Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 164: Chapter 128 Holding Hands (Please Recommend, Asking for Monthly Votes)_2

There wasn’t the slightest impact, the materials absorbed into his body from the “Sword Demon Secret Manual” didn’t conflict with the Vajra power at all, on the contrary, it seemed to hasten the Body Refinement process.

This time his cultivation was more effective than any other before; he couldn’t determine whether this was by chance, or the result of the mutual influence between the two Body Refining Techniques.

Li Shiming stood up, his bones making a crackling sound like frying beans, and he could clearly feel he had grown taller; with the precise calculation of the IBMz15, his height had increased by 1.13 centimeters.

The last practice was the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique,” and ever since he had Spiritual Thought, the Spiritual Energy Vortex within his body had grown tremendously, already reaching the mid-phase of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Ordinarily, such results would have taken years of bitter cultivation.

He began to practice the “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique” and noticed something was amiss; not that something bad was happening, but his cultivation speed had increased again.

He had researched cultivation speeds before, and his divided being with Heavenly Spirit Root had a cultivation speed of 100, which was a base benchmark of cultivation.

Then his own three spirit roots coupled with the Metal Spirit Root valued at 81, when focusing exclusively on refining metal Spiritual Power, theoretically could reach the ultimate speed of 27 points.

In previous studies, all he needed to do was to get as close as possible to this theoretical value of 27; it was impossible to surpass this number.

During this cultivation session, Li Shiming found that his cultivation speed had reached 27.01.

Due to the enhancement from Spiritual Thought on cultivation, his recent practice of the main technique, “Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique,” had almost achieved the theoretical value of 27.

But today was different, the theoretical limit he thought he could never surpass was easily breached by him.

Had this number not been calculated by IBMz15, which never makes mistakes in calculations, he would have thought it was false.

After all, this theoretical value represents the limit of a Cultivator’s cultivation. Even if a Cultivator were to consume assistance elixir pills, it’s merely approaching this limit.

Otherwise, the Cultivation World wouldn’t place so much importance on Heavenly Spirit Roots. If resources could compensate for the gap in spirit roots, the massive resources needed for the Qi Refinement Realm would not be considered very valuable by sects, and they would have no problem fully supporting the cultivation of a few disciples.

Yet the issue is that a Cultivator’s spirit root seeds dictate the limits of perception and absorption. Take Li Shiming, for instance; he hasn’t consumed any auxiliary cultivation Elixir Pills since he started cultivating because his own cultivation speed was fast enough, and he hasn’t considered this aspect of cultivation.

Even with a plethora of Elixir Pills, and even the very top-grade First Grade Elixirs, without worrying about the residue of pill toxins, they could at most push his cultivation speed to the theoretical value of 27.

Plus, considering other influences, aside from those with Heavenly Spirit Roots, the vast majority of Cultivators can never reach their theoretical maximum cultivation speed.

Yet, this research that Li Shiming considered definitive was broken by him today.

Although the increase in speed was only by 0.01, its significance was vastly different.

This implies that he was capable of breaking through the restrictions of spirit roots, achieving a stronger cultivation effect.

What exactly caused his cultivation speed to reach 27.01? His first thought was the “Sword Demon Secret Manual”; after all, the most significant difference in today’s cultivation was the “Sword Demon Secret Manual.”

The “Sword Demon Secret Manual” absorbed a trace of Third-Grade Sword-shaped Metal, and perhaps it was this that allowed his cultivation speed to improve.

Of course, his conjecture would always remain just that, unable to be confirmed, as even if his cultivation speed continued to increase later on, there would be no way to prove that it had nothing to do with practicing both the “Sword Demon Secret Manual” and the “Vajra Body Protection Divine Skill” at the same time.

Practicing the “Sword Demon Secret Manual” in conjunction with the “Vajra Body Protection Divine Skill” was also one of his changes today.

The IBMz15 issued a warning; Li Shiming’s Spiritual Thought probed into the eyepiece and through the monitor, he saw the familiar emerald green Flying Boat and the graceful figure standing on it.

He hurried back into his cave dwelling and then activated the small Mountain Protection Array.

He went to the dock designed for the mooring of Flying Boats and approached those eyes brimming with the autumn water of affection, and he saw the worry and joy that were dissipating in Yin Shilan’s eyes.

“You’ve come!” Li Shiming felt his mouth was somewhat clumsy at the moment, far from the eloquence he had when communicating through the Identity Jade Disc.

He felt the concern coming from Yin Shilan, and realized how wonderful it was to have someone care about him.

“I’m here!” Yin Shilan quietly looked at him and softly responded.

Five days had passed with no news from Li Shiming. At first she thought that Li Shiming was in seclusion, but as time went on, she grew more and more worried.

Although it seemed that the incident with Baili Jin Yan had passed, she knew Elder Baili would not let it go so easily. Messages from the Holy Ice Sect indicated that several cultivators from their sect who had received her had all disappeared.

Even within the Sky Sea Sect, numerous cultivators had inexplicably gone missing in recent times.

While some of those cultivators seemed unrelated to her, she sensed some unknown connection and trusted her intuition.

What’s more, she used her access from the Identity Jade Disc to discover that Li Shiming was not on Eagle Beak Island.

Therefore, with Li Shiming out of contact, the more she thought about it, the more worried she became. This concern made her set aside her pride, and she came to wait outside Eagle Beak Island every morning.

“Come in first,” Li Shiming said, stepping aside.

The two sat inside the cave dwelling, and Li Shiming took a glass cup and poured a cup of tea for Yin Shilan.

“These past few days, my heart has been uneasy, worried that something might happen to you,” Yin Shilan whispered, sipping the Spiritual Tea and looking up at Li Shiming, as if murmuring to herself.

At this moment, Yin Shilan was no longer the lofty fairy, but her eyes softened with tenderness and a fragility akin to a mortal’s.

“I’ve worried you, I should have informed you ahead of time,” Li Shiming said with some remorse, then he continued, “This time I went to…”

“Don’t say it!” Yin Shilan interrupted him, stopping his next words with a hand gesture.

Yin Shilan handed him a talisman, not a talisman with rune patterns, but one depicting the image of a bow.

This talisman gave Li Shiming an immense sense of pressure, even more intense than that of Third Grade Metal.

It felt as if he were facing a Golden Core cultivator; although Li Shiming was only at the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement, he had the experience of sensing a Golden Core cultivator up close.

He had a similar talisman, one that depicted a White Jade Cup, equally strong in aura and pressure.

“What is this?” Li Shiming didn’t take the talisman, knowing it must be exceedingly precious, precious beyond imagination.

He knew this talisman must be something Yin Shilan used to save her own life. Although he had never asked about Yin Shilan’s background, he guessed from the Flying Boat and Baili Jin Yan’s pursuit that her status must be comparable to that of Baili Jin Yan.

“This is a talisman treasure, created from a part of a Golden Core cultivator’s power. Carry it with you, and you’ll be able to ward off any danger!” Yin Shilan saw through Li Shiming’s thoughts and put the talisman in front of him, insisting in a soft voice.

“I have my own ways to protect myself. Keep it with you, and I’ll rest easier!” Li Shiming shook his head.

“I have many ways to save my life, I won’t miss this one. Please don’t make me worry, okay?” Yin Shilan pleaded with tears glistening in her eyes, her voice laden with beseeching tenderness that unsettled Li Shiming.

Li Shiming picked up the talisman, feeling Yin Shilan’s determination.

Seeing him take the talisman, Yin Shilan’s eyes still brimmed with tears, but she laughed softly.

In an instant, Li Shiming was dazzled as if seeing the fairy maiden from the rain for the first time. The smile that blossomed for him now shone like flowers, making everything else lose its color.

“Thank you!” Li Shiming reached out and gently touched Yin Shilan’s hand, a touch he wouldn’t normally dare, but at that moment, the celestial maiden had descended to the mortal realm, and her smile intoxicated him, compelling him to reach out.

Their touching hands quivered slightly. Yin Shilan did not withdraw hers, the blush on her face betraying her shy heart.