Back at the hut, Li Xuan's heart was still pounding, a mixture of lingering fear and excitement.
Li Xuan carefully poured the water from the leather bag into a worn-out bowl that had been washed countless times.
The water was turbid, light brown in color, and emitted an indescribable fishy smell, mixed with some small pieces of grass and suspicious foam.
"This stuff...is it really drinkable?" Li Xuan hesitated.
This was far more "powerful" than the well water. But considering the spiritual energy it might contain, and his urgent need for improvement, he gritted his teeth.
"Let's give it our all!"
Li Xuan pinched his nose, picked up the bowl, and took a small sip. The taste was extremely strange—fishy, astringent, and with a hint of earthiness and grassiness—making it difficult to eat.
But once it entered his stomach, a heat current, much stronger than that of well water, instantly spread out! This heat current, carrying a hint of wild restlessness, washed over his limbs and bones.
The familiar, mild abdominal pain returned, but it was far more intense than when I drank well water, and a fine layer of gray sweat with a fishy smell seeped from my skin again.
"It works! And it's much more effective!" Li Xuan was overjoyed. He suppressed his nausea and drank the rest of the water in the bowl, sip by sip.
The heat surged stronger and stronger, as if a little mouse was scurrying inside his body. Li Xuan's skin turned red all over, his blood and qi surged, and he could even hear the rushing sound of his own blood flowing.
Impurities continued to be discharged, carrying an even stronger fishy stench. He quickly ran outside and washed his body with the remaining ordinary well water.
The icy well water only intensified the surge of heat within me. It took almost half an hour for this intense reaction to gradually subside.
Li Xuan felt as if his body had been thoroughly cleansed, leaving him light and full of power. He threw a punch, and the air exploded with a clear, resounding boom!
My eyesight and hearing seem to have improved to a new level; I can even hear the sound of mosquitoes flapping their wings in the dark clearly.
"The residual water in this spirit beast garden is more than ten times more effective than my almost dried-up spirit well!" Li Xuan clenched his fist excitedly.
Although the process was dangerous and the taste was unpleasant, the rewards were enormous! This small bowl of water was equivalent to drinking well water for ten to fifteen days!
However, after the initial excitement came a deeper anxiety. This amount of water was far too little; it wouldn't be enough for him to drink even a few times. Moreover, stealing water from the spirit beast garden was too risky. Success the first time was pure luck; there was no guarantee he wouldn't be caught the next time.
A more stable and secure source must be found. Li Xuan turned his gaze further afield—towards the Alchemy Hall.
Large amounts of wastewater are discharged there daily, reportedly containing medicinal residue and toxins, and should be avoided by strangers. But for him, perhaps the poison is also nourishment?
However, the Alchemy Hall is far more heavily guarded than the Spirit Beast Garden, and the toxicity of its wastewater is unknown, posing a greater risk.
"We can't rush things, we have to take it one step at a time." Li Xuan forced himself to calm down. "First, we should make the most of the water in the Spirit Beast Garden, and at the same time continue to investigate the situation of the Alchemy Hall."
In the following days, Li Xuan ventured into the Spirit Beast Garden twice more. He succeeded once, but the other time he was nearly discovered by patrolling disciples and narrowly escaped.
The "beast water" he obtained steadily increased his physical strength, but he could feel the effects gradually diminishing. His body seemed to be rapidly adapting to this intensity of stimulation.
At the same time, Li Xuan began to consciously approach the servants who occasionally went to the stream to fetch water and seemed easy to talk to, subtly inquiring about the alchemy hall.
"The Alchemy Hall? We mustn't go near that! I've heard the wastewater there is extremely toxic. Last time, a handyman accidentally got some in, and his hands rotted!"
"Guards? Of course they're tight! Inside are precious pills, and there are stewards and even elders overseeing the area, with disciples patrolling the perimeter."
"Where does the wastewater go? It seems there's a special underground culvert that leads directly to the toxic swamp outside the mountain, right? Who would dare touch it..."
The news was not optimistic; the Alchemy Hall's defense level and danger far exceeded that of the Spirit Beast Garden. Li Xuan's mood turned heavy again. The path to becoming stronger always seemed to be blocked by new difficulties just as he saw a glimmer of hope.
Therefore, Li Xuan had no choice but to temporarily abandon his idea of stealing water from the alchemy hall.
...
As the days went by, the most direct benefits of physical strengthening, besides increased strength and heightened senses, were a significant improvement in endurance.
Li Xuan found that the time he needed to complete his daily work in the spirit field had been greatly reduced. What used to take a whole day to finish could now be easily completed in half a day, and he didn't feel tired at all.
This gave him more free time, which he used to practice the hand gestures and incantations of basic spells even more diligently.
Although he still couldn't draw upon spiritual energy, his fingers became increasingly nimble, and chanting incantations almost became an instinct.
Li Xuan even began to try to visualize the changes in the water flow in his mind, to understand the meaning of "condensation" and "guidance".
At the same time, he began to move around the back mountain area more frequently, partly to find more food sources and partly to survey the terrain and find safer routes and hiding places for future "water theft" operations.
On his way to pick wild vegetables, Li Xuan encountered Zhao Tie. Zhao Tie was carrying a large bundle of firewood, walking with difficulty, and looked very tired.
"Senior Brother Zhao, let me help you." Li Xuan stepped forward, easily took the heavy bundle of firewood, and carried it on his shoulder.
Zhao Tie was taken aback, looking at Li Xuan who wasn't even out of breath, and exclaimed in surprise, "Junior Brother Li, your strength... is impressive! You've gotten quite a bit stronger since the last time I saw you?"
Li Xuan's heart tightened, but he smiled sheepishly and said, "Maybe I've been eating a lot lately. Besides, I've been doing farm work every day, so my strength has naturally increased."
Zhao Tie was skeptical but didn't ask any further questions. He wiped his sweat and said, "Thank you. Sigh, it's really frustrating to compare yourself to others. I've been practicing the Qi-guiding technique for so long, but I haven't developed any Qi sensation, and my strength hasn't increased much either."
"The Qi-Guiding Technique..." Li Xuan's heart stirred. "Senior Brother Zhao, is this Qi-Guiding Technique really useful?"
"Who knows? It is said that a very small number of menial servants, with great perseverance, can actually cultivate a trace of Qi. Although they cannot establish their foundation, they can still strengthen their bodies and even have the opportunity to be promoted to outer sect servants."
Zhao Tie shook his head and said, "I have no hope. I've been training for years and I haven't felt anything at all."
Li Xuan remained silent, and his practice of the "Qi-Inducing Technique" yielded no results; his increase in strength depended entirely on drinking water.
"Oh, right," Zhao Tie suddenly remembered something and continued, "The Miscellaneous Affairs Hall has issued a task to clear the fallen rocks from the West Mountain Path, with a reward of five contribution points. Do you want to try it out? Contribution points can be exchanged for things, such as better farm tools, or even... better cultivation techniques."
Contribution points! Better cultivation techniques and incantations! Li Xuan's eyes lit up. What he lacked most right now was a deeper understanding and application of "water".