Chapter 110: Chapter 111: Meng Qingxuan Arrives Again

The classroom was already empty when Chen Che stepped out of the office, so he slung on his backpack and left. But instead of heading straight home, he first went to the Xianmen Bookstore to buy a set of third-year textbooks, then made a trip to the Ouyi after-sales service center.

He was there to pick up his Celestial Secret Umbrella.

The Pure Jun Sword was still under warranty; as long as it wasn’t completely broken, repairs were free. So, right after his battle with Li Hong, he had sent the sword in for service.

He had also brought the Celestial Secret Umbrella along, asking them to take a look at it.

While studying the Celestial Secret Umbrella, he had discovered a minor issue. Whenever he tried to fully activate it, he could feel a distinct sluggishness as his True Essence flowed through the frame, causing a noticeable lag in his control.

It was a situation Old Li had mentioned in passing during a lesson on Flying Swords:

"Magical Artifacts, like Flying Swords, can be thought of as sports cars. True Essence is the gasoline. If you experience sluggishness, it’s highly likely that some components or Array Patterns are malfunctioning and should be repaired or replaced immediately."

Just as he’d thought.

The technician at the after-sales center did not disappoint.

With a single glance, the man identified the Celestial Secret Umbrella as a handmade product. The workmanship was not only a bit crude, but the use of materials was also incredibly wasteful. On Earth Element Star, the amount of Muddled Gold Iron and Celestial Silkworm Silk used could have been enough to craft a Tier Two Magical Artifact.

Due to the poor craftsmanship, the umbrella had only reached the level of Tier One High Grade.

If this had been a product from a major manufacturer, it would have been classified as defective and likely destroyed discreetly to prevent it from reaching the market and tarnishing the company’s reputation.

Chen Che felt both relieved and a little frightened in hindsight.

In Magical Combat, the situation can change in an instant. The slightest hiccup could alter the course of a battle.

The repair itself wasn’t difficult.

However, since the Celestial Secret Umbrella wasn’t an Ouyi Subsidiary Company product, the work was considered a side job for the technician and required an additional fee. Chen Che, of course, had no objections. He paid upfront and arranged to pick it up today.

’They actually upgraded it to Tier Two for me!’

Chen Che was overjoyed as he held the Celestial Secret Umbrella.

The modified Celestial Secret Umbrella showed no major changes on the outside. The true ingenuity was only visible when it was opened:

The number of ribs had been increased from nine to thirteen for reinforcement. Furthermore, the joints in the frame were now fitted with industrial hinges, allowing for more flexible opening and preventing any obstruction to the flow of True Essence during high-speed activation.

Of course,

the downside was that with its tier increased, controlling it would consume multiples of the previous amount of True Essence.

The upside was that the modified umbrella could now withstand attacks from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Most importantly, Jinyun Valley was unaware of this change. If they ever turned hostile, they would still be operating on old data and would surely be in for a huge shock when they witnessed the umbrella’s true power.

"School’s out, Xiaochen?"

"Yeah!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Passing by the locksmith’s shop, he saw Wu Neng and his daughter eating dinner. They greeted him warmly, and Chen Che offered a polite reply.

The shops on the back street, closed for the New Year, had long since reopened for business.

As he passed an archway, he was surprised to see an old man standing there, looking hesitant. In addition to the usual older woman, there was now another woman by the archway—similarly dressed in rags, but a little younger.

"This treasure and I are fated!"

the old man explained, ignoring the older woman’s stare—a look one might give a cheating lover—and led the younger woman by the arm into the alley.

...

Back home, after finishing his homework, Chen Che immediately began studying his new third-year material.

The three years of high school corresponded to three stages of Qi Refining Stage Magic.

The first year taught Tier One Low Grade spells.

The second year, Middle Grade.

And the third year, Tier One High Grade.

From his chat with Old Li earlier, he had learned that many geniuses on Earth Element Star finished the entire high school curriculum as early as their first year. They would then spend the rest of their time shoring up any weaknesses or honing their specializations for competitions.

That was how, in combat competitions, the top students were able to use all the third-year Magic with casual ease.

Some could even use spells taught at the university level.

Most students, however, couldn’t manage that and had to follow the school curriculum step by step.

Of course, Chen Che had been the same way in his first year.

It was only after he passed the city-level tournament that Li Xiaoshuang told him he could try studying ahead. The school curriculum, designed by the Immortal Sect, was tailored for the average student; it didn’t account for the top performers or the ones who fell behind.

The learning pace of gifted students was often much faster than the curriculum.

As for the struggling ones...

...they had a hard enough time just understanding what was taught in class.

’Tier One High Grade Cultivation Techniques are definitely more difficult! Now that I think about it, those geniuses really have all the essentials: Dharma, Companions, Wealth, and Land...’

After studying the textbook for a while, Chen Che couldn’t help but rub his temples.

Although small cities occasionally produced a student or two who got into the Four Greats, the probability was far lower than in the major cities.

Fortunately, he had already cultivated his Divine Sense.

Old Li had also told him that if he encountered any problems, he could call anytime—even in the middle of the night. As a result, his learning efficiency wasn’t slow at all. In just a few days, he had already grasped several Tier One High Grade Spells.

However, he still needed to practice them frequently to achieve true proficiency.

...

「In the Cave Mansion.」

After completing his daily Cultivation, Chen Che felt the increasingly vast True Essence within his meridians and nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at his Micro Crystal Brain; the data in the True Essence reserves column had reached a terrifying 113.6%.

This meant that in terms of True Essence alone, he had more than double the amount of other Cultivators at the Same Tier.

Chen Che estimated that by the provincial tournament, this figure would reach about 130%.

’I might not be a genius, but I have a cheat system.’

As he was thinking this, he heard a "PATTER, PATTER~".

The Little Chick darted into the Cave Mansion, came up to him, opened its beak, and spat out a Spirit Fish.

’Demon Beasts have it so easy,’ he thought. ’With the help of their innate bloodlines, they get stronger just by growing up...’

He glanced at the Little Chick. It already stood taller than his chest and had reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

For the chick, there seemed to be no bottlenecks at all when it came to raising its Realm.

"Try not to let most people see you. It’s best if you only go out to hunt at night!"

Chen Che warned.

Although there were no longer many Loose Cultivators searching for the Little Chick around Jinyun Valley, he still had to guard against it being discovered by a more knowledgeable Cultivator.

"CHIRP~"

The Little Chick immediately nodded.

After refining a furnace of Pills, he left them for the Little Chick to eat.

Chen Che arrived at the Pill Shop to give Zhao Deyou his usual guidance. Teaching others was a form of review that helped solidify his own knowledge. And Zhao Deyou was diligent enough; he could already independently refine several types of Tier One Lower-grade Elixirs.

On Earth Element Star, he might not even pass a first-year pill-refining exam, but here in the Market, he could already hold his own.

"Not bad. You’ve got a good grasp of it. Just keep practicing."

After reviewing his progress, Chen Che was about to leave,

when he suddenly frowned and looked toward the door. Just as Zhao Deyou’s face showed confusion, a magnificent Fire Crane landed at the shop’s entrance with a sharp cry. A slender figure stood upon its back, her hands clasped behind her.

’Oh, for crying out loud, why is she here again?’

Ding Fei felt a headache coming on. He muttered a complaint under his breath but quickly went to greet her.

"Miss Meng, what brings you here today?"

The visitor was none other than Meng Qingxuan.

However, she paid no mind to Ding Fei, her gaze fixed on Chen Che, who was seated inside the shop.

"I came here specifically for Tributor Chen!"