Chapter 93: The Diamond Bus! (1)

Chapter 93: The Diamond Bus! (1) "I... reached Bronze 1 just like that?" Yifa muttered, shocked by the strange phenomenon. Of course, she could tell it wasn’t just some illusion. It happened within her body—her Dantian—so she knew better than anyone that it was real. In all her years of cultivation, she’d never gained three drops of Qi in an instant. "Stabilize your Qi quickly," Xu Tao, who had been observing her from the side, advised. "Letting it run rampant could harm your foundation." "...!" Realizing her mistake, Yifa quickly sat down in a lotus position and meditated. She began circulating her Qi using her cultivation method... but immediately noticed something strange. ’There’s... three Dantians?’ Thanks to the system evenly distributing the Qi, she became aware of a third one. But that small discovery spiraled into a bigger problem. ’I can’t circulate all the Qi with my current technique!’ Suddenly gaining a third Dantian with no prior warning left her flustered. Like most cultivation methods on Earth, hers only accounted for the two traditional Dantians. She tried adapting it on the fly, passing through the Upper Dantian—but it ended in failure. "Ugh...!" Blood dripped from the corner of her lips as the backlash struck her body. Yet she didn’t give up. She forcefully bent her Qi paths, attempting to create a new circulation by instinct. Again, it exploded inside her, causing further internal injuries. "Breathe slowly." At that moment, Xu Tao placed a hand on her shoulder. "I’ll give you a path to follow. Try to imitate it." He explained, then inserted a sliver of Qi into her meridians. "...!" Yifa instantly sensed the movement of his Qi—hot and fierce—flowing through her body in what seemed like a random sequence. Going back and forth between meridians at times. But when she tried commanding her own Qi to mimic it, she was stunned at how smoothly it moved. One cycle... two... three... By the fourth cycle, Xu Tao finally withdrew his hand. "Good. Keep that rhythm and let your meridians memorize it." He smiled, watching as Yifa’s cultivation stabilized. Roughly half an hour later, she exhaled a warm breath and opened her eyes. Her cultivation was fully stabilized. She had even built a surprisingly solid foundation... But what shocked her most was the strength coursing through her limbs—noticeably greater than she remembered from when she was previously at the Bronze Rank. ’Just one internal circulation method can make this much of a difference?’ She studied the flow of her Qi with awe. ’If I can fully master this technique and properly utilize my third Dantian... then even in the real world, this method could greatly benefit my cultivation!’ In that single moment, her view of Xu Tao shifted. The slight suspicion she once held turned into admiration—if not outright reverence. Though, if one looked closely, a faint glint of greed flickered in her eyes. "Are you done?" Noticing she had stopped meditating, Xu Tao glanced back. He checked her Qi flow and was genuinely impressed by how stable it had become in such a short time using a brand-new method. "Y-Yes, Mr. Master... No, Master Tao..." With a hint of embarrassment, she cupped her fists and bowed respectfully for the first time. Although Xu Tao had only taught her a single thing, Yifa had gained so much from it that she now saw him as her true master. Despite reaching the Platinum Rank in her original cultivation, she’d never had a proper teacher. Her elemental affinity was too rare for anyone to guide her. Aside from basic techniques available to the public, she never received any personal instruction. Everything she knew was self-taught—or cobbled together from observing her peers. She wasn’t some gold-spoon cultivator born into prestige. No—she was a true cultivator built from scratch, relying solely on her talent and grit. "No need for such formality." Xu Tao smiled, then pointed behind him with his thumb. "Instead, can you stab these things with a sword? I caught them so you could level up quickly." "Huh?" Startled, Yifa stood and looked behind him... and immediately broke into goosebumps. "Hiiih~!!!" Behind Xu Tao were... squirming, grotesque bugs. No—upon closer inspection, she realized they were giant scorpions. Or at least, they used to be. Their pincers, all eight legs, and stinger tails had been neatly chopped off at the first joint. Even their fangs were sliced away, leaving the Death Stingers completely harmless—like massive, twitching ticks. They couldn’t move. Couldn’t fight. They just wriggled. "What’s wrong?" Xu Tao asked, extending a hand with a brand-new sword. "Go for the eyes—they should be soft enough, even for a level 1." "M-M-Me...?" Yifa glanced back and forth between the sword and the dismembered monsters. She could tell from Xu Tao’s expression that he meant well. He was offering her the perfect opportunity to level up. Though disgusted by the sight before her, she remembered the countless lives she had taken to reach her current level. This much gore shouldn’t be affecting her! Steeling herself, she stepped forward and accepted the sword. With careful steps, she approached one of the twitching remains of a once-proud Death Stinger. As she neared, a label appeared above its head—confirming that this bug-like creature was indeed a level 250 Death Stinger. With all its limbs severed, its eye sat conveniently at her sword’s height. "Kuh...! Yaaah!" With a loud shout, she thrust her blade forward, putting all her weight behind the strike. The sword’s tip slid smoothly into the monster’s eye. Green fluid burst out—thick like blood. By sheer luck, she angled the stab perfectly, piercing its brain and killing it instantly. SCREEECH! The Death Stinger let out a hideous death cry before its body rapidly disintegrated into shimmering light, replaced by a large, golden crate. "I-I did it...!" Yifa cheered, only for her body to jolt moments later. Though Xu Tao couldn’t see it, she was likely being flooded by notifications—Level Ups, kill logs, loot messages... all at once. "...Huh?" But Xu Tao’s attention was fixed elsewhere—on the loot box itself. There was something strange about it. It wasn’t like the others. This one shone with a brilliant golden hue—something he hadn’t seen before. "I..." Yifa exclaimed again, unaware of his distraction. "I’ve reached level 65 in one go, Master Tao!" "Wait a second." He raised his hand, halting her excitement. "Can you see the reward message? Read it out loud for me." "Huh? O-Okay..." Still a little unsure, Yifa opened the log and searched for the relevant entry. [Calculating Level Difference... 249 levels. Granting Experience Points.] [You have defeated an impossible-to-defeat enemy at your level! Rewards will be adjusted by 24900%.] [Reward Granted: 1 Golden Large Loot Box, 10,000 System Points, 5,000 Gold] "...An upgraded reward, huh?" Xu Tao muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His mind began churning, considering the implications—only to shake his head shortly after. "First, let’s just open it and see what’s inside." Little did he know... another surprise was waiting.