43: Chapter 43 Half a Month Later

As time passed, Li Wen's breathing became heavy, an abnormal crimson flushed beneath his skin, and pea-sized beads of sweat rolled down, leaving dark water stains on the mat.

The Qi and blood in his body were like a pool of boiling water being continuously stirred, constantly evaporating and being consumed. This time, he had held on for a full half hour!

"Ha... ha..." As the last trace of strength was drained along with his exhausted Qi and blood, Li Wen finally ended his Stake stance, his body stumbling and nearly falling.

He hunched over, gasping for breath, heat radiating from his body. As it met the cold air and liquefied, plumes of white mist rose from his head and shoulders, looking like a freshly opened steamer.

Intense exhaustion overwhelmed him.

Standing in place for several minutes, he barely managed to calm his rapid breathing before dragging his nearly broken body to the table. He grabbed a bottle of ordinary energy drink and gulped it down in one go.

"Sss—hah!" The icy drink, mixed with the taste of low-quality artificial flavoring, rushed down his throat, bringing a brief moment of pleasure and relief.

Tossing the empty bottle precisely into the trash can in the corner, Li Wen sat cross-legged on the floor, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing and doing his best to recover his strength.

Ten minutes passed slowly, and his numb limbs finally regained some sensation. His exhausted Qi and blood also began to faintly regenerate on their own.

Although far from full, that heavy exhaustion had finally receded by nearly half.

Li Wen opened his eyes, his gaze calm. He stood up again and stepped onto the mat barefoot. This time, he didn't hesitate at all, focusing his mind slightly.

Absolute Focus, LV5, activate!

Whoosh!

In an instant, his slightly tired and dazed dark eyes were replaced by extreme focus and brightness.

He once again assumed the starting stance of the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method. His movements were significantly faster than before, as if every joint angle had been instantly corrected by the most precise instrument.

Under the terrifying 50% boost to his Comprehension Ability, the Qi and blood in his body felt as if they were turbocharged, their circulation speed suddenly increasing by several levels.

The thin Cosmic spiritual energy particles in the outside world, usually difficult to capture, were now greedily pulled and absorbed, flooding into his Meridians like a parched riverbed.

Under the washing of Qi and blood and the stimulation of spiritual energy, his muscle fibers were like an iron ingot being tempered a thousand times, their strength increasing bit by bit amidst the pain.

Time ticked past the preset twenty-minute "safety period."

However, the familiar alarm before exhaustion had yet to sound from deep within his body. He could clearly perceive that under the control of that transcendent consciousness, although the circulation of Qi and blood was consuming heavily, it had not yet reached its limit.

"Continue! The limit is ahead!" The "free will" that acted as a buffer between his main consciousness and overclocked instincts let out a silent shout.

His will was rock-solid, and the blue light of Absolute Focus continued to burn on a spiritual level.

Twenty-three minutes... twenty-five minutes... twenty-eight minutes...

Finally, that familiar stinging pain deep in his brain struck like a red-hot needle. Almost simultaneously, the river of Qi and blood surging within him instantly ran dry.

The blue light extinguished, and his consciousness returned.

Thud! Li Wen felt as if the bones and tendons had been pulled from the back of his neck by an invisible force. His knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily onto the mat.

His face was as pale as if he had just been fished out of an ice cellar. Large beads of cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, and the intense mental backlash brought waves of tinnitus and dizziness.

However, beneath the intense pain and weakness, a satisfied smile quietly crept onto the corners of his mouth.

In his field of vision, the pale blue panel visible only to him silently updated:

[You cultivated the Basic Method for half an hour, Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method +1]

[You focused on cultivating the Basic Method for half an hour, Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method +5]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Minor Achievement 76→82/100)]

"Good... the time squeezed out under extreme pressure is barely... enough." Li Wen gasped, making a difficult assessment.

"Splitting the two estimated time slots in the afternoon for use... it's a pity there's no break during the day..."

The lingering tearing sensation on a spiritual level reminded him of the cost of this overtime challenge.

But looking at the leap of a full 6 points on the panel, all the effort seemed so worth it.

"Tonight... I'll still have to rely on it to save my life." Li Wen struggled, crawling toward the desk on all fours.

He picked up the level 1 qi and blood potion he had prepared earlier and brought it to his mouth, unhesitatingly biting off the rubber stopper with his teeth.

Pop!

Then he tilted his head back and gulped down the slightly warm, faintly metallic-tasting liquid in one go.

A weak but warm current quickly flooded his stomach and began to spread to his limbs and bones.

The seeds of returning strength had been quietly planted in the exhausted soil.

The lights from thousands of homes outside the window seemed to illuminate his lonely figure as he forged ahead in the cold night.

...

...

The morning sunlight of New Year's Eve filtered through the window, carrying the unique crispness of winter.

Li Wen woke up on his familiar hard bed. Almost the moment his consciousness returned, he habitually summoned the personal panel that only he could see.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18 years old]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 6.3→6.8)]

[Class: Scholar LV5 (740/1600)]

[Skill: Blade Technique - Top Tier (Minor Achievement 30/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Major Achievement 44/100)]

The cold data felt like burning coals, scorching his heart.

Half a month, a full half-month of ascetic-like cultivation!

Fifteen precious level 1 qi and blood potions had transformed into the cold, hard number on the panel—Level 6.8!

Finally, he was nearing the minimum Physical Body threshold for applying to a Martial Arts University.

His gaze moved down, and the line [Rainbow Light Saber Technique (Minor Achievement 30/100)] made his heart surge with emotion.

Minor Achievement! No longer just entry-level!

Every day spent sweating profusely, repeating thousands of slashes in the cold training room of the Kindling Hall, even experiencing the suffocating feeling of his spirit being drained when Absolute Focus LV5 was activated—all of it was for this moment of qualitative change.

He could clearly feel that the cold piece of iron in his hand had now truly become an extension of his will. The sharpness and fluidity in his swings were far beyond what they had been half a month ago.

The progress bar for [Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method (Major Achievement 44/100)] was equally gratifying.

This fundamental Cultivation Technique for tempering the Physical Body and circulating Qi and blood could now be maintained for nearly fifty minutes even without relying on the precious Absolute Focus.

He was only a final sprint away from the ultimate "Perfection" Realm.

Once the Cultivation Technique reached Perfection, his control over Qi and blood and his absorption efficiency would leap forward. The Absolute Focus time saved could then be entirely poured into the supreme Realm of the Blade Technique... That day was just around the corner.

"Phew~" He let out a long breath of turbid air, as if to dispel the exhaustion of half a month. He ruffled his slightly messy hair from waking up early and rolled out of bed.