Chapter 114: The Mother Hen

"This speed..."

The speed at which the Tree Spirit vanished made Duan Rong's heart tremble!

The four divine statues were still whale-sipping the gray-white mist, stripping away threads of light and gathering them into the body of that infant light-shadow!

But compared to the contribution of the Tree Spirit Light Sea, the light threads from the divine statues were simply a drop in the ocean!

One side was like a few wisps of dust; if you didn't look closely, you couldn't see them at all!

While the other side was like a school of fish crossing a river, vast and mighty!

I do not know how much time passed, but the infant's body had already completely solidified!

His facial features and body were realistic and delicate, emitting a faint, milky-white, sacred glow, like a three-dimensional figure carved from white jade, suspended high in the sky!

Yet, in that Tree Spirit Light Sea, large swaths of light threads were still constantly floating up, surging toward the sky!

Duan Rong's heart was filled with shock; the infant was actually using the light threads to gradually wrap himself in a thin cocoon!

And as the light threads rising from the Tree Spirit Light Sea gathered, the cocoon was gradually thickening, layer by layer...

But at this very moment, the bodies of the four massive divine statues suddenly began to fade and disappear...

In just a few breaths, the mountain-like, towering divine shadows had actually vanished without a trace!

"This..."

Duan Rong's heart gave a start, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"The effect of Ximen Kankan's potion has worn off!"

With the divine statues hidden, the infant light-shadow seemed to have suddenly lost its power; the light threads surrounding him that had not yet turned into a cocoon also stopped gathering and drifted in the sky...

The infant and Duan Rong shared a thread of mental connection; the moment the statues faded, Duan Rong faintly sensed a touch of anger from the infant, but soon the infant fell into a deep, weak sleep!

That trace of perception with Duan Rong also fell into silence along with it!

At the same time, the settling gray-white mist suddenly churned and spread rapidly...

Within a few breaths, it once again filled this space, turning into thin mist that rolled continuously...

Duan Rong stood up from the center of the Black Earth and looked up at the infant who had fallen into a deep sleep above the dome...

Wrapped in a cocoon layer as thin as a cicada's wing, the figure inside was vaguely visible; he curled his body, still as if he were in a mother's womb...

Duan Rong thought of the name of this cultivation technique and muttered, "Womb Treasury Sutra..."

He faintly felt that the name of this technique seemed very fitting for the strange scene before him!

Duan Rong's gaze suddenly shifted; he walked toward the southwest of the Black Earth and arrived at the Tree Spirit Light Sea!

The light threads that had originally been floating beside the infant were blown apart by the churning, thin mist...

They floated scattered throughout this world!

Before Duan Rong's eyes, a thread of light drifted past with the rolling mist...

Duan Rong stared at it; that light thread was like some kind of strange plankton in the deep sea...

Duan Rong withdrew his gaze and looked at the Tree Spirit Light Sea before him!

Duan Rong knew clearly that if he relied on the original speed at which his Spirit Sea digested the Tree Spirit, he didn't know how much time it would take to fully absorb even these floating light threads, let alone this entire Tree Spirit Light Sea!

Duan Rong then took a count!

The original nine-by-nine rows of Tree Spirits were short by a full two and a half rows!

That was over twenty trees in one go!

What kind of bizarre speed was this!

Duan Rong stood there, but his heart was filled with secret joy!

The speed at which those four divine statues whale-sipped the gray-white mist and stripped away the light threads should be the normal speed for practicing the Womb Treasury Sutra!

But at that speed, it would probably take years and months to achieve the first level of the Womb Treasury Sutra!

And if one wanted to increase Mental Power solely by devouring and digesting Tree Spirits, it would also take years and months!

From this, one can see the difficulty of increasing Mental Power!

But by a stroke of luck, devouring the Tree Spirit and the Womb Treasury Sutra were able to complement each other!

Even now, thinking of the strange scene just moments ago, Duan Rong's mind was still trembling!

According to the situation just now, if the effect of Ximen Kankan's potion hadn't worn off, he estimated that the first level of the Womb Treasury Sutra could have been achieved immediately!

Duan Rong's heart was stirred, but since the divine statues had retreated and he could no longer continue practicing the Womb Treasury Sutra, it was useless for him to remain in the Spirit Sea.

Thus, Duan Rong sat cross-legged, formed seals with his hands, and withdrew from the Spirit Sea!

Duan Rong's eyes snapped open, and he discovered he had returned to that cramped dormitory!

Everything that had just happened gave him a strong sense of unreality!

The various wonders within the Spirit Sea were just like scenes from a fantasy novel!

Duan Rong sat cross-legged there, unable to stop himself from trembling and shivering!

He could no longer distinguish whether he was excited or afraid!

Too many emotions filled his heart!

The pressure he endured from that god standing between heaven and earth!

The mental impact given to him by the infant light-shadow above the firmament!

And the strange transformation of the Tree Spirit Light Sea!

Everything was too inconceivable!

If not for the four Mountain and Water Paintings still hanging around him after the divine statues had hidden themselves, he would truly suspect he was dreaming!

Duan Rong struggled to stand up, carefully put away the four Mountain and Water Paintings, and placed them in the wardrobe!

By this time, the sky was already beginning to brighten!

The faint light of dawn shone in through the cracks in the window and door; the original oil lamp had long since burned out!

Duan Rong's body was not tired, but his Divine Soul was exhausted to the extreme!

Moreover, the moment he withdrew from the Spirit Sea of Lingming, that sense of fatigue came flooding over him...

Like a caterpillar, he lay exhausted on the bed, and the moment he touched the bed frame, he fell into a dead sleep!

For these past few days, Duan Rong had been anxious about the problem of his Mental Power, and even while sleeping or eating, this thought had been weighing on his mind!

But now, this problem had finally been resolved!

Therefore, Duan Rong slept very soundly this time, sleeping in one go until he woke up at noon!

Duan Rong woke up feeling that all the fatigue in his body had been swept away; he stretched, picked the sleep from the corners of his eyes, and took a wooden basin to the well to wash up!

After Duan Rong finished washing, seeing that it was just the time for the cafeteria to serve meals, he went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast...

After Duan Rong finished eating, he paced around the Zhong Yuan Yan Wu Chang, calculating his cultivation plan for the next steps!

Based on the cultivation progress of the Womb Treasury Sutra last night, as long as he practiced it once more tonight, the first layer could be achieved!

Once the first layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra was achieved, his Mental Power level could break through from Level 1 to Level 2!

Then, the cultivation of the Inner Breath Third Layer could be unfolded accordingly!

"I should go to Xiao Lao's place! I still haven't obtained the prescription for the Inner Breath Third Layer!"

Standing under the large locust tree in the Martial Arts Arena, Xiao Zongting's haggard appearance and Xiao Yu's sorrowful expression flashed before his eyes!

"Xiao Baijiao's departure has clearly dealt a heavy blow to the Xiaojia; I must pay a visit to offer my condolences and express my sentiments!"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he immediately formed an idea!

He first returned to his dormitory, sat upright before his easel, and began to grind and mix pigments...

Duan Rong's gaze was focused; from time to time, he would stop his brush to pace and ponder in the cramped room. He actually spent a full hour on this painting! Duan Rong looked at the painting on the easel, his eyes flickering, his heart stirred!

"Xiao Baijiao, leaving your shadow in this world can be considered a form of memorial."

Duan Rong waited for a while, and after the ink on the painting had dried, he rolled up the painting, walked out of the dormitory, and headed straight out of the Yuanshun Escort Agency!

Duan Rong first took the painting to a mounting shop, paid the silver, and had them mount the painting!

Afterwards, he left the mounting shop and went to the Raw Medicine Shop to buy two stalks of old mountain ginseng!

Carrying the two stalks of ginseng, Duan Rong left the Raw Medicine Shop and turned into an alley, where he picked out two plump old hens from a chicken coop!

The plump old hens were tied up with hemp rope; Duan Rong carried the old hens in one hand and the old mountain ginseng in the other, then left the alley!

When he arrived at the mounting shop, the painting had already been mounted!

Duan Rong had the shop assistant roll up the mounted painting, tie it with a thin string, and tuck it into the Belt at his lower back!

Duan Rong then carried the painting scroll on his back, held the old mountain ginseng and the old hens, returned to the Yuanshun Escort Agency, and headed toward Xiao Zongting's courtyard!

(End of this chapter)