Wang Ba felt the power in his body and his muscles gradually growing firmer.
For a moment, he was tempted to push the Physique Strengthening Scripture straight to the Fourth Layer.
But he held back.
“What if I break through and Deacon Li notices?”
“How would I explain it?”
“Mastering the first three layers could be hand-waved as exceptional latent talent. But mastering the Fourth Layer so quickly? That’s not talent. That’s an anomaly.”
The first three layers combined hadn’t taken as much time or effort as the Fourth Layer typically demanded. To bridge that gap instantly would be suspicious.
“No. I need to be steady.”
“I’m only thirty. I’m not old yet. I have plenty of time. I can’t rush things.”
He turned the question over and over in his mind.
In the end, Wang Ba resisted the temptation to master the fourth layer so quickly.
Yet he was reluctant to let so much lifespan go unused.
For now, resources he could not turn into abilities of his own were being wasted. Leaving them unused would make the risk he had taken selling a Spirit Poultry pointless.
“Right! Didn’t that golden page from Old Man Sun record a cultivation method?”
Wang Ba suddenly remembered the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture.
According to the text, this method was agonizingly slow to cultivate.
Its effects were described vaguely, mentioning only the ability to “confuse the minds of others.” The specific utility could only be understood by one who practiced it.
Previously, Wang Ba had been unwilling to burn his precious Lifespan on something so ambiguous.
Since he dared not advance the Physique Strengthening Scripture for now, the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture was his only option.
“Another skill gives me another option,” Wang Ba told himself.
The only issue was that the technique didn’t currently appear on his cheat panel.
Clearly, he hadn’t met the entry requirements yet.
That was easy enough to fix. Between fermenting chicken feed, feeding the flock, and cleaning the coop, he had plenty of downtime to study.
“Oh, that’s right. Shopkeeper Lu stuffed a bag into my hands before I left.”
Wang Ba suddenly recalled the gift. He hurriedly pulled out the pouch and gently tipped its contents onto the table.
Clack.
An irregular, pale blue stone the size of his little finger fell onto the table, along with a pile of bright red rice.
“A Spirit Stone… and is this Spirit Rice?!”
Wang Ba held his breath. He picked up the Spirit Stone, cradling it in his palm to examine it under the dim candlelight.
The uneven surface of the stone shimmered with a dreamlike luster, refracting the flickering flame.
It was no less exquisite than the finest diamonds from his previous life.
This was the first time he had actually held one.
Before, he had only watched from a distance as Immortals traded them. To say he hadn’t been envious would be a lie.
Now, he finally had the chance to toy with such an Immortal treasure. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
It felt like finally obtaining a long-coveted razor as a child in his previous life.
That had been more than just a razor.
And this was far more than just a stone.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement churning in his chest.
Once calm, Wang Ba carefully scooped up a handful of the red grains.
Spirit Rice.
He had seen it many times in the grain shop, but he had never dared to buy it.
Nor did he have the money.
Unlike ordinary rice, which cost two taels of silver per jin, Spirit Rice was priced in Spirit Stones.
Even the cheapest variety, which looked just like this rice, cost two-tenths of a Spirit Stone per jin.
He carefully gathered the Spirit Rice from the table and weighed it in his hand. There was about one jin.
“Shopkeeper Lu really knows how to do business,” Wang Ba sighed internally.
Three Spirit Stones for twenty-two chickens, with a free jin of Spirit Rice on top.
Although it was the cheapest grade, the gesture ensured that if an ordinary person had more goods to sell, they would undoubtedly return to Lu’s Grain Depot.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned his attention to the coop. He grabbed a male Spirit Poultry and activated his ability, draining every drop of its remaining time.
After gaining 0.4 years of lifespan, he swiftly slit the unsuspecting bird’s throat and drained its blood.
He boiled water, plucked the bird, and burned the feathers. After cleaning the carcass, he put it in a clay pot, filled it with water, brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat to a simmer.
He started a second pot, mixing one liang of Spirit Rice with a larger portion of ordinary rice.
He couldn’t bear to cook a pot of pure Spirit Rice. It felt too extravagant.
As for the Spirit Poultry themselves…
Keeping them alive was a liability.
Deacon Li came once a month. A few hidden Spirit Poultry might escape notice, but so many were bound to be discovered.
So, when he bartered with Shopkeeper Lu for the flock, he had already decided their fate.
He would eat them.
It was only twenty-two birds, after all.
Mortal women could eat thirty chickens during their month of recovery after childbirth. Surely he could manage twenty-two.
Although, it was undeniably wasteful.
If he really couldn’t finish them, he would find a way to sell the excess at a distant market.
Regardless, they absolutely could not remain in the manor.
After simmering for two to four hours, the pot released a rich aroma when he lifted the lid.
No other seasoning was needed: a little salt was enough to fill his nose and mouth with the chicken’s savory fragrance.
It was the spiritual energy. Just taking a whiff made Wang Ba feel as if he were about to ascend on the spot.
It was fortunate that this manor was isolated in a desolate wasteland. Anywhere else, this smell would have attracted unwanted attention immediately. Get faster updates on g.com.
Wang Ba didn’t stand on ceremony.
He served himself a bowl of red Spirit Rice mixed with ordinary rice, a bowl of chicken soup and meat, and some blood tofu made from the chicken’s blood.
The meat was tender and the blood tofu smooth.
But most critically, even though he lacked a Spirit Root and couldn’t naturally capture Qi from the environment, the abundant energy stored within the Spirit Poultry’s flesh swarmed into his gut and surged through his limbs.
Vaguely, he could feel his Physique Strengthening Scripture advancing on its own.
The improvement was microscopic, but for Wang Ba, who had struggled for every inch of progress, it was a delightful surprise.
“No wonder the Immortals treat this as Spirit Chow. It truly is extraordinary!”
However, reality soon set in. After eating just one drumstick, Wang Ba felt his stomach bloat with fullness.
He only managed half a bowl of the rice before he hit a wall. He physically couldn’t swallow another bite.
The Spirit Rice released a fragrant, appetite-stimulating aroma the moment it hit the tongue, but the contained energy was simply too dense. As a mere mortal, Wang Ba’s body couldn’t process it fast enough.
“This is a problem. Twenty-two birds in one month? I’ll never finish them.”
“Especially since Deacon Li’s next visit is less than a month away.”
Wang Ba rubbed his distended belly, frowning in distress.
Even five in a month would be an effort.
He was so full of energy that he felt he could go three days without food or drink and not feel hungry.
The energy buzz was so intense that he couldn’t sleep. Even as the moon climbed to its zenith and cast its silver light across his pillow, he didn’t feel a shred of drowsiness.
Tossing and turning was useless. He eventually gave up, climbed out of bed, and lit the oil lamp.
He pulled out the golden page recording the Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture.
He did not remember his earlier reading clearly, but some impressions remained. Even where the writing was too small to see, he soon recalled it.
He read the scripture from beginning to end, then went over it several more times, taking care to understand each word and sentence.
Perhaps it was the Spirit Poultry fueling his brain, but Wang Ba felt exceptionally sharp tonight. He felt as if he could remember everything he read at a single glance.
He quickly understood what he read and could recall it just as readily.
He became completely immersed in the study, lost in the esoteric depths of the scripture, until the crow of a rooster shattered his concentration.
He looked out the window. The horizon was already turning the pale white of a fish’s belly.
“An entire night has passed?”
The cool morning breeze carried a faint smell into the cramped room.
Wang Ba stood up from the table and stretched. Surprisingly, despite sitting on a hard stool all night, his lower back didn’t ache at all.
Instead, he felt refreshed, his mind clear and alert.
Most importantly, the night of hard work had finally yielded a result.
A new line of text hovered before his eyes.
[Consumable Items: Yin Spirit Great Dream Scripture, First Layer. Accounting for aptitude and constitution, cost: 113.7 years.]
[Current Body’s Remaining Lifespan: 125.3 years]