Chapter 101 Digestion of Essence, Madam Summons

There was a cave, about the thickness of two arms, with a dark entrance.

"Was that crab trying to escape back to this cave?"

Li Xian cut down a tree branch, went deep into the cave, and soon the branch was crushed to pieces.

"There is more than one Red Mountain Crab in the cave."

"I'll mark this hole so that it will be much easier to catch crabs in the future."

"It's a pity there's no water around. Otherwise, I would have brought an iron pot and cooked right here. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?"

Li Xian sighed inwardly and returned to Heihe Village.

Along the way, he dug the wild boar and mountain monkey he had hunted out of the ground. He carried the mountain monkey on his shoulder and the wild boar in his right hand.

Li Xian disliked eating monkeys. So he gave the mountain monkeys to the villagers and asked them to cook a pot of mountain monkey and millet porridge.

The wild boar was taken home.

"I originally wanted to hunt the head tiger beast."

"It's a pity you came here so eagerly. Oh well, I'll finish you off before hunting the head tiger."

Li Xian patted the wild boar.

The meat is very firm. Wild boars reproduce rapidly, are commonly found in forests, and are highly aggressive.

Before Li's father died, the father and son often went hunting in the mountains and were attacked by wild boars. One advantage of being hunters was that their employers would occasionally reward them with some game meat.

It's usually wild boar meat.

"Wild boar meat smells terrible, but I still ate it while holding my nose."

Roasted over a high flame, the skin becomes oily and shiny, and the charcoal flavor effectively masks the earthy taste.

With a sprinkle of seasonings, it wasn't too bad to eat. Li Xian ate over ten catties of meat, and even with his [food-eating] skills, he was quite full.

[Skill: Ingestion]

[Proficiency: 689/1000 Mastery]

These days, I've been eating mostly mountain products, and my skill in consuming them has increased rapidly.

After eating and drinking to his heart's content and regaining his energy, Li Xian carried the black pot on his back and went to the stream mouth to prepare to cook a fine meal.

Having learned from the previous experience.

First, chop enough firewood and pile it aside. Then, start a fire, fetch water…

Once the water boils, add the four crabs to the pot. The crabs begin to struggle violently after being added.

Li Xian closed the lid and weighed it down with a stone.

"Such strong vitality! It's been cooked for so long and it's still alive."

Li Xian clicked his tongue in amazement as he tossed firewood into the fire. He silently kept track of time, opening the lid and pouring out cold water every quarter of an hour.

Black smoke billowed...

Because it was nighttime, no one could see it.

Moreover, the area is deep in the mountains and forests, with very few people around. He himself is a guard, so he is not afraid of anyone protecting his firewood.

Waiting for the soup to be ready is a long and tedious process.

Not wanting to waste time, Li Xian practiced martial arts nearby. The Great Luo Blade, with its sweeping and powerful movements, required a specific stance and wasn't suitable for use in the forest.

It is best to practice the "Azure Palm".

Upon entering the realm of mastery, the extraordinary nature of this palm technique became apparent. When Li Xian practiced the Azure Palm, he clearly felt that this palm technique was even more perfect.

The increase in Qi is even more considerable.

Bi Luo Palm has several sets of killing palm techniques. One of them, "Bi Luo Entangling Body," emphasizes extremely fast palm strikes, like drawing a sword from its sheath. When it strikes a person, it leaves an indelible palm imprint.

Zhao Han and the others were struck by this palm strike back then.

With a single move called "Overturning Rivers and Seas," the palm strike is powerful, and the internal energy surges out, capable of killing a person several feet away.

...

Li Xian worked diligently, practicing each move meticulously and quietly building up his proficiency.

And so it goes... practicing martial arts... adding water... adding firewood... then practicing martial arts again...

Repeating the cycle.

"No wonder the lady hires so many servants."

"If I open a martial arts school someday, I'll have to hire more handymen. Otherwise, I really won't be able to handle it all."

Li Xian wiped away his sweat; he was exhausted from doing everything himself.

He opened the wooden lid.

The mountain crab is finally dead, but it will obviously take some time before it can be boiled into soup.

They continued to add firewood and water.

Li Xian could clearly feel that the firewood was not burning hot enough. Each time cold water was added, it took quite a while to bring it to a boil again.

Time is spent here.

"This mountain crab is only the lowest-ranking demon, yet it requires so much effort."

"It is said that even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice."

"It is difficult for a martial artist to cook without a pot, rice, firewood, or water."

Li Xian sighed.

But the work still had to be done, and it was a repetitive process. As dawn broke in the east, farm women began to go up the mountain to fetch water.

"Uncle Li, what are you cooking here?" the farm women asked curiously.

"It's nothing, you can go about your business." Li Xian waved his hand dismissively.

The peasant woman dared not disturb Li Xian. After fetching water, she told the others not to go up the mountain easily.

In this way, Li Xian was happy to have some peace and quiet.

"There was one more mountain crab this time, which is why it was much slower."

When success is about to be achieved.

Suddenly, he noticed a crack in the bottom of the pot, which was about to burst open. Li Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "I was so focused on cooking the fine food as quickly as possible, but I didn't expect that this pot was made of such poor material. With such alternating hot and cold temperatures, it's no wonder it's going to spoil!"

Heartbroken over the wasted pot of precious food, in a moment of panic, he used his hand to plug the crack, scalding his hand with a sizzling sound. Li Xian used his Qi to resist, but the pain was still excruciating.

"Quick, quick, bring me a pot!" Li Xian shouted into the village.

His inner energy was quite extraordinary; his roar was heard throughout the village. Uncle Fu was startled and immediately ordered the men in the village to grab iron pots, weapons, and iron netting.

They all rushed up the mountain to provide support.

It must be because a powerful enemy is attacking.

Upon arriving in the mountains, they found no formidable enemy. Li Xian asked for a large cauldron and said, "You may all go down."

Without offering any further explanation, he simply breathed a sigh of relief.

There are so many intricacies involved in cooking fine food.

Li Xian patted his chest, feeling a bit shaken. After changing the pot, he simmered it for another three hours, and finally, a pot of fine soup was ready.

Open the wooden lid.

The milky white broth was before him, much thicker than last time. Li Xian was excited; he pried open the crab shell and scooped out the crab roe with his fingers.

Swallow it into your stomach.

[You consumed inferior refined food, proficiency +16]

The essence of heaven and earth flows out from within the abdomen.

Li Xian circulates Qi throughout the body, consolidating blood and closing orifices. Layer upon layer of obstacles, all to retain the essence.

But the essence of heaven and earth is truly wild and untamed. The more you try to keep it, the more it opposes you.

The circulation of Qi throughout the body is like a great moat, through which the essence of heaven and earth forcibly flows. The consolidation of blood and the sealing of orifices are like towering city walls, through which the essence of heaven and earth scales the walls and drills through the openings.

In the end, we let it go.

Li Xian was not discouraged.

He retains the essence for longer!

Where the essence of heaven and earth flows, a slight coolness arises.

“It really works.”

"Moreover... circulating Qi throughout the body is more effective than consolidating blood and closing the orifices. The more abundant my internal Qi is, the stronger the Qi threads that circulate through the acupoints become."

"The longer the essence of heaven and earth can be intercepted, the stronger it becomes!"

Li Xian's eyes were bright.

He wasn't afraid of failure, only of not making progress. Once he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, he devoted himself wholeheartedly and walked steadfastly in that direction.

Pry open the second crab.

This crab has very little roe, just a tiny bit the size of a fingernail.

"I'm afraid even the most skilled martial artists wouldn't be interested in such a small treasure."

"But to me, even mosquito meat is meat..."

Li Xian chuckled self-deprecatingly. He swallowed that tiny bit of crab roe, and only with the added benefit of "consuming" did a trace of the essence of heaven and earth emerge.

The internal energy circulates throughout the body.

This time, it lingered for more than ten breaths. It was clear that this wisp of the essence of heaven and earth was intercepted by the Qi, and it darted left and right, changing its position several times, before finally emerging from between the muscles and flesh.

The same was true for the third crab.

Until the fourth crab...

The "crab general" is the size of three fists.

"I hope you won't disappoint me!"

Li Xian laid out the crab shell, hoping for more crab roe. Seeing a large chunk of roe, his wish was fulfilled, and he immediately beamed with joy.

"Crab General!"

"The amount of roe in this one crab is much more than in three small crabs!"

Swallow it into your stomach.

This crab roe contains approximately ten strands of the essence of heaven and earth. After being ingested and strengthened, it transforms into fourteen strands of the essence of heaven and earth.

Like unruly children, they scattered and ran wildly all over the body.

Three strands of the essence of heaven and earth moved at an extremely fast speed, escaping the circulation of qi in the blink of an eye, crossing the closed orifices of the blood, and dispersing into the world.

The remaining eleven strands struggled with Li Xian for quite some time. Breaking through Li Xian's defenses proved to be no easy task.

"call out…"

A few strands of the essence of heaven and earth still managed to break through the encirclement, but then dispersed.

Six strands remain...

"I will retain these six strands of the essence of heaven and earth for as long as I can!" Li Xian clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and circulated his internal energy throughout his body.

Blood is as solid as stone, and orifices are as closed as jade.

Sitting still, he resembled a stone sculpture.

"Another wisp..."

In the midst of the entanglement, another wisp of the essence of heaven and earth dissipated.

Li Xianshi was unaware that his current act of competing with the essence of heaven and earth was called "washing the fetus".

Warriors fight against heaven, against earth, and against other people.

To forcibly retain the essence of heaven and earth... is to defy the heavens. Every second that the essence of heaven and earth lingers in the body is a second more of the body's impurities being washed away.

Little by little, it adds up...

Finally, one day, the clay figure showed signs of transformation. The "Palm-Sized Magic Machine" mark appeared here.

"well!"

Li Xian sighed heavily, and then the four strands of hair drifted away together.

Is all that consuming the precious essence ultimately for nothing?

"So be it, so be it."

"In a few days, we'll go catch some more mountain crabs."

Just as Li Xian was about to get up, his eyes widened slightly, and he looked surprised.

But then I felt a wisp of the essence of heaven and earth that should have drifted away inside my body, blocked by the blood-sealing orifice, and inexplicably, it rushed back into the depths.

"Could it be...could it be..."

Li Xiansheng had a strong premonition. He focused his attention, solely to grasp this wisp of the essence of heaven and earth.

A moment...

Two quarters of an hour...

This wild and untamed essence of heaven and earth, now without companions, seems to be gradually tiring as it tries to break through barriers time and time again.

The speed at which it was running around gradually slowed down.

Finally, it lay quietly in one place, no longer moving. Li Xian dared not be negligent and circulated his Qi continuously.

It wasn't until dusk that I snapped out of my daze...

Own……

It has preserved a wisp of the essence of heaven and earth!

"My dilapidated, drafty, and leaky mud statue actually contained a wisp of the essence of heaven and earth?!"

Li Xian stood up.

His eyes shone brightly, though they were only the size of a hair, so subtle as to be barely perceptible. The growth brought about by this tiny wisp of the essence of heaven and earth was even more insignificant.

But this step forward is of great significance.

It's tantamount to telling him that the "first realm of martial arts" is no longer an unattainable distant goal.

He found his direction! It was the right direction, and he took a step forward.

That wisp of the essence of heaven and earth was gradually absorbed by the flesh and blood.

For the first time, Li Xian's clay body swayed, shaking off some of the mud and ash.

A martial artist undergoes a complete transformation, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, striving for transcendence.

But today.

Li Xian also had a small taste of it. The experience was enough to surprise him.

...

...

The next day.

It's only early in the morning.

A second-class guard from Yihe Village arrived at Heihe Village and called out to the villagers, "Li Xian, the Madam summons you back to the village!"

(End of this chapter)