“Anyway, take a look at this.”
“?”
“It’s quite a lot of material.”
Karlstein transmitted so data to Maxien.
“…”
After examining it for a while, she nodded.
“I’ll need to investigate further, but it seems potentially effective.”
“Really?”
“This is… related to the Ether cultivation technique recently distributed?”
“I’ve refined this one in particular to fit my true body.”
“…”
“Naturally, it’s still far from perfect.”
“Hmm…”
Maxien scrutinized it more closely before continuing.
“It definitely has theoretical potential.”
“Right?”
“But this…”
“Huh?”
“…You’re not thinking of hunting a Single Number, are you…?”
“Hahaha. Well now…”
Karlstein rely laughed aningfully.
***Deep within Fla tal Sect, the elderly sect leader sat with the elders, engaged in a critical discussion that would shape the sect’s fate for millenia to co.
“Haah. How shall we address this situation?”
“Is there still no news?”
“Hard to say. Although we have news that the Great Sealing Formation was successful…”
A decade ago, urgent news had arrived from the Southern Continent. The capital of its cultivation world had been destroyed, reportedly by a rampaging individual suspected to be a True Immortal. High-level cultivators were dispatched to stop the culprit.
“Yes. There was no issue up to that point.”
“Indeed, Sect Leader.”
“The way things were going, not participating would have ant being ostracized from the cultivation world. Not to ntion, the promised rewards were substantial.”
“Yet who could have foreseen this outco?”
Like other cultivation sects, Fla tal Sect had sent most of its high-level cultivators to the frontlines. The promise of cultivation-elevating resources, just for joining, had enticed even the most senior cultivators. However, they couldn’t have anticipated the consequences.
“While the Great Sealing Formation halted the crisis in the northern cultivation world…”
“To think they only managed to seal it away instead of eliminating it completely.”
The grim news had just arrived. Only two out of 1,380 volunteers had survived. Both were reportedly on their way back to the Fla tal Sect, but one of them was in poor ntal condition; their return would take longer.
“It’s fortunate that at least Grandmaster Fang Yan survived, but…”
“We don’t know when he’ll be able to return?”
“Goodness. How shall we handle the upcoming Heavenly Tournant?”
“With our few remaining junior masters… we are shorthanded. Even now, they must interrupt their cultivation to work the front lines.”
“Haah… the future looks bleak.”
Sighs erupted, highlighting their scarcity of high-level cultivators.
“We will helplessly fall behind Daohong Valley…”
“Those cunning rats. I heard they didn’t participate in the bloodshed?”
“More accurately, unlike us, they could not participate even if they wanted to…”
“Now that things have turned out this way, we’re the only ones who look foolish…”
“Co now! Let us stop there. Saying more will only tarnish our sect’s ancestral reputation.”
“Haah…”
They deliberated at length but could not devise any clear solutions.
anwhile, elsewhere…
“Am I barely at Core Formation Stage now?”
[You rascal! Why have you only just awakened! I thought you had died again!]
“Talk about impatient.”
[How could you sleep for a whole year without regaining consciousness!]
“Phew. Nice mountains, fresh air too.”
[Y-you…!]
“J-Junior Brother. I an, Lord Ga?”
“It’s fine. Call like you used to when it’s just us.”
“How can I…”
[In any case, reaching Core Formation Stage during narcolepsy…? Unbelievable…]
“Hahaha.”
Soone’s laughter echoed through the air.
***Karlstein assessed himself.
“Auto-Cultivation really is the best. Hahaha!”
He had finally progressed through Qi Refining and Foundation Building to reach Core Formation Stage.
“Hmm. It’s certainly different.”
He had achieved Core Formation solely through Auto-Cultivation. This stage could only be reached by condensing Spiritual Power within the body to form a core.
Similar to forming an Inner Core, Core Formation purified one’s Spiritual Power. This was a necessary step before forming the “infant” to enter the Nascent Soul Stage.
[Impossible. How could the heavens bestow such gifts upon one like him…]
“My junior reached Core Formation in just 10 years…? But even for soone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root…”
It was indeed an unbelievable speed. In particular, the process of continuously condensing spiritual power within the body to form the final core typically took about 10 years—human concentration is not infinite, so one cannot endlessly condense spiritual power into an Inner Core without rest.
However, the Auto-Cultivation Macro was different.
Once you set up the logic, it executes automatically.
Could it be any more convenient? The outco was equivalent to condensing spiritual power with full concentration without sleeping or resting.
“Hahaha.”
He was reaping the sweet fruits without enduring the process.
Truly sweet.
Of course, he did log in occasionally to make minor adjustnts. Thanks to that, he reached Core Formation Stage when he was about to fail.
Though I guess My Heavenly Spiritual Root talent must have played a part in that.
Not just anyone could achieve these results by running a macro.
“Talent sure is the best. How thrilling! Always fresh!”
“…”
[Deranged fool…]
The efficacy of the elixirs and spiritual pills he consud must have been significant as well.
Karlstein had sold items at the Plum Shadow Pavilion, and used all the spirit stones he earned to purchase cultivation resources.
“Now, shall I check if the factory’s running well?”
The resources he acquired went into the spiritual pill factory he set up.
Thud- Fwhoosh- Thud-Thud- Pzzzt-
The pill factor, built a short distance from his cultivation residence, was still steadily producing pills.
All you need to do is follow the set thod without any deviation.
Karlstein had extracted the alchemy techniques and refinent thods from the Puppet Demonic Warlord.
Perhaps because the Warlord’s original cultivation stage was too high, there was no problem refining pills needed for a asly(?) Core Formation Stage.
“Good. It’s running well.”
The wooden puppets, animated by Karlstein’s puppet technique, clattered as they moved according to set routines. But naturally, the factory equipnt was the core of pill refinent.
“Heheheh.”
[Haah… Where is the world heading?]
“I still can’t believe my eyes.”
The factory equipnt worked at a fixed degree of flas, precise temperature, fixed pressure, and exact timing. All of this combined produced a refinent success rate of up to 98%.
“Heheh.”
Karlstein packed all the refined spiritual pills into his bag of holding before leaving the factory.
[All else aside, your spiritual power is ridiculously high as ever, even after reaching Core Formation Stage… my word.]
“Right?”
[It was close. You could have run out of Spiritual Power due to your absurd capacity. Tsk-tsk.]
“Well, I made it and that’s all that matters.”
[Such a carefree brat.]
The cultivation ground where he practiced Auto-Cultivation, when he needed to feign narcolepsy(?) to log out, featured a vast silver pool ideal for this purpose. Its Spiritual Power absorption rate was twice as efficient as spirit stones… but now he could not use it anymore.
[Since you consud almost all the Spiritual Power that had slowly accumulated and condensed over long years, what can be done about it?]
“That’s true.”
[Just what is your body made of? I have neither heard nor witnessed any other absorbing that much spiritual power at re Core Formation Stage!]
“How would I know what you don’t, old man?”
[Grgh!]
Karlstein’s trendous Spiritual Power was a secret that the Puppet Demonic Warlord could not decipher, even after thoroughly examining his body out of curiosity.
But Karlstein could guess.
It must be because of that.
The 17 explosions within his mindscape when he first unlocked his spiritual power.
Karlstein had been secretly disappointed that he only achieved a pitiful(?) result of 6th Stage Qi Refining despite his expectations, but now he understood.
I have spiritual power nearly 17 tis that of an ordinary cultivator.
It was practically an unprecedented miracle that would never repeat itself again.
I must be a special case.
Even Karlstein, who knew little about Xianxia, could naturally understand this. This was a level of spiritual power that an ordinary cultivator could not withstand. His body absorbed spiritual power at a terrifying rate, like cotton absorbing water. Endlessly.
It was to the point that the Puppet Demonic Warlord had once expressed worry.
-It may not be a good thing!
-Huh? Why?
-Of course, having plenty of spiritual power is good. But with such a large vessel… I wonder if you can properly ascend to the next stage.
-….
Well, he had said sothing along those lines. In other words, it was extrely difficult for Karlstein to raise his cultivation stage, but its effectiveness was beyond imagination.
It went without saying that his answer to that worry was already decided.
“Isn’t it too easy?”
As soone who had never encountered difficulties in cultivation, Karlstein found it hard to understand the Warlord’s concern. He had proved him wrong, after all.
[….]
The Puppet Demonic Warlord was shot down.
“Junior Br— I an Gahwi. The Fla tal Sect will probably be incredibly surprised when they find out.”
[…Surprised would be an understatent. Reaching Core Formation Stage in slightly over 10 years of cultivation… this… this is… sothing that has never happened since ti past and present.]
“Oh co on, it ain’t such a big deal.”
Naturally, the sentint was hard for Karlstein to empathize with.
[By the way, what is that behind you?]
“Huh?”
When Karlstein looked in the direction the Puppet Demonic Warlord was pointing, he found a floating oval-shaped egg.
“…”
This thing followed here? Well to be fair, I did co to this Xianxia world because of it. Guess it’s not so strange, considering how it even followed to World.
“Don’t ask. I don’t know either.”
[It seems familiar… but I cannot quite place it.]
“What?! You know sothing about it?”
[I do not! Did I not say?! A significant portion of my unneeded mories were lost to seal my soul.]
“…What a useless old man.”
[Say what? You son of a!#%!@$#%@#$^]
The wooden puppet hopped in rage.
“Anyway, let’s go out now. We need to learn a little more about this world.”
[…You speak as if you hail from a completely different world.]
“Didn’t I say? I’m the most powerful and supre ruler of the cosmos.”
[I suppose I have no choice but to believe your nonsense now…]
“Tsk-tsk.”
They chatted while leaving the Prohibition and arrived at their only trading partner, the Plum Shadow Pavilion.
“Huh? What’s up with this place? Did the Pavilion go bankrupt while I was gone?”
The exterior was run-down, unlike before, and there were fewer people coming and going.
To top it off, there was an argunt at the entrance.
-The Plum Shadow Pavilion remains strong! It’s just that the current situation isn’t good!
-Shut it! You couldn’t even pay last month’s rent properly, how dare you talk back?
-This isn’t what we agreed upon! The Pavilion has already paid a hundred years’ worth of rent!
-I rember no such thing! Or what, are you suggesting I lied? Are you, a puny mortal, disbelieving the words of a cultivator?
-I am a Pavilion employee first and foremost, not just a mortal!
-Hmph! The Plum Shadow Pavilion has beco nothing more than a crumbling stall. A mortal like you, wench, acting as branch manager says it all. Whatever, enough with this pointless argunt. This is your one last warning. Back off, or I shall reduce you to ashes.
Karlstein saw a familiar girl blocking the entrance with her arms spread, and three cultivators with murderous intent standing in front of her.
“Oh, isn’t that Yuyu? She’s beco quite a lady.”
Karlstein smiled, happy to see a face he knew. But things seed to be going awry for her…
“Ahh.”
He decided then—there was no need to bother keeping up the weakling act anymore.
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