The Cultivation of the Local Earth God

When Li Banfeng opened his eyes, a stunningly beautiful woman was cleaning his wounds.

Halfway through wiping, the woman exclaimed, "This little thing is so energetic!"

Li Banfeng hurriedly got up, put on his clothes, and looked at the woman, asking, "Do we know each other?"

The woman laughed and said, "You just cleared wasteland on my land, and now you're saying you don't know me?"

"Are you Local Earth God?"

The woman nodded. "My name is Meng Yuchun. What's your name?"

"My Li Qi, and all these things should be written in the contract."

"I've prepared the contract. Write your name down."

Li Banfeng wrote his name, pressed his fingerprint, burned the contract, and splattered blood on the ground.

"These are all things that need to be done before clearing the land."

Meng Yuchun explained, "I'm different from other Local Earth God. This was the rule when they were clearing land here!"

How many people cleared this land from the past?

"It's just you, so this has always been the rule."

Li Banfeng looked at the woman in front of him and said, "Don't you think these rules are a bit too hasty?"

Meng Yuchun shook his head and laughed, "It's been more than half a year since I became the Local Earth God, and you are the first living person to enter my Land Block."

This place is so desolate, and I'm still spouting all those useless rules and regulations, asking when things will finally get better?

The place was indeed desolate. Li Banfeng looked around and asked, "Why did you insist on choosing such a place in the first place?"

"Is this a choice I can make? I have to accept whatever place the Inner State offers me."

The origin of the Local Earth God was exactly what Li Banfeng wanted to know.

Meng Yuchun speaks with a straightforwardness that is even more straightforward than Qiu Luoye. If you treat her with sincerity, you should be able to get some information out of her.

"Does the Local Earth God have to go to the Inner State?"

"Yes, otherwise how could we move up one floor?"

Upgrade to the next level?

Li Banfeng asked, "What level of cultivation are you at now? If you don't want to say, that's fine. I know I shouldn't ask about other people's cultivation levels so casually."

Meng Yuchun laughed and said, "You should be able to guess even if I don't tell you. I only have one level of cultivation. I've only been in this new place for half a year. How many levels could I possibly advance in this wretched place?"

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "What do you mean by 'one layer'?"

Meng Yuchun was taken aback. "Your cultivation is not low, but your knowledge is limited. I am definitely not Earth Skin First Layer."

Earth Skin First Layer?

This concept seems familiar.

Oh, right, the Carriage Driver mentioned that before.

The first time I rode in the Carriage Driver of Medicine King Gully, Monkey Qiu asked the Carriage Driver about his cultivation level. The Carriage Driver had said that he was a cultivator at the Earth Skin First Layer. At that time, Li Banfeng was still White Lamb and did not pay much attention to his way of speaking.

Looking back now, the word "land" doesn't refer to a certain level, but rather represents a certain stage of cultivation.

In Pro State, within the area familiar to Li Banfeng, all cultivation levels are likely at the ground level!

"So, what's the name of your current floor?"

Meng Yuchun said, "I'm on Cloud Above First Layer now, so stop trying to trick me. I'm neither your master nor your wife, so why should I teach you so much?"

Li Banfeng sat down next to Meng Yuchun and asked sincerely, "I'm good at clearing land, and I can clear a lot more wasteland here in the future. If you can give me some pointers, I can help you a lot in the future."

Meng Yuchun rolled her eyes at Li Banfeng: "What's the use of you clearing the land by yourself? It won't attract any more people to my area!"

"It can rise because I know a lot of skilled land reclamation workers. I've brought them all here, and little by little, this place will gradually become Proper Land."

Meng Yuchun frowned. "Why should I believe you?"

"If you don't believe me, we can draw up a contract. I'll bring people back to clear the land within a month. Isn't that much better than you waiting here for half a year without seeing anyone?"

Meng Yuchun pondered for a moment and said, "Your cultivation is indeed quite high. There are some things you will know sooner or later. I will tell you what I can, and you shouldn't force yourself to tell me what I can't."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Let's talk about the Cloud Above First Layer' first. Does that mean we need to build Tenth Layer land before we can ascend to the Cloud Above First Layer '?"

"Of course, and it must be a fully formed Tenth Layer plot of land."

"What does 'Tenth Layer in total' mean?"

Meng Yuchun patiently explained, "To Ninth to Tenth Stage, one must pass Life and Death Tribulation Crossing Tribulation. If one succeeds in overcoming the tribulation, one can ascend to the Cloud Top. Only after ascending to the Cloud Top can one go to the Inner State. Only after going to the Inner State can one obtain the Cloud Above First Layer."

"What if I fail to Crossing Tribulation?"

"That would make things difficult, but it depends on the extent of the problem."

Successfully Crossing Tribulation means that the physical body is destroyed, but the soul ascends to a higher realm, remaining intact.

Even if the soul is damaged, there is still a chance for recovery.

With less than 20% damage, it can be repaired through various means until it is fully healed, and there is still a chance to travel to the Inner State.

If more than 20% but less than 50% of the soul is damaged, it is difficult to repair.

These kinds of spirits wander in Pro State, where they are called "Wounded Demon Fiend." They are the most powerful type of Evil Spirit in Pro State, and they can live for a long time, which can be considered as having a final resting place.

If more than 50% of the soul is damaged, it will slumber on the earth until it slowly dissipates. A few souls, however, will be nourished by the house and become Home Spirit.

Such Home Spirit are rare; encountering one is a blessing for the House Cultivator.

Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly.

The Wife's level is definitely more than Tenth Layer; who can compare to her good fortune?

Li Banfeng then asked, "What if the soul is completely damaged?"

Meng Yuchun was taken aback. "You mean the soul is damaged, but the body is still intact?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

"That's the most tragic kind of person, the one who Broken Cocoon Chrysalis. They use the wrong order when Crossing Tribulation, and become walking corpses, unable to die or live, and are even raised like livestock."

Li Banfeng had seen the Broken Cocoon Chrysalis; the senior disciple on the Bastard Slope was probably just a fighting beast in the eyes of the sage.

Li Banfeng then asked, "If you successfully Crossing Tribulation and arrive in the Inner State, will you be Cloud Above First Layer?"

"No, once you reach the Inner State, you can only be considered to be at the Cloud Top, just like a cultivator who has just entered the sect. There are no levels, and the lifespan is the same as that of an ordinary person, with no change."

"Lifespan hasn't changed? Shouldn't it have tripled?" This is different from the knowledge Li Banfeng possesses.

Meng Yuchun shook his head and said, "That's a common misconception. To gain three times the lifespan, one needs to have cultivation at the Cloud Above First Layer, and to advance to the next level, one needs a reward from the Inner State."

Do I still need a reward?

"How can I obtain a reward?"

At this point, Meng Yuchun hesitated, not wanting to directly mention the matter of Inner State.

"I don't want to tell you, but can I show you?"

"How do you see it?" Li Banfeng couldn't understand.

Meng Yuchun gave a wry smile, "Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, but I've lost all sense of shame."

She turned around and untied her robe.

The robe slowly slid down to his knees.

Li Banfeng saw the fair skin, and then saw the dense scars covering it.

Meng Yuchun said, "Do you see? This is how favors are obtained."

I will not give myself away like other women to serve them. I am willing to be a henchman, or even a servant.

Whether serving as a servant or a henchman, they were essentially no different from animals.

I've lost count of how many beatings I've endured, and I can't even remember how many years I've been beaten, before I finally achieved a cultivation level Cloud Above First Layer, before I finally gained the qualification of a Local Earth God.

Li Banfeng's eyes twitched. He first asked Meng Yuchun to put her clothes on, then asked, "How did you manage to endure it?"

"What can I do if I can't bear it? This isn't the hardest thing to bear. The hardest thing to bear is..." Meng Yuchun paused for a moment and said, "They killed my Home Spirit and devoured it right in front of me. I'm such a coward. I didn't dare to utter a sound at the time."

After a long silence, Meng Yuchun lowered her head and said, "I shouldn't have told you these things. They don't allow us to talk about them."

I haven't spoken to anyone in so long. Nobody in Inner State wanted to talk to me, and here I don't see a single living person."

Li Banfeng sighed, "So you're House Cultivator."

Meng Yuchun nodded. "All the House Cultivator at home hate those Travel Cultivators, so I was quite harsh on you."

Li Banfeng lowered his head and pressed his brow with his hand.

He had been working hard to improve his cultivation level, always dreaming of one day reaching the Tenth Layer and gaining three times the lifespan.

But what comes at the cost of three times the lifespan?

To be treated like livestock?

Is this something he can accept?

"Once you're in the Cloud Above First Layer, you're back in Pro State?"

Meng Yuchun nodded and said, "I'm back. They rewarded me with a new piece of land and made me the Local Earth God."

I could choose not to return. If I gained their favor, I could continue as a servant in the Inner State and continue my spiritual practice.

"And you still want to be a servant?"

"There are many people who want to be servants, but it depends on whether they are willing to give alms."

"What's so good about being a servant?" Li Banfeng didn't understand.

"Staying in the Inner State allows me to continue increasing my cultivation level."

"Can't one increase their cultivation level Inner State?"

"Yes, but there needs to be human activity," Meng Yuchun said, pointing to the surrounding wasteland. "The cultivation of Local Earth God depends on human activity; the more activity there is, the faster their cultivation will grow."

But look at this place, does it look like a place with people around?

Cultivators at the Cloud Above First Layer typically have a lifespan of around three hundred years. They can extend their lifespan by using elixirs, but at most, they will not exceed five hundred years.

"By the time I die of old age, I fear I will never be able to reach the Cloud Above Second Layer."

Li Banfeng asked, "Will my lifespan increase after advancing to the Cloud Above Second Layer? Or does it only change after reaching the Tenth Layer of the Cloud Realm?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head and said, "I don't know. I don't know if there are Tenth Layer above the clouds. I don't even know what the Cloud Above Second Layer is like."

Nobody ever told me that I was no different from livestock in Inner State, and nobody would say anything unnecessary to a piece of livestock.

Is this how all Local Earth God started?

Those who are even more powerful than Local Earth God also got there this way.

Peddler, Train Grandpa, and Bitter Granny – did they all have similar experiences?

That shouldn't be happening!

How could someone with their temperament possibly go to the Inner State to serve as a servant?

Li Banfeng asked, "Does that mean we can't reach Yunshang without going to Inner State?"

"That's okay!"

Meng Yuchun only said two words, but they made Li Banfeng perk up.

"How do we do it?"

"Stealing and robbing."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm an upright person, let's talk about the robbery first."

"To snatch means to snatch from the Local Earth God —to snatch their position, their status, their cultivation."

Li Banfeng immediately became serious. "How do we rob it?"

Meng Yuchun asked, "Do you know the Local Earth God of Green Water Bay, the Green Water Beggar?"

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him."

"His cultivation level was stolen; he stole it when he was at the Ninth Layer."

Green Water Bay was originally Beggar Bay. It wasn't his territory, but rather the land of Beggar Cultivator Yuan Shoulu.

When Green Water Beggar was on the Ninth Layer, he defeated Thin Donkey Yuan on the Cloud Above Second Layer, seized the position of Local Earth God, and forcibly absorbed Thin Donkey Yuan's cultivation and status. He himself advanced to the Cloud Above Second Layer, preserving both his soul and body, and became the most powerful Local Earth God!

Li Banfeng rubbed his chin, unable to figure out what had happened.

Ninth Layer of Cloud Above Second Layer?

How many floors did this span?

How was this battle won?

P. S.: No matter how I fight, I can't win!