Chapter 190: Dao Fruit Energy Accumulation, Physical Body Advancement

"Understood! Especially for Yin Jiu and Yin Shi, who disrespect the Divine Shadow Guard, they dared to approach the silver sarcophagus without permission. I will definitely teach them a lesson." Yin Shi Yi was worried that the two of them would obtain the combat insights of the God of Nine Li.

Li Weiyi patted his shoulder, "I trust you to handle things."

Yin Shi Yi was now full of vigor and ambition. He smiled, "I think our plan to capture Yang Qingxi can be implemented sooner. I'm incredibly strong now. One Yang Qingxi isn't enough for me to fight. If there are two, I'll capture both, one on the left and one on the right."

Li Weiyi also felt that Yin Shi Yi was getting overly confident. If there really were two Yang Qingxis, their combat power would make even ordinary inheritors wary.

"Don't rush, wait for my word. To deal with her, we must be absolutely certain. This woman is exceptionally cunning; we cannot underestimate her," Li Weiyi said.

Yin Shi Yi nodded, "You're not coming with us?"

"You go first, I'm waiting for someone."

Li Weiyi decided to stay and wait for Zuoqiu Ting. After all, the person had just saved his life, and he felt he should express his gratitude.

With the departure of the Shadow Guards, Qinyuan became exceptionally quiet.

Li Weiyi did not go inside. He brushed away the accumulated snow and sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard.

He opened the ice jade medicine box given by the Shadow Lord. Inside was a golden thousand-year-old ginseng, which had already developed a human-like form and consciousness. It was equivalent to a living being that had been nurtured, and with proper guidance from a master, it could even transform into a talented martial cultivator of the demon race.

It was sealed by runes, immobilized and unable to move.

"Humans view demons as a different kind, herbs as tonics, and beasts as food. How do demons view humans?"

"In this world, it's either you eat me, or I eat you. Weakness is the greatest sin!"

With a sigh, he threw the thousand-year-old ginseng to the seven Phoenix-wing Moth Emperors.

Li Weiyi felt the pain from his injuries. He took an Energy-Boosting Pill and then took out a blood crystal, holding it in his hand. He circulated his spiritual power to heal his wounds while simultaneously absorbing blood energy and accumulating Qi.

He was racing against time, pursuing stronger cultivation and combat power.

He waited until the next morning.

The snow had stopped, and the warm morning sun shone.

To his surprise, Zuoqiu Ting did not come to Qinyuan overnight, so he had no way of knowing the outcome of last night's events. Instead, Yin Shi arrived.

Yin Shi was dressed in night clothes and arrived in stealth mode. When she entered the courtyard, disturbing the snow on the ground, Li Weiyi finally perceived her.

At this moment, she was only three steps away from Li Weiyi.

Killing him would take only a thought.

Li Weiyi looked at the slender, well-proportioned figure in black that suddenly appeared on the snowy ground before him and sighed, "Is the gap really this wide?"

Yin Shi wore no makeup or elaborate accessories, only a simple ponytail, appearing fresh and capable. This was a stark contrast to her refined and extravagant appearance when performing a dance. She said, "How long have you been cultivating? Do you know, you're already famous!"

"Oh? The news spread so fast?" Li Weiyi thought it was a consequence of his battle with Yang Zhiyong last night.

After all, Yang Zhiyong was one of the Ten Great Masters of Lizhou.

And the strength of Lizhou's younger generation was definitely among the top in the seven Southern Provinces.

Yin Shi said, "There were many martial cultivators at the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion at the time; it would have been hard for the news not to spread."

Li Weiyi realized he seemed to have misunderstood!

That's not right. Yesterday, he had specifically told Zuoqiu Baiyuan and Qi Wangshu not to talk carelessly about Cang Jin. After all, it wasn't yet certain that the Ash Spirit within Qian Yanzhen's body was indeed Cang Jin.

Furthermore, widely publicizing the matter could easily provoke the other party.

"Is it about that Ash Spirit?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yin Shi said, "An Ash Spirit is just a minor matter. What made you famous was that statement about capturing Yang Qingxi. When you said that in front of Yang Qingxi herself, everyone who heard it was stunned!"

"Now many people treat it as a joke, it's a common topic after meals, and it has even spread to the Immortal Forest."

"Everyone is mocking you and Shi Shishi for being too arrogant and overestimating yourselves, saying you'll definitely bring trouble upon yourselves and they want to see how you die at Yang Qingxi's hands."

Li Weiyi was utterly speechless. "It's true: good news travels slowly, bad news spreads far and wide. I could do without this kind of fame! But wait, how could a single statement about capturing Yang Qingxi spread so widely?"

"Because someone is stirring up trouble, explaining your purpose for wanting to capture Yang Qingxi, saying things about you... in any case, unspeakable things like 'babbling brook.' How could busybodies throughout the land not be interested in that?"

Yin Shi saw that Li Weiyi didn't refute her and even looked extremely embarrassed, causing her to frown deeply. "It's actually true?"

"No! How could it be? Who spread that?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yin Shi scrutinized him and said, "It seems to have come from the Wolf's Den!"

"Those people from the Earth Wolf King's Army are truly..."

Li Weiyi was practically slapping his thigh in frustration. He hadn't done anything, yet he had earned a scandalous reputation. Fortunately, he was still relatively unknown, so people would discuss it for a while and then move on!

Yin Shi had come to deliver the Dao Fruit.

Of course, she wouldn't need to come in person just to deliver a Dao Fruit. Her presence was naturally due to the combat insights of the God of Nine Li; Yin Shi Yi was now truly arrogant to the extreme, not giving her any respect.

Li Weiyi opened the iron box containing the Dao Fruit. The box's material was extraordinary, a kind of extremely dense metal.

The iron box had three layers of runes designed on its surface and inside, and there was even a small destruction array within. If forced open, the Dao Fruit would turn to dust.

The Dao Fruit was a martial foundation that only individuals at the Great Perfection of the Dao Seed Realm could cultivate.

With excitement, Li Weiyi disassembled the runes and arrays one by one. The pigeon-egg-sized, green, pearl-like treasure inside finally appeared before his eyes.

It was so brilliant that Li Weiyi could barely keep his eyes open. Countless scriptures shimmered ceaselessly upon its surface.

The moment it was opened, the entire courtyard was filled with an explosive surge of spiritual energy, with much of it escaping.

Li Weiyi quickly closed it, pressing his palm down, and took a long breath. He said, "Thank you, Senior Sister Yin Shi, for making the trip yourself."

"No need to thank me, it's nothing extraordinary..."

After some thought, Yin Shi said, "Yin Shi Yi mentioned that to comprehend the combat insights of the God of Nine Li, your permission is required?"

"You know about the combat insights of the God of Nine Li? I brought that out from Buried Immortal Town at great risk to my life. Hmm, the Shadow Lord entrusted me with full responsibility for it."

Li Weiyi stopped speaking at this point.

Left with no choice, Yin Shi continued, "I heard from Yin Twenty-Five that any Shadow Guard can attempt to obtain, observe, and experience it."

"Yes, that's my intention," Li Weiyi said.

"Then could you write me a note, so Yin Shi Yi doesn't stand outside the silver sarcophagus showing off his power? He's truly arrogant."

Yin Shi had already prepared paper and a pen, clearing away the snow and placing them on the stone table beside him.

"What should I write?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yin Shi's patience reached its limit. She stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Name your condition. How can I go and obtain the combat insights of the God of Nine Li?"

"Let me be frank with you: bringing out the combat insights of the God of Nine Li is meant to win people over. The purpose isn't simple, but you also know its value—it can forge higher-level Dao Seeds. If it can't even win loyalty, then it's being sold for nothing!" Li Weiyi said.

Yin Shi nodded, "A fair price! Very well, from now on, you are the Divine Shadow Guard, and Yin Shi will obey your every command."

Li Weiyi had finally waited for this day. He said, "Aren't you renowned as a master of both dance and sword? Then dance for me first!"

Yin Shi frowned tightly. "Are you trying to humiliate me?"

"If you can't even fulfill such a small request, how can I believe that you truly submit to me? To put it plainly, you don't take me seriously at all; you just want to get the combat insights of the God of Nine Li as quickly as possible."

Li Weiyi picked up the pen and began writing on the white paper, continuing, "The rules of the Shadow Gate state that Shadow Guards must absolutely obey the Divine Shadow Guard. If you only submit when my cultivation is strong enough, then forget a dance – when I tell you to attend to me, you won't be able to refuse! So, before doing something, you must think clearly about the consequences. Isn't your true thought that Yin Jiu should be the Divine Shadow Guard? My sudden appearance makes you uncomfortable."

"Take it! You should be grateful that I am not a harsh Divine Shadow Guard to my subordinates, nor am I a ruthless and shameless one."

Yin Shi never imagined that a martial cultivator who was merely at the Spring Realm a few months ago would possess such a steady and seasoned demeanor. She picked up the note from the table, her beautiful eyes shimmering, and softly said, "Could you also add Yin Jiu's name...? His pride is extremely strong; he probably won't come to ask you."

"Isn't that request pushing your luck a bit too much?" Li Weiyi asked.

Yin Shi said, "Performing a dance in these clothes would detract a lot from the aesthetic."

"Alright!"

Li Weiyi added Yin Jiu's name.

After Yin Shi left, Li Weiyi immediately put the recent events out of his mind. He reopened the iron box, took out the Dao Fruit, and placed it between his hands.

One hand was positioned towards the sky, the other towards the earth, forming a sealed enclosure.

He used the spiritual springs in the palms of his hands to absorb the spiritual energy from the Dao Fruit, transporting it to his third Qi Sea.

An hour later,

Two sections of Qi had ascended in his third Qi Sea.

"Using the Dao Fruit is twice as fast as taking an Energy-Boosting Pill. Both can be done simultaneously, making the Qi accumulation speed three times faster than before."

It was impossible to cultivate Qi for twelve hours a day without any rest. Furthermore, he needed to set aside time to train his physical body, strengthen his flesh and internal organs, and cultivate more combat insights.

As for the Qi refinement time, it was actually saved!

This was because the spiritual energy absorbed from the Dao Fruit was of extremely high quality and exceptionally pure.

"'The fifth stage is in the Wind Mansion, the sixth stage is in the Ancestral Field; success depends on money.' Here, 'money' refers to the funds for purchasing Dao Lotuses and Dao Fruits."

Unfortunately, he had not yet begun cultivating the sixth sea, the Wind Mansion, so the true value of the Dao Fruit's spiritual energy was completely wasted, preventing him from cultivating fifth-stage Qi.

The level and quantity of spiritual energy had always been the biggest difference between him and martial cultivators of the Fifth and Sixth Seas.

Li Weiyi secretly set a goal: to spend at least eight hours a day accumulating Qi. This way, he could complete the cultivation of his third Qi Sea in half a month, with an additional three or four days of flexible time for other arrangements.

There were still nineteen days until Lunar New Year's Eve.

Li Weiyi communicated with his mind power, asking, "Master Coffin, can spatial power be used to directly infuse the Dao Fruit into my Qi Sea?"

"Yes, you can! But your third Qi Sea is still too small, and infusing the Dao Fruit directly would be very dangerous. Moreover, without going through the refinement of the trace meridians, the rejection rate would be very high. When you open your fourth Qi Sea and if it's large enough, then find me, and I will help you. Weiyi, you are being a bit too impatient!" Master Coffin replied.

"I know! After the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I'll slowly refine and consolidate."

Li Weiyi's mood relaxed. With the Dao Fruit entering his Qi Sea, Qi accumulation would indeed be much faster!

For the next five days, Li Weiyi cultivated in seclusion alone at Qinyuan. Zuoqiu Ting did not appear, nor did Yin Shi arrive.

As he practiced the move "Puxian Reflecting Mirror," faint dragon roars echoed within his body.

His physical body had broken through by a small half-rank.

"Clap! Clap! Clap..."

The sound of clapping hands resounded.

Zuoqiu Ting, who had arrived at some unknown time, sat elegantly on the eaves of the small cottage, smiling. "Your blood flows like a dragon's roar; your physical body cultivation is excellent. Your blood energy has achieved minor success!"

Chan Hai Guan Wu had long ago said that since he had cultivated on Shaoyang Star for a long time and absorbed a large amount of blood mist there, his blood energy cultivation would progress rapidly.

Li Weiyi could clearly feel the enhancement of his physical strength. If he were to face Yang Zhiyong again now, he probably wouldn't be suppressed!

"I've been waiting for you for days, why did you only just arrive?" Li Weiyi retracted his stance and stood in the courtyard.

"I am the First Inheritor; I have a mountain of headaches to deal with. Do you think I'm very idle? Countless burdens are currently weighing on me."

Changing the direction of his voice, Zuoqiu Ting appeared on a stone bench in the courtyard.

"Did you kill Yang Qingxi?" Li Weiyi asked.

"If I killed her... how would I still watch the babbling brook?"

Zuoqiu Ting raised an exceptionally handsome, unfamiliar face that was not his own. His bright eyes gazed at Li Weiyi with a half-smile.