Chapter 41: Strengthening the Plan

Cultivation is the deepest subconscious realization of human rationality and sensibility, representing the ultimate pursuit and longing for eternal life and unity with the Tao, in hopes of attaining the supreme perfection of an immortal god.

However, Chen Mo’s choice to pursue cultivation was purely because he had his eye on the chat group, specifically Han Li, his Small Green Bottle, and the world of cultivation Han Li inhabited. He reasoned that if he also chose the path of cultivation, he would certainly be able to obtain a great deal of assistance.

In truth, he had no deep interest in immortals, martial heroes, magic, technology, divinity, or physical refinement. Or rather, he was interested in any power that was fun, useful, or helpful to him; conversely, he was indifferent. He would never change his attitude toward a power based on its category or type. Therefore, his decision to cultivate was merely because he felt it was the most suitable path for him at the moment—the one that offered the most potential aid and possessed a high ceiling. Thus, he decided to give cultivation a try.

Yet, after returning to the Main God’s space and perusing various manuals, classics, and treasures of heaven and earth, his perspective shifted once more. Withdrawing his consciousness from the Main God, Chen Mo fell into deep thought.

"Cultivation... the time required is simply too long, and the resources consumed are far too great."

Among all extraordinary professions, in terms of sheer strength, cultivation is undoubtedly at the top. Generally speaking, if a cultivator of a matching rank encounters other types of professionals, the victor is almost always the cultivator. This is a recognized fact. However, it is also a recognized fact that cultivators require far more time and resources to reach equivalent levels, and the higher the realm, the more resources and time are demanded.

Time... although Chen Mo’s current reward points are extremely generous and he is not lacking in time—if he were to convert all his points into training days, he could spend over 6,000 days, or 16 years, in the plot worlds—this would certainly be more than enough for the early stages of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment. But for the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and the various realms beyond, the time required increases exponentially. He could not guarantee he would always earn as many reward points as he did this time.

He currently could not confirm if the chat group’s world-traveling function could compensate for this shortcoming. If it could, that would be fine, but if not, he might find himself in the awkward position of being stuck at a bottleneck in the mid-to-late stages of his training.

As for the various resources required for cultivation, that was less of a concern. Thanks to the existence of the chat group and Han Li’s Small Green Bottle, Chen Mo would rarely have to worry about resources. However, if the time issue remained unresolved, it would be quite a headache.

"Forget it, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," Chen Mo said, clapping his hands dismissively. "I’ll just pick up internal energy for now. If the time issue is resolved later, I’ll switch to cultivation. If it can't be resolved, I’ll just continue down the path of internal energy. The current version of internal energy is actually quite effective, and its ceiling is quite high."

"There are many systems that can utilize internal energy: cultivation, the Heavenly Rank, or perhaps the Ultimate Boundless Qigong for magnetic field rotation... One of the benefits of internal energy is its high derivability and applicability. Even without following those systems, internal energy itself is quite good."

"Alright, I’ll start by reinforcing my internal energy. As for what path I’ll ultimately choose... I’ll decide that when the time comes."

"Main God, reinforce with Primary Internal Energy!"

A pillar of light descended from above, enveloping Chen Mo. Countless motes of light flew out and merged into his body. A moment later, Chen Mo landed. He closed his eyes and sensed himself carefully.

"My body feels much stronger, and my mind is clearer, but there are no other obvious changes. As for inside my body, I can feel a force in my lower abdomen. Is this internal energy? Given that it’s only a D-grade primary internal energy, I suppose it can only be described as a 'sense of Qi'."

He attempted to mobilize his internal energy, guiding it from his lower abdomen through his meridians to his right fist. He looked left and right, finally settling his gaze on the floor. He raised his right hand high and smashed his fist, wreathed in internal energy, into the ground of the Main God’s square.

*Boom—*

A fist print was left on the plaza. He felt that his already meager internal energy had diminished even further. When he moved his fist away, the print he had smashed into the floor restored itself instantly. He looked at his hand; perhaps because it was protected by the internal energy, his right hand felt no pain and sustained no injury.

"It’ll do, but D-grade internal energy is completely insufficient."

He estimated that if he threw a dozen more punches, he would be completely depleted of energy. To solve this, the best method would be to reinforce it to intermediate or high-grade internal energy.

"But I refuse—with a supreme treasure like the Small Green Bottle, why would I waste unnecessary side-story quests and reward points on upgrading internal energy?"

Besides, the author had once said that in the infinite multiverse, if one wanted to advance from D-grade internal energy to the second-tier extraordinary level, it could be achieved by consuming 5,000 reward points' worth of heavenly treasures! Although the specific time required was never mentioned... Chen Mo’s advantage was that his current time was relatively abundant, and he was not lacking in various heavenly treasures. Forget 5,000 points' worth—even if it were 50,000, he could easily produce them.

Reinforcing D-grade internal energy was merely a way to use the Main God’s enhancement properties to clear and repair his atrophied or blocked meridians, opening up a physique capable of internal energy cultivation for future progress. There was no need for higher-grade reinforcements. By absorbing a large quantity of treasures, his total internal energy would likely reach C-grade, B-grade, or even A-grade in a short time. While it might lack in quality, the quantity would be more than enough.

"However, in that case, it would be best to choose a devouring cultivation method, otherwise I won't be able to fully absorb the effects of the various treasures, and most will be wasted."

Thinking this over, Chen Mo retrieved paper and a pen in the Main God’s space, recording notes while browsing the various exchanges.

"First, seeds for heavenly treasures suitable for refining and strengthening my internal energy. I'll buy some and send them to Han Li. Then, some universal seeds for treasures that enhance various attributes—my cheap teammates will need them, and other group members will find them useful too..."

"Next, martial arts manuals. The Jin Yong and Gu Long series, *Under One Person*, Hong Kong comics, etc. I’ll check if these manuals have an 'easy to learn' trait. If they do, I can try to purchase them at cheap prices..."

"And, my own reinforcement... I can't convert all my resources into manuals and seeds; I need a decent enhancement, or high-level equipment... Is there anything suitable for me?"