Firewood

The winter nights in Di'an are cold, with no stars, no moon, only a deathly silence.

Emerging from the kitchen, Xu Yuan carried a steaming bowl of three dishes and a soup through the cold winter night, his mind drifting into random memories.

Although the word "cooking" seems a bit out of place for Xu Changge, the cold-faced CEO, the fact is that this elder brother can indeed cook, and the food tastes pretty good.

I remember that after my mother passed away, my father and maternal uncle disappeared for a long time, and the four children in the family were confined to the inner courtyard.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the old man and his maternal uncle made many arrangements in the inner courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion before leaving, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

As the only sensible child at the time, Xu Changge, the eldest, didn't cook, the other three younger children wouldn't even need to be assassinated; they would starve to death first.

As his thoughts wandered, Xu Yuan unconsciously tightened his grip on the plate in his hand as he passed by Xu Changge's courtyard gate.

Although I'm reluctant to admit it, Xu Changge is indeed a good older brother.

Aside from not liking to use his mouth to speak, he was a good older brother in every sense of the word.

after all,

Before being confined to his home, he had just witnessed his mother being murdered right before his eyes.

Even so,

However, even though he was already quite old, he still didn't reveal any of this to his three siblings.

"Call"

With a sigh, Xu Yuan walked past Xu Changge's door, composed himself, and then carried the food back to his own room.

Tonight's dinner was a bit too lavish for Xu Xinyao alone.

Five meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and one soup.

This was the usual treatment the family received when they ate together. Xu Changge had done so much, and Xu Yuan should also have a share in it.

However, Xu Yuan showed no intention of touching his chopsticks, simply sitting quietly to the side and watching.

As a typical young lady from a respectable family, Xu Xinyao ate with the same gentle and graceful manner as usual, chewing slowly and making no noise.

The bamboo chopsticks lightly touched the porcelain bowl, and the crisp, tinkling sound became the only noise at that moment.

"Third Brother, are you really not going to eat?"

After swallowing a piece of delicate spiced fish, Xu Xinyao suddenly raised her eyes to look at Xu Yuan opposite her.

Xu Yuan snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the abundant and tempting array of ingredients on the table, and shook his head with a light laugh:

"Cultivators below the Body Fusion need to eat to maintain their bodily functions, but those at the Body Fusion can use Source Qi to replace food."

Xu Xinyao chuckled, glanced at Xu Yuan was speaking with a hint of smugness, and tapped the edge of the porcelain plate with her bamboo chopsticks:

"Third Brother, you're not eating because of the Source Qi contained in the Demon Beast meat and spiritual vegetables, right?"

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, then nodded with a hint of helplessness, glancing at his palm:

"My body can't digest these foods right now."

The ingredients kept in the inner courtyard's kitchen are all Higher Vehicle Spirit Cuisine carefully selected by the servants. Although the Source Qi contained in them cannot compare to those breakthrough pills, they are harmless to the body. Long-term consumption can strengthen the physique even for ordinary people.

The problem is that Xu Yuan's physical condition is now separated from that of ordinary cultivators by a thick barrier.

What is a miraculous herb to one is a poison to another.

His current physical condition prevents him from absorbing Source Qi, and the black Source Qi within his body even causes a rejection reaction.

Small amounts can be eliminated through Cultivation Method, but large amounts may even lead to Qi Deviation possession.

During this time, Xu Yuan had been thankful more than once for breaking through to the Body Fusion in his sleep. Without the Body Fusion Realm, he might now be forced to live by cannibalism, just like in Huizhou County.

However, this cannot continue indefinitely. With no new Qi flowing out, his source Source Qi will eventually be depleted.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan gently tapped the table, looked at the newly engraved array patterns in the room, and asked with a hint of anticipation:

"The formation is complete?"

After finishing her meal, Xu Xinyao gently placed the bamboo chopsticks aside.

"It's only half done, and you, Third Brother, need to personally test the results."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes, but he quickly accepted it.

The development of a completely new formation is often measured in years, so it is already quite remarkable that Xu Xinyao was able to figure it out in just two months.

As he was thinking this, Xu Yuan suddenly felt the surrounding light dim.

Looking up, I saw that a thin layer of mist had appeared in the room at some point. It was white and looked very thin, but it was extremely effective at blocking light.

Xu Xinyao was only a little over a meter away from him, but her slender figure was already out of sight.

Upon seeing this change, Xu Yuan's brows furrowed subconsciously, but the immediate sense of closeness he felt made him realize that this was the "half-finished" formation that Xu Xinyao had mentioned.

"Brother, try breathing in and out this mist."

Xu Xinyao's voice came from within the mist.

She's manipulating the formation.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan did not hesitate and began to circulate his internal energy, something he hadn't done in a long time.

After the Source Qi within his body circulated for one full cycle, everything around him that had been shrouded in mist instantly became clear.

Like a fish or dragon entering water, he felt as if he were connected with this mist.

But this clarity wasn't visual; rather, it was like the God's-eye view he had when his Strange Ghost form moved through the Abyssal Rift, allowing him to clearly perceive even a speck of dust within the room.

Upon realizing this, Xu Yuan immediately dispelled his Cultivation Method, raised his fingertips and gently traced the white mist swirling in the room, softly asking:

How is this fog generated?

Xu Xinyao's smiling voice came from the other side:

"Yin Source, Life Source, and Source Qi are all intangible things, but after Xin Yao merged the three with an array, this mist was inexplicably generated."

"No, I mean how it was done. This shouldn't be a formation that could be developed in just two months, right?"

"Um"

Upon hearing this question, Xu Xinyao hesitated and murmured softly, as if considering how to phrase it in a way that Xu Yuan would understand.

After a while, the mist dissipated, and Xu Xinyao reappeared on the opposite side of the table. Her slender fingertips gently rested on the teacup, and she said softly:

"At first, Xin Yao's approach could only complete the extraction of the Yingui within two months at most. However, after her master gave her a reminder, Xin Yao suddenly realized that it seemed possible to address the issue directly at its root."

"The root cause?" Xu Yuan asked with a hint of doubt.

Xu Xinyao smiled, her eyes crinkling, and asked in return:

"Brother, how do you think the source of life and the source of yin are generated?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

"Brother, you thought of that too, didn't you?"

Xu Xinyao gently lifted the porcelain cup and swirled it in her hand, causing ripples to spread across the fragrant tea inside.

"Source Qi,

"No matter how special the Yingui and Strange Ghost may be, ultimately they all need to strengthen themselves by breathing in Source Qi."

"As soon as this thought came to mind, Xin Yao asked her master to have a hundred Yingui and a dozen Strange Ghost brought over for live research."

"Originally, I wanted to compare the difference between cultivators breathing in and out their Source Qi and these monsters, but with the help of the special array, Xin Yao discovered that they were just like cultivators."

At this point, a gleam of excitement appeared in Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes:

"After refining the Source Qi, it actually 'returns to qi,' and these qi that did not enter the ' Dantian ' contain no impurities."

"."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan already understood.

Returning to Qi is an academic term in cultivation.

The process of returning the spiritual energy refined through meridian Cultivation Method to the Dantian is called "returning to qi".

Thinking,

Xu Yuan subconsciously glanced down at his feet and asked:

"So, those hundred Yingui and more than ten Strange Ghost have now become fuel for my cultivation?"