“Kunlun Martial University’s document?” Li Yuan clicked to accept it without hesitation.
It was a brief guide for cultivation sent by Fan Jin.
Li Yuan began to read.
“Ding~” A message notification buzzed; it was a video call from Teacher Fan Jin.
Without delay, Li Yuan picked up.
Buzz~ The video call connected.
“Teacher Fan,” Li Yuan smiled as he looked at the old man in pajamas on the screen.
“It’s quite late, hope I’m not disturbing your rest,” Fan Jin chuckled.
“No, not at all.”
“Good, you should have received the document,” Fan Jin said with a smile. “Ideally, this cultivation guide would have been given to you after your college entrance exam.”
“But I just received news from the Starfire Martial Hall that your physical constitution has reached level 9.5?”
Li Yuan remained calm on the surface, though his heart sank slightly.
He realized that during the sparring session today, he got a bit too excited and didn't hide his strength effectively.
There was a high probability that Fang Longhu had reported his situation while resigning from accompanying him.
Li Yuan wasn’t surprised that Fang Longhu would mention it to the higher-ups at the Starfire Martial Hall.
With his contractual level, it was certain they would closely monitor his progress.
However, he didn’t expect that only two hours later, Kunlun Martial University would already know.
At that moment, Li Yuan could only chuckle.
“Don’t worry,” Teacher Fan reassured him with a smile. “Since you signed contracts with us at Kunlun Martial University and Starfire Martial Hall, and your contract levels are quite high, we naturally establish communication to know about your situation as quickly as possible, allowing us to adjust your training plan in a timely manner.”
“Thank you for your concern, Teacher,” Li Yuan replied with a grin. “I just broke through my skills the day before the invitation event. I’m not sure why, but over the past week, after using the Essence Power Pill, my physical constitution has improved rapidly. Right now, it should be around 9.3, not 9.5.”
If he said it was 9.5, it would sound too exaggerated.
The strength between 9.5 and 9.3 didn’t differ much.
“9.3?” Fan Jin was also surprised. “A week ago, you were only at level 8.9, right? Could it be that your actual measurement wasn’t very accurate?”
Li Yuan smiled but remained silent.
“It seems that Dean Li was right. You have an extremely high talent for martial arts, but you lacked techniques. Your progress surpassed those who practiced advanced cultivation methods... Hmm, back then, you had just entered the fourth stage and could dig deeper into your physical strength… a jump of 0.4 levels isn’t surprising,” Fan Jin nodded thoughtfully, his gaze towards Li Yuan shifting a bit. “That’s great! Truly great!”
Li Yuan didn’t feel the need to explain further; Fan Jin had already pieced things together in his mind.
After all, such instances weren’t unfamiliar in the history of martial arts.
“9.3 is quite good,” Fan Jin remarked. “Li Yuan, you need to understand that improving your physical constitution will be very different from most students; it will heavily rely on external resources.”
“I understand, teacher,” Li Yuan replied.
Unlike others who could absorb cosmic source power through advanced cultivation methods, he could not.
“Before you reach level 9.5, consuming Basic Vital Blood Elixirs and ordinary Essence Power Pills will meet your body’s evolutionary needs,” Fan Jin continued. “But as your body becomes stronger, the energy consumption will rise.”
“Just relying on these, once you exceed level 9.5, your body’s evolution speed will gradually decline and may even completely stop.”
Li Yuan nodded gently.
In truth, he already felt this way once his physical constitution surpassed level 8.0.
“My suggestion is to integrate the cultivation guidance in the document,” Fan Jin advised. “Start trying the first-tier Vital Blood Elixir and pair it with using the Body Cleansing Essence and Essence Power Pills.”
“What is the Body Cleansing Essence?” Li Yuan asked curiously.
The first two items he understood.
“It’s specially developed for those like you without a foundational cultivation technique,” Fan Jin explained. “Any medicine or pill contains impurities.”
“For regular martial artists practicing techniques, they consume fewer external resources, which doesn’t burden their bodies too much.”
“But you, on the other hand, won’t fare the same.”
“The Body Cleansing Essence can continuously wash away the impurities from your body. In doing so, as long as your body can absorb source power and the Vital Blood Elixirs, you can improve at an almost maximum speed,” Fan Jin elaborated. “Back in the day, the first generation of martial artists relied on the original Body Cleansing Essence to grit through and raise their physical constitution to level 19.”
Understanding dawned on Li Yuan.
“Nowadays, fewer people use the Body Cleansing Essence, but you should be able to search for it in the Starfire Space,” Fan Jin said. “Follow the proportion for usage as outlined in the cultivation guidance document.”
“Try it once.”
“If your body can withstand the pain from the Body Cleansing Essence…”
“Then continue; if you can’t endure it, revert to your old cultivation plan,” Fan Jin smiled, clearly anticipating. “Let’s aim for you to raise your physical constitution to level 10.0 or even higher by August.”
“At the end of July, the school will organize combat evaluations. Although you’ve passed the practical assessments, you can still apply again. Then, the top hundred out of two thousand freshmen will receive cash rewards,” Fan Jin continued with a grin. “The top ten will receive a reward of 3 million Blue Star Coins.”
He certainly knew how to entice his students with promises.
“Understood,” Li Yuan replied earnestly.
He ended the call.
“Combat evaluations? End of July?” Excitement filled his eyes.
Previously, Li Yuan had been pondering where to find opportunities for practical assessments.
He wanted to raise his spiritual awakening level to above 20%, hoping to gain another chance for guidance.
Going to the battlefield with his current strength would be too dangerous; the Starfire Martial Hall and school wouldn’t allow him.
But unexpectedly, opportunities were right before him.
“End of July? Four months left?” Li Yuan mused. “Top ten, and there’s an additional reward of 3 million Blue Star Coins?”
That was quite a generous reward.
“Let’s do our best.”
“Just as Teacher Fan said, strive to become a true first-tier martial artist,” Li Yuan thought determinedly.
Kunlun Martial University was subtly regarded as the best martial university in Xia Country, enrolling two thousand students each year, all selected from across the nation’s elites.
But.
“My goal is to be number one!” Ambition surged within Li Yuan.
The top ten reward was 3 million Blue Star Coins.
What about first place? Wouldn’t it be even higher?
“The Body Cleansing Essence is painful? I’ll see just how painful it is!”
……
Entering the virtual network, in the Starfire Space.
“Master, I’m here…” the girl in purple was about to speak.
“Silence.” Li Yuan interrupted directly. “I want all the information about the Body Cleansing Essence, including purchase prices and permission requirements.”
“Got it, Master,” the girl in purple replied cheerfully.
Buzz~
A glowing screen appeared in front of Li Yuan, revealing a plethora of information.
“So that’s how it is,” Li Yuan realized.
Afterward, he opened the cultivation guidance document again and reached a conclusion: “If I follow the new plan, and if my body can endure it, my evolution speed can increase by 50%-100% before reaching level 12.”
The exact increase varied from person to person.
As for after level 12? If he stuck to the original plan, raising his physical constitution past level 12 would be incredibly challenging.
“One step forward, every step follows.”
“Currently, I don’t have any high-level cultivation methods, so I must seize every opportunity.” Li Yuan resolved. “I will adopt the new cultivation plan.”
This plan had many advantages.
But it had one major drawback—money!
In the past six months, Li Yuan had been spending about 220,000 Blue Star Coins per month on training resources.
But with the new plan…
“A first-tier Vital Blood Elixir costs 10,000 Blue Star Coins for one bottle; I’ll need at least 20 bottles a month.” Li Yuan thought. “Plus, I need three Essence Power Pills monthly.”
“And to pair with the Body Cleansing Essence, I’ll need three portions a month, each costing 200,000 Blue Star Coins.”
That amounts to at least 1.1 million Blue Star Coins every month!!
The martial arts path has always been a gold sink.
In this cultivation plan, the Body Cleansing Essence was the core; without it, Li Yuan couldn’t possibly digest so many Vital Blood Elixirs and Essence Power Pills.
Having the money would be pointless if he couldn’t spend it effectively.
“Xiaoyu, order one portion of the Body Cleansing Essence according to the new cultivation plan,” Li Yuan instructed. “Make sure it’s delivered to my address at the Martial Hall tomorrow.”
“Master, just a reminder.” The girl in purple said, “Using the Body Cleansing Essence is extremely painful, and if your body is too weak or your willpower isn’t strong enough, it can be hard to withstand.”
“According to the advice, it’s best to wait until you reach level 10.0 before trying.”
“Right away,” she replied.
“Yes!”
A moment later, ding~ Li Yuan received a reminder that 200,000 Blue Star Coins had been deducted from his account.
“Use points instead!” Li Yuan couldn’t help exclaiming.
“Master, for new items, the platform defaults to using Blue Star Coins for first-time purchases...” The girl in purple’s voice trailed off.
“Couldn’t you have asked me first?”
“You told me to handle it immediately!” The girl in purple retorted confidently.
……
The next afternoon.
Li Yuan informed Teacher Xu Bo he would be absent and went directly to the Martial Hall.
Xu Bo readily agreed.
He had been giving Li Yuan freedom in his training; even regular martial arts classes were considered optional for him.
Most martial arts teachers in high schools only have skills rated at ‘third stage’ level.
In terms of skill level, Li Yuan was already on par with Xu Bo.
At the Starfire Guanshan Branch Hall, Room 7024.
“Body Cleansing Essence.” Li Yuan carefully opened the box, revealing a transparent vial filled with a flowing green liquid, resembling jade.
It gleamed softly, exuding an air of purity and perfection.
“Truly beautiful,” Li Yuan mused. “According to the instructions, this can’t be ingested; it must be applied all over the body?”
Hand application? That felt too archaic!
Li Yuan held the vial and walked into the treatment room, placing it gently on the ‘full-body therapy device’ shelf.
Due to practicing the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra, he had rarely used the therapy room before.
“Xiaoyu.”
“Activate the full-body application standing mode for the Body Cleansing Essence, applying it slowly all over,” Li Yuan commanded directly. “Authorize.”
“Understood.” A soft voice echoed in the room.
Li Yuan stripped off all his clothes and stepped into the therapy device, waiting quietly.
Buzz~ The vial of Body Cleansing Essence was opened by the machine, and soon after, Li Yuan saw needles being inserted, quickly drawing out the entire green liquid.
Not a drop remained.
Seconds later!
Buzz~ Buzz~ Pairs of simulated hands from the ‘application device’ began to slowly coat Li Yuan’s body with the green liquid.
The application device was designed to simulate human touch, warming slightly and feeling quite comfortable, but soon Li Yuan felt a mild warmth radiating from his back.
“Body Cleansing Essence? Just as the instructions said, it takes effect quickly,” Li Yuan thought.
In quick succession, he felt strange forces permeating through the application sites into his body, followed by pain surging through his limbs and bones.
Pain! It felt as if needles were stabbing deeply into his fingertips.
Itched! Much more intensely than someone rubbing his soles.
Ached! Like after sitting for too long, and suddenly someone shook his legs violently.
With these three overlapping sensations, every second was undoubtedly a nightmare for an ordinary person.
He even felt like he wanted to give up on life.
“Is this it?” Li Yuan frowned. Although it was uncomfortable, he could still tolerate it.
Every day, he practiced the Great Sun Starry Sky Sutra, and compared to the mental torment from that, this felt much milder.
Suddenly.
The application device brushed against a unique spot at the center of his body.
It was done with extreme care.
Seconds later.
“What the heck!” Li Yuan’s eyes widened as he could no longer hold back his exclamation.
……
Two hours later, night had fallen.
As the medicinal effects of the Body Cleansing Essence waned, Li Yuan finally returned to full awareness.
“That was indeed a bit grueling,” he thought quietly, glancing at his robust physique.
To the naked eye, there were some impurities on his skin’s surface that hadn’t been there previously.
“Cleansing the marrow? This feels like it’s cleaning out the pores,” Li Yuan muttered to himself.
However.
His eyes swept over the Divine Palace Panel; his life level hadn’t changed.
But he truly felt lighter and more energetic.
After a quick shower, Li Yuan noticed his skin seemed to have become smoother and fairer.
“Let me take an Essence Power Pill and try it out.”
Ten minutes later.
After taking the Essence Power Pill, Li Yuan began practicing his Basic Cultivation Method. He felt waves of hot energy flow from his chest, swiftly coursing throughout his body.
He was devouring the energy, gradually becoming stronger.
“Indeed effective,” a glimmer of light flashed in Li Yuan’s eyes. “I had just taken an Essence Power Pill ten days ago, so under normal circumstances, absorbing another should be tough, with much of its efficacy wasted, and my body would feel uncomfortable.”
“But now? It feels like it’s been a month since I last took one.”
Without hesitating, Li Yuan placed an order, scheduling a month’s worth of training resources according to his cultivation needs.
……
“Body Cleansing Essence?”
“Li Yuan, can he really endure such torment?” Wan Qinghe soon learned of Li Yuan’s order for Body Cleansing Essence.
“That willpower! It’s quite terrifying.”
……
With the implementation of his new cultivation plan, Li Yuan, whose body’s evolutionary speed had originally started to lag, now found it accelerating even faster than before.
Time flowed like water, day by day, and in a blink, it was April 10th.
The April assessment for third-year students in Jiang City was approaching as scheduled.
(End of Chapter)