Chapter 4: Cultivating and Learning

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Cultivating and Learning

Ye Xuan and Qingyu escaped from the village. He slipped into the forest and spotted a hidden cave, covered by tall bushes, near a waterfall.

Besides being far from the village, the secluded spot was rich in spiritual energy, which made it a good place to cultivate while sheltering from danger.

He went inside the cave and sat cross-legged. Three monster cores appeared in Ye Xuan’s hand, and he gave them to Qingyu.

The snake devoured them at once and absorbed their energy.

[Congratulations! You have given an item to your partner.]

[Item given: 3x Mortal Beast Monster Core]

[Item returned: 300x Mortal Beast Monster Core]

[Multiplication Level: 1]

[Affection: 50/1000] [+10]

[WARNING!]

[Daily use of Infinite Return exhausted: 3/3]

[Raise your Multiplication level to get a larger daily quota.]

Ye Xuan gasped. The system panel explained that his infinite return system had a limit after all.

Each day, it could only return items three times, though there was no cap on the amount returned.

That was a surprise, because Ye Xuan had assumed he could use the Infinite Return System as many times as he liked.

Only after giving three monster cores did he learn about the daily limit.

From now on... I need to use this ability wisely.

Three black pouches appeared in front of him, and he stored them in his bag of holding. His thoughts turned to the bandits from earlier.

He realized his cultivation base was strong enough to fight them, but his lack of fighting techniques made it hard.

The reason Ye Xuan hadn’t learned many fighting techniques was that he knew his abilities were limited, so he had only studied what he could actually learn.

But now everything was different. Thanks to whatever Qingyu had done to his body, he could cultivate normally like everyone else.

That meant he might be able to learn fighting techniques or formations in the future.

Having eaten three monster cores, Qingyu grew sleepy. It crawled back onto Ye Xuan’s neck and fell asleep there, hugging his neck.

In the quiet, far from any disturbance, Ye Xuan used the time to cultivate. Today he could cultivate as smoothly as any other cultivator, and he wasn’t about to waste the chance.

He sent many spirit stones floating around him and focused on drawing the spiritual qi inside each one into his body.

Just like before, Ye Xuan crushed the spirit stones and let their qi flow into him. He kept at it without a break.

Earlier I only used 10 spirit stones. Let’s see how far I can go if I use more.

***

The next day.

Ye Xuan opened his eyes, and a wave of qi rippled out around him, enough to startle Qingyu awake.

His eyes fixed on his hands. He could feel something different, with stronger power and fresher spiritual energy.

"I broke through to the 11th layer of Qi Gathering," Ye Xuan said.

Of the 100 spirit stones floating around him, 76 were left unused.

That proved Ye Xuan had risen to the 11th layer of Qi Gathering using only 34 low-grade spirit stones.

I actually want to keep cultivating, but the sect and the others might be shocked if they knew I broke through so fast.

Suspicion... that’s what they would think of me.

Ye Xuan opened his pouch again and put the remaining 76 spirit stones inside.

He stood up and walked outside, feeling the fresh air and the damp scent of the surroundings, an effect of the waterfall.

Watching the waterfall and the water flowing into a small branch of the river, he thought of something. In three months, the sect elders would hold an evaluation for every hall.

He had managed to get a spirit-stage spiritual beast, but his fighting techniques were minimal and he hadn’t mastered any formations.

In his bag of holding, he had quite a lot of low-grade spirit stones. Besides cultivating, they could also be used for trading.

"Tell me, should we go back to the sect?" Ye Xuan asked Qingyu.

Unexpectedly, Qingyu shook its head, even though Ye Xuan had never taught it to answer like that. Ye Xuan smiled. Communicating with Qingyu was getting easier.

"So, we go to the city?"

Qingyu nodded in agreement. Ye Xuan had been thinking the same thing. To gain fighting techniques, he could buy technique scrolls there.

The Sky Cloud Sect had plenty of fighting techniques too, but his limited cultivation meant Ye Xuan could only learn certain ones, good or not.

But if he went to the city and bought fighting technique scrolls, he could pick good ones, and his attacks would be varied instead of monotonous like the sect’s techniques.

After thinking it over, Ye Xuan decided to go to the city and put off his return to the sect.

He walked out of the forest and followed the road until he found a horse-drawn carriage.

After paying, the carriage carried him off to the nearest city, Yanlong City.

It wasn’t a big city, but it was far better than shopping in a village.

Once there, Ye Xuan stepped into a shop that sold cultivation supplies, including fighting technique scrolls.

A man came over and invited him in. "Please, take a look around, Fellow Daoist."

He walked in and looked at the goods displayed on the shop walls, mostly weapons. But Ye Xuan hadn’t come for weapons. He had come for fighting techniques.

"I want the best Mortal Stage technique scroll you have," Ye Xuan said.

"A Mortal Stage fighting technique? I have one. Wait a moment."

The old man went into the back, then came out a few minutes later carrying a fire-element fighting technique scroll, the color of the scroll making it plain.

"A fire-element technique?"

"The Blazing Sword Technique! It makes your sword 1,000 times stronger. One slash burns a forest. One thrust pierces a hill. The heavens tremble in fear!"

That’s way too much... it’s only a Mortal Stage technique.

Ye Xuan glanced at Qingyu, and the white snake nodded as if it agreed. The old man even pointed at Qingyu.

"Look! Even your mighty primordial snake agrees. You won’t lose anything by learning it."

"All right, storyteller," Ye Xuan said. "How much is it?"

"Just 15 spirit stones, Fellow Daoist."

He handed over the money and took the scroll, then walked off. To learn the technique, Ye Xuan needed a safe place free of any disturbance.

An inn room was the answer. He rented a room and went inside. As soon as he was in, Ye Xuan took out the technique scroll.

"I need to study this technique. It might take a long time."

"Please keep watch over me for a bit, Qingyu!"