Grinding EXP From a Demon Hunting Ship-Chapter 44: Body Refining and Qi Refining, A Triumphant Advance
’Changing cultivation methods to influence the Laws of Heaven and Earth...’
After hearing the "crystallization" theory, Su Ye’s mind was in turmoil, and it took him a long while to calm down.
’The mighty figures of the recent ancient era... truly unimaginable...’
’But...’
A glint appeared in Su Ye’s eyes. He said nothing, silently glancing at the pale blue virtual screen.
’With the help of my panel ability, it’s not impossible for me to do the same one day!’
’Speaking of which, I wonder if this world has any of those ancient Grotto Heavens, completely isolated from the outside world...’
Su Ye stroked his chin as a very amusing thought suddenly popped into his head.
’What if someone from this era grew up in a Grotto Heaven, practicing an ancient Cultivation Technique, and finally, with great difficulty, formed a sixth or seventh-grade Golden Core?’
’They’d think they’d finally reached the Golden Core realm and could leave their seclusion to become the patriarch of a lineage, lording their power over everyone...’
’But then they’d leave the Grotto Heaven only to find that True Method Golden Cores are everywhere!’
’Bro, what kind of Golden Core is that?’
At this thought, the corner of Su Ye’s mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
’You really can’t afford to work in isolation...’
...
「Dusk.」
After a tender moment, Luo Qing’e returned to Luoyue Mountain to cultivate.
Su Ye, however, stayed aboard the Sea Crocodile, using the excuse that he needed to familiarize himself with the spirit ship.
「Captain’s Quarters.」
"HUUUH..."
’This long-awaited cultivation acceleration... feels so good...’
Su Ye slowly concluded his meditative practice, and the faint blue glow of his Magical Power faded beneath his skin.
Then, his qi and blood surged, and heat began to steam off his body.
The Azure Dragon Power, like a surging tide, churned within his limbs and bones!
As Su Ye circulated the technique, the power surged faster and faster!
Finally...
HUM!
’A breakthrough. First level of Body Refining.’
Su Ye’s eyes lit up. The first level of Body Refining was comparable to the Early-stage of Qi Refining.
Aided by the Sea Crocodile’s cultivation acceleration effect, he had been building up his power for over a month and broke through in a single stroke!
He took a moment to perceive the changes brought by his Body Refining breakthrough, then extended a finger.
ZZZT!
A sharp, silvery-white light flared to life at his fingertip!
This wasn’t Magical Power, but the Gang Qi of a Body Cultivator!
Gang Qi was what the path of Body Refining relied upon to contend with Qi Refining.
After all, human cultivators were limited by the natural constraints of their race.
No matter what, their physical bodies could never compare to those of ferocious beasts.
A first-level Body Cultivator had tough skin and strong bones, but their physical body alone could hardly withstand an attack from a low-grade Magical Artifact.
Only when reinforced with Gang Qi could they defend against Magical Artifacts.
’But I’m not an idiot. Why would I block a Magical Artifact with my body?’ Su Ye raised an eyebrow.
He was only practicing a Body Refining Technique to increase his stamina, leverage his attribute advantages, and improve his chances of survival in naval combat.
Su Ye was extremely protective of his own life!
...
After finishing his cultivation, Su Ye walked onto the deck and gazed out at the harbor, which twinkled with scattered lights in the darkness.
’Tomorrow, the crew will arrive...’
’And as the new captain, with a major battle looming, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to require the crew to maintain combat readiness and be permanently stationed on the Sea Crocodile?’
’At most, I’ll hand out some extra Spirit Stones as bonuses?’ Su Ye mused.
’Hmm... no need to give them to everyone. I’ll set up a performance-based system. Give bonuses to the top ten crew members.’
A benevolent smile, like that of a farmer gazing upon a field ripe for harvest, appeared on Su Ye’s handsome face.
’And once the entire crew is aboard and morale is maintained above a certain level, even though the Sea Crocodile is only a mid-grade, Tier-1 spirit ship, with a full complement, the cultivation acceleration bonus should reach 50%!’
A fifty percent cultivation acceleration bonus, on top of my panel’s ability to create something from nothing and amplify the effects of Spiritual Objects...
Su Ye estimated that his fundamental cultivation speed should be nearly equivalent to that of someone with a high-grade Spiritual Root!
’Moreover... once the crew is assembled, having them perform their duties, even while we’re not at sea, should probably still grant me some experience points.’
As for why they’d be performing daily duties while still in port... maybe their captain is sick in the head... Don’t ask. And if you do, the answer is: to forge their willpower!
Besides, Su Ye figured, compared to absurd rules like ’no trash in the trash cans’ or ’no books on the desks’... wasn’t making the crew perform their duties while in port a perfectly reasonable thing to do?
’In any case... my long-stagnant gain of experience points is about to restart!’
Su Ye glanced at his experience bar.
[Class: Tiderider Lv. 2 (646/1000)]
Capturing an enemy vessel, winning a sea battle, plus the daily accumulation from the return journey...
Currently, his Tiderider class was less than a third of the way from leveling up!
’About two months? Should be roughly that,’ Su Ye estimated.
’During that time, I can wait for my class to level up and just keep taking pills, ignoring the pill poison...’
’No, I can’t completely ignore it,’ Su Ye’s expression grew serious.
Su Ye was somewhat wary of this "all-in" approach of recklessly consuming pills and ignoring the resulting poison.
If the refreshing aura he gained from each level-up was finite, and he took so many pills that it couldn’t eliminate all the poison, there was a small chance it could affect his future cultivation path.
’Er... to be on the safe side, I’ll start by increasing my dosage by thirty percent.’
’I’ll test the refreshing aura’s ability to purge the pill poison and then gradually increase the dosage from there.’
Possessing a world-altering opportunity like his panel, Su Ye naturally had to proceed with caution!
’I’m still young. I have the patience for this...’
...
「Six months later.」
Su Ye, who had just celebrated his eighteenth birthday not long ago, was meditating in the captain’s quarters of the Sea Crocodile.
And soon, as another cycle of Magical Power completed its flow...
HUM.
A faint blue light flashed and vanished.
The aura of Magical Power around Su Ye smoothly crossed the threshold into the fifth level of Qi Refining!
If any other cultivator had witnessed this, their eyes would have popped out of their sockets in shock!
Even if this wasn’t one of the major bottlenecks like the fourth or seventh levels, it was still a bottleneck!
Since when had breaking through a bottleneck become so easy?!
’Fifth level of Qi Refining in eight months... Not bad.’
Su Ye concluded his practice and slowly opened his eyes.
He commented dispassionately, his state of mind completely untroubled.
Under the effects of [Harmony], he wouldn’t face any bottlenecks until he reached the sixth level of Qi Refining.
Meanwhile, the simple accumulation of Magical Power had become extremely rapid with the aid of cultivation acceleration and medicinal pills.
With these two factors combined, as his Cultivation Realm steadily rose, the time it took for him to advance a level was actually getting shorter and shorter!
’A panel born from a seafaring game... In the end, I really have to be a captain to maximize its effects...’
After a brief moment of reflection, Su Ye activated an aura-concealment technique he had obtained from the Luo Family’s Scripture Pavilion.
Soon, the fluctuations of his Magical Power gradually subsided, masking his cultivation at the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Advancing too quickly would attract unwanted attention.
’Next up, time to level up my class.’
Su Ye understood that by increasing his dosage of pills over this period, a certain amount of pill poison had already built up in his body.
If he continued taking pills at this rate, it would very likely affect his future cultivation!
’So...’ Su Ye looked toward the virtual panel.
[Class: Tiderider Lv. 2 (1000/1000) +]
’Level up!’
