15. Returning to the village

Mei Lin and Li Wei gathered wood for the fire, set up their temporary shelter in the cave, and prepared enough supplies for the next few days. They decided to spend a few days cultivating in this peaceful spot before heading back to the village. As they settled into the cave, Li Wei started a fire, and Mei Lin began cultivating, absorbing natural energy to further enhance her cultivation. The calmness of the cave provided an ideal environment for their practice.

While Mei Lin and Li Wei cultivated in the cave, they still needed to eat and rest due to their lower cultivation stages. The process of not requiring food or sleep occurred at the sixth stage of Body Tempering. Cultivators at this advanced stage could absorb natural energy directly, converting it into nutrients. For now, Mei Lin and Li Wei continued with their routine of eating and resting during their stay in the cave.

Early the next morning they stretch up and start doing breading exercises. After that, they practice fighting techniques from the book and start fighting with sticks instead of swords. Mei Lin didn't like it, because she could compete with Li Wei. Her movement was very slow similar to normal humans which stand no chance against Li Wei.

Their physical training was essential, as relying solely on cultivation might not be sufficient in life-and-death situations. After the training session, they returned to the cave, made tea, had breakfast, and placed hot stones around themselves. Before entering the cultivation state, they sat on opposite sides of the cave, engaged in conversation for a while, adjusted their cultivation positions, and then entered the cultivation state.

After four hours, Mei Lin opened her eyes and gazed at Li Wei. In her eyes, he seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from her. Despite the time spent, she hadn't made much progress. Mei Lin was still in the early stages of achieving the first stage of Body Tempting.

Then she stood up and started making lunch. Luckily, the fire hadn't extinguished, so she added some wood and began preparing mushroom soup.

Half an hour later Li Wei opened his eyes. Mei Lin starts looking into the fire and boiling water for tea. Li Wei starts reading a cultivation book. His progress was also slow but he didn't mind.

"How is your progress, Mei?" Mei Lin felt ashamed, but in the end, she didn't keep her mouth shut. "I didn't make nearly any progress. Creating a wisp of my natural energy is just too hard. How did you manage to do it in only a few days?"

"According to the book, it's about one's cultivation potential. Mine must be higher than yours, that's all. You will make your first wisp of natural energy soon. After we open the storage bag, your cultivation will progress much faster than now. Also, when we enter the cultivation sect, natural energy will be high, and we can cultivate faster."

"Let's play a game. If I can ascend to the next stage faster than you, and you will carry me back to the village."

"No chance, I will ascend first." They both started laughing and began talking about what they would do once they reached the village.

After lunch, they repeated their physical training and then delved into cultivation. The afternoon flew by rapidly, time in the cultivation state passing swiftly. The only interruptions were for eating and sleeping. However, that would change after entering the sixth stage, with Body temperature leading to a diminishing need for eating and sleeping. Additionally, the outside temperature began to decrease, signaling the arrival of winter. Wood started depleting faster and faster, and Li Wei found himself with more work to do.

 *****

Ten days later.

Outside the cave, a light snowfall blanketed the surroundings. Their food supplies were nearly depleted, enough for only two more days, so they decided to leave after breakfast. Following their morning meal, they brewed a final pot of tea before the journey and prepared wood for the next fire, just in case they ever returned. None of them made any significant progress.

Mei Lin's cultivation progressed at its usual slow pace, and Li Wei discovered that his initially extreme speed through the first two stages had decreased significantly. After rereading a cultivation book multiple times, he realized that he needed more practical training and to be in a state of danger to tap into the depths of his strength, breaking through his physical limits. Since both Mei Lin and he were in the Body Tempting stage, they recognized the necessity of training their physical strength alongside their cultivation.

As it was their first cultivation cave, Mei Lin instantly had a good feeling about the place and started preparing it for their potential return. After everything was ready they left. They had a lot of rabbit skins so they had good clothes for cold weather.

As they left the cave and entered the slowly falling blanket of snow, Mei Lin turned around. 'We will come again, so be here for us.' Li Wei rolled his eyes, and they started walking in the direction of the village.

"The game is a tie. You haven't advanced to the second stage, and neither have I. After I manage to reach the third stage, I will open the storage bag, and we can share what's inside. After next summer, we need to go to the Green Jade Sect. The sect is four hundred kilometers away, so it will take us a lot of time. During that period, we need to acquire something so we don't have to walk all the way there."

"First, I want to see my parents and friends, then we can make another plan. In that time, I will catch up with you in my cultivation." Mei Lin was very energetic and happy because she saw a bright future.

On the other hand, Li Wei wasn't as content. Although he desired to join the Green Jade Sect, realizing that achieving it through the Sleeping Deity technique could open up limitless possibilities for his future. He remained uncertain about Mei Lin's cultivation realm, but it was likely much higher than Dong Fey's. Furthermore, Dong Fey probably harbored a dislike towards him and could potentially cause trouble.