Qi Cultivation Starting from the Repair Panel - Chapter 728 - : 488: predicament (part 2)

Chapter 728: Chapter 488: Predicament (Part 2)

Ultimately, Chu Zheng chose a secluded valley at the edge of the Great Marsh deep in the mountains as a temporary residence.

The valley had natural caves, babbling streams, and a serene environment.

Although the spiritual energy here wasn’t particularly dense, it was much stronger than in mundane places. With the Spirit Gathering Array set up, it was adequate for cultivation.

As time passed, Chu Zheng began to notice the differences between the Ancient Times and later generations.

In ancient times, cultivating the Qi-refining Technique was without the troubles of Tribulation Qi.

For Qi-refining Techniques, this was undoubtedly an environment blessed by nature. For Chu Zheng, it meant a smooth path for cultivation.

Now, he only needed a stable place to focus on his seclusion, accumulate Yuan Qi, and elevate his realm.

With his cultivation speed in Qi Refining, it was unimaginable to ordinary cultivators. Once his cultivation was strong enough, he could leave this Great Realm and explore the cosmic landscape of ancient times.

Xue Qing had no objections to Chu Zheng’s plan of secluded cultivation. Thus, the two began an almost isolated life of deep cultivation in the mountain valley cave.

Freed from the trouble of Tribulation Qi, Chu Zheng’s cultivation was like sailing with the current; he only needed time and cultivation resources to steadily advance, with no bottlenecks to speak of.

However, while ideals were plentiful, reality was stark.

In less than two months of seclusion, an unexpected, intensely realistic problem completely shattered Chu Zheng’s peaceful plan of seclusion for steady cultivation advancement.

The problem lay with Xue Qing.

It wasn’t that she had issues with her cultivation or was unwilling to be in seclusion. On the contrary, Xue Qing’s comprehension and progression speed in martial cultivation often left Chu Zheng in awe.

In just two months, her Qi Blood Power became more vigorous, advancing into the mid-stage of the Qi Condensing Realm.

The problem now was that she had an enormous appetite.

Martial cultivators who refine their physique require energy far beyond that of cultivators of the same realm, making true fasting difficult.

The vigorous circulation of Qi and the tempering of muscle and bones require constant replenishment of Essence Yuan.

Furthermore, Xue Qing was an anomaly among them; her voracious appetite and astonishing food intake were beyond Chu Zheng’s expectations, akin to a humanoid glutton.

Chu Zheng initially believed that, with their hunting skills, they could secure enough meat supplies in this remote wilderness.

Tigers, leopards, bears, and wolves–all these fierce beasts contained Essence Blood and Yuan Qi, beneficial for martial cultivation. In the first month, Xue Qing was indeed satisfied, her whole body’s Qi blood flourishing, advancing rapidly.

But Xue Qing had no hunting skills and relied mostly on Chu Zheng’s Yuan Qi senses. Quickly, Chu Zheng felt overwhelmed.

The large beasts in the nearby forests were nearly consumed to extinction by Xue Qing.

Initially, she needed to eat at least two wild oxen daily. Recently, she consumed one bear and three pigs daily.

Moreover, her demands for food quality had invisibly increased.

Ordinary beasts, with their meager Essence Yuan, were like chewing wax to her–barely enough to fill her stomach, unable to satisfy her body’s black hole-like demands.

Typical martial cultivators would not be this extreme, but Xue Qing was clearly an outlier.

Xue Qing needed food more abundant in life essence, with more robust Yuan Qi–spirit beasts.

But spirit beasts were not common; though Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was abundant, it was truly rare for wild beasts to naturally awaken spiritual wisdom and embark on the path of cultivation.

Moreover, most spirit beasts had been divided by various sects and enclosed within them, making them very difficult to find outside.

Freely roaming spirit beasts were rare and difficult to locate.

Chu Zheng attempted to venture deeper into the Great Marsh, where miasma permeated, and venomous insects and fierce beasts ran rampant, indeed finding some demon-transformed otherkind.

He had once hunted a mid-stage First Rank giant python, whose blood and flesh provided Xue Qing sustenance for two days, significantly boosting her Qi Blood Power.

But such gains were like finding a needle in a haystack, encountered but hard to seek. Most of the time, he had to hunt beasts with weak Yuan Qi or just ordinary fierce beasts, which were merely a drop in the ocean for Xue Qing.

Xue Qing tried hunting by herself, but moving more only made her hungrier, ultimately barely filling her stomach, an unsustainable effort.

As time went on, Xue Qing’s hunger visibly increased.

During cultivation, she found it increasingly hard to focus, often interrupted by the thunderous protest of her stomach during meditation.

She looked at ordinary beasts with disdain and barely contained anxiety.

Not only that, her cultivation state began to feel the impact; Qi and blood circulation was sluggish, with her brow often shrouded in a cloud of agitation.

Finally, on one unbearable night of hunger, Xue Qing couldn’t stand it anymore.

She suddenly tossed half-cooked rabbit meat to the ground, her face taut, eyes glowing with a nearly wild hue of impatience:

“This measly amount isn’t enough to fill a tooth gap. I need meat, real meat!”

Today, Chu Zheng had only brought back a few wild rabbits and a boar, barely enough for a foundation.

Her voice carried suppressed anger, her brow filled with resentment.

Seeing this, Chu Zheng frowned slightly, sighing softly.

He knew this wasn’t Xue Qing being willful; it was her body continuously craving more, given her unique physique and innate divine strength. This also meant her energy needs far surpassed ordinary people.

This hunger was her body’s feedback from being drained, capable of driving anyone insane.

“Spirit beasts are hard to find.”

Chu Zheng said in a deep voice, “Most spirit beasts have been domesticated by sects. For you to eat your fill, you’ll have to find a way through those sects.”

Not just Xue Qing; without Spirit Stone and cultivation resources as support, his cultivation speed would also slow significantly. Secluded cultivation was indeed a bit idealistic.

“Sects?”

Xue Qing scoffed, a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes: “To join a sect, one must first be apprenticed. Who can be my master?”

Chu Zheng was silent, thoughts racing through his mind. Ultimately, it came down to needing more cultivation resources.

As long as there were ample Spirit Stones, the flesh and blood of spirit beasts would naturally not be a problem.

Relying on luck to hunt spirit beasts in the harsh wilderness couldn’t satisfy Xue Qing’s burgeoning terrifying demands.

“Let’s wait a bit longer; when our cultivation is stronger, I’ll think of another way.”

After a long while, Chu Zheng had some ideas, first temporarily moving to several different places to help Xue Qing improve her cultivation first.

He needed time for cultivation, and Xue Qing required massive Essence Yuan replenishment–both inevitably hinged on cultivation resources.

With a plan decided, Chu Zheng took Xue Qing out of the valley, traversing through the dense mountain forests, spending three months and covering tens of thousands of miles, investing a lot of time searching for strong prey.

During this process, they encountered quite a few spirit beasts, all of which they slew.

With the supplement of copious blood and meat essence, Xue Qing’s cultivation surged rapidly, soon condensing Qi to Aura, successfully entering the Martial Arts Second Realm, the Yuan Aura Realm.

Chu Zheng’s cultivation speed was somewhat dragged down, only advancing to the mid-stage Spirit Transformation Realm.

However, with the changes in Xue Qing’s cultivation, their situation improved greatly. The hides and scale armor of Second Order spirit beasts were already uncommon to ordinary cultivators and could be traded for a good number of Spirit Stones.

With the impetus of Spirit Stones, Chu Zheng’s cultivation speed also rose significantly, accelerating further.

However, he was not satisfied with this. It was only temporary. As Xue Qing’s cultivation grew, her demand for flesh and blood essence would increase further.

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Finding spirit beasts above the Second Order in the wilderness was too difficult and unpredictable. They couldn’t spend too much time on hunting.

The domain nearby was still too desolate; greater development required moving towards a place with richer spiritual energy.

Given Xue Qing’s current cultivation and real combat strength, they now had a certain level of self-defense and could venture out and try their luck.

Chu Zheng did not hesitate long. After amassing a good sum of Spirit Stones, he immediately took Xue Qing on to a Teleportation Array, heading towards the core of the Lower Realm, the Central State Domain.

It was the most flourishing place in the Lower Realm, and without the trouble of Tribulation Qi, it posed no concern for them in their current state and aspiration for more cultivation resources.