The increase in strength naturally put Shen Changchuan in an excellent mood.
Especially when his Light Body Technique reached Perfection and produced a Perfection Trait, just as he had predicted, this sparked a certain ambition within him.
Although for the past two and a half years since he'd transmigrated, the internal politics of the Shen Family Mansion had kept him from cultivating too diligently, lest he attract unwanted attention and hostility.
But Shen Changchuan was also well aware that his Cultivation Talent was, in fact, quite ordinary.
It wasn't so bad as to be useless,
but it was a far cry from the true geniuses of Immortal Cultivation.
Take, for example, that good-for-nothing brother of his who had supposedly committed suicide by stabbing himself seven times in the back.
He too was an illegitimate son and had very few Cultivation Resources.
Yet he had still managed to reach the Qi Introduction Sixth Layer at a young age.
Compared to him,
the gap was ridiculously large.
Shen Changchuan had come to terms with this long ago. He wasn't some prodigy of Immortal Cultivation, just an ordinary Cultivator—one face among a countless crowd.
For someone like him, it would be a stroke of immense luck to ever break through to the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer.
Even reaching the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer
was an incredible challenge for a Cultivator with his level of talent.
But the appearance of the Magic progression panel gave Shen Changchuan a glimmer of hope.
His idea was simple.
Since a Trait appeared every time he cultivated a Magic to Perfection, then…
'What if I could cultivate more Magic techniques to 100% in the future? If I get more Traits, will my own talent undergo a transformation and improve?'
'Even if I'm wrong, and Perfection Level techniques can't improve my talent,'
'a 100% Perfection Technique will, at the very least, grant me a massive boost in power.'
'And with that superior combat prowess, I can acquire more Cultivation Resources from the outside world, making up for my mediocre talent!'
And this was something
that Shen Changchuan had now experienced firsthand.
A single Perfection-level Golden Needle Technique had allowed him to instantly slay a Demon Pig at the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer. The Demon Pig Meat, rich with potent Essence Qi, had then quickly raised his Cultivation by a minor level.
At the same time,
the sight of the giant boar's carcass had frightened off Shen Shiyin, Dawan Village's original Garrison commander, which not only prevented a conflict but also netted him five Spirit Stones in compensation.
These were the benefits that came with increased strength!
While there might have been an element of luck involved,
the benefits were undeniably real.
As long as he was strong enough, acquiring Cultivation Resources would become much easier.
And when he thought of the rewards he'd reaped from slaying the giant boar,
Shen Changchuan couldn't suppress the urge to head into the mountains and hunt more Demon Beasts.
Fortunately,
his cautious nature quickly reined in the idea.
'Forget it. I shouldn't take the risk. I'm only in the Qi Introduction Early Stage; this is no time to be reckless.'
'Even if I were to go out hunting Demon Beasts, I should at least wait until my Cultivation reaches the Qi Introduction Middle Stage.'
'I'm afraid even the Qi Introduction Middle Stage wouldn't be safe. I know nothing about the surrounding terrain, the environment, the types of Demon Beasts active in the area, or the potential dangers. Rushing into the mountains without any information would be suicide.'
'Until I'm fully prepared, I should just stay put in the village and focus on my Immortal Cultivation.'
'I've been given a second chance at life; I can't afford to be reckless.'
Shen Changchuan doused his own enthusiasm with a bucket of cold water, quickly suppressing the impulse.
The giant boar he'd managed to kill by a stroke of luck was only at the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer.
If he actually started thinking he was invincible and ran off to hunt Demon Beasts in the mountains,
he wouldn't even know what hit him.
'Now that I've reached the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak, I can finally use that.'
Shen Changchuan mused, retrieving a palm-sized White Jade Bottle from within his robes. Inside, the silhouette of a thumb-sized elixir was faintly visible.
The Qi Union Pill!
An elixir that helps a Cultivator break through the bottleneck between the Qi Introduction Early Stage and the Qi Introduction Middle Stage.
In other words, a precious elixir that could help a Cultivator break through the bottleneck from the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak to the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer!
If he were to rely on normal meditative Cultivation, Shen Changchuan estimated it would take him at least two or three years of hard work to break his current bottleneck and advance to the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer.
But this one elixir was enough to allow Shen Changchuan to break through in a short amount of time!
This elixir...
was the very first one Shen Changchuan had ever received in this life.
It had been given to him by this body's mother before he left the Shen Family Mansion.
Clutching the Jade Bottle, he recalled that gentle figure, and a long silence fell over him.
"Mother..."
Elixirs of any kind
were never cheap.
An elixir that could help a Cultivator achieve a breakthrough was even more so.
This single Qi Union Pill had an internal purchase price of over one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones within the Shen Family!
And that was the restricted, internal price.
On the open market, it would only be higher!
One hundred and fifty Spirit Stones...
That was likely the majority of the savings she had scrimped together since the day he was born.
Because this body's mother was not a Cultivator, her status as a mortal within the Shen Family Mansion was only a little higher than that of a servant.
And that was only because he, her son, was a child of the Patriarch and a Cultivator, which afforded her a sliver of backing.
As a result,
the personal allowance she received from the family was extremely limited.
Shen Changchuan could imagine how, over the course of more than a decade, she had slowly saved up those one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, piece by painstaking piece.
And then,
when her son was ready to spread his wings, she had silently taken out everything she had and exchanged it for what he needed most...
At this moment,
a feeling he couldn't quite describe in words stirred in Shen Changchuan's heart.
When he had left,
this body's mother had not said a word.
But he could feel the trace of worry hidden beneath her gentle gaze as she watched him walk away, and the earnest hopes she held for him...
'Shen Changchuan, oh, Shen Changchuan, I've taken over your body, inherited your memories, and maybe even merged with your soul...'
'From now on, I am you, and you are me. Your mother... is my mother.'
Shen Changchuan clutched the Jade Bottle containing the Qi Union Pill, closed his eyes, and vowed this to himself.
At that moment,
he let go of his reservations and accepted everything about this new life.
And it seemed that in that very instant,
whether it was an illusion or not, he felt a burden lift from his soul. The world itself seemed to snap into focus.
Shen Changchuan savored the change, taking it all in.
After a long while,
he opened his eyes again.
His gaze was completely serene.
But the idea he'd had even before leaving the Shen Family Mansion,
was now crystal clear.
He had to keep moving forward,
to become stronger.
At the very least,
he had to ensure his mother could live a better life within the Shen Family Mansion.
He was no longer...
...living for himself alone.
Shen Changchuan lowered his head, gazing at the Jade Bottle in his hand.
After a moment of thought, he put it back inside his robes.
As for taking the elixir,
he decided to wait a few more days.
It was better to be cautious.
'I just advanced to the Qi Introduction Third Layer Peak, and my Cultivation hasn't stabilized yet. If I rush to force a breakthrough, I might damage my meridians.'
'I should wait half a month to polish and stabilize my Cultivation Realm.'
On the bright side,
'since I'm not from a wealthy family and haven't been chugging elixirs my whole life, I don't need to worry about Elixir Poison.'
'Even if some Medicinal Power and trace amounts of Elixir Poison linger in my body after taking the Qi Union Pill, a Cultivator's body can purify itself. It would naturally expel and cleanse everything within a month or two.'
'So I don't need to worry.'
Elixir Poison...
that was a problem for the rich folk who popped elixirs like candy.
When you take too many elixirs, the body can't expel the toxins fast enough. They accumulate over time and eventually cause problems.
A poor wretch like Shen Changchuan, who was taking an elixir for the first time in his life, didn't need to worry about such things.
So, all he had to do was wait until he was in peak condition, take the pill, and break through to the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer.
...
Over the next few days, Shen Changchuan supervised various reforms in Dawan Village and organized the workload, beginning preparations for the next season's Spirit Grain planting.
All the while, he diligently practiced his Qi Cultivation through meditation.
Even though he had hit a bottleneck and couldn't increase his Magical Power any further, he didn't slack off in the slightest.
He set aside one hour every day for Qi Cultivation meditation, doing his best to polish his state to perfection.
In addition,
he also spent at least another hour practicing his Magic.
With his progression panel, he couldn't just let his unique advantage go to waste.
A two-pronged approach was the way to go.
Gazing at the Magic techniques he had mastered on his panel,
Shen Changchuan mulled it over for a long time before deciding which Magic he would master next.
'I have the Golden Needle Technique for offense and the Light Body Technique for movement. I don't need to supplement those areas for now.'
'So, I should focus on supplementing my reconnaissance abilities.'
Thus, Shen Changchuan set his sights on the Spiritual Eye Technique that Shen Shiyin had given him.
That Magic should round out his skillset nicely.
And so, for the next few days, Shen Changchuan dedicated all of his Magic practice time to grinding out the Spiritual Eye Technique.
But soon,
Shen Changchuan ran into a problem.
With the Demon Pig Meat gone, he no longer had a food source that could rapidly replenish his Essence Qi.
Now, after using the Spiritual Eye Technique eight or nine times and depleting his Magical Power, he had to meditate for a full half-hour to recover.
This significantly slowed his progress with the Spiritual Eye Technique.
After seven or eight days,
his progress on the Spiritual Eye Technique had only reached 51%.
Fortunately, Shen Changchuan wasn't in a hurry.
Compared to when he was suppressing his Cultivation back at the Shen Family Mansion, where it had taken him two and a half years just to perfect the Golden Needle Technique,
his progress with the Spiritual Eye Technique was already incredibly fast now that he was free from those constraints.
'There's plenty of time, anyway. No need to rush.'
Besides, at 51% completion, his Spiritual Eye Technique was already considered at the Minor Achievement level by the standards of the Immortal Cultivation World. It was already quite useful.
In the end, however, Shen Changchuan did not continue his training. His arduous Cultivation was interrupted.
Because,
a nearby neighbor came to visit, bearing gifts.