When Qi Ping summoned his Fire Intent, his Dao Heart Artistic Conception naturally fused with it.
This fusion process didn’t encounter any obstacles or hiccups whatsoever.
“The Dao Heart realm truly is the core of a cultivator’s control over the might of Heaven and Earth. After comprehending the first realm of the Dao Heart Artistic Conception, my control over spiritual power, my physical body, and the power of laws has increased so dramatically!”
The difference between this feeling and before completely comprehending the Dao Heart Artistic Conception was like night and day.
Now, Qi Ping was as familiar with his own strength as a fishmonger who had slaughtered fish for decades was with his filleting knife. His control over his own power was remarkably high.
Before, without the Dao Heart Artistic Conception, his control was akin to that of a novice just learning how to clean fish.
The gap between the two was undeniably vast.
This was also the terrifying disparity between true cultivation geniuses and ordinary cultivators.
Next, Qi Ping called Ya Ya down to spar and test this new power.
After some fighting, Ya Ya looked at Qi Ping with astonishment:
“Caw, caw. (Boss, is this special power the artistic conception you comprehended?)”
Ya Ya could distinctly feel a very unique power resisting its attacks.
Under the influence of this special power, Qi Ping’s spiritual defense was extremely high, and all the techniques he executed carried this unique energy.
Every attack Ya Ya made, regardless of the angle or method, couldn’t avoid being blocked by this power, making the fight incredibly frustrating.
Conversely, Qi Ping was having a great time. With this special power, he clearly felt his spiritual energy and techniques were imbued with a “protective attribute” that could effectively block and weaken any attacks he received.
Moreover, this layer of power covered every corner around and within his body, allowing it to quickly block attacks of any form, significantly enhancing his reaction ability and speed when facing assaults.
“Although this power isn’t particularly offensive, the defensive capability of this protective attribute is really quite strong!”
Having experienced this attribute in combat, Qi Ping was immensely satisfied.
With his current strength, he could completely withstand any form of attack from Ya Ya!
It was important to remember that Ya Ya’s strength was nothing to scoff at. Previously, that genius demoness from the Demonic Abyss Sect, who had comprehended Demonic Intent, was still slain by Ya Ya in a desperate fight. While there was an element of type advantage, it still spoke volumes about Ya Ya’s power.
But now, with the protective attribute from his Dao Heart Artistic Conception bolstering him, Qi Ping felt little pressure defending against Ya Ya’s attacks.
Qi Ping’s survival ability had increased once again!
“Yes, this is the special power I gained after comprehending my Dao Heart Artistic Conception. Its main attributes are protection and defense, effective against attacks of any form!” Qi Ping affirmed in response to Ya Ya’s question.
“Caw, caw. (This protective attribute is so powerful!)”
“Caw, caw. (Even with my full offensive power, it’s very hard to injure you now, boss. Instead, every attack makes me feel particularly uncomfortable!)”
Feeling this power, Ya Ya couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
However, the cultivation systems for spirit beasts and human cultivators were different; it couldn’t cultivate Qi Ping’s system.
Sensing Ya Ya’s envy, Qi Ping comforted it:
“When you awaken your Solar Body, that’s when you’ll truly grasp the power of the Sunfire Crow. Your combat strength can increase significantly then!”
“Caw, caw. (Don’t worry, boss! Ya Ya will work hard!)”
“How long until you break through to the second rank?”
“Caw, caw. (Probably within a month, and maybe I can awaken the Solar Body simultaneously!)”
At this, Ya Ya’s tone became somewhat proud. This was the result of its day and night cultivation efforts.
“Good. I’ve also cultivated the high-year spiritual herbs prepared for you. I’ll have the bees turn them into honey right away…”
“Caw, caw. (Thank you, boss!)”
After testing the strength increase from comprehending the Dao Heart Artistic Conception, Qi Ping was very pleased.
Nothing made him happier than an improvement in his survival capabilities.
Immediately after, Qi Ping handed over the cultivated spiritual herbs to the Brewer Big-Bellied Bees: 350-year-old first-rank mid-grade Fire Spirit Grass, nearly 300-year-old first-rank high-grade Fire Dew Grass, and a mix of other supplemental herbs.
Currently, herbs of this age were the limit of the level three [Plant Growth] skill. Moreover, the difficulty increased the older they got.
Therefore, Qi Ping would have to wait until the Plant Growth skill reached level four to cultivate the 500-year-old Blood Ginseng.
However, even 300-year-old spiritual herbs possessed extremely potent efficacy. Qi Ping had cultivated two of each type, which should be more than sufficient to support Ya Ya’s breakthrough to the second rank.
If there was any leftover that Ya Ya couldn’t use, Qi Ping could save it for his own breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
After handling the spiritual herbs, Qi Ping rested for another two days. Feeling it was about time, he then enthusiastically began researching formations again.
Only this time, Qi Ping wasn’t studying fire-element formations; he started researching the setup of illusion and concealment formations.
Qi Ping could now easily set up first-rank mid-grade formations, making him a bona fide first-rank mid-grade formation master.
“It’s time to start researching illusion and concealment formations!”
“First-rank mid-grade illusion and concealment formations should be sufficient to ensure my concealment in the Misty Cloud Mountains for the time being.”
“After all, the location I’ve identified is truly in the middle of nowhere. Several months of observation revealed not a single person passing through, with very few birds and beasts either.”
“The current situation is unstable. It’s better to quickly establish a preliminary base in the territory and move important things like the spiritual herbs and the Spirit Source Stone Pillar there for cultivation first. Hilltops Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine can still be retained as decoys…”
Proving Qi Ping’s concerns were not unfounded, about a week after he began researching illusion and concealment formations, Meng Yan sent a message via a communication talisman.
[Brother Qi, due to the consecutive deaths of disciples sent to Qing Stone County by the hostile sect, there is a possibility of Foundation Establishment cultivators being deployed in the near future. Please be extremely cautious!]
[I will inform Brother Qi if I obtain more detailed information later…]
Seeing this message, Qi Ping couldn’t help but frown.
Although Meng Yan had mentioned a while ago that Qing Stone might become a Foundation Establishment battlefield, and Qi Ping had made some preparations, hearing the news now still caused him some anxiety.
After all, those were Foundation Establishment cultivators. Currently, neither Little Flower Fairy nor Ya Ya had broken through to the second rank. Even if the bee swarm had the potential to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, if it came at the cost of heavy casualties, it would still feel like a losing proposition for Qi Ping.
After all, this swarm of ten thousand combat bees was Qi Ping’s ultimate trump card and his greatest reliance for escape. Using them might deplete their numbers significantly, and cultivating a new swarm would take considerable time.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Qi Ping would never use the bee swarm against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Thus, Qi Ping could only accelerate his research on formations, hoping to establish his secret territory as quickly as possible.
However, just one week later, Qi Ping encountered a piece of good news:
Ya Ya was preparing to break through to the second rank!
