Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Upon arriving at Lingma Ranch, he informed Hou Youde, retrieved some hay, and returned to his own territory.

Behind the courtyard was a grove of trees. Qu Ye walked around the grove and came to a shady and well-ventilated spot.

He looked around. The place was not far from the yard, the air was fresh, and the surrounding bushes provided good cover, making it perfect for placing a bee colony.

So he took out the honeycomb pieces he had dismantled from his storage bag, found a sturdy old locust tree, and fixed the honeycomb to the trunk.

Then he took out the spirit flowers he had dug up from the spirit bee farm and planted them in a scattered circle around the area.

He then released the worker bees from the spirit beast pouch.

The worker bees poured out of the bag and circled a few times above the forest. They seemed a little uneasy about the unfamiliar environment, and their buzzing was much louder than usual.

Qu Ye extended his divine sense to establish a connection with the bee swarm and offered some reassurance.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they gradually quieted down, scattered and flew around to familiarize themselves with their new territory, and soon restored order.

After doing all this, he took out the queen bee and gently placed her in the center of the newly built hive.

When it was first taken out, the queen bee was a little tense, but when she smelled the familiar scent of the hive and sensed the busy worker bees outside, she stretched her body and lay down to rest.

Qu Ye stood there for a while, making sure there was nothing wrong with the bee colony, before turning around and walking back.

Back in the courtyard, he took out the items from the storage bag one by one and put them away.

The room quickly gained a more lived-in feel.

After tidying up, Qu Ye stood in the yard and looked around.

There is a small pond in the courtyard, covered with aquatic plants. Perhaps we can buy a spirit fish to keep in it in the future.

The gate to the courtyard was thick, and the walls were made of brick and stone, reaching waist height, with simple reinforcement patterns carved on them.

"Starting today, it's a brand new life."

He nodded in satisfaction and turned to check on his Fiery Cloud Steed in the pasture.

A cool breeze blew, and the green grass on the meadow rolled in waves.

In other pastures in the distance, several Fierce Cloud Steeds were scattered in twos and threes, their manes fluttering in the wind, gleaming with a crimson luster.

He walked to his enclosure, where the foal was standing by the trough, head down, munching on the grass.

Its mane was still messy and sticking up, and its tail swished back and forth when it ate grass.

Hearing footsteps, it raised its head, twitched its ears, stood still, and tilted its head to look at Qu Ye.

Qu Ye stared at the foal for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's a male foal."

Yesterday, the foal was lying on its side, so I didn't get a good look at it. Now that it's standing up, it's clear at a glance whether it's male or female.

He took out the booklet Hou Youde had given him from his storage bag, flipped through it for a while, and gained some understanding of how to feed the Fierce Cloud Steed.

After all, the Fierce Cloud Steed is not an ordinary horse. It cannot eat grass all day long and needs to be fed grass mixed with spiritual energy every now and then.

He then put away the booklet, took out the fodder, processed it with spiritual energy according to a specific method, and placed it in the feeding trough from a distance.

The little colt smelled the aroma of the medicinal herbs and glanced warily at Qu Ye, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food.

It slowly approached the feeding trough, sniffed it, let out a cheerful chirp, and lowered its head to eat with relish.

Qu Ye leaned against the fence, quietly watching it graze.

Sunlight streamed down from the mountain ridge, illuminating the grassland, and the dew began to evaporate.

"Let me think, what name should I give you?"

He was lost in thought.

Little Red?

No, that doesn't sound good.

Blazing Flames?

This sounds pretty good, but it doesn't match the attributes of the Fierce Cloud Steed, so it can be kept as a backup.

Red clouds?

No, no, this name might bring great karma.

Just as Qu Ye was at a loss, a flash of inspiration struck him as he looked at the foal's slightly reddish fur.

He suddenly recalled a famous figure and his warhorse from his past life.

Among men, Lü Bu is the best; among horses, Red Hare is the best.

"How about I call you Red Hare from now on?"

When the foal heard Qu Ye speak, it raised its head, a bit of hay still dangling from its mouth, and looked at Qu Ye with a puzzled expression.

Qu Ye didn't mind, leaning against the fence and watching it finish eating all the hay in the trough.

After finishing his meal, Red Hare went to the water trough, drank some water, and then strolled around the enclosure, swishing its tail.

Finally, I went to a shady spot, lay down, and squinted my eyes to bask in the sun.

Qu Ye watched for a while longer, then turned and walked back.

He first went to the woods, controlled some of the worker bees to patrol the area, and arranged for others to guard his yard.

Then he returned to the courtyard, closed the door, went into the meditation room, and sat cross-legged on the futon.

He extended his divine sense and could clearly sense the worker bees in the courtyard, which reassured him slightly. He then activated the restriction and took out the jade slip containing the Golden Qi Technique from his storage bag.

With nothing else to do at the moment, it was a good time to practice some defensive spells.

As a mid-grade first-tier defensive spell, the Golden罡 Technique is not considered particularly difficult to cultivate among spells of the same tier, but it does require patience.

After reviewing the jade slip again to ensure nothing was missed, Qu Ye closed his eyes and began to circulate his magical power according to the instructions on the jade slip.

Pale yellow magical power surged from his dantian, flowing along his meridians to his limbs and bones, and gathering on the surface of his skin.

He controlled the magic, letting it slowly solidify, like applying a layer of paste to the skin.

This attempt, unsurprisingly, ended in failure.

He was not discouraged and continued to circulate his magic.

The second attempt failed.

The third time, the magic power was channeled in the wrong direction, and it failed.

...

It wasn't until the seventh attempt that Qu Ye managed to condense a layer of golden energy, but it only lasted for a single breath before he failed.

He opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and felt the emptiness in his dantian.

The Golden Gang Technique and the Geng Metal Sword Technique are different.

The Gengjin Sword Technique involves condensing spiritual energy into a sword beam and unleashing it, emphasizing explosive power.

The Golden Gang Technique involves distributing spiritual energy evenly across the body's surface, emphasizing endurance.

The two methods consume mana in completely different ways, and he needs time to adapt.

"Take it slow, no rush." ​​He comforted himself, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a while, and continued practicing after the spiritual energy in his dantian had recovered.

When a person is focused on doing something, their perception of time becomes slower.

Qu Ye didn't know how long he had been practicing. He only felt the magic power in his dantian being exhausted and then replenished, then replenished and then exhausted again, repeating this process four or five times.

When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight outside the window had turned orange-red, shining obliquely on the floor of the guest room.

He looked down at his hands, and with a thought, a pale golden light surged from the surface of his skin, instantly condensing into a thin layer of light on his body.

The light cover is thin and light, like a layer of transparent crystal.

At this point, it is only in its initial stage of formation, and it is still far from the minor completion stage, which is when the light shield is solidified like armor.

But at least I've gotten the basics down.

Qu Ye reached out and pressed it; it wasn't as sturdy as the jade pendant, but it was sufficient for daily use.

He withdrew his spiritual light, stood up, and stretched his somewhat stiff neck.

Stepping out of the house, the worker bees continued to diligently guard the yard. The evening breeze blew in from the mountains, dispelling the heat from Qu Ye's body.

He took out some medicinal powder and fed it to the worker bees, then went to the pasture to check on Red Hare.

Red Hare was running wildly across the grassland, having a great time playing with a butterfly.

Seeing that Red Hare was in good condition, Qu Ye rested for a while and then returned to the cultivation room to practice the Grinding Gold Technique.