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2024-10-29 19:42:56An unaccountable number of disciples greeted Qin Lei whenever they walked past. This shows Chen Tu how well respected Qin Lei was as a member of the top hundred disciples. To the rest, his position inside this Outer Grotto is a hundred people above and ten thousand below.
It also shows Chen Tu how important background and individual cultivation strength were.
The two moved from one display shelf to another. But it was discouraging for Chen Tu due to his lacking of reading and writing. He couldn't even understand a word written on the paper, let alone its usage.
Even if a treasure was placed in his hand, Chen Tu would have no idea how to use it or understand how precious or special the item was.
Nothing ended up catching his eye. There are a few things that have its name mentioned by Qin Lei while walking past, but they're useless to Chen Tu for now.
In the end, only Qin Lei bought something from the first floor.
The bill turned out to be a hundred Contribution Tokens. There's also a choice of settlement using Spiritual Coins, which cost Qin Lei a thousand and one hundred coins. And after deducting the two tokens deposit upon entry, the bill was settled with ninety-eight tokens.
What was it that Qin Lei bought for it to cost such an enormous sum? If it was based on Chen Tu's speed in earning the tokens, this would take him close to an entire month to afford such a purchase.
It was a bottle with ten drops of Pure Spiritual Beast Essence.
These Spiritual Beast Essences were only collectible from a Spiritual Beast. The stronger they were, the higher their quality. A single creature in its Early-Stage Body Tempering Layer usually contains between one to three drops in its body.
As a matter of fact, the hierarchy of the Spiritual Beast was slightly different from mankind. The most obvious part was the categorization of the cultivation level.
Instead of following the power breakdown of nine levels in each layer, the Spiritual Beast's strength is categorized by Early, Middle, and Peak Stage designation. For example, a Spiritual Beast in the Early Stage of Body Tempering is equal to a level three Body Tempering Human cultivator.
A Middle Stage Spiritual Beast is comparable to a level six and nine for a Peak Stage creature. This was the main difference between a human and a Spiritual Beast.
Furthermore, most Spiritual Beasts have an innate ability, such as affinity with the Spiritual Energy influenced by the Sun or Moon's intensity. Some even could sniff out Spiritual Metal, Treasure, or study the Spiritual Flow of others.
Understandably, Qin Lei's reason for spending a fortune on this Pure Spiritual Beast Essence was to refine his physique to a comparable state to Spiritual Beast. This is precisely why the faction is known as Blood Refining Grotto.
Unlike the other two local factions, Golden Staff Abode and Meteor Fist Academy, the Blood Refining Grotto's path focuses on refining their physique to be comparable to a Spiritual Beast.
It was said that the Grotto Lord himself was a body cultivator with the physique of a Middle-Stage Golden Core Spiritual Beast.
If a battle happened between the three faction lords, perhaps the Grotto Lord would be capable of facing the other two with similar cultivation alone. Furthermore, this is only by relying on his physique and yet to include other means he had in his arsenal.
Although the difference might not be obvious in the early layer, the disparity would appear quickly the further the cultivation layer moves forward.
Suppose a Body Tempering Spiritual Beast could battle against multiple opponents of the same cultivation level without getting to a disadvantage. What would it be if the same situation is repeated between two fighters?
Wouldn't the one with a stronger physique last longer than the weaker one?
Of course, mankind still holds part of the advantage, especially in utilizing Spiritual Energy through various martial art and fighting techniques. But each application still costs them a portion of Spiritual Energy.
Before reaching the Golden Core Layer and developing their own Golden Core, how much Spiritual Energy could an average cultivator refine and keep inside their body?
Possibly, an average cultivator could only display the might two to three times before reaching their limit. And perhaps one to two more times if they opted for a technique at a lower grade. And in comparison, physical strength had no such limitation.
Their might wasn't limited by the amount of Spiritual Energy refined into their body but by stamina, which can be trained indefinitely.
Just imagine a battle between Physique and Technique Practitioners. The latter might displays a greater battle prowess than the former, but that doesn't mean an easy victory. As long the former could take the first few blows, the win would eventually come to the one that lasted the most.
Of course, that's only in theory.
Ultimately, there's a hurdle all Physique cultivators must overcome: refining their bodies to a state comparable to a Spiritual Beast.
To many cultivators, this was an arduous path and required powerful financial support with a hint of luck. Just take Qin Lei as an example. His current achievement is only halfway to being comparable to an Early Stage Spiritual Beast.
But this was the result of a five-year-long effort.
The ten drops here could either push him straight to Early Stage Spiritual Beast Physique at the perfection stage or merely let him move a step closer.
With nothing left for them to check out on the first floor, Qin Lei decides to leave the pavilion. Since it was Qin Lei who brought him here, it was only natural that Chen Tu followed along and returned to the ground level.
"Shall we go to the canteen? It should be about time the canteen opens for dinner." Qin Lei asked.
But instead of agreeing to his suggestion, Chen Tu revealed his intention to buy something on the ground level. It was understandable, given that today was Chen Tu's second day here on the Outer Grotto.
He should have little to no belongings at all. Thus, it was normal for Chen Tu to be interested in buying something to decorate his room and make it more liveable.
"In that case, this senior brother won't bother you any longer." Qin Lei nodded at Chen Tu's intention and decided to let it go for today.
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(What an amazing feeling... Could this be something only those in the fourth level would realize?) Chen Tu remained seated, but for every breath he took, the Spiritual Energy of his surroundings was attracted over. His body was like a leaf sponging up all the dew as it absorbed all these blimps of Spiritual Energy to nourish his flesh. This mist-like Spiritual Energy is incomparable to what a Spiritual Replenishing Pill offers. Still, it was something nobody would complain about. After all, no matter how diluted and faint this Spiritual Energy was, they're still the Spiritual Energy everyone pursued. Nobody would cover their water well when it rains because they're afraid it would be overfilled by the rainwater. Apparently, Chen Tu's guess was correct. A feat like this was indeed someone above the Flesh Tempering Stage could enjoy. And thanks to his fully-tempered flesh, Chen Tu is now more than capable of applicating Spiritual Energy to strengthen his physique. Although the diff
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"Disciple understands." Chen Tu cupped his fists together and replied. His response also helps confirm that he will be taking the assignment seriously. "Xiao Tu will start paying more attention to his pill refinement after returning and wouldn't disappoint the teacher's expectation," he added. After saying what he should, Chen Tu excused himself from the workshop by giving a reason he'll have to get back and prepare. And obviously, the eight Grain Pellets were left in the workshop without saying. That's a must in case the elder changes his mind later. And regardless of how he decides, Chen Tu still has to leave a sample for Elder Wei Xuan to check on them, correct? This means a copy of everything from the ingredient, steps, and final product was left for the elder's inspection. Chen Tu's activities consisted of eating, sleeping, cultivating, and refining pills for the following days. Thanks to all these tasks in his hand, he hardly reported to the Spiritual Garden to work or assis
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The question piqued the elder's interest after Xia Xuan-Xuan opened her mouth. Apparently, even the elder couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Tu's answer. But at the same time, he can't ask this question openly. After all, he was an elder. Someone who stood at least a few levels above them in alchemy and cultivation. Wouldn't it hurt his pride slightly to ask a junior about something he should know better? Luckily, there's a Xia Xuan-Xuan in the group. While her talent is neither good nor bad, she has this social commonsense that could make everything work. Hence, she was the elder's icebreaker, always the first to hear and know everything. Chen Tu didn't respond to Xia Xuan-Xuan's question instantly. Still, everyone here could see that Chen Tu's gaze was currently pointed at the pill mold. This reaction from Chen Tu can be partially translated to "look at the result yourself!" He stayed silent and observed the mold until it was completely cooled. Then, instead of inspecti
