Meanwhile, Sam U Bum entered the second hall. There, he refrained from killing anyone but cast some spell on the lecturer, causing him to crawl on the floor, wailing in pain and begging for mercy. After finishing this punishment, He returned to our hall, gave me a heavy, unreadable look, and then addressed his student.
"Sam Su Sam, you are hereby appointed the head lecturer of the Eighth Recruit Camp until I find a replacement for you."
"Yes, Teacher" – Sam Su Sam replied, his tone a mix of irritation at being required to continue lecturing and pride at being entrusted with such a responsible position.
"Continue your lecture" - Sam U Bum said with a nod of approval, then left in a rush of wind.
These events left the students in shock, but no one dared to discuss them. First, they were in the presence of the newly appointed Head Lecturer. Second, the topic of the lecture was critical for anyone aspiring to become a cultivator. While I had only been here a few days, some students had been around for months and understood the value and near impossibility of obtaining knowledge.
After the lecture, I returned to my tree to meditate and absorb the ambient Qi. Curious about the effects of a Qi pill, I decided to investigate its composition first. Examining one revealed that while it contained concentrated Qi, its composition could be summed up in one word: garbage. It was a mix of random herbs, wood shavings, dirt, sand, and other rubbish. To avoid harming my digestive system, I chose to absorb its energy through my hand instead.
Sam Su Sam’s lecture had covered an intriguing topic: the ability to project one’s Qi into the surrounding environment, capture neutral Qi, and draw the mixture back in. However, the effectiveness of this technique depended on one’s control over energy. For most cultivators, up to 90% of the energy would dissipate. Since I was absorbing energy directly from the pill in my hand, there was nowhere for it to dissipate, giving me a unique advantage. With three pills in my possession, I had room for experimentation.
Within minutes, I managed to "unlock" the pill and absorb its energy. A stream of Qi coursed through my arm, flowed downward, and merged with my only functioning channel. What followed startled me: all the energy in my channel suddenly vibrated, then "collapsed," compressing into a denser form while reducing in volume. Where I had been at the early stage of the first level, I abruptly found myself at the second level, nearing the third.
To be honest, I wasn’t pleased with this transformation. My Qi Thread’s current state felt unnatural. Although the energy density had increased, its total quantity remained unchanged. Worse, my cultivation speed was likely to slow because, instead of expanding volume, further cultivation would again focus on increasing concentration.
I decided it is better to grow naturally while I could and resolved to forcibly revert my Qi to its previous density. This proved far from easy. It took two hours of concentrated effort to "unfold" the compressed Qi and reabsorb it into a more balanced state. While I couldn’t directly manipulate Qi with psionics, I could monitor the results of my efforts and guide my mind toward the desired outcome.
Through the night, I worked on refining my Qi, striving for the right density and stability. I wanted it to resist natural dissipation while remaining responsive to my commands. Sam Su Sam’s lectures were immensely helpful, particularly the technique of the Eight Twists of the Great Serpent, which hinted at more advanced and efficient methods of controlling Qi than those I had devised on my own. It wasn’t a lack of creativity but rather a fundamental difference in the approaches used to control Qi compared to magic or chakra.
In the morning, I visited my allocated living quarters to catch up on news and gossip. My nine roommates greeted me with enthusiasm, showering me with exaggerated praise for my greatness and virtues. Cutting off their flattery, I demanded they tell me the latest rumors.
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I learned that a formal meeting with representatives from another sect was scheduled for today. The guards had let this slip while chatting, and Liu Qiang’s brother, who was also a guard, had shared more detailed information with her. The meeting would focus on an upcoming sect entrance exam, planned as a competition between the newcomers from both sects. The results would allow the sect leaders to determine which sect had more talented disciples. As the saying goes, "When the lords fight, the peasants suffer."
The next few days followed a consistent rhythm. I would have breakfast, attend a cultivation lecture, tend to my "garden plot," go to an alchemy lecture, have dinner, and then meditate on my tree until morning, absorbing Qi. My channel continued to fill with energy, but progressing to the next level remained elusive.
I began cautious experiments to achieve a breakthrough through my own efforts rather than relying on pills, but so far, the results were minimal.
After a week of training, the accumulation of energy in my Qi Thread had nearly stopped, and all the Qi I absorbed began dispersing throughout my body, strengthening it. However, the efficiency of this Qi deposition raised some questions, so I decided to try something akin to qigong to improve the movement of Qi and Ki. To avoid drawing attention, I headed to a remote, tree-covered area of the camp. I thought my presence here would go unnoticed, but the reality turned out to be the opposite.
Fifteen minutes into my practice, I heard the crunch of branches underfoot uninvited guests.
"Caught you at last" - sneered one of the four approaching guards. Their uniforms marked them as sect guards responsible for maintaining order in the camp.
"And who are you supposed to be?" - I asked darkly, shifting smoothly into a combat stance.
"I’m Li Douche. You crippled my brother, Li Su, and then Liu Zhi threw him alive into the ravine. I’ll deal with him later, but you… you’ll die today."
"Your brother was a piece of shit, and you’re even worse. What’s wrong? Too scared to face me alone, so you brought your lover boys with you?" - I retorted, aiming to provoke him.
It was clear that only death would resolve this, so I prepared to strike. The moment Li Douche’s eyes flared with anger, I acted. Using psionics, I assessed the strength of my opponents: one was at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, two at the ninth, and Li Douche himself was at the tenth level. Their primary advantage was their numbers, so my strategy was to kill one of them with the first strike and, naturally, I chose the weakest.
During my experiments with artificial breakthroughs, I had nearly lost the ability to cultivate entirely. One such experiment involved abruptly "compressing" a portion of Qi. Simple attempts to collide or squeeze energy had no effect, so I began experimenting with shapes and movement trajectories.
I discovered that when Qi moved along a seven-spoked spiral and converged at a single point, it triggered a sudden explosion that scattered energy along the plane of the spiral. Fortunately, I had conducted this experiment in the Qi channel of my left heel rather than my primary channel, escaping with nothing worse than a cracked heel bone that healed within hours.
Now, I used the same technique, intending to implant the converging spiral into my opponent’s body a second before detonation. Instantly accelerating my mind with psionics, I surged forward. Compared to the speed of my mind, my body moved sluggishly, allowing me to control every movement and anticipate potential threats. Dodging an instinctive defensive strike, I closed in on my chosen target and struck his neck with two fingers, implanting my construct as I withdrew. Then I quickly retreated and slightly accelerated time.
To my enemies, the attack was as swift as a cobra’s strike. A fraction of a second later, the target’s neck exploded, nearly severing his head from his body. A satisfying result, though the Qi cost for this technique was substantial.
"You!!!" - Li Douche screamed in horror as he watched the mutilated corpse of his ally collapse to the ground, spraying blood everywhere. Not a single drop touched me, though, as a simple Qi barrier around my body repelled all filth. It wouldn’t protect against a strong strike, but for mosquitoes and gore, it worked perfectly.
"You’re next" - I said, pointing at the guard standing directly in front of me.
Originally, three cultivators were attacking me, with Li Douche staying back. I had killed the one on my left and now focused on the one directly in front of me. Hearing my words, the guard panicked, losing control of his Qi and barely reacting to my next move.
I used the same technique again. However, this time, my opponent managed to notice the attack and tilt his head. Instead of striking his neck, my blow landed on his jaw.