Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

However, being able to defend against Second Order, Level Seven spells was already quite abnormal.

Most cultivators in the late stage of Foundation Establishment couldn’t reach such an intensity of attack.

As he was pondering, Chen Li suddenly swayed, as if he had exhausted all his physical strength, feeling a strong sense of weakness and fatigue.

"Hmm, what’s going on?" Chen Li reached out to steady himself against the wall, wondering, "Could it be the side effect of ’Limb Regeneration’ recovery?"

But Chen Li thought about it and dismissed the idea.

The burn he suffered before looked severe, but it was only a superficial skin injury, just with a larger area, not much more serious than the cut he made on himself yesterday, yet he hadn’t noticed anything unusual in his body then.

The weakness in his body shouldn’t be due to that.

Or rather, that wasn’t the main reason.

Chen Li had a vague guess in his mind and closed his eyes to sense his body.

Sure enough, he noticed the problem.

The protective field of the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill had collapsed and had not recovered since, the energy being less than two layers compared to its peak. The previously radiant organs and flesh had become dull and discolored, and even the crystal-clear bones had lost their faint luster.

"The dimness of the protective field and the physical weakness are obviously not unrelated!" Chen Li’s brows furrowed, deep in thought, "This invisible energy hidden in the body, to some extent, might even be the embodiment of all my physical strength!"

"At first, when the attack hadn’t exceeded the limit, it was like an ordinary person walking or jogging, not much physical exertion, naturally not feeling anything."

"Only when the attack exceeded the limit, threatening life, did physical strength begin to deplete rapidly. Plus, the ’Limb Regeneration’ made the situation worse by repairing my body, both factors combined, and that’s when I suddenly couldn’t hold on."

Chen Li rummaged through his storage bag for a while and found a bottle of Qi and Blood Elixir that was left over and unopened.

He opened the bottle, and the fragrance of the medicine was rich.

Feeling it should still be good.

He tilted his head back and poured all ten pills into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them!

A warm feeling quickly rose in his abdomen.

Indeed, as the medicinal power was gradually absorbed, the protective field within his body slowly recovered, and the fatigue and weakness gradually faded away.

Ten Qi and Blood Elixirs had an effect equivalent to Chen Li eating two or three meals of Second Order Demon Beast Meat.

Just half an hour’s work.

Chen Li felt that his physical strength had already recovered by more than half.

"It seems that I’ll have to prepare more pills for restoring physical strength in my storage bag in the future!"

...

Xiao Yuan came again.

He was becoming more and more dejected, filled with a sense of frustration that he couldn’t vent.

Seeing Chen Li’s bald head, he was momentarily taken aback, but then didn’t mind at all.

Compared to his time at the Returning True Sect, in just two short years, he felt as though he had aged ten years, no longer possessing that spirited air.

Indeed, to say life was difficult.

That wasn’t quite the case.

The downfall of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and that of a Loose Cultivator were different.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, earning Spirit Stones was simply too easy.

Not to mention things like robbery and murder without a bottom line.

Just running errands between regions and engaging in buying low and selling high was enough to maintain a decent existence for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At the end of the day, it was about the disparity.

At the Returning True Sect, he was one of the rare few in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, respected by everyone.

He had servants in his cave mansion, and property in Luoluo City.

He was noble by status and had dignity.

But now in Red Pillar City, even though he hadn’t fallen to the bottom, he was still lost in the crowd.

This huge disparity, combined with the shock of having his storage bag stolen and the uncertainty of his own path, would likely unsettle anyone in his shoes.

"Back before the Returning True Sect moved, that territory was a bit cramped but lively, bustling, and just past the mountain gate was a worldly village and city. That land had been cultivated by us for hundreds of years, it was familiar ground, so densely populated that even demon beasts and evil wraiths were rarely seen..." Whenever Xiao Yuan talked about the past, he was always very enthusiastic.

"That really was a nice place," Chen Li echoed in agreement.

"Yes, the scenery was especially beautiful. Back then, Zhenzong’s Cultivation City was called Moon City, named after Moon Lake in the city. It was famous far and wide. Unfortunately, when I went back another time, perhaps because ’the place remained but the people changed,’ it just didn’t have the same feeling as before." Xiao Yuan spoke of this with a face full of longing and sighs.

However, these words were unable to pique Chen Li’s interest much.

He had never been to the former sites of the Returning True Sect and felt rather indifferent about the sect, far less than those native sect Foundation Establishment disciples did. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Even when it came to the destruction of the Returning True Sect, he scarcely felt sad.

"I’ve never been there. Now that it’s so chaotic, even if I wanted to go, I couldn’t... By the way, have there been any recent updates from the Artefact Sect?" Chen Li changed the subject.

"I heard that they’ve already lost a Golden Core," Xiao Yuan said with a hint of schadenfreude.

"The leader of the Artefact Sect has died?" Chen Li exclaimed in surprise.

"Not exactly. The leader of the Artefact Sect originally came from the Fire Cloud Sect and has quite a network there. This time, the one who died was a good friend he had recruited from the Fire Cloud Sect!" Xiao Yuan deliberately lowered his voice.

Chen Li sensed the gravity of the situation:

"A sect elder has died, and the Fire Cloud Sect has had no response?"

"I also find it strange. Logically, even if the Artefact Sect isn’t a branch of the Fire Cloud Sect, it should at least be considered an offshoot. Yet they seem to be left to fend for themselves, as if there’s little concern. And now that a Golden Core has perished from their ranks, there’s still no follow-up.

If the Nascent Soul ancestor were to take action, what demon beast calamity could not be suppressed by their mere hand?" Xiao Yuan said.

"Perhaps there are secrets here that we aren’t privy to," Chen Li theorized.

Recalling the recent calamity with the demon beasts that had allowed more than one Third Order demon beast to leave their territories and roam into the human realms,

Chen Li couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

This world was indeed quite dangerous.

...

Before dawn.

In the quiet chamber underground.

"Hoo!"

Chen Li concluded the operation of Grand Circulation and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Realm: Foundation Establishment Fourth Level: 78/100"

He habitually opened his attributes panel and took a glance.

Upon seeing it, he involuntarily let out a soft "Huh."

"That’s not right! If I remember correctly, the last progress was four days ago. Yet today, there’s another progress. Normally, I would have to wait another six days."

Chen Li struggled to stay calm.

He had been taking the Return Yuan Elixir as usual.

His daily cultivation proceeded by the book.

As for his cultivation progress, he was certain he wouldn’t misremember it, especially since he checked it every day.

"Could it be... my talent for cultivation has changed?" The more Chen Li thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and a surge of ecstatic joy rose uncontrollably within him.

His talent for cultivation was extremely poor.

Before he had transmigrated, he was forty years old and still hovering at Qi Cultivation Third Level.

His talent for cultivation was not just incomparable to those at the Foundation Establishment level, but it was also far inferior to Zhou Hong’s.

Without the support of a Max Level Cultivation Technique, he feared that he might never reach the later stages of Qi Cultivation in his lifetime.

This had always been a pain in his heart.

Unexpectedly, the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill had completely improved his aptitude.

The Spirit Stones were well spent,

so worth it!

"With a progress every four days, in three to four months, I should be able to step into the Foundation Establishment Fifth Level,"

Chen Li wore an expression of joy.