Heaven-Defying Aptitude

"Waaah! My Dao cultivation! Wuwuwuwu..."

Shen Leling wailed on the back of the horse, not only tears streaming from her eyes but also water gushing from every part of her body.

Her voice was shrill, her limbs flailed, and she cried with such heartbreak, it was as if her soul was being torn apart.

Yan Nu quickly tried to comfort her, "Don't be sad. How did that Dao cultivation get lost? I'll help you."

Shen Leling was filled with grief, "It's gone! If it's gone, I can only start over! I can only accumulate it once a day. Dao cultivation, Dao cultivation, it's the progress of accumulating and comprehending the Heavenly Dao day by day. Without Dao cultivation, every realm requires extremely high comprehension and opportunities to break through..."

She knew that some monsters, by blindly accumulating Magic Power without cultivating Dao cultivation, would remain in the Mystical Stage until death.

While it wasn't impossible to break through, those who did were always exceptionally talented individuals.

Dao cultivation was like a bridge over the sea of suffering, taking one step at a time to reach the other shore, making it the most solid path. Without Dao cultivation, it was like trying to swim across the sea of suffering, an arduous and difficult task.

Yan Nu said, half-understanding, "Then just start over! It's like when I forge iron. If one strike isn't enough, I'll strike twice, every day, and I won't stop until I'm satisfied!"

"What do you know! My twenty years of accumulated Dao cultivation are gone just like that, wuwuwu, and I even owe thirty years!"

"...Ah! My Three Flowers Seed, don't scatter! Don't scatter!" Shen Leling's spiritual sight pierced through the veil, allowing her to see the vigorous Mortal World Fire burning her.

This fire had no substance, but it was rapidly erasing her Dao cultivation.

As her Dao cultivation dropped by only about a year, the Nascent Soul in her Mud Pill Palace, which had been a tiny speck of light, suddenly dissipated, turning into a loose, golden spiritual mist – the Sea of Consciousness.

Everyone possessed a Nascent Soul and true nature, which was the foundation of spiritual consciousness. However, mortals' souls were not called Nascent Souls but rather souls and spirits.

Only upon entering the Mystical Stage could one truly control their soul and spirit, transforming it into the Sea of Consciousness.

Condensing the vast Sea of Consciousness into a seed would give rise to Spiritual Sense. In the future, this seed would gradually unfold, transforming into the true Golden Flower Nascent Soul, one of the Top Three Flowers of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit.

Similarly, her Magic Power resided in the Sea of Qi in her lower Dantian, which had already formed a Mystic Flower Seed.

As her Dao cultivation dropped by a few more years, it too dispersed from a condensed particle into a swirling vortex of Vital Energy.

Although the quantity remained the same, vast and boundless, its quality had greatly diminished.

"And my... my Essence-Life Wheel..." Shen Leling looked inward at her middle Dantian, the Vermilion Palace. The Essence Seed, representing her Dao body, had exploded into a chaotic mass.

This directly reduced her lifespan from two hundred and forty years to one hundred and eighty years.

Nascent Soul, Essence, and Vital Energy represented true nature, true destiny, and true magic, respectively. If the Golden, Silver, and Mystic Flowers were formed, it would be the Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit.

But now, even the seeds were gone, collapsing directly into the initial state of a cultivator.

She had plummeted from the Spiritual Sense Stage back to the Mystical Stage.

The Mortal World Fire continued to burn, and only after consuming all her Dao cultivation did it disappear.

From beginning to end, Shen Leling was helpless. This was the Heavenly Dao Fire.

"Wuwuwu... I can only live for another hundred and fifty years..." Shen Leling was heartbroken.

Yan Nu was astonished, "Ah? You can still live that long? Then what's the big deal about accumulating twenty more years of Dao cultivation!"

Shen Leling was furious, "Easy for you to say! If I had known, I would have absorbed your Essence Soul, and I wouldn't have lost twenty years of hard work!"

She deeply regretted her soft heart. If she had absorbed Yan Nu back then to heal her Nascent Soul, in her fully restored state, with the Golden Jade Robe, she definitely could have escaped unscathed.

Who would have thought that a single moment of hesitation would lead to the loss of twenty years of daily morning practice and accumulated Dao cultivation.

Yan Nu's mouth fell open, "Huh? You didn't absorb my Essence Soul? Why not! Didn't I tell you to absorb it quickly and heal your injuries?"

"You... you..." Seeing him question her so righteously, Shen Leling was so enraged she could have exploded. She pointed at him for a long time, unable to speak.

Yan Nu asked with concern, "Is it too late to absorb it now? Absorb me first and heal your injuries."

"I... I... Wuwuwuwu!" Shen Leling was so angry she truly wished she could strangle him.

But in the end, she gave up. Even if she absorbed Yan Nu now, her Dao cultivation wouldn't return.

Shen Leling choked back her sobs, feeling nothing but wronged.

And because Yan Nu didn't know how to ride a horse, her crying was incredibly bumpy...

"Damn it, I can't swallow this! I must kill my way back to the Zhang Family!" After crying for a while, Shen Leling grew more and more indignant, gritting her teeth.

Yan Nu pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Shen Leling retorted angrily, "What good will it do for you to accompany me! In thirty years, you might be famous throughout the martial world, but now you're just an ant between heaven and earth."

Yan Nu wasn't angered by her retort. Instead, he advised, "I suggest you try to look on the bright side... Didn't you kill so many villains? You were so powerful just now, with a single 'poof,' you dealt with them all."

"What's the use of that! These Martial Artists only provide half a year of cultivation when consumed, but they burn over a year of my Dao cultivation. I've lost so much!" Shen Leling said, overcome with grief again, water flowing all over her body.

In that situation just now, if she hadn't fought back, she would have died. But as soon as she used Magic Power to harm mortals, she would be counter-attacked by the Mortal World Fire.

So, she could only consume them to make up for some of the loss. This way, even if her realm fell, she would at least still possess powerful Magic Power.

If the Mortal World Fire hadn't been so intense, she could have endured the backlash and still profited. But these were subordinates specifically trained to kill monsters. They held military ranks, so the Mortal World Fire would be at least a year and a half, let alone Shen Leling's twenty years of Dao cultivation. Even fifty years could be burned away.

As a result, she now owed thirty years. Of course, this debt didn't need to be repaid day by day; it could be cleared instantly by absorbing Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

However, before clearing it, she couldn't accumulate any more Dao cultivation; any day's accumulation would be burned away.

"Why are you crying so much..." Yan Nu was soaked by her, muttering, "Are you made of water?"

"I am made of water!" Shen Leling, furious, punched Yan Nu's back.

"Cough, cough..." Yan Nu coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Shen Leling only then remembered that Yan Nu had taken several palm strikes for her just now.

She quickly withdrew her hand and snorted, "Hmph, you're injured on top of your injuries, why aren't you dead yet!"

"Huh? Your injuries from the day before yesterday have healed so much?"

She examined Yan Nu's injuries and found that they were already seven-eighths healed. Only the new injuries today were more severe, but the Yang Heat Poison had also been suppressed by his profound True Qi.

"How did you recover so quickly? Your Great Emperor White Jade Technique... Huh? When did your True Qi become so profound?"

Shen Leling was greatly startled. Five days ago, Yan Nu's True Qi was only comparable to that of a third-rate martial artist. How could it have increased threefold in such a short time?

It would normally take at least thirty years of cultivation with a refined technique for someone to possess so much True Qi.

Yan Nu asked curiously, "Am I cultivating very fast?"

"Fast? It's heaven-defying!" Shen Leling said, her surprise and doubt growing. "I've heard of geniuses who cultivated a lifetime's worth of power in five years, but I've never heard of someone cultivating twenty years' worth in five days!"

"Especially the Great Emperor White Jade Technique. It's a cultivation method notorious for requiring a massive accumulation of resources. I was even thinking of finding some tonics for you to strengthen your foundation... You... How exactly did you cultivate?"

Yan Nu explained everything. "I just practiced like you said. When my True Qi ran out, I ate until I was full and then practiced again..."

"Wait a minute..." Shen Leling was confused. "You ran out of True Qi? Cultivating only makes your True Qi increase; how can it run out!"

"You... show me!"

Yan Nu immediately channeled his energy, converting the Hammer True Qi and integrating it into his two major Qi vortexes.

"Your previous True Qi is still there?" Shen Leling was a bit puzzled. She had been practicing the Great Emperor White Jade Technique for five days, so her old True Qi should have been completely converted by now.

However, she didn't say much, silently observing Yan Nu's cultivation.

About an hour later, Yan Nu had converted all the Hammer True Qi into Qi vortexes. His internal injuries had also healed considerably.

"Mmm... After conversion, it's time to refine essence into Qi, using the acupoints all over the body as springs to draw in the body's essence... Hey, what are you doing?"

Shen Leling was astonished to find that Yan Nu wasn't refining essence into Qi. Instead, he was directly consuming the Qi vortexes and returning them to his physical body.

Everyone else refines essence into Qi, but he's reverting Qi back into essence? Is he crazy!

"Although this can quickly heal injuries, the Great Emperor White Jade Technique can already heal slowly during its cultivation process. There's no need to consume it... Forget it, I'll watch how you recover your Qi!"

Shen Leling watched silently. Another hour passed, and Yan Nu's Qi vortexes were depleted.

At this point, he should be refining essence into Qi to restore the vortexes.

However, Yan Nu had no intention of stopping and was directly about to disperse the Qi vortexes!

"Hey! Stop! Why are you consuming your innate True Qi!" Shen Leling immediately interrupted Yan Nu. "Aren't you just abolishing your cultivation!"

Yan Nu looked confused. "This is how I practice. After using it up, I gather the Qi vortexes again, and each time they become stronger than before."

"Starting from scratch, the cultivation will indeed grow faster, but... isn't this a waste of time?" Shen Leling was filled with surprise and doubt.

Everything in the world has its cycle of Yin and Yang, birth and death. True Qi and Magic Power, when they are born and die, break and then stand, becoming more refined and powerful.

But while this is the principle, it's not worth the cost. After all, if twenty years of cultivation are scattered, it will take another twenty years to regain it. Even if it grows by 10% faster due to breaking and then standing, it's meaningless. Because with those twenty years, wouldn't it be better to cultivate to forty years of power?

There were indeed rare individuals who, by utilizing the principle of breaking and then standing, created the Bridal Tunic Profound Art. This art allows one to channel True Qi to others and then re-cultivate themselves, thus progressing faster.

But the brilliance of this technique lies in the method of channeling, which prevents the loss of cultivation. As for the cultivator themselves, it takes decades to achieve anything significant, often reaching old age before their divine art is perfected. After their cultivation is scattered, they can re-cultivate it in a short period.

"Could it be that you can already re-cultivate quickly? Then... show me." Seeing Yan Nu's sincere expression, and recalling how this fool had made such rapid progress in five days, Shen Leling hesitated for a moment before letting him disperse his cultivation.

Yan Nu immediately exhausted his innate True Qi, leaving his body completely empty!

"You cultivate! You've just crippled your own cultivation, now let's see how you cultivate it back!" Shen Leling urged him on.

Yan Nu turned and reached out, "Give me a couple of handfuls of grass."

"Ah?" Shen Leling pouted, and a large handful of beans appeared in her jade hand. "Are you hungry? Just eat the beans!"

"Huh? Do you have sheep grass seeds?" Yan Nu asked curiously.

Shen Leling was bewildered, but she still produced a handful of grass seeds.

She only knew water-elemental dao arts or methods of growing wood with water, so she had accumulated many seeds and beans. Some spells required grass seeds.

Yan Nu didn't stand on ceremony and ate them all with a rustle. The Hammer True Qi in his body rose like the fire of essence and Qi, filling the acupoints all over his body.

A grin spread across his lips as he thought to himself: So grass seeds work too.

On the other side, Shen Leling's face turned ashen with shock: "What!"

She personally sensed Yan Nu's True Qi go from nothing to existence in an instant, a bizarre scene that caused her mind to falter. Coupled with her existing serious injuries, she began to drool from the corner of her mouth.

"Why can you recover your True Qi by eating some seeds?"

Yan Nu replied as if it were obvious, "Can't you replenish True Qi by eating? You can't?"

"I..." Shen Leling was dumbfounded, her mind a chaotic mess.

Of course, eating could replenish True Qi, but that was only with spiritual pills and elixirs!

The grass seeds Yan Nu ate were given by her, and how could she not know that they were just ordinary grass seeds?

"Could it be that the grass seeds I casually picked are Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?" She grabbed another handful from her body and examined it carefully.

Her knowledge of plants was far superior to that of ordinary people. Yet, at this moment, she couldn't discern anything special about this grass!

By the time she snapped back to reality, she saw Yan Nu was already practicing normally again, having reformed his Qi Vortex.

He already had a solid foundation of True Qi, so it was just a matter of conversion, making his practice naturally fast.

No wonder Yan Nu hadn't focused on consolidating his foundation, and his cultivation progress was incredibly swift. It was practically stating the obvious; if one could replenish their scattered True Qi just by eating grass, anyone could practice this fast!

"You can replenish your True Qi by eating anything?"

"No, only by eating grass and steamed buns. Oh, and also Bone-Growing Powder and Blood-Melting Powder."

"Steamed... steamed buns?" Shen Leling's expression was dazed. What were these things?

Grass, steamed buns, Bone-Growing Powder, and Blood-Melting Powder... these, these... had nothing to do with each other!

"What is this True Qi of yours called?" Shen Leling's mind was a mess, unsure if it was Yan Nu's constitution or this True Qi that was the problem.

Yan Nu grinned and said, "Hammer True Qi!"

"Huh?" Shen Leling was stunned, then added, "I'm asking how you cultivated it!"

Yan Nu honestly replied, "I just swung hammers until I got it."

"I..." Shen Leling not only had her Nascent Soul injured, but her main body was also hurt just now. Coupled with forcefully casting spells and her realm falling due to the backlash from the Mortal World Fire, the series of blows almost made Shen Leling faint from anger.

She took a long time to calm her mind before saying, "No... your True Qi is pure, it's at least an advanced martial art!"

The cultivation techniques in the world were usually divided into Basic, Proficient, Advanced, Sect-Preserving, Peerless, and the legendary 'Heavenly Gifted Immortal Scrolls'.

The Great Emperor White Jade Scripture belonged to the advanced category within immortal cultivation texts, but even just a small chapter on body tempering was considered a peerless divine skill in the secular world.

Although Shen Leling couldn't identify which school or sect this Hammer True Qi belonged to, she could tell it was an advanced martial art.

"This kind of advanced True Qi could never have been taught to you by your Uncle Hong who works with iron; he himself only knows some basics."

Yan Nu scratched his head. "Then I don't know. Anyway, after I learned how to circulate energy, I had a lot of True Qi available in my body."

"What! Is that so?" Shen Leling's eyes widened. "Did someone perform a 'pouring of the crown' on you?"

"What's 'pouring of the crown'?" Yan Nu asked, also looking curious.

Seeing his expression, Shen Leling knew she wouldn't get any more information.

But even if the person who performed the 'pouring of the crown' was a mighty being playing in the mortal world, setting up some strange formation in Yan Nu's body couldn't possibly cause True Qi to regenerate like this.

Steamed buns? Grass seeds? What kind of nonsense was this! Who replenished True Qi by eating these!

And it was too fast, like an instant refresh, as if the Heavenly Dao itself was performing a 'pouring of the crown' for him!

Wait? This characteristic was more like the legendary...

"Heaven-Defying Aptitude? Slurp..." Shen Leling stared intently at Yan Nu, her mouth watering again, this time out of desire!