’Heart Fire... I failed again.’
Inside the training room, Xu Wuyi slowly opened his eyes and sighed to himself.
No matter how many tis he tried to circulate his Qi and Blood and concentrate his Spirit according to the Technique, the so-called "Heart Fire" remained elusive, impossible to truly ignite.
He felt as if an invisible mbrane separated his Spirit from his Qi and Blood.
He could sense them both, yet they could never rge perfectly to reach the critical point of "Intention and Qi Integration" and ignite the Heart Fire.
Xu Wuyi exhaled a long, turbid breath tinged with heat, his brow furrowed in thought.
He walked over to the side, sat down, and drank a Nutrient Liquid to replenish his energy.
His gaze swept over the light screen in the training room that displayed the date: August 28th.
There were only three days left until the deadline for the "Freshman Challenge."
He wasn’t paying attention to the leaderboards. The other students’ ranks were none of his concern. All he wanted was to grow stronger and defeat those two Double-Bladed Mantises.
Although he had now mastered the Eighteen Forms of Pile Skills, with each form enhancing the power of Furnace Fla and lting Furnace Boiling Blood, his odds of defeating the two mantises were still low.
Mastering Heart Fire was crucial.
’I can’t keep fumbling around in the dark like this.’ Xu Wuyi realized that if he relied solely on his own arduous training, his chances of breaking through the Heart Fire bottleneck in three days were slim.
He needed outside help.
"Anna," Xu Wuyi said, speaking into the air.
Soft blue light converged, and the virtual projection of the AI, Anna, quietly materialized.
"Xu Wuyi, how may I help you?"
"I’ve reached the Entry Level bottleneck in my cultivation of Hundred Refinents lting Furnace and I’m stuck on refining the Secret Technique, Heart Fire. Based on my points and campus privileges, please recomnd resources that can help ignite it."
Xu Wuyi stated his needs concisely.
"Command received. Searching the resource database for your request..."
Streams of data flickered across Anna’s eyes. A mont later, a holographic screen materialized in front of Xu Wuyi, listing the details for three different resources.
Calming Incense: A C-level resource made from materials such as the Ningshen Flower and Clear Heart Grass. When lit, it helps a Martial Artist calm their mind, concentrate their Spirit, and slightly improve their comprehension. Exchange price: 25 points per stick.
Blood Essence Crystal (Fragnt): A B Level resource containing pure Qi and Blood Energy and a faint life essence. Can be directly absorbed to significantly purify one’s Qi and Blood and strengthen their foundation. Note: The Energy is volatile and must be refined with caution. Exchange price: 200 points per piece.
Earth Fire Lotus Seed: A B-level resource that grows in the fiery vents of earth veins. It contains pure Fire Attribute Energy and a trace of the Earth’s vitality. It has a powerful supportive effect on Body Refining Techniques, helps harmonize Qi and Blood, nourishes the Spirit, and has a chance of helping to ignite Secret Techniques like "Heart Fire" and "True Fla." Exchange price: 120 points per seed.
...
Xu Wuyi’s eyes quickly scanned the list.
The Calming Incense had a mild, non-specific effect that temporarily boosted comprehension, and it was the cheapest option.
The Blood Essence Crystal primarily boosted Qi and Blood, directly strengthening one’s foundation. It had the most comprehensive effect, but it was also expensive.
The Earth Fire Lotus Seed, however, was the most targeted option. Its price was moderate, making it the most suitable choice for him at the mont.
"The Earth Fire Lotus Seed." Xu Wuyi read the description. ’This is the one!’
It was a gamble.
If the Earth Fire Lotus Seed could help him ignite his Heart Fire, then the points would be well spent. If it failed, it would be less cost-effective than just exchanging for the Blood Essence Crystal.
With little hesitation, Xu Wuyi made his decision.
"Exchange for the Earth Fire Lotus Seed."
"Command confird. Deducting 120 points. Your current balance is 180 points." Anna’s voice was as calm as ever.
A mont later, an exquisite Jade Box slid out from the training room’s supply chute.
Xu Wuyi opened the lid, and a warm, gentle energy washed over him, dispelling the slight fatigue from his training.
In the center of the Jade Box lay a crimson lotus seed the size of a longan. Its surface was covered in natural, fla-like patterns, and it was warm to the touch, as if life were flowing within it.
’This is it.’ Xu Wuyi took a deep breath, closed the Jade Box, and headed straight for the ditation Room.
He needed an absolutely quiet environnt to refine this precious lotus seed.
The ditation Room was pitch-black and silent.
Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged on a cushion. After adjusting himself to his peak state, he carefully took out the Earth Fire Lotus Seed and placed it in his mouth.
The lotus seed lted the mont it entered his mouth. A powerful current of heat instantly surged down his throat before exploding outwards, spreading through his limbs and into every corner of his body.
This current of heat was different from the scorching, violent Qi and Blood produced by Hundred Refinents lting Furnace. It was more llow and pure, like a fla of life that had been nurtured in the depths of the Earth for millennia.
Wherever the current passed, his surging Qi and Blood seed to be soothed by an invisible hand, growing more and more refined.
At the sa ti, a warm sensation rose up and nourished his sea of consciousness. The ntal fatigue from his repeated attempts to refine Heart Fire was swept away, and his thoughts beca exceptionally clear.
Xu Wuyi dared not delay. He imdiately followed the refining Technique for Heart Fire recorded in Hundred Refinents lting Furnace and began to guide the pure Energy from the Earth Fire Lotus Seed.
He cast aside all distracting thoughts, his Spirit completely focused, as he once again tried to rge the strand of condensed Spiritual Will with the purified, scorching Qi and Blood within his body.
This ti, the obstructive mbrane felt thinner.
Under the diating influence of the Earth Fire Lotus Seed’s Energy, his Spiritual Will and Qi and Blood Power were no longer as distinct as before, but slowly began to blend together.
Ti passed in a state of absolute focus.
He didn’t know how much ti had passed, but Xu Wuyi felt his Spirit transform into an invisible drill, with the Qi and Blood in his body acting as its kindling.
Catalyzed by the llow Energy of the Earth Fire Lotus Seed, the drill and the kindling smashed together at an absolute tipping point—
HUMMM!
A faint hum, audible only to him, resounded in the depths of his sea of consciousness.
The next mont, a spark of pure, crimson-gold fire suddenly ignited at the very core of the Qi and Blood in his Dantian!
The spark was so minuscule it seed as if it could be extinguished at any mont, yet the instant it appeared, it radiated an indescribable "Divine Charm."
Xu Wuyi felt as if his Spirit had found an anchor, forging a truly inseparable connection with the surging Qi and Blood inside him.
’Heart Fire... I did it!’
He snapped his eyes open, and for an instant, it was as if two bolts of lightning flashed through the pitch-black ditation Room.
He slowly raised his right hand. With a flicker of his will, a wisp of crimson-gold light flashed at his fingertip and then vanished.
There was no powerful fluctuation of Energy, but Xu Wuyi could clearly feel that this wisp of light contained more than just scorching Qi and Blood Power; it also carried a trace of his own condensed Spiritual Will.
If used in an attack, its effect would be far beyond what his previous, pure Qi and Blood Power could ever achieve.
"I finally... succeeded."
’So this is what it feels like for one’s will to influence reality?’
Xu Wuyi let out a long sigh, and a smile of profound relief spread across his face.
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