Chapter 77: Unmatched Speed!

Chapter 77: Unmatched Speed! After that, everyone’s cultivation resumed as planned. "Can I go to the comfort room?" "Ah, it’s my turn to go get lunch!" "Master, my wife’s calling me. Can I leave for a while?" And with every possible excuse in the book—some legitimate, some obviously not—people came and went, before continuing on their unchanging cultivation journey. With their "zealous" training, their game characters rapidly progressed through Bronze Level 6, 7, and 8. But their real-world cultivation wasn’t rising quite as fast. After all, there was a significant disparity in efficiency between the two. It was a matter of course that their real-world progress lagged behind comparatively. Still, Qi gathering via the Heavenly Martial Path game was far faster than ordinary cultivation in the real world. The density of the Qi inside the game was just that much higher. "Master, I’ve reached Bronze Level 10!" Starting with Henrietta, who was the fastest, the rest began finishing their cultivation up to their character’s current limits. "Good, then go out there and raise your level to 20 before coming back!" And same as before, Xu Tao had them fight monsters to gain experience and levels, unlocking even deeper cultivation paths as they progressed. Since everything was proceeding smoothly, Xu Tao decided to log out briefly and take care of a few minor tasks. It didn’t even take him half an hour before returning and resuming his watch over everyone’s cultivation. As an aside, having learned from their earlier mistakes, those out hunting monsters avoided overhunting in the forest and fields beyond it. They only eliminated an appropriate number of enemies before moving on to the next zone. They didn’t want a second "Cerberus-level" enemy to appear, after all. Time passed, and soon enough, everyone finally reached their target level: Silver Level 5 cultivation in-game! "Well done, everyone." Xu Tao clapped, smiling warmly as he praised them. "With this, we’ve reached our target for today. You can now all log out and contemplate your enlightenments—and/or consolidate your Qi." "Yes, Master." A flat response. Civilized and calm. "Oh, and for everyone but Uriel and Henrietta, no training tonight. Training will be done on your own time. I’ll be giving you all a copy of a scroll I made later, so don’t forget that." "YEAH!!!" After that addendum, a loud cheer erupted. Everyone was just happy that they wouldn’t need to "suffer." Of course, Xu Tao could guess exactly what they were thinking and could only smile wryly... after all, based on the scroll he made, tomorrow’s menu was going to be exactly the same. ’Well, I’ll let them rejoice for now, at least.’ As the celebration died down, the three veterans—who had now become Henrietta’s lackeys as well—were staring at the others with fear-filled eyes. "T-Ten... no, fifteen levels in one day..." "What kind of inhuman cultivation speed... I wonder what their Method is called?" "Do you think Young Miss Henrietta will tell us if we ask? It can’t be a secret method, right...?" To them, raising one level of cultivation per day was already a great feat. So seeing not one, but over fifty people doing the same thing, raising their cultivation 15 levels in unison—to them, it was basically a miracle. Something other veterans would dismiss as delusional if they ever heard about it. "Master!" Just then, Henrietta stepped forward, a worried look in her eyes. "Master, are you not going to cultivate too?" she asked, hesitating. "It might sound presumptuous but... Right now, our characters have the same level of cultivation... It wouldn’t look good if our Master stayed at the same level!" But her inner thought was much more simple. ’He’s our Master. Way more amazing than I, or anyone else is. I want the whole world to see that!’ "Hmm?" Xu Tao tilted his head, not immediately understanding what she meant. After all, cultivation in-game was just a way to "gain" access to more Qi for real-world use. The amount gained was far too insignificant for him to take seriously. But the pleading look in Henrietta’s eyes wasn’t about practicality—it was about pride. She wanted her Master to preserve his image and dignity. "...Alright, I guess." Xu Tao sighed, relenting under her hopeful gaze. But what followed next made everyone’s mouths gape. Xu Tao didn’t bother sitting in a lotus position. He just stood there, calmly—as if this was just any other moment. But with the first breath he took—a storm appeared. The game’s surroundings began to flicker and distort, bugging out violently as Qi from the entire zone rushed toward him. Henrietta’s earlier whirlpool of Qi, which had already amazed everyone, looked like child’s play next to the sheer scale of the phenomenon surrounding Xu Tao. It wasn’t just a whirlpool anymore—it was a tornado. A tornado of Qi formed, swirling wildly, pulling in everything. Even the bystanders could feel their cultivation improve—if not for the game’s hardcoded limits capping their character’s growth. Of course, Xu Tao didn’t react. He simply continued breathing. One breath. Two. Three... Virtual Qi rushed into his body and completed five full circulations before settling into his dantian. His cultivation level shot up—from Silver Level 5 to Silver Level 10 in just three breaths... but he didn’t stop there. If done in the real world, this act would cause his meridians to explode, no doubt. But without regard for the safety of his virtual avatar, Xu Tao kept absorbing Qi, more and more with each breath. Each cycle condensed into his dantian with flawless technique. On his 20th breath, he exhaled deeply... and finished. The tornado gradually subsided. The distorted graphics of the entire village began returning to normal. Peaceful and sunny, as if nothing happened. "..." Other than Henrietta, who looked at him with stars in her eyes, everyone else was staring blankly. Awe, fear, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over them. "G-Gold 10..." Even the three veterans weren’t sure if they were witnessing a cheater, dreaming while awake, or looking at the real deal. Xu Tao had risen from Silver Level 5 to Gold Level 10 in just 20 breaths. It hadn’t even taken a full minute! "Hmm, so I hit the limit already." Xu Tao shrugged, then glanced at Henrietta with a faint smile. "There. Happy?" "...!" Henrietta nodded quickly, her lips curling up into crescent moons. With such a grand performance, no one could possibly question her Master’s prestige now. "Alright, enough of the spectacle. Go ahead and log out," Xu Tao said, sweeping his gaze over the group. "Don’t forget to consolidate what you learned today, and stabilize your Qi after dinner. Then, dismissed." "...Y-Yes..." The responses were sparse and lifeless, but one by one, the students logged off. Even the three veterans—Tyler, Grosso, and Roger—immediately followed suit. After all, they had to prepare to move into Henrietta’s mansion as her new live-in guards-cum-trainees. Once only Xu Tao, Henrietta, and Uriel remained, he called out to them. "You two. After dinner, come to the underground training area. We have things to talk about." "..." The two girls glanced at each other. From his serious tone and firm expression, they knew— Whatever it was they were about to discuss... it was going to change their lives forever.