In Qi Ping’s perception at this moment, the fire-attribute energy and the essence of fire between heaven and earth felt incredibly vivid.
With just a thought, he could use his own spiritual power to guide that mysterious and profound fire-attribute force.
This special power could be channeled into his attacks, used for cultivation, or even to bolster his soul—its applications seemed endless.
When this unique fire-attribute power fully revealed itself before him, Qi Ping knew he had officially comprehended the essence of fire.
Regarding the rules of fire, Qi Ping had finally reached the first gateway: understanding the essence of fire!
Although it was only the first stage, still far from truly grasping the laws of fire, for Qi Ping, this was already a remarkable achievement!
After all, many cultivators preparing to break through to the Golden Core stage were merely at the stage of comprehending the essence, albeit with deeper understanding than Qi Ping at this point.
In other words, from now until he reached the Golden Core stage, Qi Ping no longer faced obstacles in comprehending the laws; the only difference lay in the degree of mastery.
However, for Qi Ping right now, the most crucial point was that comprehending the essence of laws served as a superior alternative to the Foundation Building Pill. With this understanding, he wouldn’t be held back by the need for the pill.
It was important to note that the Foundation Building Pill was the sect’s most powerful tool for controlling ordinary cultivators, or rather, for generating revenue. Being able to bypass this requirement made things much more convenient for Qi Ping.
Moreover, a cultivator who built their foundation using the essence of laws would be stronger and have a more solid foundation than one who relied on the Foundation Building Pill!
“So this is the essence of fire…”
After awakening from his state of enlightenment, Qi Ping found he could still clearly sense this power.
He could easily mobilize this force with his spiritual energy, channeling the fire-attribute power into his combat or cultivation.
“It seems the more spiritual power I use, the more of this force I can mobilize…”
“If that’s the case, then the strength with which I can wield the essence of fire is also related to my own spiritual power. The higher my realm, the more powerfully I can manifest the essence of fire…”
Then, Qi Ping seemed to sense something. A powerful gold-red flame erupted from his palm, its pressure far more intense than before.
“The Beast King’s Flame has also broken through to level three after comprehending the essence of fire… quite a significant boost in power…”
Overall, Qi Ping was very satisfied with the results of this cultivation session.
Next, Qi Ping glanced at the hammer that contained the essence of fire and noticed that only about one-tenth of its essence had been consumed.
“The consumption isn’t high, so the hammer’s value hasn’t been significantly diminished. I can return it to Brother Meng next time I exchange spirit stones with him.”
After putting away the hammer, Qi Ping turned his attention to Ya Ya, who had been steadfastly guarding him all this time.
Ya Ya was looking at him with evident joy.
“Gah gah! (Boss, you’re finally awake!)”
“So, did you gain anything?” Qi Ping asked.
Although the growth of spirit beasts primarily relied on awakening their bloodline power, comprehending the essence of laws could also aid in that awakening.
In this state, Ya Ya would increasingly distinguish itself from ordinary fire crows that relied solely on bloodline and resources.
Qi Ping had no intention of letting his animal companions follow such a path. While second-tier power might be useful now, it wouldn’t be sufficient for the future. Qi Ping wanted all his animal companions to continue breaking through steadily.
He would work hard to earn and gather the necessary resources, but the animal companions also needed to put in their own effort.
“Gah gah! (I gained a lot! I think I’m slowly sensing the opportunity to break through to the second tier!)”
“Gah gah! (Boss, I need to seize this good state and continue meditating and cultivating now…)”
“Go ahead! Thank you for guarding me here these past two days…”
“Gah gah! (It’s my duty, Boss! Ya Ya is off!)”
With that, Ya Ya swiftly scurried to a spot under the sun. Wisps of solar energy began to gather around it once again, continuously being absorbed and refined…
Watching the diligent Ya Ya, a genuine smile spread across Qi Ping’s face.
Ya Ya’s combination of hard work and happiness was genuinely affecting him.
It made Qi Ping feel that the sensation of cultivation was truly wonderful…
Contracting Ya Ya had truly been a very wise decision for Qi Ping…
…
After Ya Ya left, Qi Ping turned his gaze to the little spirit fox, now at the early first-tier stage. Having nibbled a few small bites of the Firefly Fruit, its belly was slightly bulged.
The advanced first-tier Firefly Fruit was still a bit too potent for the little spirit fox.
“Chirp chirp… (Boss! Why did you cultivate for so long this time? Foxy’s tummy got all hungry and flat!)”
Seeing Qi Ping awake, the little spirit fox, using its white tail to curl around the partially eaten Firefly Fruit, leaped into Qi Ping’s arms.
“Then what’s that curled up in your tail?”
Qi Ping gently stroked the little spirit fox’s smooth, soft forehead.
The little spirit fox greatly enjoyed Qi Ping’s petting, its eyes narrowing with contentment.
Among all his animal companions now, the little spirit fox was the one that loved sticking to Qi Ping the most.
“Chirp chirp… (Ya Ya picked it for Foxy! It said it was okay to eat!)”
“Chirp chirp… (Because Boss was cultivating, Foxy knew I couldn’t disturb you, even if my tummy was hungry.)”
“Chirp chirp… (Foxy knows there’s food on the mountain, but Mother said not to touch a friend’s things without permission, so I didn’t dare. If I got any hungrier, I was going to go find food somewhere else…)”
“I remember preparing several days’ worth of spirit fruits for you. How did you run out so quickly?”
“Chirp chirp… (Foxy was greedy and ate them all too fast…)”
“Then I’ll prepare a jade box for you that can preserve spirit fruits. We’ll put enough inside for many days, and you can hide it away secretly. If I’m busy like before and your tummy gets hungry, you can take some out to eat. How does that sound?”
“Chirp chirp… (Yay! Foxy will save a little bit from every meal to put inside. That way, I can save up a lot of reserve fruits! With reserves, does that mean Foxy won’t have to worry about a hungry tummy anymore?)”
“Of course!” Qi Ping affirmed.
The fact that the little spirit fox was already thinking about saving at such a young age—perhaps it had a talent for finance and business in the future.
“Chirp chirp… (This idea is amazing! Why didn’t Foxy think of it before?)”
Enlightened by this idea, the little spirit fox’s eyes instantly sparkled brightly…
Among Qi Ping’s four animal companions, the bees could gather nectar and make honey themselves, Ya Ya could sustain itself by basking in the sunlight, and the Hundred-Pupil Flower Demon could absorb spiritual energy and nutrients from the spirit land. Only the little spirit fox seemed to worry about going hungry…
…
After playing with the little spirit fox for a while, Qi Ping headed towards the Hundred-Pupil Flower Demon. He wanted to see how far the Plant Growth skill could cultivate it.
Qi Ping knew that plant growth was limited by its inherent grade and his own soul strength—there was a ceiling. But if it could be nurtured to the second tier, that would still be quite good, enough to serve as a hidden trump card…
