Chapter 17: Body Tempering Technique, Return to Nature! (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, you're called Tianyi!)
Qingfu Square, the largest shop in Yellow Dragon Square, occupies several acres. It is said that Qingfu Square does exceptionally well in business, with branches spread throughout the Eastern Wasteland Cultivation World.
"This young master."
A plainly dressed young man appeared ahead, smiling, "Are you looking to go to Qingfu Square? The various stores inside Qingfu Square are complex and intricate. Do you need someone to guide you?"
Ning Daoran indeed was visiting Qingfu Square for the first time, and having someone to lead the way was certainly most desirable.
"Sure, what's your name?"
He nodded and smiled, "I want to buy some spirit fish fry. Do you know where they are sold at a reasonable price?"
"My name is Zhou Qi. I'm aware of matters regarding spirit fish. Gao Family's spirit fish shop has plump and tender spirit fish, and they also sell fry. Please follow me."
Soon after, they reached a shop within Qingfu Square.
"Yo!"
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a shrewd face, surnamed Gao. His eyes lit up upon spotting Ning Daoran's Outer Disciple uniform, and he stood up with a smile, "Fellow Taoist, are you here to buy spirit fish?"
"Uh-huh."
Ning Daoran tossed a silver tael to Zhou Qi, the mortal who had led the way.
Zhou Qi's face lit up with ecstasy. As a mortal who made a living by guiding cultivators in the workshop, having someone generously give a whole silver tael in one go was definitely a big customer.
He repeatedly expressed his gratitude and then left happily in the wake of an dismissive sleeve wave from Manager Gao.
"It's not the spirit fish I want to buy."
Ning Daoran's gaze swept continuously across the plump spirit fish in the crystal-clear pool, and only after thorough observation did he speak, "Boss, I'm looking to buy some fry to breed by myself."
"Oh, fry? Certainly!"
In another pool, Manager Gao displayed a large number of fry he had bred, with all sorts of spirit fish varieties.
The fry were not too expensive. Ten low grade spirit stones could buy over ten thousand fry.
"Fellow Taoist."
Manager Gao said with a smile, "These fry are quite delicate and can easily die if not handled carefully. Do you have a spirit beast bag? If you are traveling a long distance with the fry, you will need a spirit beast bag. Otherwise, at least half of the fry will be dead by the time they arrive home."
Ning Daoran smiled slightly, "It seems, then, that you also sell spirit beast bags here?"
"Exactly!"
Manager Gao slapped his storage bag at his waist, and several brand-new spirit beast bags flew out, "The spirit beast bags crafted by the masters of Qingfu Square are reliable for all ages. Ten spirit stones each."
Ning Daoran, possessing strong divine sense, saw through the shopkeeper's slightly flickering gaze immediately; the price of these spirit beast bags was around eight spirit stones.
He did not quibble, "Alright, I'll take two spirit beast bags and one ten thousand fry. Here are thirty spirit stones for you to keep, shopkeeper."
"Thank you for your patronage, Fellow Taoist!"
Before long, Ning Daoran had put all the fry into the spirit beast bags.
"Fellow Taoist."
Manager Gao spoke up again, "These spirit fish are precious because they are extremely difficult to keep alive. They have high requirements for water quality, food, and sunlight. I have an ancestral 'Spirit Fish Breeding Expert Handbook', if you're interested... for just fifty spirit stones, I can part with it."
He wore a pained expression, seemingly not feigned.
"Oh?"
Ning Daoran looked at the shopkeeper and then inwardly sneered.
You crafty merchant, you expect to sell a lousy book for fifty spirit stones?
Do I, Ning Daoran, need such a breeding manual to raise fish? What a joke. Whatever these spirit fish want to eat, whatever environment they desire, couldn't I just tame one and ask it directly?
After politely refusing, he left Qingfu Square and returned to the Chaotic Sect.
He didn't hang the Peace Token until after leaving Yellow Dragon Square, and sure enough, the journey thereafter was uneventful.
...
Wind Stopping Tower.
Foundation Establishment powerhouse Huang Chengyan gently stroked the plump and rounded Green Bamboo Spirit Rice, squinting at the window outside.
"Master."
A disciple pushed the door and entered.
"How did he do?"
"Heh... This little junior brother is quite interesting. He made a trip to Qingfu Square and bought some spirit fish. It seems he wants to raise fish in the Outer Mountain. However, he didn't carry his Jade Token with him during his trip, only hanging it on his waist when he left the square on his way back to the sect."
"Heh..."
Huang Chengyan couldn't help but smile, "He's sensible. This kind of demeanor, understanding of etiquette and sense of proportion is really rare. You should learn from him, too."
"Disciple is enlightened!"
"And, from now on, when Ning Daoran is frequenting the workshop, keep an eye on him. Don't let him be bullied. Our Chaotic Sect members cannot be wronged in Yellow Dragon Square."
"Yes, disciple understands!"
...
Spiritual Field Courtyard Number 77.
A man and a deer once again started their enthusiastic and vigorous work.
Ning Daoran's application for land use in the Outer Sect went smoothly. The Outer Elder in charge, after adeptly accepting fifty catties of Second-tier Spirit Rice, then gave Ning Daoran an understanding look, "Nephew, you really shouldn't be so formal!"
"Uncle, what are you saying? As an Outer Disciple Spirit Farmer, isn't it only right to present you with some local specialties?"
"Oh no, oh no, you mustn't do this again!"
Now, a plot of nearly two acres in the backyard had been approved as a fish pond, and had been recorded in the Sect's land registry.
Ning Daoran "received orders" to raise fish, and in a mere three days, he had cleared the fish pond with his own brute strength and that of Big Stupid Deer, then directly drew water from the stream of Qiongbi Peak to fill the pond before adding the fish fry.
He tamed two of the fry, talking to them every day to understand their daily routines, and planted trees by the side of the pond to provide shade.
In addition, the feed for the fish fry was the powdered form of First-tier Spirit Rice, and as the fry grew slightly larger, he started feeding them crushed rice husks.
Once the spirit fish reached an inch long, he would throw bamboo leaves and stems of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice into the pond, utilizing the spirit fish to continue digesting the remaining spiritual energy. The entire breeding process was scientific and rational.
The spirit fish grew day by day, becoming one of the solid foundations of Qiongbi Peak.
Every time Ning Daoran went to the Contribution Hall to take on missions, or asked someone to handle affairs, he had one or two plump spirit fish tucked at his waist, which would make the eyes of elders, deacons, and senior brothers light up upon seeing them.
Suddenly, Ning Daoran's reputation in the Outer Sect began to grow significantly, with everyone praising the young man, although they noted his talent was somewhat lacking.
Senior Brother Lin Sheng and Junior Sister Han Bing also often came over, and each time they were treated to spirit fish and Spirit Rice, both specialties, making them somewhat embarrassed to receive such hospitality.
On one occasion, Lin Sheng even felt so embarrassed that he directly carried away two hundred pounds of Green Bamboo Spirit Rice, almost unable to close his mouth from shame.
...
The days of farming on Qiongbi Peak were happy and fulfilling.
Time flew; three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Ning Daoran, at 27 years of age, had been part of the Chaotic Sect for seven years.
Early morning.
Ning Daoran awoke from his twenty-zhang deep secret chamber and took a deep breath, feeling that the time had come.
He had almost 40,000 years saved up in Refining Time, and it was time to push through the last step of the Body Tempering Technique!
After all, neither the Evergreen Technique nor the Soul Searching Technique had a significant impact on the enhancement of cultivation level. It was only the Body Tempering Technique that could help him take another step forward, to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and breakthrough to the Late-stage Qi Refining!
No matter how much Spirit Rice he cultivated or how many spirit fish he raised, in the end, they had to nourish his own cultivation and strength; otherwise, they were just resources on paper, meaningless.
He sat cross-legged, his spirit platform clear and bright, channeling the accumulated Refining Time into the Body Tempering Technique.
[In the 9,400th year, the Body Tempering Technique you've been diligently practicing for years shows no sign of change. It seems as if these 9,400 years have been spent in futility.]
[In the 17,000th year, you refuse to give up and start using various spirit sands to polish the flesh. You bathe your body in a barrel filled with sharp iron sand, stand under waterfalls hundreds of meters high, letting the strong currents blast you, and let out an earth-shattering roar that instills fear in others, yet it all seems to be for naught.]
[In the 24,560th year, your blood qi begins to drain away once more, and you rapidly age, becoming a feeble old man. Your concubines leave you one by one. You close your eyes, almost seeing the destination of life—though your heart understands, it is helpless.]
[In the 32,400th year, just when you're about to turn to dust, your eyes suddenly open wide. You gaze at the sunlight filtering through the dense leaves of a giant tree onto your face. The leaves are so lush that not even sunlight can penetrate without finding the slightest gap. Why then can't you?]
[Suddenly, you grasp that sliver of fate, vitality nourishes back into you, and your body instantly returns to its youthful state!]
[Qi Blood 72 Shedding]
[Body Tempering Technique. Lower Grade Yellow (Return to Nature)]
[Qi Refinement Realm (Seventh Layer)]
[Refining Time remaining: 5,433 years]
...
"Sizzle~~~"
Wisp after wisp of blue smoke rose from Ning Daoran's body. At this moment when the Body Tempering Technique was refined to its ultimate level, Return to Nature, his body underwent an extremely intense transformation.
Below the skin, his fiery red blood qi flowed like lava, his muscles became tighter, and when he clenched his fists, strands of Spirit Mastery naturally enveloped his body, filling him with explosive strength.
What was more peculiar, as he circulated the power of the Body Tempering Technique to Return to Nature, his entire body was covered with layers of golden glow, and even his hair stood up in tufts, turning into long golden strands.
Moreover, strands of tender golden energy from the Evergreen Technique rose around him, twining around his body like flames.
"I! F*ck!"
Ning Daoran, looking at himself in the copper mirror, somehow found a sense of déjà vu...
At this point, the Body Tempering Technique had reached its peak, and if he only used this cultivation technique, further refinement of the flesh had reached its limit!
The peak of refinement brought extreme strength. Ning Daoran lightly swung his arm, and at this moment, the power of one punch was probably at least on par with an Early-stage Condensed Liquid Realm martial artist!!
If he added a five-point strength talent to the punch, its power was on par with a Mid-stage Condensed Liquid Realm martial artist!
What concept was this?
Roughly speaking, if it came to hand-to-hand combat, killing a cultivator in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment with three punches should be feasible.
Of course, this assumes that the opponent doesn't have a Protective Spirit Artifact or High-level Protection Talisman, otherwise, it would be a different story.
In the Cultivation World, the battles are not decided by absolute realms or strength; sometimes, if one is decisive enough, an underdog can indeed prevail against strong opponents.
Besides, this cultivation session had another huge gain.
A breakthrough to the Late-stage Qi Refining!
Qi Refining Seventh Layer, this cultivation level had already caught up to Senior Brother Lin Sheng from five years ago!
And even in the Chaotic Sect Outer Sect, disciples at the Late-stage Qi Refining were treated like precious treasures.
Most disciples, once they reached the Late-stage Qi Refining, would directly enter the Inner Sect to cultivate in surroundings with at least Second Order Lower Grade spirit energy.
However, if someone were to discover that Ning Daoran, who could cultivate Second-tier Spirit Rice in his Lade-stage Qi Refining, he would likely be reported to the higher-ups of the Sect and be given significant cultivation resources and attention.
But Ning Daoran did not want to draw too much attention; it was too easy to die in unexplained circumstances. He just wanted to peacefully cultivate Spirit Rice on Qiongbi Peak.
So, he deployed the Concealing Breath Technique.
And still kept his cultivation level appearing as if he were in the Third Level of Qi Refining.
A wastrel Outer Disciple with a Ninth Grade mixed spiritual root, who after seven years of cultivation remained in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, fit in logically. No one could find fault with that.