Why Cultivate?

The journey had been bumpy, and after the assessment and killing two people, Ye Qiu felt tired, even if none of it had taken much effort.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

When he opened them again, night had fallen. He heard movement outside.

He went out and found Nan Qingyue crouched before the makeshift stove, her round backside sticking out as she blew on the fire.

Ye Qiu took a look. It really was round!

Nan Qingyue stood, picked up a ladle, stirred the pot a few times, and served up a plate of food.

She carried it to a Stone Table at the mountaintop. Two large steamed buns sat on it.

Ye Qiu walked over. Nan Qingyue said, "The buns are mine. Both of them. If you want food, figure something out yourself."

Ye Qiu was hungry, but one look at Nan Qingyue's dish killed his appetite.

He opened his Storage Ring and took out some flatbreads South Mountain had brought.

After a moment's thought, he went to the stove. Some simple greens lay nearby.

He lit the fire, heated the pan, poured in oil... and stir-fried the greens.

Soon, a small dish was ready.

Ye Qiu brought it to the Stone Table, took out a flatbread, and began eating slowly.

Nan Qingyue glanced at his dish, glistening with oil, then at her own. Something seemed wrong with hers.

While Ye Qiu wasn't looking, she snatched a bite with her chopsticks and tasted it. Her eyes lit up at once!

Delicious!

Then, with Ye Qiu watching, she openly dug in.

Ye Qiu did not stop her. The ingredients were hers, after all. Besides, it proved his cooking was pretty good.

He had been sent to South Mountain at seven. At first, he had been frightened, desperate, and lost...

He had cried, made a fuss, grieved...

But gradually, he understood. His mother was gone. He could no longer be a child.

He had to grow up.

No.

A child without a mother had to grow up!

So he became sensible and resilient, learning many skills to survive, including how to fill his stomach.

His grandfather had treated him well. He always had. But back then, his grandfather had been busy with family affairs and simply could not attend to everything.

Ye Qiu did not like troubling others, either. Asking once or twice was fine, but do it too often and trouble followed.

Even in his grandfather's home.

So he chose to do things himself.

And ten years passed that way...

"You're a good cook." Full and content, Nan Qingyue found Ye Qiu a little more agreeable.

Ye Qiu smiled. "I'm all right."

Nan Qingyue said, "Since you're so good at cooking, I've decided... from now on, you're responsible for every meal on this mountain."

Ye Qiu looked at her.

Nan Qingyue said, "Don't argue with a woman, especially on Green Moon Mountain. That's just asking to die!"

Ye Qiu fell silent.

Nan Qingyue stood. "I have something to take care of. Do as you please."

With that, a Qi Sword appeared beneath her feet. She stepped onto it and shot into the sky.

Sword Control Technique!

Ye Qiu gazed after her with longing. Sword Cultivators really were incredible. They could fly on swords, and at terrifying speed!

With that burst of speed alone, Ye Qiu reckoned that even if he gave it everything he had, he could not have touched her backside.

Nan Qingyue vanished over the horizon in a streak of sword light...

Ye Qiu looked away and asked inwardly, Brother Snake, do you have any way to make me fly right now?

The Great Serpent said, "Sure."

Ye Qiu asked, "Can you teach me?"

The Great Serpent said, "No."

Ye Qiu: "..."

The Great Serpent said, "That technique burns your own Qi and Blood. You don't have much blood yet. I'm afraid you'd burn it all away."

"All right." Ye Qiu sat on the mountaintop, closed his eyes, and continued contemplating his Fist Technique and Blade Technique.

Essence Qi and Spirit!

The images of the Fist Technique and Blade Technique both held powerful Essence Qi and Spirit—an imposing force that could break ten thousand arts!

If I throw a punch, I'll smash anyone to pieces!

If I draw my blade, I'll cut down every demon and monster!

Ye Qiu immersed himself in the techniques, using their movements to cultivate that Essence, Qi, and God.

After a long while, he stood and followed the path down the mountain, heading straight for the Tower District.

The Academy had Cultivation Towers too—not just one, but a whole cluster.

Those Cultivation Towers served all kinds of purposes.

Body Refinement, Law Refining, Dao Comprehension...

After some thought, he approached one tower and showed his identity token. The old man at the entrance stepped aside.

Ye Qiu went in.

It was a Gravity Cultivation Tower!

Cultivating under gravity yielded twice the results with half the effort.

The gravity here was far more fearsome than in the Wen Family Cultivation Tower. Ye Qiu felt the pressure by the Third Layer.

He gritted his teeth and climbed to the Fourth Layer, then the Fifth Layer.

By the Sixth Layer, his body had begun to tremble.

His bones creaked and cracked!

The tower had ten floors in all!

"This will do." Ye Qiu took a deep breath, walked up to a large black bell, and began practicing his Fist Technique.

At first, his punches were heavy and clumsy.

But gradually, he adapted to the pressure. His fists grew more nimble, then faster and faster.

And fiercer, too.

Yet when his fists struck the bell, it made no sound.

It was a test!

It meant his punches were not strong enough!

After a long while, Ye Qiu's fists began to hurt.

He opened his Storage Ring and took out his blade.

It was an oversized Broad Saber, custom-forged to suit his fighting style. It was heavy!

But now it felt much lighter.

His strength had grown too much!

When he had the chance, he would need to commission an even heavier blade!

Boom—

He began using his Blade Technique, chopping at the bell again and again.

Still, he could not make it ring!

"Something's wrong..."

After a long while, Ye Qiu stopped.

Both his fistwork and bladework had improved greatly, but compared with the image in his mind, that spirit was still far beyond him.

Or rather, what he was doing did not feel the same at all.

He asked inwardly, Brother Snake, do you have any pointers?

The Great Serpent thought for a moment, then asked, "Tell me. Why do you cultivate?"

Ye Qiu said, "To become strong!"

The Great Serpent asked, "Why do you want to be strong?"

Ye Qiu said, "To break off my engagement!"

The Great Serpent: "...That won't work."

Ye Qiu: "???"

The Great Serpent said, "I can't use my routine with that answer. Give me a different one."

"..."

After some thought, Ye Qiu asked, "Then tell me what answer you need."

The Great Serpent said, "To stay alive... to face any enemy and come out alive!"

Ye Qiu nodded. "Right!"

The Great Serpent said, "So look at that bell and treat it as your enemy. If you don't smash it, it'll kill you!"

"Now hit it!"

Clang—

Ye Qiu immediately slashed the bell.

A peal rang out.

Ye Qiu's eyes lit up.

The Great Serpent was stunned. "Am I that good a teacher?"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Ye Qiu slashed again and again. The bell kept ringing, and even its body began to tremble.

He felt as though he had found the right path.

He imagined the bell was Lu Li!

There really was a force of spirit...