Within just a few breaths of swallowing the honey, Qi Ping's meridians and Dantian were flooded with dense spiritual energy. Simultaneously, his physical body was rapidly tempered and nourished by the abundant blood-vitality.
'This is incredible!'
Feeling the staggering effects of the Golden Marrow Honey, Qi Ping couldn't help but marvel. Having been used to "coarse grains" in his cultivation, this was his first time experiencing such high-quality spiritual energy. Compared to the spirit herbs he had refined in the past, the continuous nourishment and strengthening of his physique provided by this blood-vitality was like heaven and earth!
'No wonder those sect disciples and clan scions advance so quickly. You can never truly understand the gap until you experience the effects of high-grade spiritual materials for yourself!'
For a loose cultivator at the bottom of the social ladder, buying a single high-grade spirit herb might cost over half their net worth. Buying a bit more would drain them entirely. Once the spirit stones were gone, who knew how long it would take to accumulate them again?
Most people simply couldn't bring themselves to spend it. Earning spirit stones was just too difficult!
For ordinary cultivators, farming or raising spirit chickens and ducks was the best path available, but it earned very few stones. It wasn't like the stories where a bit of effort allowed one to hunt high-level prey or stumble upon opportunities every other day. There were no "supreme treasures" or "secret realms" appearing constantly to give commoners a chance to soar.
The reality was that the vast majority of core cultivation resources were held in a tight grip by the powers that be!
Unless an ordinary person had the luck to learn a powerful trade—like alchemy, talisman making, or weapon forging—they were destined to farm and raise livestock. They performed the peripheral tasks the upper class looked down upon, earning "hard-work stones" while facing the risks of disease, insect plagues, and beast rampages.
Venturing into commerce was even more unthinkable. Without strength or connections, any high-level cultivator could make an ordinary one vanish without a trace! The rule of this world was simple: resources are enjoyed proportional to one's strength—unless one has a background!
Given how hard it was to earn spirit stones, one could imagine Qi Ping's joy as he refined the Golden Marrow Honey.
However, after the initial surge of excitement, he cast aside all distracting thoughts and focused entirely on his training. While carefully sensing the technique and the Wood-attribute energy, he circulated the Wood Shield Art to transform the honey's spiritual energy into Wood Shield spiritual power within his Sea of Qi.
At that moment, Qi Ping's Dantian expanded at an unprecedented speed. The dense spiritual energy and blood-vitality continued to spread throughout his body, accompanied by his steadily rising aura.
As Qi Ping immersed himself in his cultivation, a unique power rose from the Ancient Cedar beneath him and the surrounding trees. Under the influence of this mysterious force, even more Wood-attribute spiritual energy flooded into his body. In terms of absorption efficiency, Qi Ping was now performing at the level of a Mid-Grade Wood Spiritual Root.
And this was while he was only a Level 1 Druid. As his level increased, this special effect would only grow stronger.
When this unique power merged with his spiritual energy, the speed at which Qi Ping refined the Blood Ginseng energy accelerated sharply. He was startled by the sudden change! Under the influence of this power, his refining speed was several times faster than before, and the conversion efficiency had improved as well.
Furthermore, Qi Ping found that his insights into the Wood Shield Art became much easier. Areas that were previously obscure and difficult to grasp were now understood with very little effort.
'Is this a special effect of being a Jungle Druid?'
'It seems choosing to go into seclusion in the forests of the Cloud-Mist Mountains was the right move!'
In the woods, the restrictions of his Low-Grade Spiritual Root were significantly mitigated.
After his brief shock, Qi Ping quickly recollected his mind and devoted himself to the practice, seizing this hard-won opportunity.
About half an hour later, that single mouthful of Golden Marrow Honey was completely refined. Qi Ping's aura grew noticeably, equivalent to about six months of his previous training.
"Wealth, Companions, Environment, and Techniques... Wealth truly deserves the top spot. One moment here is worth half a year of hard work..."
After his lament, Qi Ping took another large gulp of honey and returned to his focused state. He intended to take advantage of his peak condition to see if he could break through to the second level of Qi Condensation in one go.
Having the experience of the first refinement, he was much more proficient the second time around. Even though the second gulp was larger, he remained composed and at ease.
The dense spiritual energy surged within him once more. As it was refined, his aura climbed again.
Then came the third gulp, the fourth...
Throughout this process, Qi Ping's presence rose steadily.
Several hours later.
As Qi Ping finished refining the penultimate portion of honey, the aura around him suddenly surged! A remarkable pressure swept outward, signifying that he had officially broken through to the second level of Qi Condensation!
"I've broken through!"
Sensing his strength—which had increased several times over—Qi Ping was overcome with joy. Consuming nearly the entire bottle of Golden Marrow Honey had allowed him to complete his breakthrough in record time! According to his previous estimates, reaching the second level would have taken another five or six years!
In other words, this one bottle of honey had saved him over half a decade of time!
"If your talent is lacking, you really do need spiritual treasures to cultivate!"
However, this bottle had also depleted a significant portion of the bees' stock. It was the result of a long period of accumulation, so it wasn't surprising that the effect was so potent.
"My comprehension of the Wood Shield Art is also approaching the proficient level. With the Jungle Druid's bonus in the forest, my speed in grasping Wood-attribute techniques is at least several times higher than before..."
"I definitely didn't choose the wrong profession. For someone practicing Wood-attribute arts like me, the Jungle Druid is simply too perfect!"
Excited by his breakthrough, Qi Ping leaped down from the Ancient Cedar. He couldn't resist drawing his spirit tool saber and began practicing. He wanted to see exactly how his strength had improved.
In the next moment, saber shadows layered over one another in the dense forest. It was an exhilarating display.
The technique he was using was called the Wind-Breaker Saber Technique. The moves weren't particularly profound; it was just a common Qi Condensation saber art. However, judging by his proficiency, it was clear Qi Ping had put a great deal of effort into it.
In fact, since arriving in the cultivation world, Qi Ping had been quite diligent and persevering. He simply lacked talent and had never been able to achieve much. This was the norm and the epitome of life for a bottom-tier loose cultivator.
If he hadn't merged with the Druid class and happened to contract the Golden Marrow Bees, how could he have reached the second level of Qi Condensation so quickly?
After finishing the set, Qi Ping was extremely satisfied with the results of his training. Not only had his realm increased, but his physical strength and spiritual power intensity had grown immensely. His comprehension of the Wood Shield Art had improved, and his survival capabilities had shot up as well.
"The effect of the Golden Marrow Bees is truly startling... Is this the result of brewing with Blood Ginseng as the primary material?"
"If I used other spirit herbs—like those for body tempering, healing, or breaking through bottlenecks—as the main ingredient, what kind of effect would that have?"
After experiencing the power of the honey, this thought suddenly blossomed in Qi Ping's mind.