Cultivation

"Tiger Girl, don't do anything foolish! Follow the immortal and cultivate—then you won't have to suffer anymore!"

Seeing Tiger Girl throw a tantrum, Jiang Ping An hurriedly shouted to comfort her.

He had heard that immortals could live forever, that immortals never had to go hungry, that immortals would not be bullied by Soldiers.

This was an opportunity, an opportunity to change Tiger Girl's life forever.

Tiger Girl was still young and did not understand what this meant, but Jiang Ping An did.

Although he was disappointed that the other party had looked down on him, it did not matter. He had the Treasure Accumulation Basin; living a lifetime without worrying about food or clothes was enough.

"No! I only want Brother PingAn!" Li YueYue waved her Sugar-coated Haws and burst into tears.

The woman smiled and said, "If you do not cultivate, your Brother PingAn might be killed by Bandits someday. Do you want your Brother PingAn to die?"

"No!" Li YueYue cried out in fright.

Jiang Ping An was her last remaining family. She did not want to lose him.

"Then you must cultivate."

"But..."

"For Brother PingAn's future happiness, you must cultivate. I am taking you away now precisely so that you can meet again someday."

The woman tossed down a useless Breathing and Meditation Technique and three Spirit Stones.

"I have given your Brother PingAn a Cultivation Method and cultivation resources. That way, he will not be bullied."

Li YueYue still wanted to say something, but the woman blew a breath at her, and Li YueYue immediately fainted.

Once this girl embarked on cultivation and grew a little older, she would forget this so-called Brother PingAn.

Several women transformed into streaks of light and vanished. They did not say a single word to Jiang Ping An, nor did they spare him any notice.

Watching Tiger Girl being taken away, Jiang Ping An felt hollow inside.

It felt as though the entire world had left only him behind. From this day on, his life had nowhere to return to.

Still, he was happy for Tiger Girl. She would become an immortal in the future and live happily for the rest of her life.

Jiang Ping An took a deep breath and calmed his tangled emotions.

He walked over to the book the immortal had thrown down and the three translucent stones.

The other party had said these were a Cultivation Method and cultivation resources. They looked extremely precious.

Could he become an immortal if he learned it?

If he could become an immortal, why had they not taken him away?

Jiang Ping An put the items back in the room and ignored them for the moment. Instead, he buried the villagers' bodies.

Though he had not been especially close to the villagers, every one of them had helped him one way or another.

Now that they had been killed, he could not let them rot out in the open and be eaten by wild dogs.

He spent an entire day carrying the villagers into a pit and burying them.

Li Min was buried separately. Later, Jiang Ping An would make a grave marker. Perhaps Tiger Girl would return to pay respects after becoming an immortal; he could not let her be unable to find her father.

Night fell. Jiang Ping An sat before the thatched hut. The village was empty and desolate; even the barking of dogs was gone, leaving only the chirping of mosquitoes and insects as a tide of loneliness surged into his heart.

His parents were dead, the villagers were dead, Tiger Girl was gone. Only he remained.

Looking at the book in his hands, Jiang Ping An gently stroked it.

"I swear, if I can cultivate, I will slaughter every Soldier who oppresses the common people!"

"I swear, if I can cultivate, I will slaughter every Bandit I encounter!"

"I swear, if I can cultivate, I will use every last ounce of my strength to protect everyone worth protecting!"

Starlight flickered beneath the azure night sky. The boy's body was frail, but his eyes were incomparably bright.

He lit the oil lamps left behind by the villagers and opened the book titled "Detailed Explanation of the Thick Earth Breathing Technique."

Fortunately, his father had often taught him to read, so he could understand what was written inside.

It said that one could use one's mind to control the rhythm of breathing, allowing the body to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and open the Meridians within the body.

The book also said that opening ten Meridians counted as fully mastering the technique, enough to use until Foundation Establishment.

What was Foundation Establishment?

Jiang Ping An could not understand it.

But he did not need to understand. He only needed to follow what was written.

He also discovered that when he cultivated while holding the strange white stones, his cultivation sped up and his body felt incredibly comfortable.

After one night passed, Jiang Ping An discovered in shock that he was not sleepy at all!

Not only that, he was more energetic than ever before!

This delighted him. Maybe he could become an immortal someday too!

After simply making some rice, he continued cultivating according to the book.

Before long, the two Spirit Stones in his hand shattered.

Only one remained.

"I wonder where I can get more of these stones."

He realized how precious these stones were, but their number was limited.

His first Meridian was already one-fifth opened. With another eight Spirit Stones, he might be able to open the first Meridian mentioned in the book.

Jiang Ping An was about to use the last Spirit Stone when something suddenly occurred to him, and he stopped.

Once the Bronze Basin was able to duplicate resources again, he cautiously placed the white stone inside.

Yes, he wanted to duplicate this stone.

But he did not know whether it would work. He was merely trying it.

As the Treasure Accumulation Basin flashed with light, Jiang Ping An abruptly looked into the basin, then revealed a wild look of joy.

A huge pile of Spirit Stones had appeared in the Treasure Accumulation Basin!

So the Treasure Accumulation Basin was not limited to duplicating copper coins—it could duplicate Spirit Stones too!

No, perhaps the Treasure Accumulation Basin could duplicate anything!

Jiang Ping An's breathing quickened. For a young boy, this was something more than worth celebrating.

He planted a heavy kiss on the Treasure Accumulation Basin, picked up a white stone, and continued cultivating.

About a day later, all eight Spirit Stones had been used up.

Crack~

The first Meridian in Jiang Ping An's body opened, and a cracking sound came from within him.

According to the book, he had officially entered the Qi Refining First Layer.

At that moment, the thin and small Jiang Ping An grew slightly taller, and his skin was no longer quite so dark.

Most importantly, he felt his strength increase enormously, as if he possessed inexhaustible power.

A strange energy flowed back and forth through the Meridian he had opened.

The book said that this power was called spiritual energy.

Clip-clop, clip-clop~

"Where the hell has everyone died off to!"

Along with a burst of hoofbeats came curses.

Jiang Ping An's expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly put away the Treasure Accumulation Basin.

The Soldiers collecting taxes had arrived!

He prepared ten copper coins, opened the door, and walked outside. Facing the lone soldier, he said, "I want to report a crime. The villagers were all killed by Bandits."

"Killed by Bandits again?"

Yang Yuan's face darkened. This was already the third village to be massacred, meaning he would collect money from three fewer villages.

"Why aren't you dead?" Yang Yuan jumped down from his horse and demanded.

"I happened to leave the village and barely escaped disaster. When will the Soldiers encircle and wipe out the Bandits, and return peace to the people?"

Jiang Ping An hated Bandits deeply. They robbed money and killed people—utter scum.

If the Soldiers and Bandits fought, it would be dogs biting dogs.

"Damn it, who are you to question me? Since everyone in your village is dead, there's no use keeping you alive. Go die."

Because he had not collected much money and could not pocket many kickbacks, Yang Yuan was already in a foul mood and needed somewhere to vent it.

Seeing this brat dare question him, he drew his blade and strode over.

Jiang Ping An's face changed drastically as he kept backing away. "You're a Soldier! How can you kill people at will?"

"If I kill you, who will know?" Yang Yuan's expression twisted viciously as he swung his blade down.

In that instant, countless images flashed through Jiang Ping An's mind—his mother, worked to death in the fields; his father, gnawed beyond recognition by a tiger; himself, beaten and abused...

At that moment, Jiang Ping An erupted. He gathered all the power within his body and poured it into his fist, roaring in fury.

"If I die, we die together!"