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Chapter 217: Late Foundation Establishment
🕑 Added 2024-09-20 05:41:00 +0000 UTCThe members of Lingxian Sect were reluctant to part with the talented and kind-hearted Mo Yuanjiao, trying their best to persuade him to stay. However, Mo Yuanjiao was resolute, and everyone eventually gave in, urging him to return as soon as possible.
Leaving behind a promise to be back in a few months, Mo Yuanjiao set off with his guard, Mo Que, embarking on his journey home. With his departure, the Lingxian Sect became noticeably quieter, missing the frequent laughter that erupted whenever Mo Yuanjiao mastered a new formation, concocted a pill, or created a talisman.
Meanwhile, Jiang Youfu’s Lingxian Food Pavilion continued to serve its dishes punctually every ten days, drawing more and more visitors to Shushui Village. Over time, people began to notice that the food served at the pavilion wasn’t just delicious—it seemed to have health benefits as well.
One particularly notable case involved a person recently diagnosed with tuberculosis by several doctors. Believing his end was near, he decided to spend his life savings to afford a meal at the Lingxian Food Pavilion, thinking it would be his last luxury. To his astonishment, after consuming the meal, he found himself completely cured—no more coughing, no more shortness of breath. He visited several doctors afterward, and they all confirmed that he was in perfect health. News spread, and soon wealthy families from nearby towns, plagued by various ailments, started staying in the village, hoping to secure a spot at the pavilion.
As time went on, Tietou noticed that Jiang Youfu seemed increasingly unhappy. With Liu Yunan too busy to notice, Tietou decided to approach Jiang Youfu himself, despite his own limited eloquence.
“Hey, Youfu, you’ve been looking troubled lately. What’s bothering you?” Tietou asked, finding Jiang Youfu deep in thought at the stove.
Jiang Youfu, pulled out of his reverie by Tietou’s voice, sighed and replied, “Tietou, do you think the food I’m selling at the pavilion is too expensive? One hundred taels of silver might be affordable for the rich, but ordinary people can’t afford it…”
The wealthy could easily spend a hundred taels to secure a meal at the pavilion, but those struggling to make ends meet couldn’t even dream of it.
Tietou scratched his head, thinking for a while before suggesting, “Why don’t we lower the price?”
Jiang Youfu puffed his cheeks in frustration and said, “I asked Elder Liao about that, but he asked me how much lower would be fair. He said there’s no end to poverty and suffering in this world, and advised me not to dwell on it too much, or I’d just end up stuck, unable to help anyone.”
While Jiang Youfu understood Elder Liao’s point, he still felt uncomfortable. Something about it just didn’t sit right with him.
Tietou, seeing his friend’s troubled expression, nodded and said, “Elder Liao has a point. My father often tells me about people he meets who try to get him to do more work for less pay, or ask him to share his earnings. But he says that with his current ability, he can only support his own family, and he doesn’t have the capacity to help others. Maybe when he’s stronger, he can do more, but for now, he has to focus on what he can manage.”
Jiang Youfu felt that their situations were somewhat different, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Nonetheless, he felt oddly comforted by Tietou’s words.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m still too weak to worry about these things. I need to focus on my cultivation, just like Brother Xiao. When I’ve grown stronger, I’ll host a three-day feast for everyone in the surrounding villages! Let everyone eat to their heart’s content!” Jiang Youfu said with a grin.
——
While Shushui Village bustled with the autumn harvest and the influx of visitors, Lin Xiao was deeply engrossed in his cultivation at the Nature Platform.
Months had passed, and his cultivation had advanced rapidly. He had progressed from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the late stage in what felt like no time at all.
It’s common knowledge that the higher one’s cultivation, the more difficult it becomes to advance. But since he began his seclusion a few months ago, spending all his time cultivating, Lin Xiao discovered just how absorbing cultivation could be.
Previously, he relied on the system’s auto-cultivation feature, so he never truly experienced the full depth of the process. But now, with all his focus on cultivation, he found himself captivated by the practice.
Every day, as he diligently cultivated and comprehended the heart method, he could feel the spiritual energy around him being drawn into his body, flowing through his meridians, nourishing his physique, and finally accumulating in his sea of qi.
Over time, Lin Xiao noticed that the spiritual energy not only nourished his body but also seemed to seep into his soul. He realized this because the spiritual energy, once it interacted with his soul, became subtly different.
This discovery fascinated him. With all his attention focused inward, he began to observe these minute details more closely. As the days went by, he noticed that the spiritual energy he absorbed and refined within his body began to fuse with a faint essence, which he tentatively called "soul essence."
As his cultivation advanced, this soul essence grew stronger, and he became increasingly adept at controlling the spiritual energy within him. His sensitivity to this energy also heightened.
He concluded that the spiritual energy was indeed nurturing his soul because, after each session, his soul felt more relaxed and solidified—an almost imperceptible but definite sense of being nourished.
This might be the result of the interaction between his soul and the spiritual energy. To test his theory, he eagerly intensified his cultivation, finding it far from tedious. In fact, it was quite enjoyable.
Lin Xiao had a hunch. If he continued cultivating like this, it wouldn’t be long before the spiritual energy within him completely merged with his soul, leading to a significant breakthrough.
Though he wasn’t sure if this phenomenon was typical in cultivation, he decided to consult Elder Liao after his seclusion. Nevertheless, Lin Xiao felt a growing fondness for this change in his spiritual energy, sensing that it was becoming increasingly attuned to him.
With this newfound confidence, Lin Xiao felt more certain than ever that he would reach the Golden Core stage.
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