Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Throughout the canyon, everyone celebrated the awakening of Xinlan's spiritual root, and Mo Yuming was naturally overjoyed for Xinlan as well.

However, along with this joy, a sense of loneliness inexplicably welled up in his heart, and a feeling of oppression arose inexplicably in his emotions. He didn't know why this emotion arose, but it just wouldn't go away, as if it were completely beyond his control.

With Huang Rongrong's help, Xinlan successfully awakened her spiritual root using the magical power of the Ice Jade Fruit. Not only did she quickly stabilize her foundation, but she also broke through to the early stage of the second level of the Human Realm.

He leaped across three minor realms in a single day, a speed that was truly astonishing.

This allowed Mo Yuming to truly appreciate the value of the Ice Jade Fruit. Just how precious was this spiritual fruit that could allow one to advance their cultivation level beyond their current level? Perhaps only those outside the canyon could truly know!

As she broke through her cultivation level, Xinlan seemed to have suddenly grown taller.

Moreover, her temperament has also undergone a tremendous change. Although she still looks like an innocent and lovely little girl, she has gained a subtle and alluring beauty.

This trait is extremely special and is likely a unique quality possessed only by practitioners of ice-based profound arts!

As agreed, everyone lit a large bonfire in the center of the lawn next to the pond at night.

Since the gathering hall was still under construction, there were no tables, chairs, or benches prepared. People were not particular about these things, so they simply laid a thick layer of cattail leaves on the ground, placed all the food on it, and let everyone take what they wanted.

The group gathered around the campfire, exchanging toasts and enjoying meat heartily in a warm and joyful atmosphere.

Mo Yuming naturally sat with Xinlan as usual, the two sharing a thick cattail leaf piled high with food specially prepared for them.

However, there was an extra dish tonight, prepared especially for Xinlan. It wasn't that Mo Yuming wasn't allowed to eat it, but rather that he couldn't eat it.

This is because it is a dish of steamed oxtail roe deer meat. The oxtail roe deer is a veritable first-level magical beast, and its meat contains rich spiritual energy.

The ox-tailed roe deer is not very big, about three feet long and a little over two feet tall, belonging to the category of small magical beasts.

After removing the internal organs and other scraps, the remaining ingredients weigh only about ten kilograms.

After being steamed and roasted whole by Huang Rongrong, it resembled a slightly larger roast suckling pig.

Faced with delicious food, Xinlan, the little foodie, immediately disregarded her image, using both hands to tear off a large hind leg and began to eat it heartily.

When the dishes were served, Huang Rongrong specifically instructed Mo Yuming that if he was tempted, he could try drinking some soup first to make sure he could handle it before making a decision.

Seeing the fragrant roe deer meat and Xinlan's hearty eating, Mo Yuming was already extremely envious.

After hearing Huang Rongrong's words, his appetite was further whetted.

It's just monster meat. Everyone else can eat it, so why can't I?

Driven by his rebellious nature, Mo Yuming couldn't resist the temptation. Ignoring all warnings, he took a wooden bowl, filled it with a large bowl of meat soup, and cut off a piece of tender and delicious breast meat to eat.

Although he was a bit impulsive, he was still quite restrained. He deliberately slowed down when drinking soup and eating meat, and paid close attention to his body's reactions.

Sure enough, monster meat is very different from ordinary beast meat.

Both the texture and the umami flavor are completely different.

In particular, the magical energy contained in the meat is like the strongest liquor, producing a powerful impact as soon as it enters the mouth.

Only then did Mo Yuming truly agree with the old people's warnings; they had indeed not exaggerated.

Especially after the piece of meat was swallowed, Mo Yuming felt as if he had swallowed a piece of burning coal in his stomach, and a ball of heat went down his esophagus, burning hot all the way.

Fortunately, Mo Yuming had prepared himself mentally and made the worst-case scenario plan before deciding to try.

Therefore, these unexpected sensations did not cause Mo Yuming much panic. He quickly circulated the basic techniques of his profound cultivation method, concentrating his energy to refine this somewhat turbulent energy.

At this moment, Mo Yuming suddenly realized how the negative emotions that had inexplicably arisen in his heart had come about.

Although he appeared to care little about cultivating the profound arts, it was actually just a deliberate illusion created subconsciously in this specific environment.

Deep down, however, lies an intense desire to become a strong person.

After Xinlan also awakened her spiritual root and became a cultivator with great potential, he was the only one left in the entire canyon who was still standing still.

Deep down, I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss, and a restless and uneasy feeling arose for no reason.

Although he deliberately suppressed it and didn't show it, it still made Mo Yuming very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Mo Yuming was a time traveler with extraordinary rationality. He knew that if he continued to let these negative emotions spread, they would eventually develop into a mental illness, severely damaging his ambition.

Perhaps he will become a patient with depression, spending his whole life in a slump, doing nothing and accomplishing nothing in this canyon.

Having finally come to his senses, Mo Yuming understood that only by diligently cultivating profound arts like the people of this world, constantly improving his strength and cultivation, and becoming a powerful being, could he truly integrate into this world, become one of them, and live freely in this world.

Otherwise, even in this peaceful and secluded paradise, one would not live a happy life.

After finishing that small piece of monster meat, Mo Yuming had to stop everything and circulate his energy to refine the powerful energy within it.

At this moment, the difference between him and Xinlan was truly revealed, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a world of difference.

Xinlan had only just awakened her spiritual root during the day, yet she could eat monster meat without restraint at night, while he had to be careful even to drink a sip of meat soup.

This is the difference between cultivators and ordinary people. Even a novice cultivator is far stronger than an ordinary person.

Faced with this stark contrast, Mo Yuming could no longer remain calm. He secretly resolved to become a cultivator, otherwise, if even enjoying delicious food was restricted, what would be the point of living?

But ultimately, we must face reality; there's no use in being anxious.

His cultivation journey had only just begun; his dantian was empty, with only a few strands of spiritual energy remaining.

Although Xinlan was two years younger than him, this little girl had been cultivating since she was three years old and had worked extremely hard.

Don't be fooled by this girl's constant following around Mo Yuming like a shadow; Mo Yuming had actually noticed long ago that Xinlan was much more diligent in her cultivation than he was.

Whenever she had a spare moment, she would practice the basic techniques of the profound arts. While Mo Yuming would practice for an hour before going to bed at night, she would definitely practice for more than two hours.

Moreover, early the next morning, while Mo Yuming was still sleeping in, Xinlan had already gotten up to cultivate.

Finally, the obsession with becoming stronger overcame his original thoughts, and he was determined to overcome this hurdle and join the ranks of cultivators no matter what.

Mo Yuming regretted his decision to refuse the old man Dugu's offer to take him as a disciple.

In any case, having a mentor is definitely much better than figuring things out on your own.

Unfortunately, he had already offended Old Man Dugu. Now, seeing Old Man Dugu's indifferent attitude, even if Mo Yuming had the thick skin, he was too embarrassed to ask the old man for advice.

Fortunately, all Mo Yuming needs now is the most basic cultivation method. Apart from the second and third generation elders, all the elders in the canyon can be his mentors.

After careful consideration, Mo Yuming decided to seek out Ji Xianlin, who was more easygoing and multi-talented.

So early the next morning, Mo Yuming found Ji Xianlin and asked him for advice on cultivation. Ji Xianlin was very enthusiastic and answered his questions very seriously.

"A technique to increase cultivation speed? How should I explain that to you? There are many factors that determine the speed of cultivating profound techniques."

The speed at which one's cultivation level improves does not depend on the quality of the cultivation technique, but primarily on comprehension and perseverance. Of course, innate talent is also very important.

Those techniques that seem easy to learn and quick to improve are often just fancy but useless in actual combat.

Once you reach a certain level of cultivation, you will become trapped in your own web, cutting off your path to further improvement. It's like a house built on sand, unable to withstand wind and rain.

Therefore, I think that cultivating profound skills should not be about seeking speed or being overly ambitious. It should be based on one's own reality, laying a solid foundation first, and then choosing a suitable cultivation method.

Although the cultivation speed may be slower, the effects are much stronger.

High-quality cultivation techniques are much stronger than ordinary ones. Cultivating high-level techniques requires a high level of comprehension and patience, and also places high demands on the practitioner's physical fitness. They are much more difficult to cultivate than ordinary techniques, so the improvement speed is actually somewhat slower.

However, once successfully cultivated, its combat power is countless times stronger than ordinary cultivation techniques.

However, it's too early for you to think about these things now. You can only make these choices after you awaken your spiritual root.

Because spiritual roots are very special, you can't determine their attributes before they are awakened.

Although Old Man Li discovered during your treatment that you have a high affinity for earth and fire elemental bodies, your awakened spiritual root may not necessarily be earth or fire; it's just that these two attributes are more likely.

Because there have been many such special cases on the mainland, some people had a particularly high affinity for a certain elemental body before their spiritual root awakened, but after their spiritual root awakened, they discovered that it was not that elemental root at all, and some even had an attribute that was incompatible with the elemental body with which they had a high affinity..."

Ji Xianlin was indeed a kind-hearted man. When Mo Yuming asked him a question, he launched into a long, rambling explanation. However, for Mo Yuming, it was somewhat irrelevant to his question.

"Besides the Absorption and Exhalation Technique, are there any other techniques to enhance spiritual energy absorption before awakening one's spiritual root?"

Mo Yuming asked again. This was the question he was most concerned about right now. He was focused on cultivation before awakening his spiritual root; as for the cultivation techniques that followed, they were still too far away for him.

He felt that the breathing and absorbing techniques he was currently practicing were too simple and the effects were far from satisfactory.

"There are very few profound cultivation techniques available before one awakens their spiritual root. Apart from the Absorption and Breathing Profound Technique, I've heard that there are indeed several other cultivation techniques on the continent that can improve one's cultivation level."

However, few people know about these techniques. They are usually family secrets that are not passed down to outsiders. Even with the strength of my Ji family on the continent, we have never obtained them.

Therefore, the vast majority of people cultivate basic techniques like the Absorption and Exhalation Techniques before awakening their spiritual roots. There are almost no shortcuts.

Ji Xianlin shook his head and said.

"Does this mean that if one cannot awaken their spiritual root, no matter how much they cultivate, they cannot become a powerful being?"

Mo Yuming said somewhat sadly. He had heard before that those who awaken their spiritual roots before the age of five or six are geniuses, those who awaken them before the age of ten are talented, and those who haven't awakened their spiritual roots by the age of ten, even if they eventually do, are just ordinary cultivators with little future.

He is already over seven years old and has only just begun his cultivation. Even a genius like Xinlan would need two years to awaken his spiritual root. If his aptitude is slightly worse, he will not be able to awaken his spiritual root before the age of ten.

The thought that he might become mediocre made Mo Yuming feel somewhat disappointed.

"That's not necessarily true. Before you came down here, there was a ruthless person in our canyon who never awakened his spiritual root in his entire life. However, he used a special technique to raise his cultivation to a very high level. At that time, he was even able to fight against Boss Dugu for hundreds of rounds without being defeated."

If you don't believe me, you can ask Boss Dugu yourselves.

At this moment, Li Xiangrong, who was resting to the side, interjected.

Li Xiangrong's current cultivation level is Heaven Rank 3. He has lived in the canyon for over 110 years, making him a veteran in the canyon.

"Really? How is that possible? I've never heard of this before. And now he..."

Ji Xianlin found it somewhat unbelievable. He was a scion of a great family and knew a lot about the cultivation world. He was familiar with all sorts of geniuses on the continent, but he had never heard of someone who hadn't awakened their spiritual root becoming a master.

“There is such a person. You haven’t heard of him because he died long before you arrived. He’s been dead for almost a hundred years. It’s a great miracle that a martial artist who hasn’t awakened his spiritual root could live to be over a hundred and eighty years old.”

Li Xiangrong sighed and said.

"How high was Grandpa Dugu's cultivation level back then?"

Mo Yuming asked curiously.

"At that time, Boss Dugu's cultivation had just broken through to the fourth level of the Heavenly Rank and entered the mid-stage of the Heavenly Rank."

Li Xiangrong replied.

How powerful is a fourth-level Heavenly Rank?

Through his research, Mo Yuming has basically figured out the different levels of cultivation in this world.

In this world, practitioners of profound arts are not only divided into five attributes, but also into three realms in terms of cultivation level: Human Rank, Earth Rank, and Heaven Rank.

The stage from spiritual root awakening to the completion of Qi Sea is called the Human Rank, also known as the Qi Sea Realm.

At this stage, cultivators strive to condense spiritual energy and expand their Qi Sea, laying the foundation for subsequent cultivation.

The stage from the transformation of Qi Sea into Spirit Sea to the perfection of Spirit Sea is called Earth Rank, also known as Spirit Sea Realm.

At this moment, the cultivator's spiritual power becomes more refined, their spiritual sea gradually expands, and their strength increases significantly.

From the transformation of the spiritual sea into the celestial realm to the completion of the elixir, it is called the Celestial Realm, also known as the Dan Chen Realm.

Cultivators at this level have highly condensed spiritual energy, which transforms into dantian, giving them formidable strength.

In the process of cultivation, cultivators at each level generally encounter three bottlenecks.

Each time a bottleneck is broken through, one's cultivation level will see a significant improvement.

Therefore, each realm is further divided into three levels: the initial stage, the middle stage, and the later stage.

These three levels are further subdivided according to the speed of strength improvement, with each stage divided into three grades. In this way, each realm is divided into nine levels: grades one to three are the early stage, grades four to six are the middle stage, and grades seven to nine are the late stage.

This is the most basic level division in the world of Xuan Gong cultivation.

However, in the actual cultivation world, due to differences in individual talent and cultivation methods, actual combat strength can vary greatly.

It's not necessarily true that someone with a lower cultivation level can't defeat someone with a higher cultivation level; some geniuses and prodigies often have the ability to challenge opponents several levels higher.

With their exceptional talent, unique skills, and unwavering will, they created astonishing miracles in battle.

"How powerful is the fourth level of the Heavenly Rank? Hehe, how should I put it?"

In terms of combat power, under normal circumstances, a cultivator at the early stage of the Human Rank can easily defeat at least two, or even ten, strong ordinary people without spiritual roots.

A cultivator at the second level of the Human Rank can defeat at least two cultivators at the first level of the Human Rank, and so on.

Although there is no strict calculation standard, it is not a problem for a cultivator at the ninth level of the human realm to defeat a hundred ordinary people.

A cultivator at the Earth Rank Level 1 can easily defeat a hundred cultivators at the Human Rank Level 1.

Similarly, it would be effortless for a Heaven-rank cultivator to defeat a Earth-rank cultivator!

Ji Xianlin said with a smile.

"Although it's a bit convoluted, I still understand the general idea. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator with the strength of the Heaven Rank can easily defeat tens of thousands of ordinary people. Cultivators at this level are practically invincible in the world of ordinary people."

Mo Yuming replied.

"That's how it is normally, but nothing is absolute. That ordinary person without spiritual roots is an exception!"

He once defeated every early-stage Heavenly Rank Xuan Gong master without a single defeat, relying solely on his hands, which possessed no spiritual power whatsoever. He was even able to challenge mid-stage Heavenly Rank Xuan Gong masters!

Li Xiangrong said.