Translator: AnubisTL
As Jieming, Viola, and the support wizard squad that had arrived later returned to the steel camp standing amidst the scorched earth of the borderlands, a sense of being in a different world washed over them.
The air no longer carried the sulfurous stench of lava and the bloody tang of battle, but the cold metallic scent of steel, the steady hum of rune energy, and an orderly sense of purpose.
It was as if they had transitioned from a savage, bloody primal hunt back to a strictly disciplined civilized fortress.
Upon returning to the camp, Jieming's first order of business was to rest and take stock.
He immediately headed to the legion's logistics exchange to process all the materials he had gathered along the way.
Despite the harrowing battles they had endured, Jieming's actual gains were modest, most of his valuable acquisitions having come from the earlier small outpost.
The energy core of a second-tier lava giant, energy crystals imbued with fire element power, samples of strange plants capable of surviving extreme heat...
These rare materials, considered quite valuable in the outside world, were quickly appraised and converted into military merit points, representing both his military merit and available resources.
Naturally, the second-tier hatchery—an artifact coveted by any faction—was deeply concealed within the innermost recesses of his space expansion pouch, leaving no trace of its presence.
Afterward, he went to the Communications Department to request a new magic net terminal.
The new terminal felt cool to the touch. As he channeled his mental power into it, a familiar sensation reconnected him to the vast local network of the Wizard Camp.
The task list, resource exchange, intelligence sharing, and other modules reappeared in his vision, giving Jieming the illusion of returning to civilized society.
Finally, Jieming returned to his simple yet functional dormitory.
He sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his dantian.
The fierce battles he had endured, especially the curse inexplicably unleashed by the third-tier lava giant, had drained a significant portion of the Gangsha stored within his Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier as it resisted the curse's backlash and subsequent mental assault.
Closing his eyes, he began slowly guiding the various malevolent qi he had gathered during the campaign, gradually transforming it into pure Gangsha to replenish the barrier's depleted reserves.
Due to the scarcity of Mortal Dust Qi, Jieming could only replenish the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier with Gangsha.
Fortunately, after such a prolonged war, the Gangsha in Jieming's possession was of exceptional quality. Not only could it replenish the barrier, but it could also enhance its power.
"It's a pity that without Mortal Dust Qi, its effectiveness against higher-tier creatures is greatly diminished. Still, this much Gangsha should be enough to trip up third and fourth-tier beings."
Mortal Dust Qi and Gangsha each had their strengths and weaknesses. The unique properties of Mortal Dust Qi made it highly lethal even to higher-tier creatures.
In contrast, an equivalent amount of Gangsha was more effective against lower-tier beings.
For Jieming at this stage, having an ample supply of Gangsha was sufficient.
As the Gangsha Qi replenished, an invisible, more resilient protective layer enveloped his divine soul once again, bringing Jieming a sense of security.
After thoroughly handling these trivial matters, Jieming suddenly sensed something unusual.
He withdrew his focus from his mental sea and turned his inner gaze toward his dantian.
"Hmm? I didn't realize I'd reached this level without even noticing."
He could clearly sense that the true essence within his dantian qi sea had unknowingly reached an unprecedented peak.
The vortex of liquid true essence was now rotating steadily and powerfully, each revolution emitting a palpable sense of fullness, as if it were about to burst through a barrier.
His qi refining cultivation had actually met all the requirements to break through from the early to mid-foundation establishment realm!
A ripple of emotion stirred within Jieming's heart.
Less than ten years had passed since he achieved foundation establishment, yet he was already on the verge of another breakthrough.
"If this cultivation speed were in the immortal cultivation world, I'd definitely be considered a genius, right?" Jieming thought smugly.
After all, ordinary cultivators typically required decades of painstaking effort to advance from the early to mid-foundation establishment realm. Those with poorer aptitude might even spend over a century.
"It seems the cultivation environment of the wizard world, combined with the intensity of combat, has accelerated my qi refining cultivation far beyond what I imagined," Jieming mused inwardly.
Although the dense elemental energy of the wizard world differed from the spiritual energy of the immortal cultivation world, Jieming's cultivation technique allowed him to transform and absorb it.
Moreover, each life-or-death battle served as the perfect crucible for tempering both his mind and body.
Having made this discovery, Jieming decided to check his progress toward advancing his wizard tier.
He submerged his consciousness into his mental sea, observing the Ring of Truth, the symbol representing the essence of a first-tier wizard.
To his astonishment, he found that this intricate ring, composed of countless runes, was already nearly half-filled with his immense mental power!
His cultivation speed was even faster than his progress in qi refining!
"Advancing from first-tier to second-tier wizard is indeed relatively straightforward," Jieming realized.
Once he completely filled the Ring of Truth with mental power, he would need to fundamentally restructure and expand the ring itself using his vast knowledge reserves and computational abilities. Finally, he would deeply activate his soul and body, ensuring perfect harmony between the three, allowing him to naturally advance to second-tier wizard.
This is one of the most significant differences between the wizard and qi refiner cultivation paths.
Within each major cultivation realm, cultivators typically progress through distinct early, mid, and late stages. Each breakthrough is accompanied by a surge in true essence and an expansion of divine sense.
In contrast, the wizard system, after the apprentice stage, lacks such sub-divisions between the formal wizard tiers (first-tier, second-tier, third-tier).
After all, the core factor determining a wizard's strength is the breadth and depth of their knowledge, rather than mere mental power.
Pure accumulation of mental power alone cannot grant a wizard significant combat prowess.
A wizard with immense mental power but limited knowledge would often be utterly defeated by a wizard with slightly weaker mental power but mastery of vast and profound witchcraft models.
"However..." Jieming calmly considered, "at this stage, advancing from early to mid-foundation establishment won't significantly enhance my combat capabilities."
His primary combat methods still relied on his powerful rune-imbued magical artifacts.
While the strength of mid-foundation establishment would enhance his true essence and physical resilience, it wouldn't bring about a qualitative leap in power.
"Still, it's an improvement," Jieming quickly resolved. "Having an extra layer of solid protection for the perilous Frostdark Realm is never a bad idea."
"Most importantly, the effectiveness of the Inner Circulation Method is closely tied to my qi refining cultivation. Reaching mid-foundation establishment should significantly expand my internal space."
Having made up his mind, Jieming immediately submitted an application through the new magic net terminal to the camp's administrative office, requesting a secure, sealed laboratory for an "important personal experiment."
After paying the required military merit points, his request was swiftly approved.
A metal laboratory deep beneath the camp opened its doors to him.
Isolated from the world, its walls were forged from meters-thick alloy, inscribed with defensive runes capable of withstanding fourth-tier spell impacts. Powered by an independent earth vein core, it was completely immune to external interference.
Jieming entered the laboratory. As the heavy metal door slowly closed, the world seemed to fall silent.
Yet he didn't immediately begin. Instead, he carefully retrieved dozens of formation plates from his space expansion pouch and personally arranged layer upon layer of sealing formations within the laboratory.
These formations combined the principles of immortal cultivation's formation arts with the rune technology of wizards, not only isolating energy fluctuations but also obscuring the heavenly secrets to prevent any form of divination or prying.
Only after completing these preparations did he finally sit cross-legged at the center of the laboratory, his eyes closed and his mind focused, ready to officially attempt his advancement to the mid-foundation establishment realm.
To Jieming's surprise, this advancement proceeded without the slightest hint of danger or complication, as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
His cultivation technique began to circulate on its own. Guided by his will, the liquid true essence that had long since reached its maximum capacity within his dantian qi sea began to spin at an unprecedented speed.
At the center of the vortex, a deep whirlpool gradually formed, frantically drawing in and compressing the surrounding true essence.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Jieming could clearly "hear" the roaring sound within his body, like a river surging through its channels—the sound of true essence flowing at high speed through his meridians.
Every limb, every bone, every cell in his body groaned with pleasure as they were scoured by this pure true essence.
After an unknown length of time, when the vortex of true essence in his dantian had been compressed to its limit, a faint "pop" seemed to resonate from the depths of his soul!
The barrier had shattered!
A surge of true essence, far purer and more condensed than before, erupted from the vortex's center, rapidly filling his entire dantian qi sea.
The previously liquid true essence had become more viscous, almost solidifying, its energy density increasing by several times!
His meridians widened and strengthened, and the range of his mental power's perception expanded again, becoming sharper and clearer.
Jieming slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance flickering through his pupils.
He rose slowly, feeling the new power surging through his body.
He could sense a significant improvement in his five senses, strength, speed, and even the speed of his thoughts.
Though not a qualitative transformation, this comprehensive enhancement would give him a significant advantage against enemies of the same level.
"Mid-foundation establishment... achieved."
After consolidating his cultivation and adapting to his newfound power, Jieming wasted no time.
He deactivated the magic formation, left the laboratory, and headed straight for another crucial area of the camp: the intelligence database.
With his advancement complete, his next target was the icy realm of death.
Seated at an isolated query terminal, he activated full access privileges and began systematically gathering all available data on the Frostdark Realm and snow monsters.
A massive virtual screen unfolded before him, displaying a torrent of information cascading down like a waterfall.
The Frostdark Realm's geographical environment, climatic characteristics, maps of explored regions, distribution of energy elements...
Detailed reports on snow monsters: their social structure, reproductive methods, combat habits, known weaknesses...
Jieming meticulously collected every piece of intelligence.
(End of the Chapter)
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