C4 His Cultivation Speed Had Increased by Leaps and Bounds!

Jiang Su swiftly shed his outer garment and tossed it onto the grassy shore of the lake. Clad only in his undershirt, he swam toward a jade-white stone seat at the heart of the lake—a seat evidently fashioned for those who practiced their cultivation amidst these waters.

Settling into a cross-legged position atop the stone seat, Jiang Su began to meditate, poised to channel the spiritual energy into his being.

"System, activate the Newbie Gift Bag!" he called out.

Newbie Gift Bag: Doubles the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption. Activation confirmed, duration: two hours!

Gone was the man once deemed worthless for his lack of spiritual roots. Jiang Su had emerged as the Lower Realm's first genius cultivator with a Celestial Spiritual Root in eons.

He stilled his breath, concentrated deeply, and silently recited the incantation. As his understanding of the Tao Heart deepened, spiritual energy from the lake began to seep steadily into his Dantian.

Success! The spiritual energy was now within him, and he had cast aside the label of worthlessness. With renewed vigor, he pressed on and achieved a breakthrough!

Two hours ticked by.

Enveloped in a halo of silver radiance, Jiang Su appeared celestial, sitting upon the stone seat in the midst of the pale turquoise lake. He exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes, feeling a continuous surge of spiritual energy within.

The Newbie Gift Bag had proven its worth. "System, what's my current cultivation level?" he inquired, a smile in his voice.

"Host, you have reached the Fifth Rank of Qi Sensing," came the reply.

Despite nearly depleting the lake's spiritual energy, he had only advanced to the Fifth Rank of Qi Sensing. Jiang Su couldn't hide his frustration. "System, I need a Spirit Gathering Pill," he declared.

No sooner had he spoken than a pill materialized before him. Consuming the top-quality Spirit Gathering Pill, he resumed his meditation.

Such a pill could propel a strong cultivator forward in their practice. Jiang Su was confident that, at the very least, it would catapult him to the Late Period of the Foundation Stage.

Fifteen minutes passed.

Once more, Jiang Su's eyes fluttered open. The spiritual energy within him felt richer, more potent, coursing through his body's meridians with immense force.

"System, have I reached the Foundation Stage yet?"

The response was a chilly, mechanical voice: "Host, you are currently at the ninth rank of the Qi Sensing Stage."

Cultivation levels were divided into eight stages: Body Forging Stage, Qi Sensing Stage, Foundation Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Infant Stage, Deification Stage, Tribulation Crossing Stage, and Ascension.

Jiang Su was dumbfounded! He was still in the Qi Sensing Stage!

He hung his head, a wave of melancholy washing over him. How could this be? He had consumed a top-quality Spirit Gathering Pill!

Out of the blue, he sensed a glimmer of golden light within his meridians. He blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. Golden light?

The glow intensified. Jiang Su peeled back his inner garment.

To his amazement, striking golden lines were threading through his meridians. With each extension, the spiritual energy in his spirit veins solidified further.

Jiang Su's heart swelled with excitement!

These were the hallmarks of a Golden Core Stage cultivator!

It meant that he, still in the Qi Sensing Stage, had the power to defeat cultivators of both the Foundation and Golden Core Stages!

For practitioners in the Cultivation World, the crucial step following a breakthrough was to fortify the spiritual energy within and lay a solid foundation.

Once Jiang Su secured the spiritual energy inside him, he exhaled deeply and made his way to the shore.

As he moved, the subtle silver aura that enveloped him gradually receded, and the golden lines vanished from his meridians.

Now, he truly resembled someone who had merely attained the Qi Sensing Stage.

Reaching the shore, Jiang Su quickly dressed. He felt an immense sense of joy and ease.

Given his rapid progression and the aptitude bestowed by the Celestial Spiritual Root, he was on a fast track to becoming the mightiest in the Lower Realm!

By now, evening was nigh. Atop the mountain, he had a clear view of the sunset.

The dying light of the day bathed him, casting a radiant sheen. It rendered his features even more striking.