Swallowing the Soul Grass

The courtyard was large.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Zhao Huaian saw that the yard alone was five or six times larger than the little house he had lived in before.

In the middle of the yard stood a simple stone table and a set of chairs.

A peach tree grew in the western corner.

Beyond the yard, at the far end, stood a reception hall and two side rooms.

All three rooms were quite spacious.

Of course, Zhao Huaian didn't care much about his living conditions. What truly satisfied him was the density of Spiritual Energy here.

He greedily drew in deep breaths of the dense Spiritual Energy.

Sitting cross-legged in the courtyard and circulating his Cultivation Art, Zhao Huaian felt that cultivating here was much faster than in his old little house.

Clearly, it was all due to the difference in Spiritual Energy density.

"Sure enough, you get what you pay for!"

"Even with the same talent, given enough time, those cultivating here will far surpass those living in little houses."

Zhao Huaian smiled, reflecting to himself.

After tidying the courtyard a little and bringing over the necessary belongings from his old little house, he returned to one of the side rooms.

After eating several pounds of First-grade Upper-rank Monster Beast Meat, warm currents surged through him.

Sitting cross-legged on his new bed, Zhao Huaian didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately took out a Yellow Dragon Pill and swallowed it.

The Yellow Dragon Pill dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth.

As its medicinal power took effect, Zhao Huaian circulated the Crimson Fire Sword Art within his body, greedily absorbing the dense Spiritual Energy around him.

After a round of cultivation, as his cultivation proficiency increased, Zhao Huaian opened his eyes, Spiritual Energy drifting around him.

"Not bad. Cultivating here is much faster than in the little house. At this rate, I should be able to break through to Qi Refining Layer Seven in about two and a half months."

Zhao Huaian nodded, very satisfied.

"I just wonder how much faster I'll cultivate after swallowing the Soul Grass."

Thinking of the Soul Grass he had obtained from Clear Wind Temple, Zhao Huaian smiled.

Spiritual Energy flickered in his hand as he took out the Soul Grass, which enhanced soul power, from his Storage Bag.

Without the slightest hesitation,

Zhao Huaian put the entire plant into his mouth and quickly chewed it with his sharp teeth.

He was proficient in Medical Skill.

Naturally, he also had some knowledge and understanding of Spiritual Medicine.

There might have been a better way to consume the Soul Grass before him, but that was for alchemists.

For now, the best way for him to handle it was to swallow the whole plant. Only then could he absorb more of its medicinal effects.

Spiritual Energy circulated within him.

Zhao Huaian swallowed the entire Soul Grass and quickly circulated his Cultivation Art to absorb it.

As its effects gradually spread, Zhao Huaian felt more and more alert. The difficult questions and doubts that had once troubled him also began to inspire him with new insights.

That was one of the benefits of enhanced soul power.

If even a fool swallowed a Thousand-Year Soul Grass, he would become clever. It could even extend his lifespan.

As he continued to absorb its effects, Zhao Huaian's Spirit Soul Power slowly increased.

Soon, three days had passed.

During those three days, Zhao Huaian did nothing else. He devoted himself entirely to circulating his Cultivation Art and absorbing the Soul Grass's medicinal effects.

After three days, he had finally absorbed every last bit of the entire plant's medicinal power without wasting any.

After swallowing the Soul Grass, Zhao Huaian's Spirit Soul Power had increased considerably—more than twice what it had been before.

With his soul power enhanced, Zhao Huaian began to focus on secluding himself for cultivation.

The benefits brought by the Soul Grass also slowly began to show...

With his powerful soul, Zhao Huaian discovered that he could circulate his Cultivation Art even faster than before.

Besides that, he especially noticed that when Drawing Talismans, even talismans he wasn't very skilled at came easily. Each time he drew a Spirit Talisman, he worked faster and used less Spiritual Energy.

These changes and improvements delighted Zhao Huaian and made him recognize the importance of soul power even more.

And these were only the benefits visible on the surface.

As for the others, Zhao Huaian would have to explore and discover them gradually.

He continued cultivating in seclusion, at ease.

Time flowed swiftly by like water.

In the blink of an eye, four months had passed.

During those four months, aside from trading the Spirit Talismans he had drawn to Cheng Daqi at the beginning of each month, Zhao Huaian spent every day repeating the dull routines of cultivation and drawing talismans.

He had plenty of patience.

Even repeating the same routine every day, Zhao Huaian didn't feel bored.

On the contrary, with plenty of Elixir Pills and Monster Beast Blood and Flesh sustaining him, he could feel his cultivation improving noticeably every day.

Zhao Huaian relished it, becoming completely absorbed.

What, in this world, could be more satisfying than feeling your own strength and cultivation grow bit by bit?

And after four months of devoted cultivation,

Zhao Huaian had broken through to Qi Refining Layer Seven two months ago, and he was now not far from Qi Refining Layer Eight.

Spiritual Energy turned within him. As the effects of his Elixir Pill faded, Zhao Huaian stopped circulating his Cultivation Art.

He slowly opened his eyes.

He focused his attention on Attribute Heavenly Book Cultivation.

"Qi Refining Layer Seven (71/100)"

Feeling his current level of cultivation, he couldn't help smiling. "Not bad. If I maintain this pace, it'll take at most another month. In a month, I'll break through to Qi Refining Layer Eight. By then, with my strength, I'll rank among the top disciples in the Outer Sect."

Zhao Huaian was very satisfied with his current cultivation and progress.

With the help of the Attribute Heavenly Book and more than enough cultivation resources, he had made astonishingly swift progress over these four months.

And this was the result of cultivating for six hours every day.

As for the rest of his time, Zhao Huaian wasn't slacking off. He spent it drawing talismans and practicing the spells he had learned.

After all, selling Spirit Talismans was his source of income.

If he didn't draw talismans, he couldn't obtain higher-grade cultivation resources and wouldn't be able to maintain his current pace.

After persistently drawing talismans for four months, Zhao Huaian had reaped considerable rewards from the Attribute Heavenly Book, in addition to the Spirit Stones he had earned.

Over those four months, he had raised the proficiency of his Protective Talismans, Light Body Talismans, and other Spirit Talismans to the perfect level.

With the Drawing Methods for these perfected talismans, Zhao Huaian naturally made a fortune.

After several months of trading with Cheng Daqi, plus the Spirit Stones he had left over from before, Zhao Huaian now had nearly two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones saved in his Storage Bag.

As he calculated his current wealth, Zhao Huaian suddenly realized something.

The large quantities of Elixir Pills and Monster Beast Meat he had bought earlier had nearly all been used up.

"Alas, I went to all that trouble to save up so many Spirit Stones, and now I have to spend a huge amount all over again. No wonder cultivators at higher cultivation levels are always short on Spirit Stones. Cultivation really is all about resources."

Looking at the few cultivation resources he had left from his earlier purchases, Zhao Huaian shook his head and sighed.