C23 Eighth Grade in One Day Cheating!

"What's your take on this?" Qing Heng inquired, having read through the document a second time. His question wasn't about the material's authenticity.

A raspy male voice emerged from the shadowy corner of the room, "Stone Village was a blank slate before, no trace of him despite thorough searches, as if he materialized from thin air. Yet, I'm certain he wasn't planted by any rival families. His recent behavior within our clan territory has been normal, with no red flags."

'No red flags' encompassed the absence of any unusual arts or drugs influencing Lee Yu, as well as the likelihood that he wasn't concealing his true abilities.

This conclusion from the man in the shadows was his own, following his independent investigation. Before this, when Lee Yu was brought to the square, a number of experts among the onlookers had made their assessments. In the days ahead, others would continue this scrutiny.

"So it seems. Send him the cultivation technique—make it Eighth Grade," Qing Heng mused, tapping his fingers on the table. "Keep a close watch. Should anything out of the ordinary arise, spare no effort to retain him within the clan."

Qing Heng was deliberately capping Lee Yu's cultivation potential.

Cultivating the Supreme Dao, which involves absorbing the spiritual energy of the universe, necessitates a technique of a matching grade. An Eighth Grade technique would only enable a practitioner to reach that level. With many in the Qing's surpassing the Eighth Grade, an individual at that level wouldn't make waves.

"Understood." The hoarse voice then quieted.

"Anqi did well, presenting me with such a valuable asset," Qing Heng murmured to himself before returning to his administrative tasks.

...

"Cui, could you return this book for me? And pick out another," Lee Yu requested, closing 'The Empire's Golden Age.' He rubbed his numb legs from sitting cross-legged and stretched them out along the windowsill.

Cui, positioned at the doorway, acknowledged his request. As she moved to enter, a man in a black robe materialized beside her. Startled, she reached for the dagger hidden in her sleeve, only to be swiftly restrained, rendered immobile.

"Step back," commanded the man in the black robe, his voice rough as he loosened his vice-like grip.

Cui recognized the visitor and stepped aside with a bow.

"Are you the one who was with the County Duke that day?" Lee Yu was taken aback by the sight outside the door. The man in the black robe had been a constant presence behind Qing Heng in recent days.

"The County Duke has sent me to deliver this cultivation technique to you!" The man in black acted with swift efficiency, tossing a black tome into Lee Yu's arms before vanishing. "Should you have any questions, feel free to consult the maidservants."

"Yet another master," Lee Yu muttered, scrambling to secure the book. Now, only two maidservants stood before him, which was a relief. He had been on edge, ready to flee back to Blue Star at the slightest hint of malice from the man in black.

After such a lengthy period, this was the first time someone had been sent to make contact. It appeared that Qing's had reached a preliminary judgment. By sending the black-robed man with the cultivation technique, they were signaling some level of approval. At the very least, they seemed to find nothing amiss about him. Lee Yu was quite pleased with this outcome, especially since it meant he now had a cultivation technique to practice!

Lee Yu examined the black booklet carefully, noting its two sections: the Guidance Technique and the Seven Stars Thunder Manual.

Indeed, the protagonist's path was unique, his cultivation methods distinct from the rest.

Lee Yu swiftly absorbed the contents of the booklet, comparing it to other techniques and descriptions he had studied over the past couple of days.

In the cultivation of the Divine Path, while there are no absolutes, the grade of one's bloodline cruelly dictates one's lifetime achievements from the outset. The bloodline's affinity, in turn, determines a Divine Path cultivator's direction.

Excluding some anomalous bloodlines, affinities are categorized into five types: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

For most, cultivation involves focusing on enhancing affinity density and accumulating spiritual energy of the Divine Path, followed by selecting specialized secret manuals.

Lee Yu, however, faced a more daunting task as per the black-robed man's booklet. He needed to learn the Seven Stars Thunder Manual and unlock seven additional lightning points within his body.

"So this is what sets the Thunder Bloodline apart?" Lee Yu pondered, having quickly perused the black booklet. The Eighth Grade content held no surprises for him.

"Young Master, here are the Divine Path resources you requested." Cui tapped on the door before leaving, this time thoughtfully closing it behind her. After all, tranquility is essential for Divine Path cultivation.

Brought into the room were three pieces of dark wood, each mysteriously flickering with a green light, as if they harbored lightning within.

"Thunderstrike wood?" Lee Yu wasn't entirely certain, yet his excitement was undiminished. It was his first encounter with a cultivation technique he could actually practice.

"System, apply elementary level proficiency times five," Lee Yu whispered. The proficiency stored within the system transformed into a stream of light, enhancing his grasp of the 'Guiding Technique'. The previously hazy circulation method now crystallized in his mind.

"System, activate double experience points." With newfound knowledge, it was time to put it into practice.

Activation confirmed, timer initiated.

The electronic voice echoed in his mind.

Lee Yu closed his eyes, searching for a sense of 'mental clarity' post-activation, but felt nothing. Yet, seeing the system's timer ticking away, he pressed on without a second thought.

Grasping a piece of thunderstrike wood, he closed his eyes and began to run through the 'Guiding Technique' he had just reviewed. "The first step is to sense the Spiritual Qi."

The 'Guiding Technique' served a dual purpose. One was to draw Spiritual Qi from the void into the body, a process that was inefficient and wasteful when converting specific attributes. The other was to absorb the Spiritual Energy embedded within Divine Path items.

Lee Yu was attempting the latter, its benefits being speed and minimal loss.

With his eyes closed, as he channeled the technique, his 'vision' was not shrouded in darkness but illuminated by specks of white light, varying in size.

Could this be the Spiritual Qi in the void?

Lee Yu marveled, but quickly refocused. His objective was to assimilate the thunder spirit energy from the thunderstrike wood. Before long, Lee Yu 'saw' a fist-sized orb of blue energy on his palm.

Upon closer inspection, the blue energy orb was dynamic, its rough surface alive with tiny, dancing sparks of electricity.

Lee Yu steadied his mind and followed the technique described in the 'Guiding Method'. As his hands made contact with the energy sphere, it seemed as though whirlpools formed at the points of touch, drawing in the faint electric sparks dancing on the sphere's surface.

These sparks were indeed part of the energy sphere, but being on the outer layer made them much easier to absorb.

"It worked!" Lee Yu exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. He hadn't anticipated feeling the energy being drawn directly into his body, traveling through his meridians, and finally rushing into his Heart Aperture.

"Wait, into my Heart Aperture?"

Lee Yu's eyes snapped open as he fixed his gaze on the thunderstrike wood in his hands.

The 'Guiding Method' stated that sensing spiritual energy was a significant milestone. The human body, cluttered with impurities, made sensing spiritual energy akin to feeling for beans through a quilt. And that was just the initial hurdle. Once overcome, guiding the spiritual energy to unlock the Heart Aperture required channeling it through the meridians connecting the heart and hands.

It felt like the saying, 'To get rich, first build a road.' Only by unlocking the Heart Aperture and transforming the vital force of qi and blood into spiritual energy could one truly enter the Ninth Grade, transcending the mortal realm.

It all seemed too straightforward, leaving Lee Yu wondering if there was something he was missing.

"System, why don't I need to open my meridians?" Lee Yu inquired softly.

If there was an issue with him, consulting the system that bestowed the Thunder Bloodline seemed like a wise choice. Lee Yu mentally congratulated himself on his quick thinking.

The electronic voice responded, "The five-star Thunder Bloodline reward is a fully matured bloodline. Your body is pure and capable of wielding innate thunder."

Pure and capable of wielding thunder—could it mean that aside from a shortfall in spiritual energy accumulation, Lee Yu could consider himself on par with a First Grade master?

To Lee Yu, the system's voice translated to a simple message: Your cheat code is now active.

It was essential to recognize that the Ninth and Eighth Grades were foundational. While they didn't offer the dramatic boosts in cultivation and combat power of higher levels, these initial stages focused on opening meridians and key acupoints.

Lee Yu had been granted the Thunder Bloodline, which was fully activated from the start, sparing him the grueling task of opening his meridians.

"If that's the case, couldn't I just craft a persona of a prodigy?"

"Like... reaching Eighth Grade in a single day?"

The black manual detailed that the milestone for Eighth Grade was establishing a connection between the Heart Aperture and the Dantian. Once achieved, one could use their Qi and blood to gradually draw in spiritual energy, retaining it within the Dantian.

Lee Yu closed his eyes to sense the flow; the pathway from his Heart Aperture to his Dantian was clear and unimpeded! Sitting on his bed, he wrestled with a thought.

"Isn't this cheat code a bit too overpowered?"