Chapter 598 - 388: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Chapter 598: Chapter 388: One Hundred Years of Solitude

"Aside from the standard four-colored titles, there are also gray and red titles. Gray denotes expired titles that have lost their functions, while red indicates special titles, such as one-time or time-limited ones.

"The title dismantling function has been unlocked. Using this function, titles can be dismantled to obtain title fragments (single characters). A minimum of one and a maximum of two fragments can be acquired per title.

"The title synthesis function has been unlocked. Using this function, title fragments can be synthesized into a random title. There is a chance of failure, and if it fails, all used fragments will be lost. The more title fragments used, the higher the success rate. The reference success rate formula is: (Number of title fragments used × 10% - 10%)..."

Wang Jue carefully sorted through the multitude of information on the system panel, unable to help but marvel once again at the system’s miraculous nature.

Based on the information he had grasped, he was currently like a Player. He could acquire titles by completing title quests, which needed to be activated using quest Tokens. These quest Tokens could only be obtained through Realm breakthroughs, limited to one Token per minor Realm breakthrough.

In this world, Spirit Cultivators were divided by Realms of varying heights. From lowest to highest, these Realms were: the Spirit Body Realm, the Spirit Core Realm, the Spirit Wisdom Realm, and the Spirit Sea Realm!

Wang Jue had no idea what lay beyond that. In fact, to his knowledge, Cultivators in the Spirit Wisdom Realm were the stuff of legends. At the very least, within the Azure Wood Stronghold with its population of over twenty thousand, the strongest Cultivator only possessed the strength of the late stage of the Spirit Core Realm. He had never even seen a powerhouse at the Spirit Wisdom Realm. Each major Realm seemed to be further divided into three minor Realms: early, middle, and late stages.

Currently, Wang Jue was an uninitiated Spirit Cultivator who hadn’t even entered the early stage of the Body Refinement Realm. This was primarily because his aptitude was incredibly poor. He couldn’t even sense the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy, so how could he possibly undergo Spiritual Qi Body Refining?

He pondered, "Right now, I have the title ’Fast Sword Ma San’. Against a Cultivator in the Spirit Body Realm or ordinary people, this title is quite useful. However, against a Cultivator above the Spirit Body Realm, its effectiveness falls short. After all, once someone reaches the Spirit Energy Realm, they can use spirit spells like the Spirit Armor Spell, Spirit Speed Spell, and Spirit Binding Spell. Those spirit spells are no different from Magic, and they’re much stronger than my Fast Swords are. Therefore, improving my Cultivation is the most important thing, and the most pressing matter right now is stepping into the Spirit Body Realm!"

With this in mind, Wang Jue recalled the spirit cultivation mantras taught by his instructors and slowly emptied his mind.

The Spirit Body Realm phase primarily focused on absorbing Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy to temper the physical body. It was divided into three stages: skin refinement, bone forging, and marrow washing, each with its own Cultivation Technique. The beginning of all Cultivation, however, was sensing Spiritual Energy.

Wang Jue had been trying to sense it for three years, but he couldn’t feel the Spiritual Energy at all. If he hadn’t seen a real Spirit Cultivator with his own eyes, he would have suspected that the instructors at the Azure Wood Academy were spouting pure nonsense.

"I really wonder what Cultivation feels like for those guys with high aptitude. I can’t feel the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy at all..." he sighed to himself.

Wang Jue felt a bit discouraged. Just as he was wallowing in his frustration, CREAK! The door to his room was unceremoniously pushed open. Looking up, Wang Jue saw a tall, burly man striding into his room. It was his father in this world, Wang Yin.

Wang Jue had taken over the memories of his predecessor. In those memories, he had no mother and had lived with Old Wang since childhood. Old Wang was extremely aloof and a man of few words. He never seemed to like the original owner of this body much, showing almost no care on a daily basis. He had dumped him at the Azure Wood Academy very early on and left him to fend for himself. Sometimes, the original owner wouldn’t see him for months on end.

Today, Old Wang was as cold as ever. With a profound gaze, he glanced at Wang Jue and suddenly asked, "You want to cultivate the spirit path?"

Wang Jue nodded.

Wang Yin retrieved a wooden box from his waist and tossed it to him. "There is a Pill in the wooden box. Swallow it! If you still cannot sense Spiritual Energy within a day, then give up on Cultivation."

Wang Jue was somewhat surprised. Old Wang seemed a little different today.

Wang Yin added, "If you cannot pursue Cultivation, then do not stay at the Azure Wood Academy. Unable to become a Spirit Cultivator, you will only be a joke there and endure the disdain of others. You would be much better off living comfortably as an ordinary person."

With that said, the tall man left the room. Wang Jue stood up to see him out, but by the time he reached the door, Wang Yin was already nowhere to be seen.

"This old man is a bit mysterious. He definitely knows that I defeated Yun Hu and earned the right to enter the Azure Wood Academy’s inner courtyard! Could he be a hidden expert...?" he thought.

Wang Jue frowned. After closing the door, he eagerly opened the wooden box. Inside rested a single, inconspicuous green Pill, about the size of an abacus bead. It looked dirty and didn’t resemble any sort of high-tier Pill.

He sniffed it carefully and found that the Pill carried a faint, fishy stench. "What kind of Pill is this?" he wondered.

After struggling with his thoughts for a moment, Wang Jue decided to trust Old Wang. Taking two deep breaths, he swallowed the Pill in one gulp. Almost immediately, he felt a continuous, refreshing coolness radiating from his stomach. "This Pill is actually working!"

Overjoyed, Wang Jue immediately closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. Gradually, he felt a bit groggy, as if he were drunk, and unknowingly fell asleep.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly snapped his eyes open; a system notification had woken him up.

"DING! Congratulations to the Player for advancing to the early stage of the Spirit Body Realm! Rewarded one quest Token!"

"DING! Congratulations to the Player for obtaining the [Three-Good Student] quest Token!"

"DING! System Notification: Obtaining the praise of three teachers will reward the [Three-Good Student] title and quest rewards. Please explore the specifics on your own."

"Huh? Three-Good Student? Are these quest requirements for real? I just need the praise of three teachers? I don’t need to be well-rounded in morality, intelligence, and physical education?" he wondered in shock.

Wang Jue scratched his head before freezing in realization, immediately followed by wild ecstasy. "I’ve stepped into the Spirit Body Realm! Old Wang’s Pill is pretty amazing!"

He hastily closed his eyes. A moment later, he finally sensed the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy. Thread by thread, wisp by wisp, it was like rays of light that seemed to be omnipresent. However, he found it very difficult to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy into his body for Body Refinement.

"My aptitude is still too poor, but as long as I can cultivate, that’s fine!"

Wang Jue felt uplifted. His aptitude was terrible, so there was no rush with Cultivation. As the system holder, what he needed to do right now was, of course, complete the system quest and get his hands on the [Three-Good Student] title.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard. "Is Fast Sword Ma San—oh, wait, Wang Jue—here?"

"Ah, it’s Old Li’s voice!"

Hearing the call, Wang Jue immediately pushed the door open and stepped out. After taking a few steps, he saw a middle-aged man in a green shirt standing in the courtyard. He greeted him with a face full of smiles and said, "Tutor Mr. Li, what brings you here? Please, come in! Have a seat inside, and I’ll brew some tea for you!"

Li Fangzhu was a former Tutor of the Azure Wood Academy’s outer courtyard and a newly promoted instructor of the inner courtyard. In Wang Jue’s impression, this guy was like his "homeroom teacher," and he had taken pretty good care of him on a daily basis.

"No need!" Li Fangzhu waved his sleeve and casually looked around. "Not bad, kid. To think you’ve mastered Fast Swords. You must have put in a lot of effort! I won’t waste my breath. You are now a disciple of the Azure Wood Academy’s inner courtyard. According to the rules, you can claim a Spiritual Seed. Do you not want this Spiritual Seed anymore?"

Wang Jue slapped his forehead. "I want it, I want it, of course I want it! This disciple forgot!"

"Hmph!" Li Fangzhu snorted. "When it comes to Spiritual Seeds, the one that suits you is the best. Based on your situation, I have selected the Azure Wood Leaf for you as your Spiritual Seed. Although this Azure Wood Leaf cannot increase your combat strength, its spirituality is gentle and it can increase a Cultivator’s speed in absorbing Spiritual Energy. Your aptitude is too poor, so this Azure Wood Leaf couldn’t be more suitable for you!"

As he spoke, Li Fangzhu opened his right hand, and a small green sphere of light appeared hovering above his palm. Inside the sphere of light rested a tiny, emerald-green leaf about the size of a fingernail. That little leaf was the Azure Wood Leaf.

Although Wang Jue’s Realm was low, he still had some understanding of Spiritual Seeds.