What Is the Innate Realm?

The atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat quiet, as though the air itself were filled with awkwardness.

If Little Wolf Cub A Qiu had not struck so quickly just now, Wu Chu would never have imagined that such an ordinary remark could cause such a misunderstanding.

However, Wu Chu did not find Little Moon Spirit's saliva disgusting. There was no helping it—when faced with something as adorable as Little Moon Spirit, one's values could easily follow one's facial features, not to mention that she was a fairy maiden.

It was like how many adults did not mind if food a child had eaten still had the child's saliva on it.

In fact, most men did not mind eating food their girlfriends had left over either.

Earlier, Wu Chu had faintly smelled a light fragrance in the water, similar to Little Moon Spirit's scent. Only now did he understand why.

"Ahem, give me a cup of Clear Spirit Spring! Do you have any boiled water that's been cooled?"

No matter how little he minded, Wu Chu could not possibly say something as easily misunderstood as "give me a sip of water" again.

What had originally been a perfectly normal sentence now seemed so lewd when he thought about it. It really was...

"Yes, yes! Please wait a moment, Brother A Chu!"

Little Moon Spirit was embarrassed as well. She knew she had probably misunderstood Wu Chu.

After drinking some water and using the toilet, Wu Chu "ran" over to the bathing pool and took a bath.

After going a day without bathing, another layer of dust had accumulated on him. It was difficult to imagine how miserable ordinary people would be living in this world.

Going one day without bathing was equivalent to going several months without bathing. How could anyone live like that?

His unkempt beard and loose, disheveled hair made Wu Chu, sitting in the bathing pool and slowly scrubbing himself, realize that he had been in this world for quite some time.

By Earth's reckoning, he had actually been in this world for a year and a half. It was just that he had spent most of that time cultivating, so he barely felt it.

Everything still seemed like yesterday, which felt strange, yet helpless at the same time. After all, perhaps after living several dozen or even a hundred days in this world, he would die. Other than feeling helpless, what else could he do?

He could only hope that after his constitution improved, he might be able to live a little longer.

After bathing, Wu Chu tried using his water-controlling technique to manipulate his own mana and draw the moisture from his hair. Although he did not have much mana within him, he could still manage this. Compared with controlling his body's strength, controlling the mana inside him actually felt more natural.

Speaking of casting spells, after Wu Chu gained the ability to look inward, he discovered its secret. The mystic light released when casting a spell was actually an obscure rune. The rune drew upon the spiritual energy of the outside world, allowing the spell to take form.

Afterward, he began using the clumsy method he had used before to practice controlling his strength, hopping and jumping by the lake. He smashed the lakeside grassland into a pitted mess, and several times he accidentally crashed into the lake. Fortunately, Little Moon Spirit always pulled him out in time, preventing him from being dragged away by the lake demon.

Compared to the height of his previous jumps, he estimated that this time he was jumping more than twice as high. When he leaped, he already had the feeling of looking down upon all the mountains.

As his body fell from the sky, the coolness brought by the wind rushing over him felt strange, yet incredibly novel.

From afar, he looked like a madman jumping around wildly by the lake.

Before long, he was crawling along the ground like a lizard, then walking on his hands...

By the time he gradually adapted to his suddenly increased strength, the setting sun on the horizon was as red as blood, and the evening clouds spread across the distant sky like neat layers of crimson scales.

On the neighboring mountain, that Azure Dragon still hung there. No birds or beasts dared approach it, but the land around it was growing increasingly green. Some of the giant trees Wu Chu had thought would wither to death had once more erupted with powerful vitality.

Like that enormous tree crown that had fallen into the great lake—it was still lush and verdant now, seemingly ready to continue growing in the water.

In contrast, the towering tree behind him, with its spear-straight trunk propping up the heavens, still had not sprouted a single new bud.

Birds circled through the sky, calling as they returned to the still sparse-looking mountain forest. Those pheasants cleverly went back to their coop to nestle down. Little Wolf Cub ran to Wu Chu's side, wagging its tail and yelping. Looking back, smoke was already curling up in front of the little wooden house.

While protecting Wu Chu during his cultivation, Little Moon Spirit had already prepared food for him.

She really was like an adorable little snail maiden!

Wu Chu thought.

Returning to the little wooden house, Wu Chu dug out his clothes. Although he had left them unused beside the bed throughout this time, they now looked even more worn out.

Wu Chu did not know how much longer they would hold up. After thinking it over, he ultimately decided not to put them on. He still had far too little control over his own strength and feared he might tear them apart by accident. Since he was still wearing boxer briefs anyway, he would go bare-bodied for now.

"Brother A Chu, the steamed bear paws are ready. Come and try them!"

Little Moon Spirit's sweet voice drifted in from outside, far more diligent than Yibao.

Wu Chu walked out of the little wooden house and saw a large bamboo basin of steaming bear paws already set on the dining table. A refreshing ginseng fragrance permeated the rising steam.

"Little Moon Spirit, you're really capable!"

Wu Chu generously gave Little Moon Spirit a thumbs-up.

The little girl clearly enjoyed Wu Chu's praise. Her eyes curved into crescents as she added, "I also roasted some Dang Kang Meat. While you were cultivating, I rendered the Dang Kang fat into oil. How should we deal with the remaining Dang Kang Meat and bear meat? Should we make jerky?"

"Yes, we can make jerky and store it in the cellar."

As he spoke, Wu Chu sat down beside the table. Looking at the translucent bear paws suffused with the fragrance of ginseng, he began to doubt himself. "Little Moon Spirit, this Wild Mountain Ginseng must be quite old, right? But I've already eaten half of it. Why haven't I reached the Innate Realm yet?"

Upon hearing this, Little Moon Spirit froze for a moment, seemingly unsure how to answer Wu Chu.

Wu Chu smiled. "It's all right. I was never some kind of genius anyway. Just tell me whatever you have to say. I can take those blows."

In Wu Chu's view, this Wild Mountain Ginseng had to be at least ten thousand years old!

Yet he had already eaten half of such a miraculous treasure and still had not become an immortal. He could not exactly blame the Wild Mountain Ginseng for not being potent enough, could he?

So he could only look for the problem in himself.

Wu Chu knew himself quite well. Back when he was studying, he had never been a top student. His intelligence was ordinary too, without any notable strengths. It was impossible that he would suddenly become some naturally gifted cultivator just because he had come to this Primordial World, right?

Little Moon Spirit thought for a moment, then asked, "Brother A Chu, what is the Innate Realm?"

"..."

Hearing that question, Wu Chu did not know how to answer either. Come to think of it, all his knowledge of this world came from mythological films, television dramas, and novels back on Earth. That was why he had naturally applied those cultivation realms to himself.

As for the little girl before him, although she was quite a powerful little demon, she clearly was not a little demon who had seen much of the world.

"Little Moon Spirit, do you know what realm you are in?"

Instead, Little Moon Spirit nodded her little head. "I should currently be in the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Purple Jade Daoist once told me that before countless living beings assume Transformation Form, they are all collectively called the Transformation Realm. Only after successfully assuming Transformation Form can one be called an Earth Immortal Realm cultivator. Earth Immortals may cultivate into Heavenly Immortals, and above Heavenly Immortals are Golden Immortals. Purple Jade Daoist was in the Golden Immortal Realm."

After a pause, she continued, "That Azure Dragon should be in the same realm as well. Because I once ate a Purple Jade Spirit-Pattern Apple, I advanced directly from the Earth Immortal Realm into the Heavenly Immortal Realm after assuming Transformation Form. As for the Innate Realm Brother A Chu mentioned, I have truly never heard of it."