Observing the Sword Immortal and Condensing the Dao Fruit

An Le had never understood the function of Time Qi. Though he had tried many times, he never found any clue.

In fact, An Le was equally baffled by the Time Dao Fruit column on that Light Screen.

This time, he had drawn a third strand of Time Qi from the top Flower Queen, Fairy Yun Rou. But this strand was unusual—it turned golden, burned on its own, and brought forth a vision, allowing him to see the Female Sword Immortal up close.

As the scroll unfurled, his entire mind was pulled into it, observing from a third-person perspective, much like watching a movie.

An Le remained silent. In truth, he couldn't make a sound anyway.

Inside the boudoir, gauze curtains billowed. The scent of rouge and powder lingered at the tip of his nose, carrying a hint of allure.

Fairy Yun Rou wore a thin robe, her fragrant shoulders exposed, her fair skin as dazzling as fresh snow, drawing the eye. Lower still were her proud, towering curves.

Unlike the Fairy Yun Rou who had crossed West Lake by Sword Control, this Yun Rou wore no veil, revealing a face of ethereal, stunning beauty.

It was said that few had ever seen Fairy Yun Rou's True Appearance. Even the wealthy nobles who spent tens of thousands of silver to board the flower boat only ever met the veiled Yun Rou.

An Le never expected to glimpse the fairy's true face like this.

This freebie felt great...

Saved him a lot of silver.

Of course, An Le only glanced at it once before his attention was drawn to the green mist rising from Fairy Yun Rou's head.

What kind of posture was this?

Inside the room, invisible currents seemed to swirl. Though the door and windows were tightly shut, the gauze curtains and light veils whipped about as if struck by a hurricane, howling without cease.

"She's cultivating!"

An Le immediately made the judgment. This bizarre posture had no other explanation.

Could Time Qi allow him to witness Fairy Yun Rou's cultivation process?

But watching it, aside from getting to feast his eyes on Fairy Yun Rou's pleasing face, seemed otherwise useless.

After all, watching her cultivate didn't mean he could learn to cultivate himself.

An Le sighed inwardly with regret. Perhaps the long-awaited function of Time Qi wasn't as satisfying as he'd hoped, leaving him in low spirits.

He continued watching Fairy Yun Rou cultivate. The aura in the room grew more intense. Faint azure streams of air appeared out of nowhere, converging in Yun Rou's palm, slowly seeping in.

They spread through Yun Rou's entire body, making her Shine Brightly.

Finally, Fairy Yun Rou opened her eyes. The fierce winds in the room abruptly ceased.

The corners of the fairy's lips curled up. She stretched her arms upward, arching her back in a lazy stretch, and a most seductive hum escaped her Mouth and Nose.

"My cultivation has finally broken through the Spirit Bone Realm and stepped into the Inner Core Realm. An eighteen-year-old Inner Core—even across the entire Great Zhao, there are few!"

Fairy Yun Rou was delighted and proud, muttering to herself.

"Yun Rou, you're the best! One day, you will surely become the number one Female Sword Immortal of Great Zhao! Charge, charge, charge!"

Fairy Yun Rou clenched her fists and pumped them repeatedly, brimming with fighting spirit.

On this day, having broken through in cultivation, Fairy Yun Rou was the most triumphant person in the world.

But this chuunibyou display left An Le dumbfounded. So the icy, aloof Flower Queen Yun Rou also had this adorable side that outsiders had never seen.

After witnessing Fairy Yun Rou's charmingly naive demeanor, the scene before him began to slowly dissolve. Finally, the scroll closed.

That strand of Golden Time Qi, like incense burned to ash, Disappeared.

The surrounding noise returned. Night had fallen, and the scattered lights gradually climbed into view.

An Le's eyes regained clarity, but his mind was replaying what he had just seen.

He had witnessed the moment Fairy Yun Rou broke through in cultivation. An eighteen-year-old Inner Core—she was immensely proud, treasuring that instant as her moment of triumph?

In truth, it was indeed worthy of pride. Though An Le couldn't cultivate, he had some basic understanding of it.

An eighteen-year-old Inner Core, across the entire Great Zhao, was enough to look down on all comers.

But why would a genius who achieved Inner Core at eighteen end up as a Flower Queen on a flower boat? Wasn't that blatantly raising the industry's overall standards, trying to crush the other Flower Queens?

"Flower Queen" sounded nice, but it was still a life in the dust. In many people's eyes, it was a lowly trade.

"Perhaps this Fairy Yun Rou... carries some secret unknown to others."

"Even if she does hold a secret, it's not something a mortal like me can uncover."

Without dwelling too much on Fairy Yun Rou's identity, An Le thought of something and called up the Light Screen before him.

Name: An Le

Time Qi: 2 strands

Time Dao Fruit: Cultivation Genius (0/10)

Note: Cultivation Genius (Dao Fruit): When cultivating, speed is doubled, sensitivity to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy is increased, and comprehension ability is enhanced.

His pupils contracted slightly. The light screen changed, a wisp of Time Qi consumed, and the strand of Golden Time Qi he had just absorbed had indeed disappeared.

In the Time Dao Fruit column, the words "Cultivation Genius" appeared as a prompt.

In other words, by glimpsing the moment Fairy Yun Rou broke through to the Inner Core stage, he had condensed the Time Dao Fruit "Cultivation Genius"?

He glanced at the annotation for the Cultivation Genius Dao Fruit, and joy surged in An Le's heart.

He couldn't wait to take a deep breath and close his eyes slightly. He truly sensed something different.

Between Heaven and Earth, a unique current of air seemed to stir.

That was Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!

It was said that Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy filled every corner of the world, perceptible only to cultivators.

Those with talent could absorb it, refine it into their bodies, and step onto the path of cultivation.

Those without talent couldn't even sense it—just like the An Le of before.

An Le had been tested before; this body had no cultivation talent, which was why his family had arranged for him to pursue the path of scholarship.

The original owner had been quite gifted in studies, passing the provincial exam and earning the rank of juren, then coming to the capital for the Spring Examination, aiming for the second-tier jinshi rank.

Though second-tier jinshi weren't as prestigious as first-tier, they could still become officials—just not high-ranking ones. But nothing was absolute; with the appreciation of a powerful figure, there was still a chance to rise high.

And now, An Le could sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. This meant he had cultivation talent!

An Le's heart raced as he pondered continuously.

He was gradually forming guesses about how to use the light screen.

Time Qi, perhaps, recorded moments when a person's emotions fluctuated violently.

Emotions rose and fell with a person's growth, like a calm river occasionally stirred by waves.

There were highs, lows, anger, and helplessness—and these moments could all be recorded by Time Qi.

He, An Le, might be able to glimpse these moments through Time Qi and condense Time Dao Fruits from them.

"Hahaha, no matter what, I, An Le, can cultivate now!"

An Le couldn't help but burst into laughter.

On the embankment of West Lake, the crowd surged. An Le stood amidst the sea of people, grinning widely, venting the excitement and turmoil within him.

In this vast world, people were like mayflies drifting between Heaven and Earth, as insignificant as a grain of millet in the ocean. But if one could cultivate, there was a chance to soar high and live a brilliant, carefree life.

He suddenly raised his wine flask, pouring it into his mouth without pause. The liquor trickled down his throat, soaking into his chest.

An Le chuckled softly, walking forward without stopping.

The night was deep.

The green-robed youth drank fine wine heartily, his figure fading into the dim glow of the lanterns.

The flask was drained. The evening breeze blew, sobering An Le's tipsy mood.

He arrived at a bookshop. Though An Le now possessed the "Cultivation Genius" Dao Fruit and could cultivate, he knew nothing about cultivation itself—he had no path to start on.

So, he came to the bookshop.

The shopkeeper was at the counter, calculating something by lamplight, the abacus beads clicking rapidly.

An Le stepped inside, immediately catching the shopkeeper's attention. "Customer, the shop is closed. Come back tomorrow to buy books."

An Le thought for a moment, then said, "Shopkeeper, do you sell any books on the basics of cultivation?"

The shopkeeper paused, raised the lamp, and gave An Le a careful look. Though he was a youth, his age was a bit old to be starting cultivation basics.

"Basic cultivation texts are taught in academies everywhere. If you didn't cultivate back then, you can't cultivate now," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"But since this is a bookshop, of course we sell the Great Zhao Cultivation Enlightenment Record, published by the court. If you want it, I can have someone prepare it, and you can pick it up tomorrow."

Hearing this, An Le brushed off his green robe, clasped his hands, and bowed. "Thank you, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper held the lamp in one hand and a brush in the other, waving dismissively with a smile. "You're too kind, customer."

But An Le changed his tone. "However, I have an urgent need for it tonight. Would you be willing to sell me the book now?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback, frowning slightly, about to refuse.

Then he heard An Le say seriously, "I can pay extra."

The shopkeeper's words caught in his throat, then he swallowed them back and smiled, changing his tune. "Please wait a moment, customer."

The shopkeeper carried the lamp into the back room and soon returned with a blue-covered book.

"This is the Great Zhao Cultivation Enlightenment Record. It's the only cultivation-related book this shop has for sale. It's published by the court and is quite useless for real cultivators. If you want it, it'll be two taels of silver," the shopkeeper said.

Two taels for a single book wasn't cheap, but it wasn't too expensive either—likely the price after the markup.

An Le did not haggle. He was eager to find a path into cultivation, so without hesitation, he poured two pieces of silver from his money pouch and handed them to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper weighed them on a small scale and returned a few copper coins to An Le.

An Le took the books, returned to his room at the inn, lit the lamp, and began to leaf through them.

The "Great Zhao Cultivation Enlightenment Record" was not actually created by the Great Zhao court; it was inherited from the previous dynasty, revised and amended on the original foundation as a basic cultivation primer.

The book introduced a cultivation method called the "Qi Induction Breathing Technique," a very fundamental technique.

There was also a set of fist techniques called the "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist." An Le was thrilled by the domineering name at first glance, but after flipping through it, he realized that the "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist" was indeed a martial art created by the founding emperor of Great Zhao, yet it had been stripped down to just three common starting moves. He immediately found it dull.

It can be said that any cultivator in Great Zhao could at least perform those three moves of the "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist."

And so, the reputation of the Zhao Ancestor grew.

The Zhao Ancestor Long Fist could even be considered the calisthenics of Great Zhao.

With the "Cultivation Genius" Dao Fruit boosting him, An Le read through the "Zhao Ancestor Long Fist (Beginner Edition)" once by lamplight and grasped most of it.

An Le did not rush to practice the fist techniques. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes slightly, and followed the circulation path of the Qi Induction Breathing Technique to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

Inhale, exhale... At first, An Le was a bit clumsy, but after several repetitions, his breathing grew smoother.

However, smooth as it was, An Le still could not capture the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

He furrowed his brow.

Suddenly, a Light Screen popped up before him, and An Le couldn't help but glance at it.

Name: An Le

Time Qi: 2 strands

Time Dao Fruit: Cultivation Genius (0/10 strands)

Mastered Techniques: Qi Induction Breathing Technique (0 strands)

An Le was stunned for a moment, then joy surged in his heart.

There was actually an extra column on the Light Screen!

The functions of this Light Screen could still be further developed!

ps: New book sets sail, please follow and support with Recommendation Tickets!