Immortal Cultivation Art: Turns Out We Were Both Noobs Together

"Between Heaven and Earth, there is spiritual energy. Sense the qi, connect with Heaven and Earth, and draw it into the body..."

Chen Xun kept reading, his mouth opening wider and wider. He had wanted to spit out two words all along, yet could not bring himself to say them, because every following line raised the feeling to even greater heights.

He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock, and shouted, "Awesome!"

"Moo? Moo!" Big Black Ox jolted upright in fright, turning its bovine head toward the Qi Condensation Art. What was this thing?

"Old Ox, it's an Immortal Cultivation Art!"

Chen Xun said excitedly. This was the joy of getting something for free. "Immortal cultivation! The kind where you can fly, and you don't even have to go be a workhorse at an immortal cultivation sect."

"Moo~~"

Big Black Ox became excited too. That year, they had seen immortal cultivators riding swords through the air and roaming Between Heaven and Earth. They had been so envious.

"The Qi Condensation Stage is divided into ten levels. At the tenth level, one can achieve Foundation Establishment, break through the limits of lifespan, and live for four hundred years..."

When Chen Xun read this far, both he and Big Black Ox quietly curled their lips. They exchanged a glance and let out inexplicably lewd, low chuckles.

However, the art ended at the Foundation Establishment Realm. They still knew nothing of the realms beyond Foundation Establishment.

"Old Ox, let's try it together. Follow its circulation route and sense the spiritual energy Between Heaven and Earth."

Chen Xun sat cross-legged, even taking the opportunity to teach Big Black Ox how to sit cross-legged. He shook all over with laughter. "Among all things Between Heaven and Earth, anyone with spiritual roots can sense spiritual energy."

"Moo?"

"Don't worry, you definitely have them. You're a spirit beast."

"Moo~"

Big Black Ox grinned, reassured.

"Come, spiritual energy Between Heaven and Earth, heed my command and enter my body!"

"Moo moo moo moo!"

The man and ox followed the circulation route of the art and began capturing the sensation of qi Between Heaven and Earth. Their eyes half-closed, they calmed their minds and focused their breath. Just like that, an hour passed.

Two hours passed...

Three hours passed...

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Chen Xun's eyes flew open as he turned towards Big Black Ox and asked, "Fake goods?"

"Moo~ Moo!" Big Black Ox hesitated, then nodded. It really did not seem to feel anything.

"Damn it."

Chen Xun looked pained, Hands on the Ground. "I never thought Sun Lao's son had been harmed by fake goods. It seems his son only discovered something was wrong after cultivating, which was why he left it behind."

"Moo moo!" Big Black Ox nodded. That made perfect sense. Chen Xun was just too smart.

"But."

Chen Xun's tone shifted as he frowned slightly. "After cultivating, my abdomen really does feel a little strange."

"Moo?"

"Probably from eating too much demon beast meat. I'm heading out for a moment. Excreting."

Big Black Ox: "..."

After Chen Xun went out, he found a concealed spot, dug a pit, and squatted over it. He began mulling things over from every angle.

"Could my spiritual roots be too weak?"

Chen Xun strained every feature on his face, then slowly relaxed. "No way, right? Big Black Ox is a spirit beast. Could it be that it sucks just as much as me?"

At that thought, Chen Xun could not help secretly snickering. His body movements grew larger and larger, until his expression suddenly changed and he looked at his feet. "Ow, Wocao..."

After returning to the earthen cave, Chen Xun said, "Old Ox, there's actually another possibility. Our spiritual roots might be too weak."

Big Black Ox did not respond. Instead, its nose kept sniffing. Why did Chen Xun smell so bad?

"Old Ox?" Chen Xun frowned. What did that mean?

Big Black Ox's nose was nearly sniffing beneath Chen Xun's feet.

"My strength can pull up mountains, my spirit can cover the world!"

"Moo!!~~~"

Chen Xun directly lifted Big Black Ox into the air. Furious, he said, "Old Ox, I'm talking to you."

"Moo moo~"

Big Black Ox behaved at once, lying leaned against the earthen wall far away from Chen Xun. Its ox eyes carried an inexplicable trace of mockery.

"Let's cultivate for an hour every day. If it doesn't work, then forget it."

"Moo."

Big Black Ox nodded. Seeing Chen Xun walking over, it hurriedly changed spots. But how could Chen Xun let it off? Big Black Ox was on the verge of tears.

They were forced to lean against each other and sleep through the night. The next day, birdsong had already reached the earthen cave, and a strand of sunlight shone down.

"Come on, Old Ox. Let's gather herbs."

Chen Xun slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily, still bleary-eyed. "Then I'll put some medicine on your head."

"Moo~" Big Black Ox woke as well. Its head did still hurt a little.

An inch of jade, an inch of time; time flew by. They had already stayed in the Ningyun Mountain Range for three years, yet never again encountered dangers like demon beasts descending from the mountains.

But they had seen the dry bones of countless commoners. Whenever they had nothing to do, Chen Xun and Big Black Ox returned to their old trade.

The mournful sound of suonas and bells echoed through the forest, sending those souls home to their native soil.

Chen Xun now wore beast-hide clothing, carried a bamboo basket on his back, held a Mountain-Splitting Axe in one hand, and had two more strapped around his waist. Several streaks were painted across his face, and a bow and arrows hung on his back. He looked every inch a wild man.

Big Black Ox's horns finally recovered this year. It too wore beast hide, with several thick streaks painted across its bovine head. Without close inspection, one truly could not tell it was a Big Black Ox.

A wild boar fled frantically, terror filling its eyes. It remembered that a few days ago, its father had been hacked to death barehanded by a wild man, while its mother had been rammed to death by a wild ox.

"Gurgle, snort."

The wild boar suddenly stopped, trembling cries continuously escaping its mouth. It looked ahead and behind—it was that wild man and wild ox.

"Hehe." Chen Xun bared his teeth in a bloodthirsty smile, blocking its path.

"Moo moo." Big Black Ox sealed off its retreat.

"Little pig, become part of our bodies. We'll take you with us as we grow stronger. Heh, heh, heh."

Chen Xun wore a twisted smile. With a flash, he Appeared silently above the wild boar's head, while Big Black Ox instantly launched its charge. Their coordination was flawless.

"Snort~~!!"

A flash of blood swept past, and the wild boar collapsed helplessly. Its entire family, old and young, had been neatly dealt with by Chen Xun and Big Black Ox.

"Let's go, Old Ox."

"Moo."

Chen Xun hoisted the wild boar's corpse onto his shoulder. Big Black Ox dug a pit and buried the bloodstains before they headed back to their earthen cave.

"Old Ox, I never expected that art to be real."

Chen Xun took huge bites of wild boar meat, his mouth covered in grease. "My hearing has improved now. Immortal cultivators really are different from us mortals."

"Moo moo moo."

Big Black Ox nodded repeatedly, splashing soup everywhere. In the dead of night, it could see more clearly than before.

This felt completely different from the Longevity Point. Longevity Points seemed to strengthen the physical body, while immortal cultivation elevated the body's senses. It was an advancement of life itself.

"But our speed has hit a wall again."

Chen Xun Shook Head slightly. Refusing to believe it, he raised his speed Longevity Point to 21, and did not spare Big Black Ox either.

Yet, just as with strength, it was as though they had encountered a shackle. They could no longer improve the body's basic capabilities. It was exceedingly strange.

"Moo moo?"

Big Black Ox was puzzled as well. Could it be that they could only live forever in the Mortal Realm? After all, none of the commoners now could defeat either of them one-on-one.

"How about we try mana next year?"

Chen Xun said uncertainly. He understood it as a blue bar, but they had no skills...

"Moo! Moo~" Big Black Ox shook its head and nudged Chen Xun.

"Essence of All Things?"

"Moo!"

Big Black Ox nodded wildly. They should try that instead. Mana was far too mysterious; its Black Ox Charge was already incredibly powerful.

"Alright, we'll listen to you."

Chen Xun smiled and patted Big Black Ox with his grease-covered hand, though Big Black Ox did not notice.