Chapter Fifteen: Cultivating the Body and Spirit

Hearing the old man boast extravagantly about the wonders of this extraordinary book, and seeing the fervent gazes from those around him, Gu Feng grew anxious, jumping up to curse, “Nonsense! This isn’t even a magical artifact, yet you want to trade it for a hundred top-grade energy crystals? Every artifact in the cultivation planes is better than your shoddy item!”

The old man flew into a rage. “What do you know? This book contains a world of its own. With it, you can create your own world, even establish followers within the book’s world and collect the power of faith. Even your gods from the magical planes sing its praises.”

Despite his words, the price of a hundred top-grade energy crystals was simply too steep. Most of the crowd, after a brief curiosity, dispersed.

Zigui sneered, “Which of us plane agents isn’t wealthy and influential in our own realms? There’s no shortage of beauties for us! The book looks good, but its practical value isn’t much.” Zigui’s words were reasonable; those from the sci-fi planes were always sharp, obviously coveting the book, but deliberately downplaying its most important function and instead criticizing the so-called portable ‘Harem’ as worthless.

Gu Feng grinned wickedly. “Could it be you’re getting on in years and drained by too much beauty, so you’re selling this book to cut off your desires once and for all?”

The two took turns mocking the old man, but he remained unruffled, saying leisurely, “Regardless, without a hundred top-grade energy crystals, don’t even think about taking this book! And don’t try to make up the number with mid- or high-grade crystals!”

Seeing the old man neither yielding nor compromising, Gu Feng and Zigui glanced helplessly at Mutou, knowing Mutou had significant dealings with the Silicon-based Plane and likely possessed many top-grade energy crystals.

A mid-grade crystal held one thousand energy points, a high-grade ten thousand, while a top-grade held fifty thousand. The old man’s demand for a hundred top-grade crystals meant five million energy points—a staggering figure.

Sensing Gu Feng and Zigui’s hopeful looks, Mutou quickly opened his plane system. “See? I only have just over fifty top-grade energy crystals myself. I really can’t help you.”

Zigui suggested, “You have meteoric iron that the Silicon-based Plane urgently needs. Maybe you can negotiate with them and borrow several dozen top-grade crystals.”

“Several dozen?” Mutou cried out. He now understood the value of energy crystals; only the magical and sci-fi planes had a small supply. “You think the Silicon-based Plane has that many lying around?”

“You’re actually right!” Zigui replied. “Their reserves far exceed the others. Look, in just a few days, they’ve sent you over fifty top-grade crystals. If you borrow some more and deduct them from the next batch of meteoric iron, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Gu Feng nodded eagerly. “I’ve got five top-grade crystals, Zigui has a few, and if you borrow forty more, that’s enough.”

Mutou smiled wryly. “You two really are willing to go all out for this ‘Harem’, aren’t you?” As he spoke, the two turned their backs to the old man and kept making eyes at him. For a moment, Mutou couldn’t figure out their intentions and was at a loss for words. Suddenly, the old man stepped over, pushing Gu Feng and Zigui aside, and gripped Mutou’s hand. “Young man, can you really gather a hundred top-grade energy crystals?”

Mutou hesitated. “That might be difficult. I can’t guarantee it.” After all, he didn’t know the situation with the Silicon-based Plane and couldn’t promise anything. The old man’s eyes flickered. “If you can gather a hundred top-grade energy crystals, I’ll not only give you this book but also fulfill one wish of yours or gift you a cultivation artifact. What do you think?”

Mutou shook his head. “The book is for my two friends. As for me…”

The old man waved him off. “Ninety-nine percent of men want this sort of thing—the rest probably aren’t men!” The retort stuck Mutou’s words in his throat—he certainly didn’t want to be accused of not being a man.

Suddenly, a thought leaped into his mind and he blurted out, “Can you teach me cultivation techniques?”

The old man’s eyes rolled. “No problem!” he said, though inwardly he thought, “I’ll teach you the basics. Whether you can learn is up to you! Ha!”

Seeing the sly look in the old man’s eyes, Mutou immediately countered, “Let’s sign a plane contract. You must ensure I master the techniques and obtain true energy.”

The old man groaned. “You’re really a handful! Cultivation takes decades, even centuries. Laying a foundation alone takes years, and who knows when you’ll develop true energy. Pick another wish!”

“Never mind, then,” Mutou replied.

The old man gritted his teeth. “I’ll give you an artifact!”

“But I’ve heard only those with true energy can use cultivation artifacts. Giving me one would be pointless.”

Seeing that Mutou wasn’t easily fooled, the old man hesitated for a long time before saying, “Actually, there is a way for you to cultivate, though it’s dangerous.”

Mutou’s heart leapt, but he kept his composure. “How dangerous?”

“I need the hundred top-grade crystals to set up a formation, use true energy to break my core and form a new infant. During that time, the world’s energy will gather around me. I can use the formation and that energy to strengthen your body, letting you leap instantly to possessing liquefied true energy—a fortune that would take a cultivator hundreds of years of painstaking effort. However…”

“However?” Mutou pressed.

The old man sighed. “You’ve never cultivated before. Forcing such energy into your body in so short a time would likely overwhelm you, and you’d be reduced to dust.”

“That serious?” Mutou said reluctantly. “Is there no other way?”

“There might be,” the old man said after thinking. “If we can find some extraordinary natural treasures to wash your marrow and strengthen your body, perhaps we could try.”

Mutou’s mind raced. “I’ve injected T-virus and G-virus evolution serums—they enhance the body’s strength. Would that work?”

The old man frowned. “T-virus? G-virus? What are those?”

Mutou realized the cultivation plane was probably unfamiliar with biochemical products. The old man, hearing this, reached out to take Mutou’s pulse. “Huh! Your physical strength is indeed impressive. It might just work!”

Mutou was overjoyed. “When do we start, and how long will it take?”

“As soon as the energy crystals arrive, we can begin. It should take about five months.”

“Five months? That long?” Mutou was disappointed. “I don’t have that much time. In six hours, I’ll be sent on a trial mission!”

“Trial mission? What’s that?” The old man was confused but quickly moved on. “That’s not a problem. I have an artifact called the Map of Sovereign Lands. Time inside it flows differently: twelve hours inside is a year, so one hour is a month—just enough time!”

Mutou was overjoyed and, wary of tricks, immediately signed a plane contract with the old man. He then contacted Nanfeng to request the needed energy crystals. Nanfeng was generous: the cost would be deducted from the next batch of meteoric iron, and forty crystals were sent at once. With what Mutou, Gu Feng, and Zigui had, they had a total of 102 top-grade energy crystals, all handed over to the old man.

To Mutou’s surprise, the old man was truly skillful—he managed to split the ‘Harem’ book into three, giving forty pages each to Gu Feng, Zigui, and Mutou. The two obtained their treasures at such a small price and were elated, while Mutou was more concerned about the matter of cultivation. After instructing Gu Feng briefly, he followed the old man into the map. As soon as they entered, the map vanished, leaving Gu Feng and the others marveling at the remarkable abilities of cultivators.

Inside the Map of Sovereign Lands, Mutou felt a gentle breeze, heard birds singing, and saw verdant mountains and flowing streams—a truly serene place.

The old man took the energy crystals and arranged them according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. “Young man, when I break my core and form a new infant, the world’s energy will gather here. You’ll feel terrible—do not faint, or I won’t be able to transfer my skills.”

Mutou quickly expressed his gratitude. “I’m relying on you, sir!”

The old man said no more, forming hand seals and sitting cross-legged in the formation. Mutou sat before him as instructed. Soon, the surrounding crystals flickered, their energy swirling with the old man’s hand seals and slowly entering his body. After a while, the old man’s body rose into the air. With eyes closed, he spat out a radiant golden core, which immediately drew a torrent of the world’s energy.

Before long, the golden core grew to the size of a football and developed fine cracks across its surface. The old man, however, looked perfectly at ease, guiding the energy with his hand seals while absorbing the energy from the crystals into the core.

At the same time, Mutou felt as if he were being crushed beneath a mountain—unable to move or even breathe.

Who could say how much time had passed—ten days, half a month? Suddenly, the golden core burst with a dazzling light, followed by the wailing cry of a newborn. The core had transformed into a baby. The infant cried out twice, then opened its eyes. Mutou was startled, recognizing in those eyes the old man’s very gaze. The old man himself had somehow become a handsome young man.

The young man opened his eyes, clear and spirited. His body glowed with golden light as he held a ball of tangible energy in both hands, lifting it above Mutou’s head.