Chen Mo picked up the Transmission Jade Talisman and sent his Spiritual Sense into it to look up the question he had just raised. Having Spiritual Sense now was truly convenient; he could search the Transmission Jade Talisman freely. He was also deeply grateful to his Master. He had not expected him to prepare everything so thoroughly, with every question and cultivation stage explained one by one.
It turned out that cultivators still needed to eat during the Qi Refining Realm, though it was best to consume Spiritual Plants, which could better solidify the body's muscles and bones. If none were available, ordinary ingredients would do as well, but less Spiritual Energy would be converted into True Essence during cultivation, because some of the Spiritual Energy had to cleanse the body and expel toxic substances.
Only then did Chen Mo understand. Aside from the large amounts of Black Waste expelled during his first few cultivation sessions, the amount had gradually decreased afterward, yet it had never stopped entirely. It seemed the food he had always eaten contained toxins. In the future, he would have to search carefully for Spiritual Plants and bring them into the Universe Bead to grow them, so that both he and his family could enjoy them. But then again, he was a bit of a foodie himself. Asking him to give up eating was simply impossible. Now that he had the Universe Bead, though, he seemed to be able to grow vegetables and the like. It looked like he needed to put that on the agenda as well. Of course, everything would have to wait until the first Restriction was unlocked.
After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, cultivators could reduce their food intake and use Bigu Pills to maintain their physiological functions. This allowed the Spiritual Energy drawn inside the body to be fully converted into their own True Essence. There were also some rare Spiritual Plants that could sustain Bigu for years or even a hundred years after eating just one. However, such Spiritual Plants were rare even in the Cultivation World, so cultivators either ate Spiritual Plants, Spirit Grain, Spirit Beasts, and the like, or they consumed Bigu Pills.
Chen Mo felt despondent. On Earth, he would probably only be able to eat ordinary plants. Finding even one Spiritual Plant would be unimaginably difficult.
Since he was hungry, he could only get up and make himself something to eat. To his surprise, the moment he stood up, he felt both delighted and depressed. The clothes he was wearing had all become too small. Qi Refining Layer One had caused his body to develop again, and he had suddenly shot up in height. He was probably a whole head taller than before. The muscles on his body had also taken on a defined, streamlined appearance—not the bulky, swollen sort, but smooth lines filled with strength while remaining perfectly balanced. Even his facial features had undergone subtle adjustments. He was already much better-looking than his formerly ordinary self, and as his cultivation deepened, his appearance would become increasingly natural and serene, while his bearing would grow exceptionally distinguished.
Chen Mo took off his clothes and turned in front of the mirror for quite a while. Somewhat narcissistically, he said, "Hmm! I'm starting to fall for myself!"
After hurriedly eating something, he went out for a walk to clear his mind. He had been a little too impatient with his cultivation. Only by easing that mindset could he better see the road ahead. The very first sentence in the Transmission Jade Talisman reminded him to guard against arrogance and impatience: cultivation of the Dao was cultivation of the heart; those with a steadfast Dao Heart could hope to reach the Nascent Soul Realm! He was therefore deeply grateful for Master Ye Shang's reminder. Following his advice, whenever he felt restless, he would go for a walk to soothe the anxiety in his heart.
After returning to his room, he did not rush to refine the Universe Bead. Instead, he took out the Storage Bag and wanted to see what was inside.
When he sent his Spiritual Sense inside, he found a space about the size of a room. In one corner lay several glittering jade stones, a short sword, a book, and a bundle of long hair.
After taking them out, he understood that the glittering jade stones were Low-grade Spirit Stones, used for cultivation. There was also the short sword, about eighty centimeters long. Its entire body was green and emitted a piercingly sharp aura. It appeared to be made of neither jade nor metal, had no guard, and looked like nothing more than a blade, with sharp points at both ends. This was a Flying Sword-type Magic Treasure. It did not need to be held in the hand; after refinement, it could be empowered with hand seals to attack others. Three Ancient Seal Script characters were inscribed on the blade: "Green Jade Sword."
The title of the book was Pill Formula. Each page contained one pill formula, followed by explanations and illustrations of each medicinal ingredient, along with refinement instructions. There were eighteen pill formulas in total. The first was the Qi Condensation Pill, and there were also Bigu Pills and others. This delighted Chen Mo immensely. Though he did not know whether these pill formulas could be successfully refined on Earth, having the formulas at least gave him hope.
Lastly, there was the bundle of long hair, tied with a Colorful Wing and extremely beautiful. However, Chen Mo did not examine it closely. This hair must have been Master Ye Shang's token of love, so he should preserve it carefully. Ideally, he could place it together with his Master someday, so it could keep him company.
Those were the only items in the Storage Bag. After Chen Mo examined them, he put them back. None of them could be used for now. The most urgent matters were refining the Universe Bead and stabilizing his Qi Refining Layer One cultivation.
First, he stabilized his cultivation according to the cultivation hand seals of the Qi Refining Realm. The cultivation method for Qi Induction was different from that of the Qi Refining Realm, but everything above the Qi Refining Realm was the same, differing only in the quality of the cultivation method. Yet aside from the cultivation hand seals Master Ye Shang had passed down to him, Chen Mo had nothing else to choose from. He had no idea whether this cultivation method was good or bad, but since Master Ye Shang had cultivated all the way to the Nascent Soul Realm, it should be decent.
The night passed without incident. In the early morning, Chen Mo slowly drew his True Essence into his Dantian. His Qi Refining Layer One realm had been stabilized. He used his Spiritual Sense to raise the Universe Bead in his hand to eye level, then pierced his finger and covered the Universe Bead in blood. After that, he began refining the Universe Bead according to the hand seals passed down to him. His Cultivation Level was too low, so he could only begin refining the Restriction through Blood Sacrifice. If his Cultivation Level had been at the Nascent Soul Realm, he would not have needed Blood Sacrifice.
After an entire morning, he had barely completed over a hundred hand seals, and that was only the first layer of Restriction. Thinking of the ten more layers of Restriction to come, Chen Mo could only sigh for himself. The miserable days still lay ahead.
Just like that, ten days later, Chen Mo finally completed the refinement of the first Restriction on the Universe Bead. The Universe Bead instantly emitted a dazzling white light before his eyes, shooting toward his brow along with the radiance.
By the time Chen Mo reacted and tried to dodge, the Universe Bead had already vanished. Only after sinking his mind inward did he discover that the Universe Bead was slowly rotating above his Dantian. With every rotation, a thread of Spiritual Energy merged into his Dantian, strengthening the True Essence within it. Another nearly imperceptible trace of aura rose into his Sea of Consciousness, seemingly strengthening his Soul Power. That aura was so faint that he would not notice it without paying attention, but small amounts accumulated over time, and it could greatly strengthen Chen Mo's Soul Power.
If the Cultivation World learned of such a treasure, they would absolutely smash Chen Mo into pulp before seizing the Universe Bead. Even in the Cultivation World, this function was said to belong only to legendary Innate Spiritual Treasures.
His Master Ye Shang had been murdered when no one even knew what the Little White Bead was. If others learned of it, Chen Mo himself would certainly become a target for all! Therefore, Chen Mo secretly swore that he would never let anyone know about the Universe Bead, including his parents. As the saying went, when a ruler failed to keep secrets, he lost his ministers; when ministers failed to keep secrets, they lost themselves; when important matters were not kept secret, they became harmful.
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