Top-Grade Master. The Champion Scholar Stone reviewed what was old, while Shi Tiexin learned what was new. The results were nothing short of astounding.

When Shi Tiexin’s eyes snapped open, he had already reached a state where suppression was impossible; he had no choice but to break through. The feeling of an impending breakthrough surged forth, completely irresistible. There was not a hint of force, nor was it deliberate. In that instant, Shi Tiexin understood the secret to breakthroughs that Si Chongtian had spoken of: when one’s foundation is firm enough, a breakthrough simply cannot fail.

’So, what am I waiting for?’

’Breakthrough...’

’Breakthrough—’

’Breakthrough!!’

GUSH! The Mental Energy in his mind was boiling. The zones for Mathematics and Rhetoric lit up simultaneously. A surging tide of Mental Energy spilled out from the cortical grooves where it was first born, overflowing like a raging flood into several adjacent regions of his brain.

At the same time, a tremendous change occurred in Shi Tiexin’s field of vision.

A clear blue sky suddenly materialized. High in the Celestial Universe hung four stars. Among them, the two representing Basic Rhetoric and Basic Mathematics suddenly erupted with a golden brilliance. Two blinding golden pillars of light, like cannon fire from a starship descending from the Nine Heavens, smashed into Shi Tiexin’s mind with unstoppable, ferocious momentum.

HUMMM. A ringing filled his ears—a neurological reaction caused by the rapid expansion of his Mental Energy. His throbbing eardrums made him dizzy.

FLASH! A glare filled his vision. This was due to an excess of special effects appearing in his Vision System; the light pollution was so bad he felt like turning off his graphics card.

But beyond the ringing and after the special effects, a strange sensation began to merge and erupt.

Shi Tiexin sensed a barrier, one similar to the Perfect Precipice.

’Is this barrier the bottleneck for breaking through a minor realm? I’ve heard this bottleneck is pretty tough to handle. You have to try all sorts of methods and make multiple attempts to break through it. If the breakthrough fails, the overflowing Mental Energy will flow back. Depending on the amount of reflux, it can cause injuries of varying severity. In serious cases, it can even turn a person into a complete idiot for several days.’

It wasn’t as if there weren’t articles online about breaking through bottlenecks. Although these articles all ultimately pointed to some private educational institutions charging exorbitant prices, it just went to show how difficult breaking through a bottleneck was.

But Shi Tiexin felt it wasn’t at all like what they said online.

Compared to the Perfect Precipice, this barrier seemed far too thin, too weak, too flimsy. He had only just noticed its existence when, like a thin film, it was blasted apart by the momentum of his breakthrough. POP! In the blink of an eye, not even a scrap remained; it had vanished completely.

’If anyone were to ask me in the future what to watch out for when breaking through a bottleneck, I probably wouldn’t be able to say anything. How could that flimsy little membrane even be considered a difficult point? There was really nothing to watch out for.’

And once this bottleneck was broken, the Mental Energy spreading through his brain instantly stabilized.

The Mental Energy that had been rampaging in other cortical grooves was immediately accepted by them, seeping into each groove like fertilizer and water, fundamentally and subtly strengthening the activity, reaction time, and sensitivity of his nerves.

At the same time, the conflict within his Mental Energy completely subsided, and the throbbing in his eardrums ceased its ringing. The excessive special effects before his eyes quickly dissipated, and a few lines of text appeared on the newly re-emerged World System interface.

[Basic Mathematics Cultivation Realm has advanced to the Second Realm]

[Basic Rhetoric Cultivation Realm has advanced to the Second Realm]

"A HUGE CONGRATS to Big Brother Tie for leveling up TWO basic mind arts to the Second Realm!" The flashy cue card could never miss such an occasion. This time, not only was the calligraphy flamboyant, but the cue card itself was decked out in festive red. A huge red silk cloth and a festive yet tacky big red flower were firmly attached to it, swaying back and forth as the card wobbled.

Looking at the comical cue card, Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

’Tacky? Who cares if it’s tacky? This big red silk and big red flower is exactly what I want! The Second Realm, I’ve finally reached the Second Realm! Although the breakthrough process was so smooth and simple, without a single hitch, Shi Tiexin still felt a sense of joy that was about to overflow.’

But as the saying goes, it never rains but it pours—Ptooey, ptooey, why be so pessimistic? This time there was no disaster; instead, the surprises just kept coming, one after another.

Just when Shi Tiexin thought it was all over, he realized there was more to the show.

The cultivation progress bars for Basic Mathematics and Basic Rhetoric suddenly appeared, looking pathetically empty. However, Shi Tiexin suddenly noticed that although the bars were empty, they were different from how they had been in the First Realm.

Perhaps because he had a perfect First Realm as his foundation, the outlines of the empty progress bars now had a faint golden sheen!

Although he didn’t see any specific prompts explaining this further, Shi Tiexin instinctively understood. Because his foundation in the First Realm was perfect, his Second Realm was Innately different from a Second Realm built on an imperfect foundation.

The surprises weren’t over yet. Two giant "Enlightenment" badges popped out of the void, and two flamboyant Qi Gong Waves blasted into the progress bars. The empty bars instantly filled with vigor, extending forward amidst a CRACKLE of electric light.

And it still wasn’t over!

Two more badges popped out of the void, in a style Shi Tiexin had never seen before. These new badges also had a dignified circular pattern on the outside, but inside was the word "Master."

Shi Tiexin understood at once. This must be a special effect generated by the "meticulous guidance of the Top-Grade Master," helping to boost his cultivation progress in the Second Realm.