Gou can devour and become a saint in the cultivation world.

Chapter 7 Meeting Lady Huo

Chapter 7 Meeting Lady Huo

[Progress in absorbing alien spiritual energy: 100%]

[The host's foreign spiritual energy has been completely absorbed.]

The next morning, when Chen Yi opened his eyes and checked the information in his mind, he saw these two prompts.

He circulated his qi and blood and internal energy, and suddenly felt a long-lost sense of lightness. His meridians were like a dried-up riverbed gushing forth with clear spring water, and his internal organs were like withered branches sprouting new life. The countless holes eroded by demonic power had been repaired to a great extent.

He stretched his muscles and bones, his once hunched back straightened like a pine tree, and his sallow, wrinkled skin regained the firm luster of someone in their thirties. Even his breathing carried a long-lost vitality.

Looking inward at the dantian, the icy blue internal energy flows like a gentle stream, nourishing the whole body, and the arms are full of qi and blood, as if they were their own fingers.

As he pushed open the wooden window and the morning light streamed in, he couldn't help but smile—this body was no longer a flickering candle in the wind, but a true physique belonging to the prime of life.

The gloom that had lingered for many days was swept away, and the stench of the demonic beasts blew again, but it could no longer cause any harm to Chen Yi.

At this point, he was reborn and found a new life.

"That's great, it's alive again."

Chen Yi let out a long breath.

He wore simple makeup, and although he still looked old, he had clearly recovered a lot.

"Old Chen?" Hao Youren was stunned when he pushed open the door. The man in front of him was still hunched over, but the bags under his eyes had mostly disappeared, and a little color had appeared in his sallow complexion.

"You recovered so quickly? You rekindled your flame from a dying ember and restored yourself to the level of a second-rate martial artist?"

"It's all thanks to Captain Hao. I'm so grateful for the care he's given me over the years, and for the Qi and Blood Pills he recently gave me, which have brought this old man back to life."

Hao Youren looked puzzled.

Chen Yi continued to explain:

"Recently, I've been practicing the Turtle Breathing Exercise. These years of worldly experience have allowed me to see through everything, achieving a state of perfect tranquility, and focusing solely on health and spiritual cultivation."

Unexpectedly, it perfectly matched the essence of the Turtle Breathing Technique, and the effects of practicing it were quite good.

The tortoise breathing exercise, combined with qi and blood nourishment, and the fact that I haven't been to the half-closed door these past few days,

I never imagined that this old man like me would come back to life.

In short, I owe it all to Captain Hao's care over the past few years. Old Chen is very grateful!

Is it all my doing?

Hao Youren was somewhat bewildered. This old man Chen had been hiding away for three and a half years, completely exhausting his body, yet he had still managed to comprehend the essence of the art.

Can you do this?

This is understandable, though. In the world of cultivation, it's not unusual for mortal servants to make breakthroughs in martial arts.

Besides, compared to himself, Old Chen's progress is nothing.

Hao Youren possessed abundant vital energy and blood; even from a distance, Chen Yi could sense the other's powerful physique and strength.

This is a sign that the body's vital energy and blood are transforming into internal energy, a stage that even top-tier martial artists are nearing completion of.

"Captain Hao, it seems you're about to break through to the Innate Realm? Congratulations! Compared to my insignificant progress..."

"Captain, you're about to achieve a meteoric rise! Reaching the Innate Realm in your early twenties means you have a real chance to cultivate immortality!"

Chen Yi looked on with envy, giving it full emotional value.

Hao Youren laughed heartily, in a very good mood. He patted Chen Yi on the shoulder:

"Old Chen... well, you're not an old man anymore, so I'll call you Old Chen from now on."

"Old Chen, don't worry, just do your job well. From now on, just say you're one of my men. As long as you don't mess with the Li family's cultivators, I still have some influence in this mortal town. No one will bully you anymore."

"By the way, now that you've recovered to the strength of a second-rate martial artist, join my demon-hunting team tomorrow."

A rare, top-grade sea monster, the Frost Jade Dragon, appeared on the lake. Its courage gives martial artists a 30% chance of awakening a water elemental root when they break through to the Innate Realm.

If this matter succeeds, after I break through to the Innate Realm, I will pass on the [Mysterious Ice Force] bestowed upon me by Fairy Li to you. With my strength then, I'm sure that be a matter of a single word between me and Fairy Li.

"Cough cough—"

"Thank you for Captain Hao's kind words, my body..." Chen Yi suddenly coughed violently, his face turning even paler.

"I caught a cold while dissecting the turtle the day before yesterday, and my internal energy is still blocked and not flowing smoothly."

He deliberately allowed his icy blue internal energy to stagnate and circulate sluggishly along the lung meridian.

The modified Turtle Breathing Technique's unique sluggish fluctuations masked his internal energy and immense blood and qi power.

"Captain, I really want to help you, but... I'm lucky to have survived. If I were to fight a monster, I'd be like a candle in the wind, easily blown out."

Chen Yi firmly refused.

While innate opportunities are tempting, cultivators regard martial artists as worthless... Even top-tier martial artists like Lin Youyou serve as assistants to cultivators; if I agree, I'll only become cannon fodder. Joining any demon-hunting team is absolutely out of the question.

Hao Youren stared at Chen Yi for a long time, carefully sensing his condition. He discovered that Chen Yi's vital energy and vitality were indeed as he had said, still dim and weak.

"Old Chen, you seem to value your life. Fine, since you're unwilling, I won't force you. But such good opportunities are rare. If you miss this chance, you may never have another chance to advance to the Innate Realm in your lifetime."

"I'm already content with just surviving, how could I dare to dream of anything beyond innate talent?"

"Alright. By the way, from now on you should call me Deputy Steward. I'll suggest to the Steward that you take over as the head of your quarters."

Chen Yi then feigned a shocked expression: "Congratulations, Lord Hao, on your promotion to Deputy Chief Steward!"

"Haha, Old Chen, you..."

Hao Youren patted Chen Yi on the shoulder, appearing very pleased.

Chen Yi didn't join the demon-hunting team; instead, he continued to cultivate at home, dealing with demonic beasts and tending to the spirit wheat field.

In fact, during this period, almost every martial artist with any skill had joined a demon-hunting team.

There are several examples like Hao Youren who, through fortuitous opportunities, rapidly improved their martial arts skills and rose to the ranks of first-class martial artists.

This makes many people envious.

Of course, there were some casualties, but they were within a range that everyone could accept.

After all, as a mortal servant, even if one doesn't go on demon-hunting adventures, the outcome won't be much better.

For example, Chen Yi's roommate, Lao Zhang,

A few days later, after Old Zhang went to the half-closed door to look for Madam Huo for the third time, he returned and the next day passed away.

He lay on the bed, emaciated, his wrinkled skin clinging to his bones, his sunken eye sockets tinged with dark circles, clearly indicating that he was barely breathing.

"Brother Chen, what happened to Brother Zhang... what do we do?"

The other two were also not in good condition; they looked at Lao Zhang with fear on their faces.

"What do you mean, 'what to do'? Old Zhang's time has come. Just report it to the supervisor. You've all been here for so many years, don't you know what's going on?"

Chen Yi gave simple instructions, but inwardly he sighed. Old Zhang was a year younger than him, only thirty-two. If Chen Yi hadn't transmigrated, he might have been the one to die a miserable death today.

There wasn't much to do for Old Zhang's funeral. To prevent the corpse from turning into a ghost and accumulating negative energy, the custom here was to cremate him and then bury him in water.

Simply put, it involves burning the fish to ashes and throwing them into the lake to feed the fish.

Inside the house, Old Zhang was gone, Hao Youren had moved out, and Chen Yisheng had been promoted to team leader, taking over Hao Youren's original small cubicle. Only two opium addicts remained, making the room feel very empty.

Fortunately, Chen Yi used Hao Youren's name to find the manager and get two new people to come over.

The two newcomers were both twelve or thirteen years old, with childish faces and bodies that had not yet fully grown.

After they arrived, Chen Yi taught them the Qigong exercise and had two other old men teach them how to deal with monsters and manage miscellaneous tasks such as tending the spirit wheat fields.

In the past few days, Chen Yi's energy and blood have become increasingly abundant. As the team leader, although he has to undertake the most dangerous work in dealing with demonic beasts,

However, with the system in place, any demonic power that invades his body can be devoured on the same day, transforming it into energy to strengthen his internal organs, meridians, and other parts.

When encountering special demonic beasts that possess spirituality, Chen Yi can peel off a layer of their skin and extract a portion of their spirituality to enhance his comprehension, the quality of his blood and qi, or the quality of his internal energy.

Everything was getting better. Chen Yi estimated that if he continued to practice like this, he would be able to advance to a first-class martial artist within a month or two. The time it would take for him to gather his inner energy into internal force through the Turtle Breathing Technique would be about the same.

That day, it was Chen Yi's turn to send someone to half-close the door again, and it was Huo Niangzi who was assigned to the task.

When the two opium addicts saw Old Zhang's condition, they refused to go, saying they wouldn't live more than a few days anyway.

The other two children are only twelve years old and don't have that ability yet.

Chen Yi knew the problem: forcing those two to go wouldn't make much difference.

The matter had to be resolved, so he had no choice but to go himself.

(End of this chapter)