Cultivation Manuals

At sunrise in the east, Purple Qi Comes from the East.

Morning.

Ye Tong sat cross-legged atop the pavilion roof, facing east as he breathed and cultivated. The drifting spiritual energy of heaven and earth from all directions was slowly drawn into his body, while that faint, nearly imperceptible purple qi burned away a small amount of toxin after he absorbed it.

After many days of trying, Ye Tong discovered that the amount of purple qi he absorbed each day was truly too little. He could only clear the toxins from his body bit by bit, as though drawing silk from a cocoon; he could not burn them all away in a short time.

Therefore, if he wanted to completely resolve the problem of his Poison Body, Ye Tong still needed to find another method.

The vital energy within his body, however, had increased considerably from before. It was now about the size of a thumb, flowing through his narrow, fragile meridians along the circulation route of his cultivation method. Every time that ball of vital energy completed a Lesser Celestial Circuit, it increased by a trace.

But if his cultivation continued to grow at such a pace, he would need at least half a year to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Level. Of course, if Ye Tong were willing to absorb the spiritual energy contained in Silver Crystals, he could save several months.

"Still... too slow!"

Ye Tong opened his eyes and looked at the red sun rising beyond the eastern horizon, his heart filled with helplessness. The toxins blocked his absorption of spiritual energy and weakened the growth of his vital energy. Compared with ordinary cultivators, his cultivation was far slower.

Inside the fenced courtyard, seeing Ye Tong finish his cultivation, Medicine Slave raised his head and said with a smile, "Young Master, you're awake?"

Ye Tong accelerated the circulation of vital energy through his meridians. As a sense of strength welled up within him, he drifted lightly down and landed before Medicine Slave. His nose twitched, and he asked, "Why wasn't medicinal cuisine prepared today?"

Medicine Slave smiled. "Before dawn, this old servant took a turn around the nearby market and learned some good news. Hehe, there's a medicinal cuisine restaurant whose dishes are highly beneficial to cultivators. The medicinal ingredients they use are all genuine, and all their meat comes from high-grade ferocious beasts. This old servant personally visited their kitchen and was very satisfied."

"So you'll have less trouble from now on." Ye Tong could not help smiling at that.

Medicine Slave nodded with a smile. "This old servant will indeed have much more leisure. I've already spoken with the manager of that medicinal cuisine restaurant's kitchen. They can open a separate stove specifically to prepare medicinal cuisine for you, and I've given them the list of ingredients we need as well. Shall we go now, Young Master, or wait a little longer?"

"Let's go now. We've been in the prefectural city for two days already. It's time to take a look around." Aside from selling pills on the first day after arriving in the prefectural city, Ye Tong had scarcely gone out wandering. He did not know the city very well.

"The prefectural city now has changed not small from the one this old servant visited over a decade ago. Some familiar shops have vanished without a trace. Business must have been difficult, and they likely closed down. Still, this city is rich in goods and boasts a great variety. As long as one is willing to spend money, one can buy many fine things."

Medicine Slave's words reminded Ye Tong of his recent gains. The combined value of all his gold and silver banknotes was nearly three hundred thousand Blue Gold, an enormous sum.

What was money for? Naturally, it was for buying what one needed. Ye Tong desperately wanted to make money, but when it was time to spend it, he would not be stingy in the slightest.

The medicinal cuisine restaurant by the street.

The classically styled pavilion occupied a large area, and its main entrance was exceptionally imposing. The three flamboyantly written characters, "Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant," gleamed with golden light, especially dazzling beneath the sun.

The moment Ye Tong stepped through the entrance, a shop attendant came forward to greet him. Once Medicine Slave announced their names, they were warmly ushered inside and brought to a spacious dining room on the third floor. Throughout the restaurant drifted an aroma tempting enough to stir one's cravings. Even Ye Tong, who had little interest in appetite, felt some anticipation.

"Master Yao, shall we serve the medicinal cuisine now?" the attendant asked with an attentive expression. Even in the prefectural city, there were not many who could afford medicinal cuisine.

"My young master is here. If we don't serve it now, when will we?" Medicine Slave said cheerfully. "Don't forget to remind Manager Chun: add the poisonous medicinal ingredients I left here according to the ingredient list and formula I gave you. The quantities must be exact, without the slightest error."

"Right away." The attendant readily agreed, then turned and left the dining room.

Very soon, two steaming bowls of medicinal cuisine were placed before them. The fragrance assailed their nostrils and stirred their appetites. In addition, the restaurant had prepared four side dishes, each one exquisitely presented.

"Young Master, would you like to try it?" Ye Tong's medicinal cuisine did not need to fear anyone poisoning it, because Ye Tong himself was a source of poison. There was likely no poison in this world capable of killing him.

Ye Tong nodded lightly and took a spoonful. Surprise immediately appeared on his face. This medicinal cuisine was vastly different from what Medicine Slave prepared. Its flavor was even more delicious, a true feast for the taste buds. Even after swallowing it, the lingering fragrance remained between his lips and teeth, leaving him with endless aftertaste.

A moment later.

Ye Tong clearly felt the medicinal cuisine in his stomach turn into a warm current that spread through his entire body. The wisps of spiritual power contained within it were gradually refined, adding a trace of vital energy.

"Good!" Ye Tong nodded heavily and could not help praising it.

He had never imagined that delicious food could bring him such pleasure. That mouthful of medicinal cuisine seemed to have opened his interest in food, making him wonder whether he might one day eat medicinal cuisine even more delicious than this, or food more exquisite still.

Medicine Slave said delightedly, "It's good as long as Young Master is satisfied."

"From now on, we'll eat at this medicinal cuisine restaurant every morning." Ye Tong nodded, very pleased.

After saying that, he picked up one of the exquisitely arranged side dishes. The tender bamboo shoots were fragrant and crisp, pickled through a special method, and their flavor greatly whetted Ye Tong's appetite. The other three side dishes were likewise complete in color, fragrance, and taste.

After finishing, Ye Tong rubbed his stomach with lingering satisfaction. Though he was not stuffed, his whole body felt warm, and that sense of fulfillment put him in a fine mood. Then, following the same portion size, he ordered another serving.

After quite some time.

Only then did Ye Tong leave the medicinal cuisine restaurant with a smile, taking Medicine Slave along the bustling street.

"How much did that medicinal meal cost?" Ye Tong asked casually.

Medicine Slave smiled. "It was a little expensive, but to us, it's merely a hair from nine oxen. This morning's medicinal cuisine cost a total of eighteen hundred Blue Silver."

"How much?" The smile on Ye Tong's face froze, and his footsteps stopped in an instant. He turned his head with difficulty and stared at Medicine Slave in disbelief, hardly daring to believe his ears.

Eighteen hundred Blue Silver?

Had he heard wrong?

Medicine Slave repeated himself. Seeing Ye Tong's expression, he gave a dry laugh. "Young Master, it's mainly because you ate two servings today. One serving would only cost nine hundred Blue Silver."

Ye Tong let out a breath and smiled bitterly. "A filling medicinal meal costs eighteen hundred Blue Silver! Why do I have the feeling that I'll eat myself into bankruptcy someday?"

Although Ye Tong had awakened the memories of his past life, most of them consisted of cultivation inheritances. Ye Tong's own habits and character were still primarily shaped by this life. If it had been the former Ye Tong, he would definitely have been someone who regarded money as dung.

"Ahem..." Medicine Slave turned his head aside and laughed awkwardly. "But this medicinal cuisine truly is good. Setting aside its flavor, the spiritual power it contains is beneficial to you."

"That's true." Thinking of how much vital energy those two bowls of medicinal cuisine had added to him, comparable to a full day of hard cultivation, Ye Tong gradually accepted it.

Medicine Slave turned back and asked with a smile, "Then tomorrow... shall we still go?"

Without hesitation, Ye Tong said, "Of course. Why wouldn't we? It's a little expensive, but if good things weren't expensive, could they still be called good things?"

"That logic..." Medicine Slave did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The two strolled along the street, passing rows upon rows of shops. Looking at the dazzling array of goods inside, they felt their eyes nearly blur. They entered shops dozens of times and left dozens of times. Some of the outrageously expensive items they encountered made both of them secretly click their tongues in amazement.

Finally, with his legs beginning to ache, Medicine Slave tentatively asked, "Young Master, we've wandered around for so long, but you don't seem to have taken a liking to anything. Is there something you wish to buy?"

Ye Tong thought for a moment, then said, "I want to visit a place that sells sword skill manuals. As far as I know, once cultivators break through to the Innate Realm, they can cultivate combat skills. I'm skilled with the sword, so I'll buy a sword skill manual."

Hearing Ye Tong's words, Medicine Slave immediately said, "Then let's go to North City Sword Academy."

North City Sword Academy.

Calling it a mountain estate would not have been inappropriate.

After the two arrived, Ye Tong saw countless swords—some hanging amid stone groves, some plunged into sword pools, some resting upon weapon racks, and some stored within pavilions. Long swords and short swords in every imaginable style left his eyes dazzled and his heart swaying.

Collection Pavilion.

The Collection Pavilion consisted of four immensely grand buildings and stored a vast number of sword skill manuals. Beneath every kind of sword skill manual was a label marked with its price.

After observing for a while, Ye Tong was somewhat speechless, because every sword skill manual cost more than ten thousand Blue Silver. Slightly better ones cost tens of thousands of Blue Silver, while some even required hundreds of thousands.

"They're all copies!" Medicine Slave explained from beside him.

His gaze sweeping over the prices of those manuals, Ye Tong asked, "Are sword skills graded as well?"

Medicine Slave said, "That's right. They are divided into three grades. First-grade Sword Skills are the best, Second-grade Sword Skills come next, and Third-grade Sword Skills are the worst. Generally, only those who have broken through to the Innate Realm are suited to cultivate sword skills."

Ye Tong shook his head. "I'll say it again: nothing in this world is absolute."

Medicine Slave smiled. "Young Master's talent is exceptional, so naturally you are an exception. Still, First-grade Sword Skills and Second-grade Sword Skills are too difficult to comprehend, and practicing them is extraordinarily difficult as well. I think you should first buy a Third-grade Sword Skill to cultivate. Once your cultivation breaks through to the Innate Realm, you can study Second-grade Sword Skills and First-grade Sword Skills."

"Let's look first." Ye Tong spoke calmly and began carefully leafing through the manuals.

Two hours later.

Ye Tong selected three sword skill manuals he found satisfactory: the Third-grade Sword Skill Misty Waves Sword Canon, the Second-grade Sword Skill Surging Waves Heavenward, and the First-grade Sword Skill Torrential Tide. The three sword skill manuals cost a total of four hundred and fifty-eight thousand Blue Silver.

After paying the Blue Silver, the two left the sword academy and returned to the bustling streets.

Medicine Slave asked, "Young Master, is there anything else you need?"

Ye Tong pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm fine. I don't consume many Silver Crystals, but you consume a great deal. Of the several dozen Silver Crystals obtained from Mu Xiaochen, you've used nearly half. We need to replenish them."

Medicine Slave's eyes lit up. "Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

Ye Tong asked, "Besides Silver Crystals, do they have Gold Crystals there?"

"Forget Gold Crystals—even Origin Crystals, which are higher-grade than Gold Crystals, are sold there." Medicine Slave laughed heartily. "It's just that the prices are truly too high. With the money we possess, we could not buy more than a few."

"Two or three million Blue Silver, and we still can't buy more than a few Origin Crystals?" Ye Tong, who had originally thought he had escaped the ranks of the poor, instantly found his mood darkening.