Chapter 78 - 67: Tenth Layer of Power Storage
Soon.
Lin Yi and Zhang Quan arrived at the school cafeteria.
The two of them each bought a standard high-energy Martial Artist meal and found a table by the window to sit down.
Inside the cafeteria.
The atmosphere was completely different from usual.
The usual clamor and laughter were gone.
In its place was an almost suffocating sense of urgency.
Looking around.
Almost all the students had their heads down, racing against time.
Some had their mouths stuffed with food, but their eyes were glued to the Cultivation Technique diagrams or class notes spread out on their tables.
Others chewed mechanically while closing their eyes in concentration, as if silently reciting something from memory.
There were even those who jogged to find a seat with their trays, afraid of wasting a single second.
The only sounds in the entire cafeteria were the faint clinking of utensils and the suppressed sounds of chewing.
It made sense.
It was already February 1st.
There were only a few days left before the final exams.
All the students were scrambling to review their studies and cultivate.
However.
As the only official Martial Artist among the third-year students, the school had long since granted Lin Yi an exemption from the exams, directly naming him first in the school.
This was the school’s recognition of his strength.
It was also to prevent him from wasting precious Cultivation time on conventional exams.
Just then.
"Hello, Teacher Zhang!"
A somewhat lazy voice rang out.
Luo Qian, holding a tray piled high with food, slowly ambled over. He first greeted Zhang Quan respectfully, then plopped down in the seat opposite Lin Yi:
"Lin, I just heard you got injured during Cultivation? Is it serious? Is your arm okay?"
Lin Yi moved his right arm, showing it to Luo Qian, and replied with a smile:
"It’s nothing. I just hurt my arm during Cultivation. It looked scary, but it was just a superficial wound. I already got it treated at the infirmary. I’m completely fine."
He easily speared a large piece of steak with his fork, stuffed it into his mouth, and asked in return:
"What about you? The final exams are right around the corner, and you’re still slacking off like this? Aren’t you going to hurry up and review your studies and cultivate?"
Hearing this, Luo Qian rolled his eyes and said helplessly:
"What’s the point of me studying? Won’t I still just be second in the school? Is there any chance I could surpass you and become number one?"
Fair enough.
That logic... although it sounded like he’d completely given up...
But given Lin Yi’s inhuman Cultivation speed, Luo Qian truly had no chance of surpassing him.
The eternal runner-up had simply decided to lie flat.
Luo Qian then asked:
"Do you have any plans for winter break this year? Want to celebrate New Year’s together, maybe organize a party? Even if you’re cultivating, you’ve got to balance work and rest, right?"
Lin Yi quickly finished the food on his plate, replying without looking up:
"Winter break is only seven days this year. Who has time for that? We’ll see how things are then."
The school’s winter break schedule had already been announced.
It would run from the 27th of the twelfth lunar month to the 3rd of the first lunar month, a total of seven days.
The 27th of the twelfth lunar month was February 14th on the solar calendar.
That was less than half a month away.
"Alright, well, if you’re not busy then, I’ll call you if something’s going on." Luo Qian knew Lin Yi was a Cultivation maniac and that he couldn’t get a firm commitment from him.
After lunch.
Lin Yi said goodbye to Luo Qian and headed straight back to the Martial Dao hall.
He once again picked up the heavy Owl Dragon Long Spear.
He immersed himself in the Cultivation of the Water Source Spear, free from all distractions.
By now.
The core Power Storage Stance of the Water Source Spear.
He had already reached the Perfection stage of the Control Level.
With this incredibly solid core foundation.
Returning to cultivate the Attack Stance and Defense Stance, which were relatively more focused on the application of technique.
The difficulty was greatly reduced for him.
It was like constructing a skyscraper.
Once the foundation was laid incredibly firm and solid, the upper floors could naturally be built faster and more stably.
Adding to that, the miraculous Kidney Water Spiritual Essence in his body constantly emanated the mysteries of the Origin of water.
This kept him in a constant state of epiphany.
It aided him in understanding the true meaning of water’s power.
Lin Yi was absolutely confident that it wouldn’t be long before he could push both the Attack Stance and Defense Stance to the Control Level.
He would make the entire Water Source Spear Cultivation Technique completely integrated and mastered, reaching the peak of the Control Level!
It had only taken him half a day to train the most difficult and fundamental Power Storage Stance to the Control Level!
Now, turning back to cultivate the Attack and Defense Stances, the time required would only be shorter!
’I’ll strive to get all three stances to the Control Level today, and then see if I can cultivate a Realm before winter break!’
His goal was clear, and his motivation was high.
After that.
Lin Yi immersed himself in the tedious Cultivation.
The spear’s shadow danced, his Qi and Blood surged, and sweat soon soaked his training clothes. The only sounds in the air were the whistling of the long spear cutting through the air and his own steady, powerful breathing.
Time flew by amidst his selfless Cultivation.
One day, two days, three days...
Unknowingly.
More than ten days passed quietly.
During these days of single-minded focus.
As he had expected, Lin Yi’s Attack and Defense Stances, the other two of the Water Source Spear’s three major stances, had progressed at a divine speed. Building on the Perfection of the Power Storage Stance and with the help of the Kidney Water Spiritual Essence, he had long since tempered them to the peak of the Control Level.
The entire spear technique was now seamless and fluid in his hands.
His focus then shifted to a higher-level pursuit—
Attempting to break through that formless barrier and comprehend the Realm of the Water Source Spear!
During this period of his frenzied Cultivation.
The Mosquito Avatar hadn’t been idle either.
In its spare time, it would grind the proficiency of its various skills or go "jungling" outside the city.
At this point.
The Mosquito Avatar’s various skills had all improved significantly.
[Concealment] had reached LV7 (212/700).
[Tracking] had reached LV8 (306/800).
[Flight] had reached LV10 (138/1000).
Barring any surprises, the next skill to break its limit would be Flight.
And in the past half-month.
Relying on its Tracking skill, the Mosquito Avatar’s efficiency while jungling in the wild was astonishing.
Tracking LV8 meant it could search a radius of 8 kilometers, or a diameter of 16 kilometers, which could cover nearly half the city.
No matter how well those Demon Beasts hid, even if they were underground, they could not escape the Mosquito Avatar’s detection.
It had cleaned out almost all the First Grade Demon Beasts within Yang City’s territory.
This had significantly advanced Lin Yi’s Bone Tempering progress.
His Bone Tempering progress had increased by another 4 bones, reaching a total of 22!
However.
Lin Yi didn’t drain all the Demon Beasts dry. He left a few of the best-hidden ones as sustainable "blood bags."
After all, cultivating spear techniques required mobilizing Qi and Blood, which in turn consumed Qi and Blood.
Lin Yi had no time to cultivate the "Seven Steps Stance Technique" to recover his Qi and Blood, nor did he have the extra savings to buy Pills for that purpose.
...
On the morning of February 13th.
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, spilling into the spacious school training hall.
Lin Yi stood holding the long spear, his eyes closed in concentration, his entire body and mind immersed in the profound mysteries of the Water Source Spear’s Power Storage Stance.
The tip of his spear pointed diagonally at the ground, seemingly still, but the abundant Qi and Blood within his body surged like a rushing river, gathering, compressing, and stacking in his right arm again and again!
Each surge of Qi and Blood was accompanied by a subtle response from the Kidney Water Spiritual Essence deep within his kidneys. A cool sensation flowed through his body, making his comprehension of "water" ever clearer and more profound.
Over the past half a month, although Lin Yi had made rapid progress in his spear techniques, truly condensing a First Grade Spear Intent was still fraught with difficulty.
A Realm was the perfect fusion of mind and technique, a prototype of a Law, not merely an accumulation of skill.
However.
While a spear technique Realm seemed distant.
His Water Realm was advancing at lightning speed.
After all, he possessed the Kidney Water Spiritual Essence, an object of the Origin of water.
He was, in effect, in a constant state of epiphany.
Even if it was just mechanical imitation, his comprehension of the Water Dao was continuously improving.
Feeling the Qi and Blood stack in his arm time and time again.
Suddenly.
Enlightenment struck him.
’Storing power, stacking power...’
’The power of the great sea is continuous and unending. The back waves push the front waves, layering power upon power, never stopping...’
’How could the Water Source Spear’s Power Storage Stance only have nine layers?’
’If I can use the Power Storage Stance to cultivate a Tenth Layer of Power Storage, I will definitely be able to cultivate a First Grade Water Intent.’
’And this kind of Realm... perhaps it should be called... Overlapping Waves Intent!’
With a clear goal and the possibility of success, Lin Yi’s mind became crystal clear.