Carson Flores slowly opened his eyes, his pupils brimming with excitement.
He had originally pinned his hopes on finding the Jade Pool and cultivating with the vast techniques of Hao Ran, to see if he could forge a new path to breakthrough. Yet, unexpectedly, he had barely arrived before someone gifted him three slices of raw fish, after which he made the breakthrough!
Carson looked around, the excitement gradually fading from his face.
The middle-aged man was gone!
Lilly Compton sat behind him, her cheeks flushed red, looking as though she had drunk herself into a stupor.
She was still cultivating.
Carson stood up, looked around, and then settled under the large tree.
Bold characters were inscribed on the thick trunk of the tree—"Till Fate Brings Us Together Again!"
Carson let out a long breath, from the perspective of an ordinary person, this might well be considered a mystical fate.
The middle-aged man was clearly a cultivator from the Blessed Land of Cave Heavens, and that Dragon Pattern Fish was obviously not ordinary. He had merely freeloaded three pieces of its flesh and achieved advancement; if not fated, what else could this be?
Since the other had already left, Carson no longer dwelled on it and sat down cross-legged, beginning to cultivate Hao Ran’s techniques.
He wanted to test the interchangeability between the two methods of cultivation.
He sat for half a day.
When Carson opened his eyes again, they were filled with enlightenment. Indeed, as Isabella Roth had said, all roads lead to the same destination!
Because of the dense Spiritual Energy, Carson’s upgrade in strength was swift, faster than he could have imagined.
Lilly Compton looked at the awakened Carson with surprised joy, "Brother Carson, who exactly was that person? A celestial being from The Unknown Land? Just one piece of fish made me feel intoxicated, and now my strength has soared. I’ve reached the peak of the Inner Qi realm, and sitting here, I no longer feel the cold. That fish was truly miraculous."
Reminded by Lilly, Carson then realized that indeed, he felt no cold.
This was a snow-capped mountain surrounded by white snow; how could it not be cold?
Could it also be the effect of those three pieces of sashimi?
"If you’re not cold, then just stay here to cultivate; this place is very suited for your practice..."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Carson!"
Lilly was overjoyed. Previously, her strength had not allowed her to stay here for long, so even though the place was replete with Spiritual Energy, she could not remain to cultivate indefinitely. But now, what was once her biggest problem was no longer an issue. As long as she had enough food, she could cultivate for as long as she wanted.
Lilly pointed to the center of the pool, "Cultivating in the pool yields better results, but I’m not sure if I can withstand the cold."
An idea struck Carson. According to Lilly, the source of the Spiritual Energy came from the underground currents beneath the pool. Thus, cultivating near the spring’s eye must yield better results because the spring would continuously gush forth, bringing an abundant supply of Spiritual Energy to rapidly fill the gaps left by Carson’s cultivation.
Carson removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the pool, only to find the water slightly cool, not bone-chillingly cold at all!
Cultivating in the water was truly feasible!
After pondering a bit, Carson expended some effort to craft a floating chair from wooden sticks and vines near the shore. Sitting on the vines, his whole body submerged in the water, only his head remained above the surface.
Time flies in cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
Carson opened his eyes, feeling the robust strength within him, and then noted the thinning Spiritual Energy in the water, silently sighing in speechlessness.
The amount of Spiritual Energy was finite!
It was not an endless bounty!
In these two months, Carson was like a hungry child wailing in hunger, frantically absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the pool, which resulted in the stored dense Spiritual Energy being completely drained!
Although the spring in the pool still bubbled slowly and the Spiritual Energy was gradually recovering, the quantity could not keep pace with the amount Carson needed for his cultivation.
Perhaps after another three or five years, the quantity of Spiritual Energy could recover to its original state, but at least for the moment, there was no need for Carson to stay.
"Let’s go down the mountain."
"Yes, Brother Carson!"
Two months of companionship had made them exceedingly familiar with one another.
After all, they were cultivating in the water and, to keep their clothes from getting wet, both were wearing only their undergarments. From the initial awkwardness to the eventual naturalness, it was akin to the progression from a newlywed couple to an old married one.
Lilly’s strength had increased immensely. A mere piece of fish had boosted her strength to the pinnacle of the Inner Qi realm, followed by a breakthrough. After breaking through, she continued to cultivate and, a few days ago, advanced yet again, entering the ranks of a Great Grandmaster.
She had actually become a Great Grandmaster!
Cultivating in this place rich in Spiritual Energy was truly thrilling, as the pace was seven or eight times faster than before, if not more.
After so many years of cultivation, she had barely managed to enter the Inner Qi realm, yet now, in just a short span of two months, her strength had shot up by two levels.
Carson truly was the boon of her life!
Without Carson, where would she be today?
How should she repay Carson?
Perhaps, by slipping into his bed cover, offering herself in gratitude?