Activating Skin Refining Technique, my skin's hue turned into a metallic black-gray, easily deflecting various weapons' attacks.

And if I were to overlay my Petrification Talent, my defense would reach an astonishing level.

Even a hefty swing from an axe made of meteorite iron would only tickle him.

In terms of strength, I've achieved a significant breakthrough.

Compared to Breathing Technique, Skin Refining Technique is closer to External Skills, particularly noticeable in enhancing strength.

Lou Yi's basic strength suddenly rose from fifty-three thousand pounds to seventy thousand pounds, surpassing the human limit by countless times!

It's a pity that the Dragon-piercing Technique has a limitation; even with the additional power of the Dragon-Piercing Secret Technique, it's difficult to exceed a hundred thousand pounds.

Mysteriously, there seems to be an obscure law preventing a Martial Artist's strength from breaking through a hundred thousand pounds.

Lou Yi doesn't mind, and continues his monotonous cultivation.

Martial Arts and Immortal Cultivation progress simultaneously, neither falling behind.

The day before the fourth quarterly exam, his Immortal Cultivation finally broke through to Qi Cultivation Level one.

With the breakthrough in Immortal Cultivation, the cultivation speed of the Fundamental Xuan Yin Technique transformed to one point a day, similar to an average Mid-grade Spirit Root level.

During the fourth quarterly exam, Lou Yi's realm changed to:

[Realm: Five Acupoints Martial Artist (170/600), Black-skinned Martial Artist (57/600), Qi Cultivation Level one (1/600)]

Thanks to breaking through to Qi Cultivation Level one, Lou Yi's Spiritual Power ranking soared to middle grade, becoming the fourth among this year's disciples, reclaiming the second spot, only behind You Qingyi.

Making Wang Wenbai, Zhang Baopeng, and others who were previously boasting wildly, tightly shut their mouths, no longer daring to provoke Lou Yi lightly.

Yet Lou Yi knows this is just a temporary resurgence.

Next year's assessment, the Spiritual Power score proportion will further expand.

If nothing unexpected happens, his quarterly exam ranking will be dormant for a while.

As expected.

Starting the second year for new disciples entering the sect, the proportion of Spiritual Power in the quarterly exams increased greatly, reaching seventy percent.

After all, cultivation is the foundation for a cultivator, magic and farming are mere trifles.

In the fifth quarterly exam, relying on previous accumulation, Lou Yi barely squeezed into the top three.

By the sixth quarterly exam, his advantage in Spiritual Power diminished, and several Mid-grade Spirit Roots surpassed him.

Plus, the farmland limits resulted in average yields, Lou Yi was first defeated by Wang Wenbai, falling out of the top three to fourth place.

In the seventh quarterly exam, Lou Yi ranked sixth.

In the eighth quarterly exam, Lou Yi ranked eighth, barely holding onto the tail end of the top ten.

In the blink of an eye, the second year passed.

This year, You Qingyi, Wang Wenbai, and Rong Xuejian firmly dominated the top three positions in the quarterly exams.

Becoming well-known geniuses of their generation, not inferior compared to geniuses of previous generations.

Whereas Lou Yi was mentioned less and less.

Any mention was as a cautionary tale, akin to the story of the prodigy Zhong Yong.

At this time, Wang Wenbai's underlings eagerly jumped out, constantly belittling Lou Yi in their words.

"A Lower-Grade Spirit Root is just a Lower-Grade Spirit Root, relying on elixirs to rush forward in the beginning, but now isn't his true form revealed?"

"What, Rong Xuejian you disagree? I advise you not to meddle, Lou Yi's ranking next year will drop even further, do you believe it will drop out of the top ten?"

"You're asking me why Lou Yi could dominate the leaderboard the first year, I tell you, it's because he took the wrong path, too obsessed with the power of elixirs.

But any elixir has elixir poison, his constant ranking decline now is the result of elixir poison backlash!"

Regarding the slander and verbal attacks from Wang Wenbai, Zhang Baopeng, and others, as long as they weren't said in front of him, Lou Yi just laughed them off, not bothering.

But once, when they insulted him to his face, Lou Yi decisively unleashed his sandbag-sized fist, beating Wang Wenbo, Zhang Baopeng, and others till they cried for their parents and turned into pig-heads.

The nickname "Brute" was strongly reinforced, deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"Lou Yi this brute, even if he can fight, how many years can he endure?

In the future, when we refine our Lifebound Corpses to Iron Corpse and Copper Corpse levels, his fist will be nothing but a joke!"

"Shh… Lou Yi is here, keep your voice down."

"...Alright."

In the third year of new disciples entering the sect, the proportion of Spiritual Power in the quarterly exams reached eighty percent, making all other assessments mere foils.

In the ninth quarterly exam, Lou Yi first dropped out of the top ten, no longer receiving any rewards.

Then in the tenth, eleventh, twelfth quarterly exams, Lou Yi increasingly blended into the crowd, never touching the edges of the top ten again.

This year Lou Yi also grew increasingly low-key, keeping contact only with Rong Xuejian and the chubby Dai Xiang.

Other newcomers, fearing retaliation from Wang Wenbai's faction, and pessimistic about his prospects, barely anyone actively spoke to Lou Yi.

At this time, You Qingyi, who previously avoided Lou Yi, instead took the initiative to communicate with him.

"Brother Lou, has your Profound Yin Technique met a bottleneck?" Although You Qingyi's appearance was cool, the words she spoke were warmer than anyone else's, "If you have any doubts, you can tell me.

Even if I don't understand, I can ask those senior brothers and sisters in Spirit Medicine Hall."

"No need, I'm just a Lower-Grade Spirit Root, what's the use even if I practice Profound Yin Technique well?" Lou Yi laughed, "Thanks for the concern, Miss You, but if others see you talking to me, there might be bad rumors spreading."

"I was too focused on appearances before, cultivation naturally encounters various mental obstacles, blindly avoiding them only complicates issues further." You Qingyi said indifferently, "Moreover, I'm always aboveboard with Brother Lou, why should I care about others' gaze?"

"Well said." Lou Yi couldn't help but applaud You Qingyi.

And in the following days after they resumed contact.

Due to Wang Wenbai and others' instigation, a rumor started spreading wildly among the new disciples.

"That Lou Yi, to obtain elixirs, he persistently pesters Miss You, isn't this affecting Miss You's cultivation?"

"I've heard that this guy, seeing his own hopeless cultivation, wants to drag Miss You down, intolerable!"

"Unrequited love is useless, although the two were childhood sweethearts, the gap now is too big, reality will naturally teach him a lesson!"

The rumor grew more and more ridiculous.

Later, the news of Lou Yi's unrequited love for You Qingyi even reached the Spirit Medicine Hall where she was learning elixir techniques.

Her several senior brothers and sisters knew, advising her to focus her thoughts on cultivation, avoid entanglement in matters of love.

Even if entangled, don't choose a Lower-Grade Spirit Root.

You Qingyi, helpless, found Lou Yi: "Brother Lou, rumors are fiercer than tigers, I guess I won't be able to interact with you anymore."

"As you wish." Lou Yi chuckled indifferently.

He truly didn't care, yet You Qingyi seemed to see a dispirited youth, forcing a smile.

'Could it be he really likes me?' Thinking this, a ripple momentarily disturbed You Qingyi's previously calm heart lake, which she swiftly suppressed.

'But, we ultimately aren't of the same world… Brother Lou is a good person, but in the face of the arduous and long dao path, he cannot be that person to walk it alongside me… and I may not even need that person…'

'Even if Brother Lou has feelings for me, it's ultimately fruitless…'

As the saying goes, "Three people make a tiger."

You Qingyi too couldn't distinguish real from rumor regarding Lou Yi's supposed affection for her.

She suddenly felt compassion for Lou Yi, with a burgeoning sense of wanting to compensate him.

You Qingyi pondered and handed him two bottles of Qi Absorption Pill, her face solemn: "Brother Lou, take care."

Leaving Lou Yi utterly bewildered.

Yet refusing benefits makes one a fool.

Due to the prolonged lack of Moonlight Dew, his Immortal Cultivation progressed slowly, hence he readily accepted the pills You Qingyi gifted him.

Time in mountain cultivation passes without heed.

In the blink of an eye, three years had already elapsed.

...

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