One Year

Near Qixia Mountain, Xia Dong tucked away the Spirit Stones Qin Wan had just sent him. Using the token that let him enter and leave the Qixia Immortal Sect's Marketplace, he slipped there for a visit.

This time, he had a clear purpose: he traded one Spirit Stone for three Bigu Pills.

According to Cultivation Miscellany, one Bigu Pill was enough to let a Qi Refining Realm cultivator go an entire month without eating while ensuring their vital essence did not wane.

Xia Dong was eager to find out how much effect a cultivator's pills would have on an "abnormal cultivator" like himself, who relied on qi and blood to nourish his divine sense.

Back at Changchun Medical Hall, he locked the door and swallowed a Bigu Pill.

Once it entered his stomach, there was no violent rush of heat. Instead, a steady, gentle stream of vital essence spread through him.

But three days later, Xia Dong sat before his desk, his face darkening.

Just three days.

The vital essence in the pill, supposedly enough to let a cultivator abstain from food for a month, had been completely consumed.

"Cultivators can't possibly nourish their divine sense solely by consuming qi and blood the way I do." Xia Dong tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop, making a quiet deduction. "They must have more sophisticated methods for absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth directly to replenish their souls."

At that thought, he couldn't help but grow suspicious of the Profound Yin Scripture. Since this demonic cultivation technique had a secret art for devouring yin souls to strengthen the soul, might it also contain another method for devouring flesh and blood to bolster qi and blood?

The odds were high.

But devouring flesh and blood to bolster qi and blood probably had side effects, just like devouring ghosts to strengthen the soul.

Following this line of thought, Xia Dong felt a chill in his heart.

If there were side effects, why did cultivators still capture martial artists? Was it because martial artists' qi and blood were purer than ordinary flesh and blood, so the side effects were milder?

Was that why the Great You Dynasty Court had so benevolently introduced new laws and promoted martial arts?

Xia Dong felt a chill in his heart and dared not think too deeply about it.

For now, staying alive was what mattered most.

Only if he survived could he keep moving forward.

Xia Dong remained focused on improving his strength.

On the other hand, though Bigu Pills were useful, the deal of "one Spirit Stone for three days of satiety" was far too extravagant. Xia Dong had also consulted medical texts and discovered that most of the ingredients needed for Bigu Pills were infused with spiritual energy, making them impossible to find in the mortal world. The path of brewing them himself was closed, too.

Fortunately, although he couldn't retain the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in his body, he could use his divine sense to draw in the free-floating spiritual energy around him and pour it straight into the Bronze Ancient Bell in his sea of consciousness.

His divine sense took a great deal of energy to use, but he could replenish it by eating ordinary flesh and blood.

That meant he could gorge himself to replenish his qi and blood, convert that into divine sense, then use his divine sense to help the Bronze Ancient Bell absorb spiritual energy and accumulate the spiritual power needed for deductions.

He also discovered that the spiritual energy in the secret chamber at the bottom of the Withered Well was far denser than aboveground. In the chamber, the bell could absorb more spiritual energy for the same expenditure of divine sense.

So Xia Dong carefully stored away his remaining Spirit Stone and two Bigu Pills.

He began a regular routine of "feasting and meditating in the Withered Well."

A new month began.

The soft meals sent by little sister Wan'er arrived right on schedule.

This time, in addition to the two Spirit Stones she unfailingly sent, there were a full five Bigu Pills!

In her letter, Qin Wan mentioned that she hadn't bought these five Bigu Pills herself; her master, True Person Lone Moon, had casually bestowed them on her.

Qin Wan also explained a basic fact about the cultivation world: Bigu Pills sold for an exorbitant price in the Marketplace, but for inner disciples of the Qixia Immortal Sect, they were worth next to nothing.

Besides, the number of inner disciples in the Immortal Sect had fallen sharply, leaving the storehouses piled high with unused Bigu Pills. For cultivators pursuing the Great Dao of longevity, Bigu Pills were merely a way to save time spent eating and did nothing to improve their cultivation. They were nowhere near as good as spirit rice, which was rich in essence.

After reading the letter, Xia Dong could only shake his head helplessly. "So that swindler at the Marketplace fleeced me."

But more than losing a Spirit Stone to a con, another detail in the letter made his heart tighten.

True Person Lone Moon was keeping an eye on him!

The matter of the Yin Evil Pill shouldn't have been exposed. Otherwise, I'd have been hauled up the mountain already.

He considered it briefly, then looked at the token that let him enter the Marketplace.

True Person Lone Moon had made the token herself. Last month, he had taken it to the Marketplace to buy Bigu Pills. She must have sensed it when the token was activated. After learning he had bought Bigu Pills at the Marketplace, she had casually asked Qin Wan to send him a few.

It seemed Senior Lone Moon had simply offered him a kindness on a whim.

Once he had thought it through, Xia Dong let out a long breath of relief, but he didn't let his guard down.

"I'd better stay away from the cultivation Marketplace for now."

After all, he had only gone once since parting ways with Qin Wan. Not going again wouldn't seem unusual.

On the other hand, with True Person Lone Moon's "free" Bigu Pills to help him, Xia Dong could accumulate spiritual energy for the Bronze Ancient Bell much faster.

He settled down completely. He neither took the martial arts examinations nor planned to sit for the imperial examinations' provincial exams for the time being.

At the moment, he was thriving in Pingyang County.

He was both a renowned physician and a scholar.

He could move through both the underworld and the upper world. As long as he didn't go looking for trouble, he would be as safe as a mountain in this little Pingyang County.

Spring gave way to autumn, and the seasons turned.

For a full year, he rarely left home, like an immortal crane secluded in the mountains, quietly building up his strength.

During that year, he didn't return to Yellow Mud Village to capture ghosts and refine Yin Evil Pills.

He knew all too well that the stronger his divine sense became, the more qi and blood he consumed in everyday life. Without finding a more efficient method of refining essence into qi, blindly strengthening his divine sense would place an enormous burden on his body.

Nevertheless, even without deliberately cultivating martial arts, his constant practice over the past year, combined with the remaining medicinal power of the Yin Evil Pill in his body, had brought him to a breakthrough as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

Skin Grinding Realm, complete.

Then Xia Dong naturally advanced to the third stage of martial arts—the Bone Forging Realm.

With divine sense, his martial arts cultivation had gone remarkably smoothly.

Now, when Xia Dong practiced his stance in the courtyard, faint rumbles like muffled thunder could be heard deep in his bones, and his qi and blood were as heavy as lead and mercury.

One night, Xia Dong sat on his bed and drew his divine sense inward.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, a layer of exceptionally lustrous spiritual light now flowed over the mottled surface of the Bronze Ancient Bell.

Over the past year, he had saved every Spirit Stone Qin Wan had sent him, not spending a single one. Today, he would put them all to use.

And now that he had divine sense, he could draw the spiritual power out of the Spirit Stones directly and pour it into the Bronze Ancient Bell.

On top of that, after day upon day of using his divine sense to draw the spiritual energy from the well and feed it to the Bronze Ancient Bell, the bell had now accumulated a great deal of spiritual power.

"Crane Stance, Dragon-Capturing Technique, Evergreen Medical Classic... The time has come!"

"Bronze Ancient Bell, help me cultivate!"