Before leaving, I heard the blue-haired girl whispering to Jacob.
"My god, Jacob, that gentleman is so handsome!"
"Shut up, Alida. Discussing someone’s looks behind their back is very impolite!"
"I’m speaking the truth... He is much more attractive than you are..."
Ronan surveyed the room he was about to stay in.
It was a bit bigger than he had expected.
A total of three rooms, besides the living room and sleeping area, there was a small separated cultivation room.
The overall environment wasn’t bad either, and Ronan checked the room’s lighting and felt very satisfied.
"Give these to Jacob for me, as thanks for showing me the way."
From his waist storage bag, Ronan counted out ten low-level magic stones and handed them to the plump innkeeper, with no intention of going down again.
The innkeeper took the magic stones given by Ronan, mumbling "that kid didn’t do enough to earn this much tip", then respectfully bade farewell to Ronan, turned, and left, closing the room door behind him.
"Finally settled down..."
Ronan sighed softly to himself and then sat down on the couch in the room’s living area, relaxing completely.
After the long journey of over two months, especially after surviving a fierce battle, Ronan was physically fine but mentally exhausted.
He really wanted to sleep well, but there were still things left undone.
After sitting for a while, Ronan got up and walked into the washroom.
He took off his robe and quickly washed his hands and face.
There was a silver half-mirror in the washroom. Ronan looked at his current self in the mirror—
His facial skin was very fair and delicate, with hardly a wrinkle or blemish in sight.
His features were the same as before but had become much refined, and the lines of his face softer and more perfect, the blue in his eyes deeper, like a tranquil autumn lake bestowing infinite calm.
Ronan always felt that he looked as if he had a beautifying filter on, thinking at first that the mirror was dirty, only realizing later that his skin was slightly "glowing".
A very faint and weak "force field" emanated from the surface of his body, which left no dust able to settle.
"Is this the effect of [Pure Body]?"
Ronan touched his cheek and muttered to himself.
He decided to take off his undershirt as well, stripping off all his clothing, then stepped into the bathtub to shower.
Warm water flowed down his skin swiftly, like mercury, leaving no trace.
His hair was the same.
After over two months, his long chestnut hair had regrown from the roots, each strand shining, and when wet, felt like top-quality silk in hand.
Ronan’s appearance had not changed much since the beginning, but he had become countless times more handsome.
No wonder the blue-haired girl below had used the word "beautiful" to describe him.
"If one could live off their looks in the wizarding world, would this be considered a significant capital?"
Ronan felt he was now too "delicate" and contemplated cutting his long hair that he had kept for a long time.
After showering, he casually draped a clean robe over himself and stepped out of the washroom, calling up his character panel.
[Talent: No Attribute Affinity, Pure Body (Active)]
[Strength: Level 1 Official Wizard (2%)]
[Skills: Basic Meditation Technique - Clear Sky Realm (Master 40/1600)
Energy Missile - Particle Torrent (Master 117/1600)
Charging Weapon - Power of Break Magic (Master 132/1600)
Ascetic Body Refinement (Master 1/1600)
Basic Swordsmanship (Master 204/1600)
Looking over the skill bar on the panel, the string of Master levels was quite satisfying to see.
Ronan hadn’t wasted these two months; apart from traveling, he had been meditating and practicing spells.
The growth in all aspects was evident, except in strength and... [Ascetic Body Refinement].
Putting strength aside for the moment, which Ronan had expected, the main issue was that after reaching Master level in [Ascetic Body Refinement], his proficiency level remained at the point of the initial breakthrough, with not even a single point of increase.
"This is clearly... due to the lack of a subsequent cultivation technique."
Ronan stared at his panel, his brows unintentionally furrowing.
For a skill with a complete inheritance, no matter how difficult it was to advance in proficiency, after each session of practice, there should be at least a point of new experience and insight.
But [Ascetic Body Refinement] was different.
After reaching Master level, Ronan went back to practicing those thirteen postures, over and over, trying different variations... but in the end, there was no gain whatsoever.
This was Ronan’s main evidence confirming an incomplete cultivation technique.