111: Chapter 111 Adjustments to the Cultivation Technique, Moving House and Invitation

The mythical stories got out of hand, the lamb skewers were finished, and the campfire had died out.

The two sat closer and closer, gradually sitting together. Slowly, Luo Ying also fell asleep; she leaned against Zhao Feng's shoulder and drifted into a deep slumber.

Her slender eyebrows twitched from time to time, and her curved eyelashes made her look surprisingly peaceful, radiating an incredibly reassuring aura.

Zhao Feng dared not move, so he just sat there, a trace of Fire Spiritual Qi circling around them, driving away the surrounding cool breeze.

Unknowingly, the night deepened, and the howling of Sand Wolves in the distance made the wilderness seem even quieter.

Early the next morning, Zhao Feng woke up.

He was draped in a thick coat, and Luo Ying was already beside him.

He looked at the sky; the horizon was just beginning to show a sliver of white, and it would be a long time before it was fully bright.

He hadn't entered a state of Cultivate for two days, and Zhao Feng couldn't help but blame himself for his slackness. Coincidentally, his conversation with Luo Ying yesterday had given him quite a lot of insight, so it was time to optimize his own Cultivation Technique.

Clearly, his Martial Dao Golden Core was not a true Daoist Golden Core. The Golden Core was a product that only appeared when the body had been optimized to the point where the current Spiritual Qi could not progress any further, and Zhao Feng's body was still far from reaching its limit.

To improve the optimization of the body by Spiritual Qi, he had to improve his mental cultivation, so his main focus from now on would be the Nine Palaces Visualization Method. In addition, the organs throughout his body had not yet reached the state of the Five Elements generating each other; perhaps his Spiritual Qi cultivation needed to advance further, thereby simulating the effect of a Spiritual Root and actively driving the circulation of Spiritual Qi.

For someone with a Wood Spiritual Root, this process would start from the liver, replenishing the Liver Wood Qi, and then guide it to stir up the Heart Fire Qi, and so on. As a multi-Spiritual Root possessor, Zhao Feng could completely start from any part of his body to re-complete the process of Foundation Establishment.

Cultivators on Yaoling Planet passively strengthen and nourish their bodies through their Spiritual Roots, whereas Zhao Feng actively uses Spiritual Qi to nourish them; this is the greatest difference between the two.

The Spiritual Root, something Zhao Feng had never discovered before, actually existed. Whether it appeared because of the Evolutionary Spirit or existed innately, Zhao Feng really didn't know.

However, this did not affect Zhao Feng's use of the Spiritual Root. Zhao Feng had this conjecture: could focusing his mind on the Dantian be the act of using his spirit to touch the Spiritual Root, thereby triggering the Spiritual Root's effect to actively absorb or nourish Spiritual Qi?

Regardless, the Lightning, Wood, and Wind Spiritual Qi from his Spiritual Roots began to enter his liver, which appeared lush green in his mind, and continuously scoured it with a special spiral technique, making this organ, which was already full of Spiritual Qi, even more vibrant with Spiritual Qi.

His thoughts suddenly stirred, and he recalled the most basic mineral refining techniques for Artifact Refining from the "Brief Treatise on Artifact Refining"; they were indeed very similar to the current Spiritual Qi scouring of Foundation Establishment. The only difference was that when refining artifacts, because of the properties of the minerals, one didn't have to be as cautious as with Foundation Establishment.

All methods have similarities; perhaps the Senior who wrote this treatise realized this principle from Foundation Establishment.

When the liver began to feel hot, Zhao Feng stopped his Spiritual Qi cultivation and turned to the Nine Palaces Visualization Method. The original Nine Palaces Visualization Method only required holding each palace for nine breaths, but Zhao Feng, whose strength had greatly increased, raised it to eighty-one breaths per palace.

Of course, if not for the progress in his Spiritual Qi cultivation and the strengthening of his brain, Zhao Feng would not have dared to act so recklessly. One must know that ordinary cultivators always start from the Lower Dantian, then proceed to the Middle Dantian, and then to the Upper Dantian. Only by progressing step-by-step in this manner can one avoid the nightmare of Qi Deviation.

In the human body, Qi and blood are the soldiers, and the spirit is the commander; anything involving the spirit must be handled with extreme caution to avoid unpredictable consequences.

As he intensified his focus, when his breathing reached eighty-one times, the Niwan Palace was not hot, but bone-chillingly cold; the feeling was as if someone had stuffed an ice cube into his brain.

And after the nine palaces were completed, the nine streams of cold Qi began to show signs of condensing.

There were no more strange phenomena afterward, and Zhao Feng was quite easygoing; he didn't dwell on it. Only by being unconcerned with gains and losses like this was it possible to achieve true fruition.

Opening his eyes, it was already dawn.

On the meditation cushion nearby, Luo Ying also slowly opened her eyes. Wisps of ice-blue Qi circled around her, then converged and entered her body, disappearing from sight.

Zhao Feng did not speak, but instead began the Eight Methods of Withdrawing Talismans.

"This way of concluding the practice is indeed quite interesting." Luo Ying, to the side, found it amusing but did not disturb him.

"The Eight Methods of Withdrawing Talismans can return dissipated Qi, blood, and thoughts back into the body; it is very useful after practicing, and I can teach you." Regarding Luo Ying's half-smiling expression, Zhao Feng was not angry, but earnestly told her about this method.

Admittedly, the benefits of the Eight Methods of Withdrawing Talismans are indeed numerous; those who have not used it will certainly not understand its profoundness.

"Alright." Luo Ying had no reservations about learning Zhao Feng's Cultivation Technique and answered directly.

"Hmm, I'll teach you in a while; now I have to prepare properly."

"Prepare what?" Luo Ying asked curiously.

"Of course, to host a feast."

At the stove, Zhao Feng picked up the small green vegetables that had already been washed and smiled, "Today, I'll let everyone taste my cooking, and also the Cultivation method I've recently thought about."

"Oh, really? I'd like to see that." Luo Ying picked up a kitchen knife and said, "Give the vegetables to me, I'll help you chop them."

"That won't be necessary." Zhao Feng smiled mysteriously.

"Oh! You don't need me to tend the fire, and you don't need me to chop vegetables; do you think I can't do it?" Luo Ying put down the knife and feigned anger.

"Not at all, I just wanted you to give me some pointers." Zhao Feng hurriedly said, "Look, I'm starting!"

He pointed his finger, and a stream of pure Fire Spiritual Qi began to circle the bottom of the pot, "The heat must be even."

The high temperature brought by the Fire Spiritual Qi was not something the iron pot could withstand; the pot turned red almost immediately and gradually started to turn white. A smile began to appear on Luo Ying's face.

"The Earth element is heavy and thick, bearing all things." With another point, a stream of earthy-yellow Spiritual Qi wrapped around the bottom of the pot, using the principle of Earth generating Metal to protect the iron pot, and the temperature began to drop.

Luo Ying was lost in thought.

"Sizzle!" A piece of lard was placed in the pot, erupting with a rich fragrance.

"Chili is the fire within wood, most suitable to pair with this dish." Zhao Feng muttered, putting in a few dried chili peppers.

"Green vegetables are Wood and Water; Water and Fire do not clash, but with Wood as a regulator, it can perfectly allow the two to achieve Fusion." Zhao Feng pointed again, and a stream of Earth Spiritual Qi, like a sharp blade, sliced the vegetables into several pieces, which dropped into the pot.

"Metal overcomes Wood, so when cutting vegetables, the best tools are often stone knives or wooden knives."

Luo Ying began to gape in astonishment, "A cultivator actually has such knowledge about eating? And why can he manipulate so much Spiritual Qi?"

"Add salt; salt belongs to Earth, and Earth generates Wood, which can make the vegetables taste better."

Zhao Feng stirred the pot, and before long, he had stir-fried the vegetables to a tempting fragrance.

"Alright, the stir-fried vegetables are done. The vegetables belong to the Wood and Water elements, so let's call it 'Azure Dragon Emerging from Water'." Dividing the vegetables into four plates, Zhao Feng said with a smile.

...

One dish after another was finished. Before long, there were eight dishes, and adding the chicken soup simmering in the pot, that made nine dishes.

"Nine is the ultimate number; it is enough, as too much is as bad as too little." Zhao Feng stopped, "Although I have Fire Spiritual Qi to keep it warm, it is best eaten shortly after being cooked, so let's get ready to call everyone."

"Are you planning to eat on the ground?" Luo Ying looked at a table and said helplessly.

"Watch me." Zhao Feng looked at the ground in front of the house and began to activate his ability.

The soil turned into smooth, white stone slabs, and four stone tables and matching stools emerged from the soil, as smooth and clean as jade.

"Done!" Zhao Feng clapped his hands.

Luo Ying shrugged helplessly and began to serve the dishes.