The first ten months were a struggle for Oliver. Without the specialized formula, his cultivation speed dropped by 40%. Even with the Rebirth Codex boosting his skill cultivation by 60%, it still wasn't as fast as a year ago.
Even practicing with all his might every day, it took four days to cultivate a single strand of internal energy. Under these circumstances, Oliver, who could only practice basic techniques, managed to cultivate just three strands of internal energy in the first month. Success seemed out of reach.
But as time passed, things gradually improved.
The Rebirth Codex increased Oliver's learning ability by 40%, and his understanding of the Energy Cultivation Technique grew day by day. By the end of the second month, he reached a higher level, fully achieving mastery.
The efficiency of the mastery-level Energy Cultivation Technique was 30% higher than the proficient level. This change made Oliver realize he could practice effectively even without the formula. The formula, he understood, was merely an aid to practice!
After this revelation, Oliver focused on nurturing his internal energy rather than spending excessive time on rote practice. Instead, he experimented constantly, striving to understand the principles behind the Energy Cultivation Technique.
In the sixth month, drawing on knowledge from his previous life, he finally grasped it. The formula of the Energy Cultivation Technique was a hypnotic method to improve concentration and accelerate the body's energy flow!
Humans in this world could obtain extraordinary powers due to their special physique, and their spirits were equally unusual, capable of influencing bodily functions. Through "meditation" and "formulas," one could control the body's energy to a certain extent!
The more specific this visualization, the faster the practice speed would be! If Oliver's guess was correct, every time Master William updated the formula for Henry, he must have expanded its influence from the dantian to the trunk, limbs, and eventually all bones.
From shallow to deep, constantly expanding the scope of influence, practice could keep pace with progress!
Oliver had always imagined power gathering in the dantian, but he hadn't considered collecting energy from all parts of the body, including bones. This explained why his practice speed had been steadily decreasing.
The energy in one place is limited. Even if it can be restored, how could it be continuously extracted? Continuing to practice like this would surely lead to self-destruction.
After solving this puzzle, Oliver broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, his family's limited food supply had forced him to pause his practice and explore the underlying principles instead. Otherwise, even if he had realized his mistake, his body might have been irreparably damaged.
From then on, Oliver began changing the area from which he extracted energy, keeping it in constant circulation. To date, he had cultivated 30 silk-like strands of internal energy, greatly improving his strength.
As his understanding of the Energy Cultivation Technique deepened, he gradually improved it and adapted it to himself. He sensed that after a few more years of practice, his attainment in the technique might reach an even higher level.
Above mastery, there was the level of "Minor Achievement." When attainments reached this level, it was considered a preliminary accomplishment, and practice would become free and spontaneous. In simple terms, it meant being able to enter the state of practice at any time and understand its secrets.
Reaching this level would greatly benefit practice, far surpassing the first three stages. To cultivate the Energy Cultivation Technique with talent rather than vast wealth, one must master it to the level of Minor Achievement.
This was extremely difficult. Even with talent, without the experience of predecessors to guide you, countless detours lay ahead. After ten or twenty years, it would be challenging to achieve the right result, and one might even go astray and waste their potential.
"This year is another bumper harvest," James said with a smile, sitting next to Oliver. "I'm afraid our twelve acres of land can produce 5,000 kilograms. If we hand in 2,000 kilograms, we can have a very good year. Thanks to you, Oliver!"
"It seems my name wasn't chosen in vain. The crops are thriving," Oliver nodded and smiled.
Under normal circumstances, the yield here was about 300 catties per acre, totaling 3,600 catties. The land in Willowbrook belonged to the Village Chief. No matter how much the land produced, 2,000 catties of grain had to be handed over to the village.
In the past, 1,600 catties were left after shelling, plus various daily necessities to buy each year, such as salt. It was barely enough for the family to eat, with little surplus.
The 30% increase in production meant a 30% surplus appearing out of thin air, which formed the basis for the Greene family to support Oliver's Energy Cultivation practice.
However, the future remained uncertain. Ethan had married this year, and would likely have a child soon. By then, consumption would increase, but output wouldn't. It might become impossible to continue practicing...
Oliver shook his head slightly. This was a problem in his previous world too.
In this world, Willowbrook didn't need too many people, so the Village Chief had issued a clear order limiting the number of children. Ethan could get married and have children, but no more than three.
As the second son, Oliver would have to become a hunter, otherwise he couldn't have children.
As for why they needed a second or even a third child when they already had Ethan... As the saying goes, the fate of mayflies is to be born in the morning and die in the evening. The infant mortality rate in ancient times was extremely high, and more children needed to be born to reduce the risk. Otherwise, without children to help farm, they would starve to death.
The Greene family had been lucky, with three consecutive children surviving. It was also because of this that Oliver's mother could no longer have children and had undergone sterilization.
With both cultivation and spirit roots, sterilization was naturally not too difficult. It was said that just a poke of the finger would make it impossible to have children again, which seemed so convenient and quick that it was almost outrageous. If you could sterilize someone with one poke, it probably wasn't difficult to kill someone with one poke either.
Oliver had only cultivated the first level of the Energy Cultivation Technique, and he was already far superior to ordinary people. Those fifth and sixth level masters who had awakened their spirit roots might be able to crush a group of people with a wave of their hands.
Strength is the foundation of life. Oliver knew he had to step up his cultivation!
"Oliver," James said, "I went to see the Village Chief today. He said that as long as you can really cultivate internal energy, you can join the Hunting Team. Tomorrow you should go to the Village Chief and let him see it! You must work hard, this is a chance to change your destiny!"
"Besides, how can you compare with those veterans by practicing by yourself? It's like farming. Our family has been farming for a long time and we have experience. It's really hard for ordinary people to do it!"
"When you join the Hunting Team, you must not be too proud. If you can ask the elders for advice, ask them. Be respectful, understand?!"
James patted Oliver's shoulder, his face excited, and kept telling him the points he thought needed attention. Oliver could only nod his head. To be honest, he wasn't good at speaking, and he didn't think that his opinions would carry much weight.
"So what exactly does the Hunting Team do, and why does my father want me to join so badly?" Oliver asked.
"Since you can ask this question, you should have guessed that the Hunting Team isn't hunting ordinary beasts, but monsters and malevolent spirits, which are the great enemies of mankind," James replied.
"Monsters evolved from wild beasts, and their meat is very nutritious. If you can hunt monsters, your practice will definitely improve rapidly. It's said that Hunter William hunted a monster, which allowed him to break through his own realm and awaken his spirit roots."
"Then there are malevolent spirits. Unlike monsters that come from the awakening of wild beasts, these spirits come from the yin energy of heaven and earth, or people's resentment. This is a pure disaster that cannot be eradicated. Killing them is useless, but will continue to cost manpower."
"For this reason, the village will spend a huge amount of money every three years to hold a purification ceremony to eliminate these spirits..."
"Hey, in fact, these are not important. What's really important is resources. How can you practice martial arts without food? Only by joining the Hunting Team can you have the opportunity to hunt monsters and speed up your practice!!"
James, having lived in the village for more than 30 years, naturally knew something about these matters and explained them to Oliver in detail.