Everything unfolded exactly as Charlie wade had predicted.
That mysterious entity within his body was silently conducting a transaction with him.
After absorbing ninety percent of his spiritual energy, it projected a new set of hand seals onto the vault of heaven.
This time, it was still sixteen seals, but far more intricate than yesterday’s sixteen.
Charlie wade memorised every one, then attempted to perform the complete sequence.
What puzzled him was that, after finishing the entire set, the spiritual energy inside him showed no change whatsoever.
Grace Lowes and Song Rife were slower and less practised than him. They finished more than a minute later, yet felt exactly the same: their spiritual energy neither increased nor decreased.
Lin Wan’er asked with concern. Upon learning the new seals seemed ineffective, she fell into thought.
Suddenly Charlie wade had a flash of insight and said, “Perhaps today’s sixteen seals belong to the same series as yesterday’s sixteen.”
He immediately turned to the two women. “Try combining yesterday’s seals with today’s and run through the full sequence.”
The suggestion made perfect sense to them. They both entered meditation and began performing the obscure Buddhist hand seals one by one.
Charlie wade was the first to complete all thirty-two seals. Instantly, streams of spiritual energy poured into his consciousness sea from every direction, at least three or four times stronger than the day before.
Joy surged through him.
Yesterday it was sixteen seals; today thirty-two. Though the cycle time had doubled, the spiritual energy gained had increased three- to fourfold. Even after accounting for the longer duration, the overall cultivation efficiency of the thirty-two seals was more than double the previous set.
Doubling efficiency in one leap was an enormous leap forward!
Of course, the base amount was still tiny, so even with doubled efficiency the intake remained slow. Yet this gave Charlie wade tremendous hope. If the sequence continued, if another sixteen, thirty-six, or even seventy-two seals were added, the efficiency might increase tenfold, dozens of times over.
If that happened, replenishing spiritual energy would become truly substantial. He would no longer have to rely entirely on precious pills and could restore himself in mere days. At that point, an entirely new world of cultivation would open before him.
Moments later, Grace Lowes and Song Rife also opened their eyes. Compared to yesterday, they were so moved that tears streamed down their faces.
They could clearly feel the massive improvement. This cultivation speed far surpassed the rate at which they used to receive a single Minor Origin-Nurturing Pill from Wu Fiona every year or two. In the past, obtaining one pill in a year or two was already a blessing from heaven. Now, with the thirty-two-seal sequence, they could gain the same amount of spiritual energy in just one or two months.
Seeing the irrepressible joy on all three faces, Lin Wan’er knew Charlie wade’s experiment had succeeded. Her own heart filled with delight.
When she learned the thirty-two seals had more than doubled overall efficiency, she exclaimed in pleasant surprise, then added thoughtfully, “This servant observed that the Young Master, Miss Grace, and Miss Song performed the thirty-two seals at different speeds. If you can master them until they flow from muscle memory and further increase hand speed, the cultivation efficiency will surely rise again.”
Her words sparked excitement in Charlie wade. “Miss Lin is absolutely right. These Buddhist seals are profound and difficult. Even copying them exactly is no easy feat. One full cycle still takes me around ninety seconds. Yet everything follows the principle the old oil seller spoke of: ‘It is merely a matter of familiarity.’ If the hands truly master every seal, doubling the speed is entirely possible.”
He sighed with feeling. “When I was young, my mother made me learn piano for several years. Back then, no matter what piece we played, everyone loved to test their top speed on a piece called ‘Flight of the Bumblebee.’ As a child, I stumbled through the entire piece in five or six minutes. Yet a grand master can finish it in one minute, a difference of seven or eight times. These Buddhist seals are like a musical score. Speed depends not only on talent but on diligent practice.”
Lin Wan’er nodded. “That is exactly what this servant meant. Right now, the Young Master must offer large amounts of spiritual energy each day to obtain new seals. To replenish it, you consume precious pills continuously. At this rate, the pills will soon run out, followed by the raw materials for refining more. Pills are extremely rare and precious; they should be saved for critical moments rather than spent on daily cultivation. If the seals can supply spiritual energy instead, nothing could be more suitable.”
Charlie wade agreed wholeheartedly. “Exactly. Still, I plan to make one more trade with it and see whether new seals appear and how much they improve efficiency. If each addition keeps doubling efficiency, then spending a few more pills is worth it. If the improvement slows, I’ll pause, go into secluded cultivation to master what we have, and come back later. Otherwise, I really won’t be able to keep up with the pill consumption.”
Currently, he had only ten Origin-Nurturing Pills left, and the materials to refine more were exhausted.
