Is This How You Cultivate?

Wangshan Temple. The mountain was high and the woods secluded; the ancient temple stood atop the summit, shrouded in the clouds. Melodious bell tolls drifted out on occasion, making it feel like an earthly paradise. However... every resident of Zhenyang City knew that while calling Wangshan Temple a paradise three years ago was reasonable enough, today, along those stone stairs, every pace was stained with an inch of blood, and every step held an inch of bone. Many who could no longer survive in Zhenyang City had fled toward Wangshan Temple, only to be hunted down and slaughtered upon the stairs by demons. Inside the ancient temple, wild weeds grew in tangled profusion and thorns blanketed the grounds. An old monk sat withered before the Buddha statue, eyes closed as he chanted sutras. *Tap, tap.* Footsteps echoed, sounding exceptionally clear within the main hall. The Abbot of Wangshan Temple kept his eyes shut and ceased his chanting. "For what purpose has our distinguished guest come?" Though his eyes remained closed, relying solely on his ears to discern the distinct footsteps told him their owner was neither his disciple nor a demon. "Qi Yuan of the Demon Suppression Division. I came to ask you about something." Qi Yuan calmly looked at the Abbot of Wangshan Temple. The abbot appeared paralyzed in both legs, and his cultivation stood at Qi-Blood perfection. Qi Yuan reckoned that if not for the problem with his legs, the abbot would likely have reached the Jade-Blood Realm by now. "May this old monk ask what brings Benefactor here?" The Abbot of Wangshan Temple was quite composed, showing no fear at Qi Yuan's status with the Demon Suppression Division. "Flower Demon Manluo. I want to know where she is." Qi Yuan wasted no words. Hearing that name, a flicker of anguish surfaced on the previously calm abbot's face. "She... is in Fenghua Cave." The abbot did not conceal it. "Your heartbeat tells me you didn't lie, but... those words are a lie." Qi Yuan scrutinized the abbot. With his cultivation, even without using his nose-growing ability, he could judge whether ordinary people were lying to him. The abbot's heartbeat remained steady, and his micro-expressions indicated he was answering truthfully. Yet Qi Yuan's nose had grown longer. The abbot glanced at Qi Yuan in surprise. "Benefactor... is rather peculiar." "Whether I'm peculiar doesn't matter. Tell me the correct answer." Qi Yuan could not be bothered to mince words. He was eager to slay demons. "The person you seek is in Fenghua Cave," the abbot answered once more. And this time, Qi Yuan's nose did not grow longer. He took on an intrigued expression. "Interesting. This time it's actually true. Saying Flower Demon Manluo is in Fenghua Cave was false, but saying the person I seek is in Fenghua Cave is true. Doesn't that mean... Aiya, my brain's going to hurt from thinking. Can't overthink this anymore, let's leave it at that." Qi Yuan was too lazy to think further. This task looked troublesome on the surface, but if he really wanted to complete it, it was not hard. Wouldn't the truth come to light if he simply soul-searched all his enemies? That was far faster and more accurate than guessing blindly on his own. Just then, the abbot spoke: "If Benefactor comes to eliminate demons, please spare her life. She... has suffered bitterly since birth, and those she killed were also people who deserved to die." The abbot's voice carried deep helplessness. According to what the County Magistrate had said, Flower Demon Manluo was raised by the Wangshan Abbot himself, treated just like his own flesh and blood. "Thanks for telling me. Noted." Qi Yuan nodded. He was still very polite. Even when freeloading information, a 'thank you' was still required. As Qi Yuan finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air. Only the Abbot of Wangshan Temple remained in the empty hall. He gazed across the hall, seemingly seeing the young man and maiden embracing and kissing beneath the Buddhist shrine back then. He also seemed to see Master Tong and Old Madame Tong weeping tears of grief. Humans and demons walked different paths. "'When parents love their child, they plan far ahead for them,'" the Abbot of Wangshan Temple murmured. ... Mount Shuyao was rugged and perilous, dominated by steep cliffs and sheer precipices. At this moment, led by Huo Mushi, the party traversed a narrow mountain path. Thorns grew wildly, and the terrain was atrocious. Suddenly, Qi Yuan stopped in his tracks. "Bodyguard, time for you to make a move." In the cave up ahead, two demons were sound asleep. These creatures were stray demons. When Huo Mushi led them to hunt demons, he naturally targeted stray ones. Otherwise, even if they had several extra lives, they wouldn't dare charge into Mount Shuyao's demon military camps. Yang Guang's booming voice rang out: "Little brother, just relax and eat your melon here. I'll be right back!" Having promised to protect Qi Yuan, Yang Guang was a man of his word. In any case, as long as he provided Qi Yuan with enough demon essence blood, he would secure the Genius Alliance credential. It was an enormous bargain. "Make it quick," Qi Yuan said as he sat on a large boulder, eating watermelon. This watermelon had been stolen from a melon patch—no, taken. According to everyone's estimate, the patch had been cultivated by the demons of Mount Shuyao. Since they were passing by, confiscating the illicit goods was only right. The only pity was that they hadn't found the watermelon's owner; otherwise, they could have earned a bit more demon essence blood. Qi Yuan sat on the rock with his legs crossed, looking completely relaxed. Huo Mushi and three bailiffs stood nearby clutching watermelons, their pockets packed with seeds; resources in the city were scarce, so they intended to bring the seeds back to plant in town. "Lord Qi, letting Lord Yang go in alone... won't that be dangerous?" Huo Mushi asked worriedly. "There are two pig demons in that cave, both terrifying, late Qi-Blood monsters!" Late Qi-Blood demons already held ranks within the demon camps. Huo Mushi had assumed several lords of the Demon Suppression Division would strike together against such beasts. Yet... "Don't worry. Yang Guang should be quite strong; otherwise, he wouldn't have volunteered to be my bodyguard. Minor issue." Qi Yuan chewed on the melon and spat out seeds. Seeing this, Huo Mushi said no more, though anxiety still lingered on his face. Minutes ticked by. Qi Yuan finished the watermelon, staring blankly at the rind in his hand. "There are no trash bins here. Where do I throw the melon rind?" Qi Yuan had high civic manners and never littered. Especially with watermelon rinds—someone stepping on one could easily slip and fall, and if someone got hurt, he'd have to pay compensation. Huo Mushi blinked upon hearing Qi Yuan's words. Was this what people from the Imperial Capital were like? The things he worried about were utterly bizarre. "It's fine. This place is desolate, and only demons ever come here. Even if someone slips, it'll just be a demon," An Qiao said. "Makes sense." Only then did Qi Yuan toss the melon rind away. Right at that moment, heavy footsteps approached, accompanied by a booming voice. "Little Brother Qi, both pig demons have been executed. Is this demon essence blood... enough?" Not far off, the bald Yang Guang strode over, hoisting a wild boar in each hand. Each boar weighed three to four hundred jin, now completely lifeless. Seeing this, Huo Mushi and the other bailiffs' eyes lit up. This Lord Yang was simply too ferocious! In the brief span of eating a slice of watermelon, he had slaughtered two late Qi-Blood realm demons? "Not enough." Qi Yuan waved his hand, and immediately a hundred drops of demon essence blood fell into his grasp. "No matter, there's still plenty of time. I'll go slay more demons." Carrying the two pig demons, Yang Guang wasn't even short of breath. "My credibility is guaranteed. When I say I'll help you get enough demon essence blood, I'll do it!" To tell the truth, Yang Guang felt a bit guilty toward Qi Yuan. After all, he was getting a massive bargain in this deal. How much demon essence blood could an early Jade-Blood novice like Qi Yuan even consume? Meanwhile, a Genius Alliance credential was something one could only dream of encountering. "I trust your character. Good job," Qi Yuan offered a few words of praise. Then Yang Guang dumped the carcasses onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Take these demon corpses back for food!" Huo Mushi swallowed hard. Combined, the two pig demons weighed nearly a thousand jin. The commoners in the city could finally have a decent meal. The four bailiffs hurriedly stepped forward to lift the carcasses. Having trained in martial arts, their strength was remarkable. "Huo Mushi, keep leading the way! Give us a tougher one this time!" Yang Guang declared with supreme confidence. By his estimation, hunting one early Jade-Blood demon would definitely cover Qi Yuan's needs. The reason he chose an early Jade-Blood demon over a few more late Qi-Blood ones was to showcase his prowess—to tell Qi Yuan, *See? With a bodyguard like me protecting you, you can rest easy.* More importantly, Qi Yuan could already kill late Qi-Blood demons himself. If Yang Guang didn't take down an early Jade-Blood demon, wouldn't it seem like he had no purpose as a bodyguard? It was like being the sole employee in a department who was terrified of taking time off, lest the boss realize the department functioned perfectly fine without him. "A stronger one?" Huo Mushi's complexion shifted several times. "A demon of that level could command over a hundred demon soldiers in an encampment. Shouldn't we..." "Relax! With me here, what is there to fear?" Yang Guang thumped his chest, brimming with confidence after just slaying two demons. "Yeah, do as he says. Find a tough one. Killing weaklings is just too boring," Qi Yuan chimed in. Seeing this, Huo Mushi had no choice but to say, "The demon we're hunting this time is a snake demon at early Jade-Blood Realm!" "Rest easy. A mere early Jade-Blood Realm beast isn't worth mentioning," Yang Guang said confidently. Qi Yuan said happily, "Hiring this bodyguard is so worth it. If I'd met you earlier, the last task world wouldn't have been so painful." Yang Guang felt rather pleased with himself. "If we run into each other in the next task, I'll protect you just the same!" "Really?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Even if we encounter an incomparable arch-enemy, you'll still protect me?" "Naturally!" Yang Guang, already convinced he had struck an incredible deal, thumped his chest in guarantee. "What a pity that enemy of mine isn't around. Otherwise, I'd summon him right now and have Brother Yang beat him to death," Qi Yuan sighed wistfully. "Oh? What kind of enemy?" Yang Guang asked instinctively. "Well, the Ancestor of Taihuang Palace. He has some skill, nearly forced me to flee my homeland. Sigh, right now I'm too weak and probably no match for him, but if I boost my strength a bit, maybe I can contend with him!" Qi Yuan recalled the Great Tribulation of the Canglan Realm, and the Yang God of Taihuang Palace behind it. That Yang God was clearly no ordinary Yang God. Hearing this, Yang Guang's mind was put at ease—probably some mid Jade-Blood expert. "If he dares show up, I'll certainly sever his head and present it to Brother Qi!" Yang Guang declared nonchalantly. "Brother Yang... such towering heroism, such remarkable courage!" Qi Yuan marvelled. Back in the Canglan Realm, even people who knew of Taihuang Palace's Yang God dared not utter a single curse against him. A Yang God reflecting across the myriad heavens was no mere figure of speech; one curse, and he might sense it. But this world was different—there were no stars reflecting across the myriad heavens here. The Yang God of Taihuang Palace couldn't sense anything. Otherwise, a lightning bolt might have crashed straight out of the sky to strike Yang Guang dead. Of course, Qi Yuan was also curious: if that Yang God from Taihuang Palace actually descended and Yang Guang tried to protect him by throwing down with the Yang God, what would happen? Seeing how confident Yang Guang was, he surely had a few hidden trump cards, right? "A real man's promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold!" Yang Guang continued pounding his chest. "Brother Yang, how about following me home once this game ends? If that ancestor from Taihuang Palace descends, you can hold him off for me?" Qi Yuan probed. Though Yang Guang was only at mid Jade-Blood Realm, what if he harbored the hidden cultivation of a Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor? Wouldn't that be totally normal? Just like an ant on the ground: it might eat a grain of rice today, but who's to say it didn't swallow a dinosaur yesterday? Perfectly logical. "No problem, piece of cake!" Yang Guang agreed again. "Let's go slay that snake demon!" Qi Yuan said. Yang Guang's eyes gleamed with pride. "Brother Qi, all you need to do is eat melon. Leave the demon slaying to me!" Roughly half an hour later, they arrived at a forest. Yang Guang was true to his word—if he said he'd go alone, he went alone. Qi Yuan and the others stayed behind in the forest, waiting for Yang Guang's return. Qi Yuan sat on a tree stump as a foul stench drifted over. "The smell here is too strong; I've completely lost my appetite for melon. Might as well... cultivate." Having just obtained a hundred drops of demon essence blood, he naturally had to cultivate. An Qiao looked at Qi Yuan with admiration in her eyes. "Mr. Qi truly deserves credit for stepping into the Jade-Blood Realm at such a young age. Diligence like this is far beyond ordinary mortals." Huo Mushi was also filled with admiration. An Qiao watched Qi Yuan close his eyes, appearing truly to be cultivating. And right then, a peculiar voice came out of Qi Yuan's mouth: "You consumed 100 drops of demon essence blood and began cultivating. The path of cultivation values diligence above all. 50 drops of demon essence blood consumed. Your cultivation has increased by fifty days, advancing far into early Jade-Blood Realm. 50 drops of demon essence blood consumed. You have gained another fifty days of cultivation. Relying on your powerful prior foundation, you are now merely one step away from mid Jade-Blood Realm." "??" An Qiao. "??" Huo Mushi. Qi Yuan opened his eyes, looking thoroughly refreshed. "Not bad. This cultivation session was very worthwhile—almost at mid Jade-Blood Realm now." Beside him, An Qiao stared at Qi Yuan with a bizarre expression. What the f*** kind of cultivation was this? Cultivating even came with self-dubbed voiceovers?! "Mr. Qi... do you always cultivate like this?" An Qiao couldn't resist asking. "Yeah. Cultivating like this is faster. Using demon essence blood... really is quick," Qi Yuan answered truthfully, without holding anything back. An Qiao was on the verge of collapsing. She had used demon essence blood to cultivate before as well, but when had anyone ever done it like Qi Yuan? Refining a single drop of demon essence blood took her at least a full day to convert into qi-blood power. Qi Yuan... he just did his own voiceover, roleplaying as a system from TV or anime, and that completed his cultivation? That was completely absurd! What proper martial artist cultivated like this? "Mr. Qi, you can't just consume demon essence blood recklessly. Otherwise... you'll go mad and explode to death!" An Qiao couldn't help warning him. "Yeah, don't worry. I can allocate stat points, so I'm not afraid," Qi Yuan replied. Looking at Qi Yuan, suspicion crept into An Qiao's eyes. Could he have already gone mad? Seeing his mental state... he really did seem abnormal. Just then, a thick, foul stench swept in. Yang Guang strode over, brimming with confidence. His bald head was bruised black and blue, but his face beamed with delight. "Brother Qi, huge haul this time! That snake den actually held two early Jade-Blood Realm snake demons, and I killed every last one. The demon essence blood from these two snake demons should be enough for you, right?" Yang Guang said, panting slightly. Clearly, slaying two early Jade-Blood Realm snake demons had taken a toll on him as well. Yet the harvest was bountiful. The demon essence blood of two early Jade-Blood beasts would undoubtedly suffice for Qi Yuan's needs. "Splendid. This makes four hundred drops of demon essence blood." Qi Yuan waved his hand, and another four hundred drops of demon essence blood landed in his palm. These four hundred drops would be enough to push his cultivation into the mid Jade-Blood Realm. He was falling more and more in love with Mount Shuyao, especially with a free enforcer at his disposal. He was already pondering whether to have Yang Guang help him wipe out Mount Shuyao's three thousand demon troops. After all, Yang Guang had the guts to call out Taihuang Palace's Yang God—slaughtering Mount Shuyao shouldn't take more than a breath, right? "However, this demon essence blood still isn't enough. My cultivation burns through it really fast—you can ask An Qiao if you don't believe me. I swallowed the hundred drops from earlier in a single gulp." Qi Yuan looked at Yang Guang with eager anticipation. "How about you kill a few more for me?" "Not enough?" Yang Guang's heart skipped a beat.