I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 458 Training and Protective Treasures (Two-in-One)

Inside the training room, time seemed to be stretched and distorted.

Two identical figures crisscrossed and collided at high speed within a limited area.

The dull thud of fists striking flesh was like a dense drumbeat, and the shrill whistling of legs sweeping through the air was like a ghostly wail.

Every attack from both sides was aimed at the opponent's most vulnerable joints and energy flow points, while every defense was designed to block or deflect the force with minimal range and maximum precision.

Jemin's right arm bent back at an odd angle, deflecting a chop to the temple, while his left knee struck the opponent's abdomen like a poisonous dragon.

The afterimage seemed to have anticipated this, its waist bending backward like a willow catkin, dodging the knee strike while simultaneously kicking out like a scorpion's hook towards Jemin's chin.

boom!
Jemin leaned back, narrowly avoiding the impact, the wind from his foot brushing against his skin, bringing a burning sting.

Without pausing, he used the momentum of leaning back to support himself with one hand, and kicked out with both legs like a windmill, blocking the lower body of the afterimage.

The afterimage leaped into the air, its palms like knives, slashing down from mid-air, the palm wind as sharp as a tangible blade.

Both possess the exact same memories, skills, and fighting instincts, and have exactly the same control over every muscle and energy in their bodies.

Anticipating the opponent's predictions and countering their counters, every move is like playing a game against your own reflection in a mirror, extremely dangerous.

Sweat and blood splattered during the intense movements. His training clothes were already tattered, and his exposed skin was covered with purplish-blue bruises and small wounds.

Both of them had terrifyingly calm eyes, like emotionless killing machines, squeezing every last bit of potential out of their limits.

At first, Jemin struggled immensely.

The afterimage of time perfectly replicated all his current abilities, and he felt as if he were shaking a mountain of the same weight and strength as himself.

But gradually, changes began to occur.

In a head-on punch exchange, Jemin felt that the vibration from his arm bone was slightly less than that from his opponent's.

When he received a heavy kick, the churning sensation in his internal organs was less than expected.

Under the extreme pressure of "himself," who fully understands his attack patterns, his body's adaptive evolutionary characteristics of the Body Tempering Technique began to be activated with unprecedented efficiency.

Pain becomes nourishment, and injury becomes a stepping stone to progress.

Muscle fibers are reorganized and strengthened at the microscopic level; bone density is quietly increased; nerve reaction speed is constantly pushed to the limit under the stimulation of life and death; even the operation path of the body training method is forced to make more efficient fine adjustments in this extreme confrontation.

Gradually, Jemin began to be able to spot some subtle flaws stemming from his own habits that he had previously been unable to detect.

His attack rhythm changes slowly but steadily, incorporating more flashes of inspiration that transcend existing patterns.

His defenses became more refined, and he could even withstand some attacks with less cost thanks to the subtle resilience that his muscles and bones had just evolved.

The balance of power in the battle began to tilt toward the main body at a speed that was invisible to the naked eye but undeniably real.

"Ah!"

Finally, in a thrilling close-quarters battle, Jemin caught the afterimage when its energy flow became sluggish due to a series of high-intensity moves.

His left arm locked the afterimage's blocking arm like an iron clamp, while his right fist gathered the power that suddenly erupted from his entire body, with faint golden runes flashing across the surface of his fist.

With speed and power surpassing any previous attack, it slammed into the center of the afterimage's chest!

Click!

A clear cracking sound rang out.

The afterimage's body stiffened abruptly, the cold light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and its gaze became unfocused.

The elements that make up its body begin to dissipate uncontrollably, and its form becomes blurred and transparent.

Without pausing, Jemin followed up with a vicious elbow strike to the opponent's throat, and finally spun around and delivered a whip kick, slamming it hard into the side of the afterimage's neck.

puff……

Along with the splattered blood, the afterimage of time, like shattered glass, completely disintegrated into a hazy patch of light, slowly disappearing into the energy filtering system of the training room.

"Huh...huh..."

Jemin knelt on one knee, panting heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead and temples, dripping onto the equally sweat-soaked ground.

He was in pain all over his body, with multiple bone fractures and serious internal organ concussion injuries.

But his eyes were surprisingly bright, filled with exhilaration and the satisfaction of a breakthrough.

He struggled to his feet, dragging his weary body, and slowly walked out of the training room.

Outside the door, the black giant priest, who had been waiting, silently handed over a warm towel.

Jemin took it, hastily wiped the sweat and blood from his face and neck, and then went straight to the private washroom next door.

The cool water washed over my burning skin, washing away fatigue and grime.

He then stepped into a large bathtub that had been prepared beforehand and was filled with a strong medicinal aroma.

The warm medicinal liquid enveloped his entire body, and the pure medicinal power seeped into his pores, rapidly repairing the damage, nourishing the over-consumed cells, and resonating with the body-strengthening method to consolidate the results of his recent breakthrough.

A black giant priest, carrying various portable testing instruments, began to conduct a detailed body scan and data collection on Jemin in the bathtub.

A light screen lit up beside the bathtub, displaying scrolling data:

[Basic physical strength increase (compared to the previous test): +287%]

[Average bone density/strength increased by +255%]

[Muscle fiber energy conversion efficiency increased by +198%]

[Neural conduction limit velocity increased: +176%]

[Peak cell regeneration rate increased by +331%]

[Estimated resistance to physical impact (converted): Reaches the average physical defense of a standard level six wizard]

[Resistance to Energy Erosion (Passive): Significantly Increased]

[Life Magnetic Field Strength: A Sudden Increase, Approaching the Level VI Biological Threshold]

……

Leaning against the barrel wall, Jemin looked at the astonishing data and nodded in satisfaction.

"Indeed, for cultivators, constantly surpassing oneself is the fastest path to progress, and this is especially true for body cultivators." He pondered silently.

Just one month of intense time-lapse training, combined with top-tier medicinal baths, resulted in improvements that even surpassed many years of regular arduous training.

His current physical strength has firmly reached the average standard of a regular level six wizard.

This means that he can withstand the direct impact of many level 5 sorcery spells with his physical body alone, and his resistance to physical damage has reached an astonishing level.

It's no exaggeration to say that Jemin could now face a direct solar radiation attack without any problems, and could even go inside a star to take a bath.

But what followed was a familiar problem—the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit were once again out of balance.

The body, as the "container," has taken a big step forward, while the "fuel" and "control system" for mental and spiritual power need time to catch up.

For the next period of time, it is not advisable to continue this extreme physical strength training until the intensity of mental and spiritual power naturally increases to a matching level, otherwise it may cause various problems.

“In the short term, it seems unlikely that I can advance to the sixth level of wizardry, as my mastery of the laws is still far from sufficient. Advancing to the Void Refinement Realm will also be fraught with difficulties, with no clear bottleneck to guide me. I estimate it will take about the same amount of time as advancing to the sixth level of wizardry.” Jemin pondered his future path. “However… this is also good. It means that I can use this method to accumulate the total amount and quality of the three treasures of ‘essence, energy, and spirit’ almost without limit.”

Although his cultivation level is stuck, his basic strength can continue to improve. In addition, since a wizard's power comes from knowledge, it means that as long as Jemin continues to improve himself, his combat power will not stagnate.

Just then, another black giant priest silently entered the bathroom, holding a magic network terminal that was in a communication request state.

Jemin glanced at it; the requester was listed as: Bill Ling Black.

This old classmate is now a stable partner and sales "downline" in his "liquid gold" business.

Over the years, through frequent contact and business dealings, the two have become familiar with each other again.

Jemin connected the call directly, and Blake's smiling face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Jemin! Did I disturb your 'cultivation'?" Blake's tone was as familiar as ever.

"Just finished. What's wrong, Blake? Liquid adamantium sold out again?" Jemin asked lazily, leaning against the edge of the bathtub.

As the war between the three major powers intensifies, Black's liquid adamant business is indeed booming.

These consumables, which can effectively resist illusions and stabilize the mind, are considered hard currency during times of war, and you can never have too many.

And since Jemin's recent research has been extremely demanding, he is naturally happy to see it succeed.

Blake nodded: "Indeed, our stock is almost empty again, and we'll have to trouble you to prepare another batch. But the main reason I contacted you this time was to ask if, besides liquid adamantite, you have any other good stuff on hand? Like new magical artifacts that can counter illusions or other common battlefield threats?"

“Defensive, detection, and even one-time offensive items are all acceptable! Right now, anything related to war is going up in price, and there's no shortage of buyers!” Jemin shook his head, the water rippling gently with his movement: “Not for now. I'm also focused on preparing for war myself, and I've spent all my time improving my strength and modifying existing methods. I don't have the resources to develop new mass-produced magical artifacts. The only thing I can reliably provide right now is liquid adamantite.”

He paused, then his tone became slightly more serious: "Blake, don't just focus on making money. If war really breaks out, neither the front lines nor the rear will necessarily be safe."

"Making more preparations for yourself and stockpiling some life-saving items is more practical than earning a lot of military merits. Don't end up earning them but not being able to spend them."

Upon hearing this, Blake's smile faded slightly, but a strange light flashed in his eyes.

He lowered his voice slightly: "Don't worry, during this time, I'm not just acting as a middleman..."

He kept everyone in suspense, his tone carrying a hint of mysterious smugness: "Next time we meet, I might surprise you. Don't be 'surprised' by me then."

Jemin raised an eyebrow, looking at Blake's confident expression, and couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, I'll be waiting to see. I'll prepare the liquid adamantium as soon as possible, contact me as usual."

"Okay! Keep in touch!" Blake waved and hung up the call.

The bathroom returned to silence, with only the faint sound of the medicine bubbling.

Jemin handed the terminal to the Black Giant Priest, then submerged his body back into the warm medicinal liquid and closed his eyes.

Blake's words lingered in his mind, but he didn't delve into them.

Everyone has their own path and preparation methods, and my old classmate was quite shrewd during his wizard apprenticeship.

After soaking in the medicinal bath, the body's damage was repaired and the results of the physical training were consolidated.

Jemin felt refreshed and full of energy, as if every cell in his body was cheering with joy.

Although Blake's message was brief, it reminded him of some things that had been temporarily put aside.

Instead of returning to the laboratory to continue his research on spell modification, he went straight to the depths of the Infernal Sulfur Plane, to a large storage area specifically used for storing various non-combat supplies.

The guards and daily managers here are several exceptionally calm and skilled black giant priests.

Upon seeing Jemin arrive, they bowed respectfully and silently made way for him.

Without saying much, Jemin walked directly to the central control console and retrieved the inventory list and physical storage location of several specific types of materials.

Data scrolled across the light screen, and then, several metal doors deep within the storage area, engraved with different sealing runes, slowly opened with a low rumble.

The first thing that catches the eye is three super-large standard warehouses.

The interior space has been expanded, densely packed with countless semi-transparent jade altars containing a slowly flowing, radiant mist.

Each jade altar exuded a chilling, eerie, yet strangely vibrant aura.

Flower Goddess's Curse.

Since transforming the Purgatory Sulfur Plane into the Foundation, Jemin gradually abandoned the Golden Garden and its associated laboratory at Noren 147 Academy.

However, he did not abandon those carefully cultivated exotic flowers and plants. Instead, he spent resources to establish and maintain a larger and more environmentally controlled "ecological farm" in the area near the level 7 large elemental pool in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane.

Despite the fact that the environment of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane itself is extremely hot and filled with sulfurous gas, making it very unsuitable for the growth of ordinary plants.

But for Jemin, who possesses a seven-level large-scale element pool and mature environmental control technology, this is not a problem.

It is easy to expend some energy to create an independent ecosystem with suitable temperature, humidity, light, and concentration of special elements.

Therefore, his garden not only did not shrink, but actually expanded many times over.

Under the superior environment and more meticulous care, those delicate magical plants grew more and more luxuriantly, and the daily production of "Hundred Flower Dew" and "Flower God's Curse" also increased accordingly.

As a universal harmonizer and catalyst for alchemy and medicine making, the consumption of Hundred Flower Dew has always been very large, and it is basically in a state of production and consumption balance.

The Flower God's Curse... has a relatively simple use and is consumed slowly.

When Jemin was renovating the garden, he set up an automated collection and sealing array that covered the entire garden.

These magic arrays, day after day, year after year, meticulously collect this essence of Yin-attribute evil energy without interruption.

Over time, even with the use of specially crafted magic treasures (jade altars) with considerable capacity, the three large warehouses were completely filled!

The dazzling malevolent energy flowed slowly within the altar as if it possessed a life of its own, converging to form a silent yet overwhelming sense of oppression.

Besides the Flower God, there are two smaller, but more tightly sealed, pitch-black "Storing Evil Gourds" on the side.

Frost had formed on the surface of the gourd, and a faint, mournful howling wind could be heard emanating from it.

This is a high-quality "Deathly Aura" that Jemin collected back in the Frostfire Plane, and its nature is even purer than that of the Flower God's Aura.

As for the worldly atmosphere and the divine power of incense, there's no need to elaborate further.

Nourished by the daily devout faith and collective activities of billions of dark giants in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, and through the efficient transformation of incense and divine practices, it is generated almost every moment.

Inside the dedicated storage unit, the pale golden incense energy and the milky white worldly energy mixed with the wishes of all living beings had gathered into a considerable quantity.

The steam rises and emits a warm and sacred glow.

Jemin’s gaze swept over these precious reserves one by one.

He reached out and gestured, and a wisp of pure incense energy and a trace of mellow worldly energy flew out from the storage unit, swirling and coiling around his fingertips, exuding a tranquil and refreshing aura.

“Good stuff…but it’s crucial for its use, and it’s also consumed quickly.” Jemin shook his head and carefully sent the two wisps of energy back to their original place.

Whether used for cultivation, alchemy, weapon crafting, or as "fuel" and "building materials" for incense and religious practices, their demand is enormous.

While the reserves may seem substantial, they likely won't last long if used in critical situations.

His attention eventually returned to the three large warehouses, piled high with the Flower Goddess.

"When we built the garden, our main goal was to obtain the Flower God's Blessing, and the Hundred Flower Dew was just a bonus. I never expected that the Hundred Flower Dew would be in such high demand now, while the Flower God's Blessing has become the most abundant 'byproduct'..." Jemin stroked his chin, his eyes thoughtful.

Blake's words reminded him that with war approaching, in addition to proactive attack methods, his own defense system also needed to be constantly updated and strengthened.

Especially those unconventional and difficult-to-defend attack methods—such as curses, prophetic locks, soul corruption, illusions, and so on.

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

The air around my body seemed to ripple with some kind of invisible force, and wisps of almost transparent, misty aura gathered out of thin air.

About a foot in front of him, a hazy, ever-changing shape formed, seemingly there yet not there.

This aura is colorless and odorless, without a fixed shape. Upon closer inspection, it seems that there are fine, dazzling threads and milky white light spots flowing endlessly inside, and it also seems to be mixed with a very faint liquid metallic luster.

Mysterious Gang Red Dust Barrier.

This is a special protective treasure that Jemin made a long time ago in order to verify the preliminary "element-spiritual energy conversion technology" and at the same time try to use the crafting techniques, using the Flower God's Fiend and the Qi of the Mortal World as the main materials.

It is formless and intangible, and usually lies hidden within the owner's aura and energy field.

Its main functions are twofold:
First, it spontaneously resists, weakens, and even rebounds all vague attacks such as curses, prophecies, divinations, and evil wishes that attempt to target Jemin.

Its resistance and counterattack strength depend entirely on the quality and quantity of the Flower God's Qi and the mortal world's Qi stored inside.

The malevolent aura dissipates malice, while the mortal world disrupts the secrets of heaven.

Secondly, when Jemin later developed a magical artifact to resist illusions for Black, he also incorporated the relevant new technologies and the properties of liquid adamantium into the upgrade of the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier.

This adds to its ability to resist illusions, mind control, and thought interference, making its defenses more comprehensive.

However, the status of this treasure after it was forged was quite awkward.

Most of the enemies that Jemin encountered were straightforward, and very few were skilled in such bizarre curses or mental attacks.

It was a rare opportunity to encounter one in a just plane, but even the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier was useless against the immense power of a level 9 being.

Therefore, the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier has almost never truly shown its power, and has always existed as a hidden insurance.

Over time, even Jemin himself began to overlook its existence.

Only now, thanks to Blake's reminder, did he summon this long-forgotten treasure once again.

Sensing the energy flowing within the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier, Jieming frowned slightly.

"The quality of the malevolent energy and worldly energy stored inside is acceptable, but the total amount... considering my current level of life and the level of enemies I might face, the resistance it provides is somewhat insufficient," he assessed.

If it were to encounter a level six wizard proficient in curses, or a powerful enemy skilled in large-scale mental illusions, given the current "foundation" of the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier, it would probably not last long before it was breached.

He stared at the ever-changing, swirling mist before him, then glanced at the vast amount of dazzling malevolent energy in the warehouse, and a sharp glint gradually appeared in his eyes.

Although the Guixu Armor is already available as a protective measure, the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier is still of considerable importance as a form of protection during peacetime.

“It’s time… to give you a complete ‘upgrade’.” Jemin murmured to himself, his fingers lightly brushing the edge of the Xuan Gang Red Dust Barrier. The barrier rippled slightly, as if in response.

(It's not easy to divide this into chapters, so I've combined it into one.)
(End of this chapter)