Chapter 567 - 567: The Clever Little Red Fox

Although it was already past three in the morning, Zhao Yuan didn't feel tired at all. On the contrary, he was quite energized. He decided against going home to sleep, planning to use the few hours before dawn to cultivate the Jingtun Technique. He wanted to see what kind of surprise this Qi-absorbing cultivation technique would bring.

But before cultivating the Jingtun Technique, he needed to make the Purifying Qi Pills first. They would allow him to get twice the results with half the effort.

Zhao Yuan opened the Information Leaf, pulled up the recipe for the Purifying Qi Pills, and gave it a quick look.

Unlike Qi Condensing Powder, making Purifying Qi Pills didn't require any Spirit Medicinal Materials, which was a great relief to Zhao Yuan. He immediately went to the traditional medicinal herb garden, picked all the herbs he needed for the pills, and returned to slice, crush, and roll them.

Since the Purifying Qi Pills didn't require Spirit Medicinal Materials, Zhao Yuan faced no obstacles during the process. Plus, with his experience from making Bone Refining Pills and Vitality Pills, he was quite proficient. It didn't take much effort for him to roll over thirty Purifying Qi Pills.

Opening his Storage Ring Space, Zhao Yuan took out a small porcelain vial. He stored the extra Purifying Qi Pills inside, leaving out just one to take.

The moment the Purifying Qi Pill entered his stomach, Zhao Yuan felt its effects instantly. The pores all over his body opened up, and the speed and intensity of his Qi absorption increased dramatically. A new step was also added to the process: exhalation.

Inhaling drew the world's Qi into his body; exhaling separated the pure from the impure, expelling the impurities within the Qi.

This coordinated inhale-exhale cycle doubled the effectiveness of his previous efforts!

'What a potent elixir!' Zhao Yuan exclaimed in heartfelt admiration. He immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Jingtun Technique, following the instructions on the Information Leaf.

At first, circulating this new cultivation technique felt clumsy, but as Zhao Yuan's mastery grew, it became much smoother.

Countless streams of Qi surged from all directions, being absorbed into Zhao Yuan's body.

In that moment, Zhao Yuan felt as if he had become a black hole, endlessly devouring Qi!

The flow of Qi through the forest alerted some of the more perceptive animals. They didn't know what was happening, but they sensed the unusual energy fluctuation and grew uneasy.

In a hidden little cave, the sleeping Little Red Fox was startled awake by the change in the surrounding Qi.

It opened its eyes, its little pupils darting about in surprise. After a moment's thought, it mustered its courage and scurried toward the source of the disturbance, where it saw Zhao Yuan cultivating.

The Little Red Fox cocked its head, growing more interested the longer it watched. Its sharp instincts told it this was a method that could make it stronger. And so, it copied Zhao Yuan, plopping down on the ground, adjusting its breathing, and began to mimic his cultivation.

Incredibly, the Little Red Fox's imitation actually worked!

A small portion of the Qi flowing through the air was drawn into its body.

Although the amount was nowhere near what the Jingtun Technique could manage, it was still astounding. The Little Red Fox had only mimicked the physical form of the Jingtun Technique, without knowing the specific method for circulating energy, yet it had still managed to absorb Qi!

This showed that the Little Red Fox had a remarkable talent for cultivation.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Zhao Yuan was completely immersed in his cultivation. He didn't stop until the darkness of night receded and the morning sun appeared.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling the abundant Qi coursing through his body. A satisfied smile spread across his face. 'This feels amazing! Cultivating the Jingtun Technique is so much more comfortable than the Four Saints Technique or the Creation Technique. After all that suffering, I'm finally getting my reward!'

He tidied up the area, dismantling the earthen stove and the Nine Fire Exquisite Tower. He was about to destroy the Moon Gazing Qi Absorption Array as well, but just then, he noticed the Little Red Fox nearby, still mimicking his cultivation.

'When did this little guy get here? And it's even copying my cultivation.' Zhao Yuan chuckled, amused, but his expression quickly turned serious.

He could clearly sense that the Little Red Fox was genuinely absorbing Qi.

Zhao Yuan was amazed. 'This little guy actually managed to pull off a bootleg version of the Jingtun Technique without knowing the verbal commands. Even though it's only ten or twenty percent as effective, that's still incredible. That's something many Cultivators can't even do!'

After a moment of consideration, Zhao Yuan decided against destroying the Moon Gazing Qi Absorption Array.

He glanced at the Little Red Fox and thought quietly, 'I'll let this Array stay. Maybe with its help, the Little Red Fox can achieve sentience, shed its animal form, and become a spirit or a demon. That would be a good bit of karma to put out into the world.'

Leaving the grove, Zhao Yuan headed straight home, while the Bone Woman returned to Aunt Chen's house next door.

Just as he walked in, he ran into Shen Lijun. She was surprised to see him coming in from outside. "Where have you been?"

Zhao Yuan made up an excuse. "I got up early to go for a run."

"That's really early, isn't it? I didn't even hear you leave." Despite her words, Shen Lijun didn't seem suspicious.

Today was New Year's Eve, and from early morning, the village was filled with a festive air. Children set off firecrackers in small groups. Some of the more mischievous ones even tossed them into chicken coops and pigsties, scaring the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs into a frenzy of squealing and squawking, which in turn earned them a scolding from the adults.

Zhao Yuan had arranged for the entire village, young and old, to celebrate New Year's Eve together this year.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yuan found a secluded spot and took a projector, a screen, and a satellite TV receiver out of his Storage Ring Space. Very few families in Jinhua Village owned a television, so Zhao Yuan had specially prepared this setup so that everyone in the village could watch the Spring Festival Gala.

As Zhao Yuan bustled about, the equipment was connected and calibrated. When an image appeared on the huge screen, the crowd of watching villagers burst into excited cheers.

That night, everyone ate a hot meal while watching the Spring Festival Gala, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively. Even though the gala's programming seemed to get worse every year, it was a brand-new experience for the people of Jinhua Village. They watched even the most tedious acts with relish, erupting in cheers and applause.

After all, they had never seen performances like these before.

In the days following the New Year, when he wasn't cultivating the Jingtun Technique, Zhao Yuan fulfilled his promise. He used the Raccoon Dog Hide to craft a set of leather armor for the Bone Woman and the White Cat. After testing the armor's defensive capabilities, he was so impressed that he made a set for himself as well.

Xiaoyang was very envious, but it was simply too large; there wasn't enough Raccoon Dog Hide left to make it a full suit of armor. Seeing its dejected expression, Zhao Yuan didn't have the heart to leave it with nothing, so he made it a Heart-Protecting Armor. It was a crude piece, just a patch of armor to guard its chest, but Xiaoyang was overjoyed. It put the armor on right away and started grinning like an idiot.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Yuan got a phone call from Hao Li.

The Raccoon Dog Meat was finally ready.

But there had been an unexpected complication.