Chapter 36: Cultivation Advantage
The immense yet gentle energy filled the bug's body, forming a dazzling cocoon of light.
Fu Shaoguang felt like he had become an egg again.
Warm, comfortable, and secure!
Keeping his mind focused, he circulated his magic power according to the method taught by the Instructor, refining the energy.
His magic power grew at a visible rate.
His bug body was also strengthened by the energy nourishment.
Wind rustled the bamboo forest, and leaf shadows danced.
On a bright moonlit night, inside the Bamboo Tower.
The candlelight flickered. Empress Yuli still maintained her three-inch stature—well, Fu Shaoguang was small!
Impatiently, she opened the book. The moment her eyes fell upon it, her expectant expression was struck by lightning. She instantly gritted her teeth, her face revealing undisguised disgust and unbearable distress.
"This Old Mother has achieved sentience and cultivated for over three hundred years, so I consider myself well-informed. But this is the first time I've seen handwriting so shockingly ugly. It truly means I've lived long enough.
This Fu Bug is truly... unique."
Their first meeting involved Killing.
Their second meeting involved ugly handwriting.
This was very different from how Little Plum Blossom described him.
Indeed, just like her, he is very... focused on image management!!!
Remembering that all the poems and essays she had read previously were copied and delivered by Ji Mo, Yu Li said sympathetically:
"It must have been hard on Little Plum Blossom."
As an ink plum blossom and a calligraphy enthusiast.
It must have been mental torture every time she saw Fu Shaoguang write. The fact that she didn't kill this bug already proves her good self-cultivation and appreciation for talent.
Shaking her head, she gathered her scattered thoughts.
Yu Li worked hard on her mental preparation, forcing herself to ignore the handwriting and began to appreciate the text.
After a few breaths, waves began to surge.
She took a deep breath, endured, and endured again, but finally couldn't hold back. She waved and summoned a Hwamei that managed the bamboo forest, ordering the demon to read the text aloud for her.
A good voice paired with a good story is the proper way to enjoy a novel.
Then the confident Hwamei... vomited!
Hwamei: ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3
Empress Yuli: (*ΦdishΦ*)
Four eyes met, communicating silently:
You're exaggerating, little bird.
Why don't you do it yourself?
Then hurry up and vomit, and when you're done, hurry up and read.
Being a bird is hard.
Bei Qian, endure it, it will be over soon!
Hwamei: (ノへ`、)
---
Flowers fall even without rain, catkins drift even without wind.
After three days and three nights, Fu Shaoguang woke up. He stretched his six legs, and although he hadn't achieved a Breakthrough, his energy was exceptionally abundant.
He carefully checked the changes in himself.
His magic power had doubled, his five senses were sharper, he could hear faint sounds ten feet away, accurately distinguish between similar scents, and his three simple eyes could capture more subtle light spots and observe the movement and change of light rays.
Flapping his wings, he flew to the top of an ancient pine tree. Looking down and gazing far across the azure sky, green mountains, and clear waters, Fu Shaoguang felt refreshed and delighted.
This was probably the joy of cultivation progress.
Observing the dews forming on the pine needles, inspiration struck him. He circulated his magic power, and droplets of water condensed, transforming into six one-inch Water Arrows that struck the ground, leaving one-inch pits.
His spirits lifted, and he continued to cast Spells.
The second time, he condensed nine.
The third time, he condensed twelve.
The fourth time... nothing.
His magic power was completely depleted.
Yet, Fu Shaoguang was still invigorated, like a bug encountering good fortune.
The progress in his cultivation brought him mental clarity and inspiration, allowing him to resolve several problems that had troubled him for a long time. The few Spells he practiced saw a surge, advancing from 'Peeking through the Gate' to 'Entering the Hall'.
Water Arrow Technique was one of them.
He had made the eighteenth slight adjustment to the Spell's circulation route, and after verification, it finally showed results.
Before the Breakthrough, he could only draw upon easily accessible water sources like basins, Water Gourds, or ponds, condensing a maximum of three Water Arrows simultaneously, which would completely deplete his magic power.
After the Breakthrough, he could condense six Water Arrows simultaneously, but his magic power would run out after a maximum of two attempts.
Now, his control over magic power had improved, and his reserves had increased. He could not only condense six Water Arrows with less magic power without reducing their potency, but he could condense up to twelve at a time. Both the number of uses and the quantity of arrows increased, and he could even condense Water Arrows from dew, greatly enhancing his self-preservation ability.
Setting sun on the grassy trees, flying catkins drifting down.
Fu Shaoguang, having recovered his magic power, cast Inch of Time Lengthening. A piece of Willow Catkin passing through the courtyard slowed down for two breaths before continuing its drift forward.
Compared to before, the Spell's power had doubled.
The next moment, he cast Flowing Light Technique.
The entire bug's concealment speed was faster, the concealment effect was better, and the magic power expenditure was lower.
More importantly, Fu Shaoguang felt that his cultivation had reached a critical point. He might only need to comprehend a third Spell to achieve a Breakthrough.
---
This was not an illusion.
The Instructor at the Demon Academy had mentioned many times that cultivation in the Technique Realm was both difficult and simple.
The difficulty lay in comprehending Spells that suited oneself. Enlightenment is hard to explain clearly; one must explore it personally.
Even though Zhu Yun and Gongyang Yang had elders teaching them and could practice Spells directly, it was still far from easy to adapt them for personal use, innovate, and comprehend Spells that possessed both racial characteristics and individual style.
The difficulty was even higher than comprehending them independently.
It was like revising a text being harder than writing it yourself.
The simple part was that once enlightenment was achieved, one only needed to accumulate magic power to achieve a Breakthrough step-by-step.
Especially for smaller demons like bugs, small size, low magic power reserves, and weak strength are not necessarily bad things. Conversely, it makes their Breakthrough easier, particularly for short-lived bugs like Fu Shaoguang.
One increase and one decrease—that is the mystery of Heaven and Earth.
While recalling what he had learned, Fu Shaoguang cooked spirit honey Congee. After eating dinner, he flapped his wings and headed to the Demon Academy to report back to the Toad Instructor.
Given the uncertainty and randomness of Breakthroughs and enlightenment, studying at the Demon Academy was flexible. In a situation like Fu Shaoguang's, he only needed to explain the circumstances to the Instructor.
Meeting again after three days.
Gongyang Yang and Zhu Yun were both very enthusiastic.
Zhu Yun asked this and that, while Gongyang Yang held a Bamboo Slip, seemingly reading, but actually listening with his ears pricked up.
Fu Shaoguang didn't hide anything from his friends.
Learning that the chronicles of the great sage was favored by Empress Yuli, they were overjoyed and clamored to see the continuation.
Knowing that their friend had been gifted a Bamboo Glass Fruit by the Empress, greatly increasing his magic power, they were both happy and envious.
Classes ended, and the practice of the zither concluded.
Fu Shaoguang was still escorted home by the two demons.
At midnight, the crescent moon was clear and bright.
After absorbing the Moonlight Essence and completing his health regimen, Fu Shaoguang did not go to sleep as usual, but instead took out two strands of hair.
One was Pig Bristles, and the other was sheep's wool.
He had pulled them from Zhu Yun and Gongyang Yang after obtaining their permission. Tonight, he was going to gift his two friends a good dream.
Circulating the Dream Guiding Art, faint red light spots diffused from his pure white bug body, his transparent wings flapped, emitting mysterious fluctuations, and simultaneously, all six of his legs moved together as he meticulously wove the dreamscape.
The Pig Bristles and sheep's wool spontaneously combusted without fire, turning into two wisps of hazy smoke. They drifted out of the courtyard and would return to Zhu Yun and Gongyang Yang, entering through their Five Orifices to guide them into the dream.
After the Spell was completed, Fu Shaoguang fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next day, dawn broke.
After gathering Qi and eating, Fu Shaoguang continued to visit the Demon Market to appreciate the spring atmosphere, and simultaneously feel the circulation of natural Qi Mechanism throughout the twelve hours of the day.
An hour later, he returned home to rest.
In the evening, the Three Demons reunited at the Demon Academy.
During a free break between classes, Fu Shaoguang asked the two demons for details about their dreams last night.
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