Unfortunately, Qin Lu’s grandiose dreams of wealth were quickly dashed.

Feng Xi’s first attempt at refining the [Fasting Pill] ended in disaster. The medicinal liquid destabilized, spilling out of the furnace as useless slag.

Staring at the ruined mess, Feng Xi hung her head, her face pale with dejection. “Master… I am sorry. I wasted these materials.”

Seeing her sweaty, flustered state, Qin Lu quickly reassured her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Failing at alchemy is very normal. Don’t worry about it.”

“Master, I feel like… I just can’t refine this pill right now.”

Qin Lu paused. “Why?”

“My spiritual energy reserves are too low, and my control isn’t steady enough,” Feng Xi whispered. “I think I need to advance my cultivation realm before I can succeed with this recipe.”

Qin Lu slapped his forehead, a look of realization dawning on his face.

“Right, right, I almost forgot. Alchemy has minimum Qi requirements. Generally, one needs to be at the third level of Qi Refining to handle standard pills. You’re still only at the first level; failure is completely normal!”

He waved a hand dismissively. “Since that’s the case, we’ll wait until you reach the third level before firing up the furnace again.”

Hearing this, Feng Xi immediately looked up, her eyes brightening. “Mhm!”

“Speaking of which, how is your cultivation coming along? Do you feel the threshold of the next level approaching?” Qin Lu asked.

Feng Xi had stepped onto the path of immortality in mid-May. Half a year had passed, and she remained at the first level of Qi Refining.

In that same timeframe, Qin Lu had rocketed from the second level to the seventh.

By comparison, Feng Xi seemed agonizingly slow. In reality, however, her pace was standard for the cultivation world. Not everyone possessed a cheat-like attribute panel.

“I feel like I’m improving really fast!” Feng Xi said excitedly. “My spiritual energy is over seventy percent full. I should be able to break through in less than three months!”

“That’s good progress.” Qin Lu nodded. With a flip of his wrist, a small jade box appeared in his palm. “These are [Qi Gathering Pills]. Take one when you meditate; it will accelerate your accumulation.”

Feng Xi was overjoyed and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Master!”

Qin Lu nodded with satisfaction. Investing in his assets was never a waste.

The next day.

As usual, Qin Lu left the residence precisely on time, heading out of the market.

He walked with practiced ease into the wilderness until the buildings were out of sight. Then, he summoned the [Flying Cloud Paper] and soared toward the west.

His spells had leveled up successively, and their power had grown too destructive for backyard practice. He needed the deep forest.

More importantly, he was currently researching how to fuse his spellcasting with his swordsmanship. The life-and-death struggle at the Dragon Tiger Sect had exposed several flaws in his combat style.

He might be a mediocre alchemist without the system, but when it came to fighting, his intuition was sharp. In less than two months, he had developed and mastered several combat techniques, significantly boosting his lethality.

Soon, Qin Lu arrived at a secluded stretch of old-growth forest. It was far enough from the East Head Ridge that he didn’t need to worry about powerful demon beasts.

Touching down, Qin Lu began his daily regimen.

First came the spell rotation.

Now that he was at the ninth level of Qi Refining, his spiritual energy reserves were vast. He could cast minor spells over a hundred times without exhaustion. This endless repetition allowed his proficiency to skyrocket.

Currently, apart from the recently learned [Ice Qi Technique], [Lightning Strike Technique], and [Breath Concealment Mantra], every single one of his basic spells had reached the “Legend” rank.

At the Legend rank, these low-level spells underwent a qualitative evolution.

First was the [Illumination Technique].

It was no longer a simple flashlight. When Qin Lu raised his hand, a miniature sun erupted. The intense white light covered a radius of over a hundred feet, blinding and scorching anyone caught within. At night, the effect was blindingly absolute.

Crucially, the spell now distinguished friend from foe. Standing in the epicenter, Qin Lu could keep his eyes open without issue.

If he channeled full power, the photonic pressure could ignite the surrounding foliage, turning the area into a sea of fire. It had effectively become an AoE offensive spell.

Next was the [Spirit Shield Technique].

The Qi shield was no longer a static, spherical bubble. It had become dynamic. He could manifest walls of hardened air anywhere within range, meaning he could shield teammates remotely.

At full output, he could generate a barrier thirteen feet high and wide. The density was terrifying; even a direct slash from his own [Seven Star Sword] would take time to chew through it.

Then there was the [Heavenly Eye Technique].

The detection radius had expanded to nearly a thousand feet. More interestingly, it had gained a new function: Spiritual Root analysis.

For the first time, Qin Lu saw his own aptitude clearly.

He possessed four spiritual roots—Gold, Wood, Water, and Earth. He was missing Fire.

In the cultivation world, having four or five roots was considered “Pseudo-Spiritual Roots”—impure and slow. True geniuses had one or two.

He had scanned others in the market, finding most were three or four-root talents. He had seen a few dual-root geniuses and rare variants like Ice or Lightning, but never a Grandmaster Heavenly Spiritual Root.

Ironically, despite lacking a Fire root, his Fire spells were potent thanks to the system. It proved that talent bottlenecks meant nothing to him.

Next was the [Disguise Technique].

At Legend rank, the transformation was instant. The shocking upgrade, however, was the ability to mimic animals.

As long as the mass was similar, he could shift into a beast with vivid, lifelike realism. It was the ultimate stealth tool. However, the psychological dissonance of walking on four legs repulsed him, so he rarely used it.

The [Object Control Technique] had also reached Legend.

His telekinetic precision was now surgical. He could achieve a form of “flight” by standing on his [Seven Star Sword] and levitating it.

It wasn’t true sword flight—it lacked the speed arrays and wind-breaking enchantments of a real flying artifact—but it worked. He could also levitate his own robes to arrest a fall, ensuring he would never plummet to his death.

But the skill that excited him most was the [Cutting Technique].

At Legend rank, the spell’s form became mutable: Hard or Soft.

In “Hard” mode, it projected a razor-thin line of force over six hundred feet into the sky, severing everything in its path like a laser.

In “Soft” mode, it manifested as a nebulous, water-like vapor. Wrapped around a fist, it turned a punch into a blade.

Qin Lu had discovered that this “Soft” Qi could coat the [Seven Star Sword].

It acted like a high-frequency enchantment, drastically increasing the blade’s sharpness. Most importantly, it allowed him to project the cutting force.

Qin Lu drew the [Seven Star Sword]. With a thought, he coated the blade in the shimmering vapor of the [Cutting Technique].

He swung.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

The vapor solidified into a crescent of Sword Qi, tearing through the air.

Trees sheared in half as the wave of force slammed into a distant cliff face.

BOOM!

Rock shattered and dust billowed. The strike gouged a deep, terrifying trench into the solid granite of the mountain.

“Finally,” Qin Lu murmured. “Ranged lethality.”

As for his three new spells—[Ice Qi], [Lightning Strike], and [Breath Concealment]—they were still at the Novice level.

The Ice Qi created a thin frost, merely slowing enemies. The Lightning was a thin, weak bolt. The Concealment was easily pierced by anyone with a decent sensory technique.

Qin Lu sheathed his sword. He had a lot of grinding to do to bring them up to par.