Chapter 32: Rhythms of the Sea of Qi

Back at Little Sam's Card Repair Shop, Duke temporarily set aside the idea of the farm. If he couldn't unlock the Sea of Qi, buying the farm would still result in a loss.

He waited at home for a few days, gathering the recent repair earnings, amassing a total of 3 gold dragons.

He went to the Arcane Society and purchased a book titled "Rainfall Breathing Technique."

Compared to the necessity of going to the Arcane Tower to duplicate meditation techniques or the need to go to the monastery to buy Blood Refining Techniques, acquiring the Rainfall Breathing Technique was much simpler. It was readily available at the Arcane Society, and the price wasn't too high.

Similar to the Blood Refining Technique, the Rainfall Breathing Technique required a signature to read.

After returning home and finishing the entire "Rainfall Breathing Technique," once Xiaoyi's database updated, it provided Duke with a plan to unlock the Sea of Qi.

"First, purchase a Qi Boosting Potion..."

The Qi Boosting Potion cost 7 silver dragons, and the price was also very affordable. Even families in dire straits would scrape together money to buy a Qi Boosting Potion for their children, hoping to unlock the Sea of Qi.

Among the three seas within the human body, the Sea of Qi was the easiest to unlock.

However, the probability was still rare—more than a one in a hundred chance. Only one out of over a hundred people could successfully unlock it, and Duke's previous self was outside that probability.

He consumed the potion.

He rinsed it twice, drinking up all the residue of the potion.

He waited quietly for the effects of the Qi Boosting Potion to take hold. In just a moment, Duke, with his inner sight focused on the Sea of Qi, felt the sensation of continuous expansion and chaotic surges in his lower abdomen.

Within the Sea of Qi, Xiaoyi emitted several rays of light, shining deep into the Sea of Qi.

Drawing from his experience in unlocking the Sea of Blood, Duke was familiar with the process. Following the rays of light emitted by Xiaoyi, his thoughts advanced steadily, flying forward until he reached a new vortex gateway.

Unlike the blood-red vortex gateway of the Sea of Blood, this was a pale green vortex gateway.

Xiaoyi's rays of light passed directly through the vortex gateway.

Duke's thoughts followed suit, piercing through as well.

What lay before him was a transition from the star-studded Sea of Spirit to a realm brimming with verdant colors—a sphere of mist and clouds swirling in a unique and magical fashion.

Though the distant view was obscured, the sense of boundless expanse was palpable.

Inhale!

Exhale!

The green sphere of gas undulated in a special rhythmic pattern, akin to the act of breathing.

Sea of Qi!

The rhythm of this Sea of Qi was incredibly captivating.

Duke's thoughts couldn't help but follow its rhythm, breathing in a calm pace, gradually becoming immersed.

Yet, Xiaoyi didn't cease its work.

Its radiance spread out just like when Duke unlocked the Sea of Blood, enveloping the surroundings of the Sea of Qi. It outlined the silhouette of the hazy Sea of Qi into a cloud-like form. The outline was composed of countless energy pathways, maintaining the rhythmic breathing and pulsations of the entire cloud.

Time slipped away.

Awakening from the peculiar rhythm of breath, Duke smiled faintly.

His field of vision remained his own bedroom, and his seated position hadn't changed—a mere nap it seemed. However, upon closer introspection, he could sense the rhythm of "breathing" within his mind, an ongoing cadence that brought peace and elation.

Additionally, there was a heartbeat resembling distant thunder.

The sound of the Sea of Blood's resonance and the Sea of Qi's rhythms were projected within the Sea of Spirit.

With a slight smile, Duke wasn't overly excited. After all, there was a precedent of unlocking the Sea of Blood, so successfully unlocking the Sea of Qi was expected.

"Xiaoyi, well done. Now I can cultivate all three seas."

"Congratulations, Master."

"In that case, Xiaoyi, can you run 'Field Meditation Technique' and 'Rainfall Breathing Technique' simultaneously now?" Duke inquired.

With the consolidation of qi into threads, the promotion to a two-star Spiritual Apprentice, Duke's Sea of Spirit's "hardware system" was advancing rapidly.

Xiaoyi's computational power had also increased accordingly.

"Currently attempting dual cultivation of two techniques..." Xiaoyi began to practice both techniques concurrently.

Soon, Duke felt his body absorbing the free spiritual energy in the surrounding air, a normal part of practicing meditation.

Shortly thereafter, he sensed clear rhythm from the Sea of Qi, elongating his breath.

Moreover, a subtle connection formed between himself and several ordinary flowers and plants in the yard, as if they were breathing in harmony with him.

Without a doubt.

The "Rainfall Breathing Technique" had been successfully cultivated.

"Very good, very good!" Duke closed his eyes, beginning to lead the practice of the "Universal Blood Refining Technique." His heart pumped blood rapidly, and his battle energy circulated swiftly through his meridians.

The chubby long-haired mongoose cub, Xiao Dou, seemed to respond to a command, jumping down from the wall and curling up on Duke's leg, joining him in practice. Yet soon enough, it began to yawn.

At that moment.

Meditating in the Sea of Spirit, blood-refining in the Sea of Blood, and breathing in the Sea of Qi—these three different cultivation methods occurred simultaneously within Duke's body, distinct yet harmoniously unified.

After two hours of practice, his stomach growled.

Duke ended the practice of the Blood Refining Technique, but Xiaoyi continued to meditate and breathe, unaffected by external influences.

"Chirp, chirp!" Xiao Dou woke up.

During the cultivation of the Blood Refining Technique, as a contract spirit beast, it only needed to passively accept it. Sleep didn't hinder the practice in the slightest.

"Into the pocket, I'll take you outside for a walk."

"Chirp, chirp!"

The plump and fluffy Xiao Dou was actually all fur effect. It wriggled into Duke's pocket, soon curling into a small ball. It wasn't very noticeable when placed in the pocket.

"I should plant a spirit root in the yard next time... Sigh, money just disappears so easily." Duke glanced at the ordinary flowers and plants in his yard.

A moment of mixed emotions swept over him.

Within the spiritual dragon card, there remained only a small reserve of funds for restocking, not even enough for buying spirit beast meat.

"Otherwise, I should go hunting!"

With a thought, he brought Xiao Dou along and headed outside the small town, passing through the farm and making his way toward the thicket.

Passing by the farm, he clearly felt the enhanced effect of the Breathing Technique.

That was because the farm had a number of 0-ring spiritual plants. After resonating with the Breathing Technique, it greatly enhanced the technique's effects. However, unlike knights who could cultivate battle energy, spiritual plants were unable to cultivate it. The Breathing Technique mainly aided their growth rather than boosting their strength.

"Moreover, I'm not yet considered a spiritual plant master. I'm just a 0-ring spiritual plant servant, only those who can resonate with 1-ring spiritual plants are qualified as proper 0-ring spiritual plant masters."

Despite both being 0-ring, there was a distinction between 0-ring spiritual apprentices, ranging from one star to five stars.

Similarly, knights were divided into 0-ring knight attendants and 0-ring knights.

Naturally, spiritual plant masters had both 0-ring spiritual plant servants and 0-ring spiritual plant masters. These divisions were all part of the 0-ring internal hierarchy system.

Entering the thicket, Duke slowed his pace, cautiously surveying his surroundings. However, he quickly realized the benefits of meditating while practicing the Breathing Technique.

His body maintained constant resonance with the surrounding plants through breath. If any plants exhibited anomalies, these would be directly reflected in the resonance.

And what typically caused anomalies in plants were undoubtedly passing animals.

"Xiaoyi, keep monitoring the resonance, and report immediately if anything unusual happens."

"Understood, Master." Xiaoyi faithfully carried out the task.

Duke, on the other hand, carried the Desert Eagle 1.0 and steadily moved deeper into the thicket, hoping to encounter a spiritual beast—even a 0-ring potential one would be fine.