The person who came out was Ye Xin, whose cultivation level was relatively low among the Qi family members.
After Ye Xin sensed that she had reached a saturation point in absorbing spiritual energy, she came out.
At this moment, Ye Xin heard the two guards asking her a question and replied, "I am a member of the Qi family. What are your orders, senior?"
"Why haven't you Qi family members come out yet? You've been inside for seven days!" The tall man was getting anxious, his heart aching as he watched the spiritual energy in the spring continuously drain away.
Ye Xin really didn't know how to answer this question. She and the other members of the Qi family were not in the same spiritual spring pool, so she could only reply, "Perhaps the spiritual energy they've absorbed hasn't reached saturation yet." She, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had only just come out of it, so the other members of the Qi family would probably have stayed inside for a much longer time.
The tall man had no idea what she was thinking. Hearing that she wasn't in the same spiritual spring pool as the others, he said with some regret, "Then do you know when they'll be able to come out?"
Ye Xin shook her head: "I don't know."
The tall man had no choice but to report the matter of the spirit spring water to the peak master once again, as the seventh day had already passed.
Zuoqiu Man was quite surprised to hear that the Qi family had not yet come out: "Only one member of the Qi family has come out."
The tall man said, "Peak Master, please give us your further instructions."
"What instructions?" Zuoqiu Man looked at the tall man.
The tall man said, "Peak Master, shouldn't we stop them from using the spiritual spring? This time, their absorption of the spiritual energy from the spring water has already caused us to lose nearly 70% of the spiritual spring water on Panyun Peak."
Zuoqiu Man said, "It's just absorbing a little spiritual energy. I've absorbed it, so what? Am I such a stingy person? Besides, they can stay in the spiritual spring pool for so long, so they must have excellent aptitude. With such good aptitude, they deserve this little bit of resources." Anyway, the spiritual spring is of no use to him now.
Zuoqiu Man wasn't in a hurry, but the tall guy was. This spiritual spring was of great use to Golden Core cultivators like them, and he was willing to guard it so that he could earn more opportunities to soak in it.
"Peak Master, I think that's unlikely. You've forgotten, besides having good aptitude, there are other possibilities for being able to stay in the spiritual spring water for so long," the tall man reminded Zuoqiu Man.
Zuoqiu Man said, "You mean they absorb all the spiritual energy and then stay in the spirit spring pool waiting to absorb more spiritual spring water next time?"
This practice has actually been done before. It's not easy to get a chance to enter the spiritual spring. Due to the limitations of one's aptitude, some people can only stay inside for two or three days. If the stay is too short, some people will feel it's not worth it. So they thought of waiting inside until the spiritual energy is fully digested, and then continuing to absorb spiritual energy in the spiritual spring. In this way, as long as they don't leave, it can be considered that they have only used one chance.
Once a person's spiritual energy is saturated, they need to wait a period of time before they can absorb spiritual energy again. This time is uncertain; some people can re-enter the spiritual spring to continue cultivating after five or six days, while others may need one or two years.
The tall person means that the Qi family members might be staying in the spiritual spring and don't want to leave.
Zuoqiu Man felt that this possibility was not out of the question, so he remained skeptical, but he could not be sure that the Qi family had actually done so.
In reality, even if the Qi family had actually done such a thing, he would not have pursued the matter.
Zuoqiu Manzuo and the tall man went to check on the situation.
Upon arriving at the Lingquan Pool's territory, Ye Xin was still the only one waiting there.
"The Qi family hasn't come out yet?" Zuoqiu Man asked the short man who was still guarding the area.
The short man replied, "Reporting to the Peak Master, their family members haven't come out yet. Shall we go in and check the situation?"
"No need," Zuoqiu Man said. "They probably won't be able to hold out for much longer. Let's wait here for a while."
“But…” The tall man looked at the spiritual spring that was constantly losing spiritual energy and wanted to offer some advice, but was interrupted by Zuoqiu Man: “There’s no need to rush.”
Zuoqiu Man wasn't in a hurry, and two days passed quickly...
The tall man felt increasingly distressed as he looked at the spiritual spring: "Peak Master, it's been nine days already, and the Qi family still hasn't come out. I'm afraid what I mentioned might very well happen."
Zuoqiu Man also felt a pang of embarrassment at this moment. With so many members of the Qi family not coming out, it was possible that the deceased had already settled down inside...
Just as Zuoqiu Man was about to say something, several members of the Qi family came out.
Judging from their imposing presence, they had made quite a haul this time.
Zuoqiu Man swallowed back the words he was about to say.
The people who emerged were Yang Yao and Qi Dong. After they came out, it was obvious that the loss of spiritual energy from the spring water had decreased.
Meanwhile, in the spiritual spring where Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian were, Qi Zhiheng was still absorbing spiritual energy. At the same time, he was constantly converting the spiritual energy into cultivation. At this moment, Qi Zhiheng was not sure whether other spiritual roots could do the same thing, but the gray mist on his body could help him absorb and convert it into energy at the same time.
Yang Yitian woke up several more times, and each time he was able to see Qi Zhiheng when he was awake, Qi Zhiheng's aura became stronger and stronger.
Qi Zhiheng relied on the spiritual energy of this spiritual spring to cultivate his cultivation to the point where he was just one step away from the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
Although he possesses a cheat device, it doesn't mean there are no restrictions on his absorption of spiritual energy.
After Yang Yitian entered the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm for some time, he encountered a bottleneck in absorbing spiritual energy. However, since Qi Zhiheng did not leave, he naturally could not leave directly either, so he simply waited for Qi Zhiheng to finish his cultivation.
Yang Yitian thought to himself, "This is not bad either. At least I won't miss the time when Qi Zhiheng wakes up."
Unfortunately, Yang Yitian rejected this idea on the same day.
Yang Yitian stared at Qi Zhiheng intently all day, but Qi Zhiheng didn't wake up at all!
His patience was finally worn out after repeated disappointments in his hopes of Qi Zhiheng waking up! He paced back and forth anxiously. His sons were still in the space. Without Qi Zhiheng, they couldn't enter the space, and without entering the space, they couldn't see their sons' condition. He paced back and forth in the house with the spirit spring pool!
Yang Yitian was extremely anxious, and the people waiting outside for Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian were even more anxious!
On the tenth day after entering the spiritual spring, the Qi family members began to emerge one after another. Everyone's cultivation had improved significantly. Qi Zhenhe saw Zuoqiu Man and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with them: "Peak Master Zuo, what business do you have at the spiritual spring pool?"
Looking at the Qi family's group, Zuoqiu Man still couldn't see Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian. The wooden tower replied, "I heard that there was a situation at the Spirit Spring, so I came to take a look."
"I didn't expect that someone of the Peak Master's status would have to personally handle problems. May I ask if the Peak Master has any instructions?"
Zuoqiu Man said, "It's not so much about giving orders, it's just that the speed at which you absorb the spiritual energy of the spiritual spring water is a bit too fast, almost unprecedented, so I came to see what was going on."
Tall guy: "..."
The short man: "..."
So, all that their anxiety about the spirit spring water was, in the Peak Master's eyes, just a show of interest...
Qi Zhenhe was about to say something when he suddenly remembered that the spiritual energy in the spring water seemed to have been completely absorbed by the Qi family! This made things a little awkward…
The Qi family members looked at each other, realizing that waiting here was not a good idea. However, since their peak master had not left, they were too embarrassed to leave him behind and go back alone, so they could only stay here and wait for Qi Zhiheng with him.
Fortunately, after the Qi family members all came out, the rate at which the spiritual energy in the spring water decreased by at least half, which made the Qi family secretly relieved.
Qi Zhiheng soaked in the hot spring for fifteen days.
Yang Yitian was understandably anxious during this time. Qi Zhiheng had said he would check on the child in his space every few hours! Several days have passed now, and Qi Zhiheng hasn't made a single move!
Yang Yitian gritted his teeth in hatred, but could only stand there anxiously.
The moment Qi Zhiheng opened his eyes, Yang Yitian almost burst into tears of joy!
Qi Zhiheng let out a breath. Yang Yitian hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Quick! Hurry up and get into the space! Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao have suffered so much at the hands of Senior Yuehua and Senior Yangzhen! Let's hurry and go see them!"
Qi Zhiheng had just broken free from his cultivation when Yang Yitian sprayed him in the face with spit. Upon hearing what Yang Yitian said, his face turned pale. He reached out and grabbed Yang Yitian's hand, and the two quickly entered the spatial dimension!
He had planned to enter the space every few hours to take care of Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao, but he got so engrossed in his cultivation that he completely ignored the situation in the real world.
He thought to himself, "It must be that Qingxin Stone that's behind this!"
When Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian entered the space, the bed that had previously housed the three children was now empty!
"Senior Yuehua! Senior Yangzhen!" Qi Zhiheng shouted. He was really flustered at this moment! He was so engrossed in cultivation that he forgot about his child. If the rest of the Qi family found out, they would probably scold him.
Yuehua appeared soon, but unfortunately, he had no child in his arms!
Qi Zhiheng exclaimed in panic, "Senior! Where are Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao?"
Yuehua frowned and said, "Didn't you say you would come in to check on the children from time to time? Why did it take you so long to come in!"
Qi Zhiheng asked, "Could something have happened while I was away?!"
Yuehua nodded and said, "Indeed, a significant incident has occurred."
"What's going on? Where are Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao?!" Qi Zhiheng was getting impatient with Yuehua's slow pace.
Yuehua said, "They are studying with Yangzhen."
"Study? Study what?" Yang Yitian was somewhat stunned.
Yuehua said, "What else can we learn? Of course, we should learn cultivation! What else can we learn?"
Yang Yitian's eyes widened as he said, "But my son can't even read a single character!"
Yuehua didn't seem to care much about his statement: "Being illiterate isn't a big deal. From the moment we Moon Beasts receive the inheritance, we know how to cultivate. I didn't learn anything when I was one year old. As long as I have the inheritance, it won't prevent me from cultivating."
“Senior, what you say makes a lot of sense! But our son is human and doesn’t have the inheritance of the Moon Beast!” Qi Zhiheng said, frowning.
At this moment, Yang Yitian had already imagined many scenes, and even saw his three sons who were starving, cold, and forced to cultivate hard!
Cultivation is never easy! Their son must have lost weight!
“Senior Yuehua, please let us see our sons first. I’ve missed them terribly since I haven’t seen them in so long,” Yang Yitian interjected.
Just then, a barely perceptible tremor appeared in the air, and Yang Zhen reappeared out of nowhere.
However, Yang Zhen's image this time is realistic and somewhat indescribable, completely subverting Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian's previous impressions of him!
Yang Yitian's mouth dropped open in exaggerated surprise: "Senior Yang... Senior Yang Zhen! What are you doing...?"
All I could see was Yang Zhen with a child in his left hand and a child in his right! He even had a child riding on his shoulders!
Even Qi Zhiheng had never let his son ride on his shoulders! Seeing Da Bao, Er Bao, and San Bao giggling on Yang Zhen's shoulders, Qi Zhiheng suddenly felt a pang of jealousy! His sons had never been this close to him! Yang Zhen had stolen the show.
Yang Zhen nodded slightly and said, "Your sons are with me. I have taken them as my disciples, and they are now cultivating under my guidance."
“Cultivation… Senior Yangzhen, my son is still too young. Isn’t it too early for him to start cultivating?” Qi Zhiheng couldn’t help but ask.
Yang Zhen said calmly, "It's getting late. Anyway, they've already absorbed the Qi into their bodies."
Qi Zhiheng: "..." So fast!
Yang Yitian also found it somewhat unbelievable: "Senior Yangzhen, my son is cultivating so early, won't that be bad for his development? I've heard that Foundation Establishment makes it easier to stabilize the body's state. If my son can establish Foundation Establishment at the age of eight, won't he always have to look like a child?"
Yuehua said, "You're thinking too far ahead. It's just about guiding Qi into the body; at worst, you can cultivate less in the future."
Qi Zhiheng had to interrupt: "Senior, I have no objection to you taking me as a disciple, but we are currently planning to take our child out. Could you please return the child to us first?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen's face immediately showed a hint of reluctance.
Qi Zhiheng thought to himself, "Could it be that Yang Zhen likes children? You really can't tell from his appearance!"
"Come and pick me up," Yang Zhen said somewhat reluctantly.
"Okay, thank you for taking care of me during this time, senior." Qi Zhiheng stepped forward, as if hugging the three treasures in his left arm, while Yang Yitian wanted to hug the two treasures in his right arm.
Then, neither of them lifted him up.
Qi Zhiheng: "..."
Yang Yitian: "..."
Yangzhen: "You can take it."
Qi Zhiheng: "..." Why don't you loosen your grip a bit!
Yang Yitian said tactfully, "Senior, we've caught the child safely. You can let go now."
"Oh." Yang Zhen's tone was indifferent, but Qi Zhiheng inexplicably sensed a hint of grievance in it.
Yuehua's face twitched as she looked at what was happening in front of her.
Yang Zhen finally let go. Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian each hugged one of them.
Yang Zhen took the child off his head and put him in Qi Zhiheng's arms: "You can go now."
The three babies returned to their father's and grandfather's arms, still gazing longingly at Yangzhen.
Yang Yitian and Qi Zhiheng both felt a little jealous, because their son had never been so reluctant to part with them before!
Qi Zhiheng said to Yang Zhen, "Senior, since my son has already become your disciple and has even achieved enlightenment under your guidance, we will put them into the space more often for you to teach them."
Yang Zhen's expression softened slightly when she heard Qi Zhiheng say that he would let the two children into the space in the future.
After bidding farewell to Yuehua and Yangzhen, Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian left the space together.
"Let's go." Qi Zhiheng and Yang Yitian walked out of the house with the spirit spring pool.
"They're out!" The tall man finally saw the two guys coming! He didn't know how much spiritual energy his spiritual spring water had lost!
Not long after they came out, they saw a group of people waiting for them not far away.
Qi Zhiheng asked with some confusion, "Peak Master? What are you doing here?"
Zuoqiu Man spoke more directly to Qi Zhiheng: "If I hadn't come to check, you would have drained all the spiritual energy from my spring. Well done! I didn't expect you to be so capable."
The peak master knew the meaning of striking first! He directly made Qi Zhiheng express his shame for their actions!
After learning the whole story, Qi Zhiheng was shocked by the wolf-like absorption by his own family. One absorption by his family was equivalent to one absorption by a hundred people...
Feeling somewhat guilty, Qi Zhiheng decided to make amends with a gift! A medicine bottle appeared in his hand, and Qi Zhiheng promptly stuffed the pills into Zuoqiu Man's hand, saying, "Peak Master! Please stop talking. This matter is something our Qi family has wronged Panyun Peak. We didn't know things would develop to this point. Consider these three top-grade fourth-level pills as our Qi family's apology. Please don't hold it against us, Peak Master!"
Zuoqiu Man was quite satisfied with Qi Zhiheng's understanding, but he couldn't just take his disciple's things like that, since these were the driver's top-grade pills: "Actually, this is nothing! Going in to soak in the spiritual spring was an opportunity you won! Now that this has happened, it can only be said that your Qi family is very capable. As for these pills, I can't just take them for free. I still have dozens of level-four spiritual treasures in my hands, which would be a waste anyway. I might as well give them to someone who needs them."
Qi Zhiheng wanted to refuse, but he was really reluctant to part with a level four spiritual herb, so he accepted it without hesitation: "Then I'll write more of the Peak Master's reward."
"We're all from the same peak, don't be so polite. Just help me out when I need you to refine pills in the future." Zuoqiu Man quickly added a condition.
Qi Zhiheng also humbly said, "It is my honor to be able to help the Peak Master. Peak Master, you don't need to be so polite."
After exchanging a few words, the Qi family prepared to disperse.
Zuoqiu Man left first.
Qi Zhiheng had noticed the gazes of the tall and short men before, and it seemed that some of his actions had harmed their interests.
Qi Zhiheng let Zuoqiu Man go first because he planned to talk to the two guards again. He didn't want to have another enemy that was hard to guard against in the future.
"Senior brothers, you must be the guardians of this spiritual spring. We, the Qi family, have been bothering you for so long, and we are truly sorry. I have some extra pills on hand, which I will give you as a token of my gratitude." Qi Zhiheng took out some pills and handed them to the two of them.
The tall and short men, who were initially dissatisfied, never expected such a turn of events. They were indeed very concerned about the spiritual spring, but since the peak master wasn't pursuing the matter, what could they do? They could only swallow their anger.
Although Qi Zhiheng apologized, it was just some pills, nothing much, but the two still had to keep up appearances.
After delivering the gifts, Qi Zhiheng led his family away from there and returned to his main residence.
After Qi Zhiheng's family left, the tall man grumbled, "That kid was really arrogant, trying to get rid of us with just a bottle of pills! Humph!"
“That’s right!” the short man complained. “We’ve been guarding this sacred spring for many years. In a few more years, we’ll have another chance to get it.”
The tall man opened the box to check the pills inside, and immediately put the stopper back on!
Top-grade pills! His eyes widened. If the pills offered as apology were top-grade pills, then he might not be unable to forgive them.
After examining the pill, the short man exchanged a glance with the tall man and revealed a satisfied smile. The previous knot had completely disappeared!
Zuoqiu Man was very curious. If only one person in the Qi family had good aptitude, that would be one thing, but how come the entire Qi family had good cultivation aptitude?
Driven by curiosity, Zuoqiu Man took action and ordered his men to investigate the matter.
The origins of Qi Zhiheng and his companions are mysterious; they are said to have come from remote areas.
The Qi family didn't tell much about their original residence, so the people sent by the peak master started by investigating the other cultivators who came to Nanzhou with them. After all, with so many people coming together, it was impossible to completely keep it a secret.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
