"A-Atticus?" William looked back at the Mythical Rat Snake in shock.
Its eyes glowed with intelligence as it looked at him, seemingly thinking hard about the next thing to say. The words it spoke previously were very similar to something Flame Dragon Uri had said.
"Ssssshit." Atticus smiled. It had learned that one from its Master.
"..." William looked at Atticus in silence. It seemed there was still some time before it learned how to actually communicate like a normal person...erm, snake?
It suddenly opened its mouth and made a swallowing motion, which was Atticus' way of showing William that it wanted something to eat.
It was later at night, so omelettes didn't sound good to William at the moment. He opted to make spaghetti instead while speaking with Atticus, using some more of the stored foodstuffs he bought at the store in the Five Elements Sect.
That reminds me...I only have so much food, does Master Riyald even eat? How am I going to get more for Atticus when he feels like eating?
Not only did Atticus need to eat, but so did William. His Cultivation was only in the Qi Refinement Realm, which meant he still needed to eat every three days or so. With Atticus around, William usually ate around once a day, but he couldn't do this often.
It was best to conserve food, so after William finished feeding himself and Atticus, he sat cross-legged on his new bed and started Cultivating.
Over the next week, this was William's normal routine. He would spend the first sixteen hours developing the Arrays for his new Artifact, and the remaining eight on Cultivation.
Every two days, William would reduce the number of hours spent on the Artifact to ten, using the remaining time to rest.
By the end of the week, William's Cultivation Base was maxed out at 500/500. Instead of breaking through immediately, William visited Riyald for their weekly meeting to discuss the workings of Arrays and his Elements.
Other than giving William a few pointers, Riyald wasn't able to do much else. His knowledge of the Elements was vast, but without being a master of such elements himself, no amount of teaching would improve William's Elemental Affinities again.
Riyald's best Elements were the Wind and Plant Elements, but William had already unlocked the Domains for both.
After their meeting, William returned to his room and started to break through.
Qi Refinement 5...6...7...8.
Each breakthrough cost ten more Spirit Qi than the last, even until he reached the ninth level. When William reached the sixth level, he felt he could already attempt the Heavenly Tribulation, but William decided he would improve to the peak of the ninth level first.
Each upgrade improved his abilities more and more, each getting ever closer to the peak of their respective rank. Even his Forcefield Talent was growing ever stronger, approaching the limits of defense in the Nascent Soul Realm.
Once he reached level nine, William poured ninety-nine Spirit Qi into his breakthrough and checked his Status.
-Cultivation: Qi Refinement 9 (99/100)
One more Spirit Qi and I will break through...
William didn't take the last step just yet. First, he called out to the Artifact Spirit.
"Sir Reynolds, are you there?"
After a few moments, an ethereal figure descended from the sky and condensed into the form of the familiar Artifact Spirit. He was holding a large scroll in his left hand, which was promptly set aside while he looked at William.
"What is it, Disciple William?" the Spirit asked calmly. As he spoke, he inspected William, who seemed to have grown stronger since the last time he checked on Will's condition.
"I'm about to break through, is there somewhere I can attempt the Heavenly Tribulation?"
Although William had experienced the Heavenly Tribulation while refining pills in the Alchemy Competition, he felt that wasn't a good example. After all, it only targeted William and didn't cause any damage to the competing Alchemists other than to their concentration.
From what William heard in the past, normal Heavenly Tribulations would damage the surrounding environment sometimes. Will didn't want to risk damaging his room, nor did he want to make Master Riyald or the Artifact Spirit angry.
"You're breaking through? To what Realm?"
"Foundation Establishment, Sir Reynolds."
The Artifact Spirit nodded his head, then paused to raise an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're only in the Qi Refinement Realm right now, Disciple William?"
"..." Sir Reynolds didn't know what to think. William was incredibly talented, but Sir Reynolds assumed the boy was at least in the Core Formation Realm, if not at the peak of it. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on ⓝovelFire.net
William's concealment technique was too strong for him to tell, and even Riyald hadn't a clue that William's Cultivation was so low.
After a long pause, the Artifact Spirit contacted Riyald through their mental link.
The boy is about to break through, where do you want me to take him?
He says he's in Qi Refinement.
I know, Master. I thought the same thing.
Well...take him up top just in case. I'd rather not risk the integrity of our home over a mere breakthrough.
Understood, I'll take him up now. Can I use one of our Portal Stones?
Go for it, but make sure the boy helps us replace it.
A tiny portal opened in front of Sir Reynolds, which formed into the shape of a small bluish stone that was covered in tiny Arrays. The sudden appearance of such an item piqued William's interest, but he was already absorbed in the Wind Dial, so he pushed his thoughts to a later date.
The Artifact Spirit ended his communication with Riyald and crushed the stone in his hand while mouthing a few coordinates.
A much larger portal formed in the space in front of them. Sir Reynolds ushered William inside, then followed closely behind.
When William's vision cleared, he quietly inspected his surroundings. He was in a plain, similar to the one he arrived in when first entering the Gravitas Ruins. To the East was a small forest of blue and green trees, while a few kilometers to the West was a trial tower.
"Is that the Western Tower?" William asked.
"Indeed. This plain should be the safest for you to attempt your Tribulation. I can sense that there are very few Cultivators in this area, so the chances of you being noticed are minimal.
William nodded; he expected as much considering the time. His Gravitas Ruins Ticket said that it was currently Day 59, meaning all the others who had entered with him would be leaving the Gravitas Ruins soon.
William sat down cross-legged and channeled the last strand of Spirit Qi into breaking through. The sky turned dark as his Cultivation reached the limit of the Qi Refinement Realm, at which point William promptly stood up.
He looked into the sky to see the formation of the first Tribulation Cloud, its aura surprisingly non-threatening despite everything he had heard. Little did William know that it was actually his senses telling him there was no danger behind this cloud, given his current strength.
As he stared above, more Tribulation Clouds formed, their aura combining to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. The range of the Tribulation expanded from a measly ten meters to over a hundred, still growing as more time passed.
Sir Reynolds wasn't surprised that the Tribulation expanded past the normal limits of the Qi Refinement Realm. William had already proven that his Talent was much greater than the average Cultivator.
Sir Reynolds looked on with interest as the Tribulation reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but he still wasn't worried about William. The boy had already proven that he could take on opponents much stronger than the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Time passed, the Tribulation's range expanding ever further. When its range expanded to ten thousand meters, William felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck that told him there was some danger in these clouds.
Sir Reynolds' expression changed to surprise. The Tribulation Clouds were at the peak of the Core Formation Realm. Any further and William would be attempting a Golden Core Tribulation!
The clouds expanded even further, reaching the Golden Core Realm in the blink of an eye. They expanded for ten more minutes, breaking into the peak of the Golden Core Realm and stopping just before the Nascent Soul.
If he truly is only in the Qi Refinement Realm...this is too much!
For a talented individual like William, taking on a Tribulation two Realms above him wasn't much. Three Realms, however, was another story. The strength of Heavenly Tribulations were never weaker than the previous Tribulation.
This means if William's Cultivation is truly in the Qi Refinement Realm, then he will need to attempt at least a Nascent Soul Tribulation while in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and a Soul Formation Tribulation when he was at the end of Core Formation!