Progress at Lightning Speed

"This strange fish has been nourished by spiritual energy for years. Its flesh and blood have long since undergone a complete transformation, and they contain pure vitality and spiritual power. For Qi Refining cultivators, especially youngsters like you who are still growing and building their physiques, it's a superb tonic!"

"Its nourishing effects are even on par with those expensive low-grade spirit meals in the city."

"Eat it over several meals while continuing your cultivation, and it may speed up your progress further. As for these scales, they can't be made into magical artifacts, but you could have a blacksmith polish them into a simple breastplate for protection."

At this, the disappointment in Chu Bai's eyes vanished like smoke, replaced by delighted surprise.

A superb tonic! On par with spirit meals!

What did he need most right now? Wasn't it high-quality energy that could keep pace with the consumption of [food injury leaks elegance]?

This mutated fish weighed a hundred jin. It would keep him fed for quite a while!

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

Chu Bai put away the scales, thoroughly satisfied. He had only killed the fish to save his own life, yet he had gained a supply of cultivation resources into the bargain.

"Undo your clothes."

Daoist Zhang took a small celadon bottle from the shelf and removed its stopper. A crisp herbal fragrance immediately filled the room.

Chu Bai undid his upper garment as instructed, exposing the blue and purple bruises covering his back and shoulders.

They were marks left by the fish's impacts against the little boat and their final deadly struggle.

Daoist Zhang dabbed a little pale green ointment onto his fingertip and pointed through the air. Spiritual power carried the ointment across the injured areas, spreading it evenly.

"Hiss..."

The moment the ointment touched his skin, a piercing chill seeped into him. Then the burning sting rapidly faded, replaced by an indescribably soothing sensation.

His stiff, aching muscles seemed to be gently smoothed by an invisible hand, and even much of the fatigue in his meridians dissipated.

"This ointment is prepared from Spring-Recovery Powder. It works wonders on flesh wounds." Daoist Zhang put away the porcelain bottle. "Your injuries aren't serious, but if they aren't treated promptly, accumulated blood stasis could cause trouble later."

"Thank you for the medicine, Master." Chu Bai put his clothes back on, feeling considerably lighter.

After receiving treatment, Chu Bai did not hurry to leave. Since he rarely came here, he naturally wanted to seize the chance to ask for guidance.

He cultivated at the Zhang Residence for half a day, taking advantage of its abundant spiritual energy to fully stabilize the slightly unsettled energy left by the previous night's fierce battle. He also asked his master about several details of the qi-filtering method before finally rising to take his leave.

It was already afternoon when he left the Zhang Residence.

Rather than heading straight home, Chu Bai made a detour to the Zhao Residence in the southern part of the city.

Today happened to be his day off, but he could not neglect his sparring work.

Waves of heat rolled through the Zhao Residence Annex.

"Again!"

Zhao Xing shouted, and a firebolt hurtled forth.

Though Chu Bai was injured and his movements were occasionally stiff, he neither asked for time off nor uttered a single complaint.

On the contrary, after the previous night's true life-and-death struggle, his gaze had grown steadier and sharper.

Facing the fireballs that came whistling toward him, he no longer relied solely on instinct as he had before. Instead, he could predict their landing points and the threat they posed with greater precision.

His unruffled composure made even Wu Shang, who had been offering guidance from the sidelines, give him several extra looks.

This boy... seems to have grown up considerably overnight, Wu Shang thought. The once somewhat inexperienced youth now carried a faint, ruthless edge—the kind that came from having seen blood.

After two hours of sparring, Chu Bai accepted his reward of three hundred copper coins and headed home, exhausted but filled with a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

By the time he returned home, dusk was approaching.

Chu Bai did not disturb his mother, who was cooking. Instead, he changed into old work clothes and went alone to the cellar in the backyard.

In the dim cellar, the hundred-jin mutated fish still lay quietly in a pile of dry grass, giving off faintly bloody spiritual energy.

"There's no way I can eat something this big all at once."

Holding a sharply honed boning knife, Chu Bai began processing the enormous creature.

As the blade sliced through the fish's belly, there was none of the foul fishy odor he had expected. Instead, it carried a peculiar, delicate fragrance. The bright red flesh had distinct grain, like fine jade.

"What a pity..."

Chu Bai sighed. Though the flesh was a superb tonic, the fish was still a mutated beast, and its body contained trace amounts of baleful energy.

With his qi-filtering method and cultivation protecting him, he could neutralize that baleful energy and convert it into energy for himself. His parents and younger siblings, however, were all ordinary mortals. Eating this meat would leave them vomiting and suffering diarrhea at best, or seriously ill at worst.

"I'll have to enjoy it all by myself."

Working swiftly, Chu Bai cut several large pieces from the tenderest belly meat, totaling three or four jin, for tonight's dinner.

He rubbed coarse salt over the remaining portions and hung them somewhere well ventilated to air-dry as a long-term food reserve.

"These supplies will keep me fed for half a month."

After processing the fish, Chu Bai carried the basin of fresh meat back to his room.

To avoid wasting its spiritual energy, he chose the simplest cooking method—boiling.

He set up a small stove, sliced the fish, and placed it in boiling water, adding only a tiny pinch of salt.

A short while later, a rich, meaty aroma filled the cramped room.

"Time to eat!"

Chu Bai picked up a slice of fish with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

It melted on his tongue!

There was not the slightest muddy taste, only exquisite freshness and silky tenderness. Before he could savor it, the fish became a scorching current that slid down his throat into his stomach.

Boom!

It was as though he had swallowed a ball of fire.

His [food injury leaks elegance] fate destiny activated instantly and began working furiously.

The hot current exploded in his stomach, becoming a vast surge of vital essence that rushed into every limb and bone like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

"What powerful energy!"

Chu Bai's expression changed. His face instantly flushed crimson, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and wisps of white vapor even rose from the top of his head.

Compared with the pork and chicken he had eaten before, the energy contained in this mutated fish was on an entirely different level!

After just a few mouthfuls, his whole body felt unbearably hot, and his meridians swelled until they ached faintly.

Not daring to delay, Chu Bai immediately set down his bowl and chopsticks and sat cross-legged.

"Refine!"

As he drove the Lesser Qi-Gathering Art at full force, the wild vital essence was gradually tamed, purified, and transformed into strands of pure spiritual power that flowed into the qi sea in his dantian.

Time passed little by little.

When Chu Bai opened his eyes again, the moon was already high overhead outside his window.

He released a long breath of turbid air. It held together like a strip of white silk, traveling three feet before slowly dispersing.

He summoned the panel.

[Realm: Qi Induction (28/100)]

[Minor Qi Gathering Technique: Proficient (145/200)]

"Just one meal raised my spiritual energy progress by a whole point! My proficiency in the Minor Qi Gathering Technique also shot up by ten points!"

Chu Bai stared at the line of data, his eyes shining with wild delight.

Previously, gaining a single strand every two days had already counted as lightning-fast progress. Now, nourished by this spirit meat, he could gain a strand a day—or even more!

"Now this is true immortal cultivation..."

Chu Bai clenched his fists, feeling the power within him brimming to the point of overflowing.

With this stockpile of food and that treasure ground on the Three-Bath River, the coming days would be his golden opportunity to sprint toward Qi Refining at full speed!

"Three months? No, perhaps it won't be long before I can reach that threshold!"