I Can Only Cultivate In A Game-Chapter 150: Day Of The Trial

The spiritual mist of the Violet Spring Sect drifted across the tiled rooftops like a calm veil as Victor stood in the center of the private courtyard, bathed in the glow of early morning qi.

"Again," Elder Mo's voice rang calmly from the side.

Victor exhaled and clenched his fists. His bare upper torso glistened with sweat as he focused, channeling the qi in his dantian to specific flow points across his limbs and torso.

He visualized the internal circulation map that Elder Mo had carved into his mind earlier—the route of the Iron Vein Flow technique.

The moment the final loop connected, something changed.

A dull bronze shimmer spread across his skin.

[ Technique Activated: Iron Vein Flow ]

[ Physical Resistance Increased: 20% ]

[ Duration Remaining: 00:30 seconds ]

Victor's breathing turned steady as he held the stance.

His body felt sturdier, denser—as if the very fiber of his being had been forged by hammer and flame. He took three steps forward, dropped into a low stance, and mimicked a charging maneuver.

The moment he ended the cycle, the shimmer faded, and his legs nearly buckled.

"Not bad," Elder Mo nodded. "Your control is improving. You no longer bleed qi at the start of the loop."

Fang Chen panted. "Thirty seconds... isn't enough."

"It rarely is," Elder Mo replied. "But with mastery, you can extend the effect. That shimmer you saw? Eventually, your body won't just look copper. It will be copper in essence. Hardened. Durable. Unyielding."

Fang Chen looked down at his arms.

[ Physique Grade Improved: Peak Bronze → Lower Silver ]

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The notification caused a thrill to rush through his chest.

"It changed," he said aloud.

Elder Mo raised a brow. "Physique breakthrough?"

Fang Chen nodded. "Lower Silver."

"Good. Then we begin the second part of today's training."

Elder Mo stood and walked toward the center formation. He waved his hand, and a sigil of black-and-white spirals appeared in the air.

"The second technique I mentioned," Elder Mo said, "is one only those who dance between truth and illusion can use. I call it the Veil of Eminence."

Victor narrowed his eyes.

"It doesn't boost your strength," Mo continued. "It does not enhance your defense. It fools perception. When used correctly, it causes your aura to mimic that of a much stronger cultivator—one at the Peak Nascent Soul Realm."

Victor recalled Elder Mo mentioning that he was going to teach this to him but he still couldn't see the point.

"But be warned," Mo said. "Holding it too long will cause internal backlash. Qi deviation, meridian dissonance, spiritual rot... take your pick."

Victor stepped forward. "Let's begin."

---

The training went long into the day. He split his time between activating Iron Vein Flow until his core ached and practicing the first stages of Veil of Eminence. Each activation of the aura cloak only lasted for five seconds before his qi burned out or spiraled into chaos.

[ Technique Mastery Increased: Iron Vein Flow - 20% ]

[ Technique Mastery Increased: Veil of Eminence - 7% ]

With every cycle, Victor improved.

Sometimes only a heartbeat. Sometimes a full breath.

The sky in the game world dimmed as night approached, but he didn't log out.

He would be placed in the Verdant Spirit Furnace during the first trial of the core disciple path. Thirty minutes of intense spirit flames that would rise in power every five minutes.

Without higher mastery of Iron Vein Flow and increase in his physique grade, he wasn't sure he would last.

He fell into a rhythm.

Cultivate.

Rest.

Channel qi.

Activate Iron Vein Flow.

Hold.

Deactivate.

Repeat.

Try Veil of Eminence.

Crash. Regather. Retry.

Each failure taught him more than success ever could. Each cycle pushed the limits of his body, stretched his meridians to their limit, and deepened his understanding of how far he could go.

By the next midday, he could hold Iron Vein Flow for a full thirty seconds while executing slow maneuvers. And his activation of Veil of Eminence had started producing brief moments where even Elder Mo commented that his presence 'almost' fooled him.

He was far from ready—but he was undeniably improving.

Elder Mo observed him in silence before finally speaking. "You're pushing yourself well beyond what's expected of someone at Core Formation. But this is the only way you'll survive the Verdant Spirit Furnace."

Fang Chen didn't respond immediately. He took a deep breath, stabilized his qi, and nodded.

"Then I'll keep pushing."

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (88%) ]

[ Technique Mastery: Iron Vein Flow - 35% ]

[ Technique Mastery: Veil of Eminence - 29% ]

Elder Mo threw a robe toward him. "Rest. We resume at nightfall. You'll be rotating both techniques under duress starting then."

Fang Chen collapsed back onto the mat with sore muscles...

...

...

Six days passed in the game world like smoke carried by wind.

Victor had spent every moment inside Ascendant Realms training with unrelenting focus. He knew it was the weekend so he wasn't bothered.

He rotated through hours of qi refinement, technique repetition, and endurance cycles until his body refused to respond and his vision dimmed.

And even then, he pushed further.

By the dawn of the seventh day, his cultivation bar stood at 99%.

[ Cultivation Progress: Core Formation Realm (99%) ]

[ Technique Mastery: Iron Vein Flow - 55% ]

His ability to maintain the Iron Vein Flow had vastly improved. He could now keep the technique activated for a solid four minutes, and it provided a significant 43% reduction to all physical damage.

That was the good news.

The bad news was... he was still stuck at Peak Core Formation Realm, when most people attempting the core disciple trials had already entered or neared the Soul Transformation Realm.

The day of the trial had finally arrived.

The large silhouette of the Verdant Spirit Furnace rose from the center of the inner sect's ceremonial grounds.

Crafted from green jade and woven with ancient inscriptions, it had once been used to temper powerful magical items. Now, it served another purpose—to determine if a cultivator's body and spirit could withstand the intensity of spiritual heat and emerge refined.

Victor approached the arena with silent footsteps. All around, spectating disciples were whispering. Some chuckled.

"Still in Core Formation? Is he crazy?"

"The Furnace will reduce him to ash."