CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: DISAPPEARANCE

After contemplating carefully, Qu Jianlei finally decided not to use the Mutated Beast Crystal.

The unpredictable risk was indeed too great; if the two components clashed, it would be a disaster.

It’s really because I’m too poor... Qu Jianlei thought to himself, not without a hint of self-mockery: Losing half a crystal is simply unaffordable.

He barely managed to endure until near midnight, when the last faint sensation of pain completely disappeared.

By then, Qu Jianlei had already consumed three Nutrient Injections and taken nine sips of water.

He exhaled slowly, opened his eyes, and stood up to look around.

There was no one around, it was quiet.

He felt that his body still had some strength, carefully avoiding those traps, he walked to a relatively flat area.

Then he began to sink his Qi into the Dantian, focusing while performing a set of Eight Pieces of Brocade.

Due to the lack of similar exercises, once he finished a set of Eight Pieces of Brocade, his whole body started to heat up.

Feeling this heat, he simply practiced another set of "Five Animals Qigong".

It had been a long time since he performed Five Animals Qigong, a bit clumsy at first, he finished one set and did another.

After finishing two sets, he was excited about practicing, and decided to do it again.

After exercising for a while, when he stopped, he felt refreshed.

Sweat had already started to form on his forehead, and he felt a little hungry, so he took out another tube of Nutrient Liquid to consume.

After drinking three more sips of water, and letting the sweat on his body settle slightly, inspiration struck him, so he sat cross-legged again to meditate.

Without hesitation, he grabbed half of the crystal, continuing to guard his Dantian with intent.

At the next moment, a surging wave of energy flowed into his body from his palm, rushing directly to his brain.

For a moment, Qu Jianlei felt like his head was about to split open; his vision darkened, and he almost passed out.

Steeling himself, he guided the energy in his brain, causing it to surge toward his Dantian.

Yet right after, it seemed as though a small "lake" with a large head and small body appeared in his brain.

Miraculously, the cartoon figure’s big eyes showed a hint of... grievance?

Qu Jianlei wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating, but he knew clearly if he allowed the energy to flood his brain, he would burst into flames.

It’s not an adjective; it’s a verb.

So he ignored the appearance of the small lake, determinedly attempting to direct the energy into the Dantian...

He didn’t even know what route he should take to guide the energy into the Dantian, but he knew if he didn’t try, he’d be doomed.

The headache grew increasingly painful, and he endured it with great effort, trying to maintain the last bit of clarity in his mind.

The intense pain continued for an unknown length of time, then his whole body suddenly trembled.

The surge of energy slowly released, entering the blood vessels and muscles of his head, and was quickly absorbed by the meridians.

Following that, streams of heat surged into the Dantian along the meridians.

The swelling pain instantly reduced, and in his daze, Qu Jianlei seemed to see the "small lake" again.

The large eyes appeared to show a moment of grievance, and perhaps some... joy?

Yet Qu Jianlei still couldn’t be sure whether it was a hallucination; these subtle cartoon expressions he designed back on Blue Star.

At the same time, he also realized that the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique" seemed to be operating autonomously.

This is... really absurd! He disliked immensely being in a situation he couldn’t control.

The massive uncertainty might bring considerable harm to him.

However, he couldn’t stop it at all, or his brain might explode.

He attempted to record the way the heat was circulating within his body.

Regrettably, the intense pain in his brain forced him to focus all his attention on resisting it.

Then, it was... hunger again!

This perception wasn’t coming from his stomach but was directly transmitted to his brain from various parts of his body; hungry! Very hungry!! Extremely hungry!!!

Qu Jianlei squinted his eyes, grabbing two tubes of Nutrient Liquid, tearing them open and stuffing them into his mouth.

There was no need to consider whether his body could handle so much caloric intake; it was hardly enough!

Sure enough, not long after that, various parts of his body issued hunger warnings again.

After consuming another six Nutrient Injections, the throbbing pain in his brain reduced to a level barely allowing him to divert attention.

Qu Jianlei had been holding his breath, ready to divert his attention first and perceive the condition of his body.

The perception condition barely met the standards, and decisively, he began to mentally recite the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique", and the cultivation technique reappeared in his mind.

Through this energy purification, the Qi Refining Technique indeed underwent significant changes.

He had no time to examine it carefully before actively feeling the heat in his meridians; it was about how it entered the Dantian.

Not knowing the perception would bring surprise, once he perceived, it was... quite unexpected!

He felt as though he was seeing a wetland with a water element that was exceptionally developed.

The lower Dantian was right there, with each acupoint being akin to a shallow water hole, and small waterways crisscrossed between them.

The feeling was indescribable... anyway, it’s challenging to grasp the thread.

One could say, apart from each acupoint, the rest of his body was roughly equivalent to a huge blind box!

It was really beyond words!

Seeing the situation, Qu Jianlei had no other thoughts but to contemplate the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique" again.

The Qi Refining Technique indeed underwent major changes, becoming quite refined, although there were still some vague areas.

Data refining... I’ve got a knack for it! Qu Jianlei gritted his teeth against the swelling pain and began to match everything meticulously.

Besides matching, he also had to try to find the most reasonable path for the heat to flow.

This was an extremely complicated task, and the constant trials and errors would cause severe damage to his body.

If he were cultivating on Blue Star right now, he’d definitely receive numerous warnings: never attempt it recklessly.

Such a tiny deviation leading to a huge mistake, did you think "demonic possession" was just empty words?

In fact, Qu Jianlei clearly understood the severity of the issue, but at this moment... he had no choice!

It wasn’t about whether he could cultivate, nor was it about hoping to enhance his quality of life on the wasteland.

The key was that he was facing a great calamity right before him, and if he didn’t solve his own hidden dangers, people would really die.

Qu Jianlei’s genes certainly didn’t lack the "reckless" factor, once he decided, his execution was strong.

The process of trial and error... better left unspoken, all kinds of pain and torment made Qu Jianlei mutter "never again" hundreds of times.

After approximately three days, and ingesting over a dozen nutrient injections, he finally almost perfected the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique".

There were still some details to be adjusted in the cultivation technique, but Qu Jianlei could no longer hold on and needed to rest for a while.

He checked his surroundings and, finding nothing unusual, fell asleep immediately.

This time, he slept for nearly a full day and night.

Upon waking, he took stock of his possessions and, with a pained heart, found only half of the forty-odd nutrient injections were left.

As for the mutated beast crystal, it only shrank by about one-third.

Then he spent half a day adjusting several small details in the Qi Refining Technique.

Let’s leave it at that for now! He took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and then moved his body a bit using the "Five Animals Qigong" and "Eight Pieces of Brocade".

He then consumed another nutrient injection, took three sips of water, and sat cross-legged on the ground, starting his first active cultivation in life.

The qi completed half a cycle, and he felt a bit stagnant, without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the mutated beast crystal.

As the cycle ended, he was about to observe any changes in his body when a sharp jolt hit his brain.

The next moment, the "small lake" appeared again in his mind.

A big head and small body, flapping nearly invisible wings, leisurely spinning in place.

"Did it really bring this over?" Qu Jianlei couldn’t quite believe it.

The spinning speed of the small lake was rather slow, not quite to his liking, but he realized this was due to his lack of hardware foundation.

He was more concerned: What kind of existence does such a small lake represent?

Unable to figure it out for now, he decided to cautiously proceed, at least no worse situation had arisen.

How could he make it disappear? Qu Jianlei didn’t want such an image constantly in his mind.

As soon as this thought emerged, the cartoon butterfly dispersed into starlight spots, as quickly as could be.

Qu Jianlei opened his eyes and looked at the crystal in his hand: sure enough, it had shrunk again.

About half of the initial size.

The consumption was indeed astounding... As Qu Jianlei sighed, he realized the "hunger" sensation spread through his body again.

So, he could only continue to eat nutrient injections, he sighed, picked up a nutrient injection, and consumed it.

However, it still wasn’t enough! The feeling of hunger was still quite obvious.

He ate another nutrient injection, took a few sips of water, only then did his body send the message: full!

He then performed another set of "Eight Pieces of Brocade" and "Five Animals Qigong", feeling that his body was about right, he continued to meditate.

This time, based on the latest version of the "Nameless Qi Refining Technique", he carried out three complete cycles before slowly stopping.

He didn’t use a crystal because... there really wasn’t much left; he had to consider the possibility of using the crystal to repair his body.

Thus, he swallowed two more nutrient injections—without the crystal’s help, his body had an immense demand for calories.

Then he was stunned to find only seventeen nutrient injections were left!

He shook his head helplessly, the rumors weren’t false, cultivation truly wasn’t a cheap affair!

However, regardless of everything, the result wasn’t bad; at least a cultivation technique was established, and crystal to repair the body seemed theoretically feasible.

In the evening, it was again time for everyone to gather, and the antidote was to be claimed tomorrow.

But this time, Qu Jianlei decided not to go; he had no intention of even sneaking to observe.

Whether or not he could ultimately eliminate the hidden danger himself, he didn’t want any further contact with Saixian and the others.

If heaven didn’t abandon him, minor dangers would be of little consequence.

Even if he really had no way to save himself, then... so be it, he’d rather not gamble with his life watching others’ faces.

Furthermore, even if he did manage to find the Pink Mecha while alive, the chances of surviving till the end remained minuscule.

As Collins would say: could people really not silence others?

Qu Jianlei never lacked initiative nor feared death; once decided, he truly wouldn’t go.

Anyway, there was still half a pack of antidote at hand; if he gritted his teeth and toughed it out, the chances of surviving this crisis weren’t slim.

He rested again for several hours, and as midnight approached, he got up to pack his equipment.

Apart from a concealed lethal trap, he put away everything else.

The reason for leaving such a trap was only as a contingency measure, with no specific target.

The motorcycle roared to life, and he vanished into the desolate night...

(During the new book period, seeking all kinds of support.)