Don't Give This Old Man Any Rotten Ideas

Divine sense was a truly wondrous thing.

When a cultivator drew qi into his body and circulated it through a complete cycle, reaching the first level of the Qi Refining Stage, it would emerge on its own.

Then, as the cultivator's cultivation advanced, his divine sense would gradually grow stronger.

It required no dedicated cultivation.

Besides playing an indispensable role in pill refining, talisman crafting, formations, and other disciplines, divine sense also provided tremendous assistance in combat.

Moreover, the strength of one's divine sense determined the strength of one's comprehension.

Still, it could also be cultivated!

It was simply that methods for cultivating divine sense were exceptionally rare in this world, so most people never trained it specifically.

He Pingsheng had happened upon an incomplete divine sense cultivation method this time, and after enhancement, it had become two books.

When he opened them, he found a large word, [Heaven], on the first page of each.

Recalling the same word on the Lihuo True Method and the Everlasting Spring Qi Circulation Art, He Pingsheng surmised that it probably indicated the methods' grade.

Of course, whether that was actually true was only a guess.

Never mind that!

It had no bearing on the general principles or the contents that followed.

What should he do?

"Cultivate it..."

He had nothing else to do anyway.

Advancing his cultivation was out of the question, since he lacked resources.

So... he might as well train his divine sense first.

He Pingsheng took out the [Mysterious Gate Tranquil Mind True Formula] again, skipped the general principles, and began reading the first section, the [Qi Refining Chapter].

Cultivating with this divine refining method worked much like advancing one's cultivation: each realm also had twelve levels.

After spending an hour familiarizing himself with it, He Pingsheng began divine refining.

He guided a strand of divine sense out of his sea of consciousness and through the meridians within his soul.

"Aah..."

The next instant, He Pingsheng cried out in pain.

Divine refining was different from ordinary cultivation.

Ordinary cultivation did not produce that kind of excruciating pain, but divine refining did.

He Pingsheng gritted his teeth and started again.

"Aah..."

Another agonized scream rang out.

But he remained unbowed through a hundred setbacks, fighting on after every defeat. Finally, after a full day, he successfully guided the divine sense from his sea of consciousness through one complete cycle within his soul.

The first level of divine sense-achieved!

As night fell, He Pingsheng ate a little, then closed the stone door.

He was exhausted!

Drawing qi into the body during cultivation dispelled all physical fatigue, but divine refining was different. Afterward, he felt dazed and muddled, as though his soul had been drained dry, and wanted nothing more than sleep.

But before sleeping, there was one more thing to do.

He Pingsheng casually tossed the [Paper Crane] he had bought from the stall into the Treasure-Gathering Basin, pushed the basin beneath his bed, and fell fast asleep.

When he woke the next morning, He Pingsheng immediately felt clearheaded and refreshed.

Boom...

The next instant, his divine sense spread outward.

Its range had increased somewhat.

Previously, his divine sense had covered roughly a hundred feet around him.

Now, that range had reached about a hundred and fifty feet.

The increased range was not the key point. What mattered was that He Pingsheng felt his divine sense had improved in quality, becoming sharper and more nimble.

Wonderful!

He had never expected a single day of divine sense cultivation to yield such results.

Right...

He Pingsheng hurriedly bent down and pulled the Treasure-Gathering Basin out from beneath his bed with a scrape.

He looked inside. Oh! Two!

That was right!

The Paper Crane he had placed in the Treasure-Gathering Basin had now become two.

Excited, He Pingsheng picked up both Paper Cranes.

Previously, each Paper Crane had only one activation remaining.

Wonderful. Now I can activate them twice.

He Pingsheng gently swept his divine sense over the Paper Cranes.

Then...

"This..."

With a thump, He Pingsheng leaped off the bed in shock.

Twelve activations!

That was right!

Each Paper Crane could now be activated twelve times, making twenty-four activations in total.

Moreover, each activation still lasted one day, but the Paper Cranes now flew twice as fast as before.

In other words, flying from Spirit Medicine Valley to [Horsehead Mountain Market] had previously taken four hours. With these Paper Cranes, it would take only two.

"So Paper Cranes have grades too!" He Pingsheng narrowed his eyes.

"Then... could I consider selling one?"

"It should fetch quite a bit of money, right?"

What He Pingsheng lacked now was cultivation resources.

Cultivation required methods, companions, wealth, and a place to cultivate. Without wealth, how the hell was he supposed to cultivate?

"Store..."

He Pingsheng put away both Paper Cranes, set the matter aside, and began cultivating his divine sense with complete concentration.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

The autumn wind sighed bleakly, and the leaves in the valley turned yellow!

When He Pingsheng's divine sense reached the second level of the Qi Refining Chapter, Withered Wood True Person returned to Spirit Medicine Valley.

His face was pale, and the wrinkles on it seemed deeper.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Upon seeing He Pingsheng, he coughed lightly a few times and said, "Little He... have you taken care of everything I assigned you?"

"Senior!" He Pingsheng said. "Everything's done... I collected ten and a half bottles of pollen during the final month. Then Senior Brother Wang Dun led me to Horsehead Mountain Market, where I handed everything over to Shopkeeper Liu at Abundant Harmony Manor!"

"This is the stamped receipt Shopkeeper Liu issued!"

He Pingsheng handed the sheet of paper to Withered Wood.

"Good!" Withered Wood looked at the receipt and nodded. "You did well!"

"He Pingsheng, you're a good lad. What a pity!" Withered Wood said as he put away the receipt. "It's a pity your cultivation centers on your fire spiritual root. You can't remain in Spirit Medicine Valley for long!"

"How about this? When I plant Blazing Sun Flowers next year, I'll have you come help again!"

"You may leave!"

Huh?

Leave!

I'm being sent away just like that?

He Pingsheng felt somewhat dazed.

After all, his months in Spirit Medicine Valley had been quite pleasant.

"What?" Withered Wood asked. "Is there something else?"

He Pingsheng cupped his hands. "This junior previously worked in the pill refining rooms on Bamboo Peak. I know they dump a great deal of plant ash into a valley. If you're willing, Senior, I could collect all that ash and use it as fertilizer for the various spiritual plants in Spirit Medicine Valley!"

"Plant ash can enrich the soil!"

"Hmph..." Withered Wood snorted coldly. "He Pingsheng... don't give this old man any rotten ideas!"

"Using plant ash to nourish spiritual plants?"

"Has your brain gone bad, for you to come up with a scheme like that?"

"Or do you want to go there and look for something yourself?"

Withered Wood's gaze swept over He Pingsheng like a blade.

He Pingsheng's heart tightened. This...

That was right!

He did indeed have a selfish motive.

He had hoped to find some discarded pills there, which would give him enough resources for his future cultivation.

But which cultivator in the Great Void Sect was a fool?

The higher their cultivation, the keener their minds.

Often, they could grasp the heart of a matter in a single thought.

He Pingsheng did not dare meet his eyes. He merely cupped his hands and said, "This junior was presumptuous..."

"Go!" Withered Wood waved a hand.

He Pingsheng hurriedly withdrew.

After watching He Pingsheng leave, Withered Wood True Person's eyes suddenly narrowed. He immediately took flight on his sword and arrived at the place where Bamboo Peak dumped its plant ash.

"That brat would never suggest coming here without a reason. Could there... really be something hidden here?"

Withered Wood True Person's divine sense surged outward as he began searching the surroundings.

He sifted through the furnace ash at the foot of the mountain bit by bit.

There was nothing inside.

Nothing but ash upon ash, along with a few discarded pills.

"It seems this old man was overthinking things!" Withered Wood shook his head. "He's only an Outer Disciple. Even if he has some little scheme in mind, there probably isn't any fortuitous opportunity here!"

"Forget it, forget it!"

"What a waste of this old man's time!"

Shaking his head, Withered Wood True Person left Bamboo Peak.