Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

71: The wonderful uses of a clear state”State of Clarity?”

Lin Jingyu’s heart suddenly constricted, as if seized by an invisible hand, its beating stopping instantly! His blood seemed to freeze, his mind going blank.

The next second, like a volcano suppressed for millennia erupting with a roar!

A scalding torrent of ecstasy, without any warning, shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, instantly breaching all the dams of his reason!

”Holy shit! Isn’t this exactly what I just obtained?”

He almost shouted out loud, so excited that all the hairs on his body stood on end, every inch of his skin tingling as if electrified!

He had just been in that strange place, after being ’baptized’ by that terrifying fiery dragon that nearly roasted his brain into tofu pudding.

The golden characters that appeared on the stone slab indicated he had achieved the ’State of Clarity’.

It felt as if his entire being had been reborn, his control over his body greatly enhanced.

So this thing actually had such a Heaven-Defying, marvelous use! It was the perfect prerequisite for cultivating the ’Spirit Refining Art’.

That fire burned well, that fire deserved to be burned.

Recalling the agony of his spirit being scorched by the flames before, it felt like a nightmare he wished he could forget completely.

But now... that ferociously roaring fiery dragon, that heart-rending, Soul-searing pain as if his Soul was being roasted over a fire repeatedly...

In his eyes at this moment, it actually... actually seemed a bit... cute?

”Hahaha! Heaven helps me! Heaven truly helps me!”

Immense joy, like the strongest liquor, instantly flooded his chest, burning his entire body hot!

Lin Jingyu could no longer contain himself. In the silent underground chamber, he laughed out loud like a fool.

His laughter echoed in the narrow space, carrying the wild joy of surviving a calamity and the triumphant feeling of ’finally, my luck has turned!’

For him, this was basically enough to flatten the numerous hurdles and thresholds before becoming a Trainee Alchemist.

He tightly clenched the cold, heavy ’brick’ Jade Slip in his hand, his knuckles turning white from excessive force, as if he wanted to crush it and fuse it into his very bones and blood.

But his gaze was fiery hot, fixed intently on the Jade Slip, as if it weren’t a stone, but a ladder to the heavens leading to the supreme Dao of Alchemy!

”As long as I master the first layer of this ’Spirit Refining Art’... I can split my Mental Energy without any risk!”

”When that time comes, dividing my mind for two tasks? Three? That’s nothing!”

”I can control the fire for Alchemy, sense the medicinal properties, and even spare a thought to wonder what to eat tonight! Efficiency doubled! No, tripled!”

”Trainee Alchemist? I’ll take off directly!”

Those roadblock tigers barring the gate to the Dao of Alchemy — multi-tasking, controlling fire and pills, the vast knowledge of Spiritual Plants...

In his eyes now, they all seemed to have turned into paper tigers!

As long as Mental Energy splitting succeeded, these difficulties would be easily solved!

An unprecedented surge of lofty ambition, like a blazing fire, burned fiercely in his chest!

”Do it! Must do it!”

Lin Jingyu’s eyes focused, not a trace of hesitation left.

He sat cross-legged, pressed the Jade Slip tightly against his brow, immersed his mind into it, and began to eagerly study the methods of the first layer of the ’Spirit Refining Art’.

...

Time slipped away quietly in his concentration.

When Lin Jingyu opened his eyes again, the faint light of dawn was filtering through the window.

He had actually spent most of the night in this cold underground chamber, stubbornly pondering over this ’brick’.

What surprised him even more was that he didn’t feel the slightest fatigue or mental exhaustion. Instead, he felt refreshed and energetic, as if he had slept soundly for three days and three nights.

His thinking was unprecedentedly clear and active, as if his brain had been thoroughly cleansed and upgraded.

Lin Jingyu couldn’t help but praise again: ”Is this the benefit brought by the ’State of Clarity’? A new brain sure works well.”

He stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff joints.

The core method and circulation pathways of the first layer of the ’Spirit Refining Art’ had been initially understood and memorized by him.

Next would be the slow, grinding work of cultivation.

In high spirits, he decided to give his sister a little ’surprise’.

Walking to the corner, he rummaged through that dusty Storage Pouch.

First, he pulled out a small white porcelain bottle containing a few plump, round qi gathering pills emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

He thought for a moment, then felt it wasn’t enough.

His gaze swept over the depths of the Storage Pouch, finally landing on a palm-sized, ancient-looking bronze mirror Magical Artifact with a surface as smooth as water.

This was a Medium Grade, first-rank ’Water Light Mirror’. Its defensive power was average, but its advantages were quick activation and low Qi consumption, making it perfect for a Cultivator at the Qi Gathering Early Stage like his sister for self-defense.

Lin Jingyu took it in his hand. Concentrating a faint thread of Qi at his fingertip, like the most precise probe, he carefully guided it to explore the interior of the mirror.

His Mental Energy followed the Qi.

Although he hadn’t reached the Foundation Establishment Stage level of projecting Divine Sense externally, he could now let his Mental Energy leave his body along with his Qi.

It still counted as a method of investigation.

The mirror surface was slightly cool, with a warm, smooth texture.

Where his Mental Energy passed, the internal structure of the mirror body became clearly visible in his ’perception’, like transparent veins.

No hidden Restrictions, tracking marks, or sinister backdoors were found.

”Hmm, quite clean.” Lin Jingyu nodded in satisfaction.

A mere first-rank, Medium Grade Magical Artifact couldn’t escape his Mental Energy sweep.

Taking the Medicinal Pills and the small mirror, he left the chamber and headed for the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Lin Jingxia was squatting in front of the stove, carefully adding firewood to the hearth.

The firelight illuminated her focused little face, beads of sweat forming on her temples.

The dusty Earth Spirit Rat, ’Little Ash’, was hugging a half-eaten wild fruit, rolling around happily at her feet.

Hearing footsteps, Little Ash alertly pricked up its ears and sniffed.

When it saw it was Lin Jingyu, it let out a sharp ”squeak!” and scrambled behind the woodpile, only revealing a small head and two black, beady eyes filled with ’terror’.

Lin Jingyu’s mouth twitched. This little thing had a pretty good memory.

”Brother? You’re up? The porridge is almost ready!” Lin Jingxia heard the noise, looked up, and showed a sweet smile.

”Mn.” Lin Jingyu responded, walked to her side, and like a magician, handed her the things in his hand. ”Here, for you.”

Lin Jingxia curiously took the small porcelain bottle and the small mirror.

She first looked at the porcelain bottle with confusion, then picked up the small, exquisite bronze mirror and looked at her reflection.

The mirror reflected her little face smudged with a bit of soot.

”Wow! Brother, how did you know my little mirror accidentally cracked a couple of days ago? This is perfect!” she exclaimed in delight, holding the mirror and looking at herself from different angles, unable to put it down.

”It’s just... seems a bit small? But it’s okay, it’s from my brother, I love it!”

She clearly mistook this ’Water Light Mirror’ for an ordinary dressing mirror.