Returning to my room, I sat cross-legged on the bed, thinking about everything that had happened today. I couldn’t help but shake my head helplesslyâwhat a mess.
Ever since I had unblocked my Ren and Du meridians, I hadn’t properly cultivated. Now was the time to consolidate my cultivation.
The third stage of “Nine Revolutions of Heaven and Earth” involved transforming Qi into liquid, refining True Qi once again. This process wasnât easy, but with my Ren and Du meridians unblocked and my twelve principal meridians fully connectedâforming what was known as the Fourteen Meridiansâthe major meridians in my body were now completely linked.
Refining True Qi would now be much simpler.
This technique, “Nine Revolutions of Heaven and Earth”, constantly emphasized the importance of refining and purifying True Qi, which seemed quite different from other techniques. Though I hadn’t read other techniques, given how impressive the name “Niu Shisan” was, and considering that he had ascended to immortality, this must be a highly unique cultivation method.
I compressed and purified my True Qi within my dantian, slowly transforming it into liquid.
Time passed slowly. I had no idea how long it took, but eventually, all the mist-like True Qi in my dantian had turned into liquid. However, to my surprise, this liquidized True Qi could still be refined further!
I continued practicing the third stage of “Nine Revolutions of Heaven and Earth”. Strangely, the liquefied True Qi reverted to a gaseous state as it flowed through my meridians, swirling like mist. Only when it cycled back into my dantian did it condense into liquid once more.
So it seemed that the so-called transformation of Qi into liquid was merely describing the state of True Qi within the dantian. Once it entered the meridians, it would revert to a gaseous form.
However, upon entering the meridians, not only did the True Qi turn into mist, but it also carried traces of black smoke.
Those must have been impurities within my True Qi. The black smoke was repelled by the white mist and eventually expelled from my meridians and out of my body.
After nine more cycles, all the black smoke had finally disappeared.
Just as I was about to finish my cultivation, I suddenly noticed something strangeâsome of the True Qi within my dantian had condensed into a solid form!
Although it was just a small, curved line, refining liquid into a solid core was something that only cultivators at the Lunar Reflection stage could achieve. I hadnât expected to reach this level while still in the late stage of Star Swirl.
The curved line looked more and more like a crescent moon, surrounded by a faint haze of True Qi, giving off a mystical aura.
This must mean⌠I had reached the “Half-Step Lunar Reflection” stage!
I swallowed hard and opened my eyes. “Nine Revolutions of Heaven and Earth” was truly incredible. Just the third stage had already allowed me to step into the Half-Step Lunar Reflection stage. What kind of surprises would the fourth stage bring?
Suddenly, I grew curious. Just who was Niu Shisan, the person who created such an astonishing technique?
Looking outside, I saw that the sun had already risen. What had felt like only a few minutes of cultivation had actually lasted the entire night.
Today was the official start of classes, my first day of lessons. I couldnât afford to be late.
I pulled out my class schedule and glanced at it. Unlike high school, university didnât have fixed classroomsâthere were different courses labeled “Course A” and “Course B.”
Since I had a morning class, I had to hurry to the classroom.
After changing into fresh clothes and quickly washing up, I was ready to leave. That was when I noticed Tang Shuyao and Qin Mengdie were already up and heading out as well.
“You two have morning classes too?” I asked, looking at them.
Tang Shuyao looked exhausted. “Yeah⌠The heavens are so unfair! Why did they have to schedule my class in the morning?”
“Let’s go,” Qin Mengdie said calmly.
I was momentarily stunned but quickly followed them out of the dorm.
Since it had rained yesterday, the weather was a bit chilly. Fortunately, my physique was strong enough to handle it.
Surprisingly, Qin Mengdie and Tang Shuyao were also walking to class. I had assumed that these two rich girls would have a private driver to take them.
“Let’s go together,” I said, jogging a few steps to catch up with them.
“Sure!” Tang Shuyao smiled. “By the way, narcissist, what class do you have today?”
“Here, take a look. I still have to find my classroom,” I said helplessly. Although I had a rough idea of where it was, I would still have to search a bit.
“You⌠You’re in the same classroom as us?!” Tang Shuyao exclaimed, tugging on Qin Mengdieâs sleeve. “Mengdie, look! The narcissist is in our class!”
“It’s normal for students from the same department to be in the same classroom,” Qin Mengdie replied indifferently. “Though later courses might be different.”
“Give me your schedule!” Tang Shuyao said. Before I could react, she snatched it from me and compared it with her own.
Her eyes widened in shock as she scanned the schedule. Swallowing hard, she turned to Qin Mengdie. “Mengdie⌠The narcissist has “exactly” the same schedule as us!”
Qin Mengdie was also momentarily stunned, but she still responded in her usual calm tone. “Itâs probably just a coincidence⌔
“Hey! Narcissist! Did you follow me to Saint Hua just because you have a crush on me?!” Tang Shuyao accused, putting her hands on her hips.
“We didnât even know each other before this,” I replied helplessly.
Wait⌠following her, having identical schedules, being in the same departmentâholy crap! Could my protection target actually be Qin Mengdie?!
Thinking back on my earlier suspicions, combined with the previous gun attack, it was entirely possible that she was my assigned protection target!
But why would Qin Shousheng entrust the protection of his own daughter to me, a complete rookie?
It didnât make sense. With their familyâs wealth and influence, they could easily hire professional mercenaries to guard Qin Mengdie.
“Hey, beauties, heading to class?”
A sudden whistle interrupted my thoughts. Turning around, I saw a rich-looking guy in a red Ferrari pulling up beside us.
However, neither Tang Shuyao nor Qin Mengdie paid him any attention.
The rich guy frowned, then drove ahead and stopped in front of us before turning back. “Ladies, need a ride?”
“Hah! Trying to flirt with women while driving such a crappy car? No class at all!” Tang Shuyao scoffed at him.
âŚWait, what? A Ferrari was considered “crappy”? In my mind, that was already an amazing car. Was this the tragic reality of the wealthy?
Ignoring the rich guy, Tang Shuyao grabbed Qin Mengdieâs hand and walked off, leaving him dumbfounded. I couldnât help but chuckle. It seemed that having money didnât guarantee you could pick up girls.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, I coughed lightly and said, “Hey man, since the ladies donât want a ride, how about giving me a lift? Itâs a long walk, and my legs are getting tired.”
The rich guy shot me a look of pure disdain and spat out a single word: “Idiot.”
Then he stepped on the gas and sped off.
What the hell?! That was way too direct! I was just joking!