Auspicious Farming Method - 5

The Qi in this area became overwhelming. As everything was arranged, close to perfection, and the elemental energies were in harmony, it felt as if Yuan Yi found a Qi Vein. It was all too much to take in, and each breath he took, it felt like he was in a windy canyon, or on the open sea with storms raging nearby. But he was unshakeable. The wind could not move him, nor could the storms sink him.

[Cultivation Speed: 1644 Qi per second.]

That was almost three times higher than the method described. At this rate, it would take him less than 10 days to reach his previous level. He was excited. A fire raged in his heart, and Yuan Yi had to consciously keep it down, otherwise it would harm his cultivation.

Within moments, he felt himself break through to the second stage of Qi Refining. In an hour, he was in the third stage.

This was ludicrous. It was downright insane. If anyone knew how fast he cultivated right now, they would most likely torture him for years to learn the secret. How did no one come up with using Feng Shui to cultivate?

Of course, he realized that was a stupid question. Everyone did that. But could it be that they were doing it wrong?

He pondered that for all of a few seconds before deciding that this was not the case either.

It was the manual. It was the arrangement; the formation itself. Even so, it was also the method he used - the perfected basic manual that everyone knew. Yuan Yi learned of it from his father, and most of his friends also learned it in a similar manner. But to truly comprehend its profound nature was a different thing.

Yuan Yi wasn't special, he understood that now. He was an ordinary, hardworking mortal who desired to become immortal. He didn't have great talent or skill. If anything, maybe he had luck. Although, whether it was good luck or bad luck was to be determined. This entity - this system - Yuan Yi still didn't know whether it had good intentions for him, or bad. But for now, he understood, the system wanted him to become stronger and to become an Inner Disciple.

At this rate, this wasn't impossible.

The fourth stage of Qi Condensation was a bottleneck. Yuan Yi spent an entire year trying to reach that stage. And yet, he felt his vessel fill up with each passing hour, and it seemed as if he would break through into that stage before dawn rose over the horizon.

He was elated. His bad mood up until now was a distant memory. This further helped his cultivation speed. In a sound body is a sound mind. The opposite was also true.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his body like a lightning bolt. It set his nerves on fire; it crawled up his spine like electricity, from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head. Yuan Yi doubled-over and coughed up a mouthful of blood. And then another.

[Critical injury received. Diagnosing...]

[Source: Governing vessel. Severity: Critical.]

Yuan Yi vomited blood. Every time he attempted to summon his strength to stand up, the pain would return. His eyes were open, but he could see nothing but darkness. He felt his cultivation base plummet. He was at the peak of the third stage, and within moments he was at the bottom of the second stage.

He had forgotten about that one 'Outstanding Issue' the entity warned him about. It even said that its severity was fatal. He felt fine, that is why he forgot about it. But now it came as a rude reminder. His body was not healed. His meridian was broken.

"What... is happening... to me?" Yuan Yi forced the words through his teeth. His body was mostly paralyzed, he could barely move.

[Joyless explanation: An excess of metal qi from your governing vessel is rampaging through your meridians. Prognosis: Qi Deviation.]

"Qi... Deviation!?" Yuan Yi boggled. "That can't... be... I don't want... to die."

[Subtle suggestion: Without help, the user will certainly die.]

Yuan Yi suddenly became aware of the entity's motives. It made perfect sense. None of the 'quests' Yuan Yi received dealt with the governing vessel problem. It wasn't even mentioned once, except for the first time Yuan Yi was made aware of it. As if that was the plan the entire time.

"You..." Yuan Yi growled, coughing up more blood. "You... wanted this..."

[Lie: That is incorrect.]

"You just... said... that was a... lie," Yuan Yi pointed out, feeling fainter and fainter.

[Explicit suggestion: The user can still survive if he asks for help. This unit can fix the problem.]

Yuan Yi's already distorted face became even more unseemly. "I would rather die..."

Another bolt of pain coursed through his body and he convulsed this time, violently coughing up blood. The whole ordeal felt as if a knife was tearing through his insides, carving him open. He didn't know for sure, but he was almost certain that each moment in this agony was reducing his lifespan. He was dying, slowly and certainly. The pain was indescribable.

To die like this, in excruciating pain, was the worst way to die.

[Vital quest issued: Die.]

[Rewards: No more pain.]

That was it. That was the moment when even such things like pride and dignity disappeared from Yuan Yi's mind. He hated the fact that he was manipulated into this situation, manipulated by the system, in order to ask for its help. But he hated dying even more.

"Please..." Yuan Yi forced the words through his teeth. "Help me..."

[Quest failed: Die.]

[Rewards: Staying alive.]

[CP increased by 100. New compatibility level achieved.]

Yuan Yi's body shook. It wasn't from the compatibility level, but because a new wave of pain was coming. His qi circulated through his body, out of control, causing massive internal injuries.

[Entering automatic restoration mode.]

[Stabilizing Qi.]

Yuan Yi felt himself lose all control over his body. It was as if he was paralyzed, except his body moved. It moved from its prone position into a sitting position, cross-legged and then became still. He took a breath.

All this appeared to him as if he was an outsider observing from the fraying edges of his consciousness. He had no control, even though he felt everything. The pain was still excruciating, but his body showed no reaction. Yet, with each breath, he felt the rampaging qi in his body stabilize. His cultivation base rose and then dropped, swaying back and forth relentlessly, as if two opposing forces fought in his body.

[Issue found: Mental state critical.]

[Solution: Disabling pain receptors.]

Bliss. The pain disappeared immediately. He could still feel the miniature explosions in his meridians, but there was no pain. There was no illness. He felt as if he could finally release his held breath, but he had no control over that. Instead, the system was breathing for him. It was cultivating. Except it wasn't cultivating to condense his qi, it was just circulating it through his body, trying to stabilize his foundation.

The rich qi in the environment also helped him with this. It was so deep and calming that it had an overall positive effect.

Eventually, the sun rose over the horizon, and then it reached the zenith, and sunk once more over the horizon. Then it rose again.

Yuan Yi, trapped in his own mind, could only observe the process of automatic restoration. There was nothing he could do.

[First stage complete. Qi stabilized.]

[Entering second stage: meridian re-alignment.]

The chaotic qi was finally expelled from his body, but the underlying cause remained. He understood that just stabilizing his qi would not solve the problem. More had to be done. He had assumed that he would require some sort of medicine, but this was not the case. The entity remained in restoration mode.

[Estimated time to complete the process: 13 days.]

13 days... it was too much. Yuan Yi was already losing his mind, confined to his mind and left to his thoughts. It was the ultimate feeling of isolation and helplessness.

[Sleep mode recommended.]

Sleep mode? That sounded nice. Yuan Yi understood what the entity meant. He didn't need to be conscious for this. He would like not to be conscious for this.

[Sleep mode set for: 15 days.]

Yuan Yi didn't know why it was set to 15 days, but he agreed anyway. He just wanted this to end.

[Following restoration process, this unit will enter automatic cultivation mode. Estimated stage of user: 6th stage of Qi Condensation.]

[Vital quest issued: Kill Hou Hu.]

[Rewards: Satisfaction. 5x <Rare> Manual Comprehension Token.]