Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

"Although there are only six spirit cakes left, if I use them sparingly, half a spirit cake each time as a starting point, and if I work hard, I should be able to sustain myself for the entire Great Cycle of cultivation."

Zhou Baoqing counted on his fingers, then let out a long sigh, once again feeling the weight of his poverty.

However, although the spirit cake is a good thing, it is ultimately spiritual energy from outside.

In the cultivation novels I read in my past life, the protagonists would break through three levels by eating a pill, cross a major realm by obtaining a spiritual fruit, and even fight against Golden Core cultivators despite their own limitations. It was certainly exhilarating.

If it really happened to me, I wouldn't dare to be so reckless.

If the foundation is weak, as you refine your Qi and build your foundation, each step will be like "loan interest," compounded interest.

"Let it be slow. Laying a solid foundation is the key."

Zhou Baoqing's gaze fell on the blue sand at the bottom of the water.

The veins of that clump of copper coin grass still shimmered with a pale blue light, but it had stopped growing. The other plants in the "control group" next to it also had a certain beauty, though some looked fresh and vibrant while others looked a bit dull.

The Green Snail Cave can indeed help ordinary herbs evolve, but individual differences can lead to different results.

Moreover, once it grows into a precious herb, it will no longer continue to transform into a spiritual herb.

Perhaps it's due to limited potential, or perhaps it's because there hasn't been enough time.

Currently, the cave seems to be more like a "life growth accelerator" that can foster vitality.

He plucked the money plant, took it out of the cave, and put it in a basin of water.

Once the spiritual water leaves the cave, it becomes ordinary water, and its spiritual energy dissipates.

I wonder if the precious herb will degenerate?

In that case, he wouldn't be able to farm and sell spiritual herbs anymore, and his dream of making money would have to be put on hold for a long time.

Zhou Baoqing had intended to read the book while waiting, but he was too nervous and couldn't sit still for a long time, unable to concentrate on reading a single word.

Still not calm enough!

Finally, an hour passed.

The veins of the copper coin grass still shimmered with a lustrous sheen, and he relaxed slightly as it remained unchanged.

It seems that the water in this magical cave is alive; once the magic is broken, the water disperses.

The grass is fixed; once it grows to its final shape, it will still be the same shape no matter where you move it.

Ultimately, water has no fixed shape, but grass has a fixed form.

A saying by Confucius popped into my mind: "Everything has its own nature. If its nature is fixed, it can be changed. If its nature is unpredictable, it is difficult to maintain."

Thinking of this, Zhou Baoqing plucked the moneywort again and planted it back in the green sand.

It's best to leave this herb in the cave; it might even grow back.

Just as I finished my work, I suddenly heard very light footsteps coming from the outer courtyard, along with the clinking of metal objects.

The sky outside Zhishui Pavilion was still dark, but a faint gray-white tinge had already appeared at the base of the east wall.

It's past four in the morning.

Zhou Baoqing emerged from the cave, donned two outer garments, and pushed open the door.

Then I saw my grandfather, Zhou Changgeng, holding a small lamp, standing on the bank of the pond outside the courtyard gate, looking down into the water.

"Grandpa, why are you up so early?"

"Why are you up? It's windy, go inside and sleep."

"I can't sleep."

Seeing that he was dressed warmly, Zhou Changgeng didn't say much and tilted the lamp towards the water.

When the light shone on it, the thin mist on the pond automatically dispersed to both sides, revealing a sliver of empty space.

"The wind is picking up, and the temperature difference between night and night is large. This is the time when the bluefin fry are most afraid of being overwhelmed by the fish."

"Overturn the pond?"

"When spiritual energy rises to the surface, it becomes scarce in the water."

Zhou Changgeng moved the lamp further inside. "The fish fry can't absorb any spiritual energy, so they float to the surface, opening and closing their mouths. By daybreak, their bellies are completely white."

Zhou Baoqing leaned closer to take a look.

There were the shadows of several small blue-scaled fish fry in the pond, clinging to the bottom, motionless.

Looking further away, there were several fish floating on the surface of the water, motionless.

Then Zhou Changgeng made a hand gesture, and a faint blue light appeared at his fingertips.

The pond water was drawn in, and silently a thin stream split off, condensing into a perfectly round, unbroken water sphere that enveloped a young bluefin bream.

He brought the small lamp closer, squinted, and carefully examined the gills and blue scales of the fish fry in the water sphere by the light.

Zhou Baoqing watched with great interest.

Water Control Technique.

This was the first time he had witnessed celestial magic up close since waking from the mystery of his birth.

A sense of eagerness and longing welled up in my heart.

If I could also draw qi into my body as soon as possible and learn the "Water Control Technique", wouldn't it be a piece of cake to reclaim wasteland and build islands in the Green Snail Cave and draw water to irrigate the fields?

As the light faded, with a soft "splash," the water sphere enveloped the fish fry and fell back into the pond.

"Nothing's happening tonight, but the fish population is lower than usual this spring. If this continues, I reckon the fry won't grow well. We need to come up with a solution."

Zhou Changgeng frowned.

Every year in March, Qinglin Bay experiences a spring flood. The spring flood brings high water levels and abundant nutrients, which is when the fish fry are most well-fed.

The "lean" spring flood season means that the water level is low and there are few nutrients. If the fish fry don't get a good start in spring, they will be sickly all year round.

It is clear that whether one is a cultivator or a mortal, one ultimately depends on the whims of fate.

Perhaps high-level cultivators can use the techniques of clouds, rain, spring thunder, and lightning to gather spiritual energy and bring blessings to the region.

Zhou Baoqing increasingly appreciated the benefits of Qingluo Cave. What is a blessed land? It is a place free from natural disasters and man-made calamities, a place blessed with natural beauty and spiritual energy.

I'd like to catch a bluefin fry and raise it in my own little haven, but that doesn't seem very realistic.

Unlike other fish, losing even one is a big deal.

We'll have to figure out a solution later.

Ultimately, I still rely entirely on my family for food and shelter, I don't have any way to make money, and I can't just shamelessly sponge off my parents like I used to.

Zhou Changgeng took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, grabbed a handful of small pieces, and with a flick of his wrist, scattered them onto the pond surface.

"Splash!"

The shadows of the blue-scaled fish suddenly gathered and pressed against the water's surface.

"What is this?"

"Dried shrimp".

Zhou Changgeng put the cloth bag back into his arms. "Feed them something oily at night, and the fish fry will grow quickly and survive this ordeal. This stuff is expensive, and we can't afford to use it normally, so we'll only use it for these few days."

Zhou Baoqing nodded and looked at his grandfather's profile.

Her cheekbones were slightly high, and wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes. When the light shone on her, one side of her face was bright and the other side was dark.

He suddenly remembered something.

My grandfather's favorite Longjing tea seems to have been brewed for a long time.

…………

Zhou Baoqing's forehead injury was not serious. The reason he had been unconscious for three days was largely due to the mystery surrounding his unborn child, which had left him disoriented.

Now, with spirit cakes and spirit eggs, and still practicing cultivation in the blessed land, the "small horn" protruding from his forehead has returned to its smooth appearance.

They used the guise of rest and recuperation to study and cultivate themselves.

Unbeknownst to him, he had opened up all twelve meridians, completed a full cycle, and officially reached the Qi Cultivation Realm.

As for his studies, he barely managed to finish one round of the four major subjects—talisman arrays, alchemy, and artifact crafting—and his hair was already turning white. He was even more hasty in his minor and elective subjects.

Fortunately, there is still plenty of time before the assessment.

When bored, Zhou Baoqing would leave the eggshells of the green snails to eat. He didn't taste anything special, but the snail clones seemed to really like the eggshells.

After all, it's considered a "spiritual object," much better than eating dried shrimp, and it's also a great source of calcium.

Five days passed in a flash, and I could no longer stay at home. My family urged me to go to school.

In the Zhou family courtyard.

"Mom has packed it all for you."

Chen took a book box from the chopping board; the books inside were neatly stacked.

Three calligraphy brushes and a stack of talisman paper.

There was also a small cloth bag tucked inside the hidden compartment; it felt quite heavy.

Zhou Baoqing untied the small cloth bag.

One hundred spirit crystals.

The stones, blue-green in color and about the size of a fingernail, made a crisp, tinkling sound when they touched each other.

Generally speaking, one low-grade spirit stone can be exchanged for one thousand spirit crystals, but one thousand one hundred spirit crystals are needed to exchange for one low-grade spirit stone.

Zhou Baoqing tied the bag tightly and stuffed it back into the book box.

When he looked up, he saw Chen standing by the stove watching him.

He smiled at his mother.

"Mother, I'm going to the clan school."

"Go on." Madam Chen walked over and straightened his collar. "Be careful on the road, and don't show yourself if anything happens."

"Okay, Mother." Zhou Baoqing stood up from the stool and carried the book box on his back.

"Cousin, come back soon."

Zhao Yuanqiu rushed out of the house and escorted him all the way to the door.

Zhou Baoqing rubbed his cousin's head.

In the past few days, he took some time to teach Zhao Yuanqiu a few breathing techniques and two basic runes.

Zhao Yuanqiu also studied very hard, writing from memory by lamplight at night until his wrists ached.

After teaching for a few days, Zhou Baoqing himself also gained a lot. He could explain things that the teacher had explained once, and he remembered the parts that he had only superficially understood much better.

Teaching and learning go hand in hand, it's really good.

He carried his book box and turned out of the courtyard gate.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated.

At the mouth of the bay, there is a stone arch bridge. The water under the bridge is crystal clear, and the stones on the bridge are worn smooth by countless footsteps.

As soon as I stepped onto the bridge, I heard a flurry of footsteps.

"Zhou Baoqing!"

A chubby little boy rushed over from the other side of the bridge, his arms outstretched from afar.

Before Zhou Baoqing could react, the person was already right in front of him.

Passionate as fire, he grabbed her in a tight hug.

Zhou Baoqing was so tightly hugged that he could hardly breathe. He imitated his usual manner and angrily punched him.

"Zhou Changping!"

The chubby boy finally loosened his grip, looked him up and down, and revealed a set of small white teeth. "I heard you were banging your head on your head for three days and three nights without waking up. It almost scared me to death."

Like Zhou Baoqing's family, Zhou Changping's family was also a distant branch of the Immortal Clan. They ran a small spirit fish market and were considered a well-known wealthy family in Qinglin Bay.

His spiritual root is of low grade, and his aptitude is far inferior to Zhou Baoqing's.

But his family was well-off, and he had no shortage of spirit stones.

He is simple-minded and loves to play, but he only hangs out with people surnamed Zhou. He is one of Zhou Baoqing's few "friends".

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of candy wrapped in oil paper. "Here, you bumped your head, this is good for your brain!"

It is amber in color, semi-transparent, and has a strand of gold thread inside.

Honeysuckle.

Zhou Baoqing was delighted.

"Which sage doctor told you that honey can improve brain function?"

Zhou Changping patted his chest and declared, "It is indeed this divine physician!"