You Finally Came Back

Liu Yuanchen continuously circulated the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique until his qi and blood began to run low, then finally stopped.

After recovering some of his qi and blood, he walked outside the cave abode.

Over the past ten-odd days, Meng Tieshan had not been idle either. He had already cleared ten mu of wasteland.

Every day, he also fetched water from Reflecting Moon Creek to irrigate the fields.

Although the spiritual power in the soil had yet to settle and would soon dissipate,

as long as he regularly watered it with creek water containing spiritual qi, growing some low-grade spirit plants would be no problem at all.

It was only that the yield might be less than satisfactory.

Seeing Liu Yuanchen emerge, Meng Tieshan gave an honest smile. "Senior Brother Liu, you never told me how far your cave abode's grounds extended, so I did not dare occupy too much land.

"Over these past ten-odd days, I only managed to clear ten mu of wasteland.

"I just did not have any seeds on hand, so I did not plant anything."

Liu Yuanchen nodded slightly. "This is already quite good. I originally cleared spirit fields only to practice the Divine Farmer Art. Any amount would do."

"By the way, I have already learned the introductory cultivation technique Deputy Hall Master Zhao left me.

"Next, I will teach you the contents of the technique.

"You have no spiritual power and can only cultivate through qi and blood, so your consumption of spiritual resources will be enormous.

"How many of the Grain-Banishing Pills I gave you before are left?"

Meng Tieshan looked somewhat embarrassed. "Senior Brother Liu, when I am not working, my appetite is only equal to that of three to five ordinary people.

"Once I start working, though, my appetite increases greatly.

"Of those Grain-Banishing Pills, fewer than twenty remain."

Liu Yuanchen was startled. Less than half a month had passed, yet Meng Tieshan had eaten one hundred and eighty Grain-Banishing Pills. That was more than ten pills a day.

A cultivator with a cultivation base could refine medicinal pills using spiritual power, and could digest twenty or thirty pills a day.

But Meng Tieshan had not yet begun cultivating. The things he ate could only be absorbed through his stomach and intestines.

If he consumed too much energy at once, his stomach and intestines would be unable to absorb it, and he might suffer severe damage.

"Some pills are nothing. You have not felt any discomfort in your stomach, have you?"

Meng Tieshan shook his head. "No. Eating this little will not make me feel full.

"If I were not worried about running out of Grain-Banishing Pills, I could eat twenty or thirty a day."

Liu Yuanchen was somewhat astonished. With the absorption ability of his physical stomach and intestines alone, Meng Tieshan could rival a cultivator's refining methods. This physical talent was truly terrifying.

Even body cultivators with high cultivation did not generally abstain from food.

The best way to replenish qi and blood was to consume large amounts of spiritual items.

Using spiritual power to replenish qi and blood instead would hinder cultivation.

For body cultivators, being able to eat was itself a rare talent.

The Earth Immortal Path placed even greater importance on the physical body than the body cultivators of the Qi Refinement Path. This talent for eating must be even more important there.

Liu Yuanchen smiled. "It is fine. I still have quite a bit of spirit grain, all of which can be refined into Grain-Banishing Pills.

"At least for the next few months, you will not go hungry.

"I will first teach you the Azure Ape Guiding Technique. Once you have entered the basics, we can try condensing an Astral Force Seed."

Meng Tieshan truly deserved to be called a prodigy of the Earth Immortal Path. He cultivated the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique at an astonishing speed.

Even without a cultivator's Divine Sense to assist him, he could learn all three arts, including the Guiding Technique and Forest-Piercing Escape Art, within a single day.

Especially when he cultivated the Guiding Technique, the circulation of his qi and blood made him seem like a humanoid demon beast.

However, without Divine Sense, he could not directly comprehend the Azure Ape Divine Resonance within the visualization diagram.

Relying solely on Liu Yuanchen's demonstrations, he comprehended the Azure Ape Divine Resonance much more slowly.

It took him a full month merely to barely enter the basics.

As for condensing an Azure Ape phantom, he still had a long way to go.

One morning, after Liu Yuanchen and Meng Tieshan finished cultivating the Guiding Technique, they each took up a long staff and sparred by Reflecting Moon Creek.

Before Meng Tieshan had even begun cultivating, his qi and blood had already rivaled that of a Sea of Qi Realm cultivator.

Although he had yet to cultivate Astral Force, his qi and blood had increased tremendously compared to before.

Physical strength was closely tied to qi and blood. With powerful qi and blood, one's physical strength would naturally not be weak.

Liu Yuanchen's physical strength was not weak either, but it had not surpassed the limits of the Qi-Nourishing Realm.

One force could overcome ten techniques. Meng Tieshan held an absolute advantage in strength and continuously launched frontal attacks.

Although his moves were not particularly proficient, his overwhelming physical strength still allowed him to wield the long staff with fierce, whistling force.

Liu Yuanchen could only widen the distance and wait for a chance to counterattack.

Meng Tieshan swept his long staff horizontally, its tip roaring toward him on a fierce gust of wind.

Before the staff even arrived, the grass on the ground had already been snapped by the wind.

Liu Yuanchen did not dare take the blow head-on. He pushed off with his feet and retreated rapidly.

When Meng Tieshan's strike missed, he pressed forward at once.

Liu Yuanchen retreated beneath a tree and sprang into its canopy like a nimble monkey.

Meng Tieshan chased him beneath the tree, then relied on his powerful strength to perform a standing leap, jumping onto the treetop.

He raised his long staff high and smashed it down at Liu Yuanchen below.

Liu Yuanchen did not clash with him directly. He leaped several times among the branches and fled far away.

Crack~~

As the long staff fell, the sound of branches breaking rang out without end.

A century-old tree was lush and leafy on one side, while the other stood bare, with only broken branches left.

After his heavy, powerful strike missed, Meng Tieshan continued pursuing relentlessly.

Liu Yuanchen found an opening in his defense and deliberately slowed his steps.

Once Meng Tieshan had chased close behind him, he used his staff as a spear and thrust backward.

His body had not yet turned, but the staff had already struck, piercing the numbing point on Meng Tieshan's right arm.

This was not a move from the Mountain-Splitting Staff Art, but the Returning Horse Spear from spear techniques.

Taking advantage of the weakness in Meng Tieshan's right hand, Liu Yuanchen knocked the long staff from his grip. Meng Tieshan stopped resisting as well.

Meng Tieshan sat on a tree branch. "I lost again. Even with such a great advantage in physical strength, I could only last this little while against you, Senior Brother."

Liu Yuanchen smiled. "I began practicing fists and kicks with my father when I was five or six years old.

"By now, more than ten years have passed.

"You had never practiced martial arts before. It has only been about a month since you started learning the Ape King Fist and Mountain-Splitting Staff Art from me.

"If you could surpass me in techniques so quickly, then all those years of training would truly have gone to the dogs."

"We mainly cultivate Astral Force. Even when our cultivation grows high in the future, our primary fighting methods will still rely on close combat.

"You must put in real effort with fists, kicks, and weapons."

Meng Tieshan nodded slightly. "Senior Brother is right. In the future, I will certainly work hard on martial arts and weapons."

Grrr~~

Before he could finish speaking, his stomach rumbled again.

He looked somewhat embarrassed. "Senior Brother, I have eaten all the Grain-Banishing Pills."

Liu Yuanchen's heart trembled. "What? I refined more than twelve hundred Grain-Banishing Pills, and you ate all of them?

"Did you not say you could eat at most twenty or thirty Grain-Banishing Pills a day?"

Meng Tieshan looked embarrassed. "I used to eat twenty or thirty a day, but after I began cultivating, my appetite kept getting bigger.

"If I eat too little, I have no strength throughout my body. Now I need fifty Grain-Banishing Pills a day."

"Senior Brother, please do not be angry. I will eat less in the future.

"We can catch some fish from Reflecting Moon Creek and dig up some wild vegetables. That should be enough to last until the Golden-Thread Rice matures."

Of the ten mu of spirit fields Meng Tieshan had newly cleared, only five mu had been planted with Golden-Thread Rice Plants because there were not enough seeds.

But only one month had passed since they were sown.

It would still take another two months before they could be harvested.

The Golden-Thread Rice planted in the small patch of spirit field outside the cave abode had already matured.

But that Golden-Thread Rice had been cultivated using the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art, and there was far too little of it.

Even if all of it were refined into Grain-Banishing Pills, it would not be enough for Meng Tieshan to eat for several days.

Liu Yuanchen sighed inwardly. He had been overly confident in his wealth before and had not stockpiled more spirit grain before the great battle began.

After obtaining the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique, he had become immersed in cultivation.

After refining the Grain-Banishing Pills, he had handed them directly to Meng Tieshan and never noticed the food shortage.

Back then, he had pounded his chest and guaranteed that feeding Meng Tieshan would not be a problem.

Now his boast had fallen apart. Even if he had to eat grass himself, he still had to make it good.

He gave a light laugh. "It is fine. You have no spiritual power, so you must rely entirely on eating Grain-Banishing Pills to increase your qi and blood.

"If you eat too little, it will affect your cultivation.

"I still have some connections within the sect. Borrowing some spirit grain from them should not be a problem."

The Azure Elixir Sect was renowned for its Alchemy Art and Divine Farmer Art, and its own spirit grain had always been more than enough to eat.

Normally, if any disciple lacked spirit grain, they could simply buy it from the Affairs Hall.

As long as they could afford the Spirit Stones, buying several thousand jin was no issue.

But now, during the great battle, the sect strictly controlled all kinds of supplies.

Apart from the small fixed quota of spirit grain each month, no one could squeeze even a single grain out of the Affairs Hall.

There was no need to consider Shennong Hall either. They were old enemies.

Liu Yuanchen left the banks of Reflecting Moon Creek and headed for Golden Sun Peak to the west.

The only clansman still remaining in the sect was Liu Qingyuan.

After sending him a message, Liu Yuanchen arrived at Golden Sun Peak.

Liu Qingyuan personally came out to greet him. "Nephew Yuanchen, you have been busy cultivating all this time. What brings you here today?"

Liu Yuanchen sighed. "I ran into a little trouble, so I came to ask Eighth Uncle for help."

Liu Qingyuan smiled. "Why say 'ask' among family? Come sit in the cave abode first. Whatever it is, the two of us can discuss it slowly."

After taking their seats, Liu Yuanchen asked, "Eighth Uncle, how much spirit grain do you have on hand?"

Liu Qingyuan was stunned. "How strange. More than half the sect's stockpiled spirit grain is in Elixir Hall. How can an Alchemy Master like you lack spirit grain?"

Liu Yuanchen shook his head. "I need spirit grain not for official business, but for a private matter.

"You know that Hall Master Zhang is wholly devoted to public affairs.

"Normally, it would not matter if I found a little spirit grain through other means.

"But during the great battle, spirit grain is under extremely strict control. If I dared to pull anything under his nose, it would be no different from courting death."

"A private matter? Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, Yuanfu, and his family are all back with the family.

"Other than me, you do not have any other relatives in the sect.

"Could it be that you have taken a fancy to some female disciple?"

Liu Qingyuan wore the excited expression of someone who had discovered a huge secret. "If you truly have taken a fancy to a female disciple, Eighth Uncle will propose marriage for you.

"Our Liu Family may not be powerful, but we are still a cultivation family with a thousand-year legacy.

"You have extraordinary talent in alchemy. Even the daughter of an elder's family would be a suitable match for us."

Liu Yuanchen's face darkened. At his age, Eighth Uncle was still such a gossip.

Left with no choice, he told him about Deputy Hall Master Zhao entrusting Meng Tieshan to his care.

Naturally, he did not mention cultivation of the Earth Immortal Path. He only said that Meng Tieshan cultivated a body-refining technique and consumed a terrifying amount of spirit grain.

After learning the whole story, Liu Qingyuan excitedly leaped up from his chair.

"The Liu Family is destined to rise! The Liu Family is destined to rise..."

He paced back and forth excitedly, muttering endlessly to himself.

Only after a long while did he gradually calm down.

"So Deputy Hall Master Zhao passed a body cultivation technique to you and had you guide young friend Meng?"

Liu Yuanchen nodded. "Yes. I have already cultivated it successfully, and what remains is simply a matter of steady effort.

"Moreover, under my guidance, Meng Tieshan's strength has improved quickly as well. Before long, he will formally enter the basics."

Liu Qingyuan slapped his thigh. "Deputy Hall Master Zhao has a mysterious background and immense strength. His inheritance is naturally no simple matter.

"If he was willing to pass the technique to you, even if it was only an introductory technique, then in his eyes, you are already his disciple.

"By having you teach young friend Meng, he wants to see whether you possess the ability to impart the Dao.

"He intends to accept you as his chief personal disciple and have you inherit his lineage!"

"Everything happening now is Deputy Hall Master Zhao's test for you.

"As long as you do well, you will certainly become Deputy Hall Master Zhao's chief personal disciple in the future."

With that, he walked straight toward a small stone chamber.

A moment later, he returned with a storage pouch.

"There are five hundred jin of Golden-Thread Rice in here. Take it and use it first.

"If it is not enough, I will borrow more from fellow sect members with whom I am on good terms."

"You must teach young friend Meng well. This concerns your future prospects."

Liu Yuanchen accepted the storage pouch. "Do not worry, I know what is at stake."

As he spoke, he took out another hundred Spirit Stones.

Liu Qingyuan repeatedly waved his hands. "What is this for? Do I lack this little bit of Spirit Stones?"

Liu Yuanchen smiled. "If I took your things for free, would I still have the nerve to come ask you for help in the future?

"I am an Alchemy Master now. Taking out a few hundred Spirit Stones is effortless for me."

He did not like owing favors, especially when he was not short of Spirit Stones.

Another month and a half passed. After finishing their cultivation, Liu Yuanchen and Meng Tieshan each took a sharpened wooden pole and went to the bank of Reflecting Moon Creek.

Their target was naturally the fish in the creek.

Over the past month and a half, Meng Tieshan's strength had improved rapidly.

Of course, his appetite had remained no small matter.

Even though they consciously tried to conserve supplies, it was still difficult to last until the Golden-Thread Rice Plant matured.

Therefore, half a month ago, the two had begun using their spare time to catch fish in Reflecting Moon Creek.

Reflecting Moon Creek was rich in spiritual energy, and the fish that had grown up in its waters were all ranked spirit fish.

Eating these spirit fish could save them quite a bit of spirit grain.

A fiery red carp swam upstream and came before Liu Yuanchen.

He raised his wooden pole, about to spear it.

A soft chuckle rang out. "The Fire Carp possesses very little intelligence. It was not easy for it to cultivate from an ordinary fish to the Early Spirit Devouring Stage. Spare its life."

Liu Yuanchen looked up and saw a Firecloud hovering above Reflecting Moon Creek.

A burly man stood atop the cloud—it was Zhao Hong.

When he saw Zhao Hong return, Liu Yuanchen nearly burst into tears. "Deputy Hall Master Zhao, you've finally returned."

Zhao Hong rode the cloud down to the creek bank. "What? Is Tie Shan that difficult to teach?"

Liu Yuanchen repeatedly shook his head. "Junior Brother is exceptionally talented and understands everything at the slightest hint.

He had already mastered the spells within the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique.

He had even comprehended a few traces of the Azure Ape Divine Resonance.

Before long, he would be able to condense an Astral Force Seed.

It was only that his appetite was too great. This disciple had not stored much spirit grain before, and there simply was not enough to eat.

I bought several hundred jin of spirit grain from the clansmen, but even that has been eaten up. We could only catch a few spirit fish to fill our stomachs."

Zhao Hong could not help but laugh. "I was the one who overlooked it. Tie Shan has no Immortal Seed, so cultivating Astral Force must consume a great deal of spiritual resources. I also failed to leave you anything.

Making you support him for several months truly has been hard on you."