Chapter 25

The fireflies outside the Small Study still flew around everywhere. The moon hung in the sky, it looked seemingly close and yet it was actually very far.

On a tranquil night like this, Lu Xun started to cultivate for the first time in this life.

As mentioned previously, if one didn’t rely on doing missions or killing monsters to obtain experience value, then instead, they could also earnestly cultivate by meditation to acquire experience value. Once their experience value was full, the individual could level up his or her cultivation technique.

Since Lu Xun currently had ‘perception: 1’, the amount of experience value acquired by relying on earnest cultivation would be relatively lesser, however, he still wanted to calm his mind to give it a try.

Because it was his first time doing so, he ought to experience it properly.

Just simply leveling up in a whoosh would be too quick, it was equivalent to instantly leveling up.

Being too fast wasn’t necessarily a good thing sometimes.

After closing both eyes, Lu Xun sat cross-legged on the bed and began his attempt to circulate a Heavenly Cycle.

He didn’t know that Cat Southnorth, who was living next door, was no longer laying down on the bed, she had instead instantly sat upright, her cat ears bolted straight upwards.

Inside the bamboo woods, the girl, who was like a Daoist nun was still sitting on the rock, had also tilted her head, looking towards the direction of the Small Study.

Since Sir and the other senior brothers weren’t home, the two senior sisters were naturally in charge of Little Junior Brother’s cultivation lessons.

The news of Lu Xun’s poor aptitude wasn’t a secret around here. However, the path of cultivation had its wondrous aspects, and many things couldn’t be clearly said.

‘Qi Devouring Formula’, its essential factor was clearly written in the name. That was to devour the heaven and earth’s spiritual qi.

Specifically speaking, it wasn’t only the Demon Sect, but this also included all the cultivation techniques of the heretical sects, all of which walked this path.

Due to Lu Xun’s poor aptitude, he would only be able to sense a thin amount of heaven and earth’s spiritual qi. This meant that the speed at which he absorbed it was also relatively slower.

However, because he was the kind of person who was more focused and calm when doing things, it would result in immense benefit.

Shortly, his body started to itch.

Well, since it was his first time doing something like this, being unskilled was also quite normal, what was so strange about a little itching?

Soon after, he started to feel a little pain.

Well… it was his first time, this kind of little pain was also understandable.

But then, the little pain instantly turned into acute pain!

“F*ck!” Lu Xun almost lost his state of mind, however, he quickly forced himself to calm down and continued to cultivate.

If he gave up halfway at this moment, there might be hidden injuries that could be left behind.

Thankfully, it was extremely unlikely to go as far as qi deviation. Only those with profound cultivation were qualified for possible qi deviation—newbies were undeserving of it.

However, there definitely wasn’t any benefit to it.

Later on, Lu Xun felt extreme pain to the point that he was a little absent-minded.

‘Why is it different from what’s written in the novels?!’ This was the only thought he had at this moment. 2

However, this seemed to make a lot more sense. If cultivating was truly as comfortable as getting a massage, then everyone would be doing it.

Who didn’t know how to enjoy the pleasures of life?

In reality, cultivating was truly painful and required great perseverance of both body and mind.

Many people were definitely talented for cultivation but weren’t determined enough to grow, as a result, they wouldn’t accomplish much.

Although Lu Xun could currently rely on his experience value to level up, he also wanted to see where exactly his limits lied for his first time. 1

Cultivating a cultivation technique one time was called a small Heavenly Cycle, and if it were cultivated ten times, then it would become a large Heavenly Cycle. Lu Xun wanted to see how far his determination could go.

Time passed by, after seconds and minutes—he was already drenched from head to toe.

Due to the severe pain he was experiencing, his body began to sweat crazily.

‘Enduring pain… getting used to pain… enjoying pain,’ this in and of itself was a process. 4

Lu Xun was perhaps actually exceptionally gifted. He had indistinctly achieved the level of ‘getting used to pain’.

A single small Heavenly Cycle, two small Heavenly Cycles, and three small Heavenly Cycles…

Ji Li was already stupefied from watching.

Even Cat Southnorth, who was observing next door, was shocked. The pupil in her cat eyes almost turned into an oval.

“I remembered the first time I cultivated… I wasn’t able to endure as much as he could!”

However, she thought about how he was a vicious person who quickly jumped off a cliff after knowing about the test, it seemed to feel like what he was currently achieving was within reason.

Although her Junior Brother looked extremely handsome, he seemed to love wrecking his own body.

After finally circulating a large Heavenly Cycle, it was almost daybreak.

Lu Xun opened both eyes and panted in large and heavy breaths, he felt that his entire body was almost unable to hold a single breath!

This f*cking newbie’s introduction cultivation technique, who named it ‘Qi Devouring Formula’? It would be better to rename it ‘Menstrual Pain’! 5

He gasped heavily as he looked towards Ji Li, the latter was constantly staring at him.

He too stared back, except it wasn’t directed at her, but at the series of numbers that popped up next to Ji Li:

‘Favorability +1… +1… +1…!’ 1

Lu Xun, “???”

‘What did I do now?’

He didn’t know that Cat Southnorth, who lived next door, had already acknowledged him on the inside, even the one who had just finished cultivating in the bamboo forest couldn’t help but nod her head.

“This Sir’s new disciple, our Little Junior Brother… he appears to be a little fierce!”

…

…

The next day after the sky was slightly bright, Ji Li got up and took her leave, she descended the mountain.

She was still an outer sect disciple now. There were morning classes these few days that she had to attend.

As for one-on-one mentoring… this wasn’t treatment that outer sect disciples could get. When she managed to advance into the inner sect, she would officially get her own master, the natural result to this was that her treatment would be a lot better.

Before going down the mountain, she looked deeply at Lu Xun. 2

After all, the Rear Mountain was still a restricted area for people like her, she wouldn’t have any reasons to ascend the mountain from now on. If Lu Xun didn’t purposely come to find her, she probably wouldn’t even see him for a year or more.

She couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss.

It was only until Lu Xun told her that he would visit her that she left happily, instinctively tipping her toes in excitement while walking. 1

After Lu Xun saw her off, he returned to his own room.

He opened his information panel and saw that the experience box was marked ‘686/100 (Can level up)’.

After painstakingly cultivating for an entire night and enduring a large Heavenly Cycle, or ten small Heavenly Cycles, it only gave twenty points of experience value!

‘This ‘Perception: 1′ is of no use as expected.’ Lu Xun sighed inwardly.

‘Heavenly Earth’ also hoped that players could do more missions, after all, following the prescribed order of cultivating was obviously not very useful.

Now, it was about time for him to level up.

Lu Xun didn’t think too much about it and directly tapped ‘level up’.

Unlike in the game, a golden ray would flash from the bottom of the feet and then soar straight into the sky.

These special effects upon leveling up were completely for the purpose of making players feel the pleasure of being cooler.

However, he genuinely felt the changes in his body and the increase in his power.

“As expected, leveling up and cultivating are a man’s romance!”

In the panel’s information, ‘Spirit Points’ was originally 0/0. Now, it has officially turned into 10/10.

Although the spirit power value, which was commonly referred to as the blue bar, was still pitifully short, the point was about incrementally making steady progress!

After studying the panel’s information for a good amount of time in the room, he was disrupted by the sound of his stomach crying out.

Most cultivators, not to mention his Second Senior Sister, could already abstain from eating food, but Lu Xun who had just set foot in the doors of cultivation was still far from obtaining this skill.

Of course, one had to mention that the desires of the mouth and tongue were very hard to give up, he too didn’t want to give it up either.

Our massive foodie empire could eat an invasive species to the point of relying on artificial cultivation to eat enough of it. The culinary skills that the great ancestors brought to great heights of development couldn’t be lost. 3

However, there was something he wasn’t aware of… was there anything in the Rear Mountain that was suitable for him to eat? 2

The sense of hunger rushed up his stomach again. After Lu Xun walked out of the Small Study, what came into his view was a massive stewed egg.

However, it didn’t look very appetizing at all.

The Demon Sect’s Sect Master was standing outside the door at this moment, he had clearly been waiting for a period of time.

“My respect to Little Uncle-Master.” Shen Yan paid obeisance.

At the same time, with his cultivation, with a single glance, he naturally saw the difference from before he met Lu Xun and now.

“The First layer of Qi Devouring Formula!” Shen Yan was somewhat surprised.

However, he also sensed that something was wrong.

…