Chapter 22: Second Level of Qi Training

"This piece of ore... the manual says it's 'Moon Shadow Stone', but why does it feel almost the same as the 'Star Iron' next to it?" The voice of an apprentice next to him attracted his attention.

The apprentice rubbed his eyes, struggling to make out what was happening.

Benjamin used his mental power to silently scan the ore, and its elemental composition and energy properties immediately emerged in his mind.

"It is indeed Moon Shadow Stone, but it is of a lower grade, and is mixed with some iron ore."

After giving a casual hint, he skillfully picked up a common piece of ore, weighed it, and quickly sorted it into the corresponding box.

"Ah...thank you." The apprentice was a little dazed when he was prompted, but he quickly reacted and expressed his gratitude subconsciously.

"nothing."

Benjamin shook his head. After all, the process of identifying the ore would also help him become familiar with his current strength.

As the three truth runes, whose core patterns were all alchemical runes, settled in his mind, Jermyn could clearly feel that his soul and spirit were also affected, and a slight "evolution" was occurring almost every moment.

He became increasingly clear about the differences between various substances and energies. Even though he had not yet constructed alchemy in his mind, he could still analyze everything his fingers touched.

Although this information is disorganized now, with practice, Benjamin can clearly feel the changes in his mind.

He was sure that after the transformation was completed, even without deliberately learning it, the first witchcraft would be engraved in his spiritual sea: alchemy.

While he was busy, Victor also put on protective clothing and came to the few people with another apprentice.

Seeing several heavy boxes in front of Benjamin, a look of complacency appeared in his eyes.

Victor pointed to two piles of ore on the ground, his tone tinged with subtle pride. "I'll teach you once, remember this. Look, this pile of 'pyroxene' looks large, but each piece is lightweight and has a regular shape, making it easy to sort. That pile of 'spinel', while small, is large, with sharp edges that can prick your hands. Let's deal with this pile of pyroxene first. It'll be quick, so we can finish the settlement sooner. Then we can rest for a while before tackling the more troublesome pile."

His partner seemed not to have expected this, was stunned for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

Victor's lips curled up into an almost invisible smile, and he immediately began to sort the pyroxene quickly, his movements as swift as an assembly line worker.

Benjamin saw it all.

It can be seen that these wizard apprentices also lack points, and "smart people" like Victor have even begun to rely on bringing in new people to get commissions.

This is actually the difference between apprentices with a wizard background and those without. Although their talents and strengths may be similar, the difference in knowledge accumulated from childhood to adulthood cannot be made up in a day or two.

Benjamin continued his sorting silently, constantly accumulating knowledge, without saying much, and he didn't feel anything about Victor's ostentatious "display".

After all, Victor only has a slight advantage, but he has nothing to do with it at all.

…

…

The night is dark.

Benjamin finally completed the task. After leaving Warehouse No. 5, he still felt as if he was still stained with the dust from sorting ore and the pungent smell of plants.

But he had no time to go back to the dormitory to wash off the dust, nor did he have time to take a moment's rest. His heart was filled with urgency.

The points balance on the task board finally jumped to the number he urgently needed - five.

Five points are enough for him to open another "private room".

Without time to return to the alchemy workshop, Benjamin made an appointment for a laboratory on the magic network terminal next to the warehouse, and ran directly to the laboratory area of ​​the alchemy department next to it.

After the experience of "sorting" in Warehouse No. 5, the three runes of truth in his mind became more active, and his spiritual sea became restless.

The true energy in his body flowed wildly through his meridians like a ignited fire. Every beat seemed to remind him that a breakthrough was imminent and could not be delayed!

Benjamin felt that if it weren't for his amazing willpower, he would have collapsed long ago, but now he was on the verge of a breakthrough at any time.

He quickly activated his temporary laboratory, pushed open the door, and entered the small and simple isolated space.

The moment he closed the door, all the noise and troubles from the outside world were cut off, leaving only him and the power within him that was about to explode.

Without hesitation, Benjamin immediately sat cross-legged in the middle of the laboratory, took a deep breath, and immersed all his mind into his body.

The second level of Qi training.

This is actually not that critical in the immortal cultivation system. According to the Dao Book Pavilion, as long as one can cultivate to the first level of Qi training, no matter how mediocre the talent and resources are, with the help of time, one can at least reach the third level of Qi training.

After the breakthrough, the true essence will be more condensed, flow faster, and the nourishment to the body and mind will be greatly enhanced.

But at the same time, because there are no obstacles, it is extremely difficult to suppress the breakthrough after accumulating spiritual power.

"Now!"

He no longer suppressed it, allowing the huge torrent of true energy in his body to circulate rapidly.

The methods recorded in the Dao Book Pavilion flashed through his mind, guiding this violent power.

Boom——

The world inside my body seemed to have undergone a drastic change!

The meridians expand and become tough under the flushing of true energy, and the true energy lake in the dantian rotates and compresses rapidly, making a low roar.

Severe pain swept through his body, but Jieming's consciousness was unusually clear, and he accurately guided his true energy to complete the transformation along a specific trajectory.

The simple isolation array in the laboratory made a slight humming sound, resisting the sudden burst of energy fluctuations in Benjamin's body.

This process lasted for about half an hour. Sweat soaked Benjamin's clothes. His body trembled slightly and his face was extremely pale.

But as the last meridian was reshaped, a new, more powerful sense of power instantly spread throughout the body!

Second level of Qi training!

Done!

The true essence in the body is as solid as mercury, and the amount has more than doubled compared to the first level of Qi training.

In the meridians, the true energy flows like a rushing river, making a pleasant roaring sound.

The strength of the body slowly increased with the nourishment of the true essence, and the spiritual sea seemed to be injected with new vitality, becoming clearer and broader.

Jieming slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of exhaust gas with a black smell.

Although he was physically weak, he felt stronger and more clear-headed than ever before.

"That's great. The increased mental strength will probably allow me to carve another rune of truth."

After sensing the strength of his spiritual power within his spiritual sea, Benjamin smiled with satisfaction.

In this way, becoming a second-level wizard apprentice is just around the corner.

"Speaking of which, the cultivation methods of immortal cultivators and wizards are constantly improving."

Recalling the similarities between the two cultivation methods, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Although the "Basic Qi Training Method" that Jieming is currently practicing uses the relatively ancient principle of refining essence into Qi, according to the Dao Book Pavilion, it is indeed a relatively new method.

Although Jieming was not quite sure how the newness and oldness of the methods were calculated, both the Qigong method and the meditation method had a very obvious common feature - few bottlenecks.

The Qi training method only has bottlenecks when upgrading from the third level to the fourth level, from the sixth level to the seventh level, and from the ninth level to the foundation building level. In theory, the remaining levels can be slowly improved as long as enough time is spent.

The same goes for the wizard's meditation method. It's only troublesome when a third-level wizard apprentice is promoted to a formal wizard. Apart from that, there is no bottleneck at all in the three levels of wizard apprentices. As long as enough truth runes are engraved, they can be promoted.

"In theory, anyone can become a third-level wizard apprentice given enough time, but that's only theoretical."

The key point is "enough time".

It’s not so bad for Qigong practitioners. Even the most basic level of Qigong can integrate their own vitality, and it is not a problem for them to live to 160 years old without any illness or disaster.

Wizards are more troublesome. Although the elemental power strengthens the wizard's spirit and body, it also erodes his vitality.

If they are unable to become formal wizards, the lifespan of ordinary wizard apprentices can only reach 70 years.

Moreover, unlike Qigong practitioners who become stronger as they age, once a wizard apprentice passes his peak age, the aging of his physical body will lead to the weakening of his spiritual sea, causing him to become weaker as he grows older.

Of course, this problem will be completely solved after becoming a formal wizard. Because of the human body transformation technology that wizards are good at, they can even surpass the foundation-building monks in terms of lifespan.

"In general, although Qi Refiners have a longer lifespan, they face more bottlenecks and the requirements for advancement are more complex. Advancement for wizard apprentices is simpler, but... I'm afraid the difficulty of advancing from wizard apprentices to full wizards is much higher than imagined."

Shaking his head and no longer thinking about these questions, Benjamin stood up, feeling his body had returned to normal.

There was still a lot of time left in the laboratory, and Benjamin began to worry about how to make use of the next time.

Go take a look at the magic website?

But renting a laboratory costs the equivalent of five cubic meters of gold. Isn’t it a bit too extravagant to simply use it as an Internet cafe?

But other than that, there seems to be nothing else to do...

At this moment, the only window in the laboratory - a small window made of special material that could block outside prying eyes but allow light to pass through - reflected the first ray of soft light.

Dawn has arrived.

Benjamin stood there, looking at the gradually rising sunlight, and his body couldn't help but tremble!

(Because of Qidian's recommendation rules, I can't update too much during the new book period, but I will try to write each chapter a little longer. Also, please read and vote for me! These two are very important for new books!)

(End of this chapter)