The most unique aspect of the Refining Essence and Qi System is that it views "Essence," "Qi," and "Spirit" as a unified whole.
The rapid increase in Jeming's Spiritual Power (Spirit) greatly drives the growth of his "Essence" (physical fitness) and "Qi" (True Essence) within him.
At the same time, the overall improvement in his cultivation also nourishes his Sea of Spirit and Soul strength, thereby advancing his progress in the Wizard Meditation Method.
In this way, with one foot stepping on the other, the two systems secretly promote each other, forming an almost infinite cycle of rapid enhancement.
If it weren't for Jeming uncovering some Dharma Gates to suppress and stabilize his cultivation foundation from the Great Dao Book Pavilion, he might not be just at the Qi Cultivation First Layer by now.
Even so, now at the peak of the Qi Cultivation First Layer, he already feels unable to suppress his power.
The True Essence within him is like a flood about to burst its banks, ready to break through its restraints and advance to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer.
However, if he recklessly breaks through in the dormitory, the powerful surge of energy within him could easily be detected by the academy's omnipresent Talisman Array, or even noticed by a passing Wizard, which would be a major trouble!
He can only choose to breakthrough in a safe, isolated environment—such as a laboratory with a good Isolation Array.
However... Jeming is now halfway through his endeavor yet facing failure, with his pockets cleaner than his face.
This is also an important reason why he's eagerly seeking tasks to earn Points; Jeming never thought he would face the problem of not being able to suppress a potential breakthrough in an Absolute Spirit world.
Damn Points!
He glanced at the deep night outside the window and felt the surging True Essence within him, knowing he didn't have much time left.
He must earn enough Points to rent a laboratory before breaking through.
Sighing, Jeming left the dormitory and ran towards the task hall in a nearby academic building.
The task of cleaning the distillation tower is settled per task, and there are ten days left until the next task opens; he needs to find new tasks to fill the Points gap.
...
...
The task board is always surrounded by many apprentices.
They stare at the constantly updating task entries on the board with longing eyes.
Jeming is now one of them.
After all, he urgently needs Points, immediately!
As he was scanning the task list, a somewhat urgent voice came from beside him.
"Make way, look before you choose! Don't block the way!"
A young, tall, and thin apprentice with eyes sparkling with a shrewd light squeezed over, his fingers quickly sliding over the task board, his eyes faster than the refresh rate of a Magic Network Terminal.
Jeming recognized him; this apprentice's name was Victor, the last one of the three apprentices of this Alchemy cohort.
Victor didn't even look at Jeming; he was fixated on the task entries, muttering quickly: "Cleaning task... high repeatability, stable Points... sorting... time-consuming and laborious... this one! 'Configuring Basic Stabilizing Potion', seems complex but the process is fixed, the Material Academy provides it, just need to pass the finish inspection... this one offers high Points!"
Before he finished speaking, Victor's fingertip pointed, and the "Configuring Basic Stabilizing Potion" task entry disappeared from the task board, already snatched by him.
Jeming watched all this quietly.
Victor is obviously a Wizard's descendant, even though he hadn't cultivated before enrollment, his relevant knowledge training definitely wasn't neglected, so he has more options when selecting tasks compared to ordinary apprentices.
After grabbing a task, Victor smiled contentedly, then noticed Jeming beside him.
His gaze swept over the Alchemy Cauldron Badge on Jeming's chest, then to his empty task slot, with a hint of barely noticeable superiority in his eyes.
"Hey, Jeming, still looking?" Victor's tone was casual, but with a hint of unmistakable bragging, "Gotta be quick when picking tasks, good tasks don't wait for people. As long as you're capable, there are plenty of tasks to choose from!"
His words seemed like "advice," but in fact, he was flaunting his own eyesight and ability, while also belittling those apprentices who could only take on ordinary tasks.
Jeming's face showed no fluctuation; he simply nodded calmly: "Thanks for the reminder, I'm still pondering, looking for something suitable."
Victor shrugged, indifferent.
He said no more, turning and walking toward the other side of the workshop, probably to fetch the materials needed for potion preparation from the material library.
Though they are both apprentices in Alchemy, they haven't had much interaction lately, as their social circles are completely different.
Amy, however, is quite familiar with Victor due to her outstanding social skills, so most of Jeming's impressions of him come from Amy.
Watching Victor's figure from behind, Jeming's assessment of this person became clearer.
Smart, calculating, efficient, and bearing an obvious utilitarian and superior air. He unabashedly pursues profit and even takes pride in it.
He will "kindly" remind you in public, but such reminders are often accompanied by displays and boasts of his own advantages.
He won't be your enemy, provided you don't block his path to making money or gaining benefits, but he will never be the type to genuinely help you.
One could say Victor is a classic high-efficiency egoist cultivated under the rational rules of the Wizard World.
"He can completely be deemed a classic Wizard," Jeming thought, "which is not a bad thing for me."
This kind of personality has very obvious pros and cons; most importantly, they're smart enough not to harbor enmity simply out of "jealousy" or "dislike."
If you can offer benefits, they may even become your aid.
Of course, don't expect this guy to help when you encounter danger.
"However... in my current state, it seems I'm not qualified to look down on him."
Remembering his pitiful Points balance, Jeming shook his head, no longer pondering about Victor, and turned to keep studying the task board.
Fortunately, Jeming's luck was good; before long, he found a fairly suitable task.
"Sort common ores in Warehouse No.5, weight: ten tons, Points: 2." Seeing this task, Jeming couldn't help but brighten his eyes.
This task doesn't offer high Points, involves a large workload, and harsh conditions, so few people vie for it.
The advantage is that it's purely physical work, doesn't require much knowledge, and the task provider will even offer an ore catalog, allowing for additional knowledge gain.
Moreover, most importantly... like the distillation tower task, this one is settled per task rather than monthly, which is very suitable for Jeming right now.
He clicked on the task to confirm.