Chapter 12

After a trip to the market, Yang Tiangang and his son returned home with a bountiful harvest. When they talked about how Yang Junshan had discovered the green-red steel and the Dharmic Profound Pill, the whole family was pleasantly surprised. Han Xiumei, who had been somewhat troubled by the events at Bai Que Mountain, also broke into a smile, as the three Dharmic Profound Pills would greatly benefit her cultivation.

In the evening, amidst the cheers of Yang Junping and Yang Junxin, the family enjoyed another sweet and fragrant spirit rice meal. Afterwards, Yang Tiangang called Yang Junping to the side room for a medicinal bath. Yang Junping, who was already ten years old, was about to undergo a talent test. To prepare for the cultivation that would follow after measuring his spiritual acupoints, families with cultivation backgrounds would make early preparations for their children.

Although the Yang family in Chenyu County was considered a prominent clan, they only had some rudimentary body-strengthening medicinal formulas. Despite having separated from the main family, Yang Tiangang had still made preparations for his children within his means, just as he had done for himself in the past.

Yang Junshan returned to the spirit well to prepare for cultivation. Originally, the well was covered with a stone slab engraved with runes to prevent the spirit energy inside from leaking out. Only martial realm cultivators like Yang Tiangang could open it. Now, to facilitate Yang Junshan's cultivation, his father would open the well in advance when it was time for him to start.

The quiet backyard was filled only with the chirping of insects in the grass. The silver moonlight cast a serene glow, making it an ideal time for focused cultivation.

Yang Junshan sat cross-legged beside the well and first circulated the Earth Spirit Technique for one cycle, further adapting to the modified spirit technique. Then, he took a Spirit-Inducing Pill from a wooden box and placed it in his mouth.

Unlike spirit pills, which dissolve in the mouth and leave a fragrant taste, the medicinal pill needed to be chewed and swallowed. The taste of the pill, due to the rough processing of the herbs, was bizarre and varied. To neutralize these flavors, a large amount of honey was often added to the pill.

The Spirit-Inducing Pill, once chewed, emitted a foul odor. Despite the honey, the sweet and foul taste was even more nauseating. Even though Yang Junshan was prepared, he almost vomited when he chewed it.

Holding his breath, he chewed hastily and pinched his nose to swallow the medicinal paste. Without circulating the spirit technique, he drank a jar of spirit water in one go, feeling the foul taste dissipate. Only then did he calm down and begin to circulate the Earth Spirit Technique.

It was only because Yang Junshan's body housed a soul with a hundred years of experience that he could so quickly immerse himself in cultivation despite the strange taste. He could already feel a surge of spirit energy rising in his abdomen, though not particularly abundant, it was denser than the spirit energy from the well.

The circulation of the Earth Spirit Technique in Yang Junshan's body became smoother with each cycle, drawing a strand of spirit energy from his abdomen to fill the meridians and blood vessels around his two spiritual acupoints.

Although the spirit technique he cultivated was highly efficient in condensing and utilizing spirit energy, some of the spirit energy from the pill was inevitably wasted during the cultivation process.

Yesterday, Yang Junshan had specialized in the Earth Spirit Technique, compressing the spirit energy he had accumulated over a year by half. However, since he had already cultivated the first level of the mortal realm to perfection, the meridians and blood vessels around his two spiritual acupoints had been expanded. Now, he only needed to replenish the insufficient spirit energy, making it much easier for him to restore the first level to perfection.

After three cycles of the spirit technique, the spirit energy from the pill in his abdomen was completely absorbed. If he had used the family's traditional Earth Spirit Technique, it would have taken four to five cycles to fully refine the pill. However, each cycle of the latter was much faster.

By the time the moon was high in the sky, Yang Junshan had swallowed a second Spirit-Inducing Pill, endured the unpleasant taste, and drank the remaining half jar of spirit water. He then began another three cycles of cultivation, which took much less time this time.

The next morning, after only a little over an hour of sleep, Yang Junshan was already energetic, practicing the Mighty Ox Fist in the courtyard. His movements were more powerful and his skills more evident, even he could feel his improvement.

Han Xiumei also praised him with a smile, "Shan'er has truly opened up. Look at how he performs the fist set; he doesn't look like a beginner who has only practiced for a year. I think he has at least ten years of experience. Husband, could you have been as good as our son when you were young?"

Yang Tiangang, who was washing the riding beast, had actually been paying attention to Yang Junshan's practice. Hearing his wife's question, he quickly refocused on the beast and grunted, "He's just made a little progress. He still has a long way to go!"

After nearly two decades of marriage, Han Xiumei knew exactly what her husband was thinking and couldn't help but giggle at his words.

Yang Junshan's rapid progress in body-strengthening techniques was mainly due to the recovery of his past memories and experience. The cultivation of the Earth Spirit Technique, which was known for its slow but substantial accumulation, had also helped him recover a significant portion of his first level cultivation. This made his fist techniques feel like they were advancing at an incredible pace.

After completing one set of the Mighty Ox Fist, his younger brother Yang Junping finally emerged from his room, washed his face with cold water, and stood behind Yang Junshan, joining him in the practice. Yang Junshan smiled at his brother's flushed face, knowing that the family's medicinal bath formula would keep him excited and unable to sleep, leaving him groggy in the morning, just as he had experienced himself in the past.

After the second set, his younger sister Yang Junxin, who had been forced out of bed by Han Xiumei, reluctantly joined in, mumbling incoherently. Only after a few scoldings from Han Xiumei did she finally muster the energy to practice the Mighty Ox Fist.

Han Xiumei was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, while Yang Tiangang, who had already tended to the two riding beasts, was sitting on a stone grinder in the corner of the yard, smoking a pipe and watching his children practice.

Yang Junshan felt a pang of sadness at the scene before him. Such moments were common in his past memories, but in his previous life, he had lived for a hundred years as a lonely soul, with no family by his side, a life of utter loneliness and desolation.

Such a scene would never happen again in this life!

Yang Junshan clenched his fists tightly, his determination turning into a fierce expression. He roared and delivered the final move of the Mighty Ox Fist, and a faint, deep sound seemed to resonate from within his body.

Although his siblings were unaware, Yang Tiangang, who was about to inhale a puff of tobacco, suddenly heard something. His eyes widened as he looked at Yang Junshan, but the smoke got stuck in his throat and rushed up his nose, causing him to cough violently, unable to focus on anything else.

For breakfast, they had thick spirit rice porridge. Even the youngest sister knew that her mother was preparing these meals to support her brother Yang Junping's trip to Bai Que Mountain.

After breakfast, Yang Tiangang and his wife led the riding beasts to the spirit field, while Yang Junping took his sister to play with Yang Qianhai and Yang Baoliang, who had come to visit.

Taking advantage of the quiet at home, Yang Junshan returned to the spirit well in the backyard to continue his cultivation. He aimed to restore his spirit energy to the first level of perfection by the next day, as this would greatly increase his chances of success at Bai Que Mountain, thanks to the substantial spirit energy cultivated through the Earth Spirit Technique.

However, the effectiveness of daytime cultivation was clearly inferior to that of nighttime. By noon, Yang Junshan had only managed to refine one Spirit-Inducing Pill.

As for the spirit energy from the well, although Yang Junshan could multitask, the noisy daytime environment distracted him too much, making it impossible to maintain a calm mind, let alone multitask during cultivation.

If only there was a small house over the well, it would block out the daytime noise and retain the spirit energy from the well, making it a perfect place for seclusion.

However, a seclusion place was not easy to build. Safety and secrecy were the top priorities, followed by considerations of spirit energy and ley lines. The Yang family's residence was not a secret location, and the spirit well was well-known. A simple pavilion to shield from the elements was feasible, but a seclusion place was beyond the means of the Yang family.

The afternoon cultivation was even worse. Unable to multitask and harness the spirit energy from the well, Yang Junshan returned to his room to refine the Spirit-Inducing Pills alone, which proved to be more effective. By dinner, he was just one step away from restoring his first level of perfection.

That night, after refining the fifth Spirit-Inducing Pill from the wooden box, his cultivation finally returned to the first level of perfection, and the concentration of spirit energy around his two spiritual acupoints was almost double what it had been before.

Looking at the cold crescent moon in the sky, Yang Junshan silently encouraged himself. Tomorrow would be the first step in making a change. He had to succeed!