After seeing off Xiao Yi, Lin Donglai personally went to find Ding Zhen. His rented cave dwelling was located near Fire Peak.
Seeing that Lin Donglai had become the top student of the Spirit Plant Hall and had even taken charge of such a large manor, Ding Zhen felt a momentary sense of disorientation. He realized that among the four original prodigies—Xue Hong, Sang Qiao, Lin Donglai, and himself—he was the one doing the worst.
He couldn't help but lament, "I fear the gap between us is only growing wider."
Lin Donglai shook his head. "Both you and I possess low-grade Five-Element Spiritual Roots. Do not belittle yourself."
He then told Ding Zhen about how Xue Hong and Sang Qiao had invited them to dinner, but they hadn't gone.
"Xue Hong is a combat disciple, admitted to Zidian Peak of the nine inner sect peaks."
"Sang Qiao has outstanding talent as a Geomancer and has become a disciple of an inner sect elder."
"You have the low-grade Jia Wood Physique and outstanding talent in spirit planting."
"Only I am mediocre at everything I do."
"Then come to Tianquan Manor to cook and repair magical tools," Lin Donglai said. "It has only been two years; have you already lost your spirit?"
"I haven't lost my spirit; I'm just a step behind. I still have hope of catching up to you!"
Lin Donglai nodded. "Don't worry, there will be no shortage of spirit grain for you to eat. When the time comes, we'll raise some spirit chickens and plant some spirit fruit trees. We'll be eating well enough to reach the late stages of Qi Refinement. If you truly can't make a living through blacksmithing, then specialize in the Way of Spirit Cuisine and just cook for us."
"I want the Spirit Cuisine, but I want blacksmithing too!" Ding Zhen declared. "Just you watch!"
Lin Donglai was also deeply moved. "Once you become a low-grade Tier 1 Blacksmith, focus entirely on refining spirit plant tools. I will buy them all!"
The two immediately went to Zhenling Peak, bought two catties of spirit pig meat, a spirit chicken, and several spirit fruits, and cooked some spirit rice, leaving Ding Zhen in full charge of the preparation.
Although it might not have been as delicious or as perfect in effect as the meals prepared by the master chef Peng Yue back at the Prodigy Peak canteen—which were comparable to medicinal pills—the ingredients themselves were excellent, so the taste was naturally not bad. The two of them ate their fill.
After eating, Lin Donglai suddenly remembered something. "Ding Zhen, do you want a wife?"
Ding Zhen gave Lin Donglai a strange look. "What? Are you going to introduce one to me?"
"I just remembered something. Back then, Peng Yue was at our Prodigy Peak looking for sons-in-law. He even took an interest in me, but I rejected him. He has a daughter who is an outer disciple at Zhenling Peak. She is one grade above us and about seven or eight years older, but I don't know what she looks like; I've never seen her."
"If you become a blacksmith apprentice, I could mention it to him."
At first, Ding Zhen felt a bit shy and didn't know what to say, but after thinking it over, he felt it was a good idea. "Marrying a wife is one thing, but if I can study the Way of Spirit Cuisine under Deacon Peng, that would be excellent. It would be best if I could spend some time in the Prodigy Peak canteen to build a foundation, starting from the low-level spirit meals of the prodigies before attempting low-grade and mid-grade Tier 1 dishes."
"Otherwise, doing what we did today is basically a waste."
"Then we'll wait until you succeed in blacksmithing."
Ding Zhen's progress in blacksmithing was difficult; the Way of Spirit Cuisine was simply a path that appeared slightly brighter and easier. At least he had Lin Donglai's support!
After finishing the meal, Lin Donglai returned to his cave dwelling and began practicing the Yin Five-Element Qi Gathering Technique.
*Ji Chou, Gui Hai, Ding Si, Xin You, Yi Mao.*
As Lin Donglai recited them, he visualized Yi Wood entwined with Jia Wood, resulting in both being destroyed.
He remained cautious in his heart.
He decided to start with the Ji Chou Earth Gathering Technique instead.
His essence and blood had accumulated sufficiently over these past days, and he had already refined five breaths; it was the perfect time to refine five Ji Chou breaths.
The hour of Chou occurs in the early morning, and its symbolic image is the old ox. An old ox plowing the field was precisely the manifestation of Ji Chou.
Lin Donglai circulated his cultivation technique, adopting the "Five Hearts Facing Heaven" posture.
This cave dwelling was indeed excellent. The cultivation room was located inside the mountain, rich in earth energy, with a faint presence of leyline qi that moved in rhythm with the breathing of the Jianmu Dao Seed.
Lin Donglai had originally thought there might be various transformations or great danger.
However, nothing unusual happened. It went very smoothly, and the Qi of Ji Earth was successfully filtered out by the spiritual root Dao Seed.
It quickly merged with his breaths and was planted into his spleen.
Wu Earth governs the quality of hardness, representing rocks and mountain ranges.
Ji Earth governs the quality of softness, representing soil and fine sand.
When the two merge, they form the manifestation of "The Great Earth's Virtue." Wu Earth provides the thickness, representing the vastness of the land, while Ji Earth provides the virtue, representing the land's ability to nourish all things.
Within his inner landscape, the blessed field began to expand with the addition of the Ji Earth breath. Upon the hard rocks, some fine dust and yellow sand appeared.
This dust and sand were very light and not heavy.
However, very quickly, the tiny roots of the Jianmu spiritual root firmly anchored them in place.
Once the hour of Chou passed, Lin Donglai stopped his cultivation and let the spiritual root circulate on its own.
"If my essence blood is sufficient and my breaths are full, it can be completed in fifteen days."
Lin Donglai planned to visit Peng Yue again during these days—firstly to eat a few spirit meals that replenished vital energy and essence blood, and secondly to discuss Ding Zhen's apprenticeship.
When dawn arrived, Lin Donglai tried once more to practice the Morning Sun Qi Gathering Technique. By gathering qi through his eyes and capturing the morning sun, he succeeded this time; a wisp of purple qi was nurtured into his inner landscape.
Purple qi belonged to the category of pure and ethereal qi, which did not harmonize with the Five-Element spiritual qi.
"If I gather qi like this for five years, even without taking a Barrier-Breaking Pill, can I rely on the purple qi to wear down the barrier of the early Qi Refinement stage?"
Lin Donglai felt that the Qi Refinement barrier shouldn't be too difficult for him, so he decided to save the purple qi.
But just as he intended to save it, he saw the Jianmu spiritual root absorb it, transmitting a simple thought: *"Craving purple qi."*
"The things it craves are becoming increasingly high-level," Lin Donglai remarked with a sigh.
He then looked closely at the single drop of emerald-green dew gathered on the tip of the Jianmu bud.
This was produced after Lin Donglai consumed the Green Essence Fruit and the Jianmu spiritual root absorbed its spiritual essence.
It was only now that Lin Donglai remembered to check what this substance actually was.
Recalling the inheritance of the Earth Immortal and the spiritual root inheritance that the Jianmu root had injected into itself, Lin Donglai could roughly guess what it was.
The Heaven-Reaching Creation Dew.
As the Wood Emperor of the Azure Emperor, the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu governed the essence of all trees, connecting heaven and earth. It gathered all sorts of vitality and creation to condense these dew drops.
However, this was merely a sub-par specimen among low-grade items.
The Heaven-Reaching Creation Dew could animate plants and could be used to cultivate Wood or Water-type techniques; it was the rarest treasure of the Water and Wood elements in the world.
Within the memories stored in the Jianmu spiritual root's seed, there were many accounts of immortals personally coming to seek and collect the dew from the Jianmu.
"If this truly is the Heaven-Reaching Creation Dew, even if it is a sub-par low-grade specimen, it is still a supreme treasure. Coincidentally, the core of the Green Essence Fruit I ate is a seed of a Five-Element fruit tree. Although its grade has dropped, if I can use the Heaven-Reaching Creation Dew to awaken its vitality and sprout it within the blessed field of my inner landscape, it might help me harmonize the Five Elements."
"Once I have mastered the Yin Five Elements, I shall give it a try."