Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest-Chapter 277 - 75 I am the Captain
Chapter 277: Chapter 75 I am the Captain
After the Li siblings had left, Yan Yu and Zhao Yuanzhen sat on the bed and began to cultivate their Qi together through a dual breathing refinement technique.
Zhao Yuanzhen’s aptitude for cultivation was by no means as domineering and irrational as that of the Thank Immortal Venerate, but she was the strongest among the girls in the Zhenhai Team. Otherwise, as an orphan, she would not have been picked up by her master in the first place.
While refining Qi together with her, Yan Yu felt like a tricycle tied to the exhaust pipe of a luxury sports car with an iron chain, forcibly hitting a speed of 120 miles per hour…
Commonly known as “hitching a speed.”
Hitch! A stark hitch!
“By the way, how’s your cultivation recovery coming along?” Yan Yu asked.
“I’m about to reach the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage,” Zhao Yuanzhen replied.
Qi Refinement, Marrow Cleansing, Hua Fu. After the transformation of the Purple Mansion comes the Crossing of the Celestial Tribulation and the forming of the Golden Core. The Demonic Sect Enchantress, before crossing over, was at the Hua Fu Stage, but due to the losses both she and Teacher Mei suffered in their fight and the depletion of her True Yuan, coupled with the insufficient Spiritual Energy of the world, it was like trying to fill an empty swimming pool with a tiny water hose—her recovery of True Yuan was naturally excruciatingly slow.
Luckily, compared with the Cultivation World on the other side, Earth had a distinct advantage: the supply of Elixir Medicine.
Because the process of refining elixirs requires specific hand gestures, True Yuan to stoke the flames, and waiting for the right celestial timing, the entire elixir refinement process is not fully automated; however, the cultivation, breeding, and harvesting of raw materials are now on an industrial scale.
It is said that within the Wuyi Mountain Secret Realm, a “Spirit Grass Factory” with numerous hydroponic production lines has been established, which uses the realm’s rich Spiritual Energy to produce medicinal herbs efficiently.
Plus, with the policy of resource allocation favoring top cultivators, for cultivators of the Zhenhai Team’s stature, Foundation Establishment Pills are supplied as needed, and the supply never stops. Thus, the speed of Zhao Yuanzhen’s recovery of cultivation is so fast.
As the Demonic Sect Enchantress recovered to the peak of the Marrow Cleansing Stage’s power, Yan Yu, a small Qi Refinement newcomer, once again cultivating together with her, immediately felt a sense of exhilaration, as if being carried by a powerhouse, his abilities improving rapidly as if covering a thousand miles in a day.
His Qi Refinement stage was also about to reach its peak, and he was about to enter the second stage—the Marrow Cleansing Stage.
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However, there is a bottleneck between advancing from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Marrow Cleansing Stage, and that is the practice of “Fasting.” Even if one has fully mastered Qi Refinement, without mastering Fasting, it is impossible to enter the next stage and begin the process of Marrow Cleansing.
Fasting refers to the transition of the body’s circulation from being sustenance-dependent to self-sustaining. Ordinary people’s circulation cannot support itself; they need regular intake of grains, vegetables, fruits, and meat to replenish strength. With each meal, impurities from sustenance enter the body, which over time can lead to various illnesses.
The practice of Fasting draws Spiritual Energy from the outside world into the body, replacing the function of sustenance-induced impurities, allowing a practitioner to be free from hunger without eating and from thirst without drinking. As the body gradually purges foul yin and accumulates pure yang, it marks the first threshold for a common mortal flesh to step onto the path of immortality…
The above is in the exact words of Teacher Mei, albeit in complete contradiction with contemporary medical knowledge. However, history of science holds that “no matter how fake a ‘pseudo-science’ appears, if it’s repeatedly verified by experiments, it certainly belongs to a higher level of scientific principle that we are currently unable to explain.”
Compared with quantum physics, where God plays dice, the study of Fasting is actually quite comprehensible.
Yan Yu, who had not embarked on the path of cultivation in his previous life, was completely clueless about how to break through this bottleneck. He asked Zhao Yuanzhen, “I feel like I’m about to complete my Qi Refinement. How should I go about cultivating the practice of Fasting?”
“It’s simple,” Zhao Yuanzhen replied. “Don’t eat or drink.”
“Uh,” Yan Yu wanted to retort but then remembered that in his previous life, Xie Ruoxi, who stayed at home for extended periods too lazy to order delivery, just persevered until she suddenly achieved Fasting.
So he frowned and asked again, “If one refrains from eating and drinking and fails to master Fasting, dying of starvation, what then?”
“Then you die,” Zhao Yuanzhen answered matter-of-factly. “If you can’t even train in the practice of Fasting, what’s the point of cultivating immortality?”
Yan Yu found himself at a loss for words: He had forgotten that this enchantress hailed from the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect did not preach safe cultivation practices—if you can’t cultivate, go die! There are plenty of others to continue the practice!
His Qi Refinement cultivation was nearly complete, and he must practice Fasting to advance. However, a great battle was fast approaching, so he was faced with two choices:
Option one was to wait until after the battle to cultivate the practice of Fasting. Although slow, it was safe and reliable.
Option two was to start fasting now, going into battle facing the dual debuffs of hunger and thirst, the danger of which one could easily imagine.
Was there a need to hesitate? Of course, he would choose the second option!
Since Yan Yu was determined to be the strongest in this world, he, of course, could not shrink back just because of two debuffs. In some ways, cultivation is influenced by a form of idealism; if you choose to retreat in the face of hardships and dangers this time, your resolve would be affected, and later, when it’s time to face the Celestial Tribulation or when a desperate struggle is required, you will likewise harbor life-threatening thoughts of escape and retreat.
The so-called “one step back, steps back” is what this means.
“Since that’s the case, from now on, I will practice the fasting technique,” Yan Yu quickly made up his mind and declared seriously.
“Ah?” Zhao Yuanzhen was somewhat puzzled and asked, “But… aren’t we about to go to war? With an empty stomach, how are you going to fight against others?”
“What does that matter?” Yan Yu haughtily chuckled, “Cultivating the fasting technique is also an essential step on the path of cultivation. How could I interrupt my practice for something like fighting others?”
Zhao Yuanzhen fell silent. She, of course, understood the principle that in the realm of cultivation, if you do not advance, you retreat.
But the Demonic Sect never cared much for things like willpower; survival was always the top priority. If there really was a critical moment in fighting others, then stop cultivating for what! If you are at a disadvantage in the fight and get killed by someone, are you going to continue cultivating in the grave?
Zhao Yuanzhen could understand why Yan Yu chose this path; she definitely wouldn’t have chosen it for herself, and so she nodded and said:
“Alright, I’ll bring some snacks and bottled water, and if you can’t take it anymore and beg me on your knees, I’ll share my sustenance with you.”
“Beg you? As if you’re worthy!” Yan Yu scoffed contemptuously, “If I really get so hungry that I have no strength left, of course, I’ll have you all fight for me and sweep the enemies around me away! Otherwise, if I consumed food and water, wouldn’t all the hunger and suffering I endured be in vain?”
Zhao Yuanzhen was left speechless, chuckling. She initially wanted to hold a grudge subconsciously, but thinking about how this despicable thief would soon be enduring hunger, her mood quickly improved, and she laughed:
“Very well, very well. Since you are so formidable, then go ahead and concentrate on your fasting practice. Not only will I not share my sustenance with you, if they try to feed you, I’ll also dissuade them, how does that sound?”
“That’s for the best!”
“Hmph, then it’s settled.” Zhao Yuanzhen and he struck palms in agreement, secretly laughing to herself.
The two faced each other across the bed, palms touching as they operated the Grand Circulation to transfer True Qi.
Several hours later, Yan Yu slowly raised his hand to end the exchange, only to find that his True Yuan was not increasing as much as it had in previous sessions.
It wasn’t that the dual cultivation method had stopped working, but rather that the gaseous True Yuan in his dantian was nearing saturation and could hardly take in more True Yuan.
Practicing the fasting technique to break through this bottleneck was now of the utmost urgency!
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The next morning, Yan Yu awoke from his sleep to the sound of someone knocking at the door.
“Time to get up!” It was that familiar alarm-clock voice again.
Yan Yu got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Lin Ning standing outside with a breakfast tray, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “Why did you get up so late?”, and spoke with disdain:
“You got up too late today; the hotel’s dining room has already closed! I conveniently brought you breakfast, so hurry up and say ‘Thank you, Lin Ning.’
“Thank you, Lin Ning,” Yan Yu said with a strange expression, “I appreciate the gesture, but I’ve started practicing the fasting technique and cannot eat or drink; go give it to them instead.”
“You’re practicing fasting?” Lin Ning was initially astonished, then realized what was happening and quickly began to persuade, “Even so, you can’t just not eat or drink! We might have to fight later! How can you fight on an empty stomach?”
“I’ve made up my mind.” Yan Yu shook his head with a stern expression, “No need to persuade me further.”
“Don’t be crazy, okay?” Lin Ning was unwilling to give up, continuing to persuade, “What’ll you do if you get hypoglycemic and dizzy during the fight? You don’t need the enemy to kill you; you’ll starve yourself down!”
Yan Yu still shook his head in silence.
“You’ll regret this!” Seeing that he was impervious to reason, Lin Ning got even more frustrated, took the breakfast tray, and went to knock on Chen Lingyun’s door next door, intending to complain bitterly to the girls.
Yan Yu remained indifferent, merely saying coldly:
“Complaining won’t help; I’m the team leader!”
With a slam, Lin Ning entered Chen Lingyun’s room and closed the door heavily behind her.
