Mao hour.
The white dew had turned to frost, and the night still lingered.
Outside, darkness shrouded the landscape, but within the small cottage by the stream, Gu Shengtian was already hard at work.
This had always been his nature—even in his past life. Once he set his sights on a goal, he pursued it relentlessly.
Back then, working 996 was exhausting. Even after office hours, he had to attend meetings on WeChat, yet he was never late. Compared to those grueling mornings, waking up now was far more manageable—just a session of Changchun Gong at dawn and dusk left him feeling refreshed.
Of course, he had his limits. Practicing more than three times a day would leave his head aching, and in that state, even handling medicinal ingredients would be impossible.
Still, today's workload was manageable.
He needed to process raw materials for Pigu Dan and Zhongmiao Maru.
Refining Pigu Dan was second nature to him. His grandmaster-level proficiency made the process effortless, even making the tedious preparation work enjoyable. Zhongmiao Maru, while more complex, was also becoming easier.
Sometimes, in moments of idleness, he studied his system.
Its interface was simple—just an attribute panel. The two core functions were proficiency enhancement and achievement points, which allowed him to instantly grasp skills at the same realm.
Through trial and error, he discovered something intriguing.
Failure contributed to proficiency just as much as success.
And every time he broke through to a new level of mastery, an additional sense of understanding accompanied it.
"This isn't just 'skillfulness'—it's something more."
It felt as if, upon reaching a new threshold, the system condensed all the insights of that level into his mind, granting him a deeper and more comprehensive grasp of the skill.
This was evident in his Pigu Dan refining—stable production rates and guaranteed high quality.
If reaching the pinnacle of grandmaster-level proficiency could further enhance his skills, perhaps his Pigu Dan could one day reach the perfect level.
However, market saturation was an issue.
"Pigu Dan is a long-lasting product with many competitors, and consumption is slow."
A superior product wouldn't necessarily sell better. On the other hand, Zhongmiao Maru was different.
A niche product. Low competition. High potential for repeat customers.
The downside?
Expensive materials—each batch cost five spirit stones—and an uncomfortably high failure rate.
And while Zhongmiao Maru had a market, it wasn't large. Most rogue cultivators in Dahefang City were focused on breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm, not indulging in luxury pills.
But for now, this was the best product he could handle.
Even if the costs outweighed the profits, he had to persist.
As long as his success rate improved, his future would be bright.
Testing the Perfect Fireball
By noon, he was making beef rice again.
Thanks to his grandmaster-level Pigu Dan proficiency, material loss was minimal. The frozen beef should have been consumed faster, yet after refining Zhongmiao Maru, its depletion had slowed.
"Too much aura is leaking from the meat," he mused.
Lately, he had been trimming off an extra finger-thick slice when cooking, ensuring nothing went to waste.
After a hearty meal, he burped in satisfaction.
Milky!
Now, all that remained was the final aging process for the pills.
He sat by the stream, fishing rod in hand, passing the time.
Recently, the water, originating from the Lancang River, had been teeming with fish and shrimp.
"I should catch a few and treat myself."
While waiting, he opened his system panel.
[Name: Gu Shengtian]
[Lifespan: 27/75]
[Spiritual Root: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Qi Refining Stage (Level 3) – 76/100]
[Cultivation Method: Changchun Gong (Master) – 257/300]
[Spells: Cleansing (Beginner) – 52/100, Entanglement (Proficient) – 176/200, Fireball (Perfect) – 315/500, Xiaoyaoyou (Proficient) – 102/200]
[Skills: Alchemy (Level 1) – Grandmaster Pigu Dan 510/1000, Zhongmiao Maru (Beginner) – 13/100]
[Achievement Points: 1 (Can be used to upgrade skills, spells, or techniques within the same realm)]
He smiled.
His cultivation, which had been stagnant for a while, had finally increased from 75 to 76.
Breaking into the fourth level of Qi Refining was within reach.
His progress in Changchun Gong and alchemy was steady, but what caught his attention was Xiaoyaoyou and Fireball.
Xiaoyaoyou had advanced to proficient, significantly increasing his movement speed.
"All that running on the plains paid off," he thought.
But the biggest surprise was Fireball, which had reached perfect level.
He hadn't had time to test it yet—only noticing a smoother experience when lighting fires for cooking.
Now was the time to see its true power.
Casting his fishing rod aside, he aimed at the deepest part of the stream and unleashed a Fireball.
Boom!
The quiet stream erupted as a massive splash soared into the air, hot steam hissing outward.
Scorched fish carcasses, burned black, floated up before being carried away by the current.
Gu Shengtian grinned.
"A fireball that scorches the stream and sinks all the fish!"
It truly lived up to its perfect level.
But more importantly…
He checked his spiritual power.
"Before, each Fireball took 10% of my energy. Now, it's less than 5%!"
A realization struck him.
"I can fire twenty in a row now?!"
That was a massive improvement.
And the speed?
It seemed to have doubled.
Previously, casting took three breaths. At proficient level, it had been reduced to two.
Now?
One breath.
"A breath. That's as fast as activating a fire talisman!"
He fired three more Fireballs at the creek.
No mistake.
The speed matched that of a talisman, and the cost remained the same—just 20% of his spiritual power.
His smile widened.
Before, he had to conserve his spiritual power, limiting spell practice for fear of being left defenseless.
Now, he could train twice as much without worrying.
Most importantly—
"If I catch my enemy off guard, they won't even have time to react."
For the first time, he had a true combat ability.
Until now, he had relied on being unnoticeable, avoiding trouble.
But having no one pay attention to him was not the same as having the power to fight back.
A weight he hadn't even realized he was carrying suddenly lifted from his shoulders.
For the first time, he felt secure.
A chuckle bubbled up, but he held it in.
"No need to celebrate too soon. When I break through to mid-stage Qi Refining, then I'll roar to the heavens!"
He glanced at the fish blown onto the shore, picking one up.
"Well, at least I caught something."
He smirked.
"Fishing proficiency increased by one."