The next morning, over a breakfast of reheated leftovers, Gray cut a deal with Anand to buy more spiritual stones, ten kilograms to be exact. The only problem was that he didn’t have enough gold to pay. He reluctantly admitted that the town lord was holding onto the rest of his money.

“Actually, that’s not a big deal!” Anand said cheerfully, “A lot of people keep their money with the lord, I do it too! If you need a large amount of money to make a big purchase, you can go to the castle and find the treasurer. He will give you a gold note, a special piece of paper with the lord’s seal. In Jade Hill Town, it is equivalent to gold but much easier to carry and protect than a sack of coins."

Gray nodded in understanding. It was indeed a sensible system.

“Okay, I’ll head to the lord’s castle right now!”

He quickly finished his food and dashed out of the shop, only to run into a stranger that was entering at the same time. The person wore a full-length cloak that even hid their feet and dragged along the ground. A hood covered their hair and a veil covered everything else except the eyes. It was not until he stooped down that he recognized who it was.

“Alisha, hey!”

It was Alisha Patel, only her beautiful face and attractive figure were hidden from view. There was also a blue shimmer of spiritual energy around the veil that shrouded her face. He had to focus hard to see through the strange blurring effect.

"Hey." She said simply and slipped past him.

He heard her talk to Anand briefly and mention something about dropping off a batch of medicine. She soon came back out and shot him a look before turning away and walking down the street.

“Hey, wait!” He said and followed her, “Where are you going? I can accompany you, it’s better to have a big strong man protecting you. Do you work at the castle like Harsh? What do you do? I’m going to the castle, too!”

She scoffed and ignored him but he kept up with her brisk pace. They were heading in the same direction and the castle soon came into view. Before he knew it, they both arrived at the gate.

She turned and looked up at him, “Train hard.”

"I will!" He grinned, happy that she said something nice to him.

She walked ahead and slipped through the crowded gate and into the castle. He tried to follow but a line of uncooperative townsfolk impeded his way. Even when he managed to push through, the guards at the gate promptly stopped him. He could only look over their heads as Alisha disappeared around the corner.

He wondered what she did. He didn’t expect her to work in the castle but thinking about it, it made sense. Harsh Patel was a powerful guard captain. It was probably easy to get a servant's job or some other position.

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He entered the castle joined yet another line of townsfolk in the courtyard. They were all seeking help from the lord on some matter or another. It was still early morning and thankfully, the line wasn’t long.

He was able to meet with Issac, the treasurer, without issue.

The man recognized him from the prior meeting and quickly produced the gold note, writing a few characters on an expensive-looking slip of paper and stamping it with the lord’s seal. It was now an official decree and anyone that obtained this slip would be able to withdraw a hundred gold from Gray's account.

Gray put the paper away securely and left the office. While he was walking back out, he saw a familiar face.

It was Harsh Patel. He was naked from the waist up and tied to a wooden rack in the middle of the courtyard with his back exposed. A guard stood behind, a thick whip in his hand.

Crack!

Harsh Patel did not scream or let out a sound. Even his expression did not change.

Crack!

Again, the captain did not react.

The whipping continued steadily until Gray lost count. He didn’t know why Harsh Patel was being punished but it had to be lord. Nobody else had this kind of authority.

The captain was a good man and treated Gray well. Gray felt sudden and irrational indignation for the tied-up man. His dislike and distrust of the lord increased further.

A crowd of guards gathered around the scene of punishment, some worried, some with mocking smiles. Gray could not approach, not that he wanted to. He left quietly after a little while, knowing that it was not his place to interfere…

Gray returned to the jewel shop and exchanged the treasury note for ten kilograms of spiritual stone. For the next few days, he engrossed himself in nonstop cultivation. He did not rest except to eat or sleep. He was diligent and determined.

Absorbing spiritual energy and refining it was a slow process. On average, he was able to use up to two kilograms of spiritual stone per day. It should have been boring and monotonous but he felt time pass by in a blur. His spiritual sea improved steadily and but the breakthrough that he desired remained elusive.

Everything in the first stage of the Tome of Glorious Fortune was about building a solid foundation. It seemed his foundation would be a little stronger than others. He trusted Xueling and her supreme art so he did not hesitate to buy another ten kilograms of spiritual stones after the first batch was gone.

The days passed one after the other until finally, on the tenth day after expending more than twenty kilograms of spiritual stones in total, Gray finally felt it!

His spiritual sea was completely full of spiritual energy, with no more room to grow at all. His whole body was overflowing as if about to burst. The second mound of earth had grown to the same size as the first hill and he knew that he was almost there. The long days he suffered and the fortune he squandered, all led to this moment!

One last wisp of energy entered his spiritual sea and was absorbed. His spiritual sea reacted immediately. The ground shook, the black sky above rumbled as if it was about crash down. The second hill grew a little taller than the first and together, they glowed golden-yellow.

Boom!

Spiritual energy erupted into light. The feeling of fullness disappeared. The excess energy was expelled through his spiritual veins and out of his spiritual gates, but none of it was wasted. A transformation took place in every part of his body. From his bones, muscles, and tendons to his skin, blood vessels, and nerves, they were all strengthened and improved. Even his spiritual gates, spiritual veins benefited.

This was the true meaning of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm. It was about strengthening one’s body completely so that one could refine more powerful spiritual energies. It was all about the body and how much spiritual energy it could withstand and bring to bear. With a stronger body, one could channel more powerful spiritual energy that in turn made the body even stronger. One benefited the other and created a cultivator many times stronger than a normal human.

This was the realm where physical attributes reigned supreme… and Gray finally broke through and reached the second level!