Chapter 13: A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
Twenty days after Li Lang had visited the various guilds in Xiang Yang and spent most of his fortune on a talisman, his plan was finally coming to fruition.
During this entire time, he had closed himself off at his inn, cultivating, eating, and sleeping. He kept a low profile and avoided trouble. It would have been exceptionally boring if he didn’t have Ruby to talk to and the research results of the various plants he had previously harvested.
“Ruby, I can feel it. Today should be the day!”
“You can do it, master!” the child-like voice excitedly cheered on.
The timer in his lab rang, marking twelve hours since his last cultivation session, and he immediately exited from the artifact space and stowed Ruby away.
He got into the lotus position and began absorbing the surrounding Qi by invoking the image of black holes. As he had done throughout these twenty days, he ushered the Qi to carve out a space that could hold it within his body, working on his feet this time. He had already done so to the rest of his upper body to his limit, and only his left foot remained.
His flesh resisted the invasion of Qi, but he applied more force, increasing the level of pain. For someone with only grade one aptitude, it didn’t take long before he soon felt himself approaching his limit.
A sense of urgency welled up when he thought back to that old hag, The Abductress’s words. He couldn’t help but be skeptical of her promise to not harm his friends. She was apparently a famous demonic cultivator, and one didn’t earn that title by being a trustworthy and upstanding human being.
Not wanting to waste even a second, he continued melding the Qi with his flesh to his utmost limit. Just as the sharp pain that signaled his limit began to spread, it abruptly ceased. He felt his body radiating an air of strength and filled with energy.
The energy coursed through his veins with no escape, and he couldn’t help but shoot up from his seat and stretch out his hands, with his two palms facing the sky. The bed strained from his sudden movement but luckily held as he recollected himself.
“Have I broken through to the first stage of the Energy Gathering realm?” he muttered as he examined his body.
There wasn’t any outward difference, so he brought out Ruby and held it against his temple.