Chapter 26: Small Achievement

Autumn passed and winter came.

In the mountains and forests of the Southern Frontier, even though it was the end of the year and deep winter, with the New Year only a few days away, it remained as sweltering as ever; only the dry weather with little rain or overcast skies could prove that winter still had a slight sense of presence.

Du En's side was the same as always: busy burying corpses during the day, and going to hunt a Great Owl after finishing the burials.

"Coo~"

Accompanied by the mournful cry of the last Great Owl in the flock, this group of strange owls was officially declared finished.

If one wanted to hunt Great Owls afterward, one would either have to be quick and strike before they returned to their nests, or go to a more distant place to find the nest of another flock.

Once these strange owls were eaten up, there were still the equally scavenging Gray Jackals; once the Gray Jackals were eaten up, there were other scavenging birds and beasts. After eating through a cycle and looking back, it was estimated that a new flock of strange owls would have already migrated over for quite some time, so there was no fear of eating them to extinction at all.

【Spells: Earth Bullet Technique (Entry-level 15/20), Sand Raising Technique (Proficient 31/50)】

Whenever this time came, images of the strange owls eating corpse chunks and corpse fluids would surface in his mind, and he would recall the painful memory of when he had refused to believe it and tasted boiled strange owl.

【Age: 19/91】

Hearing this, Wei Ming and the others were stunned for a moment.

"Of course, it will only be a little slower."

Tonight, by borrowing its power and making a single effort, I will surely break through!

The meat was no longer strangely fibrous like rot, but was soaked through with sweetness; it was mellow without being greasy, silky and smooth, and had become very delicious, though looking at Du En's calm and unruffled expression, it looked exactly the same as when it was unpalatable before.

Greed, disgust, pain, and the intertwined struggle between bodily instinct and personal emotion made them tacitly choose to avoid it at such times.

【Cultivation Method: Yellow Earth Art (Proficient 49/50)】

By the time Du En finished bathing and returned, there was no movement in their room; they were either asleep or practicing.

Du En carried the Great Owl and returned to the small courtyard all the way.

In addition, because the Sand Raising Technique could be practiced openly and whenever there was a gap, and the generated yellow sand could be gathered into a ball and thrown into the corpse pit, Du En chose it as his main focus, allowing it to successfully overtake the others.

This naturally referred to the matter of the Blood Eagle Gang collecting protection fees.

Du En was composed and answered calmly: "I don't intend to pay next time."

In this way, it conversely promoted the Earth Bullet Technique, allowing it to accumulate fifteen points of proficiency without needing extra practice.

Refreshed and invigorated, the slight fatigue vanished, and his whole person entered the best state.

All kinds of new insights welled up, the circulation of his magic power adjusted naturally, more spiritual Qi was continuously sensed and drawn in, and the remaining medicinal power was quickly refined away.

Others were also worried about this.

Within the meridians of his body, that gaseous earthy-yellow magic power appeared even more thick and pure, revealing a solid and heavy feeling, yet it was very light and agile during the circulation of his cultivation, and without Du En needing to exert more control, it could spontaneously travel and refine Qi.

Because with the knowledge of his own situation, he had completely understood his own powerlessness and helplessness.

【Age: 19/93】

Unknowingly, he had grown a year older.

More than fifty days had passed since Liu Qixiang came over, and they had been collected from twice more on the way; Du En did not create extra trouble, and coupled with the expenses for food and clothing, the twenty-five low-grade spirit stones left with him now only had four remaining.

He carried the pot directly into his room and sat cross-legged on the bed to eat.

After Du En finished experiencing it, his gaze focused on the pot of stewed owl.

【Spirit Root: Low-grade】

First-stage middle-grade!

Du En put this pot of spirit meal aside, not in a hurry to eat it, and silently savored the insight that had come naturally.

【Divine Ability: None】

【Hundred Arts: Gathering and Appraisal (Entry-level 0/20), Culinary Arts (Entry-level 0/20)】

He had finally caught a glimpse of the path in cooking spirit meals, and with enough accumulation, he knew how to use magic power to finish and assist.

Wei Ming had been a corpse-buryer for several months; if it were in the past, he would have been considered an elder among elders and would have been more than qualified to be the boss, but now he was becoming more timid the longer he lived.

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Initial Stage (31/100)】

And the time for one major cycle of cultivation had shortened again, and the mental effort consumed was increasingly small; with the assistance of the spirit meal, he could perform twelve cycles every night!

After nine cycles of cultivation, the accumulation was sufficient, and the breakthrough was completed as a matter of course.

Wei Ming asked with concern at this time.

He had to return; Du En's cooking skills were visibly getting better and better, making the finished product of the stewed strange owl smell more and more fragrant.

【Hundred Arts: Gathering and Appraisal (Entry-level 0/20), Culinary Arts (Entry-level 0/20)】

And as the limelight gradually passed, Liu Qixiang's attitude was visibly becoming arrogant again, and it was estimated that the distance to increasing the amount and collecting again would not be far.

Other corpse-buryers were already used to it.

【Cultivation Method: Yellow Earth Art (Small Achievement 0/100)】

"This... will Liu Qixiang let us off easily?"

Looking from the outside, he did not seem to have changed much, but in reality, his entire body was being further strengthened during this cultivation session.

Only Ning Caize quickly grasped the crux: "Also, we do have spirit stones, but we can't just take them out. In this way, it is estimated that we should have exhausted the wages Du En took back last time, so naturally, we must return to the toughness of before."

Thick earth carries virtue; there is no need for clamor.

This is Small Achievement!

"Don't worry, I will handle it."

Otherwise, the Yellow Earth Art would have already broken through.

"Boss, the New Year is almost here. That guy surnamed Liu, do you think he will increase the amount when he comes to collect protection fees again?"

Du En's light words calmed everyone's anxiety.

Because the stench of corpses in the wasteland was the best bait, which would cause scavenging birds and beasts to gather in an endless stream.

The fragrance suddenly converged, and the panel appeared before his eyes.

He sat back in front of the mud stove, smelling the increasingly fragrant stewed owl, waiting silently until a certain moment, when a flash of inspiration struck; like water flowing into a channel, he scooped with both hands and took the large pot down, magic power overflowed, extinguished the heat, and slightly permeated—this was the final seasoning.

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Initial Stage (23/100)】

The Yang-warming medicinal herbs by the wasteland had almost all been pulled and picked clean by him; they were long past being limited to just those three old varieties.

Just by mentioning the basic efficiency of sensing, absorbing, and refining, it had increased by ten percent on top of the previous foundation.

The overall cultivation efficiency, compared to before, had increased by sixty-five percent!

He quickly ate it, and his body, which had been tempered and consolidated, nourished and strengthened, and grown increasingly resilient, went full throttle to digest it, then circulated his magic power to promote digestion while refining the dietary energy seeping out from the spirit meal.

Because he was facing an evil cultivator whose background was unknown, the primary policy was to relocate and retreat.

It was a pity that when he broke through to Initial Mastery, it did not promote the Yellow Earth Art to Proficient, and when he broke through to Proficient, although there was a promotion, it was only by two points.

Naturally, he did not miss the chance; he set the empty pot aside and began to circulate his energy to cultivate.

Don't look down on it just for being one extra small step; it caused a clear qualitative change in the whole.

If things went on like this, they would be unable to help themselves and would shamelessly go over to ask for a taste.

His magic power was mobilized to the fullest, the surrounding spirit Qi was sensed, and the Great Heavenly Cycle, which he was already exceptionally skilled at, circulated again and again, vaguely undergoing changes that were becoming increasingly obvious.

Wei Ming and the others sighed with emotion, then, with synchronized steps, each turned and returned to their rooms.

【Spirit Root: Low Grade】

【Spells: Earth Bullet Technique (Proficient 3/50), Sand Raising Technique (Proficient 36/50)】

Looking at his side again, it was truly the same as always; he was stewing the strange owl with medicinal herbs again.

【Divine Ability: None】

Yellow earth accumulated and erupted thinly; his entire physical body's blood and energy were full and vigorous, as if he had been reborn, and ordinary iron weapons could no longer harm him in the slightest, yet he appeared silent and drew no attention.

"The cultivation technique has broken through to Small Achievement, and the lifespan limit will also increase. At the same time, the Earth Bullet Technique was also carried along to break through. This time... it's still not quite enough; the cultivation base is too low."

Stealing a glance at the panel, Du En then continued to cultivate, performing the exercise once more before dawn.

(End of this chapter)