Translator: AnubisTL
Azure Radiance Pool, Daoist Qingyang's cave abode.
"Excellent, excellent! A Heavenly Star Grass with eight centuries of medicinal age! Young friend, you truly have a thoughtful heart!"
Taking the Heavenly Star Grass Li Qing offered, Daoist Qingyang's voice was filled with surprise and delight. He hadn't expected Li Qing to actually bring a Heavenly Star Grass of such high age!
"I'm glad Senior is satisfied. I wonder about the Treasure Origin Tree's main trunk..." Li Qing ventured to ask.
"Hahaha, young friend, rest assured. I've been keeping that section of the main trunk reserved for you all this time."
As his words faded, Daoist Qingyang immediately produced the Treasure Origin Tree's main trunk. The dense white insect eggs that had covered it were now completely gone.
"Senior, the insect eggs are gone. Could they have hatched?" Li Qing asked, slightly startled.
Daoist Qingyang didn't directly answer the question. Instead, he stroked his beard, smiling without speaking.
From that expression, Li Qing could guess that Daoist Qingyang had likely hatched the eggs. He just didn't know what kind of spirit insects they would be.
In the immortal cultivation world, there were still quite a few Insect Cultivators. Unlike beast tamers, these cultivators unleashed a swarm of spirit insects upon their enemies—a vast, overwhelming tide that could overwhelm even the most formidable opponents through sheer numbers.
Some spirit insects were individually incredibly powerful, and once raised to maturity, they could rival Demon beasts of the same cultivation level.
"Hehe, young friend, take this segment of spirit wood," Daoist Qingyang said, changing the subject. "Your Heavenly Star Grass truly solved my urgent problem!"
Hearing this, Li Qing became even more certain of the matter.
Insect Cultivators required considerable mental fortitude to control their spirit insects. It seemed Daoist Qingyang had indeed succeeded in hatching the spirit insect during his absence.
And the Heavenly Star Grass Li Qing had brought now happened to nourish the divine soul, making it no wonder Daoist Qingyang was so pleased.
Li Qing clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Thank you, Senior!"
Daoist Qingyang shook his head politely. "There's no need for thanks. In terms of value, I'm actually the one who benefited from this trade. An eight-hundred-year-old Heavenly Star Grass is truly a rare treasure."
"How about this? I'm planning to visit the Heavenly River Market soon. I'll collect a few auxiliary herbs needed for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill and give them to you as a gift. That should offset part of the value of the spiritual herbs."
Li Qing was both shocked and delighted by this offer, but he feigned reluctance. "That won't do! We already agreed on the terms of the transaction. I can't accept any more Spirit Herbs from Senior."
Daoist Qingyang waved his sleeve, his tone brooking no refusal. "Consider it settled. There's no need to decline. With my abilities, collecting a few auxiliary herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill is more than enough!"
Finally, Li Qing stopped protesting and clasped his hands respectfully toward Daoist Qingyang. "Then Li Qing will humbly thank Senior Qingyang for this!"
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Qing returned to his cave abode with the Treasure Origin Tree trunk he had been longing for.
Having been away for months, Li Qing found the area in front of his cave abode remarkably clean and tidy, not a single fallen leaf in sight. It was clear someone had been meticulously cleaning and maintaining the space.
Li Qing didn't need to guess who had cleaned his cave abode. It was undoubtedly that little Cao Xiu.
"That's thoughtful of him!"
Li Qing, already in a good mood, felt even more pleased.
Nodding, he waved a hand to open the Restriction in front of the cave abode, then rearranged it before stepping inside.
"Judging by the time, the lease on this cave abode is almost up. I have less than half a year left."
"Perfect. I'll use this time to continue cultivating here before preparing to leave."
As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia flickered in Li Qing's eyes. After living here for nearly five years, he had developed some attachment to the place.
But he quickly suppressed these feelings, turning his attention to the matter at hand.
Taking out the Treasure Origin Tree trunk he had just obtained, a smile spread across Li Qing's lips.
After careful examination, he found that although this segment of spirit wood had been partially eaten by spirit insects and contained some decay, it was still rich in Spirit Wood Essence.
It was more than enough for him to cultivate the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual!
"My physical body is already comparable to a Late Qi Refining Realm body cultivator. I wonder how much stronger I'll become after mastering the final layer of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual?"
Li Qing's voice was filled with anticipation. He even allowed himself to fantasize for a moment, wondering if he might reach the level of a Foundation Establishment Realm body cultivator!
If that were the case, with his spiritual sense and physical body combined, and only lacking in mana, he could practically be considered half a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
However, Li Qing shook his head, clearing these thoughts from his mind.
No matter what, mana would always be the fundamental basis of a cultivator's power, and cultivation realm the paramount path they must ascend.
Both spiritual sense and physical body were merely auxiliary tools on the path of immortality, useful for supplementary cultivation but never worth investing excessive effort in. That would be putting the cart before the horse!
With this realization, Li Qing's emotions quickly settled. He placed the Treasure Origin Tree trunk before him and, after a long hiatus, began circulating the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual once more.
In Li Qing's perception, the Spirit Wood Essence contained within this segment of spirit wood's main trunk was quickly drawn out.
He closed his eyes and patiently began guiding the spirit wood qi into his body, using it to refine and nourish his physical form.
The spirit wood qi wasn't invisible; it appeared as a pale azure mist, flowing in smooth, continuous strands, one after another, endlessly.
This spirit wood qi surged into Li Qing's mouth and nose, then spread outward from within, already beginning to refine his physical body.
The main trunk of a five-hundred-year-old Treasure Origin Tree—even though incomplete—contained a vast amount of Spirit Wood Essence, far exceeding any spirit wood Li Qing had absorbed before.
As a result, this session of body refinement using the secret technique would take a long time. Especially since Li Qing refused to waste even a single strand of Spirit Wood Essence, the process would be even more prolonged.
Nearly every strand of Spirit Wood Essence drawn out was completely absorbed into Li Qing's body.
Li Qing preferred to take his time, absorbing the essence strand by strand, rather than rushing the process by drawing out a large amount of spirit wood qi at once.
And so, Li Qing immersed himself in cultivating the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual.
At this moment, his body seemed to be tinged with a layer of pale azure energy. If one were to glance at him in a daze, they might mistake the figure sitting there for an ancient, gnarled tree rooted deep in the earth.
Green energy spread outward, and as time slowly passed, Li Qing's physical body and constitution gradually grew stronger.
Though this improvement was slow, it was resolute, each step taken with unwavering stability.
Li Qing calmed his mind and used his spiritual sense to examine his body internally, carefully sensing every subtle change in his flesh and bones, and comprehending them with focused awareness.
This practice had a significant advantage: once his cultivation was complete, he would have an intimate understanding of his own body, eliminating any sense of unfamiliarity.
A day and night passed. Finally, within Li Qing's cave abode, the main trunk of the Treasure Origin Tree completely lost its vitality.
As Li Qing slowly opened his eyes, this segment of spirit wood collapsed and decayed, turning into a pile of dust even more thoroughly rotted than wood that had weathered for centuries!
This meant he had absorbed the entire segment of spirit wood's vitality into his body, transforming it all into nourishment for refining Li Qing's physical form!
"Hmph! Not bad!" Feeling the results of this cultivation session, Li Qing was quite satisfied. He couldn't help but murmur to himself, a smile spreading across his lips.
As his voice faded, Li Qing no longer suppressed the roaring of his Vital Energy and the pounding of his heart. Instead, he completely released them, reveling in the surging vitality within his physical body!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
If one were to press their ear against Li Qing's chest, they could even hear a muffled heartbeat that sounded like a drumbeat.
At this moment, the third layer of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual was complete, reaching perfect mastery!
Li Qing's physical body and constitution had improved dramatically. Within the Qi Refining Realm, he was now undeniably monstrously strong.
Feeling the endless surge of power coursing through his body, Li Qing even felt a sense of frustration—as if he had no way to vent his overwhelming strength. He felt that with just his fists, he could easily crush Low-Grade Magic Artifacts.
Suppressing the urge to test his power on his own Magic Artifact, Li Qing activated his modified version of the Limitless Golden Body Martial Arts technique.
In an instant, Li Qing touched his own body and felt a sensation of genuine metal and steel!
Boom!
Inside the cave abode, Li Qing casually threw a punch. He didn't even dare to use much force, completely holding back his strength.
Yet the solid rock floor was still easily smashed into a large crater!
"To refine my body to this level... I suspect that even without using any cultivation techniques, I could easily crush most Qi Refining Realm cultivators using just some ordinary Martial Arts."
Li Qing muttered to himself, then pondered the current state of his physical body.
It was definitely superior to other body cultivators at the same cultivation level, he was certain. Unless they possessed a heaven-defying physique like the Savage Ancient Battle Physique, he could beat any Qi Refining Realm body cultivator speechless with just his bare fists.
Could he match a Foundation Establishment Realm body cultivator?
Li Qing hesitated to say for sure, as he hadn't encountered many body cultivators since beginning his cultivation journey, making it difficult to draw a conclusion.
However, he had seen Second-Tier strange beasts before, like the One-Eyed Giant Deer he encountered in the World of Eternal Night!
Just the thought of that ferocious and violent beast still sent a chill down Li Qing's spine.
"No, no, that One-Eyed Giant Deer was just too monstrous. It definitely had mid-Second-Tier cultivation, maybe even late-Second-Tier!"
Li Qing shook his head, then assessed his current physical body.
It far surpassed a Late Qi Refining Realm body refinement cultivator, but was slightly weaker than an Early Foundation Establishment Realm body refinement cultivator.
He was stuck right in the middle, neither here nor there.
The reason for this was that Li Qing himself was a Grandmaster in the Martial Dao, possessing a physical body comparable to an Early Qi Refining Realm body refinement cultivator.
Now that he had fully mastered all three layers of the Precious Wood Body Refinement Manual, reaching the pinnacle of perfection, the combined effect of the two had resulted in his current exaggerated physical prowess.
However, since it was only a First-Tier body refinement secret technique, it wasn't particularly powerful or precious. Naturally, it couldn't help Li Qing break through that bottleneck.
"Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I should be able to easily surpass this by simply finding a Second-Tier body refinement secret technique."
After speaking, Li Qing nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and stretched his muscles.
(End of the Chapter)
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