"Heaven has three treasures: the sun, moon, and stars. Earth has three treasures: water, fire, and wind. Man has three treasures: essence, Qi, and spirit. The cultivation methods of this world lie within these as well."
"I have the Great Toad Qi-Devouring Technique to temper my body, the Golden Toad Qi-Locking Method to refine Qi, and the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad Meditation Method to nurture my spirit. With all three as one, tempering the human body's essence, Qi, and spirit, perhaps they might produce extraordinary effects!"
Meng Qianqiu's gaze grew deep. Then, following the idea in his mind, he slowly began practicing the Great Toad Qi-Eating Method from his memories.
Grrr~
In just a short while, Meng Qianqiu felt an obvious change. His stomach grew hungry at an uncanny speed.
"Whew~"
"The Daoist art of inner strengthening really does produce extraordinary effects!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Meng Qianqiu's eyes. Unable to spare a thought for anything else, he turned and raced down the mountain, heading home.
"Grandma, hungry~"
"My stomach's so hungry! I want something to eat!"
Meng Qianqiu was starving. He had never experienced hunger like this, like a seedling dying of drought, yearning for sweet dew to fall from the heavens.
"All right, all right! I'll have the head steward bring you food!"
Meng Qianqiu ate very well. His usual meals were rich in fish and meat, with rare Soul Beast meat of an exceptionally wide variety appearing throughout his dishes.
Under Meng Zhongqi's and Nangong Wan's watchful eyes, Meng Qianqiu ate an entire large basin of Soul Beast meat before he barely managed to fill his stomach.
"My precious grandson, are you all right?"
Nangong Wan's eyes were filled with astonishment. Meng Qianqiu was only a six-year-old child. How had he suddenly developed such an enormous appetite?
This was very unusual. Nangong Wan and Meng Zhongqi had watched Meng Qianqiu grow up, and they knew perfectly well how much he usually ate.
"Grandpa, Grandma, don't worry!"
"I've only just started cultivating and accidentally pushed a little too hard, leaving my body somewhat depleted. Don't worry, I'm fine!"
Meng Qianqiu did not dare explain outright. Although becoming a Soul Master did increase one's appetite, his situation was far too abnormal.
"Our eldest grandson can eat. That's a blessing!"
The two pulled Meng Qianqiu over and examined him carefully. After finding nothing seriously wrong, they could only console themselves this way, immediately adding those words.
"Now that I've eaten and drunk my fill, it's time to get down to business."
After eating his fill, Meng Qianqiu began practicing the Great Toad Qi-Eating Method again, converting the Soul Beast meat in his stomach into wisps of Soul Power.
Wisps and strands of Soul Power wandered through his body, improving Meng Qianqiu's constitution and increasing his agility and strength.
Over time, Meng Qianqiu's physical constitution would undergo a transformation as well. When that happened, his physical body would become extraordinarily formidable.
"Just as I expected, these two techniques complement the meditation method, even making up for its shortcomings."
"The quality of a meditation method determines how quickly a Soul Master draws in the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, while innate aptitude determines the conversion efficiency."
"No wonder Yu Xiaogang remained merely a Soul Grandmaster after half a lifetime of bitter cultivation, despite having a high-quality meditation method, unable to reach the three-ring Soul Elder rank."
"Yu Xiaogang never lacked cultivation resources growing up, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's secret methods are no ordinary things, either."
"In that case, the problem lies in conversion efficiency."
"Yu Xiaogang's aptitude is poor. Even if he consumes heavenly materials and earthly treasures, he cannot convert them into Soul Power, only wasting them for nothing."
"This Great Toad Qi-Devouring Technique makes up for that shortcoming very well, allowing cultivation resources to be converted into one's own Soul Power."
The corners of Meng Qianqiu's mouth lifted. Refining essence into Qi, refining Qi into spirit-without sufficient essence and Qi, one was destined not to travel far along the path of cultivation.
But the essence and Qi within the human body were extremely limited. Without an unending supply of essence and Qi, the process of refining Qi would be affected.
Cultivation also followed the conservation of energy. Essence and Qi did not appear out of thin air; only through dietary nourishment could one strengthen one's own essence and Qi.
Of course, some high-grade meditation methods could also capture the spiritual Qi between heaven and earth to slowly strengthen the essence and Qi within the human body.
But this process was exceedingly lengthy and inefficient. Only through years of cultivation could one appreciate what it entailed.
It was like a small pony pulling a heavy cart, purely a matter of slow, painstaking work. Those with outstanding aptitude would enjoy an early advantage.
"With this Great Toad Qi-Devouring Technique, I can convert cultivation resources like Soul Beast meat into my own reserves of Soul Power."
"But eating nothing but Soul Beast meat isn't a solution!"
"High-quality Soul Beast meat is very rare, and its price is exceptionally steep. Even princes and nobles can't afford to consume it like that."
"Over the years, that expense would be no small sum!"
Meng Qianqiu furrowed his brows, pondering possible substitutes.
"Right!"
"How did I forget? There's Whale Rubber!"
"Whale Rubber contains abundant vital essence and Qi. Taking it over the long term not only increases Soul Power, but also builds physical strength."
"Most importantly, it's cheap! The price is very attractive, and there's plenty of it to fill my belly. It's perfect for buying up in bulk!"
Most crucially, aged Whale Rubber could also help Soul Masters exceed their limits when absorbing Soul Rings of greater age. It truly offered many benefits.
"Looks like I need to make a trip to the treasure vault."
Indeed, as a great reclusive family, the Meng Family also had a treasure vault at home, containing many medicinal ingredients and a large quantity of treasures.
It held large quantities of Gold Soul Coins, grain, medicinal ingredients, and other supplies. As for the precious Soul Bones, Meng Zhongqi kept them on his person.
"Finally found it!"
"To think we had treasures like these at home!"
Whale Rubber had potent aphrodisiac effects, so it was often used to make knockout drugs. The Meng Family also kept some in stock!
The Meng Family and the Dugu Family had a deep friendship with the Ye Family of Heaven Dou City. The Meng Family and the Dugu Family studied poisons, while the Ye Family studied medicines.
The aphrodisiac powder produced by the Meng Family was unrivaled in Heaven Dou!
Thus, the family treasure vault also held several pieces of well-aged Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Such things were exceedingly rare.
Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue could also be counted as a heavenly material and earthly treasure!
Whale Rubber came from Deep Sea Demon Whales or the Evil Spirit Orca race. It was a concentrated product of whale brains, usually a deep yellow amber in color.
After prolonged weathering, some Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue turned pitch-black on the surface. It was an exceptionally rare treasure.
The Meng Family excelled at making medicine and had operated in Heaven Dou City for decades, yet all the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue they had collected amounted to only seven or eight pieces.
And that was the collection of the Meng Family, a medicine-making family. Among ordinary Soul Master families, very few people collected such things.
Of course, certain extravagant and debauched nobles were exceptions.
However, those nobles merely consumed ordinary Whale Rubber. Well-aged Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was exceedingly rare on the market as well.
"The effects of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue are extremely potent!"
"With my current body, I probably couldn't withstand such terrifying medicinal potency. You can't eat yourself fat in a single bite. Forget it."
"I'll keep a little of this on hand. As for the rest, once Grandpa comes back, I'll let him try the effects of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."
"Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue has the heaven-defying effect of cleansing marrow and tempering bones, allowing ordinary Soul Masters to undergo a complete transformation. It's just right for the old man."
"But when the time comes, I'll have to teach him the Great Toad Qi-Devouring Technique. Otherwise, letting that medicinal potency go to waste would spoil things instead."
"With Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, every piece used is one fewer piece left."
"Although the Meng Family has vast holdings, we can't squander something this good. Only by putting everything to its fullest use can we reap all its benefits!"
Meng Qianqiu nodded, then walked out of the treasure vault. As for his grandfather, Meng Zhongqi, he had long since left home and set off for Black Spirit Abyss to hunt Soul Beasts.
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