Chapter 115 - 101: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Chapter 115: Chapter 101: Light at the End of the Tunnel

The bond of brotherhood was deep, naturally leaving much to be said, but in the end, it was distilled into three simple words. After finishing his reply, he stepped out of the room.

Beside the pool, Little Black was leisurely sunbathing on his back with his four legs pointing toward the sky, looking unspeakably cozy. Fur Ball, on the other hand, was cultivating in the pool, Breathing Spiritual Energy. Although it lacked a Cultivation Method, it could absorb Spiritual Qi and cultivate by relying on a Spirit Beast’s most basic breathing techniques. It was the most primitive method, but it would still allow it to reach Late-Stage Tier One by adulthood. The Spirit-Encompassing Flowers Chen Jianghe gave it could help it reach Late-Stage Tier One early and step into its adult phase.

As for having Little Black pass the Third Transformation Demon Ascension Technique to Fur Ball, that was naturally out of the question. Setting aside the fact that the Third Transformation Demon Ascension Technique could only be cultivated by Little Black, even if it could be taught to others, Chen Jianghe would never allow him to spread it. It concerned the secret of the Spirit Platform Mark. Only he and Little Black could know about it; absolutely no third party could be allowed to learn the secret of the Spirit Platform. Moreover, Chen Jianghe had a feeling that the benefits the Spirit Platform Mark brought to them went far beyond this. It was just that their current Cultivation bases were too low to trigger more of its functions.

Over the past three years, because he had been switching his Cultivation Technique, the time he had to draw Spirit Talismans had been drastically reduced. In the first two years, he had drawn a total of seventy-two Lower-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans. After selling them, he obtained one hundred and eighty-three Spirit Stones and sixty grains of Spiritual Sand. Then, he paid rent three times and bought three pots of Fasting Pills, spending a total of forty-eight Spirit Stones. Following that, he bought three bottles of Red Mist True Dew for Little Black and six Spirit-Encompassing Flowers for Fur Ball. This cost him sixty Spirit Stones.

Right now, he still had eighty-eight Spirit Stones on hand. However, the Spirit Talismans he had drawn in his spare time from cultivation this year—thirty-four Lower-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans—had yet to be sold. Once sold, he would be able to obtain another eighty-six Spirit Stones and seventy grains of Spiritual Sand.

"Master, could you give me a little more Red Mist True Dew?" Sensing that Chen Jianghe had stepped out of the room, Little Black quickly rolled over and scurried up. His tone through the voice transmission carried a hint of embarrassment.

Chen Jianghe was amused. To think this thick-skinned fellow actually knew how to feel embarrassed. In the past, Little Black had absolutely no concept of what embarrassment even meant. Was this because he had reached adulthood?

"So how much do you want?" Chen Jianghe asked with a chuckle.

Little Black pondered for a moment before sending a voice transmission. "Can I have three bottles every two years?"

"Hmm?" A bit puzzled, Chen Jianghe stepped forward, cupped the turtle’s head in both hands, and carefully stared into Little Black’s beady Doudou eyes. "What’s going on? Are you possessed?!"

Chen Jianghe was somewhat speechless. He wondered how Little Black’s temperament had changed so drastically, to the point of being so cautious when making a request. Truthfully, even if Little Black hadn’t brought it up, he had already planned to increase his Cultivation Resources. Now that he had completed the switch in his Cultivation Method, he could free up a massive amount of time to draw Spirit Talismans. Naturally, he wouldn’t let Little Black suffer any hardship. Even for Fur Ball, Chen Jianghe planned to increase the allowance from two Spirit-Encompassing Flowers a year to four.

"I see that you haven’t even had time for Drawing Talismans, so you must be earning fewer Spirit Stones. How about we go back? I can continue raising fish," Little Black said somewhat dejectedly. In the past, he used to help Chen Jianghe raise fish to earn Spirit Stones. But now, he spent all day sunbathing without doing any work. Moreover, seeing Chen Jianghe drawing talismans less and less over the past few years made him feel bad about asking for an increase in resources.

"Hah," Chen Jianghe began to laugh. Looking at the increasingly sensible Little Black, he replied via voice transmission, "The reason I’ve been drawing fewer talismans is that I was switching my Cultivation Technique, so my time was tight.

"It’ll be better from now on. Since the switch in Cultivation Technique is complete, I’ll have plenty of time to draw Spirit Talismans and earn more Spirit Stones. Don’t worry, I won’t let you starve."

"Ah? Life is going to start getting better!" Instantly dropping his dejected demeanor, Little Black jumped up excitedly. "Then I want three bottles of Red Mist True Dew a year!"

"Three bottles? Can you Refine that much?" Seeing Little Black return to his former cheerful self, Chen Jianghe inexplicably felt that it was better this way.

"I can! After devouring it, I can circulate the Third Transformation Demon Ascension Technique to quickly absorb and Refine the Red Mist True Dew.

"Besides, the Red Mist True Dew helps me immensely in purifying my Magical Power."

"Uh... let’s stick to two bottles a year for now. In a few years, we’ll bump it up to three," Chen Jianghe said, feeling a surge of excitement upon hearing that Little Black could absorb and Refine three bottles of Red Mist True Dew a year. This meant that Little Black could reach Late-Stage Tier One Perfection even faster, and then make a push for Tier Two Spirit Beast. With three bottles of Red Mist True Dew a year, it would take twenty-five years at most to confidently make a push for Tier Two Spirit Beast.

However, as things stood, Chen Jianghe truly couldn’t afford three bottles a year; two bottles was his absolute limit. Although drawing Lower-Grade Five Elements Escape Talismans netted him over a hundred Spirit Stones in Talisman Painting profits each year, after paying rent and buying Fasting Pills, he was only left with ninety-odd Spirit Stones. Then there were the True Spirit Pills required for his own Cultivation. If he consumed two a year, that would cost another forty Spirit Stones.

Out of the remaining fifty-something Spirit Stones, not only did he have to buy resources for Little Black and Fur Ball, but he also had to save up so that when he reached Eighth-Layer Qi Refining, he could purchase Body Refining Techniques and their corresponding resources. As for the Spiritual Cultivation Method, given his current speed of earning Spirit Stones, he planned to wait until Ninth-Layer Qi Refining to buy it.

There was also one final, crucial point. He couldn’t blindly prioritize raising Little Black’s Cultivation. For the time being, advancing his own Cultivation was of paramount importance. Because if his own Cultivation didn’t improve, Little Black’s lifespan would remain permanently capped at one hundred and twenty years. Even if Little Black broke through to become a Tier Two Spirit Beast, his lifespan would still be restricted to one hundred and twenty years.