Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

Zhou Baoqing asked Zhou Changping to inquire with Qian Youzheng whether he could teach him a few self-defense martial arts techniques.

Qian Youzheng was a calm and capable body cultivator; otherwise, he wouldn't have been employed by Zhou Changping's family as their guard leader, managing his subordinates so well.

The only thing to worry about is reputation.

In the world of cultivation, physical training has always been considered inferior, as martial arts are often associated with breaking the law.

Most body-refining cultivators have mixed or inferior spiritual roots, a last resort for those without the talent to cultivate immortality.

In the early stages of Qi Refining, body cultivators are generally stronger than magic cultivators by relying on the power of Qi and blood. However, once they reach the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages, they are far from being able to compete and are even regarded as cannon fodder.

In the past, there were cases of body-refining cultivators committing murder and robbery, causing everyone in the water town to live in fear.

For these reasons, body-refining cultivators do not have a good reputation.

If someone calls you a "warrior" when you're out and about, it's like being insulted to the nose and called someone vulgar.

But Zhou Baoqing is more pragmatic.

Can fame feed him, or can it make him an immortal?

He didn't think there was anything shameful about body tempering.

When someone is outstanding enough, people will only praise them as a "genius who cultivates both body and mind" rather than calling them a "vulgar and uncouth martial artist".

Even if we take a step back, do you think the reputation of fishermen and farmers at the bottom is so good? He doesn't care about being a fisherman, so why would he care about this?

Zhou Changping clearly hadn't followed Zhou Baoqing's train of thought and was still rambling on, "If you don't even like Shen Jiaojiao, then who do you like?"

Before Zhou Baoqing could reply, he grinned slyly and asked, "Could it be that you like Liu Xiaorui, or Su Wan?"

"What does this have to do with learning martial arts?" Zhou Baoqing asked, staring at Zhou Changping with a displeased expression.

Seeing that Zhou Baoqing seemed genuinely unhappy, Zhou Changping quickly shut his mouth.

You absolutely can't afford to offend Brother Bao now!

Brother Bao is someone who can impress even the schoolmaster and the teacher. Whether I pass the big exam or not depends entirely on Brother Bao's tutoring.

He immediately got back to business: "Guard Qian heard that you wanted to learn, how could he possibly refuse! Besides, he said he would only teach you a few martial arts moves, nothing serious, so there's no need to charge any tuition."

Qian Youzheng is indeed a kind and honest person.

Zhou Baoqing, however, did not want to take advantage of this, as favors are the hardest debts to repay in this world.

So Zhou Changping was asked to pass on a message, and after a few exchanges, the two parties agreed to practice at the Qian family's house in Lianpeng Lane, Qinglin Bay, every day after school.

…………

When learning a skill, one must always follow the rules.

However, Zhou Baoqing didn't quite understand how to pay the "tuition fee," so he went to the main house to ask his grandfather, Zhou Changgeng, for advice.

Zhou Changgeng neither agreed nor disagreed with his grandson's desire to learn martial arts for self-defense.

Nowadays, Bao Ge'er is calm and composed, and has a strong sense of self-reliance. He has even found a job in the talisman-making workshop, making him a pillar of the family.

He almost never interfered with his grandson's decisions unless they involved matters of principle or safety.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Changgeng said, "Since Guard Qian won't accept spirit stones, you shouldn't treat him lightly. Giving him spirit stones would be like hiring someone, which would damage the relationship. It would be better to cut ten catties of high-grade spirit beast meat; that would show you're approachable and down-to-earth, and it's also a tradition from ancient times."

After listening, Zhou Baoqing felt that his grandfather made a lot of sense and nodded in agreement.

Just as he was about to go back inside, Zhou Changgeng called him back, took out a small cloth bag from his sleeve, and handed it to him.

Upon opening it, one finds five crystal-clear, low-grade spirit stones.

"Brother Bao, take these five spirit stones. Martial arts cultivation consumes the most qi and blood, so buy some nourishing medicine powder if you need to, don't neglect your health."

"Grandpa, are you giving me all five spirit stones? That would cover the household expenses..."

Zhou Baoqing was somewhat surprised and did not reach out to take it.

"Take it."

Zhou Changgeng waved his hand, his eyes full of loving expectation, "Now you have to make talismans and refine your body, which will cost you money everywhere. Grandpa is old, and my cultivation is limited. Using these spirit stones on you is the best use of resources. The family has saved some money from selling fish bait recently, so you don't need to worry about it."

Zhou Baoqing's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He silently put away the spirit stones and solemnly said, "Grandpa, rest assured, I will definitely live up to your expectations."

…………

In the dead of night, Zhou Baoqing disappeared into the Green Snail Cave.

The moonlight tonight was still thin and wispy, unlike the vast full moon of the fifteenth of the lunar month, but Zhou Baoqing still sat cross-legged on the bamboo raft, practicing his breathing exercises meticulously.

Ever since the green snail was able to cultivate, he discovered the true nature of the little green snail: lazy and greedy.

Leaving aside his greed, after taking the Crimson Blood Pill, he couldn't even look at the eggshells of the Azure Water Egg anymore. Zhou Baoqing had no choice but to grind the eggshells into powder and make a batch of fish food for the Green Scale Fish and the Black Tortoise. Fortunately, the latter were very cooperative.

Laziness, on the other hand, stems from his refusal to cultivate himself after absorbing the moonlight once.

Fortunately, Zhou Baoqing's visualization of the conch pearl and his breathing techniques allowed him to mobilize the green conch to cultivate as well, so he forcibly "urged" the green conch to do so.

Even the smallest drops of water can wear away a stone; it accumulates over time.

The path of spiritual practice is long, so we should cultivate a calm and focused mind.

If I gain it, I am fortunate; if I lose it, it is my fate. I will not be surprised by joy or sorrow.

Perhaps it was the moonlight that nourished his mind and spirit, or perhaps it was enlightenment, but he was now in a state of extreme peace and tranquility.

After completing his cultivation, he exhaled a thin wisp of pure air, his spirit and soul feeling relaxed.

Zhou Baoqing looked at the inner view of the cave.

A gentle night breeze blew, and the spiritual plants in the water were thriving.

One by one, the spiritual herbs sprouted and unfurled their leaves, the different shapes of the leaves stretching out in the water, some resembling long swords, others like round discs.

Bathed in moonlight, the veins of the leaves shimmered with a soft glow, their vibrant life force captivating the eye.

Fish frolic among the lotus leaves, and every now and then a crisp splashing sound can be heard, with water droplets gently splashing.

The water turtle was lying on the edge of the bamboo raft, slowly absorbing the moonlight.

Zhou Baoqing beckoned, and the Xuan Shui Turtle obediently swam over in the Ming Shui River, affectionately rubbing against his fingers.

He looked down and examined it carefully, a slight unease creeping into his heart.

The Xuan Shui Turtle underwent some changes after absorbing the power of the moonlight.

On the jet-black back of the armor, strange silver patterns had appeared.

In fact, this change is not unique to the Xuan Shui Turtle. Even the blue-scaled "Fish King" that patrols the bottom of the water has a faint silver-white frost on its scales, making it seem as if a cold moon is shuttling through the water as it swims.

"Could it be that the cleansing power of the moonlight caused the aquatic creatures in the cave to mutate collectively?"

Zhou Baoqing stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Admittedly, this mutation is currently very subtle, and may only make the turtle shell look better and the fish scales shinier, without any apparent special effects.

But he had only cultivated with Qingluo once under the full moon, and this manifestation occurred.

If this continues day by day, over a hundred or a thousand years, it is not impossible for earth-shattering changes to occur.

Xuanwu bloodline, dragon carp bloodline, jiaolong bloodline... they're all just commonplace.

With the continuous nourishment of the moon's essence, it might be possible to cultivate a unique "Moon Worship" bloodline belonging solely to this body of water!

Thinking of this, Zhou Baoqing's eyes shone brightly.