“Thanks. However, I don’t want to burden you.” Su Yuchen refused them. “I will just look for some simple missions to complete. I want to fight after a few more years.”

Su Yuchen decided, he won’t be taking any missions that needs to fight others. He would train to master multiple skills before venturing out to fight.

“Then I would organise some training sessions where everyone will improve their combat abilities in the future. You must join us, Yuchen.” Zhao Xiaofan suggested an idea and invited Su Yuchen to join.

“I will for sure. Don’t forget to call me when you do a training session.” Su Yuchen accepted Zhao Xiaofan’s suggestion.

“I will do it in a week, just wait for my call.” Zhao Xiaofan declared.

Su Yuchen nodded.

“Yuchen stays in the inner sect courtyard, how are you going to invite him?” Wang Daming asked Zhao Xiaofan with a sarcastic smile.

“Oh! Sorry I forgot about that.” Su Yuchen said to Zhao Xiaofan.

“No need for a sorry. I will invite you when you come here. Isn’t it okay?” Zhao Xiaofan said.

“Okay.” Su Yuchen replied.

“Inner sect is far from here. How do want Xiaochen to come here regularly? He can’t keep on renting a horse.” Shen Ying raised a question.

“I bought a horse, Sister Ying. I can come here at any time.” Su Yuchen answered before Zhao Xiaofan can gave his answer.

“So that white horse is yours Brother Yuchen. That horse looked so strong and powerful. How much did it cost?” Liao Fang who was just listening from the side instantly asked Su Yuchen when he said that he bought the white horse he was fascinated about.

“It’s 90 gold shells. The senior brother gave me big discount, it costs around 120 gold shells outside.” Su Yuchen answered to him.

“It should be a good breed. Can I ride on it?” Liao Fang asked Su Yuchen expectantly.

“Well, you can.” Su Yuchen agreed to Liao Fang.

“Thank you. Let’s go out now.” Liao Fang stood up with joy.

“Sit down, you are not going anywhere at this time. Xiaochen, why did you buy a horse? You can just rent one whenever you need, can’t you?” asked Shen Ying.

“I can only rent the horse thrice a month, so I decided to buy one, Sister Ying.” Su Yuchen answered to Shen Ying.

“You don’t have 90 gold shells with you. Did you convert a stellar rock into gold shells?” Shen Ying inquired Su Yuchen in a stern tone

“I just converted one stellar rock, Sister Ying. I will be in need of gold shells in the future so you can think of it as an early preparation.” Su Yuchen answered to her in a gentle voice.

Shen Ying thought about it and then shook her head resignedly, she said to Su Yuchen, “It’s okay for you to do it this time, but don’t convert stellar rocks again. It’s hard to earn stellar rocks, don’t take it slightly just because we receive some stellar rocks every month. These are not enough for our cultivation and will never be enough to progress. You shouldn’t squander them thinking you are converting them for equal value of gold shells, they never have a value as good as stellar rocks. You only need to use them to buy pills or weapons, that’s all you exchange it for. Did you get it?” Shen Ying tried to educate Su Yuchen and said this to him.

“I won’t convert the stellar rocks once again, Sister Ying.” Su Yuchen listened to what Shen Ying said and nodded to her.

“Also, use the gold shells you have with you sparingly, don’t spend them carelessly. Try to be frugal, we have no background that provides us with endless resources.” Shen Ying added.

Su Yuchen nodded, showing that he agreed.

Su Yuchen stayed there till dusk and then rode his horse to return to his courtyard.

The pain and shame that ate his mind from morning slowly receded after staying and spending the time with his friends all afternoon.

He also observed that they were more attentive to him than in the past. They did took a lot of care and stayed with him after his father died, but their words today had more than care. He can’t point it out.

It was not showing favour or goodwill. They viewed him as a friend throughout the time he spent with them, and not as some big shot or a high ranking person.

Expectations?

That’s what he could think of.

…

..

.

At night, in Su Yuchen’s courtyard.

Su Yuchen decided to cultivate inside the cultivation room instead of practising under the moon. That lunar astral energy won’t be enough for him and the yin essence, he was not going to go near to it, no matter how much smaller its mental effects were described as. He just managed to calm down his mental state.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Su Yuchen held the stellar rock in his hand and began cultivation.

He was not taking the words of Shen Ying about using stellar rocks and resources sparingly and seriously, this time. He had some confidence in this regard, the system can provide him with resources.

Su Yuchen sat down cross legged on a futon and began to meditate. He slowed down his breathing and then slowly regulated his breathing. Once his breathing was controlled, he started to visualise his meridian system, instantly he connected his mind to his life essence inside his dantian.

The life essence became active and started to attract the astral energy around, once everything inside the dantian was attracted by it, Su Yuchen slowly guided the life energy inside the meridians with it attracting the astral energy. The gaseous astral energy around the life energy began to condense as it pushed closer to the life essence due to the latter’s attraction.

Su Yuchen felt as if he was driving slowly in a car on a road, he now needs to try not lose control of the steering and crash the life essence with the astral energy, or the accident will lead to his death.

He felt an increase in weight on him when controlling the life essence to guide it through the meridians. The more astral energy was condensed around the life essence the more pressure he felt. He only guided the life essence through three meridians and he was already feeling his mind getting tired.

He slowed down the life essence, concentrated to make his mind more sharp and then proceeded to continue guiding the life essence.

When Su Yuchen’s body sensed the lack of astral energy in his meridians, it started its work and slowly drew astral energy from the stellar rock. Although only few acupoints in his hands could draw the astral energy, it is in a more condensed energy form than what his body absorbs from the sun. This condensed astral energy from stellar rock slowly filled his meridians.

His body soon filled the empty meridians and the astral energy from the stellar rock reached and crossed his life essence. The condensed astral energy was filling up the meridians.

This would now make the task more difficult. A disadvantage of using stellar rocks in the beginning realms.

As time went by, sweat dripped from his forehead, veins bulged on his head and arms. His face flushed from the intensity of the cultivation. He was in a heightened state of cultivation, dedicated to guiding the life essence to circulate along the meridian paths. He needs to go through one last meridian.

He could only describe this last circulation as lifting a elephant and crossing a bridge, silly to think of even in his wildest imaginations, but the weight was as such, the life essence was becoming more and more immovable. He was dragging it while bearing a lot pain in his mind. He shouldn’t stop at this movement, he was already in the twelfth meridian, by stopping he would be hurting his meridians. Only by crossing the meridian and reaching the dantian could he put down this weight and relax.

Slowly with every minute passing by, he was pushing the life essence to the dantian.

The life essence was also imbuing the condensed astral energy around it with its aura. The condensed astral energy imbued with its aura, would become his own astral energy. His own astral energy will not release a pressure on him. This imbuing process would be slower than his efforts in circulating the life essence through the meridians, but this process decreases the pressure on his mind, no matter how slow it was.

Now he needs to persist in circulating the life essence, more and more condensed astral was becoming his own astral energy, if he doesn’t give up now, he could reach the dantian.

The movement of the life essence was slowly increasing in the twelfth meridian, with each passing moment he guided the life essence towards the dantian.

On the outside, his body was drenched in sweat, the veins turned blue and protruded all over his body. He gritted his teeth and continued to maintain his concentration while bearing all this physical pain.

The life essence entered the dantian and settled in the centre of it. He slowly detached his mind from the life essence. The life essence became sluggish, but still continued to imbue the aura into the condensed astral energy, which also settled in the dantian. The life essence would be in a passive state till his mind controls it again.

Su Yuchen opened his mouth slowly to relieve his numb teeth. His body tilted backwards and he laid down on the floor. His muscles and limbs slowly relaxed, veins returned to a normal state.