Chapter 9: Advancement

"Aixi, continue using Tearing Claw!"

After a rest, Li Changsheng issued the command again, not giving Aixi the slightest chance to slack off.

At the mere thought of the shattered Xifu Bluebell vase, Li Changsheng's heart was bleeding.

Howl-woo~ Howl-woo~

Aixi expressed its protest; it raised both claws, revealed a pitiful look, and let out a wronged cry toward Li Changsheng.

Aixi's meaning was simple: its wounds had not yet fully healed and it needed to rest a while longer.

"Aixi, if you want to become strong, you must hone yourself at all times! Don't worry, your injuries are very minor; it hurts a bit, but it doesn't affect your training!"

Li Changsheng sternly refused. According to the pet-training notes of his predecessors, he must not soften his heart at this moment. If he were to soften his heart, Aixi would inevitably repeat the same mistakes in the future.

Good habits must be cultivated from a young age!

He had to cultivate good habits for Aixi before it grew up.

After contracting a Demon Pet, in order to stimulate the Demon Pet's potential as much as possible, a Monster Tamer cannot relax their discipline of the Demon Pet; it is best to foster good habits, which is also for the sake of their future.

Having been refused by Li Changsheng, Aixi had no choice but to droop its head. It looked up at Li Changsheng, and seeing that he had no intention of changing his mind, it had to endure the pain and pounce toward another green bamboo.

"Aixi, I will supervise your training at all times. Please be sure not to slack off, otherwise I will increase your training volume! If you can satisfy me, this Wind Element Demon Core will be your reward!"

As he spoke, Li Changsheng took out a pale cyan Demon Core; it was about the size of a fingernail, crystal clear throughout, and looked just like a gemstone.

A Demon Core is the source of energy for a Spirit Beast. Every Spirit Beast has a corresponding attribute. During the process of their growth, as long as they Devour a Demon Core of the same attribute, they can accelerate the speed of their strength improvement.

Of course, depending on the potential of the Demon Pet, there are great limitations on the number of Demon Cores that can be devoured.

Li Changsheng's idea was very simple: give a slap and then a sweet date to improve Aixi's focus on training.

Aixi widened its eyes and stared blankly at the Wind Element Demon Core, revealing a look of longing. Due to the same attribute, the Wind Element Demon Core held great attraction for it.

Howl-woo~

The next moment, Aixi perked up and happily began its training.

While Aixi was training, Li Changsheng began to sit on the ground, taking out some tools and materials from the prepared pack, ready to make Fairy Food.

The tools were relatively small and also very common, such as a mortar, a hand mill, and a small knife, etc. One could use them to slice materials, or grind them into granules or even powder, which was convenient for making Fairy Food.

These materials included medicinal herbs, fruits, vegetables, spices, and even soil; they possessed rich nutrients and could be prepared according to the Spirit Beast's taste.

Unlike ordinary food, Fairy Food can accelerate the speed of a Spirit Beast's physical recovery. If consumed over a long period, it can also improve the Spirit Beast's "three dimensions" (stats). The higher the grade of the food, the greater the increase.

Some special Fairy Food even possesses very unique effects.

Of course, the higher the grade of Fairy Food, the more materials it requires, the more knowledge it involves, and the more complex the production process, so the success rate is naturally lower.

Under the cultivation of his family, Li Changsheng had long since learned how to make Fairy Food and had quite a bit of experience. The only pity was that because he had not obtained better food recipes, he could only make primary-level Fairy Food.

To make Fairy Food, there are three prerequisite steps.

One, memorize the contents and production process of the Fairy Food recipe, including the names, proportions, and addition times of various materials. Additionally, the moisture content of the materials will also affect the final taste of the food.

Two, equip production tools. Things like mortars and hand mills are the simplest production tools, while high-level Fairy Food requires more and better tools for assistance.

Three, collect materials!

First thing, Li Changsheng weighed the materials. Each material had a specific proportion and could not be more or less, otherwise, it would affect the taste and effect.

After finishing the weighing, Li Changsheng began to process the materials, slicing certain materials or grinding them into powder; Li Changsheng could quickly complete all such tasks.

After completing all the preparatory work, Li Changsheng used stones to set up a simple stove and began to make the Fairy Food.

Under such crude conditions, one could only refine relatively low-level Fairy Food.

The next moment, Li Changsheng used his Mental Power to regulate the heat.

After adjusting the heat, he began to throw the materials into the pot in a specific order, and once a specific time was reached, he added other materials.

During this process, neither the heat nor the order of materials could have any lapses, otherwise, it would affect the final quality and taste of the food.

After about a quarter of an hour, a fresh fragrance began to emerge, which meant the food was finished.

Li Changsheng immediately extinguished the fire. After inspecting the color, scent, and taste of the food, he couldn't help but nod in satisfaction; this was a qualified batch of Fairy Food.

Once the food cooled, Li Changsheng made them into granules. To prevent the food from getting damp, he specifically stored them in a sealed pottery jar.

At this time, Aixi ran over pitifully, holding up its claw-covered paws.

After helping Aixi apply medicine to its wounds, Li Changsheng let Aixi rest for a while. After a quarter of an hour had passed, he directed Aixi to continue its training.

As for him, he buried his head in making Fairy Food.

This round of production took a full two hours, stopping only when the sun was at its zenith (Zhongtian). The results were naturally quite gratifying; at the very least, Aixi's Fairy Food for the next few days was secured.

After cleaning up, Li Changsheng called a halt to Aixi's training and placed a basin of Fairy Food in front of Aixi.

Although the effect of primary-level Fairy Food is minimal, if accumulated over years and months, this subtle effect will be very significant.

A morning of arduous training had left Aixi nearly exhausted, but after smelling the fragrance of the Fairy Food, its tired spirit was invigorated. It ran tightly to the food basin and swallowed the food in large mouthfuls.

"Aixi, is it to your taste?" Li Changsheng squatted to the side, stroking Aixi's little head. This batch was beef-flavored Fairy Food, which was more suitable for beast-type Spirit Beasts.

Aixi did not speak, but used its actions to show its thoughts.

Primary-level Fairy Food, besides having a slight effect on a Spirit Beast's growth, has another effect: recovering physical strength.

After finishing its lunch, the originally listless Aixi became full of vigor and high spirits again, and began to spontaneously throw itself into training.

Without a doubt, Aixi had initially adapted to the training intensity.

Time passed slowly, the Golden Crow began to sink into the west, and the end of the horizon was dyed with patches of red clouds; it was the time of dusk.

Only at this moment did Li Changsheng call a halt to the training.

"Today's training ends here. You did very well. Come, this is your reward!" Li Changsheng kept his word and threw the Wind Element Demon Core to Aixi.

Howl-woo~

Aixi let out an excited low howl and swallowed the Wind Element Demon Core in one gulp. Its petite body began to emit a radiance.

Against the backdrop of the radiance, Aixi's fur became more gorgeous, and the wounds on its body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within the span of a few breaths, the radiance slowly receded, revealing Aixi's petite and upright figure.

Compared to just a moment ago, Aixi's physique had grown slightly larger, and its fur had become even smoother, while the dust that had originally clung to its fur had vanished into thin air, though it was unknown where it had gone.

"Advancing?" Seeing the changes in Aixi, Li Zhangsheng could not help but feel somewhat surprised.

(End of this chapter)