Zhang Chen chuckled outside the wall and circled it again. However, the passage had collapsed due to Gu Mingyue’s shock and could no longer accommodate Zhang Chen’s size. So, Zhang Chen examined the terrain and went outside to find the Pangolin again, once more asking it to tunnel.
Today, with Gu Mingyue absent, it was a good opportunity for Zhang Chen to act. He summoned the Pangolin, and in just half a day, the passage was dug open again.
After all, it was a passage that had been dug through before, so for the Pangolin, digging it again was no difficulty.
After tunneling through the underground passage, Zhang Chen dismissed the Pangolin and went to the rock wall to feast, directly absorbing the Power of Incense.
From today onward, Zhang Chen started to ’work hard’ and ’diligently’ again, as there wasn’t much time left for him.
As for whether Gu Mingyue would notice anything, Zhang Chen thought that so many days had passed, and Gu Mingyue was busy dealing with matters of the two-world passage, so she wouldn’t focus her attention here for now.
After all, the mysterious elements released from the Spiritual World are a great benefit for practitioners, and even strong ones like Gu Mingyue are no exception.
In fact, Zhang Chen was right. When Gu Mingyue returned, she didn’t stay in the Daoist Temple for long. Instead, she hurried directly to the two-world passage to absorb those mysterious elements.
Time flew by in haste, yet at this moment, it seemed to slow down. Twenty-five days sped by quickly, and Zhang Chen’s Golden Finger interface had reached five thousand points.
And at this time, Xie Lingyun arrived again!
Zhang Chen detected Xie Lingyun leading her subordinates to his humble abode through the moisture, and quickly emerged from the ground to greet her.
"Zhang Chen!" Xie Lingyun hurried to the courtyard and, seeing Zhang Chen walking out of the house, beckoned him: "I have something to tell you."
"What does sister have to say?" Zhang Chen invited Xie Lingyun to sit: "Please sit and speak."
Xie Lingyun shook her head: "I have something else to do and must leave soon. I just wanted to inform you of the latest developments with the two-world passage."
"Could it be that the two-world passage has stabilized?" Zhang Chen asked, observing Xie Lingyun’s rush, already guessing in his heart.
Hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Xie Lingyun nodded: "Indeed! Five days ago, the two-world passage stabilized. Experts from various Martial World factions and great families have entered it, but suffered heavy losses. Now, everyone knows that once you enter the other world, regardless of how powerful you are, you’ll become a common person. Currently, families are recruiting laborers, sending ordinary people to explore the Spiritual World. Some even spend large sums to hire experienced hunters to enter the Spiritual World together. I came today to ask if you’d like to enter with me, so we can look out for each other?"
"You’re entering too?" Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing Xie Lingyun’s words.
"Someone discovered a fruit tree on the passage’s other side, with purple fruits that grant Fire and Thunder Power when consumed. However, once these fruits leave the Spiritual World and enter the Material Realm, they instantly rot. So, to eat the fruits and gain Fire and Thunder Power, one must enter the other world."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen was startled. He thought Xie Lingyun’s move was risky—after all, it was the Spiritual World, no joke. No fruit is worth more than one’s life, right?
Seemingly understanding what Zhang Chen was thinking, Xie Lingyun raised a hand to stop him: "If I can obtain such fruit, my chances of stepping onto the path of the Yang God increase by as much as eighty percent."
Since Xie Lingyun put it that way, what more could Zhang Chen say?
But faced with Xie Lingyun’s invitation, Zhang Chen still chose to decline because he wasn’t ready yet. His Qi Cultivation Technique’s level hadn’t been raised significantly; once he gathered enough Incense Faith and upgraded the Qi Cultivation Technique, it wouldn’t be too late.
It was just four or five days, which Zhang Chen could afford to wait.
Moreover, he thought that entering the Spiritual World, should that Big Black Dog come looking, could lead to big trouble, possibly implicating Xie Lingyun.
Hearing Zhang Chen’s refusal, Xie Lingyun felt a little disappointed. She thought, as a Cultivator, Zhang Chen might not turn into an ordinary person in the mysterious Spiritual World, retaining Divine Techniques to enhance survival chances, yet was rejected.
After Xie Lingyun left, Zhang Chen turned back to continue focusing on upgrading his Qi Cultivation Technique. For him, enhancing its level increased his Magical Power capacity and sustainability, significantly improving his survival chances in the Spiritual World.
"Too bad the God-Beating Whip hasn’t been forged; otherwise, if I had its assistance, my methods within the Spiritual World would certainly reach a new level," Zhang Chen mused.
Zhang Chen’s eyes flicked to his Qi Cultivation Technique display on the Golden Finger interface:
[7 Skills (Entry-level): Qi Cultivation Twelfth Heaven (Perfection)]
[Note: Upgradeable (0/100000)]
"It only needs a hundred thousand points; this Golden Finger is quite fair, right? A mere hundred thousand points—I just need to grind for a while," Zhang Chen thought.
Zhang Chen returned to the Daoist Temple to continue grinding points.
The second realm of the Qi Cultivation Technique consists of two stages: Qi Circulation and Mystic Gate.
For Zhang Chen, neither stage was very clear, but that was okay. He had points, and as long as he grinded them up, he’d naturally understand all the intricacies within.
In just an hour, Zhang Chen accumulated a hundred thousand points. Then, he clicked the Golden Finger interface, and the Qi Cultivation entry on the interface transformed:
[7 Skills (First Stage): First Heaven (0/1000000)]
The second realm’s first heaven refers to Qi Circulation.
With Zhang Chen’s skill upgrade, the Magical Power in his Dantian began circulating through his body’s meridians. The power traversed every meridian, the Ren and Du channels, passing through the Upper Dantian, Middle Dantian, and Lower Dantian. Qi filled all meridians, and with each cycle, the speed of refining essence into Qi increased incrementally.
"Cultivating to Qi Circulation, my cultivation speed is now at least ten times faster. If I can find the Mystic Gate in my body and open it, will my cultivation speed improve further?" Zhang Chen wondered.
His eyes focused on the experience points; after Qi Circulation, a million points hung there—a tenfold increase.
"No way—a tenfold increase? Who can afford that? Is opening Mystic Gate so difficult?" Zhang Chen exclaimed inwardly.
It should be noted, upgrading the six-tier Invisibility Rune to a seventh-tier only required 1.6 million points. Yet that’s a six-tier skill, and Qi Cultivation is just one-tier. Is there a comparison?
"No wonder Qi Cultivation Technique is a Fundamental Technique. Although not offensive, it can seize the Creation of Heaven and Earth, the Xuanji of Ghost Gods, providing incredible ability enhancements," Zhang Chen felt surprised rather than frustrated. The harder Qi Cultivation was to cultivate, the more valuable it indicated.
Zhang Chen did not dawdle but turned to grind experience points.
A mere million experience points; Zhang Chen only needed a night to max them out.
As time progressed, Zhang Chen’s points filled again, reaching one million.
Then Zhang Chen pulled up the Golden Finger interface again:
[7 Skills (First Stage): Second Heaven (0/1000000)]
The second heaven refers to the Mystic Gate.
"Add points to upgrade!" Zhang Chen immediately maxed the points without a second thought.
As he added points, his Golden Finger interface flashed and shifted again:
[7 Skills (First Stage): Second Heaven (Perfection)]
With the Golden Finger’s transformation, Zhang Chen felt a thunderclap echo within his body. It was as if his body contained hazy illusions swirling, then a streak of lightning split the chaos, separating it into clarity and impurity. A light suddenly appeared within the chaos.