My rank has slipped a place! Brothers and sisters, push with all your might and charge back up!
－－－－－－－－－ Ye Qin named these rays of light "White Rays." Counting carefully, there were about one or two dozen of these White Rays. He stared wide-eyed, staying obediently within the halo surrounding the Natal Primordial Spirit Tablet, daring not to move rashly.
In his heart, he silently prayed that these White Rays would not approach his location. However, Gray Island was only about a li in circumference.
As they drifted about, one strand eventually drifted near the Natal Primordial Spirit Tablet, touching the protective bubble of the Tablet. It then blindly drilled inside, swimming aimlessly within the bubble, paying no mind to Ye Qin, the small orb of light also inside.
When Ye Qin saw it plunge in, he was nearly frightened into limpness, desperate to flee and get far away from the Tablet's halo. But he quickly regained his composure.
It was because, unlike when he encountered the Violet Lightning, he didn't feel an instinctual, overwhelming terror that left him with no thought other than escape. This strand of White Ray, approaching him, instead brought him a profound sense of joy.
It seemed, then, that this White Ray posed no threat to him. Ye Qin became happy.
He had finally encountered a benevolent entity in this boundless void. He began to drift slowly towards the White Ray, intending to touch it and greet it.
Unexpectedly, the moment he made contact with the strand of White Ray, it suddenly merged with his own light orb body. In that instant, Ye Qin felt his faint, light-orb body become minutely stronger, glowing just a tiny bit brighter.
Though the growth was minuscule, he sensed it clearly—like having consumed a tonic. All fatigue and drowsiness vanished, and his spirit became invigorated.
Ye Qin blinked in astonishment, then nearly cried out in excitement. These White Rays, whose origin he didn't know, were actually his "food," capable of making him brighter and stronger.
This eliminated any hesitation in Ye Qin. He quickly scanned the entire island, finding no trace of Violet Lightning nearby.
Ye Qin immediately shot out of the Natal Primordial Spirit Tablet's protective halo and drifted toward the White Rays. In no time at all, he managed to capture and "consume" every drifting White Ray.
This caused his light orb body to brighten ever so slightly again. Ye Qin couldn't help but sigh inwardly, regretting that the White Rays here were too few; not enough for him to "feast" even a few times.
It would have been wonderful if there were more. After filling himself, Ye Qin dared not linger on the floating island any longer.
He rushed back to the center of the island where the Natal Primordial Spirit Tablet resided, hiding back within its protective bubble. Gray Eagle Peak, beneath the massive boulder.
Ye Qin, sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes. He moved his hands down from his chest to his dantian, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, then ceased his cultivation technique.
His gaze seemed to hold a renewed sharpness, appearing much more penetrating, and his mind felt significantly clearer. Yet, he remained puzzled.
What exactly was the cultivation mantra for the upper scroll of the Script of Sitting in Forgetfulness,
He still couldn't clearly articulate what that effect was, but at the very least, it proved tremendously helpful for strengthening his spirit, so it wasn't entirely useless. Over the following days, Ye Qin repeatedly tested this process.
He gradually discovered a few tricks. Every time he completed one major circulation cycle, an extremely faint trace of energy would form within his body, which disappeared upon reaching the Niwan point between his eyebrows.
Simultaneously, a strand of White Ray, several inches long, would appear on the floating island. Could this be the Yuan Qi mentioned in the book?
Ye Qin could cultivate seven major cycles daily, and precisely seven strands of White Ray would appear on the floating island, no more, no less. Clearly, the faint energy he cultivated was not vanishing but was instead transferring to this floating island.
Then, he would enter the island as a white light orb and "eat" those strands of White Ray. The thin, dim light orb gradually became slightly denser.
This process was extremely slow, requiring continuous accumulation over years to solidify the orb. As for how long it would truly take for the dim orb to fully solidify, that was hard to determine.
After considerable thought, Ye Qin decided to stop cultivating
Time slipped by quickly. After Ye Qin gathered medicinal herbs valued at five silver leaves, he returned to the Herb Gathering Hall in Zhuqi County Town to submit his monthly quota.
He rested for a day in the county town. Having nothing else pressing to do, and possessing few partners or friends—only knowing his Master, his martial siblings, and Da Niu—he greeted these few people and set off again on his journey to gather herbs.
Winter passed, and spring arrived. The first year of being an apprentice herb collector passed in a blur.
After surviving a crisis where he was nearly shredded by a flock of Gray Eagles while climbing a cliff, Ye Qin realized his martial arts were insufficient. From then on, he stopped gathering herbs in dangerous locations; he absolutely refused to set foot in places like sheer peaks, precipices, deep gorges, or swamps.
He only collected herbs in the relatively safer forests, plains, and hills. Even when encountering wild wolves, he could escape thanks to his exceptionally strong physique.
Moreover, he only collected herbs totaling the minimum requirement of five silver leaves, never gathering more. He dedicated all his remaining time to intensive cultivation, trying every possible method to improve his cultivation level.
Because Ye Qin's herb collection volume was so low, his Master, Wang Hong, became distinctly dissatisfied. Other apprentice collectors could gather herbs worth ten silver leaves in a month, yet Ye Qin consistently maintained the meager amount of five silver leaves.
Herbalist Wang sternly warned him that if he couldn't collect more herbs each month, he would remain an apprentice collector his entire life, working until he dropped without any chance of advancing to Herbalist Craftsman. Without that promotion, he would never enjoy the benefits that came with it—a higher status in the Herb Gathering Hall, greater monetary rewards, an independent tiled-roof house in the county town, and even the right to marry female disciples trained by the Hall.
Apprentice collectors were afforded none of these privileges. After severely scolding Ye Qin, Herbalist Wang's expression softened slightly.
He began to persuade Ye Qin earnestly, saying he still held high hopes for him, considering him the most promising among the five apprentices who started at the same time. Ye Qin was already fifteen or sixteen, no longer young, and it was time to think about his future.
If he worked hard for a few years, he could quickly become a Craftsman, take a wife, and raise a few sturdy little ones—what a wonderful life that would be! He urged Ye Qin to look at Yang Yicheng and Feng Xiao, who were both working desperately, determined to become Craftsmen.
The girls, Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying, were growing prettier too; he shouldn't let them be snatched away by others! －－－－－－－－ Advertisement: My friend's book, Rebirth: Las Vegas, ID 1334980.
The Red Youngster bravely ventures into the Las Vegas underground fighting circuit, using it as a foundation to dominate MG politics.
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