Novel Full Chapter 32: Spiritual Power Condensation
Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Spiritual Power Condensation
Early the next morning, Li Yuan went to the Administration Office.
The clerk behind the counter was sorting a stack of newly arrived mission documents.
"Are there any missions available to earn Contribution Points?"
The clerk flipped through the register at his side and shook his head.
"All the recent missions have been assigned, and the new ones haven’t been posted yet. If you’re in a hurry, you could ask at the Guard Detachment. They sometimes offer Contribution Points for odd jobs."
Li Yuan nodded and left the Administration Office.
A four-point shortfall in Contribution Points wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t insignificant, either.
As he was walking back along West Street, he ran into a colleague from the patrol team hurrying toward the garrison.
"Captain Wang is looking for you. Said he has something to discuss."
Li Yuan changed direction and headed for the garrison.
Wang De sat behind his desk.
"Sit."
Li Yuan pulled up a chair and sat down.
Wang De took out a document and pushed it over.
"The rewards for your previous missions have been calculated."
Li Yuan took the document and glanced at it.
Everything was listed clearly—First, for scouting the periphery and finding traces of a Demon Beast. Second, for discovering and reporting a Demon Beast gathering area during a patrol. Third, for discovering half a medicinal pill in the stomach of a slain Demon Beast and reporting it in a timely manner.
The rewards for all three tasks had been calculated together. The first two were worth two Contribution Points each, while the discovery of the pill alone was worth twelve.
’Twelve points might not seem like a lot, but it was for a five-person team. The others probably received rewards as well,’ he thought.
That was sixteen Contribution Points in total. Added to what he already had, the sum far exceeded twenty-eight.
Wang De picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.
"The Guard Detachment and the Wang family are still investigating the pill. There are no conclusions yet. You know what you need to know. Don’t go asking about what you’re not meant to."
Li Yuan nodded.
Wang De waved his hand, dismissing him.
After leaving the garrison, Li Yuan went to the Administration Office to have his Contribution Points credited. Once he confirmed the amount was correct, he headed straight for the Hidden Skills Pavilion.
He went up to the second floor, walked to the row of shelves for auxiliary-type spells, and his finger landed precisely on the fourth booklet.
Origin Condensation Skill.
"Origin Condensation Skill, twenty-eight points."
Li Yuan took the booklet for the Origin Condensation Skill downstairs. The attendant opened a ledger, checked his Contribution Point balance, deducted the cost, stamped a small seal on the booklet’s cover, and handed back Li Yuan’s waist token.
After stowing his things, Li Yuan left the Hidden Skills Pavilion.
Back in his residence, Li Yuan slid the bolt on his door, sat on the edge of his bed, and broke the paper seal on the Origin Condensation Skill booklet.
The booklet was slightly thinner than the one for the Nourishing Essence Skill, with better quality paper and neat calligraphy. Every step of the spell was accompanied by a diagram illustrating the flow of Spiritual Power.
Translucent text floated up before him. This time, the content was complete.
[Detected equippable item: Origin Condensation Skill (Complete)]
[Entry Preview: Spiritual Power Condensation (Green) — Drastically increases Spiritual Power density. For the same total amount of Spiritual Power, spell potency and Spiritual Power circulation efficiency are significantly enhanced. Dantian storage density is increased, raising effective Spiritual Power capacity by approximately 30%.]
[Permanence Condition: Successfully break through a bottleneck to the next cultivation stage using Spiritual Power condensed by the Origin Condensation Skill.]
[Current Equipment Slots (2/2). Replace currently equipped item?]
’A green-tier entry.’
Li Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, his fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the booklet’s edge.
A drastic increase in Spiritual Power density—this wasn’t a bonus to his cultivation speed or an aid for Qi Blood recovery, but a qualitative leap in his Spiritual Power itself.
For the same total amount of Spiritual Power, his spell potency would be stronger, its circulation more efficient, and his Dantian’s storage density would increase, boosting his effective capacity by thirty percent.
Thirty percent.
’This means that while the total amount of Spiritual Power in my Dantian remains the same, every wisp of it will become more condensed, more potent. The Fireball Technique I cast will be more explosive, my Spirit Shield Skill will be thicker, and even my Spiritual Power circulation will be smoother.’
The permanence condition was also crystal clear: use the Origin Condensation Skill to compress his Spiritual Power into a condensed state, and then successfully break through a bottleneck to reach the next cultivation stage.
Just breaking a bottleneck would have been easy enough—there was a bottleneck between the Qi Refining Fourth Level and Qi Refining Fifth Level, after all. But reaching the *next cultivation stage* meant Li Yuan had to break through from Mid-stage Qi Refining to Late-stage Qi Refining to make the entry permanent.
Breaking through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment would also work, but that was too distant and dangerous to consider for now.
The condition wasn’t overly harsh, as the Origin Condensation Skill itself could help with breaking through bottlenecks, but it wasn’t simple, either.
The Origin Condensation Skill was inherently dangerous. Condensing Spiritual Power placed considerable pressure on one’s meridians. Add to that the shock of Spiritual Power backlash during a breakthrough, and the combination placed high demands on the body’s resilience.
Li Yuan glanced down at the equipment entry on his panel.
Viscera Fortification.
The entry from his Iron Bull Skill was still active, making his internal organs far more resilient than those of his peers.
Without Viscera Fortification, the Origin Condensation Skill would indeed be quite risky. When using it, the sudden surge in Spiritual Power density during condensation could put pressure on his organs.
This Spiritual Power pressure would spread throughout the body via the meridians, but the organs were comparatively more fragile.
However, with Viscera Fortification as a safety net, the risk was reduced to an acceptable level.
Li Yuan made his decision.
With a thought, he first unequipped the Nourishing Essence Skill.
The manual materialized in his palm, and the warm, submerged feeling that had enveloped his body faded away.
Li Yuan set the Nourishing Essence Skill manual aside and picked up the one for the Origin Condensation Skill.
’Equip.’
The booklet dissolved into a faint glimmer of light that flowed into his body.
In the next instant, a torrent of information flooded his mind.
The spell for the Origin Condensation Skill was far more complex than that of the Iron Bull Skill or the Nourishing Essence Skill.
It wasn’t a routine of physical movements but a complete system for manipulating Spiritual Power—how to compress the Spiritual Power in the Dantian inward, how to maintain the stability of the meridians during compression, and how to control the speed and force of the condensation to prevent the Spiritual Power from running wild.
Every step, every critical point, every potential mistake and its corresponding solution—all of it was clearly engraved in his consciousness.
The sensation was similar to the infusion of a mortal-level Cultivation Technique, but the sheer volume of information was more than double.
The core of the Origin Condensation Skill could be summed up in a single word: condense.
It involved squeezing the Spiritual Power scattered throughout the Dantian toward its center, like wringing a wet towel to squeeze out the "emptiness" and leave only the solid substance.
The total amount of Spiritual Power would remain the same, but its volume would shrink and its density would increase.
Throughout the process, the Spiritual Power would violently resist compression, exerting a constant outward pressure on the meridians and the body.
The tighter the compression, the stronger the pushback. If it ever exceeded the body’s limits, the Spiritual Power would detonate. At best, this would cause the Spiritual Power to disperse and damage the meridians; at worst, it could lead to cultivation deviation.
This was the "certain degree of danger" mentioned in the Hidden Skills Pavilion’s description.
At the same time, the entry’s effect was taking hold.
An extremely subtle change rose from the depths of his Dantian.
It was neither warmth nor cold, but a more profound sensation, as if his Spiritual Power was becoming more substantial. The previously placid Spiritual Power flowing within his Dantian felt as though it had been gently squeezed; its density increased slightly, and its flow quickened by a fraction.
The change was minor, but the sensation was perfectly clear.
Unlike the warmth of Viscera Fortification that enveloped his organs, or the permeating heat of self-generating Qi Blood, the effect of Spiritual Power Condensation acted directly on the Spiritual Power itself.
The panel updated accordingly.
[Current Equipment Slots: 2/2]
[Equipped Items: Iron Bull Skill, Origin Condensation Skill]
[Equipment Entries: Viscera Fortification (White), Spiritual Power Condensation (Green)]
[Permanent Entries: Pristine Physique (Gray), Spiritual Qi Filtration (White), Five Grains Qi Nourishing (White), Circulation Acceleration (White)]
[Origin Condensation Skill: Uninitiated (0/100)]