Chapter 2: Reborn, Skills Upgraded

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Reborn, Skills Upgraded

[Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique: Proficient 1/500]

[Effect: Increases lifespan by 10 years, increases Spiritual Power cap by 500 points]

[Current Experience Points: 850]

Although the Proficient Level Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique didn’t improve his Cultivation, nor did it elevate his Spirit Root Talent to Middle Grade, the clear and refreshing sensation coursing through his body made Lu Chen instantly aware of the changes.

When he looked at his status panel, he quickly understood exactly what the Proficient Level Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique had brought him.

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Second Level (2150/10500)]

"A 500-point increase in the Spiritual Power Value cap. It seems my Spirit Root Talent has indeed improved," he thought.

The manifestation of Spirit Root Talent wasn’t solely based on Spiritual Affinity. Different Spirit Root Talents also had varying Spiritual Power caps.

The Immortal Alliance had once summarized this: Low Grade is one, Middle Grade is two, Upper Grade is five, and Top Grade is ten.

The so-called "one, two, five, and ten" referred to the gap in Spiritual Power absorption and the Spiritual Power cap among various Spiritual Root Qualities. For instance, if the Spiritual Power cap of a Low Grade Spiritual Root during the Qi Cultivation Stage was 10,000 points, then a Middle Grade Spiritual Root would be 12,000 points, an Upper Grade Spiritual Root would be 15,000 points, and a Top Grade Spiritual Root would be at least 20,000 points, with no upper limit.

This gap would exponentially widen as one’s Realm advanced.

This was why Lu Chen wasn’t in a hurry to spend his Experience Points on increasing his Cultivation, choosing instead to upgrade the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique. Between improving his current Power and increasing his future potential, Lu Chen decisively chose the latter.

With the existence of True Cultivation, he didn’t need to rush to improve his Cultivation like others, nor did he need to venture out to gain experience and search for resources. He simply needed to take it step by step and continue his Cultivation.

Steadiness—this trait was carved into Lu Chen’s very bones.

A dead genius was no genius at all. Only by staying alive... would he have a future!

Looking at his remaining 850 Experience Points, Lu Chen decisively spent another 500 points on the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique.

[You have consumed 500 Experience Points. The Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique has been upgraded to Mastery Level.]

...

[Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique: Mastery 1/1500]

[Effect: Increases lifespan by 30 years, increases Spiritual Power cap by 1500 points]

[Current Experience Points: 350]

...

The Mastery Level Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique once again brought a significant improvement to Lu Chen’s Spirit Root Talent. It also made him place even greater importance on the special game in his hands.

After all, even with several times the Cultivation time of an ordinary person, systematically cultivating the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique to Great Success and comprehending the Purple Mist Divine Light would still take him nearly a hundred days.

But with the existence of Experience Points, this timeframe was undoubtedly shortened significantly.

If it weren’t for the fact that True Cultivation lacked a resurrection mechanic, forcing Lu Chen to tread carefully with every step, his Power could have improved even faster.

After all, Lu Chen didn’t dare to gamble on whether his real-life self would be affected if his in-game character died. Even if his real-life self remained unharmed, losing the immense aid of True Cultivation would leave him little different from being dead.

At this thought, Lu Chen couldn’t help but think of the other Sect quests in the Cyan Cloud Sect.

There were many ways to acquire Experience Points in True Cultivation, including but not limited to completing quests, killing wild monsters, and daily Cultivation. All of these methods yielded precious Experience Points; the only difference was the amount.

As for quest types, apart from the initial beginner quest, there was also the Sect quest category.

Lu Chen’s quest to plant Spirit Rice was actually a type of Sect quest. This quest wasn’t difficult and offered plenty of free time, allowing servant disciples to spare time for their Cultivation.

However, this also gave Lu Chen an idea in a different direction.

He pondered, "Ordinary servant disciples need to cultivate to improve their Cultivation, while I only need to rely on Experience Points.

"I can completely save this portion of in-game Cultivation time and use it to complete various quests for Experience Points.

"Sharpening the axe won’t delay the woodcutting. Once my Spirit Root Talent is upgraded, my Cultivation will undoubtedly yield twice the result with half the effort."

Having clarified his direction, Lu Chen immediately controlled his game character to head to the Cyan Cloud Sect’s quest hall.

First, he handed over half of the Spirit Rice to the Sect, completing the basic "Spirit Rice Planting Quest." He was rewarded with 10 Low Grade Spirit Stones and 100 Experience Points.

Beginner quests and Sect quests were separate. Therefore, Lu Chen effectively killed two birds with one stone this time, reaping additional quest rewards.

Unfortunately, beginner quests couldn’t be completed repeatedly, so Lu Chen could only enjoy this benefit once.

[Current Experience Points: 450]

...

In the quest hall, Lu Chen looked at the densely packed Sect quests on the board and began selecting one suitable for himself.

The Sect quests were largely similar. Some involved going down the mountain to slay demons, while others required planting special Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine. There were also quests to help disciples within the Sect complete various errands.

Lu Chen would absolutely never take a quest to go down the mountain and slay demons. While the rewards for such quests were very generous, the level of danger was equally high.

And Lu Chen would never take any risks. He had to ensure his character’s safety in the game as much as possible.

After filtering out this category of quests, there weren’t many options left in the quest hall.

After a round of careful selection, Lu Chen finally accepted a decent quest.

[Quest: Deliver Cyan Profound Wood to Danyang Peak (Repeatable)]

[Requirement: 100 pieces of Cyan Profound Wood/time]

[Quest Reward: 1 Low Grade Spirit Stone, 10 Experience Points]

Although the rewards for this quest were average and it was quite time-consuming, it had the advantage of being safe and repeatable. It perfectly fit Lu Chen’s current requirements.

"Alright, this is the one," he muttered.

Having made his decision, Lu Chen decisively accepted the quest and controlled his character to head to the Outer Sect’s Cyan Profound Forest.

Upon arriving at the Cyan Profound Forest, he was greeted by a vast expanse of dark cyan trees, resembling a jungle of steel.

Lu Chen selected a Cyan Profound Wood and cast the Sharpness Skill on his axe. After enhancing the axe’s sharpness, he swung it at the Cyan Profound Wood in front of him.

Ten minutes later...

Lu Chen watched as the health bar of the Cyan Profound Wood on the screen barely budged, while his little character had to stop and rest after every few chops.

He finally understood why most servant disciples chose not to take this quest. It was because this task consumed far too much stamina and time! Let alone chopping the wood, ordinary servant disciples would even struggle to inflict damage on the Cyan Profound Wood.

At this current rate, if he wanted to chop down a Cyan Profound Wood and split it into the Cyan Profound Wood required by Danyang Peak, it might take him two to three in-game days.

In other words, it would take two to three in-game days just to earn 10 Experience Points. This pacing was undoubtedly somewhat unacceptable to him.

It had to be known that for this quest, he had given up his daily Cultivation time. Meanwhile, normal Cultivation for one in-game day could earn his game character around 5 Experience Points.

If the Experience Points gained from completing the quest couldn’t even compare to those gained from daily Cultivation, then why would he accept this quest? It was putting the cart before the horse.

He thought, "This won’t do. The efficiency is simply too low.

"I either have to give up this quest or find a way to improve my woodcutting efficiency..."

After some thought, Lu Chen looked at one of the only two Magic skills he currently possessed—the Sharpness Skill.

Initially, he had planned to save up all his Experience Points and spend them entirely on the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique. But now, it seemed he might need to make some changes.

[You have consumed 95 Experience Points. The proficiency of the Sharpness Skill has been upgraded to Mastery Level.]

...

[Sharpness Skill: Mastery 1/500]

[Effect: Upon casting, significantly increases the sharpness of a weapon]

[Current Experience Points: 355]

...

After upgrading the Skill Level of the Sharpness Skill to Mastery, Lu Chen cast it on his axe once more.

Supported by the ultra-high graphics of True Cultivation, Lu Chen could even see the cold glint flowing across the axe blade.

Filled with a hint of anticipation, Lu Chen controlled his game character and brought the axe down hard on the Cyan Profound Wood.

CLANG!

Accompanied by a crisp, metallic clanging sound, Lu Chen was pleasantly surprised to find that the health bar of the Cyan Profound Wood had changed.

The efficiency had visibly improved compared to earlier.

At this rate, he might be able to complete a wood delivery quest in a single in-game day. That meant earning 10 Experience Points per in-game day.

Add to that the fact that he could earn a few Experience Points from meditating at night to restore his Spiritual Power and from tending to the Spirit Field. In total, he could now earn an astonishing 15 Experience Points per in-game day.

Following this pace, it would take him at most 100 in-game days—which was ten real-life days—to upgrade the Purple Mist Health Cultivation Technique to Great Success.

This made Lu Chen once again realize the terrifying enhancement this game, True Cultivation, provided him.

"There is still half a month left before school starts, and half a month is enough for me to completely reinvent myself."

Foundation Establishment in three years, Golden Core in five years... everything was right before his eyes!

...