Cultivation

He came to the window and pushed it open. Fresh air rushed in to meet him.

He took a deep breath and felt completely refreshed.

The sun had already risen in the distance, its golden light bathing all of Stone Desert City.

"Brother Mo, you're awake." Qing Lin's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Mm, I'm awake. Come in."

Qing Lin gently pushed open the door and walked inside, her eyes filled with dependence as she looked at Qing Mo.

Qing Mo turned around, and his mood immediately improved even more.

Waking up early in the morning and getting to see such a pure, adorable girl was simply wonderful!

"Come on, little Qing Lin. Let's go find a place to live."

After breakfast, Qing Mo took Qing Lin out to rent a house.

After searching back and forth for most of the day, he finally found a place he was satisfied with.

The courtyard was located in a relatively quiet district of Stone Desert City. It was spacious, with a main house, a small courtyard, and several side rooms.

Several poplar trees grew in the yard, bringing a rare touch of greenery to this scorching city.

To rent the place, he spent three thousand gold coins for a one-year lease.

As for why he did not buy it, he could not possibly stay here forever. He might leave Stone Desert City as early as next year, so naturally, he was not about to throw money away.

Buying a house would grant him permanent residency, but for someone like him, it would instead become a restraint.

Renting was more flexible. He could leave whenever he wanted without having to worry about what to do with the property.

"Little Qing Lin, this will be our home from now on." Qing Mo pointed at the house before them.

"Home... This is our home... Thank you, Brother Mo." Qing Lin stared at the house in a daze. She had never imagined that someone with blood as filthy as hers could still have a home.

"Yes, this will be our home from now on." Qing Mo smiled and stroked her head.

"Thank you... Thank you, Brother Mo." Qing Lin's voice was very soft. She hugged Qing Mo tightly, and tears finally streamed down her face.

Qing Mo said nothing. He merely reached out and patted her little head.

After settling in, Qing Mo began preparing for Qing Lin's cultivation.

Qing Lin had never come into contact with Dou Qi cultivation before. Even the term Dou Qi was utterly unfamiliar to her.

So Qing Mo first had to explain the basic knowledge of cultivation to her.

As for how he knew all this, the system had previously given him complete cultivation knowledge.

He found a chair and had Qing Lin sit down, while he brought over a small stool and sat across from her.

"Dou Qi is the source of power on the Dou Qi Continent and the foundation of all cultivators."

Starting with how Dou Qi was absorbed, how a Qi vortex formed within the body, and how realms were divided, Qing Mo carefully explained everything to Qing Lin, including the purpose of Dou Qi arts and Dou techniques.

"By absorbing the energy between heaven and earth, you refine it into your own power. A cultivation art is like a manual that guides you in absorbing energy. The higher the tier of the art, the faster it absorbs energy, and the purer the Dou Qi it refines."

"Everyone's Dou Qi attribute is different, so the cultivation art they practice must suit their own characteristics."

Qing Lin listened with rapt attention, her little head filled with curiosity.

"Then, Brother Mo, what attribute is your Dou Qi?"

"My Dou Qi has no attribute."

"No attribute?"

A question mark practically appeared over Qing Lin's head. Hadn't he said that everyone's cultivated Dou Qi had an attribute? Why was Brother Mo saying that his had none?

"Well... perhaps I'm a little special."

Qing Mo did not explain further. When the system had given him Fighter cultivation, he had discovered that his Dou Qi was attribute-less. The Pure Origin Art he cultivated was likewise an attribute-less cultivation art.

"Little Qing Lin, your Dou Qi should be wood-attributed."

He was not entirely sure. In the original work, Qing Lin's Dou Qi attribute did not seem to have been clearly stated.

It should be said that after Xiao Yan reached the later stages, Dou Qi attributes were hardly mentioned anymore.

However, the Dou Qi produced by cultivating the Jade Serpent Divine Art had powerful restorative abilities, so Qing Mo guessed that Qing Lin's Dou Qi was most likely wood-attributed.

"My attribute..."

Qing Lin was somewhat curious. This knowledge was like opening up a new continent before her, allowing her to see another side of the world.

"You'll know once you become a Fighter."

Before the Fighter stage, there was no need to cultivate any cultivation art. At that stage, one mainly sensed and absorbed Dou Qi, storing it within the body.

Only after successfully condensing a Dou Qi vortex and advancing to a one-star Fighter could one begin cultivating a cultivation art.

After explaining the basics, Qing Mo began guiding Qing Lin in condensing Dou Qi.

At first, Qing Lin was somewhat at a loss and unable to focus. But under Qing Mo's patient guidance, she gradually found her rhythm, slowly entered a meditative state, and began trying to absorb the energy of heaven and earth.

Once Qing Mo saw that she had entered the proper state, he began preparing for Qing Lin's future cultivation as well.

Qing Lin's constitution was very special. She possessed the legendary Jade Snake Triple-Flower Eyes, so her method of cultivation differed somewhat from ordinary people's. Even during the Dou Qi condensation stage, she could use certain snake-type medicinal ingredients to assist her cultivation.

This was specifically described in the Jade Serpent Divine Art.

As a human city near the territory of the snake-people, Stone Desert City should not lack snake-type medicinal ingredients. However, finding ones of high grade and potent medicinal properties might require some luck.

He spent several days searching all over Stone Desert City for medicinal ingredients. Since he had plenty of gold coins on hand, he quickly gathered the snake-type herbs he needed, such as Snake Gallbladder Herb and Snake Saliva Flower.

Following the formula in the Jade Serpent Divine Art, he prepared medicinal baths for Qing Lin.

In the days that followed, Qing Mo guided Qing Lin's cultivation while preparing medicinal baths for her. At the same time, he did not neglect his own cultivation.

The two Earth Tier Dou techniques, Falling Leaf Flying Daggers and Gale-Chasing Step, also improved greatly, and his strength was growing at an astonishing rate.

Xiao Yan would probably drool if he saw this.

Qing Lin was even more terrifying. She was simply born for cultivation!

Her talent was exceptionally high, her perception of Dou Qi incredibly keen, and her cultivation speed far beyond that of ordinary people. Most importantly, she was extremely diligent. She wished she could spend all twenty-four hours of the day cultivating.

Left with no choice, Qing Mo had to set limits on her cultivation time. She absolutely could not cultivate for more than eight hours a day.

Who cultivated every single day? There would be no fun in that at all, and her body would not be able to endure it either.

During the day, Qing Mo took Qing Lin around the market to wander about and buy ingredients. At night, they cultivated together in the courtyard.

After spending this time together, Qing Lin became increasingly cheerful.

She was no longer as timid as before, and her eyes became brighter. Sometimes, she would even take the initiative to joke with Qing Mo. During breaks from cultivation, she would even sing for him.

Time passed without them noticing.

Until half a year later.