Chương 6: The Pearl's First Transformation

Zhang Huaijin steadied his newly advanced realm and slowly rose to his feet. The aura radiating from his body gradually receded as he exhaled a long, murky breath. Then his expression shifted, before blooming into a smile. With his breakthrough to the mid-stage of the Qi Refining Realm, the Realm-Breaking Pearl had delivered another revelation. He could now devour the flesh and blood of Spirit beasts to charge the pearl with energy.

Previously, the pearl could only absorb the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth at a sluggish pace, requiring vast stretches of time to fill its reserves. Now that he had advanced to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, Zhang Huaijin's connection to the pearl had deepened considerably. The pearl's energy stores were depleted. At the current rate of spiritual energy absorption, he estimated it would take at least five years to fully recharge it.

Of course, if he chanced upon a location blessed with dense spiritual energy, that time could be drastically shortened. But now, the Realm-Breaking Pearl had undergone its first transformation. It could now consume Spirit beast flesh and blood to store energy, and the speed was ten times faster than absorbing natural spiritual energy. In other words, if Zhang Huaijin continuously hunted and devoured Spirit beasts, he could fully recharge the pearl in little less than a year.

Once he reached the peak of the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, he could break directly through to the seventh layer and enter the late stage. Even better, Spirit beast flesh and blood wouldn't merely recharge the pearl. It would also temper his physical body, strengthen his meridians, and forge a more powerful frame. If he could obtain a body-refining technique, he could walk the path of a true Body Cultivator.

He could temper himself until he was as indestructible as diamond, capable of crushing anything in his path. With the Realm-Breaking Pearl in his possession, Zhang Huaijin had no fear of the future. After all, the countless small bottlenecks between a cultivator's levels could be overcome with sufficient resources and time. But the barriers between mid-stage and late-stage, and the great shackles between major realms, were different beasts entirely.

They required not just specific resources, but also spiritual strength, talent, and sheer luck. The path of cultivation was merciless. Even with several Foundation Establishment Pills in hand, if your luck ran cold, you might never ascend to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"For now, I still have the Essence Vitality Pill my grandfather gave me," Zhang Huaijin mused.

"There's no rush to hunt Spirit beasts. Right now, the family's spirit rice is the top priority."

"One pill every ten days, and I'll have fully refined them all in three months. Pill toxicity won't accumulate in my body, and my realm won't become unstable." Zhang Huaijin had set his cultivation plan for the next three months. Now, it was time to inspect the spirit fields. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Dressed in flowing white robes, he manifested a low-grade, first-level spirit hoe in his palm and stepped into the fields.

The air was thick with the fragrance of rice. The crimson ears of the Red Sun Spirit Rice hung heavy, almost glowing in the light. The earthy scent of soil lingered on the breeze, which carried with it a sense of tranquility and peace. Crack! The spirit hoe struck down, shattering a clod of earth. A faint wisp of spiritual energy flickered and dispersed, smoothing out the surrounding spiritual currents. Zhang Huaijin casually plucked a weed from beside the rice stalk.

Spirit fields were saturated with spiritual energy, yet despite being fully planted with spirit rice, weeds were everywhere. The vitality of plants was terrifyingly tenacious. If a cultivator didn't tend the fields, in less than seven days, weeds would sprout like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, fighting the spirit rice for every ounce of spiritual energy. The harvest would dwindle. The yield would suffer.

That was precisely why a cultivator, ideally at the mid-stage of the Qi Refining Realm, was needed to guard Heavenly Yang Mountain. The mountain was vital to the Zhang family. One acre of spirit field produced roughly 16 sacks (400 kg) of spirit rice. Forty acres meant 640 sacks of rice. It wouldn't exceed that unless there was an unexpected surge in spiritual energy. A single low-grade spirit stone could buy five kg of low-grade spirit rice.

In other words, when the Red Sun Spirit Rice ripened, it would bring the Zhang family an income of over three thousand low-grade spirit stones. Of course, it wasn't that simple. Half of that harvest would go toward brewing spirit wine for the next batch. And the Zhang family's own cultivators needed their monthly salaries paid. The resources required to sustain even a single faction were staggering. —— An hour later. Sweat beaded on Zhang Huaijin's forehead. He had finished inspecting ten acres of spirit fields.

Every weed had been pulled, and he had crushed every spirit insect gnawing on the rice ears. A first-level Spirit Plant Cultivator would usually only master two skills. The Cloud Rain Art and the Metal Finger Art. The Cloud Rain Art summoned moisture, allowing him to call down rain over a small area. The Metal Finger Art could obliterate spirit insects outright, reducing them to dust. Those tiny fragments of shattered flesh (of insects) seeped into the spirit field, slowly enriching its fertility.

Zhang Huaijin felt his realm growing more stable with each passing moment. The spiritual energy flowing through his meridians became sharper, more refined. As a cultivator with five spirit roots, he could only cultivate for about two hours a day in the Qi Refining Realm. Cultivators with better spirit roots could last a little longer. But even a Heaven Spirit Root cultivator wouldn't push past four hours of cultivation per day at this stage. Any longer, and their fragile meridians would begin to fail.

—— Another hour slipped by. Zhang Huaijin had now inspected half of the spirit fields. He had lost count of how many times he had cast the Metal Finger Art and the Cloud Rain Art. But thanks to his formidable spiritual strength, both skills had directly reached the Minor Accomplishment level. A cultivator's mastery of techniques followed four stages: Initial Minor Accomplishment Major Accomplishment Perfection.

Thanks to The Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, Zhang Huaijin's spiritual strength was already exceptional. And his comprehension, his raw understanding, far surpassed ordinary cultivators. He could now rightfully call himself a low-grade, first-level Spirit Plant Cultivator. Once his Metal Finger Art and Cloud Rain Art reached Major Accomplishment, he would be considered a mid-grade, first-level Spirit Plant Cultivator.

For now, he still couldn't accelerate the growth of spiritual plants or perceive the hidden threads of their inner structure. But as his cultivation rose and his proficiency deepened, that day would come. Zhang Huaijin sat down cross-legged in the middle of the spirit field and began meditating to recover his spiritual energy. Inside his chest, the Realm-Breaking Pearl slowly gathered wisps of spiritual energy, a faint black-and-white hue beginning to bloom across its surface.

Within his sea of consciousness, a black-and-white Tai Chi symbol spun like a millstone of primordial chaos, relentlessly refining his spiritual strength (soul). —— It took Zhang Huaijin two full days to inspect all forty acres of spirit fields. Weeds pulled. Pests crushed. The crimson rice ears grew even more brilliant, dazzling to the eye. The fragrant scent of spirit rice filled the air. Everything was peaceful. A smile touched Zhang Huaijin's lips.

For the days that followed, after completing his daily cultivation sessions, he focused entirely on practicing his techniques. The Cloud Rain Art and the Metal Finger Art could serve as offensive techniques as well. The Heavenly Fire Blaze Art contained two techniques within its teachings. Zhang Huaijin had already grasped the basics when he first began cultivating them. Now he practiced relentlessly, striving to push both to the Minor Accomplishment level and strengthen his combat ability.

At the same time, he refined his control over the Blue Bamboo Sword and the Nether Iron Shield until they moved as easily as his own limbs. His combat power was growing, day by day. Bit by bit, he was becoming stronger.