Chapter 12: Body Tempering
Upon hearing the words "guarantee your safety", Ji Yuan seemed to see the remnant soul of Old Huang on that magic boat, cursing furiously.
Ji Yuan was not certain whether the cultivator in front of him had killed Old Huang.
However, since even the magic boat had ended up here, the man... was likely already dead or in grave danger.
Ji Yuan touched his pocket and revealed a bitter smile. "Lately, I’ve been short on spirit stones. I can only take a look."
The long-faced cultivator didn’t show any disdain. Instead, he smiled. "Look all you want. You don’t have to buy if you don’t have spirit stones. Looking doesn’t cost anything."
It was rare to encounter such a good-natured fisherman. Ji Yuan really did squat down and take a proper look.
"I am Feng Yidao. May I ask for your esteemed name?" Feng Yidao cupped his hands in greeting.
"My humble name is Ji Yuan. Greetings, Daoist Feng."
After looking for a while, Ji Yuan stood up and left.
The day to pay the Immortal Residence Fee was approaching again. Although Ji Yuan had spirit stones, it was better to be prepared.
After returning home, he first checked everything to ensure the fish pond and pigsty were in order.
Only then did he put away the spirit stones and head to the neighboring Lin family.
Ji Yuan didn’t mention that Old Huang had died; he only said that he had seen Old Huang’s magic boat being sold by someone.
After hearing this, Lin Hu raised his head and roared in anger.
"Heaven has eyes!!!"
The next day, the people from the Water Dragon Sect came to collect the Immortal Residence Fee.
Unlike last time when he had delayed payment, Ji Yuan even paid next month’s fee in advance this time.
This way, they wouldn’t bother him again next month.
As for spirit stones, Ji Yuan produced them daily, but he feared attracting the attention of the Water Dragon Sect’s cultivators.
So the less interaction, the better.
During these days, Ji Yuan devoted himself entirely to the Water Droplet Finger technique.
Honestly, the technique itself wasn’t difficult. Ji Yuan had mastered the basics in just one day.
However, the difficult part was the process after the initial mastery.
Every time he cast the Water Droplet Finger, Ji Yuan felt as if his ten fingers were pinned to a chopping board and repeatedly pricked with needles.
When the technique was nearly formed, it felt as if the needles were stabbing into his nail beds.
Yet after releasing the technique, his fingers showed no sign of injury.
No wonder no one practiced this cursed technique... Ji Yuan had no choice but to set it aside for now.
Everything would have to wait until the spiritual pig matured so he could temper his body.
In the blink of an eye, five more days passed.
Ji Yuan processed a batch of semi-spiritual fish that failed to advance and purchased a new batch of spiritual fish.
Along the way, he bought a Green-Yellow Chicken from a chicken-raising cultivator.
With this, he could now eat seven Spiritual Eggs a day.
After his cultivation breakthrough, his refining ability had naturally improved as well.
Previously, eating six Spiritual Eggs a day was no longer a problem.
That very day, Ji Yuan stood by the pigsty, eyeing the nearly two-hundred-jin spiritual pig inside, and felt a surge of murderous intent.
The best method would, of course, be to send it to Luo Tong for processing—saving trouble and avoiding waste.
But Ji Yuan didn’t dare. He had to handle it himself.
Standing at the pigsty in the backyard, he looked at the motionless spiritual pig lying there.
With a wave of his hand, a dark blue Water Arrow formed.
"Go!"
He shouted softly and thrust his right hand forMarket.
The Water Arrow shot out smoothly, piercing through the spiritual pig’s neck. The pig struggled a few times before falling completely silent.
Ji Yuan quickly grabbed the wooden bucket he had prepared in advance, jumped into the pigsty, and began collecting the blood.
The rest was simple—just butchering a pig for his own consumption, as long as it was cleaned properly.
That morning, he specially stewed a full pot of spiritual pig meat for himself. He didn’t dare drink the pig blood raw, so he made it into blood tofu.
Both tasted excellent.
At first, he didn’t feel anything, but halfway through the meal, he suddenly felt his whole body heating up.
It was as if he were being boiled alive, scalding hot.
Beads of sweat, the size of soybeans, poured from his body.
At first, it was just heat, but after a while, his entire body began to sting. Ji Yuan tried to endure and continued eating.
But after just three to five breaths, he couldn’t take it anymore. He even fell from the dining table to the ground, curling up into a ball.
"Damn it!"
"So this is body tempering? It’s pure torture!"
For a moment, Ji Yuan regretted choosing this path, but with no other options for gaining strength, he had to grit his teeth and endure.
A cycle of pain, then eating, eating, then more pain.
Later, he suddenly smelled a foul stench. When he raised his hand to look, he found a layer of sludge-like filth on his arm.
"Is this... cleansing the muscles and marrow?"
Ji Yuan knew this effect usually occurred during Foundation Establishment, but he hadn’t expected body tempering to achieve this as well.
Clenching his fists slightly, he felt a surge of explosive power.
He couldn’t be bothered to clean up the mess.
He hurried to wash himself thoroughly and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Only then did he stand in front of the water mirror to examine his changes.
His appearance had grown even more handsome, and his skin had become whiter and more delicate.
If he had looked like a weathered fisherman constantly exposed to the elements before, now he resembled a pampered young master.
In other words, he finally had some of the bearing of a cultivator.
After tasting the benefits, Ji Yuan stayed home for the next four or five days. He didn’t go anywhere, not even to process the semi-spiritual fish that had advanced to spiritual fish.
He was fully focused on eating meat, eating as much as he could without dying.
Fortunately, as a cultivator, and with the spiritual pig carrying traces of spiritual energy, his cultivation method could refine it.
After several days, the nearly two-hundred-jin spiritual pig was completely devoured by him alone.
Ji Yuan had fully experienced the wonders of body tempering.
The improvement in his physical qualities was obvious, but what stood out the most was his Water Droplet Finger.
He could now cast it painlessly, releasing a powerful sword-like strike with just a flick of his finger.
He had tested it at his doorstep.
The Water Droplet Finger could blast up a large splash when it hit the water’s surface.
If it struck someone, it would surely leave a massive hole... Compared to the large and obvious Water Arrow Technique, the Water Droplet Finger consumed less energy and was harder to detect.
It was definitely a great tool for sneak attacks.
After finishing the spiritual pig, Ji Yuan didn’t want to touch it again for a while. Just recalling the taste made him feel like vomiting.
He rested at home for another day before taking the spiritual fish to Zengtou Market.
As expected, he sold it for another 18 spirit stones.
This brought his total to a full 20 spirit stones.
With no shortage of techniques, Ji Yuan decided to save the spirit stones for now.
He would decide later whether to upgrade the Fish Pond to Level 2 or buy a magical artifact for protection.
Just as he was about to head home, he suddenly overheard people in Zengtou Market spreading news.
The battle at Maple Leaf Island... had concluded!
Neither the Taian Market nor the Jingde Market of Zengtou Market had gained anything.
In the end, all the benefits from the Foundation Establishment Immortal Mansion had been taken by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Water Dragon Sect.
The other fishermen had gone there for nothing.
For people like Lin Youwei and his wife... they had died in vain.
After hearing this news, Ji Yuan stood in place for a long while before walking back to his small home by the shore.
High-level cultivators viewed low-level cultivators as ants.
Sect disciples also viewed rogue cultivators as ants... Ji Yuan couldn’t help but recall something he had once read in his previous life.
In the real cultivation world, there weren’t many realms. There were only three titles.
Senior, Daoist, and ant.