Jiang Ming returned home, eager to share the joy of his gains with his wife and son, but found no one in the courtyard where they lived.
Only when he went to the rear courtyard did he find his wife, Diwu Ying. She was gazing worriedly at the Soul Tool Workshop.
Jiang Ming's heart sank.
"Yingying, I'm back. Has Dongjun stayed inside the whole time since I left?"
Diwu Ying nodded and sighed. "He hasn't come out at all. There's something unusual about the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Essence in the courtyard. It's being drawn into the Soul Tool Workshop, and the rate is very steady, much like normal cultivation. Perhaps Dongjun has entered deep meditation?"
Jiang Ming frowned and sensed the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Essence around them. Finding them exactly as his wife had described, he too felt that this was very likely.
"Let's wait a little longer. Even if he keeps drawing in Heaven and Earth Essence without interruption, we'll have to go in and check on him in three days."
"That's all we can do."
Worry lingered in Diwu Ying's beautiful eyes. She forced a faint smile and asked about another matter.
"Ming, did the deal with the academy go smoothly?"
At the mention of this, the solemn look on Jiang Ming's face eased. He smiled, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Very smoothly. Dean Qian agreed to all the conditions we'd worked out beforehand.
The Land of Yin-Yang Harmony and the Immortal Spirit Fungus were both handed over to the academy without any trouble or danger. Nothing went wrong along the way. I've just come from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and brought back all the treasures we specifically requested.
Yingying, we've tossed away that hot potato. Whatever happens over at Old Dragon Ravine from now on has nothing to do with us!"
"That's good. Some good news at last."
Diwu Ying let out a long breath. Her nerves, stretched taut for the past two days, finally relaxed a little.
"Yingying, go get some rest. I'll watch over Dongjun."
"All right, I'll leave him to you. I'm going to get some sleep."
In truth, Jiang Ming hadn't had an easy time either. His discussions with Dean Qian and Lu Xiaoxiao, as well as the journey to and from Old Dragon Ravine, had been even more mentally taxing.
But he wouldn't show that in front of his wife.
Watching the Soul Tool Workshop, Jiang Ming didn't simply sit idle. He took out the cookbook Lu Xiaoxiao had lent him and searched with a clear purpose for information about Immortal Spirit Fungus.
This was also why Jiang Dongjun had been able to settle into this new family so quickly after his reincarnation.
His parents had brains, and the family atmosphere was excellent.
So damn practical!
So damn driven!
Jiang Ming felt that, with something so precious, handling it himself would be safer.
Dongjun had said that only two or three of the five Immortal Spirit Fungi they had brought back could actually be used.
If all five Immortal Spirit Fungi had been usable, Jiang Ming wouldn't have minded giving away two as a gesture of sincerity to reassure Shrek Academy and enlist the help of the professional nutritionist Lu Xiaoxiao.
By the time the moon rose above the willow branches.
Jiang Ming was sorting through the ingredients required for the Immortal Spirit Fungus recipes, considering whether to tap into his father-in-law's connections to gather them.
You can't just pocket the filial gifts we send every year for nothing, can you?
In any case, he couldn't look for those ingredients in Shrek City. Wouldn't that be like putting up a sign saying, "No silver buried here"?
Suddenly.
Jiang Ming sprang to his feet, his gaze turning grave as he looked toward the Soul Tool Workshop.
The fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Essence in the courtyard were gradually settling down.
If the earlier disturbance really had been caused by Jiang Dongjun entering deep meditation, it should have ended now.
Jiang Ming counted off the time in his head.
Only after roughly five minutes did he walk to the Soul Tool Workshop's door and activate the Soul Guidance Amplifier.
To prevent disturbances, the Soul Tool Workshop had soundproofing devices installed so that Soul Engineers wouldn't be interrupted while engraving Soul Guidance Arrays. If someone outside needed them, they could make contact through the Soul Guidance Amplifier at the workshop's main door.
"Ahem... Dongjun?"
After emerging from deep meditation, Jiang Dongjun felt wonderfully comfortable, his body as light as a swallow.
It was like enjoying the full bathhouse experience during a bitter winter in his previous life, shedding a whole layer of old skin.
Then he checked his soul power level.
Just over level 12.
Fantastic!
A dense, brilliant golden-orange fireball rose from his palm, like a burning golden orb.
The Light of Time and Space emerged from between his brows, casting its clear radiance over the fireball.
Soon, his martial soul's new attributes appeared in his mind.
Fireball Martial Soul Category: elemental type Physical aspect: --Density: 1,100 kg/m³ Elemental aspect: --Fire element control: advanced (623/1,000) --Light element control: advanced (101/1,000)
Light element control had come from the Sun Soul Ring, and seventy-one drops of Soul Liquid had raised it to the advanced tier.
Jiang Dongjun calculated how much Soul Liquid he had left.
189 drops!
There's no longer any opportunity to add points to density. As for elemental control, whether fire or light, 189 drops won't be enough for a qualitative transformation.
I'll have to work harder and get top-tier fire element control first. Once that's combined with its terrifying density, my Fireball Martial Soul will officially join the ranks of top-tier martial souls.
Of course, martial souls like the Sun, the Black Tortoise Bloodline's Xuanming Turtle, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and the Evil Fire Phoenix stand at the very pinnacle of top-tier martial souls. Even after my Fireball Martial Soul enters those ranks, there'll still be a gap between it and them for a while. I'll only be able to pick a fight with the Clear Sky Hammer, which is renowned for its strength.
Suddenly feeling the weight of the long road ahead, Jiang Dongjun shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. He turned his gaze toward the five mushroom clusters on the workbench.
Restoring three Immortal Spirit Fungi will take at least forty-four drops of Soul Liquid. That's one for each of us, so I'm willing to spend it. But filling their deficit only takes a thought. The difficult part is how to prepare the Immortal Spirit Fungus afterward. Who can cook it?
Just then, his father's call came through the Soul Power Amplifier, echoing through the room.
Oh no, how long was I meditating? They must be terribly worried.
Deeply chagrined, Jiang Dongjun hurried to deactivate the Alarm Devices, shut down the Protective Array, and undo the lock on the Soul Tool Workshop's main door, letting his dad inside.
The moment he saw his dad, Jiang Ming, Jiang Dongjun noticed how exhausted he looked, as though he hadn't slept for days and nights. Yet the corners of his mouth remained slightly raised, making it clear that he was in an excellent mood.
"Dongjun, did you just finish deep meditation?"
"Yes, it really was deep meditation. I'm already level 12. Dad, how much time has passed outside?"
"A day? I don't know exactly when you entered deep meditation, but I imagine it's been more than twenty-four hours."
Jiang Dongjun frowned. "That short?"
Jiang Ming shot him an exasperated glare.
"For other people, entering deep meditation even once is as hard as climbing to heaven, and you're actually complaining it was too short?"
"That's not what I meant," Jiang Dongjun grumbled. "It's only been a day, Dad. How did you end up looking like this? I thought you'd been standing guard out there for days and nights."
"It took quite a toll on my mind, but fortunately, everything has settled now. Oh, and I've traded for all the things you wanted."
With a wave of Jiang Ming's hand, a pile of soul bones and spiritual treasures gleaming with precious light appeared on the workbench.
"I also got recipes for preparing Immortal Spirit Fungus. The cooking steps aren't too complicated, and I think I can manage them. Even if it tastes a little bad, that's fine as long as its medicinal effects aren't harmed. I'm planning to ask your maternal grandfather to gather the ingredients and send them over."
Jiang Dongjun took the recipes his dad had copied out and studied them carefully for a while. He also felt there shouldn't be much difficulty and agreed to the proposal.
"Dad, it's late. Go get some rest. Remember to get up early tomorrow. I have a surprise for you both."
"What surprise? Why so mysterious?"
Jiang Ming muttered this without pressing further, then picked up the peach on the table and tossed it to Jiang Dongjun.
"Eat this Thousand-Year Crystal Peach before bed. It should raise the age of the soul rings you can withstand by several hundred years. Its nourishing effects will last for a while. With it supporting your body, you can take two lumps of thousand-year Whale Rubber in succession."
Holding the peach, Jiang Dongjun glanced at the pitch-black, deteriorated crystals on the workbench.
Thousand-year Whale Rubber?
Why do I suspect it's ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber?
Jiang Dongjun kept that thought to himself and put the Left Arm Bone, Immortal Spirit Fungus, and Whale Rubber into his Storage Ring.
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