Chapter 305 - 245: Jinbao Enters Slumber

Looking back, Fang Qingyuan felt it had been an arduous journey to raise his Wood Spirit Root from thirty-two points to its current thirty-three.

In the Cultivation Realm, while a Top-grade Spirit Root wasn’t the absolute pinnacle, the Spirit Stones needed to raise it by a single point could easily consume thirty to forty years of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s savings.

Nearly every Spiritual Object capable of enhancing a Spirit Root’s quality would draw Golden Core Cultivators to fight for it. After all, not all Golden Core Cultivators were blessed with Celestial Spirit Roots.

Only upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm could one afford to not place so much importance on Spirit Root quality. Rumor had it that Nascent Soul Cultivators possessed methods to perfect their own Spirit Roots.

After this one-point improvement to his Wood Spirit Root, Fang Qingyuan realized through careful cultivation that this sliver of enhanced quality would shave half a year off his training time.

Originally, it would have taken him thirteen years to reach the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer. Now, after three years of cultivation, he still needed about ten more.

However, the improvement to his Wood Spirit Root also increased his absorption speed of Wood Spiritual Power and his comprehension of the Wood Spirit Dao. This meant he could now break through to the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer in just nine and a half years.

Being able to see his goal and feel a sense of hope made Fang Qingyuan incredibly happy. ’What could possibly be more satisfying than sensing myself grow stronger, little by little?’

Compared to this, the beauties of the Spring Flower Building were nothing.

Fang Qingyuan grinned in satisfaction and began to consider his other elemental Spirit Roots.

Ever since he reached Foundation Establishment, the rate at which his Spirit Root quality improved had slowed to a crawl.

The main reason was that once his Spirit Root quality reached Top-grade, his old method of consuming vast quantities of low-grade spiritual materials had become largely ineffective.

Only high-grade Spiritual Objects could now make his Spirit Roots grow. Unfortunately, Fang Qingyuan had been short on Spirit Stones for the past few years due to his Body Refining, so he hadn’t managed to collect many high-grade Spiritual Objects.

Later, he sold his shares in the Yuanling Square Marketplace for a large sum of Spirit Stones, which he then spent in Qinan City on some high-grade spiritual materials.

Fang Qingyuan had originally intended to stockpile these materials, hoping to sell them off slowly for a tidy profit after establishing himself on Iron Wind Island.

But after being targeted by the Demon Sect, he had remained in seclusion. He used Wan Sancai as a front to run a small business selling Blood Qi Pills, cultivating the image of a reclusive Independent Practitioner Alchemist.

However, with the Demon Sect currently being suppressed by the Beast Taming Sect and him having managed to extricate himself, he could now resume his plans.

Fang Qingyuan continued to organize his thoughts on what to do next. His main purpose for coming to Iron Wind Island had been to uncover the secret behind Zhao E Lian’s meteoric rise.

But it now seemed that Lechuan had deliberately fabricated this reason to pull him away from the pioneering war.

In that war, Lechuan himself was just a slightly larger pawn, powerless to control many things.

A Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Fang Qingyuan was even more insignificant. If he couldn’t be assigned to a rear-echelon role, he would have been sent to the front to lead a team of thirty or forty people, charging into battle to fight those mindless beasts to the death.

Lechuan probably didn’t want to see Fang Qingyuan end up in such a predicament; in his eyes, Fang Qingyuan’s value lay elsewhere.

Expecting a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator to investigate the deepest secret of a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator was absurd. Fang Qingyuan had only recently come to this realization.

He guessed at Lechuan’s intentions. ’He probably wanted me out of the way for a decade or two, only to return after the pioneering war was over.’

No wonder Lechuan hadn’t set a deadline or asked for regular reports on the investigation. He had left everything up to Fang Qingyuan’s discretion.

After figuring this out, Fang Qingyuan fell silent for a moment. Then, in his mind, he pushed the investigation of Zhao E Lian several spots down his priority list.

With the investigation into Zhao E Lian’s secret now a lower priority, the most important matter facing Fang Qingyuan was his own cultivation.

’Next, I need to find a way to improve my other elemental Spirit Roots. I’ll strive to raise all my Five Elements Spirit Roots to their limit of thirty-nine points.’

’Secondly, my Five Elements Undying Body is still stuck at the Qi Refining Perfection stage. It’s time to start its Foundation Establishment Level training.’

’Also, my Wood Spirit Fish Dragon and Water Spirit Xuanwu have both become much more intelligent after consuming high-grade spiritual materials. I need to keep an eye out for materials for the other three elements to give the other three spirits a boost as well. I can’t let the power gap between the five of them grow too wide.’

’Furthermore, I need to start working on my own pill theory soon. If I keep putting it off, I might get stuck. Failing to set the foundation now will only make it more difficult later. But... do I really want to use the Longevity Pill Theory as the basis?’

Fang Qingyuan mulled over his plans in the Quiet Chamber for a long time. Only after he had gone through everything did he realize just how much he had to do.

With a soft sigh, Fang Qingyuan closed his eyes and resumed his meditation. This cultivation session wasn’t over yet.

...

「Three days later.」

Fang Qingyuan emerged from his meditative trance. He nodded in satisfaction as he sensed the increase in his body’s total Magical Power.

His gains were five percent greater than his usual meditation sessions—this was the benefit of an improved Spirit Root.

After finishing his cultivation, Fang Qingyuan didn’t hurry to leave. He hadn’t checked on the Immortal Mansion in three days. ’I wonder if that little fellow Jinbao is still hammering away at the forge.’

When Fang Qingyuan’s consciousness entered the Immortal Mansion, he didn’t hear the familiar sound of Jinbao’s hammering.

Three days prior, Fang Qingyuan had given Jinbao a Tier One Lower Grade introductory manual on Artifact Refining. He hoped it would burn off some of Jinbao’s boundless energy and keep it from wreaking havoc on everything else in the Immortal Mansion.

’But has Jinbao already finished forging the one thousand pieces of Tier One Windmill Iron I assigned it? So soon?’

Fang Qingyuan arrived at Jinbao’s forging spot, and the sight that greeted him made him first angry, then pleased.

Jinbao was there, still clutching its hammer, but its head was drooping. It had fallen asleep on its feet.

Across from Jinbao, the Crimson Young Bird, its beak wide open, was also nodding off into a daze.

On the ground lay many perfectly formed blocks of Windmill Iron, alongside piles of raw metal ore.

’Forging really is exhausting work,’ he thought. ’Even an energetic little bear cub like Jinbao is completely wiped out.’

The Crimson Young Bird’s head drooped low. When it snapped back up, it saw Fang Qingyuan.

The Crimson Young Bird immediately panicked. ’The master caught me slacking off! What do I do?’

The Crimson Young Bird opened its beak as wide as it could and blasted a gout of blue flame at the metal ore in front of it.

Most of the blue flame engulfed the ore, but in its panic, some of it singed Jinbao’s paw.

With a startled YELP, the searing pain jolted Jinbao from its deep sleep. It was about to teach the Crimson Young Bird a lesson, but upon seeing Fang Qingyuan standing there, it immediately lifted its little hammer and began furiously pounding on the ore.

Amused by the two little ones’ frantic efforts, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but tell them to stop.

’Making them forge wasn’t the point. The main goal was to burn off their excess energy. Now that the objective has been met, there’s no need for them to carry on.’

’After all, I’m not some kind of monster who exploits my own Spirit Beasts.’

At Fang Qingyuan’s signal, Jinbao dropped its small hammer, found a spot to lie down, and was instantly fast asleep. The young bird did the same.

Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan hurried over to investigate. After a quick examination, he was astonished to find that both Jinbao and the young bird had fallen into an exceptionally deep slumber. For Spirit Beasts, such sleep usually signaled an impending advancement.

’Jinbao and the young bird are about to advance?’

Fang Qingyuan thought about all the Blood Qi Pills Jinbao and the young bird had consumed over the past three years. Besides the ones he fed them, he knew that when he wasn’t around, the two of them would go to the Purple Bamboo Forest and shamelessly pester the Bee Queen for more Blood Qi Pills.

Who knows how many shows Jinbao had performed for the Bee Queen just to get its paws on a few more Blood Qi Pills.

In addition to the Blood Qi Pills, various Spirit Plants within the Immortal Mansion—aged ginseng, Wooden Sunflowers, Black Heart Lotuses—had also found their way into Jinbao’s stomach.

Thankfully, Jinbao knew it would get a beating from Fang Qingyuan if it ate too many Spirit Plants, so it hadn’t caused too much damage. As for the young bird, the poor thing that Jinbao used to bully, it had now become Jinbao’s little follower. Whenever Jinbao got a treat, it always saved a bite for the bird.

’Now, after this session of forging, the two little ones have both fallen into a deep slumber. They probably planned this together.’

But none of that mattered now. When Jinbao woke up from this advancement, it would have reached Foundation Establishment.

As for the young bird, he couldn’t keep calling it that after it woke up. It would be grown, after all, and would need a proper name. ’But what name should I give it?’