What Was There to Be Picky About If It Filled His Belly?

Of course, this Clear Qi would not remain in the Iron Ingot forever. Otherwise, it would have fused with the Iron Ingot long ago. It merely dissipated a little more slowly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The forging hammer struck the Iron Ingot incessantly, sparks scattering and flickering.

Tang Zhixue could clearly feel his own body being tempered continuously during the forging process.

As he hammered the Iron Ingot, the force rebounding from the forging hammer also hammered his body.

Even the surrounding Clear Qi flowed into his body during the process, carrying away the impurities within.

This discovery delighted Tang Zhixue. He had never imagined that the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra, which only affected the surrounding environment, could undergo such an astonishing change.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Early morning.

After waking, Tang Zhixue lay in bed staring blankly for a while, then opened his personal panel without getting up.

He was eager to see last night's gains!

After discovering the miraculous effects of the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra in the Dream Space, Tang Zhixue had spent the rest of his time hammering away like mad.

After forging the Purification Golden-Pattern Iron into swords and sabers, he had returned all the rusty swords and sabers to the furnace and reforged them. Once he had finished forging both batches, he manifested them again.

[Name: Tang Zhixue]

[Level: First Tier]

[Talents: Vitality Absorption, Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent]

[Crafts: Bow and Arrow Crafting · Uninitiated (0/1), Prey Processing · Proficient (53/200), Blazing Fire Sect Basic Forging · Beginner (15/100)]

[Skills: Blazing Tiger Fist · Adept (375/500), Linked Pearl Archery · Master (11/1000), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Master (1/1000), Big Dipper Ghost-Slaying Incantation · Beginner (8/100)]

"It increased that much?!"

Tang Zhixue instantly snapped awake. "Looks like forging really is a good match for Blazing Tiger Fist!"

He rolled out of bed and recited the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra under his breath before remembering something. "I almost forgot! I wonder if that Biting Spring Granny accepted the food..."

He looked up toward the doorway, where he had left the food last night.

However, the entrance was now blocked by the Clear Spirit Tree wall, preventing any outside light from getting in. It was pitch-black there, and Tang Zhixue could not see whether the food was still there.

Curious, Tang Zhixue walked to the doorway, crouched down, and felt around.

But his hand found nothing.

"The food's gone?!"

Delight immediately appeared on Tang Zhixue's face. That meant Biting Spring Granny had accepted his food!

"Then where's the gift?"

He hurriedly felt around carefully at the base of the tree roots and soon found a bead the size of a fingernail, along with a note.

The bead's surface felt exceptionally smooth and slightly cool in his hand, like a pebble soaked in a stream. He rubbed it a few times with his thumb, and its surface actually began to warm slowly. The temperature around his body gradually rose until he felt comfortable.

[Item: Warm Spring Pearl]

[Level: Second Tier]

[Description: A gift left by Biting Spring Granny. This pearl contains a sealed wisp of warm spring sunshine. When carried, it dispels cold and dampness within a three-foot radius and has a weak suppressive effect on cold-attribute anomalies. The pearl automatically recharges once each day at noon, allowing continued use.]

"A Warm Spring Pearl?! What a treasure! Now I can go back to sleeping in my room at night! I can save on charcoal too."

Holding the pearl in his palm and feeling its steady warmth, Tang Zhixue felt thoroughly content.

It was early morning, and the Shelter still held the lingering chill of night. But with this pearl in his hand, the temperature around him had risen noticeably, shutting out that cold sensation.

"What a treasure!"

Muttering this, Tang Zhixue carried the Warm Spring Pearl and the note over to the fireplace.

He stuffed some dry branches into the fireplace, letting the remaining charcoal ignite them and provide firelight.

Then he examined Biting Spring Granny's gifts by the light of the flames.

The Warm Spring Pearl was milky white all over, its surface gleaming softly in the firelight.

There was some writing on the note, its strokes looking rather gentle.

By the light, Tang Zhixue read its contents aloud, word by word. "Young man, next time, don't leave out your leftovers. I still prefer food that no one has eaten..."

"Uh..."

Tang Zhixue froze. "This... Biting Spring Granny?"

"The Solar Term Benevolent Deities can communicate?!"

"Hiss!"

Tang Zhixue sucked in a sharp breath. "There really are gods?!"

If there were benevolent deities, then naturally there were evil deities too!

Otherwise, where had the anomalies outside come from?

Tang Zhixue speculated maliciously to himself.

He put away the note and walked toward the entrance, holding the Warm Spring Pearl in his left hand.

Vitality Absorption!

Pressing his right hand against the Second Tier Clear Spirit Tree at the entrance, Tang Zhixue activated his talent.

He had to admit that the Plant Vitality of this Second Tier Clear Spirit Tree was richer than that of a First Tier one.

Tang Zhixue merely carved a passage two meters high and one meter wide through the Clear Spirit Tree at the entrance. Using the absorbed Plant Vitality to nourish the Jade Flower successfully yielded twenty Plant Vitality Crystals!

Twenty!

Each one was worth fifty energy points, so twenty meant a thousand energy points!

That was enough to meet the Shelter's vitality energy requirements.

Tang Zhixue did not hold back, using all twenty Plant Vitality Crystals to replenish the Shelter's energy.

Passing through the passage in the tree wall, Tang Zhixue successfully made his way outside the Shelter.

"Well, hey." As soon as he emerged, Tang Zhixue could not help raising his eyebrows. "The range expanded again?"

Thanks to last night's increase in Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra proficiency, the Silent White Fog had now been dispersed within a twenty-meter radius outside the Shelter. As a result, the Spirit Clarity Tree, which had already grown over ten meters tall, had not been eroded by the Silent White Fog either.

Of course, even if it had been eroded, it would not have been a big deal. Yesterday, to guard against erosion by the Silent White Fog, he had specifically planted ten branch cuttings in the Planting Cottage in advance, and all of them had already taken root.

Tang Zhixue warily examined the nearby edge of the white fog, but even after looking closely for quite some time, he saw no sign of any anomalies. "Is Junweng not coming today?"

Only after watching for a long time without finding any trace of the Junweng anomaly did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Tang Zhixue turned to look at the Second Tier Clear Spirit Tree growing flush against the Shelter and reached out to activate his talent.

But just as he touched the trunk, he paused. "Come to think of it, under these circumstances, would anything change if the Shelter leveled up?"

After all, his Blazing Sun Shelter was now different from other Shelters.

At that thought, he was no longer in a hurry to destroy this Clear Spirit Tree.

Returning inside the Shelter, Tang Zhixue began cooking breakfast.

He had been busy ever since getting up early that morning and had not yet had time to eat breakfast.

It was rice, roasted meat, and White Melon again. Without seasonings, the taste really was nothing special, but if it filled his belly now, what did Tang Zhixue have to be picky about?