Pebbles

Soon after, the sound of flushing and running hot water echoed from the bathroom. Yet Chen Fengyun and Xiao Bai had no idea what she was doing inside, and stood there, taking in her room.

Although it was a single apartment assigned by her workplace, Zeng Yue still treated it as her own home, and had decorated it warmly. The bed, bookcase, and desk were arranged neatly, radiating an unmistakable feminine charm.

“She really is a girl with a penchant for fantasy,” Chen Fengyun mused, his conviction strengthened when he saw the drawings on the wall—stylized comics, unmistakably influenced by that genre.

“Chen Fengyun, thank you. It really doesn’t hurt much anymore.” After a while, Zeng Yue emerged from the bathroom and, to his surprise, walked over and gave him a big hug.

“Ah, Teacher Zeng, I’m glad you’re okay. I need to hurry back to class now.” Chen Fengyun was startled; though she was well-endowed, she was his teacher. If anyone saw them, who knew what trouble might arise. He quickly tried to extricate himself.

“Wait a moment, I want to ask—how long will the effects of your treatment last this time?” Zeng Yue didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives; after the brief hug, she let go and posed her question.

“After this adjustment, you shouldn’t feel any pain for a few days. But next month, I’m not sure if it will hurt again,” Chen Fengyun replied honestly.

“I see. Still, thank you. At last, I can relax for a while.” Zeng Yue sounded a bit disappointed, but she sincerely thanked him.

“Teacher Zeng, how about this—I’ll give you a jade talisman. If you wear it regularly, it should gradually improve your constitution; perhaps it’ll help regulate your energy and blood in the future.”

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Chen Fengyun felt a pang in his heart as he looked at her. He produced a thumb-sized piece of jade with a small hole, leftover from when he’d made jade figurines for his parents. It was carved with formations to calm the mind and nourish the body. He handed it to Zeng Yue.

“Did you make this?” Zeng Yue accepted it with delight, immediately threading it onto a red cord and wearing it around her neck.

“I did, but my master consecrated it. It works very well.” Chen Fengyun nodded, fabricating a mysterious master as a cover.

“Your master can consecrate objects? Is he a monk?”

“I’m not sure. I only know he’s a qigong grandmaster, far better than me. He’s elusive—I hardly ever manage to contact him,” Chen Fengyun replied hastily, afraid she might ask him to introduce her to this imaginary master.

“That’s odd. Since when do qigong masters consecrate things? Well, let me give you a gift in return.” Zeng Yue mumbled to herself, then took a special green stone from her desk to give to Chen Fengyun.

“Teacher Zeng, what kind of stone is this? It’s green!” Chen Fengyun asked curiously.

“It’s not just any stone. My uncle owns a jade mine—this is a raw stone he found there. Tests showed it contains no jade, but it’s beautiful, so he gave it to me,” Zeng Yue explained.

“How could I accept your gift? Let me just take a look.” Hearing it was from her uncle, Chen Fengyun shook his head as he took the stone.

But the instant he held it, his cultivation system vibrated violently, indicating a reservoir of special energy within. His heart leaped with mixed shock and joy.

“Oh, it’s nothing precious. If you don’t want it, then I can’t accept your jade talisman either. I’ll give it back to you.” Zeng Yue was displeased by his reluctance and made to remove the talisman.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it,” Chen Fengyun said quickly. Since the stone contained special energy, it meant there was genuine jade inside—high-quality jade, no less, or it wouldn’t be able to store special energy.

“That’s more like it. You helped me heal, gave me a jade talisman; now I’m giving you a stone in return. I don’t owe you anything anymore,” Zeng Yue said slyly, revealing her true intentions.

“Teacher Zeng, if this stone happens to contain top-grade jade, won’t you be at a loss?” Chen Fengyun teased, shaking the stone.

“If it really has jade inside, that’s just your luck. I don’t believe it; my uncle’s tested it with instruments. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given it to me to play with,” Zeng Yue replied carelessly.

“Alright then, I’ll accept it.” Chen Fengyun didn’t want to take advantage, but since Zeng Yue insisted, he wouldn’t refuse.

Moreover, the jade talisman he gave her was real jade, and the effects of its formations could not be bought at any price. Exchanging it for her raw jade stone hardly counted as taking advantage.

“Hurry along, or you’ll be late for class.” Seeing him accept the stone, Zeng Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to repay the favor.

“Absorb.”

After leaving Zeng Yue’s dorm, Chen Fengyun slipped the stone into his pocket and quietly instructed his cultivation system to absorb its special energy. His heart soared—he gained seven attribute points, more than he had from the special energy in the Mysterious Yin Mirror.

“Excellent! I can advance another level in cultivation.” Chen Fengyun smiled with delight, then raised his cultivation to the sixth stage of Qi Refining, using six attribute points and leaving three remaining.

Going through the process of spiritual energy infusion once more, Chen Fengyun found that the spiritual energy in his body had grown as thick as a thumb, and the meridians he had opened now spanned two-thirds of his body.

At this point, his constitution was enhanced again; he possessed strength seven times that of an ordinary person—surpassing even Olympic champions or special forces soldiers. Only ancient martial artists, qigong masters, or those with extraordinary abilities could rival him.

“Huh, is this a reward for healing Teacher Zeng? There’s actually a medical skill now?” When Chen Fengyun checked his cultivation system panel, he saw not only a change in cultivation, but also a new skill—medicine, currently at the first tier of the mortal grade.

Spiritual Root: Mortal Grade, Tier Ten
Spirit: Mortal Grade, Tier Ten
Cultivation: Qi Refining, Stage Six
Techniques: Heaven and Earth Starburn Formula (Mortal Grade, Tier Seven), Golden Bell Shield (Mortal Grade, Tier Seven)
Skills: Formations (Mortal Grade, Tier Seven), Medicine (Mortal Grade, Tier One)
Treasures: Flying Sword (Mortal Grade, Tier Five), Spirit Gathering Banner (Mortal Grade, Tier Seven), Mysterious Yin Mirror (Mortal Grade, Tier Seven)
Attribute Points: None

However, Chen Fengyun understood well—he wasn’t truly skilled in medicine. He had merely brushed against it, which formed a skill. Once a skill was formed, he could use attribute points to enhance it, far faster than any normal learning process.

“At the beginning, learning and improvement should still be effective, so I’ll save the attribute points for later upgrades. I can consciously master the most basic medical knowledge, then use attribute points to boost my abilities. That way, I won’t waste them.”