Martial Saint with Passives

She paused, as if she wanted to say more, but in the end, she only said, "If you run into any trouble with your Cultivation, you can come ask me. Of course, if you’d rather not, that’s up to you."

Without waiting for Jiang Che to respond, she turned and left.

Jiang Che calmly said to her back, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister Yun."

Jiang Che had still chosen to politely decline her kind offer.

He was used to being on his own, and even more accustomed to figuring things out for himself.

...

...

...

In the days after the Cloud Tier Inquiry Conference, Jiang Che poured all his energy into Cultivation.

He currently had two clear goals:

First, to break through to the Bone Forging Realm as quickly as possible.

This wasn’t just to increase his strength; it was also a necessary requirement to enter Cloud Mist Ridge and harvest Withered Soul Grass.

Without the power of the Bone Forging Realm, even with money, there was no guarantee anyone would be willing to sell him a precious spot to accompany them.

Second, after reaching the Bone Forging Realm, he would be eligible to compete for the position of a Sect Steward.

If he could become a Steward, the annual stipend and Cultivation Resources provided by the Sect would greatly alleviate his resource anxiety. This was the only long-term solution.

Although he had earned over twenty thousand taels of gold from his recent venture—a seemingly massive fortune—Jiang Che knew full well that as his Realm rose, the resources he needed would only grow more precious and immense.

This bit of gold likely wouldn’t last long on the grand path of Cultivation.

However, after two months of cultivating in seclusion, his progress left Jiang Che feeling incredibly frustrated.

Without Withered Soul Grass to help him use Dissipating Skill to generate Qi Blood, relying solely on absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and using resources to accumulate Qi Force was painfully slow, like a snail crawling.

’This can’t go on!’

Jiang Che rubbed his brow in frustration. ’Cultivating at this turtle’s pace, I might not even touch the threshold of Bone Forging in another three years!’

This mediocre Root Bone of mine has too great an impact on Cultivation. No wonder my master, Xu Qingshan, never thought much of my prospects.

If not for his overpowered ’golden finger’—the Skill Proficiency Panel—he would have long since faded into obscurity.

’Do I really have to just wait for Cloud Mist Ridge to open?’ Jiang Che was not willing to accept that.

Suddenly, he recalled the Cultivation Rooms that his Eldest Senior Brother, Xiao Mingqian, had once mentioned.

’That’s right, the Cultivation Rooms! I heard the environment inside can greatly increase one’s Cultivation speed, with effects comparable to taking a Top-Grade Elixir... I was able to use Dissipating Skill before, so I didn’t pay it much mind, but now it might be worth a try.’

Deciding to give it a try, Jiang Che went to the Sect’s Cultivation Room area.

The person on duty was an old Daoist with a white beard and hair, and a serene presence.

Jiang Che handed over his Inner Courtyard Disciple Identity Token.

The old Daoist took it, confirmed it was valid, and then slowly began to explain:

"The Cultivation Rooms are divided into four tiers: A, B, C, and D. Above them is the Spirit Level, but only the Sect Leader, the deans and Elders of each courtyard, and the champion of the annual grand competition are qualified to use those, and only for a limited time. As for the Level A Cultivation Rooms, Force Integration Disciples aren’t qualified to enter. Disciples in the Bone Forging Realm who want to get in must first accumulate thirty points from the Cloud Tier Inquiry Conference, and then pay fifty taels of gold per hour."

The old Daoist paused, then explained, "At the Cloud Tier Inquiry Conference, a Bone Forging Realm disciple earns ten points for a win. Placing in the top ten grants bonus points: one hundred for first place, fifty for second, thirty for third, twenty for fourth and fifth, and ten for sixth through tenth. These points have many uses; the Cultivation Rooms are just one of them." He didn’t elaborate on the other uses.

"As for disciples in the Refining Organ Realm, they don’t need points. They can enter the A-level rooms directly. It’s forty taels of gold an hour, a bit cheaper than for the Bone Forging Realm."

"Next are the B-level Cultivation Rooms," the old Daoist said, pointing to the side. "All disciples can enter, but the price is based on their Realm. For Force Integration Disciples, it’s fifty taels of gold per hour; for the Bone Forging Realm, forty taels; and for the Refining Organ Realm, thirty taels."

"C-level is a bit cheaper: forty for Force Integration, thirty for Bone Forging, twenty for Refining Organ."

"D-level is the most affordable. It’s twenty taels of gold an hour for Force Integration Disciples, ten taels for the Bone Forging Realm, and disciples in the Refining Organ Realm can use them for free."

Jiang Che did some mental math and decided to first experience the effects of a B-level Cultivation Room.

He then took out fifty taels of gold and handed them over.

The old Daoist took the gold and, with a chuckle, opened a Stone Door for him.

As he stepped into the B-level Cultivation Room, a gentle and refreshing energy washed over him.

The walls and floor of the room were inlaid with a type of lustrous white jade called "Snow Crystal," which emitted a soft halo of light.

Jiang Che sat cross-legged and immediately felt a pleasant warmth in his Dantian. It was as if a pure, gentle energy floated in the air, actively seeping into his body in fine wisps. The sensation was deeply comfortable, and his mind settled with ease.

He focused his mind and began to circulate the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique.

Half an hour later, Jiang Che’s eyes snapped open.

He was incredibly surprised by the results of this Cultivation session!

With the aid of his [Heart Stream] Talent, he was already able to enter a deep state of Cultivation with extreme speed.

Now, in this special environment created by the Snow Crystal Jade, his Cultivation speed took a qualitative leap!

He roughly estimated that reaching the Bone Forging Realm, something that would have originally taken three years of arduous Cultivation, could now be done in about a year if he stayed in this B-level Cultivation Room!

’I remember Cheng Yuzhi said that a B-level Cultivation Room can increase Cultivation speed by about seventy percent. My increase is clearly much larger. It seems the effects of my [Heart Stream] Talent and the Cultivation Room have stacked!’

Jiang Che’s heart burned with excitement.

’If a B-level room has such an effect, then how fast would an A-level, or even the legendary Spirit Level, be? Even if my Root Bone is poor, in that kind of environment, it might not be impossible to catch up to those geniuses, right?’

But after the excitement came the cold, hard reality.

Fifty taels of gold for one hour!

Even if he only cultivated for four hours a day, that would be two hundred taels.

Over a month, that’s a full six thousand taels!

His twenty-thousand-plus taels of gold, stretching it as far as it could go, would only be enough to last for a little over three months!

’This isn’t a Cultivation Room, it’s a money pit!’ Jiang Che winced, the thought of the expense physically painful.

Besides, he wasn’t even qualified to use a Level A Cultivation Room yet. And with his low Realm, he didn’t get any discounts, making the cost-effectiveness abysmal. It was simply too much to bear.

Walking out of the Cultivation Room, Jiang Che sighed helplessly.

’Forget it. I’ll still have to rely on Withered Soul Grass and my Dissipating Technique. The Cultivation Room is nice, but it burns through money too fast. It’s not worth it.’

「Several more days passed.」

The day to register for the Cloud Mist Ridge trial finally arrived.