Chapter 009: Cultivation

Chenchen said, “All you need to do now is sit in seiza position, close your eyes, and tell me what you feel.”
Du Fan nodded slightly and sat down as instructed, slowly closing his eyes.
A very strange sensation arose in Du Fan’s mind. Even with his eyes closed, he seemed to see faint green dots flashing around him—it was an indescribable feeling.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes.
Chenchen noticed his action and asked, “What? What did you feel just now?”
Du Fan frowned and said, “It seems… like a bunch of faint green dots… But I can’t figure out what they are… though they seem quite dazzling.”
“Faint green?” Chenchen nodded. “That means your affinity for magical elements leans toward the wind element. In other words, if you focus on wind magic in the future, your progress will likely be faster.”
Du Fan thought for a moment and asked, “Then, does it affect the cultivation of combat energy?”
Chenchen replied, “Of course it does. Cultivating combat energy, like mastering magic, comes in different categories—such as fire combat energy, water combat energy, etc. Different categories yield different effects when used. Those who cultivate fire combat energy have greater destructive power, while those with water combat energy have stronger endurance… Since you have an affinity for the wind element, you should cultivate wind combat energy, and it will progress even faster… Moreover, you’re quite lucky. Wind magic combined with wind combat energy can double the efficiency when learning alchemy.”
Du Fan was pleased but kept a calm expression and asked, “How so?”
Chenchen smiled gently and said, “Whether it’s wind magic or combat energy, their most outstanding features are two: speed and precision. Wind magic is the fastest among all magic when cast, while wind combat energy is the most precise among all combat energies—this involves a matter of precision. For alchemists, besides basic skills, precision is crucial when creating items. For example, if there’s even a slight mistake while crafting a wand, it fails… That’s why wind combat energy and magic are the best for learning alchemy.”

“But you don’t need to worry about these now,” Chenchen changed the subject. “Once you’ve reached level five in both magic and combat energy, then I’ll teach you alchemy. Otherwise, forget about it for life.”
Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Enough of this nonsense. Let’s get back to work.”
Chenchen pursed her lips and said, “Then, for the second task, let me check your mental strength.”
Du Fan naturally understood that mental strength was crucial for mages. But he already knew his mental strength was several times that of an ordinary person, so he wasn’t worried at all. He simply asked, “So what do I need to do this time?”
“Nothing,” Chenchen replied softly.
Seeing Du Fan’s slightly surprised expression, she added with a hint of smugness, “You’re my master. I spend every day with you and communicate with you in your mind for long periods. How could I not know your mental strength?”
“And what is it?” Du Fan asked calmly.
“Hmm… probably… seven or eight times that of an ordinary person…” Chenchen counted on her fingers. “But among mages, this level is just average. Ordinary mages can already reach your level.”
Du Fan sighed. He hadn’t expected that his only advantage would seem insignificant when mentioned by Chenchen. Truly, talent was something you couldn’t force.
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Chenchen waved her hand. “But you don’t need to look like that. Since I’m helping you, even if your talent is just average, or even if you’re actually a failure, I can still turn you into a true mage. But the prerequisite is that you must be able to endure hardships and not give up halfway. Otherwise, even if I keep encouraging you, it won’t help!”
Du Fan asked, “Do I seem like the kind of person who gives up?”
Chenchen covered her mouth and giggled a few times before saying, “Of course not. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to rescue me from that place. Don’t worry. Even if you weren’t my master, just for saving me from captivity, I’ll definitely find a way to make you a supreme warrior in this Roland Continent.”

As they spoke, their eyes met. Du Fan was fine—he had always had thicker skin than city walls. Though he felt a rare sense of embarrassment, he didn’t show it. But Chenchen couldn’t hide it at all; her delicate face turned red, looking incredibly shy and adorable. A feeling that made hearts race arose in both of them. Du Fan stuck out his tongue, thinking to himself, “Oh no, this is bad.” His idol Wei Xiaobao once said, “A man with a smiling face is not trustworthy, and a woman with a red face is thinking of her husband.” The first part certainly didn’t apply to someone as good as him, but the second part… Thinking of this, Du Fan’s gaze couldn’t help but wander over Chenchen’s body. Sensing Du Fan’s bold looks, Chenchen snorted coldly. A flash of light surrounded her, and in an instant, she turned back into a kitten. She waved her paws at Du Fan and said, “Enough… stop imagining things. From now on, you need to start practicing cultivation. As for everything else, let me handle it.” … In the blink of an eye, three months passed. During these three months, Du Fan sat in seiza on the second floor of the basement, practicing cultivation every day. Aside from necessary tasks like eating and drinking, he didn’t move at all. Now, a faint glow emanated from his body. Anyone with eyes could tell it was the realm of externalized combat energy. In other words, within just three months, he had broken through the limits of the second level of combat energy and was now rushing toward the third level. Such a fast pace of cultivation was astonishing for anyone. As for why Du Fan could achieve such remarkable progress, aside from his own efforts, Chenchen’s help was the most crucial factor. The magic and combat energy cultivation method she taught him was called “The Ten Thousand Methods.” According to Chenchen, this method was the source of all cultivation techniques in the Roland Continent. Whether it was the ordinary cultivation methods used by the imperial military or the secret techniques hidden by the various noble families in the capital, they were all adaptations based on this “The Ten Thousand Methods.” However, due to inheritance and adaptation, the various cultivation methods in the Roland Continent had now become qualitatively different from this “The Ten Thousand Methods.” Since most other methods focused on speed of cultivation, no one at the same level could match Du Fan, whether in magic or combat energy.

Of course, this is only in theory; in actual combat, depending on individual experience, it’s not impossible for a first-level warrior to defeat a third-level one. Du Fan formed a strange hand seal, then moved slightly, causing the wind magic elements in the magic array to rush toward him like mad. Only after he absorbed and processed them all did the intensity gradually subside. After these actions, the glow emanating from the magic array around Du Fan had dimmed somewhat. A soft sound came from a corner of the space. Du Fan slightly opened his closed eyes and saw Chenchen walking over slowly, holding a light blue potion. Du Fan gently exhaled, drawing back the glow of his combat energy into his body before slowly lowering his hands. He looked at Chenchen and asked, “What… did you prepare for me today?” Chenchen smiled slightly, glanced around, her eyes flashing with relief, then said in a tone that was hard to tell whether it was happy or frustrated, “You… I don’t even know what kind of constitution you have now. Your speed of absorbing magic elements is incredibly fast. Over these three months, I’ve used countless magic stones to supply you with magic elements, yet there aren’t any left. I originally thought these stones would be enough for you to train for at least three years, but now it seems that’s absolutely impossible.” With that, she tossed the potion in her hand to Du Fan and said, “Here, this is the last batch of magic potions made from wind magic stones. If you can absorb them all, you should be able to break through to the third level… Oh, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Du Fan shook the potion in his hand and asked, “What is it?” Chenchen replied, “Your Grandpa Mark just said a few words outside. It seems the annual enrollment for Roland Academy is about to start, and he asked if you’re interested in applying.” “Roland Academy? Can you really learn anything there?” Du Fan frowned.

Chenchen burst into laughter and said, “How should I describe you? Aren’t you aware that you’re a priest of the Holy Church? Roland Academy was founded by people from your church. Although it may not be filled with countless strong individuals, the knowledge one can gain there is definitely far more than what you could learn here. Basically, everyone on Roland Continent wants to enter Roland Academy—only you would dare to say such things.”