93 The Race of Cultivation Base (1/2)
Isolation Training Space
Xu Miao didn't summon anyone to dual-cultivate today since he sensed the urgency of increasing his cultivation base as soon as possible.
Another big battle could happen soon, and he might have to be at the center of the conflicts.
Thus, Xu Miao decided to breakthrough tonight. Per the system's recommendation and the references from Xie Tian's various cultivation technique manuals, he chose to advance his cultivation base by merging more Qi strands into his bone marrow, just like how he broke through to the Bone Refinement Realm.
Xu Miao could sense the previous murky flow within his bloodstream. As if he had cholesterol issues, his blood kept getting clogged when Xu Miao was manipulating Qi strands into his bones.
10 hours later, 10,000 Qi strands became one with Xu Miao's bone marrow, but they were not enough.
'System, what's going on here?'
Confused, Xu Miao decided to rely on the untrustworthy system.
\u003c\u003cBreaking through to the next level requires merging at least 20,000 strands of Yin and Yang Qi into your bone marrow. You haven't injected enough Qi strands.\u003e\u003e
'I thought I only need 10,000 strands for both Qi types?'
\u003c\u003cLevel 2 requires 20,000 strands. Level 3 requires 30,000 strands. Level 4, 40,000 strands, and so on.\u003e\u003e
'Wait, won't level 10 requires 100,000 strands!?'
\u003c\u003cYes.\u003e\u003e
Sometimes, Xu Miao regretted relying on the system for advice.
Xu Miao had read Xie Tian's cultivation manuals, and the Dragon Bone Forging, which was a cultivation technique. It only required 10,000 dragon yang Qi to reach the 10th level. Unfortunately, the technique also required a dragon bloodline to cultivate since Xu Miao couldn't produce dragon Qi.
Ordinary cultivation techniques also required fewer Qi strands to breakthrough. A low-grade technique used only 100 to 1,000 strands per level. A medium-grade technique needed 1,000 strands to 2,000 strands, and a high-grade one never required more than 5,000 per level.
Yet, this system recommended 20,000 strands for level 2, and Xu Miao had to use more for a higher level. He doubted if this technique was worth the investment.
'Fine. I'll add 10,000 more strands!'
\u003c\u003cAlso, you cannot break through if you have impure Qi and blood in your bloodstream. Please purify them.\u003e\u003e
It explained a lot.
Since using the Body Cleansing technique required a long time to process, Xu Miao utilized the Qi Detonating technique instead. He stopped merging his Qi into his bones, so he could detonate a few strands to cleanse his blood vessels.
Regardless of how Vampiric Touch had corroded his blood, Xu Miao could just commit suicide and get rid of the bad blood.
…
10 hours later
\u003c\u003cCongratulations, you have reached level 2 of Bone Refinement Realm.\u003e\u003e
At long last, Xu Miao took one step further, which surpassed Xie Tian's current cultivation base by one level. After he cleansed his meridians and bloodstream, the advancement became easier.
But before Xu Miao could celebrate, the system gave him a brutal restriction.
\u003c\u003cYour current cultivation base is unstable. Your next breakthrough has been temporarily locked.\u003e\u003e
\u003c\u003cPlease defeat 1,000 clones in 200% difficulty mode. The clones have to be level 2 of the Bone Refinement Realm.\u003e\u003e
In other words, the system temporarily nerfed Xu Miao's cultivation speed until he could defeat 2nd-stage level 2 clones by himself, and he needed to defeat 1,000 of them.
”Oh, come on, system! Can't you let me power-leveling!?”
\u003c\u003cUnstable foundation leads to corruption and vulnerabilities. Please get used to your new strength and power before you advance to the next stages.\u003e\u003e
\u003c\u003cMoreover, you can practice various techniques while you're fighting against the clones. Please do not neglect skill training.\u003e\u003e
Xu Miao wanted to continue bickering and bargaining, so he could power-level to the level 10 within tonight. However, the system forced him to take it slow like protagonists in various novels.
In novels, most protagonists emphasized on a firm foundation over a high cultivation base. They always beat stronger cultivators with their absolute strength, which came from their solid foundation and experience.
And now, the system encouraged him to do the same.
At this point, Xu Miao had four goals that he had to achieve as soon as possible, but he was short on time. He had to balance between, increasing essence by dual-cultivating, completing tutorial quest number 9, mastering miscellaneous techniques, and increasing his cultivation base.
'Argh! 80 hours a night isn't enough! Should I rush one of them or should I balance them?'
Xu Miao had a dilemma. If he focused on one thing, he wouldn't have enough time to do other things. As such, he had the urge of sleeping all day and staying in this dimension as long as he could.
…
After Yao Lan warned Xu Miao about the potential crisis, the latter became a cultivation madman.
On daytime, he dual-cultivated with either Jiang Lan or Kang Yan. At night, he sparred with monstrous clones to get the 1,000 wins done while he gained experience in skill usage and combat. Averagely, he fought 500 to 600 opponents a night. The rest of the remaining time was spent practicing Dual-Flame, Vampiric Touch, and Goose Tongue techniques.
It took Xu Miao 3 nights to complete the 1,000 wins challenge since he lost many times during the sparring matches.
After getting through the hurdle while he was in the Isolation Space, he stopped fighting against clones and advanced to level 3 right away.
But after spending 30 hours merging Yin Qi and Yang Qi to reach level 3, the system imposed another nerf.
\u003c\u003cYour current cultivation base is unstable. Your next breakthrough has been temporarily locked.\u003e\u003e
\u003c\u003cPlease defeat 1,000 clones in 200% difficulty mode. The clones have to be level 3 of the Bone Refinement Realm.\u003e\u003e
Xu Miao could see the pattern. From now on, his cultivation lifestyle would revolve around practicing skills, dual-cultivating, sparring, and advancing to the next rank whenever he could.
The transmigrator hadn't forgotten his primary objective. Every day, he prayed that Xu Xiuying or anyone could kill Xie Tian or cripple him, so these stupid tutorial quests could end. Unfortunately, his prayers were in vain.
The peaceful days lasted only a week before someone interrupted his slow life.
Qi Hong returned. She barged into Xu Miao's room to relay Xu Xiuying's order.
”Young master Xu, your mother and Wei Huang have settled the wedding date. You will marry Wei Yuan next week… Err, WTF!?”
Qi Hong paused as she was stunned by the scene in front of her. Currently, Xu Miao was having a 3P with Jiang Lan and Kang Yan. One of them was sitting on his face while the other was riding him.
This kind of play was uncommon among the dual-cultivators in the brothel. Most of the time, it was common sex or many-men-VS-one-girl scenario. This was the first time that Qi Hong witnessed an FFM threesome scene.
”Can you stop for a moment, so you can pay attention?”