Chapter 9: Madly Cultivate, Breakthrough

Arc 1: The System Of Unlimited Cunning

Chapter 9: Madly Cultivate, Breakthrough

It's been two weeks since Jett began his training, and he's finally regained his physical fitness. His body has become more toned, and his face looks even more handsome than before. He's now comfortably lifting 200kg on each weight, carrying an additional 800kg in total. Despite this extra weight, he can still move around effortlessly. He hasn't been visiting the cultivation tower much because his focus is currently on physical training rather than techniques.

A few things have changed in the past two weeks. The first noticeable change is that Jett now wakes up earlier to assist Jang-mi in making breakfast. He also ensures he's there before dinner to share a meal with her. Jett is wary of developing romantic feelings for Jang-mi, but he desires to stay close to her until the time comes for him to leave.

On the morning of the 15th day, Jong arrived at the house with Jack. He had something important to discuss with Jett. "We've decided on the test for you. We're heading into the forest to release some <Beast Bait> to attract beasts. Your task is to eliminate as many of them as possible and return to the village without bringing any of them back with you. The <Beast Bait> will only attract creatures below the Golden Core Stage. If anything above that level appears, we'll handle it, so you needn't worry."

Listening to Jack, Jett realized that he wasn't currently strong enough.

"I see, I need to prepare," Jett replied.

After some small talk, Jett left and made his way to the cultivation tower. Upon arrival, he attracted a lot of attention. Over the past half-month, Jett had gained quite a reputation. People heard about the impending test he needed to pass, and his extraordinary talent was becoming well-known. They observed as Jett ascended the floors, with a few individuals following him. Jett didn't halt at the third or fourth floor; he proceeded directly to the final floor. Upon arrival, he found all the doors already closed, so he had to wait.

Upon reaching the sign, he learned that each hour cost 2 Spirit Stones. Jett went and sat down to wait, and the people who had followed him decided to leave. After 20 minutes, a man arrived on the final floor. He seemed extremely angry, glaring at Jett. Though Jett noticed the man's hostile gaze, he chose to ignore it. After a few minutes, one of the doors opened and the person who emerged hastily left the tower. Jett stood up, intending to walk towards the door, but the man from earlier suddenly sprinted towards it. Jett reacted swiftly, utilizing his movement technique to appear instantly in front of the door.

"How dare you! Stop right now!" The man yelled.

Jett wasn't bothered by the man, promptly placing eight spirit stones into the box for four hours. He entered the room, still able to hear the man's shouts. The door closed, and he heard a loud bang against it. However, the man didn't persist in pounding on it, realizing that it went against the rules and could lead to consequences for him.

Jett wasn't concerned that the man would break the rules, so he confidently walked to the center of the room and sat down. He decided to focus on cultivating and absorbing the wind for his new sword technique, which he had acquired just the day before - the <Sword of Wind>. Additionally, he engaged the <Lightning Temper Art>, allowing the lightning to strike his body fully.

As the arrays activated, both Qi and Wind were immediately absorbed into Jett's body. The lightning began to dart around, striking Jett's form. Each strike caused him excruciating pain. However, his body was robust enough to endure the onslaught, though it still resulted in some bleeding after several strikes. He persevered until he could no longer bear the damage, then shifted to absorbing the lightning. After three hours, the door swung open, and Jett emerged, stumbling. The man from earlier had vanished, and Jett made his way out of the tower.

When people witnessed Jett in such a condition, they were startled and willingly made way for him. Jett exited the tower and returned to Jang-mi's house. Upon seeing Jett in his state, she became worried and hurriedly ran to his side. She assisted Jett to his room and fetched the first aid kit. Jett explained what had transpired to provide Jang-mi with some peace of mind. He resolved to continue visiting the tower daily for three hours and then return home to recover.

Unbeknownst to Jett, rumors began to circulate. Word quickly spread that Jett had practiced the <Lightning Temper Art>, a technique said to have last been mastered by the Founder of the speed clan. Many people were taken aback, though no one truly comprehended the implications of seeing Jett in that state. Could anyone else perform it since Jett didn't appear severely harmed? Or perhaps Jett was simply far more formidable than others, and the damage he endured would be lethal for an ordinary person.

Since it was a prohibited manual, many people were inclined to believe the latter theory. However, when they recalled how feeble Jett had appeared just half a month ago, they began to doubt the elders' claims. What none of them realized was that Jett had already mastered the technique, and the lightning strikes he endured caused far less damage than they would for others. Mastery enabled him to absorb the lightning into his skin, flesh, bones, and organs, strengthening them all simultaneously. This was in contrast to the usual process, where beginners would primarily strengthen their skin without mastering it.

While this approach spared Jett from severe damage, it came with its drawbacks. Typically, allowing the lightning to strike only the skin would make the skin considerably stronger. Consequently, when mastering the technique later on, practitioners wouldn't sustain any damage while strengthening the rest of their bodies. This method also paves the way for utilizing superior lighting in the future. However, in Jett's case, he would need to endure the same damage to attain better lightning since he essentially skipped the step of strengthening his skin before mastering the technique.

Jett remained unaware and unconcerned about the rumors. He never crossed paths with the man who had given him the side-eye again as he made his way to the tower each day. With each passing day, Jett emerged from the tower in better condition than the day before. By the fifth day, he was already leaving the tower without any signs of damage, and he had also advanced to the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Jett maintained his daily cultivation routine, but now that he wasn't sustaining damage, he also started to hone his swordsmanship and other skills in the training hall. Another five days passed, and now Jett had reached the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. As his level rose, he required more Qi. Now, it was the eleventh day of his visits to the tower. After three hours inside, he finally achieved the ninth level of his realm. Upon leaving the tower, he decided to mark this achievement with a celebration. He returned to Jang-mi's house early, only to find her absent. Jett took it upon himself to prepare a meal. He cooked rice and beef and had also purchased some alcohol about a week prior. 

As Jett was cooking beef, Jack arrived. Jack had gone to the school but couldn't locate him, so he came over in search of Jett.

"Ah, so you're here," Jack remarked, then quickly noticed something. "Oh my god, you're at the 9th level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. Congrats."

"Thanks. If you want to stay, I'm currently preparing some food to celebrate, though I don't have much alcohol for you," Jett replied.

"Ha, let me invite Xiao and Bai over. I'll also go buy a lot of alcohol for us," Jack declared, leaving before Jett could respond. Jett shook his head and retrieved more rice and beef, realizing he wouldn't have enough for five people at present. While he gathered the ingredients, Jang-mi returned home and spotted Jett cooking.

"Oh, what are you cooking? You should have waited for me," Jang-mi exclaimed.

"Oh, you don't need to worry. I've reached the 9th level of my realm, so I wanted to surprise you with some food for a celebration, though I was hoping it would just be the two..." Jett began to explain but then paused before continuing, "Jack came over and then went to get more alcohol. He also invited Xiao and Bai."

Jang-mi appeared not to have caught what Jett was about to say and simply responded, "Then let me help you with the cooking. You can handle the beef, and I'll take care of the rice."

Jett didn't object, and they both got to work. Shortly after, Jack, Xiao, and Bai arrived with an abundance of alcohol, much more than they needed. Seated around the table, Jett placed the beef in the center while the rice was on a table next to Jang-mi. She filled bowls with rice and handed them to each person. Jack poured cups of alcohol, personally handing one to Jett.

With a cheer, they all began to enjoy the food and drinks. As the night went on, they all became a bit tipsy. Jang-mi was the first to doze off. Jett decided to lift her gently and take her to her room, carefully placing her on her bed. Then, he returned downstairs to continue enjoying the evening with the others. They laughed and shared stories, simply relishing in the moment.

The next thing Jett knew, he was being woken up by Jang-mi while he was still on the floor.

"Good morning," Jang-mi greeted, handing Jett a cup of cold water.

Jett stood up and drank the water, glancing around and realizing he was the only one remaining. "Where are the other three?"

"They had already woken up and left before I could wake you," Jang-mi explained.

"I see. Now, I have three more days to cultivate. I need to reach the Core Formation Stage before the test," Jett determined. He got up, changed his clothes, and then had some food that Jang-mi had prepared. Afterward, he returned to the tower to continue his cultivation.

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