[Nature’s Perception] can predict good or bad fortune. It is currently Qi Ping’s only mystical skill that allows him to detect danger in advance. In the game, this skill was only useful in specific instances, but in the world of immortal cultivation, Qi Ping can use it anytime. However, it is still limited to passive activation and only works under special circumstances.
Even so, Qi Ping still felt it was risky. The limitation of passive activation was too great; in some special situations, it might already be too late.
That’s why, over the past few months, Qi Ping had been trying to study the conditions for actively triggering [Nature’s Perception].
And also, the corresponding meanings of the things sensed upon activation.
Through his diligent attempts and tests, Qi Ping actually managed to figure out something!
It turned out that if Qi Ping focused all his mental energy on the task he was about to undertake, he would receive a sense of good or bad fortune if that task carried potential danger or benefit.
For example, a month ago, the bees discovered a group of late first-stage magical insects in the Misty Mountain Range. Qi Ping concentrated his mind, imagining himself passing through the insects’ location with all his spiritual power defenses lowered. [Nature’s Perception] gave him a slight sense of “minor misfortune.” The sensation wasn’t strong.
This meant there was some danger for Qi Ping, but the level of risk wasn’t high.
Next, Qi Ping tested similar scenarios and confirmed that this method could indeed actively trigger [Nature’s Perception]!
The only cost seemed to be a certain amount of mental energy.
Then, Qi Ping tried to expand the scope. For instance, he imagined walking through a large area near the magical insects and found that [Nature’s Perception] still reacted, but the sensation was much weaker.
Finally, he expanded the scope again. He imagined walking around extensively in the vicinity of the insects with all his defenses down. The result? The sense of danger was exactly the same as when he actively imagined passing right by them!
The only difference was that this consumed an immense amount of mental energy, so much so that even Qi Ping, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, nearly couldn’t handle it. It took him a long time to recover.
After many subsequent tests, Qi Ping finally preliminarily figured out the method for actively triggering the [Nature’s Perception] skill.
In terms of mental energy consumption, the higher the level of the target being tested, the more mental energy it consumed.
“A divine skill!”
“This is a truly divine skill!”
After figuring out how to use [Nature’s Perception] actively, Qi Ping was incredibly excited.
His biggest fear now was encountering danger when he went out, or facing peril while trading with others.
But now, with the ability to actively trigger [Nature’s Perception], things would be much more convenient. He could test any undertaking with this skill first, giving him a solid foundation for his actions.
Around the time Qi Ping finished his tests on [Nature’s Perception], the second-tier bee colony was officially cultivated.
With the energy of the Spirit Origin Stone Pillars completely depleted, the cultivation of the second-tier bee colony had reached its limit. Next, if he couldn’t obtain a Spiritual Vein Essence, Qi Ping’s cultivation, spiritual herb cultivation, and the nurturing of his animal companions would essentially come to a standstill.
Relying solely on the spiritual energy absorbed by the Star Spirit Wood (Spirit Gathering Technique) would only be enough for Qi Ping’s daily needs.
“Two hundred and thirty Earth Armor Bees, twenty each of Alchemist Bees, Blood Armor Bees, Scout Bees, Toxic Stinger Bees, and Balanced Bees, and five Mountain Mover Bees.”
“Not bad at all!”
After advancing to the second tier, the bees had grown slightly larger than a fist. They were no longer as easy to cultivate as they were in the first tier.
However, as their size increased, so did their individual combat power. They wouldn’t need as many numbers to deal with cultivators of the same level as before.
After the Earth Armor Bees were cultivated, Qi Ping used them as the formation foundation to inscribe a battle array.
Once this formation was activated, it could enhance the bees’ overall strength by about twenty to thirty percent, and also provide additional attack and defense boosts to specific groups of bees.
For example, if bees in a certain area were under heavy attack, Qi Ping could manipulate the formation’s power to concentrate it on those particular bees.
Although this battle array formation, which Qi Ping developed himself, was far inferior to truly powerful formations, it was good enough for temporary use.
After inscribing the formation, Qi Ping had a sparring match with the two hundred and thirty Earth Armor Bees under its activation.
The final result was quite satisfactory to Qi Ping. Although his defenses naturally wouldn’t be breached by over two hundred Earth Armor Bees, they were still a considerable headache. The bees attacked from all angles, forcing him to fully activate his defenses, which drained a significant amount of his own energy.
However, these Earth Armor Bees were inherently strong in defense. With the formation’s boost and their agile, multi-directional maneuvering, they made the fight exceptionally difficult for Qi Ping.
His Explosive Fireballs felt like using a cannon to swat mosquitoes. The key issue was that if he didn’t attack with full force, he couldn’t break through the Earth Armor Bees’ defenses.
Furthermore, the Earth Armor Bees could attack from a distance, and with the formation allowing them to flexibly adjust their offensive positions, Qi Ping couldn’t find an opportunity to concentrate his attacks on them.
“Not bad, not bad. Although they’re still far from being able to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they are more than enough for harassment. Against a weaker Foundation Establishment cultivator, they might even have a chance to kill.”
After the combat test, Qi Ping was very satisfied with the combat capabilities of these Earth Armor Bees.
Over two hundred Earth Armor Bees achieving this level was already very pleasing to him. Under the enhancement of the battle array formation, they were indeed very troublesome to deal with.
If the number of these Earth Armor Bees reached one thousand, their combat power would reach a level that would make even early Foundation Establishment cultivators pale in fear.
“Everything that needs to be prepared is just about ready. Time to set off!”
With everything in order, Qi Ping brought the bee colony and Crow, leaving sufficient defensive forces behind in the formation. Then, for the first time in over a year, he stepped out of the Misty Mountain Range.
He was now planning to go find Old Man Zhou.
On his way to the mortal world, Qi Ping would periodically use [Nature’s Perception] to sense the fortunes along his path. Only when he detected no ominous signs would he continue forward.
Although it was a bit troublesome, Qi Ping was happy to do so.
Since the Qingtian Domain fell into chaos, he hadn’t felt this relaxed outside before.
This ability to predict good and bad fortune felt truly wonderful.
However, Qi Ping didn’t let his guard down. After all, this kind of mystical skill must have its limitations. For instance, encountering beings capable of evading such skills, or facing an existence far surpassing his own, could still bring danger.
So, even with [Nature’s Perception] to foresee fortune and misfortune, Qi Ping didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless.
“Ahead should be the mortal world!”
After traveling for a while, Qi Ping sensed the spiritual energy ahead thinning to an almost imperceptible level and knew he was about to leave the realm of immortal cultivation.
This was Qi Ping’s first time setting foot in the mortal world since he had transmigrated.
Only upon sensing the almost non-existent spiritual energy of the mortal realm did he truly understand what “thin spiritual energy” meant. Compared to this, the spiritual energy deep within the Misty Mountain Range was incredibly rich. No wonder it was so difficult for cultivators to remain in the mortal world.
Finally, after traversing a forest filled with poisonous insects and fierce beasts, Qi Ping officially entered the mortal realm.
This forest was the barrier separating the mortal and immortal cultivation worlds. Only cultivators could safely cross it to reach the immortal cultivation realm.
Entering the mortal world, Qi Ping followed the address Old Man Zhou had given him, simulated the route, and skillfully triggered [Nature’s Perception].
He had expected to sense nothing, just like before. However, this time, an auspicious sign appeared in his perception.
“An auspicious sign? How could there be an auspicious sign in the mortal world?”
