Chapter 22: Second Level of Qi Condensation

"This ore... the manual says it's 'Moon Shadow Stone,' but why does it feel about the same as the 'Star Iron' next to it?" The voice of an apprentice nearby attracted his attention.

This apprentice was rubbing his eyes, identifying it very hard.

Jie Ming scanned that ore silently with his spiritual sense, and its elemental composition and energy characteristics immediately appeared in his mind.

"It is indeed Moon Shadow Stone, but it is of a lower grade and also mixed with some iron ore."

Casually giving a hint, he skillfully grabbed a piece of common ore, weighed it, and quickly sorted it into the corresponding box.

"Ah... thank you." The apprentice who was prompted was stunned for a moment, but still reacted quickly and subconsciously expressed his gratitude.

"It's nothing."

Jie Ming shook his head. After all, the process of identifying ores was also conducive to him becoming familiar with his current power.

As the three Truth Runes, whose core patterns were all alchemy runes, settled in his mind, Jie Ming could clearly feel that his soul and spirit had also been affected, undergoing a slight "evolution" almost every moment.

His distinction between various substances and energies became clearer and clearer. Even though he hadn't constructed alchemy in his mind yet, he could still analyze everything his fingers touched.

Although this information was messy and disorganized now, with exercise, Jie Ming could clearly feel the changes in his mind.

He could be sure that after the changes were completed, even without deliberate learning, he could engrave the first wizardry in his spiritual sea: Alchemy.

Just as he was busy, Vido Lei En put on a protective suit and brought another apprentice to several people's side.

Seeing the several heavy large boxes in front of Jie Ming, a look of self-satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Vido Lei En pointed to the two piles of ores on the ground, his tone carrying an imperceptible pride: "I'll teach you once, remember it. Look, this pile of 'Glow Stones' looks large in quantity, but each piece is light in weight, and the shape is regular, easy to sort. That pile of 'Spinel Ore' is small, but they are all large pieces, and the edges are sharp and easy to prick your hands. Let's finish this pile of Glow Stones first, it's fast, we can finish the settlement earlier, and then rest for a while before dealing with that troublesome pile."

His partner didn't seem to have thought of this layer, was stunned for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

A smile that was almost invisible hooked at the corner of Vido Lei En's mouth, and he immediately began to sort the Glow Stones rapidly, his movements as agile as an assembly line worker.

Jie Ming took all this into his eyes.

It could be seen that these wizard apprentices also lacked credits, and "smart people" like Vido Lei En had even begun to rely on bringing newcomers to get commissions.

This was actually the difference between apprentices with wizard backgrounds and those without. Although talent and strength might be similar, the difference in knowledge accumulation from childhood to adulthood was not something that could be caught up with in a day or two.

Jie Ming silently continued his sorting, constantly accumulating knowledge, without saying much, and didn't feel anything about Vido Lei En's showing-off "display."

After all, Vido Lei En only had a little advantage, and he, he didn't care at all.

The night was deep.

Jie Ming finally completed the mission. After leaving Warehouse No. 5, he still felt as if he was stained with the dust of sorting ores and the pungent smell of plants.

But he didn't have time to return to the dormitory to wash off the dust, nor did he have time to rest for a moment. His heart was filled with urgency.

The credit balance on the mission board finally jumped to the number he urgently needed—five.

Five credits, enough for him to open another "private room."

He didn't have time to return to the workshop belonging to the alchemy department. After booking a laboratory at the Magic Net terminal next to the warehouse, Jie Ming ran directly towards the laboratory area of the potion department next door.

After the experience of "sorting" in Warehouse No. 5, the three Truth Runes in his mind became more active, and the inside of his spiritual sea became restless.

Along with it, the True Essence in his body was like a ignited raging fire, running wildly in his meridians. Every jump was like reminding him that the breakthrough was imminent and could not be delayed!

Jie Ming felt that if it weren't for his amazing concentration, he would have been unable to hold it back, but now he was also on the verge of breaking through at any time.

He quickly activated his temporary laboratory, pushed open the door, and entered the small and simple isolation space.

The moment he closed the door, all the noise and troubles of the outside world were isolated, leaving only himself and the power about to erupt in his body.

Jie Ming didn't hesitate, immediately sat cross-legged in the center of the laboratory, took a deep breath, and sank all his mind into his body.

Second level of Qi Condensation.

This was actually not very critical in the Cultivation system. According to the Great Dao Library, as long as one could practice to the first level of Qi Condensation, no matter how mediocre their aptitude and resources were, relying on the polishing of time, they could at least become the third level of Qi Condensation.

After breaking through, the True Essence would be more solid, the circulation speed would be faster, and the nourishment to the body and spirit would also be greatly enhanced.

But at the same time, because there were no obstacles, it was exceptionally difficult to suppress the breakthrough after just filling up the spiritual power.

"It's now!"

He no longer suppressed it, letting the huge True Essence torrent in his body run rapidly.

The method recorded in the Great Dao Library flashed in his mind, guiding this violent power.

Boom—

The world in his body seemed to have undergone earth-shaking changes!

The meridians expanded and became tough under the scouring of True Essence, and the True Essence lake in the dantian rotated and compressed rapidly, emitting a low roar.

Severe pain swept through his whole body, but Jie Ming's spiritual sense was exceptionally clear, precisely guiding the True Essence to complete the transformation according to a specific trajectory.

The laboratory's simple isolation array emitted a slight humming sound, resisting the energy fluctuations that suddenly erupted in Jie Ming's body.

This process lasted for about half an hour. Sweat soaked Jie Ming's clothes, his body trembled slightly, and his face was exceptionally pale.

But as the last meridian was reshaped, a brand-new, more powerful sense of power instantly spread throughout his body!

Second level of Qi Condensation!

Success!

The True Essence in his body was as solid as mercury, and the quantity had increased several times more than at the first level of Qi Condensation.

In the meridians, the True Essence flowed like a surging river, emitting a pleasant roar.

The strength of his physical body slowly improved under the nourishment of True Essence, and his spiritual sea also seemed to be injected with new vitality, becoming clearer and broader.

Jie Ming slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of waste gas with black energy.

Although his body was weak, he felt unprecedentedly powerful and transparent.

"Really good, the enhanced spiritual sense can probably engrave another Truth Rune."

Sensing the strength of the spiritual sense in his spiritual sea, Jie Ming smiled with satisfaction.

In this way, becoming a second-level wizard apprentice was just around the corner.

"Speaking of which, the cultivation methods of cultivators and wizards are constantly progressing."

Recalling the similarities between the two cultivation methods, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Although the "Basic Qi Refining Method" that Jie Ming practiced now used the relatively ancient principle of refining essence into qi, judging from the Great Dao Library's statement, it was indeed a relatively new method.

Although Jie Ming didn't know how the new and old methods were calculated, whether it was the Qi Refining Method or the Meditation Method, they had quite obvious common characteristics—few bottlenecks.

The Qi Refining Method only had bottlenecks when rising from the third level to the fourth level, the sixth level to the seventh level, and the ninth level to Foundation Establishment. Theoretically, as long as enough time was spent, the remaining levels could be slowly polished up.

The wizard's meditation method was the same. Only when a third-level wizard apprentice rose to an official wizard was it more troublesome. Besides that, the three levels of wizard apprentices had no bottleneck at all. As long as enough Truth Runes were engraved, they could be promoted.

"Theoretically, as long as there is enough time, anyone can rise to a third-level wizard apprentice, but that's just theoretically."

The point lies in "enough time."

Qi Refiners are better. Even the most basic first level of Qi Condensation integrates their own vitality. Living to 160 years old without illness or disaster is not a problem.

Wizards are more troublesome. Although elemental power strengthens the wizard's spirit while strengthening the body, it is also eroding vitality at the same time.

If one cannot become an official wizard, the lifespan limit of an ordinary wizard apprentice is at most 70 years old.

And unlike Qi Refiners who get stronger as they get older, once a wizard apprentice passes the peak age, they will be dragged down by the aging of the body, leading to the weakening of the spiritual sea, resulting in getting weaker as they get older.

Of course, this problem will be completely solved after becoming an official wizard, and even because of the human body transformation technology that wizards are good at, they can even surpass Foundation Establishment cultivators in terms of lifespan.

"In general, although Qi Refiners have long lifespans, there are more bottlenecks, and the requirements for promotion are more troublesome. Wizard apprentices are simpler to promote, but... I'm afraid the difficulty of wizard apprentices promoting to official wizards will be much higher than imagined."

Shaking his head, no longer thinking about these problems, Jie Ming felt his body, which had returned to normal, and stood up.

There was still a lot of laboratory usage time left, and Jie Ming began to worry about how to use the remaining time.

Go to the Magic Net to take a look?

But renting a laboratory once costs the equivalent of five cubic meters of gold. Is it too extravagant to just use it as an internet cafe?

But besides that, it seems there is nothing else to do...

At this moment, the only window in the laboratory—a small window made of special materials that could block outside peeping but allowed light to pass through—reflected the first ray of soft light.

Dawn had arrived.

Jie Ming stood there, looking at the rising sunlight, his body couldn't help but shake!

(Because of the recommendation rules of Qidian, new books really can't update too much during the new book period, but I try to write each chapter a bit longer. Also, please follow and vote for monthly tickets!!! These two are very important for new books!!!) ===== CHAPTER 23 =====