Chapter 41: Unexpected Wealth

With the exact same amount of primal energy, what would happen if it could flow perfectly along these microscopic crystal-lattice pathways without a single drop of waste, unleashing its full potential?

And how much of its power could his own crude and reckless method actually unleash? Seventy percent? Or barely sixty?

"So that's how it is..."

Chu Xing suddenly slapped his thigh, a surge of wild elation welling up in his heart. This was no ordinary jade pendant at all; it was unequivocally a supreme treasure meant for cultivating the mastery of primal energy!

Elder Bai's true intention became instantly clear to Chu Xing.

No wonder certain geniuses were capable of battling opponents above their own realm! The proficiency and strength of one's primal energy control were undoubtedly among the most crucial factors!

Take two cultivators both at the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering: one possesses crude primal energy control, where out of ten parts of force struck out, three or four parts dissipate uselessly along the way, failing entirely to impact the opponent.

Meanwhile, the other wields exquisite and refined control, condensing ten parts of force into a single, cohesive rope that crashes out with devastating completeness. In actual combat, the difference between the two is decided in an instant!

Such meticulous manipulation of primal energy is something ordinary people can only achieve through grueling, grinding effort, relying on years upon years of combat and enlightenment—making progress agonizingly slow and entirely dependent on luck.

Yet this piece of cyan jade transformed this ethereal, elusive control into a visible, tangible path!

The moment this thought formed, he immediately quieted his mind, banished all distracting thoughts, and poured his entire focus into this tiny piece of cyan jade.

Failure, another attempt, failure once more, and yet another try...

Although monotonous and dry, this process granted Chu Xing an entirely new understanding of every microscopic shift of primal energy within his body.

Where the primal energy lost control, where it collided against invisible walls, and how it was pointlessly wasted all became vividly clear and perceptible.

He knew not how much time had passed when, during yet another attempt, that single thread of primal energy, under his precise guidance, finally flowed safely and completely through one of the shortest crystal-lattice pathways without the slightest bit of dissipation!

Though merely a tiny step forward, it left Chu Xing ecstatic.

A path capable of pushing his own advantages to the absolute limit was already unfolding before his eyes!

For two consecutive days, Chu Xing forgot about sleep and food, completely immersed in the microscopic world constructed by this square inch of cyan jade.

From initial clumsiness and awkwardness, where the primal energy acted like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, to gradual proficiency later on, his mind's intent commanded those wisps of primal energy as obediently as his own fingers.

At the start of his cultivation, Chu Xing had estimated that his crude grasp of primal energy was roughly around sixty percent. This meant that out of ten parts of force he unleashed, a staggering four parts simply scattered into the void mid-journey, failing to reach the target.

And now, after two days of non-stop, relentless refinement numbering in the tens of thousands of attempts, that figure had quietly risen to seventy percent!

Never underestimate this mere ten-percent increase!

Such progress, if leaked to the outside world, would be enough to cause a massive uproar throughout the entire sect!

The mastery of primal energy has always been the most time-consuming and comprehension-reliant aspect of martial arts cultivation. For an ordinary martial artist, spending years or even over a decade in bitter toil just to improve their control by a fraction of a hair's breadth would already be considered a blessing bestowed by the heavens.

Yet Chu Xing had accomplished years of other people's grueling labor in a mere two days!

Such speed could only be described with two words: defying the heavens!

Without the cyan jade providing exceptionally clear cultivation pathways, paired with the extraordinary perception bestowed by the stone bead enabling him to precisely capture every microscopic error during manipulation—neither of which could do without the other—this feat would have been impossible.

It was precisely the combination of these two heaven-defying entities that forged such an unimaginable speed of cultivation!

When Chu Xing finally snapped out of that miniature world, the world outside his window had turned into ink-black night dotted with sparkling stars.

The Outer Sect of the Profound Star Pavilion was utterly silent, broken only by the chirping of insects and the sighing of the wind.

The injuries inside his body had long since healed, and his cultivation had firmly stabilized at the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering. Perhaps it was time to visit that secret cave in the back mountain and check on the condition of those precious seeds.

Yet the mere thought of heading to that place conjured an uncontrollable image of a pale-purple figure in Chu Xing's mind.

He remembered that night, the slipping purple dress, the fleeting glimpse of snow-white skin, the sensation of warm, fragrant softness entering his embrace, and that mischievous hand of his own...

"Hiss..." Chu Xing drew a sharp breath.

What he had done that night was truly ungentlemanly.

Although his original intention was to save her, the undeniable fact remained that he had looked, hugged, and touched her.

The reason he hadn't gone back all these days, aside from burying himself in cultivation, was largely due to a guilty conscience.

He honestly had no idea how to face that aloof and icy Senior Sister.

Scratching his head, Chu Xing tried to comfort himself internally: "She probably won't go back there anymore, right? The medicinal poison in her body was completely sucked out by me; there's no reason for her to run back to that place."

On second thought, however, if she hadn't stepped in at the very end during the sparring arena showdown, the grass on his grave would probably be growing by now. Out of gratitude and basic decency, he really ought to thank her in person.

"Damn it, whatever!"

In the end, Chu Xing gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "At worst, she gives me a beating. I'll just treat it as repaying the favor from the other day!"

His mind made up, Chu Xing hesitated no longer. He silently pushed open his courtyard door, his figure flashing into the deep, settling night.

Hurrying all the way toward the back mountain, his feelings were rather complicated.

He half hoped to run into her inside the cave so he could offer his thanks face-to-face, yet simultaneously dreaded not knowing how to handle such an awkward encounter.

Soon enough, he arrived at that familiar, secluded spot.

Pestling aside the heavy vines draped over the cave entrance, Chu Xing poked his head inside to peer around, straining his ears to listen for a moment.

Inside the cave, all was quiet save for the occasional plop and trickle of the spiritual spring; there was no one else in sight.

"Good, good, nobody's here."

Chu Xing let out a long breath of relief, his entire body relaxing as he strode boldly inside, immediately casting his gaze toward the small herb garden he had personally cleared.

The next instant, his breathing hitched slightly, and an irrepressible, wild joy erupted in his eyes.

That patch of dark soil, previously burying nothing but seeds, was now bursting with vibrant green life!

Over a dozen spiritual herbs were unfurling their leaves, emitting a faint, luminous glow under the cold moonlight.

Every single plant radiated exuberant vitality, growing lushly and vigorously. In particular, the Blue-Veined Grass displayed clear blue veins running along its stems and roots like miniature blue lightning bolts, brimming with spiritual essence.

They had sprouted!

Every single one of them had actually sprouted!

And they were growing this luxuriantly!

A mixture of shock and joy washed over Chu Xing. Barely ten days had passed since he left, yet these resurrected seeds had genuinely relied on the nourishment of this blessed land to break through the soil by themselves!

Although these were merely Yellow-Tier spiritual herbs, their sheer quantity made up for it, and the energy they contained far surpassed the remnants found in the Hundred Herb Ravine. If he absorbed them all, it would be enough to advance his strength by another notch!

Back then, seeing them recover their vitality but refuse to sprout for the longest time, Chu Xing had assumed his efforts were wasted. Looking back now, he had simply been far too impatient. How could anything sprout the very instant spiritual energy was injected?

This was nothing short of an unexpected windfall!