Lu Yi clicked to claim the reward for the second task. Immediately, a pair of light blue boots adorned with intricate cloud patterns appeared on the table in front of him.

Mid-grade magic weapon, Flowing Cloud Boots.

Lu Yi felt a bit excited in his heart. He finally owned a mid-grade magic weapon! Thinking about how stingy Old Lu was, never even letting him touch his mid-grade longsword, now he had his own! If Old Lu found out, he would surely be envious.

Lu Yi couldn’t wait to start the process of binding the boots. Magic weapons required recognition from their owner to unleash their full potential. Binding a magic weapon was simple. Lu Yi sent his spiritual power into the boots, leaving his spiritual imprint, and the process was complete.

After binding the boots, Lu Yi took off his current shoes and put on the Flowing Cloud Boots.

Standing up with the new boots, Lu Yi jumped twice in place and felt pleasantly surprised: as expected of mid-grade magic weapons, they were exceptionally comfortable!

What made him even more thrilled was that after putting on the Flowing Cloud Boots, he felt his body become lighter. Did this mean his speed would increase?

Lu Yi injected spiritual power into the boots, fully activating them. Then, he performed the White Cloud Step technique. In the blink of an eye, Lu Yi appeared at the other end of the room, stopping just one centimeter from the wall.

That was close! His handsome face had almost smashed into the wall.

Lu Yi felt a bit scared but then became overjoyed—the Flowing Cloud Boots had increased his speed by nearly 30%!

It should be noted that Lu Yi had already trained his White Cloud Step technique to a masterful level, making his speed comparable to cultivators at eighth or even ninth level of Qi Refining. With this 30% increase, even ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators might not match his speed.

No wonder mid-grade magic weapons were so powerful!

Like a child with a new toy, Lu Yi practiced the White Cloud Step repeatedly, dashing around the room. His figure flickered unpredictably, like a ghostly shadow.

After playing around for a while, Lu Yi finally sat down, satisfied, and continued to review his gains.

The third task was to defeat an outer disciple named Wang Xinqi. The reward was two perfect Qi Condensation Pills. Lu Yi claimed them, bringing his total to three pills. He planned to use them during his next cultivation session.

The fourth task involved demonstrating the White Cloud Sword Technique with Senior Sister Liu Ningshuang. Completing this task upgraded his White Cloud Sword Technique by one level.

After accepting the task, Lu Yi suddenly felt his mind swell as a flood of insights about the White Cloud Sword Technique poured in.

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He closed his eyes to absorb the information. When he opened them again, a faint sword gleam seemed to flash across his gaze. He exhaled slowly, then raised a finger. Wisps of cloud-like spiritual power curled around his fingertip, looking soft yet powerful. With a gentle swipe, ripples resembling flowing clouds appeared in the air and silently imprinted cloud patterns onto the floor.

Looking at the patterns, Lu Yi was overwhelmed with excitement. The difference between Level 6 and Level 7 was like night and day!

Although the White Cloud Sword Technique was still the same in name, the way spiritual power flowed had changed. By altering a few routes, the technique became more efficient, enhancing its power!

This was optimization! Before reaching Level 7, the technique focused on refining existing methods. But at Level 7, it transcended its original framework, achieving sublimation.

Lu Yi felt that if he unleashed his full power now, the technique’s effectiveness would be boosted by nearly 50%—and without any increase in spiritual power consumption!

A 50% power boost with no extra spiritual power cost—could this even be real?

The transformation was almost unbelievable.

Lu Yi was shaken. If Level 7 was already this strong, what about Level 8 or Level 9? Would the White Cloud Sword Technique keep getting stronger without additional spiritual power consumption?

Wouldn’t that be equivalent to using Foundation Establishment-level techniques at the Qi Refining stage?

Normally, Qi Refining cultivators could only fully utilize techniques meant for their stage. Some geniuses could handle Foundation Establishment techniques, but the spiritual power drain was immense, limiting their use to emergencies.

But if Lu Yi’s White Cloud Sword Technique kept evolving, combining Foundation Establishment-level power with Qi Refining-level spiritual power consumption, wouldn’t that be unfair?

Lu Yi’s expression turned strange. What others treated as trump cards; he could use as basic attacks?

…Wasn’t this a little too unfair?

Thinking about it, Lu Yi couldn’t help but grin uncontrollably—not because he wanted to, but because he simply couldn’t stop.

After all, he suddenly felt quite powerful.

Lu Yi reveled in this feeling for a while before calming himself with deep breaths. Stay calm! Even if you can use ultimate moves as basic attacks, you’re just an ordinary sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator!

You’re still weak! How could you be so weak?!

You can’t even dominate the outer sect!

Qi Refining cultivators can’t beat Golden Core cultivators, so what’s there to brag about?! Stop acting smug!

Even if you can throw out high-level techniques, there’s still a limit—you’re not casually casting forbidden spells! Don’t get cocky!

Stay grounded, and we’ll win!

Lu Yi kept reminding himself that he was still weak, to avoid becoming arrogant and making reckless decisions that could lead to disaster.

Although he wasn’t timid, Lu Yi believed that seeking death was wrong!

No more reckless behavior—starting now!

After repeatedly reinforcing this mindset, Lu Yi finally convinced himself that his situation was normal. So what if he had Foundation Establishment-level techniques? He was still just a Qi Refining cultivator.

Lu Yi nodded in approval of his thoughts. He was just an ordinary sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator who needed to continue working hard and advancing steadily on the path of cultivation.

With his inventory checked and accounted for, Lu Yi glanced outside. The sky was tinged with orange as the sun set. Senior Sister Liu Ningshuang’s lecture had taken the whole day. After returning, Lu Yi had spent time reviewing his gains and digesting the insights from his Level 7 technique. Time had flown by.

He wondered if Old Lu and his mom had finished work. Feeling a bit hungry, Lu Yi decided to check.

…

Meanwhile, in the Outer Sect Affairs Hall, Lu Gaoyang and Wang Siqi were preparing to wrap up their day. As stewards, they also had shifts, and it was time for them to leave.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a red nose hurried over and called out, “Hey, Old Lu! I didn’t know your kid was so amazing! Why didn’t you ever mention it?!”

Lu Gaoyang looked at him, confused. “Huh? What are you talking about?”