Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 24 Qi Refining Level 3 (Please read further with monthly votes and recommendations)
Time flies, and more than half a year has passed quietly.

[You are currently cultivating the Spirit Flame Technique. Your resilience increases by 1, your comprehension increases by 2, and your proficiency in the Spirit Flame Technique increases by 2.]

[You are absorbing spiritual energy. Spiritual affinity +1, spiritual energy +3]

Early in the morning, the school was quiet, and Zhou Ling was focused on his cultivation.

Suddenly, I felt a muffled sound inside my body, and the twenty-first acupoint was activated as if by water flowing into a channel.

"Finally reached the third level of Qi Refining!"

Zhou Ling looked delighted.

He then exhaled and opened the panel to check the properties.

[Spiritual Root]: Low-grade of the Five Elements 2/100
[Cultivation Level]: Qi Refining Level 3, 2/100
[Body Refinement]: Tier 1, Level 2, 26/100
[Physical Attributes]: Comprehension (average appearance 451/1000), Constitution (high potential 31800/100,000)

[Unique Talent]: Resilient to setbacks (Tier 2 180/1000)

【成长天赋】:天生营养不良、无母乳喂养、危机反应（一阶65/100）、体质进化（三阶1586/一万）、搜山寻宝（二阶250/1000）、仙人慧根（二阶523/1000）、初级洞察（二阶558/1000）、灵气亲和（三阶8380/一万）、怒吼（三阶9520/一万）
[Cultivation Technique]: Spirit Flame Technique (Level 1, Minor Success, 630/1000)

[Technique]: Great Yang Fist (Level 1, Mastery 870/1000), Basic Inscription Pattern (Mastery 970/1000)

Looking at the panel, Zhou Ling was satisfied.

My hard work in training over this period has finally paid off.

For the past six months, Zhou Ling has been cultivating while spending his spare time browsing through Old Man Zhao's stall in the market for substandard magical artifacts.

After some repairs, it was handed over to Old Man Zhao.

Repairing a few ordinary magical artifacts every month can both improve the level of inscription and earn some spirit stones.

Life is busy and fulfilling.

At seven and a half years old, reaching the third level of Qi Refining is already quite impressive for a rogue cultivator.

Of course, this progress during this period is due not only to my daily practice but also to the support of my innate attributes.

However, they also relied on Wang Xin's occasional supply of medicinal pills.

After all, his current main cultivation technique, the Spirit Flame Technique, does not have any spiritual objects to assist him, so his cultivation speed is not considered fast.

However, breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining will not be so easy.

This is the transition from the early to the middle stage of Qi Refining, a breakthrough in a mid-level realm, which will present significant bottlenecks.

The difficulty is far greater than breaking through from the first level of Qi Refining to the second level.

This requires the assistance of spiritual objects or breakthrough pills.

"For the rest of my cultivation, I need to find a way to purchase spiritual items like Fire Cloud Grass to assist me!"

Zhou Ling frowned slightly.

After months of hard work, he had managed to accumulate over thirty low-grade spirit stones.

However, he planned to exchange these low-grade spirit stones with the Dao Academy for the cultivation method of inscription, so as to improve his weapon refining skills.

After all, his basic inscriptions had already reached the Great Perfection stage, and now he had broken through to the third level of Qi Refining.

That's enough to draw an inscription.

As long as you can draw the inscription, you are a first-tier low-grade weapon refiner.

Whether it's repairing or refining magical artifacts, you'll earn far more spirit stones!

It took Zhou Ling a while to calm down.

"I need to earn more spirit stones to buy Fire Cloud Grass!"

"In addition, once you reach the third level of Qi Refining, you should also start practicing some offensive techniques!"

Zhou Ling was making plans in his mind.

Although he has been cultivating at the Taoist academy for more than four years, he has not yet learned any offensive techniques.

On the one hand, he basically lived a very simple life, mainly staying at home and at the Taoist temple.

Going to the market once or twice a month carries no risk.

In addition, he spends most of his time cultivating the Spirit Flame Technique, basic inscriptions, and the Great Yang Fist.

Therefore, he couldn't find the time to practice magic.

"However, the priority right now is to try to draw the inscription."

With talents such as "Resilient to Setbacks", "Basic Insight", and "Basic Analysis", they have a significant advantage in crafting inscriptions.

With a clear direction, Zhou Ling continued his meditation practice.

Immediately, I felt that the speed at which I absorbed spiritual energy had increased significantly.

Moreover, his spiritual sense has also improved considerably. At seven and a half years old, he has reached the third level of Qi Refining, a level that is considered above average among the six key Daoist classes.

Before long, the disciples arrived at the schoolhouse one after another.

Yuan Hu sat down on the prayer mat in front of Zhou Ling, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"Brother Ling, I might not be coming to the academy for a few days!"

Yuan Hu scratched his head and whispered to Zhou Ling.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

"Something happened at home, and I don't have enough spirit stones to continue my cultivation."

Yuan Hu looked somewhat blank, his gaze sweeping over the school building with a look of reluctance.

Zhou Ling was speechless for a moment.

Although the tuition for the top class is only three yuan per month now, the major expenses are the various costs that arise as cultivation levels increase.

Even with Zhou Ling's efforts to save money and the academy's bonus, his expenses were still considerable.

Just the daily consumption of spiritual food and the cost of cultivating inscriptions requires two or three low-grade spirit stones.

And that doesn't even include the monthly tuition fees.

The cost of six or seven low-grade spirit stones a month is a huge burden for a low-level rogue cultivator.

For two able-bodied people like Zhou Ling's parents, earning fifteen low-grade spirit stones a month is already quite good.

But the household expenses alone cost seven or eight low-grade spirit stones.

So, despite their hard work every day, they haven't gained any cultivation resources.

By the time one reaches the age of seven or eight at the Taoist academy, one is considered to have a foundation in cultivation.

Therefore, many independent practitioners whose families cannot support themselves choose to have their children drop out of school.

Once you leave the Taoist academy, without anyone to teach you or pass on your skills, your future path will inevitably be difficult.

Most of them could only do odd jobs in workshops, kitchens, shops, or go into the mountains to find medicinal herbs.

If you want to make any progress in your cultivation, then you probably shouldn't even dream about it.

Being able to make a living is already a blessing.

Zhou Ling sighed slightly. Over the past few years of cultivation at the Dao Academy, he and Yuan Hu had developed a friendship.

However, his family's situation is not very good now. His parents have given him all their resources, and his cultivation has not improved much.

I don't have the ability to help him.

"Yuanhu, what happened to your family?"

At this moment, Wang Xin, who had just arrived, asked with concern.

Yuan Hu said in a low voice, "My father was injured while fishing. He was stung by the venomous spines of a black-scaled fish and was poisoned. He needs a first-grade high-quality antidote pill to save him."

"A first-grade high-quality detoxification pill costs forty or fifty low-grade spirit stones, which my family simply cannot afford."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice became choked with emotion.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling thought for a moment and asked, "Yuan Hu, how many spirit stones does your family have right now?"

I currently have over thirty low-grade spirit stones, which I painstakingly accumulated over seven or eight months.

But saving lives is the priority; if Mingyin's cultivation is delayed by a few months, then it will be delayed by a few months.

Yuan Hu shook his head. "My family simply doesn't have any extra spirit stones left, as they've already spent all the money to send me to the Taoist academy."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling frowned.

"I can find a way to get you a detoxifying pill!"

At this moment, Wang Xin spoke.

Zhou Ling then remembered that Wang Xin's mother was a second-level alchemist.

Wang Xin breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to help Yuan Hu.

Then he wouldn't have to drop out of school!

"Wang Xin, thank you so much!"

Yuan Hu looked excited.

His whole body trembled slightly.

"Okay!" Wang Xin nodded.

(End of this chapter)