Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

Wu Feng sat cross-legged on the cold stone bed, his eyes slightly closed, his mind completely focused on his dantian.

The internal energy that had just been absorbed from Duanmu Yuan and another leader was now like two scalding and mixed torrents, rushing and surging through the meridians, bringing waves of swelling and slight pain.

With a slight thought, he activated the inner workings of the Northern Darkness Divine Art.

Unlike the gentle flow of true qi during self-cultivation, the Northern Darkness True Qi now vibrates, squeezes, and peels away the impurities of external internal forces at a peculiar frequency.

Deep within his dantian, the vortex formed by the Northern Darkness True Qi slowly accelerated its rotation, absorbing strands of refined, pure energy while expelling and dissipating more chaotic energy.

[Northern Darkness Divine Skill Proficiency +552]

[Northern Darkness Divine Skill Proficiency +552]

At the edge of my field of vision, a pale blue notification was flashing at a frequency far exceeding what I'd expect.

Wu Feng was slightly surprised that the stone house in Lingjiu Palace actually provided an enhancement to internal energy cultivation.

It seems that these long-established sects have cultivation bonuses in their core areas, such as quiet rooms and cave dwellings.

He focused his mind and guided the tempering process with all his might.

Time passed quietly in the utterly absorbed introspection. Under the continuous refinement, the two external internal energies shrank in size and their color gradually became clearer. Finally, they transformed into two relatively pure energy streams, which slowly merged into the vortex of Northern Darkness True Qi and slowly fused with it.

After an unknown amount of time, when the last trace of restless alien energy was calmed and refined, Wu Feng slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes. He immediately brought up his attribute panel to check.

The temporary increase of over 30,000 points to the maximum true qi has disappeared, and in its place, the permanent maximum true qi has increased by 15000 points.

"Half of it was lost during refining...only fifty percent remained." Wu Feng muttered to himself, his tone calm, revealing neither disappointment nor satisfaction.

This result is quite consistent with the attrition mentioned in the description of the Beiming Divine Skill.

The efficiency was vastly different from his own arduous cultivation; the results of these few hours of refining were equivalent to the achievements of his several days of diligent cultivation.

It's unrealistic to expect to make unlimited and rapid progress through this method.

Absorption and refinement take time, and there is also the risk of having an unstable foundation.

"It's better than nothing. It seems that it's not so easy to recklessly rely on absorbing other people's internal energy to increase one's cultivation level." He sighed to himself.

While shortcuts exist, they also come with barriers and costs, which aligns with the game's principle of balance.

This made the Northern Darkness Divine Art less powerful.

Just then, a soft knocking sound came from outside the stone door, along with Mei Jian's clear, slightly cautious voice: "Young Master, dinner is ready. It's just some simple food."

"Come in," Wu Feng replied.

The stone door was gently pushed open, and Mei Jian walked in carrying a wooden tray.

On the tray was a large bowl of white rice, two plates of vegetarian dishes (stir-fried mushrooms and stir-fried bamboo shoots), a bowl of clear soup, and a small pot of wine.

The dishes looked refreshing and the knife work was exquisite; for the remote Lingjiu Palace, this was quite a thoughtful touch.

Mei Jian placed the tray on the stone table, his gaze quickly sweeping over Wu Feng, who was still sitting cross-legged on the stone bed.

Seeing that he was deep in thought and calm in expression, clearly having been practicing his internal energy, the sense of apprehension in the heart deepened.

She dared not look any longer, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "Please enjoy your meal, sir. If you need anything else, please inform the maids guarding the door."

"Hmm," Wu Feng responded indifferently.

Mei Jian said no more, bowed respectfully, turned and left, gently closing the stone door behind him.

Wu Feng got up, walked to the stone table, sat down, and picked up his chopsticks.

The food was still warm. He picked up a piece of mushroom with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The taste was light yet delicious, retaining the original flavor of the mountains and fields.

He ate quickly, but not ravenously; his movements were elegant.

His immunity to all poisons allowed him to act without restraint, simply replenishing his hunger level.

They swept the food clean like a whirlwind, and then finished the pot of clear mountain spring wine.

He got up, picked up the empty tray, walked to the door, and opened the stone door.

Sure enough, a young Lingjiu Palace maid was waiting outside the door. When she saw him come out, she quickly bowed.

Wu Feng handed her the tray and said briefly, "I need to practice my skills, don't disturb me."

"Yes, young master." The maidservant respectfully accepted the gift, bowed her head, and quickly left.

Wu Feng returned to the center of the stone chamber, and with a thought, chose to exit the game.

In the real world, it's dusk. The city lights are just coming on.

Wu Feng sat up from the gaming pod and rubbed his slightly sore neck.

Even after maintaining the meditation posture for a long time, my muscles still felt somewhat stiff, though I was not fully conscious. A feeling of emptiness came over me.

He quickly changed his clothes and went out, heading towards that familiar home-style restaurant.

The restaurant was bustling with activity, full of lively atmosphere. He sat down in his usual spot and ordered shredded pork with garlic sauce, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, and a bowl of rice.

While waiting for the food, he took out his phone, unlocked it, and opened the official forum app for "Jianghu Dream".

The homepage feed refreshed rapidly, with a dazzling array of headlines. He quickly browsed through it, his sharp eyes catching the key words.

There are almost no posts about "Lingjiu Palace", "Piaomiao Peak", "Thirty-Six Caves"...

The few posts that mention Tianshan only discuss the collection locations of Tianshan snow lotus or the climate there, and have nothing to do with the plot.

"It seems that none of the players we killed during the day intended to expose what happened at Lingjiu Palace." Wu Feng's lips curled slightly.

That's not surprising. When it comes to a storyline that's in progress and may contain significant opportunities, those in the know often choose to keep quiet and make a fortune. Who would want to attract countless competitors for no reason?

Most of the loudest voices on the forum are either clueless or simply relying on hearsay.

He continued scrolling down.

A highly popular post caught his attention: "[Anonymous player has leveled up again! Level 38! Is this leveling speed rocket-like or cheating?!]"

The post included a screenshot of the latest level rankings. The top spot was still held by an anonymous player (***), at level 38. Second place went to a player with the ID "Sword Without Regret," at level 32, a difference of 6 levels. The replies below were filled with uproar:

"Holy crap! 38 already? Wasn't it 34 yesterday? Four levels in one day?"

"Is this anonymous big shot living in the BOSS's lair? Killing the BOSS is like harvesting leeks?"

"I've reported it! I've reported it! There's definitely something wrong with this!"

"Give me a break, there are no cheats in this game, they're just awesome."

"Looking for a pro to carry me! Need a strategy guide! Looking for someone to team up with!"

"The gap between us and second place is widening, what's the point of even playing..."

Wu Feng glanced at the comments—some expressing shock, some jealousy, some speculation—without expression, shook his head, and closed the post.

I browsed through the other sections. The heated discussion about Dali had subsided, and things seemed to have returned to calm for the time being after Duan Yu was rescued.

However, several posts in the Western Xia section mentioned that someone witnessed Duan Yanqing, Ye Erniang, and the Crocodile God of the South China Sea frequently entering and leaving the headquarters of Yipintang in the capital of Western Xia. Their whereabouts were not deliberately concealed, so it seems that they plan to stay there permanently.

Another post that caught his attention came from the Jiangnan section: 【Murong Fu leaves Yanziwu! Suspected of heading north to visit old friends and seek assistance in restoring his kingdom!】

The poster claimed to have seen Murong Fu leaving by boat outside Suzhou with his retainers Bao Butong and Feng Bo'e, seemingly heading north.

There was much discussion below, with people speculating whether Murong Fu was going to Shaolin Temple or to seek out other reclusive masters.

"Murong Fu has already set off?" Wu Feng narrowed his eyes. According to his vague memory, in the original story, Murong Fu was active everywhere seeking to restore his kingdom, which seemed to be in the later part of the story, intertwined with events such as the Zhenlong Chess Game and the Shaolin Gathering.

But the game of chess has yet to materialize, and the plot has indeed become a mess, with the characters acting according to a modified logic.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit overwhelmed by information overload.

The world is too big, there are too many storylines, and the characters' movements are too complicated. It is impossible for him to follow and participate in everything by himself.

The Lingjiu Palace incident was a perfect example of this. Murong Fu's connection was currently out of reach.

"I can't worry about that now," he muttered to himself, putting his phone aside.

The most urgent task is to make good use of the advantages of being in Lingjiu Palace and solidify the benefits that can be obtained.

The next step is to find the Heavenly Child Granny.

If the relevant storyline can be triggered, the benefits might be even greater.

As for the Murong family of Gusu, the Yipintang of Xixia, and even the Shaolin Beggars' Gang, we'll have to wait and see.

At this point, the waiter began serving the dishes.

The steaming hot dishes interrupted his thoughts.

He picked up his chopsticks, drawing his attention back to the food, and stopped thinking about it.

After a satisfying meal, we checked out and strolled back to our lodgings.

After taking a hot shower and changing into clean pajamas, he lay back down in the gaming pod.