Meng Nan did things slowly and methodically.
He had a plan in mind, so he never rushed.
People said, "A harmonious household prospers in all things."
Since returning from the future, Meng Nan had followed a steady course in his cultivation, but he also devoted a large portion of his energy to everyday life.
A new bride.
A new home.
A new job.
And so on. All these things took time and effort to put in order, one by one, so he could lay a solid foundation for the long years of cultivation ahead.
As for the Suoluo Seed tree—
Since returning, Meng Nan had never gone to check on it.
He had married on the second day of the seventh month, and the Suoluo Seed bore fruit between August and September—
It fruited in August.
It ripened in September.
There were still two whole months in between.
Going now would be a waste!
Looking would be a waste!
The round trip alone took two hours, needlessly inviting trouble. If someone spotted him, the Suoluo Seed tree might be exposed ahead of time.
There was no need.
The tree was right where it was. He could go when the time came.
Time passed.
July ended, and August arrived.
Meng Nan and Zhao Xiaoshuang's new home was finished. It consisted of two simple huts built from wood, bamboo, and clay. One was for sleeping at night; the other doubled as a storeroom and kitchen.
They had also fenced off the surrounding area with bamboo strips, more for show than anything else, making it a little courtyard while leaving room to build more huts later.
They had already planted some bamboo along the front and back of the courtyard.
Bamboo grew incredibly fast. In a few years, it would become a dense grove.
"This will do for now."
"We can add things little by little later."
Standing in the courtyard, Meng Nan looked at the two lonely, rather shabby little huts and felt, more or less, satisfied.
Zhao Xiaoshuang was even more pleased. She loved every bit of it, circling the two impossibly simple little houses and admiring them from every angle, never able to get enough.
That evening.
The Mengs returned to their bedroom and cultivated separately.
Meng Nan sat cross-legged, calming his mind and steadying his breath as he practiced resting breath cultivation.
After a month of grueling practice, Meng Nan still hadn't reached the Visualization Realm, but he had caught up in the number of breaths, matching the results of eight years in the future. He could now manage Twenty-four Breaths in a single session, a vast improvement in efficiency.
Even so, his cultivation progress remained slow.
He breathed in and out.
Twenty-four breaths.
When he completed a full cycle, Meng Nan opened his eyes and saw that Zhao Xiaoshuang had already finished cultivating. She was writing down her cultivation insights for the day at the desk. Her cultivation level was lower than Meng Nan's. He could manage Twenty-four Breaths, while she could only manage Sixteen Breaths—a considerable gap.
But Zhao Xiaoshuang had only cultivated for two years, while Meng Nan had genuinely cultivated for ten.
Seen that way, Meng Nan was the one who lagged behind.
Of course, Zhao Xiaoshuang's two years of cultivation had only brought her to Sixteen Breaths, which was hardly impressive either.
Meng Nan glanced at Zhao Xiaoshuang, then looked away and opened his information panel—
Name: Meng Nan Lifespan: 18/80 Faction: Chashan Cave Cultivation: Fetal Breath Qi Sensing Inner Breath: 3 Root Bone: 1 Cultivation Method: Thunder Illumination Scripture, Third Layer Arts: Spirit Wandering Steps (Second Layer) Crafts: None Unlock Progress: Viewable
"My Inner Breath went up by 2 points in a month."
A trace of disappointment showed in Meng Nan's eyes.
Root Bone 1 certainly lived up to its name.
After a month of hard cultivation, his Inner Breath had only risen from 1 to 3. At this rate, he would need another three months to reach the peak of Fetal Breath Qi Sensing.
Fortunately, there was no longer a bottleneck between Fetal Breath Qi Sensing and Fetal Breath Contemplation. Once his Inner Breath met the requirement, he could advance straight away.
Even so, despite having eight years of cultivation experience from the future, it had still taken him four months to complete the Qi Sensing Realm. That was truly absurd.
"Cultivation aptitude comes down to two things—"
"First, comprehension."
"Second, Root Bone."
To achieve anything in cultivation, one needed at least one of the two.
For instance, even if one's Root Bone was lacking, strong comprehension could allow one to reach Forty-nine Breaths in the Qi Sensing Realm, and progress would still be swift.
Or, even if one's comprehension was lacking, excellent Root Bone could make Inner Breath surge with casual practice. Even if one remained stuck at Seven or Nine Breaths, it wouldn't matter.
Those who could advance to the Inner Qi Stage within two years had rapidly increasing Inner Breath and quickly constructed their Qi Circulation Diagrams through visualization. To a certain extent, that meant their comprehension and Root Bone were both decent—or at least one of them stood out.
That was why they received special privileges.
Even those who advanced rapidly thanks to external help showed exceptional fortune or family backing, and they, too, had a chance to achieve something in cultivation.
Then there were people like Meng Nan and Zhao Xiaoshuang—
Their comprehension was poor.
Their Root Bone was inadequate.
All they could do was raise children.
"I don't know what my comprehension is like, but I've been able to cultivate repeatedly and improve my Dao cultivation in the future, so it doesn't matter if my comprehension is a little lacking."
"As for Root Bone—"
Root Bone 1 was definitely not good, but there was a way around that too.
If Root Bone was poor, pile on resources.
"Once the Suoluo Seed ripens next month, my progress should catch up."
"I wonder how much it can improve."
Full of anticipation,
he stilled his thoughts.
"Let's test the progress."
Meng Nan glanced at his Inner Breath, then focused his mind and activated Basic Progress.
Then—
"Progress +2%."
"Inner Breath: 1"
"Cultivation: Fetal Breath Tranquility"
A three-part combo.
His Inner Breath had regressed, dragging his cultivation level down with it.
But the result was still encouraging.
"Only 100 points of Inner Breath are needed to complete Basic Progress. That's not much."
Meng Nan breathed a sigh of relief.
At the rate of 2 points of Inner Breath a month, those 100 points would kill him. He would have to spend fifty months—four whole years—cultivating bitterly to finish.
But with the Suoluo Seed's help, it shouldn't take too long.
"Too bad my Inner Breath can't drop to 0."
Meng Nan felt a little regretful.
If this Basic Progress could drain his Inner Breath all the way to 0, that would be perfect.
His actual cultivation realm was higher; he had already reached the Visualization Realm. Going from Fetal Breath Tranquility to Fetal Breath Qi Sensing took only one cultivation session.
He could cultivate once in the morning and once at night, advancing through Fetal Breath Qi Sensing twice a day, going from 0 to 1 each time.
If he repeated that over and over, he could raise Basic Progress by 2% a day.
But unfortunately, that last point of Inner Breath wouldn't budge, and Basic Progress couldn't absorb it.
"Then I'll wait."
Meng Nan got to his feet.
He went to the desk too, writing down a few insights and experiences, then jotting down some everyday matters that weren't confidential. A few brief strokes were enough.
"Finished?"
Zhao Xiaoshuang finished cultivating quickly, and she had written up her insights quickly too. She was watching Meng Nan. When she saw him put down his brush, she went to fetch a basin of hot water.
The couple soaked their feet as they talked.
"I'm not buying fish from Auntie Li's anymore. I happened to run into Sister-in-law today. Auntie Li talks too much—she said I go buy fish every day. You know how she is, too. She didn't even say anything; she just looked at me, and I was so embarrassed I could've died."
Zhao Xiaoshuang's cheeks were a little red.
Even though she had been married for a month, she still couldn't match the shamelessness of experienced married women like Sun Mei and older women like Auntie Li. She was far too bashful.
Meng Nan laughed when he heard that and rubbed his feet together. "Then don't go. Another day, I'll get us a couple of lengths of pig or sheep intestine."
"You're the one who knows all about that!"
Zhao Xiaoshuang lightly tapped Meng Nan's arm. The blush on her face deepened, and she looked up at him, asking softly, "Don't you want children?"
She had asked her sister-in-law, Sun Mei. The customs in Yinlian Village were the same as those back in her maiden home. If she didn't get pregnant soon, it would become a problem.
"Let's wait a little longer."
"If I can reach the Inner Qi Stage by the end of the year, then we won't need to rush into having a child before we turn twenty-four."
"If I can't reach the Inner Qi Stage by the end of the year, then we'll have one first."
Meng Nan had thought carefully about this. He had even been considering it in the future, while spending time with Meng Xingzhe, Meng Jian, and Meng Santan.
After weighing it over and over,
he had decided to wait for now.
Having a child was easy.
Raising one was hard.
Meng Nan was devoted to the Immortal Dao, and he wanted Zhao Xiaoshuang to make progress alongside him. More children would make cultivation as a whole family all the more difficult.
Better not to have one yet.
They could wait until their cultivation had advanced and he and Zhao Xiaoshuang were both capable of raising a child.
As long as he could reach the Inner Qi Stage before the end of the year, they could put off having children.
"What do you think?"
After explaining his thoughts to Zhao Xiaoshuang, Meng Nan asked her.
"I..."
Zhao Xiaoshuang rubbed her belly and pressed her lips together before finally answering, "I'm already pregnant."
"..."
Meng Nan froze.
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