Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

At 3 a.m. on July 21, the night was as dark as ink.

Chen Yu opened his eyes in the small world, holding the dark golden Body Tempering Pill (Modified) in his palm. The patterns flowing on the surface of the pill gleamed with a warm luster under the dim light of the spiritual spring, and its medicinal fragrance was mellow and restrained. This was the fourth modified pill he would take tonight, ten days after he began his attempt to break through to the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage.

For the past ten days, he has strictly adhered to a schedule of one pill every five days. Combined with the abundant spiritual energy of the small world and six hours of deep cultivation each day, his spiritual power has accumulated to a critical point. He can clearly feel that the bottleneck membrane at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage is getting thinner and thinner, and it may be broken through at any time.

"Tonight is the time." Chen Yu took a deep breath and put the pill into his mouth.

The elixir melted upon entering the throat, transforming into a warm, torrent that flowed through the limbs and bones. This time, the medicinal power was more potent than the previous three times, like a warm river rushing through the meridians. Wherever it passed, the muscles and bones emitted subtle crackling sounds, which was the cells strengthening and reorganizing.

Chen Yu immediately activated the eighth level of the "Tai Xuan True Scripture" to guide the medicinal power to merge with the spiritual energy within his body. Under the internal vision of his spiritual eye technique, he could see the spiritual energy vortex in his dantian spinning rapidly, its color gradually changing from light blue to dark blue—a sign of a qualitative change in spiritual energy.

One hour, two hours... Time quietly slipped away in the small world.

The purple-gold grass beside the spirit spring swayed without wind, and the spiritual dew condensed on its leaves dripped slowly. The spiritual energy of the entire small world was converging on Chen Yu, forming an invisible vortex of spiritual energy. He sat cross-legged in the center of the vortex, his breathing long and even, each exhale causing the surrounding spiritual energy to pulsate.

Suddenly, the vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian trembled violently! The once calm vortex began to spin wildly, its volume rapidly expanding, and its color changing from deep blue to pale gold!

The bottleneck has been broken!

Chen Yu felt a deafening boom in his mind, as if some kind of shackle had been broken. The spiritual energy within his body surged like a flood, and his originally thin meridians expanded and became stronger under the cleansing power of the spiritual energy. His bone density increased further, and faint golden patterns appeared in his muscle fibers—an additional effect brought about by the modified Body Tempering Pill and the Fire Obsidian Powder.

[Breakthrough to the Ninth Level of the Tai Xuan Zhen Jing]

[The range of spiritual awareness has been expanded to twenty zhang.]

[Physical Enhancement: Strength increased by 35%, Speed ​​increased by 30%, Endurance increased by 50%]

Fire resistance increased to basic level.

[Unlock new spells: Fireball (Beginner), Wind Walk (Intermediate)]

A series of system notifications rang in Chen Yu's mind, and he was overjoyed. Although Fireball was only a basic spell, its power should be considerable when combined with the properties of Firestone. Swift Step was an advanced version of Wind Control, allowing him to unleash astonishing speed over short distances, which was useful for both pursuit and escape.

He stood up, feeling the surging power within his body. The ninth level of the Qi Refining stage was already the peak of that stage; the next step would be the Foundation Establishment stage. Although he was still far from the true path of cultivation, in this world with scarce spiritual energy, he was already considered a master.

When Chen Yu exited the small world, it was just dawn. He opened the window, and the cool morning breeze carried the fragrance of locust blossoms from the courtyard. He took a deep breath, and the scene within a twenty-foot radius clearly appeared in his mind—Zhang Xiulan was starting a fire in the kitchen, Bang Geng was reciting his lessons in the yard, Yi Zhonghai was watering the flowers, and the children were still asleep…

This sense of control is intoxicating.

"Chen Yu, are you up?" Qin Huairu's voice came from outside the door.

"You're up." Chen Yu opened the door and saw Qin Huairu holding an old textbook and a pencil, her face showing both exhaustion and excitement from studying. "Did you stay up late again last night?"

"No, I just wrote a little more." Qin Huairu handed over the textbook. "Look, I already know more than three hundred characters, and I can even write my own name."

Chen Yu took the notebook and saw the three characters "Qin Huairu" neatly written on it. Although the strokes were still a bit stiff, it was already quite good. After that, there were names such as "Chen Yu," "Xiao Dang," and "Huaihua," as well as some simple words.

"You've made great progress," Chen Yu praised. "But you should take care of your health and not stay up too late."

"I know." Qin Huairu nodded. "By the way, yesterday afternoon a Mr. Li came looking for you, saying he was from the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I told him you were still away on a business trip, and he left, leaving a note."

The note read: "Comrade Chen Yu, the preliminary cooperation plan has been drafted. Please come to the research institute for further discussion when convenient. Li Jimin, July 20th."

Judging by the time, Li Jimin should have arrived the day before yesterday. Chen Yu decided to go to the research institute today to finalize the cooperation on traditional Chinese medicine.

After breakfast, Chen Yu went to the research institute first. When Lin Zhenhua saw him return, he said happily, "Xiao Chen, you've come at the right time! Factory 903 called and said they'd like you to come again next week for their special materials project. We'll let you know the specific time later."

"Special materials project?" Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, it's the one Chief Engineer Zhao told you about." Lin Zhenhua lowered his voice. "I heard it's very confidential; only the director and I know about it. You'll have to sign a confidentiality agreement when you go, and you can't take any materials out of the factory area."

Chen Yu nodded. This was exactly what he wanted; he was determined to participate in Factory 903's research on obsidian alloy.

"Also," Lin Zhenhua took a document from his drawer, "this is a notice just issued by the ministry regarding the selection of technical personnel to go to Hong Kong for exchange and study. We all have one spot, and I recommended you."

Hong Kong Exchange! Chen Yu's eyes lit up as he took the document and read it carefully. The notice stated that this exchange was organized by the State Science and Technology Commission, lasting three months, with the aim of learning from Hong Kong's advanced technologies and business management experience. There were very few spots available; only twenty nationwide.

"Engineer Lin, this..."

"Don't thank me, you're qualified." Lin Zhenhua patted him on the shoulder. "The whole institute knows about your performance at Factory 903. And you can speak Cantonese, which is an advantage. But whether you can ultimately go or not still depends on going through layers of selection."

"I understand, thank you for giving me this opportunity, Engineer Lin."

After leaving the research institute, Chen Yu headed straight for the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Li Jimin was conducting an experiment in the laboratory. Seeing him arrive, he put down the test tubes he was holding: "Chen Yu, you've come at the right time! Take a look at this."

It was a handwritten collaboration proposal titled "Research Plan for the Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Techniques." The plan detailed a one-year research program: the first phase involved collecting and organizing cases of TCM diagnostic methods through observation; the second phase involved designing standardized observation procedures; and the third phase involved conducting clinical trials for validation…

"Professor Li, this plan is very comprehensive," Chen Yu said after reviewing it. "But I have a suggestion—could we start with specific symptoms? For example, common diseases like liver disease and stomach disease, where traditional Chinese medicine's diagnostic method of observation has unique advantages. We can select a few typical cases, use modern imaging technology to record the changes in the condition, and at the same time record the diagnostic process and basis of traditional Chinese medicine."

"That's a great idea!" Li Jimin's eyes lit up. "Start with the easy stuff and work your way up to the difficult stuff. Once you've made some progress, you can expand the scope. I happen to have a research project on chronic hepatitis that I can incorporate into this."

The two discussed for the entire morning and established a preliminary framework for cooperation: Chen Yu would provide training in observation methods and technical support, while Li Jimin would provide case resources and medical guidance, and research results would be shared. The first batch of studies would focus on three conditions: chronic hepatitis, gastric ulcers, and hypertension.

"By the way, Chen Yu," Li Jimin suddenly remembered something after finishing their business, "Senior Brother Huang is back from Hong Kong and sent me a letter yesterday. He said... about that photo, you shouldn't rush to conclusions."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat: "What else did Dr. Huang say?"

"He said that the cave was very dangerous and that I shouldn't go there without being prepared," Li Jimin said seriously. "He also said that if I really wanted to go, I should contact him first, because he had something for me."

"Things?" Chen Yu guessed it might be items or information related to cultivation. It seemed Huang Wenyuan did indeed know some inside information.

"Thank you for relaying the message, Teacher Li. I will be careful."

It was noon when Chen Yu left the research institute. He ate a bowl of noodles with soybean paste at a roadside restaurant and then slowly walked home. Beijing in July was already very hot; there weren't many pedestrians on the street, and the cicadas in the trees were chirping noisily.

As Chen Yu approached Shichahai, his spiritual sense suddenly detected a familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy—it was Scarface! And that short-haired woman!

The two were sitting on a bench by the lake, seemingly resting, but actually talking in hushed tones. Chen Yu darted behind a large tree, activating his Concealment Technique at full power, and quietly probed with his spiritual sense.

"...All the goods are here, ten yuan, and the quality is better than last time." Scarface's voice was very low.

"Are things ready in southern Yunnan?" the woman asked.

"It's almost there, it should arrive before the end of the month." Scarface paused, "But there's a bit of trouble in Beijing, Factory 903 is keeping a close eye on them, and our people can't get in."

"We have to go in; that batch of alloy is crucial."

"I know, I'm trying to figure something out."

Factory 903? Alloy? Chen Yu's heart sank. The scarred man's target was indeed the obsidian alloy from Factory 903!

"What about Chen Yu?" the woman asked again. "Is he still being watched?"

"Keep an eye on him, but he rarely goes out lately, just goes to work and comes home." Scarface sneered. "But it doesn't matter, we'll leave at the end of the month, and then..."

The rest of their conversation was unclear, and the two got up and left.

Chen Yu waited until they were far away before emerging, his brow furrowed. Scarface was planning his operation at the end of the month, targeting the obsidian alloy from Factory 903, and also heading to southern Yunnan. It seemed their plan was clear: use the obsidian alloy to open or enter that ancient cultivator's cave.

We must stop them, or at least find out their specific plans.

Upon returning home, Chen Yu immediately contacted Man No. 1. Through several days of surveillance, Man No. 1 had uncovered the details of Scarface's team—a total of five people, three men and two women, who rented a small courtyard near the Drum Tower. They took turns monitoring the courtyard during the day and studied maps and documents at night.

"Master, they have a very old map with several points marked on it in the Ailao Mountains of southern Yunnan," reported Pseudo-Man Number One. "Last night, during their meeting, they mentioned that they need 'three keys' to open the cave—the first is obsidian, and they also need 'water essence' and 'wood heart'."

Three keys? Chen Yu recalled the records in Zhou Wenyuan's jade slip, which indeed mentioned that some ancient cultivators' caves required multiple restrictions to open. Fire obsidian corresponds to the fire element, water essence to the water element, and wood core to the wood element. It seems that the restrictions on that cave were a five-element formation, requiring at least three keys of different attributes.

"Did they find the water crystal and the wood heart?"

"From the conversation, it seems that the crystal is already available, but Mu Xin is still searching for it. They mentioned 'Changbai Mountain' and 'Old Ginseng Guest,' so Mu Xin might be in Northeast China."

Old ginseng from Changbai Mountain? Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. Ginseng that is over a hundred years old can indeed contain wood elemental energy, and is called "wood essence" or "wood heart". It seems that Scarface's team has been preparing for this cave for a long time.

"Continue to monitor them, paying particular attention to their contact with Factory 903."

"Yes."

After dinner, Chen Yu entered the small world. After breaking through to the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, the small world underwent another change—the gray mist at the edge shifted back about five meters, revealing new land. This land was pale red, and the soil contained a faint fire-elemental spiritual energy, likely the effect of being soaked in the fire obsidian fragments for a long time.

Chen Yu planted several herb seeds he had collected from the Western Mountains on the new land, wanting to see what changes would occur if the herbs grew on the fire-elemental land. Then he went to the spirit spring and began practicing his new spells.

Casting the fireball spell was more difficult than he had imagined. Chen Yu made hand seals and chanted an incantation, conjuring a fist-sized, orange-red fireball in his palm, but it was very unstable, the flames flickering. He tried to control the fireball's temperature and shape, nearly losing control several times.

"Looks like I need to practice more." Chen Yu dispelled the fireball and turned to Swift Wind Step. This spell was relatively easy; he channeled spiritual energy into his legs, and with each step he could move three zhang (approximately 10 meters) at a speed as fast as a ghost. Combined with Wind Control Technique, his mobility over short distances was greatly enhanced.

After practicing for two hours, Chen Yu could barely control the Fireball spell steadily, and he had mastered the Swift Step. When Chen Yu exited the small world, it was already late at night outside.

He lay in bed and began to plan his next move.

Scarface's operation is scheduled for the end of the month, and today is July 21st, leaving only nine days. He must accomplish several things in these nine days: uncover Scarface's specific plans, stop them from stealing the obsidian alloy from Factory 903, and ideally, find out the truth about the Yunnan cave dwelling.

At the same time, I need to participate in the special materials project of Factory 903, strive for exchanges with Hong Kong, promote cooperation in traditional Chinese medicine, and not neglect my spiritual practice... Time is too tight.

But Chen Yu remained calm. The more complex the situation, the more composed one must be. He took out a piece of paper and wrote nine characters: "When the enemy moves, we remain still; plan carefully before acting; the key lies in the alloy."

Scarface's target is alloys, so let's focus on alloys. He's about to get involved in the alloy research at Factory 903, and he can use this opportunity to both understand the properties of alloys and monitor Scarface's movements.

And then there's Huang Wenyuan… Since he knows the dangers of the cave and has something for me, I must contact him. Perhaps I can get crucial information from him.

Lost in thought, Chen Yu fell asleep.

In his dream, he saw the cave. But this time, he wasn't standing outside, but inside. The cave walls were covered with glowing runes, and the floor had a complex five-element array, with five different colored stones placed in each of the five directions. He walked through the array, trying to decipher the runes…

Suddenly, the array lit up, and five-colored light shot into the sky!

Chen Yu woke up with a start.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten; a new day had begun.

And the nine-day countdown has already begun, starting with the first second.