Chapter 339: Hao Ren Is a Bad Guy!
Saturday morning, Hao Ren got up early and jogged along the beach before practicing the fundamental boxing techniques, which didn't need nature essence but was a test of physical strength, several times. Due to limited resources, the soldiers in the dragon palace couldn't cultivate advanced techniques like the elders; they kept themselves fit and built array formations for defense and offense.
Hao Ren's body had grown tough and manly after the constant practice of it. If he encountered hooligans on the street, Hao Ren could down five to six of them without the use of the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll.
Each of his punch and kick was powerful. Besides speed and strength, the boxing practice was beneficial to his flexibility. Although his boxing skills were not excellent, his physical fitness had reached the realm of martial arts masters.
Of course, the other reason for his fitness was that the cultivation of the Spirit Concentration Scroll and the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll.
When he got back to the house for breakfast, he saw Xie Yujia cleaning the living room. With only the two of them in the living room, they looked at each other; Xie Yujia blushed while Hao Ren's cheeks warmed a little at the memory of her kiss.
"You went out last night, right?" Xie Yujia asked him while raising her hand to her face, pretending to rub her nose.
"I went to tutor Zi and then came back to sleep." Hao Ren walked over and poured water into a glass.
He was covered in sweat. At the moment, there were two drops of sweat on his temple. However, Xie Yujia found him full of manly attraction.
Feeling her heart begin to race, she inhaled slightly and steadied her heartbeat with the Qi Refinement Scroll before asking, "How's Zi doing?"
"Good." Not wanting to worry her, Hao Ren didn't tell her that Zhao Yanzi was grounded in the dragon palace.
Brushing her shoulder, Hao Ren put the glass back onto the table and glanced at Zhen Congming's room, asking, "Is Zhen Congming up?"
"Oh, not yet..." Xie Yujia answered immediately.
"What's wrong?" Sensing her more intense breathing, Hao Ren leaned over and asked her.
"Nothing." She didn't dare to meet his eyes and leaned her head away from him.
Hao Ren could keep calm using his nature essence, but she couldn't. If they were living on Fifth Heaven, weak Qi Refinement Realm cultivators such as her wouldn't dare to face a Core Formation Realm cultivator.
"Why are you so nervous?" Hao Ren stepped back and couldn't help smiling.
Xie Yujia's flushed face make her look like a shy girl. However, he didn't do anything to cause it, right?
"Go take a shower!" She pushed at Hao Ren's shoulder and rolled her bright eyes at him.
Hao Ren's shoulder was as hard as a rock. When her palm touched it, she felt a burning sensation on her hand.
"Ok. I'll take you to a place later!" Hao Ren strode to the stairs.
Xie Yujia picked up a cloth to clean the table and touched her cheek with the back of her hand. Remembering her impulsive kiss with Hao Ren, she was embarrassed.
"The positions of the first wife and the second wife would be based on strength," dressed in a small mandarin jacket, Zhen Congming said as he walked out of his room.
"Ugh?" Xie Yujia looked back at him.
"Whoever has the greater cultivation strength will have the upper hand, which is a rule that applies to everything." Zhen Congming turned to look at the stairs. "I guess he will take you to Fifth Heaven, and I plan to go there too. If you want to compete with Zhao Yanzi, your current strength is too weak."
"I... didn't say I want to compete with her." Xie Yujia stared at him.
Zhen Congming snorted. "Even an idiot could see what you are thinking about. One of you will be the first wife. You are older than her, but your cultivation strength is weaker than hers. It's ok if Zhao Yanzi regards you as an older sister; but if she dislikes you, you are in trouble."
With the cloth in her hand, Xie Yujia remained silent. She knew Hao Ren cared for her and knew he also took care of Zhao Yanzi. Her cultivation experience with the old Grandma told her that whoever had the biggest fist was the winner in the world of cultivation.
If the old Grandma was still with her, she would be protected. However, the old Grandma went to handle some emergencies, and she could only count on herself.
"Your body type is inferior. It took great transformative power to unblock your meridians for cultivation. If you want to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm and even the Core Formation Realm, elixir making is the only way," Zhen Congming continued.
"Elixir making..." Xie Yujia murmured to herself.
"Your technique is not a technique for demon beasts, and I can't learn it. Your technique was derived from the Yin and Yang of nature, and the Death and Life Notes are indeed deep and mysterious. However, the master who planted the notes in you only taught you the ways to use them and didn't teach you the whole cultivation technique. In other words, the more you use it, the less nature essence is left in them."
Standing at the entrance, Zhen Congming told Xie Yujia.
Xie Yujia was surprised that he had got it right. Recently, she could finally proficiently circulate the Qi Refinement Scroll, but it was because she had understood the Dao of Nature from the scroll. The old Grandma had used the Life-Death Notes to unblock the meridians for her. Although the Life Note could absorb the nature essence, the Death Note was consuming the essence quickly. Recently, she felt like the Life-Death Notes were no longer working as smoothly as before.
If the old Grandma was still here, she could continue to inject new Life-Death Notes into Xie Yujia and kept the notes functional. Now that Xie Yujia used the Life-Death Notes to break through to the level 8 and was about to charge at level 9 of the Qi Refinement Realm, almost 80% of the power of the notes had been consumed.
If it went on like this, she had no hope of reaching level 10 or the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Xie Yujia had been cheerful with her recent progress, but now she felt desperate.
"But it's different with elixir making. Your cultivation technique can borrow the power of nature to make elixirs with very high efficiency and consume only a little bit of your own nature essence. I have dozens of elixirs to improve your body type. If you use up the power of the Life-Death Notes to force open the meridians, it's a great waste!"
Rubbing his chin like an adult, Zhen Congming said to Xie Yujia.
Xie Yujia thought for a moment and understood his words. In fact, the ordinary way of cultivation was to absorb the nature essence to cultivate the body which was like an elixir furnace. It was a simple and good way for those who had excellent talents. However, for those with poor body types, it was time and energy consuming. If she used the method of elixir making, she could keep doing it eight or ten times as long as her energy allowed her, and she didn't have to worry the laborious process hurting her body. More importantly, the effects of the elixirs were soft and could slowly improve her body type while she digests the pills. In contrast, if she tried to absorb essences forcefully, the essence might run wild in her body if it couldn't find a storing place.
"The elixir pills that are popular in the dragon palace are in fact impure elixirs, none of which surpasses level 3. Only the elixirs over level 4 can transform body types. If you want to win the competition with Zhao Yanzi, you must learn elixir making from me. I have thousands of recipes and formulas among which more than 1,000 are above level 4. There are even over 100 recipes for level 9 gold pills. If you can learn all of them, I'll give all of them to you."
Zhen Congming took out a pile of yellow paper from his sleeve and shook them at Xie Yujia.
Xie Yujia was tempted. With the old Grandma now gone and her Life-Death Notes growing weaker each day, she was worried that one day the notes would suddenly lose their power.
Thud! Thud... Hao Ren had changed into clean clothes and walked down the stairs.
Seeing the dark expression on Xie Yujia's face, he asked immediately, "What's wrong?"
"Oh. I was just chatting with Zhen Congming!" Xie Yujia gave him a radiant smile. Although Zhen Congming was a kid both in looks and character, his knowledge and experience far exceeded Hao Ren and herself.
"It's still early. I'll take you to Fifth Heaven." Hao Ren grabbed her sleeve and pulled her to the balcony.
With a tumble, Little White rolled out of Hao Ren's necklace. In a red energy sphere, they shot into the sky. Zhen Congming created an energy sphere and stepped onto the black disk before shooting into the high sky as well.
"I took over a small valley with great essence intensity. It will be beneficial to your cultivation," Hao Ren sat behind Xie Yujia and said.
Xie Yujia felt a warmth in her heart. She knew her body type was weak, but as long as Hao Ren didn't give up on her, she had no reason to give up herself.
Shortly, they reached the Ethereal Summit, and Xie Yujia liked the quiet valley very much.
"Here is the cave abode I built myself. It's very simple." Hao Ren led her into the cave abode and showed her around.
Xie Yujia smiled, feeling as if she had returned to the primitive world.
However, the intense essence here was far better than on land. She could indeed cultivate faster in there.
"When you have time, you can come and cultivate here. I'll create a cave abode for you." Hao Ren looked around.
"You choose a spot. The whole valley is ours."
Hao Ren's casual words brought great joy to Xie Yujia. She bit on her lip and looked around. "Just beside yours. Five or ten meters away from it."
"Ok!" Hao Ren's sword energies leaped out suddenly.
Boom!
The sword energies exploded an area and created a deeper cave abode. Since Hao Ren thought that she needed a warmer cave abode than his, he made it deeper into the center of the mountain.
While the sword energies flew around, a table, a chair, and a cup appeared in the cave abode one by one.
"We will cultivate here together..." Xie Yujia's eyes curved as warmth filled her heart.
Boom...
Suddenly, Hao Ren's sword energy opened another cave abode of the same size on the other side of the mountain.
"Is it... for Zhen Congming?" Sitting on the back of Little White, Xie Yujia glanced at Zhen Congming in the distance and asked Hao Ren in bafflement.
"No. This is for Zi." Hao Ren smiled at her and said as he patted his hands and withdrew all the sword energies into his body.
"..." Xie Yujia.