Chapter Fourteen: Deep Sleep

Without a single dream, Li Qi naturally opened his eyes. He felt refreshed and at ease, with cool currents of energy circulating through his limbs and bones. His entire being felt cleansed by a clear spring—pure, transparent, and completely free of impurities within his flesh and blood.

"It seems I entered a deep sleep last night; otherwise, I wouldn't feel this good," Li Qi thought. His mind was sharper than ever, devoid of the usual grogginess one feels upon waking.

This was the effect of deep sleep. As for the notion that he had still been some distance away from achieving it, that referred to the stability of entering such a state. Even for ordinary people, there is a slim chance of falling into deep sleep, but given Li Qi’s current condition, he could achieve it roughly once every twenty nights.

With this thought, Li Qi checked his status panel. Sure enough, there were changes.

Log: You have completed a session of deep sleep. Due to its influence, the attribute growth cycle has been shortened, and growth effects have increased. Essence +0.01, Spirit +0.01, Willpower +0.02.

A value of 0.01 is not much, but accumulated over time, growth happens silently. For Li Qi, seeing this 0.01 increase was a form of motivation. Of course, this did not mean these gains were solely the result of yesterday's training; it simply meant that the panel only displayed growth once it exceeded 0.01.

Li Qi had already passed the initial phase of rapid attribute growth. When he first regained the memories of his past life, that period saw the fastest growth in all his attributes—a "newbie bonus" for his cultivation. To experience such a boon again, he would need to reach the next "Entry" level. Each sublimation of his life essence would bring with it a period of rapid physical improvement.

Beyond the attribute growth, Li Qi noticed that the progress bar on his Life Chart had reached 99%.

"As long as it doesn't get stuck at 99%, I should be able to see what's inside by tomorrow morning," he mused.

Li Qi took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. To his surprise, a wisp of white mist steamed from his lips.

"No wonder the room is so cold. It must have snowed in the middle of the night."

He pulled back the curtains and discovered that the world outside had turned pure white. He had woken up very early; the sky was only just beginning to brighten, but the snow reflected the light, making everything quite luminous.

Li Qi washed up quietly, donned a clean training suit, took the wooden sword from the rack in his bedroom, and headed downstairs to the quiet room to begin his daily morning practice.

Two training sessions a day, without fail—this had been his routine for the past three months. He had truly settled his mind; otherwise, Li Changqing would not have praised his dedication. Practicing the sword with such single-mindedness was rare. Even for Li Qi, it would have been difficult to maintain this focus without the panel, which allowed him to see his proficiency and steady progress.

He stood before the mirror, practicing visualization, and then began his strikes. To the naked eye, his swordsmanship seemed unchanged, but to someone with keen spiritual perception or profound mastery, the minute improvements would be apparent.

Such progress was so subtle that even Li Qi would have been hard-pressed to notice it without the panel. This was precisely why so many people failed to persist.

Strike! Strike! Strike!

Then, the first "beyond the limit," the second "beyond the limit," and the third!

Then, one strike, two strikes, three...

This time, it wasn't until the fifteenth strike that Li Qi was frozen in place, his willpower exhausted, unable to move another muscle. Last night he had managed fourteen and a half; today, he reached fifteen. Clearly, the 0.02 increase in willpower had taken effect.

"Two more strikes, and I'll achieve the fourth 'beyond the limit' breakthrough," he thought while sitting in the quiet room, feeling the lingering pain. "By then, my swordsmanship will improve even faster."

After resting for over half an hour, he finally felt recovered enough to drink water and take his nutritional supplements. To build a strong physique, one must eat well. Ordinary people have limited digestive and absorption capabilities; they cannot simply eat a whole cow and expect to absorb all its nutrients. Therefore, to build a powerful body, one must consume refined nourishment.

Li Qi, for instance, ate four times a day. He took nutritional pills morning and night, and only ate regular meals for lunch and dinner. For him, unless he could afford "Great Medicine," standard supplements were only moderately effective. They worked, but the cost-to-benefit ratio was poor—a consequence of his parents living such a laid-back life.

Of course, in this world, lack of money was not an insurmountable obstacle to cultivation. Before reaching the "Entry" level, a normal diet was sufficient for nutritional needs, and once one had "Entered," making money was not difficult—there were plenty of channels.

Cultivation was widespread here, and the martial spirit was intense. Various weapon-fighting tournaments emerged one after another, ranging from public matches to underground arenas. This was what they called "weapon combat." Many corporations even used these duels to settle commercial disputes.

The most developed industry, without a doubt, was the tournament circuit for those who had reached the "Entry" level. "Entering" is easy; attaining the "Dao" is hard. The number of those who had reached the "Dao" was so small that they only appeared in heavyweight competitions. For ordinary arenas, those at the "Entry" level were the backbone. Whether they were competing or working as private coaches, those who had "Entered" had plenty of opportunities.

After finishing his supplements and bathing, Li Qi didn't go out. He changed into warm clothes and stayed home, drinking tea by the fire and reading. Outside, the snow fell in fits and starts, while inside, the logs in the fireplace crackled, keeping the house warm and comfortable.

Li Qi cherished his body. Although his training was fierce, he was cautious during his rest periods, not wanting to suffer any unnecessary injury. In the cold winter, with snow falling outside, sitting by the fire with a book and tea was undeniably comfortable. Li Qi felt like a hibernating bear, retracting all his energy and spirit, feeling lazy to the point of indulgence.

He read on his phone, mostly casual material, though it was mixed with professional cultivation information. This era was convenient; much could be found online. Of course, the profound mysteries of cultivation could not be explained in a few words, but even the dubious rumors held some reference value. Then there were the stories of powerful figures, which often contained hidden truths if one knew how to discern them.

Li Qi read them casually, not overthinking or rushing to verify their authenticity, treating them merely as knowledge to broaden his horizons. After all, if you believed everything online, you had already lost—but you couldn't dismiss everything either. The internet was a mix of dragons and snakes; you might even find a saint hiding behind a pseudonym.

Saints used the internet too. In fact, their ability to accept new things was far greater than that of ordinary people. If you happened to cross one, you could only hope for the best. It wasn't impossible for a saint who enjoyed showing off to take the opportunity to settle things in the real world.

Beyond that, many forums were filled with people claiming to be at the "Dao" level, treating "Entry" level practitioners like commoners, "True Humans" as mediocre, and saints as unremarkable. Much of it was just for amusement. Whether one believed it or not was up to the individual.

Thus, it remained until after dinner, when Li Qi finally felt a stir of restlessness. He put on a thicker coat and stepped out into the night.