Cultivation Manuals

The sun rises in the east, bringing with it purple qi.

Early morning.

Ye Tong sat cross-legged on the rooftop of the pavilion, facing east to cultivate. The spiritual energy from all directions was slowly absorbed into his body. After the barely perceptible purple qi entered his body, a small amount of toxins was burned away.

After many days of trying, Ye Tong discovered that the amount of purple qi he absorbed daily was extremely scarce. It could only clear the toxins in his body bit by bit, and it was impossible to burn away all the toxins in his body in a short period.

Therefore, to completely resolve his poisoned body, Ye Tong needed to find another method.

However, the Vital Energy in his body had increased significantly. It was now a ball the size of a thumb, circulating within his narrow and fragile meridians according to the cultivation technique's route. Every time this ball of Vital Energy completed a small cycle, it increased by a trace.

But if his cultivation increased at this rate, it would take at least another 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 within Silver Crystals, he could save several months.

"Still too slow!"

Ye Tong opened his eyes and looked at the red sun rising from the horizon. His heart was filled with helplessness. After all, the toxins blocked the absorption of spiritual energy and weakened the growth of Vital Energy, making his cultivation much slower compared to ordinary cultivators.

In the courtyard, seeing Ye Tong finish his cultivation, the Medicine Slave looked up and said with a smile, "Young Master, you're awake?"

Ye Tong sped up the circulation of Vital Energy in his meridians. As a sense of power surged, he gracefully descended and landed in front of the Medicine Slave. He twitched his nose and asked, "Why haven't you brewed the medicinal cuisine today?"

The Medicine Slave chuckled, "Before dawn, this old servant went to the nearby market and heard some good news. Heh heh, there's a medicinal cuisine shop that brews medicinal cuisine which is very beneficial to cultivators. The medicinal ingredients used are all genuine, and the meat is all from high-grade ferocious beasts. This old servant personally went to their kitchen and was very satisfied."

"In that case, you'll have less trouble in the future." Ye Tong couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

The Medicine Slave nodded with a smile and said, "I will be able to have more leisure. This old servant has already spoken to the manager of that medicinal cuisine shop's kitchen. They can specially prepare medicinal cuisine for you. I've also given them the list of required medicinal ingredients. Do you think we should go now, or wait a bit longer?"

"Let's go now! We've been in the county city for two days, and it's time to look around." Ye Tong had only sold elixirs on the first day after arriving in the county city. He hadn't really gone out much and didn't know the county city very well.

"The county city now is quite different from the county city this old servant visited more than ten years ago. Some familiar shops have also disappeared, likely due to business difficulties and closure. However, this county city is rich in resources and has a wide variety of goods. As long as you're willing to spend money, you can buy many good things."

The Medicine Slave's words reminded Ye Tong of his recent gains. The total face value of all the gold and silver notes he had was close to three hundred thousand taels of Blue Gold, which was an enormous sum.

What was the use of money? Of course, it was to buy what he needed. Ye Tong desperately wanted to earn money, but when it was time to spend, he wouldn't be stingy at all.

A street-facing medicinal cuisine shop.

The classical-style pavilion occupied a large area, and the main entrance was also very grand. The three characters "Medicinal Cuisine Shop" written in a flowing calligraphy style, shone with a golden light, dazzling in the sunlight.

As soon as Ye Tong stepped through the entrance, a shop assistant greeted him. After the Medicine Slave announced their names, they were warmly welcomed inside and led to a spacious dining room on the third floor. The entire medicinal cuisine shop was filled with a mouth-watering aroma. Even though Ye Tong wasn't particularly interested in food, he still felt a sense of anticipation.

"Master, should we serve the medicinal cuisine now?" the assistant asked with concern. Not many people in the county city could afford medicinal cuisine.

"My Young Master has arrived, if not now, then when?" the Medicine Slave said cheerfully. "Don't forget to remind Steward Chun that the poisonous medicinal ingredients I left here should be mixed according to the recipe on the list I provided. The amount of medicinal ingredients must be precise."

"Alright." The assistant readily agreed and turned to leave the dining room.

Soon, two steaming bowls of medicinal cuisine were placed before them, their aroma tantalizing. Additionally, the medicinal cuisine shop had prepared four side dishes, each exquisitely made.

"Young Master, please try?" Ye Tong's medicinal cuisine was not afraid of being poisoned, as Ye Tong himself was a source of poison. There were probably no poisons in this world that could kill Ye Tong.

Ye Tong nodded gently and took a spoonful of the medicinal cuisine. His eyes immediately widened in surprise. This medicinal cuisine was very different from what the Medicine Slave brewed. It tasted even more delicious, a true feast for the taste buds. Even after swallowing, the fragrance lingered, leaving a lasting impression.

A moment later.

Ye Tong clearly felt a warm current flowing through his body from the medicinal cuisine he had consumed. The traces of spiritual power contained within were gradually refined, adding a trace of Vital Energy.

"Good!" Ye Tong nodded heavily and couldn't help but exclaim.

He had never imagined that delicious food could bring him such pleasure. This mouthful of medicinal cuisine was like awakening his interest in eating, making him anticipate whether he could eat even more delicious medicinal cuisine and more delicious food in the future.

The Medicine Slave said happily, "It's good that Young Master is satisfied."

"From now on, we'll eat at this medicinal cuisine shop every morning," Ye Tong nodded with great satisfaction.

After speaking, he picked up the exquisitely arranged side dishes again. The fragrant and crispy tender bamboo shoots, pickled with a special method, tasted so good that Ye Tong's appetite was greatly whetted. The other three side dishes were also perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

After eating, Ye Tong patted his stomach, still wanting more. Although he wasn't overly full, his body was warm, and the sense of satisfaction made him feel very happy. He then ordered another portion of the same amount.

After a while.

Ye Tong left the medicinal cuisine shop with a smile, walking along the bustling street with the Medicine Slave.

"How many Silver Crystals does a meal of medicinal cuisine cost?" Ye Tong asked casually.

The Medicine Slave smiled and said, "It's a bit expensive, but it's a drop in the bucket for us. Today's medicinal cuisine cost a total of one thousand eight hundred taels of Blue Silver."

"How much?" The smile on Ye Tong's face froze, and his footsteps stopped instantly. He turned his head with difficulty, looking at the Medicine Slave in disbelief, unable to believe his ears.

Was it... one thousand eight hundred taels of Blue Silver?

Did he hear that wrong?

The Medicine Slave repeated himself. Seeing Ye Tong's expression, he chuckled dryly, "Young Master, it's mainly because you ate two portions today. If it were just one portion, it would only be nine hundred taels of Blue Silver."

Ye Tong took a breath and said with a wry smile, "A meal of medicinal cuisine to fill my stomach costs one thousand eight hundred taels of Blue Silver! How do I feel like I'm going to go bankrupt from eating in the future?"

Although Ye Tong had awakened his memories of his past life, most of it was cultivation inheritance. Ye Tong's own lifestyle and habits were still based on this life. If it were his previous self, he would definitely be someone who treated money as dirt.

"Cough cough..." The Medicine Slave turned his head aside and chuckled dryly, "But this medicinal cuisine is really good. Let alone the taste, even the spiritual power it contains is beneficial to you."

"That's true." Ye Tong thought about the amount of Vital Energy he had gained from those two bowls of medicinal cuisine, which was comparable to a whole day of his own hard cultivation. He gradually felt relieved.

The Medicine Slave turned back and asked with a smile, "So, will we go tomorrow...?"

Ye Tong replied without hesitation, "Yes, why not? It's a bit expensive, but if good things aren't expensive, can they still be called good things?"

"This logic..." The Medicine Slave felt like crying and laughing inwardly.

The two ambled along the street, passing by rows upon rows of shops. They gazed at the dazzling array of items within, feeling a bit overwhelmed. They entered and exited dozens of shops, and the sheer cost of some of the goods made them inwardly gasp.

Finally, the Medicine Slave, feeling a bit weary in the legs, tentatively asked, "Young Master, we've been browsing for so long, and you don't seem to have taken a liking to anything. Is there something specific you're looking to buy?"

Ye Tong thought for a moment and replied, "I want to go to a place that sells sword skill manuals. As far as I know, once cultivators break through to the Innate Realm, they can start practicing combat techniques. Since I'm skilled with the sword, I'll buy a sword skill manual!"

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

North City Sword Academy.

It was no exaggeration to describe it as a mountain estate.

When they arrived, Ye Tong saw countless swords either hanging in stone forests, plunged into sword pools, placed on weapon racks, or stored within pavilions. The sheer variety of long swords and short swords made his eyes blur and his mind reel.

Collection Pavilion.

Composed of four incredibly magnificent pavilions, the Collection Pavilion housed a vast number of sword skill manuals. Beneath each type of sword skill manual was a tag indicating its price.

After observing for a while, Ye Tong felt a bit speechless. The price of every sword skill manual was over ten thousand Blue Silver. Slightly better ones required tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of Blue Silver.

"They're all rubbings!" the Medicine Slave explained, following close behind.

Glancing at the prices of the manuals, Ye Tong inquired, "Do sword skills also have grades?"

The Medicine Slave replied, "That's right. They are divided into three grades. Grade one sword skills are the best, grade two are second best, and grade three are the worst. Generally, only after breaking through to the Innate Realm is it suitable to practice sword skills."

Ye Tong shook his head and said, "As I've said before, there are no absolutes in this world."

The Medicine Slave chuckled, "Young Master's talent is exceptional, so of course, you are an exception. However, grade one and grade two sword skills are very difficult to comprehend and even more challenging to practice. I think you should first purchase a grade three sword skill to cultivate. Once your cultivation breaks through to the Innate Realm, you can then study grade two and grade one sword skills."

"Let me take a look first!" Ye Tong said calmly, carefully flipping through the manuals.

Two hours later.

Ye Tong had selected three satisfactory sword skill manuals: the grade three skill Misty Waves Sword Canon, the grade two skill Surging Waves Heavenward, and the grade one skill Torrential Tide. The total price for the three manuals was four hundred and fifty-eight thousand taels of Blue Silver.

After paying the Blue Silver, they left the academy and returned to the bustling street.

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

Ye Tong pondered for a moment and said, "I'm fine. My consumption of Silver Crystals isn't that high, but yours is. The dozens of Silver Crystals obtained from Mu Xiaochen have been almost halved by you. We need to replenish some."

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

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

"Let alone Gold Crystals, they even have Spirit Crystals, which are higher than Gold Crystals," the Medicine Slave chuckled. "However, the prices are simply too exorbitant. The wealth we possess wouldn't be enough to buy many."

"Two to three million taels of Blue Silver can't even buy a few Spirit Crystals?" Ye Tong, who thought he had escaped the ranks of the poor, suddenly felt his mood sour.