Chapter 151: Intruders in the Cave Will Be Killed! (Part 1)

Chapter 151: Intruders in the Cave Will Be Killed! (Part 1)



"This Mysterious Spring Green Technique can actually control the absorption of elemental Qi attributes?"

Chu Ning reflected on the process of using the Mysterious Spring Green Technique moments ago.

He vaguely sensed that at a certain point in the technique, there were signs of differentiation among the five elemental Qi within the spell.

It seemed that with his will, he could control the spell to absorb only a specific attribute of Qi.

Thus, Chu Ning once again began to form the hand seals.

Indeed, as he formed the seals, the five elemental Qi separated.

However, when Chu Ning tried to isolate and detach one of the Qi attributes, he did not succeed.

But even so, he was not discouraged; instead, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"It really works!"

As for the failure to isolate a single attribute, Chu Ning understood that it was simply due to his lack of proficiency in the technique.

However, this was not a problem for him.

While the Mysterious Spring Green Technique could separate the five elemental Qi attributes from spiritual plants, it was still a technique biased towards the wood attribute.

With Chu Ning's innate Yin Wood Spirit Body, mastering this technique, increasing his proficiency, and even achieving instantaneous casting was only a matter of time.

With this thought, Chu Ning immediately began to practice the technique repeatedly in the Iron Stem Orchid's spiritual field.

Having already cultivated the Green Springwood Technique, although the Mysterious Spring Green Technique was more advanced, with the enhancement of his Yin Wood Spirit Body, his proficiency in the technique was rapidly improving.

In just half a day, the time it took for him to form the hand seals had significantly shortened.

At this moment, he once again formed the seals, and as he cast the technique, he gently tapped his index finger.

Instantly, a green light shot out from Chu Ning's hand.

As the green light landed on the Iron Stem Orchid, the surrounding Qi stirred, and pure wood-attribute Qi converged onto the plant.

"Success! As expected, starting with the wood-attribute Qi is faster!"

Chu Ning's face lit up with joy at the sight.

According to the cultivation method of the Mysterious Spring Green Technique, one could indeed separate all five attributes of Qi for the spiritual plant to absorb.

However, Chu Ning thought that since he was most familiar with the wood-attribute Qi, it made sense to start with this attribute, and indeed, he succeeded in a short time.

Immediately after, Chu Ning began to experiment continuously, and his skill in this technique became increasingly proficient.

"In about a month, achieving instantaneous casting won't be a problem.

The difficulty of cultivating this technique is much easier compared to the Blazing Flame Technique."

A smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

As the sky began to darken, Chu Ning turned and flew back towards his cave abode.

Upon reaching the herb garden, he went to check on the Flame Twin Birth Fruits.

"After placing the Fire Spirit Crystals and with the effect of the Qi Gathering Array, the fire-attribute spiritual energy in this garden has become much more concentrated.

As a result, even the Green Springwood Technique I just used, despite being biased towards the wood attribute, still can't keep up with the absorption rate."

Chu Ning muttered, his face devoid of any worry.

Instead, he chuckled, "It seems that the Mysterious Spring Green Technique will come in handy.

I can use this technique to make the Flame Twin Birth Fruits directly absorb wood-attribute Qi.

Combined with the nourishment of the fire-attribute Qi from the Fire Spirit Crystals, as long as I control it properly, I can achieve a perfect balance."

As he thought of this, Chu Ning casually cast the Mysterious Spring Green Technique on each of the Flame Twin Birth Fruits before returning to his cave chamber.

Lying in the cave chamber with the Fire Spirit Crystals, he soaked in the unique hot spring.

At this moment, Chu Ning couldn't help but sigh in contentment.

"Comfortable, this is the life of an immortal!"

Free from the scheming and plotting of others, he could focus on his cultivation without worry.

Having rarely enjoyed such peace in his journey of cultivation, Chu Ning soaked in the hot spring for nearly half a day.

When he finally returned to his cultivation room, Chu Ning laid out a variety of items in front of him, contemplating his next step in cultivation.

With a long period of stability ahead, he could now plan how to further increase his strength.

"Emerald Primordial Yang Pill"

Chu Ning picked up one of the bottles of pills.

"There are one hundred and fifty pills here, but I don't know their effectiveness yet.

If I take one a day, they should last for about half a year.

I also have these Flame Twin Birth Fruits, but it would be a waste to eat them now."

Chu Ning looked at the full jade boxes containing the fruits, his mind turning to the foundation-building method recorded in the Yan Huo Shen Mu Gong [Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art].

Having already reached the perfection stage of Qi Refining, the next step for him was foundation building.

And the most common method for foundation building was, without a doubt, consuming foundation-building pills.

But it wasn't absolute.

Some cultivators, through cultivating special techniques or consuming heavenly spiritual fruits, could also achieve foundation building.

And this was the method recorded in the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art.

By consuming a large number of spiritual fruits with both wood and fire attributes, one could regulate their body's qi and blood and spiritual power to an optimal state, making their wood and fire-attribute spiritual power incredibly pure.

Alternatively, if one had sufficient spiritual herbs, they could refine a pill called the Mystic Spirit Treasure Pill, which would have even better effects.

After continuously consuming the heavenly spiritual fruits or the Mystic Spirit Treasure Pill for a period, one could then use the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art to channel the wood-to-fire principle and directly condense their spiritual power into a liquid, successfully achieving foundation building.

This method, due to the abundant spiritual power at the perfection stage of Qi Refining, would result in a stronger foundation compared to ordinary foundation-stage cultivators.

Moreover, the foundation formed using this method would be of a higher grade than that formed by consuming foundation-building pills.

However, the text also mentioned that these Flame Twin Birth Fruits did not have the effect of enhancing one's spiritual sense.

As a result, after foundation building, one's spiritual sense would not be as strong as that of other cultivators, especially during the initial foundation stage, where the difference would be significant.

Simultaneously, this method also has a drawback. If one does not have enough spirit fruits like the Flame Twin Birth Fruits to strengthen their spiritual power, they may not be able to complete the foundation establishment in one go.

In such a case, taking a Foundation Establishment Pill would make it even more challenging to transform spiritual power into liquid due to the excessive strength of their spiritual power. Thus, foundation establishment would be more difficult than for ordinary cultivators.

So, while this method exists, it is rarely chosen because finding spirit fruits with both wood and fire attributes is incredibly challenging. Coupled with the various drawbacks, very few opt for this path.

When Chu Ning first browsed through this foundation establishment technique, he immediately felt that it suited him perfectly. With his abundant supply of Flame Twin Birth Fruits and his cultivation of the Spirit Refining Technique, his spiritual sense was no weaker than that of other cultivators.

If he could establish his foundation using this method, he could not only make up for his shortcomings but also play to his strengths.

The only thing that worried Chu Ning was that the technique was very vague about the number of spirit fruits required. Since everyone's physique is different, the specific amount needed could only be determined through personal experience.

This was why Chu Ning was in a hurry to grow the Flame Twin Birth Fruits. Their maturation cycle was quite long, and even with various spells to hasten their growth, he had no idea how much time it would take.

With only the spirit fruits currently in his possession, he felt it might not be enough.

"I'll give it a try," Chu Ning soon made up his mind. "If I have enough Flame Twin Birth Fruits, I'll go straight to foundation establishment. If not, I'll figure out a way to get my hands on a Foundation Establishment Pill."

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Chu Ning casually poured out an Emerald Primordial Yang Pill. Sensing the pure and potent fire and wood dual-attribute spirit power contained within, he first checked his cultivation progress:

【Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art (High-Rank Profound Grade), First Layer (170/5000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, First Volume, Endless Sinews (738/1500)】

【Spirit Refining Technique, Second Layer (325/2000)】

Then, Chu Ning popped the pill into his mouth and began cultivating the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art.

He cultivated for the entire latter half of the night. It was only at midnight that he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing through them.

"The spiritual energy in this Emerald Primordial Yang Pill is incredibly pure and dense. I've only digested half of its medicinal strength."

Chu Ning glanced at the progress of his cultivation technique displayed in his mind.

【Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art (High-Rank Profound Grade), First Layer (172/5000)】

With only half of the pill's medicinal strength digested, the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art had already increased by 2 points.

This genuinely surprised Chu Ning.

At this rate, if he could take one pill a day and cultivate, he would increase his proficiency by 4 points. Combined with other training methods, increasing his proficiency by 5 or 6 points per day would be entirely achievable.

By this calculation, it would take him about three years to cultivate the first layer of the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art.

However, Chu Ning's brows soon furrowed as he realized a crucial issue. He only had 150 Emerald Primordial Yang Pills on hand.

Thinking of this, an idea occurred to Chu Ning, and he took out a jade slip from his storage bag.

This jade slip was the one he had obtained from Shang Rui's storage bag. As he didn't know much about pills, he hadn't looked at it before.

But since the other party could refine this pill, there might be a chance that the jade slip contained the pill formula.

Chu Ning picked up the jade slip and browsed through it, feeling both pleased and worried.

The jade slip recorded quite a few pill formulas, including that of the Emerald Primordial Yang Pill.

However, as a second-rank low-grade pill, not only were the required materials of a relatively high grade, but the pill formula also demanded a certain level of skill from the alchemist.

"I've never refined a pill before..."

Chu Ning sighed softly and put away the jade slip. He had indeed considered trying his hand at alchemy, but upon further thought, he abandoned the idea.

Without the Emerald Primordial Yang Pills, there were still other potent elixirs and pills he could use to improve his cultivation.

With no connections or knowledge in this field, attempting to learn alchemy directly would be time-consuming and inefficient.

Moreover, his cave abode didn't seem like a suitable place for alchemy.

Even though Chu Ning had never refined a pill before, he knew that while alchemy required a fire source, which could be supplied by objects with a high concentration of fire attribute like Fire Spirit Crystals, the most common and widely-used method was to use earth fire.

If he wanted to refine pills, he would have to find a place with earth fire. Additionally, he would need to figure out a way to obtain the basics of alchemy.

It would be more productive to spend that time making more talismans or cultivating using spirit stones.

Now that he had obtained the Fire Spirit Body, he might refresh a similar body-type like alchemy in the future, just as he had with talisman-making. When that time came, learning alchemy would be much easier.

As for his body and spirit cultivation, they could return to normal.

In terms of body refinement, Chu Ning still had quite a few Golden Orchid Fruits in his storage bag, thanks to Gu Xiaqing, who had picked several hundred for him.

Although he had used some in the past month, he had more than enough to last him for another half a year of body refinement.

By then, the new batch of Golden Orchid Fruits would be ready.

The only issue was that he seemed to be approaching a bottleneck once again.

As for spirit refinement...

Chu Ning felt helpless. He still hadn't found a good way to accelerate his progress. He could only continue to consume his spirit power by making talismans and slowly work on improving his spirit cultivation.

After putting everything back into his storage bag, Chu Ning cultivated the Refine God Technique before finally going to sleep.

The next morning, Chu Ning resumed his usual cultivation routine.

He first cultivated the Refine God Technique, then the Blazing Fire Divine Wood Art, completely digesting and absorbing the remaining medicinal strength of the Emerald Primordial Yang Pill from the night before.

Right after, he consumed a Golden Orchid Fruit and began cultivating the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art.

After reaching the perfection stage of Qi Refining, the Golden Orchid Fruit's effect on his cultivation was still noticeable but not as potent as before.

Chu Ning just needed to find some time later to fully absorb the fruit's medicinal power.

Chu Ning then went to the herb garden to check on the Flame Twin Birth Fruits he had planted the day before.

As expected, he found that the balance between the wood and fire attributes of the young seedlings had improved significantly.

However, the fire spiritual energy of the Fire Spirit Crystals was indeed more concentrated, and the wood attribute spiritual energy was still somewhat lacking in comparison.

Seeing this, Chu Ning immediately performed the Mysterious Spring Green Technique several times on each plant, helping them to gather wood spiritual energy.

He then went to the herb garden and spiritual field, assisting different fruits with his technique.

Finally, he arrived at a small, secluded spiritual field, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Ever since he inadvertently crossbred and cultivated the Golden Orchid Fruit, Chu Ning had been thinking about the possibility of crossbreeding other spirit fruits.

However, he hadn't had a good opportunity to try until now.

At this moment, Chu Ning took out two types of spirit plants from his storage bag.

One of them was the Iron Stem Orchid.

When planting them yesterday, Chu Ning had intentionally left twenty seedlings, ten of which were meant for cultivating Iron Orchid Fruits.

As for the other ten, Chu Ning planned to use them for crossbreeding experiments.

After all, the appearance of the Golden Orchid Fruit proved that the Iron Stem Orchid was capable of pollination.

Chu Ning planted these ten seedlings and then took out another type of spirit plant, the Primordial Yang Fruit seedling.

This seedling was also obtained from within the Spirit Domain.

It was only after looking at Shang Rui's jade slip that he learned that this fruit was one of the main ingredients for refining the Emerald Primordial Yang Pill.

Chu Ning planted the Primordial Yang Fruits and the Iron Stem Orchids together.

He then adjusted the restrictions, enveloping this area to ensure that no other spirit plant or herb pollen would enter.

At this moment, Chu Ning began his daily spell cultivation.

He could only merge three fireballs with the Blazing Flame Technique, still far from truly completing the basic level.

As for the Fire Phoenix Feather Spear, he still hadn't figured out how to use it to bring out its full power, and he hadn't had the opportunity to try it out properly.

As Chu Ning was cultivating, he suddenly heard a voice from outside:

"Chu, my friend, I am Jiang Hongguang. May I have a moment of your time?"

Hearing this, Chu Ning paused his cultivation.

Sensing that outside his cave abode were only Jiang Hongguang, his wife, and his sister, with no other outsiders present, Chu Ning performed a spell on the Drive Array Jade Pendant, and in the next moment, a passage appeared outside.

Chu Ning's voice also sounded out:

"Brother Jiang, please enter my cave abode."

Standing outside the cave, Jiang Hongguang, his wife, and his sister looked at each other, then proceeded to walk through the passage.

They entered a semi-open stone chamber facing the lake.

Chu Ning stood in the stone chamber, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the three of them.

"I didn't know it was Brother Jiang who was coming; please forgive me for not coming out to greet you."

Chu Ning cupped his hands in greeting, and Jiang Hongguang returned the gesture with polite words.

"The other day, I thought that you might be busy setting up your cave abode, so I didn't disturb you. Today, I figured that you should be mostly done with the arrangements.

So, I wanted to pay you a visit, and I apologize for the abruptness. I hope you don't mind."

As Jiang Hongguang finished speaking, the straightforward Jiang Lan immediately spoke up:

"Brother Chu, your cave abode is amazing!

You even have a view of the lake."

As she spoke, her eyes wandered to the back of the chamber, and she asked curiously:

"It's so spacious back there..."

"Ahem!" Jiang Hongguang lightly coughed, reproaching her:

"Lan, don't be rude."

Yu Yuanxiu also gently pulled at Jiang Lan's sleeve; it was indeed impolite to pry into the layout of someone's cave abode.

Jiang Lan realized her mistake and stuck out her tongue.

Chu Ning smiled and said, "It's fine. There are some spiritual fields behind, where I grow spirit plants."

Jiang Hongguang then took over the conversation, stating his purpose for the visit:

"Brother Chu, according to the previous agreement, our two families will jointly manage this island from now on.

Although you humbly allowed me to continue overseeing the specific management, there are still many other cultivators on the island.

In the past few days, several cultivators from other islands have also come to visit.

Many of them have heard of your remarkable performance in the Thousand Islands Competition, and I intend to host a banquet to formally welcome you, Brother Chu.

May I know your thoughts on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning quickly waved his hand and declined:

"Brother Jiang, there's no need for such a grand arrangement.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end