Who Let Him Cultivate?!

Under the night sky, in a pitch-black, quiet, lonely forest, the bonfire was the only source of light, crackling away and amplifying the silence of the woods.

An open goat carcass, its entrails removed and mysterious herbs stuffed into its body, was placed on top of the fire. A strange dance was performed around it, appearing like a ritualistic offering to a malevolent deity.

This scene was indeed weird, pushing the boundaries of contemporary human aesthetic appreciation.

“What a great idea! Truly worthy of the Barbarian tribe. Their cognitive style is very much like that of their ancestors!” Fairy Eternity said excitedly, seeing an old friend’s reflection in Man Gu.

“True, while those barbarians might look dimwitted, they sure are inventive when it comes to food!”

“Mainly, it’s because the Barbarian tribe is highly self-directed and creative. And of course, not to boast, but I contributed a tiny part to that too.” Fairy Eternity gestured with her thumb and index finger.

Lu Yang believed Fairy Eternity was being too modest. After all, she was the lady who initiated the progress of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe.

“My lady, do you know any magic to control corpses?”

Fairy Eternity mused, “Does the Playing Dead Technique count? It is a magic sought after by the Dragon and Phoenix Tribes. Practiced conservatively, it can be used up to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage.”

“…No, it does not.”

“Then I don’t.”

Lu Yang then thought of another question: “Have you ever used the Playing Dead Technique after becoming a fairy?”

He felt that the Playing Dead Technique might have been Fairy Eternity’s survival tactic when she was weak, but after becoming a legendary figure as the leader of the Five Immortals of the Ancients, she probably wouldn’t need it.

“Yes, I have.”

“Huh? You still play dead even after becoming a fairy?”

This confession made Fairy Eternity blush a little, and she chuckled awkwardly.

“You know I’m not good at handling money. I spent all my spirit stones in a short time and was reduced to poverty.”

“I was too embarrassed to ask for spirit stones from my believers since after all, I am their faith.”

“What should I do if I don’t have any money? I soon came up with an idea.”

“I used the Playing Dead Technique to feign my death. The Yingtian Immortal and the other four would come to mourn for me and give me spirit stones. In this way, I was no longer broke.”

“I used this trick several times and it worked pretty well.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Every aspect of this scenario was problematic to him; he didn’t know where to begin criticizing.

“Another thing, could Man Gu’s Ancient Barbarian Tribe bloodline be temporarily sealed? We got lucky this time, attracting only Golden Core Stage demon beasts. If the next time we run into a Nascent Soul Stage beast, then we’d be in trouble.”

Filled with worry, Lu Yang pondered that if they encountered a Nascent Soul Stage demon beast, Yellow Bean’s fists might not hold up, and they would all have to use their Directional Teleportation Talisman to return to the Demon Suppressing Pass.

“No worries, Man Gu doesn’t need to seal his bloodline. Didn’t you notice at the end of the battle? Man Gu can suppress the Demon Beast with his bloodline.”

“This indicates that Man Gu’s Ancient Barbarian Tribe Blood can tyrannize demon beasts at the Golden Core Stage and below. The Golden Core Stage demon beasts would flee at the sight of Man Gu, while Nascent Soul Stage demon beasts wouldn’t be affected by Man Gu’s Ancient Barbarian Tribe blood.”

“However, things will be different once Man Gu reaches the Golden Core Stage.”

Fairy Eternity analyzed in great detail. As expected of the founder of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe, she was highly competent in her areas of specialty.

Lu Yang heaved a sigh of relief, feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Otherwise, he would be standing on pins and needles for the next few months in the forest.

“Would you like to grow your hair longer? I have a solution.” Fairy Eternity proposed with a smile.

“What’s your solution?”

“I have a set of Ginger Fist methods. Once you learn them, you’ll be able to grow lustrous black hair from your bald head!”

Frankly, Lu Yang was tempted, but considering Fairy Eternity’s unpredictable nature and the absurdity of this so-called ‘Ginger Fist’, he couldn’t help but doubt.

Something seemed off.

“Forget it. My hair will grow back in about ten days to half a month.”

The hair-growing speed of a normal person wouldn’t be this quick, but every night, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou stimulated their scalps with spiritual energy to enhance hair growth, which proved to be quite effective.

Presently, the four of them were devouring their freshly roasted lion meat. Man Gu was hugging the lion’s head and biting into it.

“The Golden Core Stage lion’s meat is indeed tender and juicy.”

“Lu Yang’s True Fire technique is fantastic. Generally, barbecue tends to char on the outside while remaining raw on the inside. But under Lu Yang’s precise control, True Fire burns both the interior and exterior of the meat evenly. He has outdone me in this aspect.” Meng Jingzhou evaluated. When it came to using True Fire, he was no match for Lu Yang.

The fact that he hadn’t even mastered a single True Fire technique was proof that he was inferior to Lu Yang.

Actually, Single Body Spiritual Roots inherently possessed a True Fire called Pure Yang True Fire, which could vanquish all ghosts and spirits and would be automatically mastered once the cultivator reached the Golden Core Stage.

This was quite a formidable talent, but it didn’t seem that impressive compared to Lu Yang’s abilities.

Having eaten their fill, the four prepared to rest.

“I suggest that Junior Sister Tao and I keep watch for the first half of the night, and Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu for the second half. What do you all think?”

“Agreed.”

Both Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had experience of spending nights in the forest, so they must take turns keeping watch.

If Tao Yaoye and Man Gu were left together and something unexpected happened, like an attack from demon beasts or humans, the two might not be able to respond in time.

The forest was not just fraught with demon beasts but also dangerous humans.

While spending nights in the forest with the Five Heroes of Eagle Mountain, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had encountered human attacks.

Luckily, the attackers were mediocre in their cultivation levels and were swiftly defeated by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

The night watch started, and Lu Yang noticed that Tao Yaoye had immediately opened up her spiritual sense to scan the surroundings. He reminded her, “Don’t keep your Spiritual Sense open all the time, or it will be depleted quickly.”

“The night is long, how long do you suppose you can hold out using it like that?”

It wasn’t just Tao Yaoye; even Lu Yang, who possessed spiritual sense comparable to those at Golden Core Stage, wouldn’t dare to use it so recklessly.

“Then, what should I do?” Tao Yaoye obediently retracted her Spiritual Sense.

“Use your eyes to see and your ears to listen. Engage all your five senses to perceive your surroundings.”

“Initially, you might not be accustomed to it, but after a few tries – with your gift – you will easily adapt to this method.”

“Once you get a hang of it, it will prove useful in battles.”

“Don’t rely too much on your Spiritual Sense as one can easily fall into the enemy’s trap if they do.” Lu Yang advised, passing on the lesson taught to him by Fairy Eternity.

Tao Yaoye nodded and began observing her surroundings as Lu Yang had instructed.

Both of them sat quietly, without uttering a single word to each other.

In the second half of the night, they swapped shifts. Tao Yaoye jumped onto a tree, laid flat on a branch, and fell asleep leisurely.

Seeing this, Lu Yang was reminded of their first Skin Peeling Ghost mission to the Shang Family, where Tao Yaoye complained about the bed being less comfortable than the one in the Seek Dao Sect, making it hard for her to sleep.

“It’s not just me who’s growing up.”