Returning to the musty shack, Ye Chen immediately hid the larger Star Stone Remnant beneath the hay. Although most of its energy had been absorbed, the residual Star Power could still faintly nourish his Physique and slow the Miasma Poison's erosion.
Without any pause, he sat down cross-legged, sinking his entire consciousness into his body. The energy infusion from the two Star Stones, especially the one recently acquired in the seated enlightenment cave mansion, had not only tempered his Physique to an astonishing degree but also repaired over a third of his previously shattered Dantian!
The Dantian, which had been like a tattered bag constantly leaking Qi and Blood, now seemed to be stitched and reinforced by countless starlight points. Though still riddled with cracks, it could barely hold a wisp of energy. The long-lost, faint sensation of meridians opening made his heart pound.
"It's time to try and guide Qi into my body again and break through to the Qi Refining Stage!"
A resolute glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He knew that without cultivation, relying solely on Physical Strength in this Black Marsh would leave him like a duckweed without roots. Zhao Hu's threat was like a persistent parasite; he needed to gain the ability to protect himself as soon as possible.
He once again circulated the 《Basic Body Tempering Art》, but this time, his target was no longer tempering his Physique, but using it as a guide to sense and capture the sparse yet real Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth that permeated this world!
The Black Marsh had scarce Spiritual Energy and was mixed with Miasma Poison. Cultivating with ordinary Cultivation Methods here would yield half the results for twice the effort, and could even lead to death by poisoning. But Ye Chen had no other choice. He only had this crude Body Tempering Hand Seal, and could only rely on the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" System's ability to bypass bottlenecks, along with his Physique, which had been initially purified and strengthened by Star Power, to force his way through!
His mind focused, his breathing gradually slowed. Following the most basic guiding method recorded in the Hand Seal, he emptied his mind, attempting to capture those ethereal Spiritual Energy particles.
At first, there was only Chaos. He could only feel the cold Miasma and the Tainted Earth Vein energy.
【Attempting to guide Qi into the body, perception of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy shows a slight improvement.】
【《Basic Body Tempering Art》 Proficiency +1】
One failure, two failures… ten failures…
Ye Chen was not discouraged. Each failure provided feedback from the System, making his perception of Spiritual Energy clearer and his application of the guiding method more proficient. He treated this process of guiding Qi as another form of "cultivation."
Time flowed by in silence. The night sounds of the swamp outside the shack seemed to fade away. Wang Tiechui stood guard nearby. Though he couldn't understand, he could feel the steady, focused aura emanating from Ye Chen, even his breathing had become lighter.
After an unknown amount of Time, just as Ye Chen's mental energy was about to be depleted and his consciousness was blurring—
A wisp of energy, countless times finer than a strand of hair, carrying a faint coolness, was finally captured by his hard-tempered perception. It was then carefully guided into his body along the faint Qi and Blood vortex generated by the circulation of the 《Basic Body Tempering Art》!
This wisp of Spiritual Energy was extremely weak and mixed with gray Miasma Poison, causing a needle-like discomfort as soon as it entered his body. But Ye Chen treated it like a treasure!
He immediately used his will to guide this weak Airflow, along the Meridians widened by the 《Basic Body Tempering Art》, slowly flowing towards his Dantian.
The process was slow and painful. The wisp of Spiritual Energy was like a wild horse, charging erratically through the Meridians, while the mixed Miasma Poison continuously eroded his Physique. Ye Chen held his mind steady, relying on the strong will forged by the System and his precise control over his body to forcibly restrain and guide it.
Finally, this faint Airflow, trembling, touched the Dantian's barrier, which was covered in cracks.
Buzz!
As if parched earth receiving its first drop of dew, the damaged Dantian trembled slightly, generating a faint suction! Although most of the Spiritual Energy dissipated through the cracks as it passed the barrier, a minuscule amount successfully seeped into the Dantian and settled!
【Successfully guided a wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into the body!】
【Successfully absorbed Spiritual Energy into the Dantian （Extremely inefficient）!】
【《Basic Body Tempering Art》 Proficiency +10!】
【Cultivation restored: Qi Refining Stage First Layer （1/100）!】
It worked!
Ye Chen's eyes snapped open. In the darkness, a faint gleam seemed to flash in his pupils. Although he had only recovered to the first layer of Qi Refining, and his Dantian was still damaged, making the efficiency of absorbing Spiritual Energy abysmally low, it meant he had stepped onto the path of cultivation once more! He was no longer a hopeless, mortal waste!
He clenched his fist gently, feeling a faint but undeniably real sensation of Qi circulating between his Dantian and Meridians. His strength hadn't increased much, but a sense of control over energy arose spontaneously.
"Ye Chen, you… you succeeded?" Wang Tiechui, sensing the subtle yet distinct aura from Ye Chen, exclaimed in surprise.
"Mm, it's… a new beginning." Ye Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart, his tone calm. He knew this was just the first step of a long journey. With his Pseudo Spirit Root and damaged Dantian, improving quickly would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
But, he had the System!
Just as he was about to seize the moment and continue attempting to guide Qi to consolidate this meager cultivation—
"Bang!"
The already fragile wooden door of the shack was violently kicked open, splinters flying!
The Overseer Zhao Hu's tall, thin figure, reeking of alcohol and malice, blocked the entrance. His face was grim, his gaze like a bone-scraping knife sweeping over Ye Chen and Wang Tiechui before settling on Ye Chen.
"You two little bastards, hiding away to slack off!" Zhao Hu hiccuped, cracking his whip in his hand. "The ore you handed in today isn't even enough to fill my teeth! Boss Hu is in a bad mood, now, hand over everything valuable you have!"
He was clearly drunk and had come specifically to cause trouble, vent his anger, and extort them.
Ye Chen's heart grew tense as he slowly stood up. Wang Tiechui also gripped his mining pick, nervously shielding Ye Chen.
"Overseer Zhao, we truly have nothing left." Ye Chen's tone was flat, the faint Airflow within his body beginning to circulate subtly faster. He noticed that Zhao Hu's aura, though fierce, was somewhat unstable, his stance unsteady, clearly showing the effects of alcohol.
"Nonsense!" Zhao Hu's eyes widened, pointing at Ye Chen. "You brat, you were acting suspiciously in the mine today, you must have hidden something good! And you," he pointed at Wang Tiechui, "don't think you're so great just because you have brute strength! You won't hand it over? Fine! I'll search myself!"
Saying this, he staggered forward and reached out to grab Ye Chen's collar.
Just as his rough palm was about to touch Ye Chen—
A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. His footwork shifted, and he actually executed a basic footwork technique contained within the 《Basic Body Tempering Art》. His body moved like a slippery fish, narrowly dodging the grab! Simultaneously, he formed his right hand into a sword, channeling the faint Airflow in his Dantian and the Qi and Blood power of his entire body, and sharply struck an acupoint on Zhao Hu's wrist!
This strike was incredibly fast and contained a trace of "Qi"!
"Huh?" Zhao Hu clearly hadn't expected this youth, whom he had always considered a cripple, to dare resist, and with such swift movements! His wrist went numb, and his grabbing motion faltered.
Although this force couldn't harm him, the faint Qi sensation from the fingertips instantly sobered him up by more than half. His face showed a look of disbelief: "You… your Dantian… how could you…"
How could an Abandoned Child with a destroyed Dantian possibly cultivate Qi sensation again?! Even if this Qi sensation was so weak it was almost negligible!
In the instant Zhao Hu was stunned, Ye Chen's pre-calculated follow-up was executed! He didn't linger to fight, retreating after one strike, and simultaneously shouted to Wang Tiechui: "Tiechui, stop him!"
Wang Tiechui, who had been ready, let out a low roar like a wild bull, his mining pick sweeping towards Zhao Hu's lower body with a fierce wind! He didn't understand any techniques, relying purely on brute force!
Zhao Hu retreated hastily to block.
"Clang!"
The whip and mining pick collided with a dull thud. Wang Tiechui was shaken and staggered back, his hand going numb, but Zhao Hu was also halted by the powerful blow.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ye Chen's figure flashed, and he darted out of the shack like a cat, disappearing into the darkness outside. Wang Tiechui, without hesitation, followed closely behind.
"You little beast! Stop right there!" Zhao Hu's enraged roar came from behind, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
Ye Chen didn't look back, relying on his Physique, strengthened by Star Power, and the lightness brought by his meager Qi sensation, he sprinted through the rugged, muddy swamp. His direction was clear: the mining tunnel where he had discovered the seated enlightenment cave mansion during the day!
The terrain there was complex and easy to hide in. More importantly—the Thunder Fire Talisman in his embrace was his last, and most deterrent, trump card!
The Nightfall was thick, and Miasma permeated the air. A chase and escape in the depths of the Black Marsh had thus begun. Ye Chen, having stepped back onto the threshold of Qi Refining, would face the life-and-death dangers of this cruel world for the first time.