Cultivation System: Stronger with Age Chapter 4: After the modification - 3 He Turns Out to Be a Genius

"Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not at Entry Level 2/60"

Lin Xuankong's face lit up with greater delight as the progress jumped by two points.

As explained in the Heart Method, every cycle of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique brings minor shifts to one's foundation and physique, yet these alterations remain incredibly faint. In most cases, they pale in comparison to the dramatic changes he was witnessing!

Settling cross-legged onto his bed once more, Lin Xuankong quietly activated the Heart Method. But after just dozens of breaths, his Heart Spirit started to blur. On top of that, one point vanished from the five Qi Blood points shown in his status bar. He promptly halted the circulation and let his body unwind.

This realization sparked a spark of hope in Lin Xuankong's eyes. His life was drawing to a close, marked by humiliations from Zhang Wu and his cronies. The profound Pine Crane Longevity Technique represented his path to reversing his fate.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Throughout those ten days, Lin Xuankong cultivated tirelessly without rest.

Each day, Lii Xiaolan donned a disguise, headed out to gather herbs for nourishing Qi and Blood, prepared the decoction, and delivered it to his room.

Yet, as the Eldest Miss's personal maid, this young woman surprisingly lacked skill in cooking. Lin Xuankong ended up preparing his own meals, whipping up simple vegetable porridge daily.

Despite their poor conditions and absence of seasonings, his cooking prowess impressed. The porridge turned out perfectly textured, with fresh and delicious vegetables. The young lady clearly savored every bite!

After days of close companionship, the subtle barrier between them slowly faded away.

「This morning,」

Upon completing his cultivation session, Lin Xuankong detected an odd sensation.

Normally, the Qi Blood nourishing his body would settle down gradually after cultivation ended.

But this time, following his exercises, a slender thread of Qi Blood refused to calm. Instead, it traced the Heart Method's route, circulating independently and drawing all other Qi Blood into a cluster.

"Transcendent Qi Blood!" Lin Xuankong exclaimed in thrilled surprise.

The Heart Method described how, after flesh and blood absorbed deep nourishment from Pine Qi Blood, a strand of Pine Crane Transcendent Qi Blood would emerge on its own. With diligent practice, accumulating three strands and fortifying the Qi Blood enables entry into the first layer of Transcendence, bestowing the power of a thousand catties!

The Heart Method also noted that Pine Skill served as a building Inner Strength method. Typically, it took cultivators one or two years of steady practice for the first Transcendent Qi Blood strand to form.

[Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Not at Entry Level 20/60]

Eyes fixed eagerly on the Pine Crane Longevity Technique's progress, Lin Xuankong grinned widely at the climb to twenty points, brimming with deep contentment.

Bursting with elation, Lin Xuankong glanced outward and marveled to find his once foggy, dim old eyes clearing up under the Transcendent Qi Blood's nurture!

Dawn had just broken.

Even though the room stayed dimly lit, he could make out every detail in the corners of the rundown wooden structure!

Stepping to a corner, he eyed a round iron ball discarded there—forged from Zhang Wu’s Hundred-refined Steel Saber, tipping the scales at seven or eight catties.

Lin Xuankong crouched, extended his hand to seize the iron ball, and hoisted it effortlessly with one arm. It weighed next to nothing, as though he could juggle four or five more with ease!

Recalling how he previously couldn't budge this iron ball at all, Lin Xuankong's heart raced with exhilaration.

"Huh?"

A voice tinged with mild surprise from Lii Xiaolan echoed behind him.

That sound made Lin Xuankong's heart thump suddenly.

Twisting his head, Lin Xuankong caught sight of Lii Xiaolan's lovely face regarding him with faint astonishment.

Her luminous eyes roamed up and down his form repeatedly. After her intense scrutiny left him slightly uneasy, she finally asked, "You’ve already cultivated Pine Crane Transcendent Qi Blood?"

With the young lady having noticed already, Lin Xuankong saw no reason to conceal it. "It’s all thanks to you teaching me the cultivation technique, and those Qi Blood nourishing soups!"

Lii Xiaolan gave a faint shake of her head. "The Qi Blood nourishing soups can't compare to the rare elixirs consumed by Huang Family cultivators. They surely aren't what allowed you to form Transcendent Qi Blood. From what I've heard, Huang Family cultivators typically spend around two years practicing before using Pine Skill to generate their initial strand of Transcendent Qi Blood. But you managed it in just ten days. Such a pace in cultivation..."

Her eyebrows knitted together faintly.

"My progress in cultivation has been somewhat rapid," Lin Xuankong remarked. "Maybe it's due to my body being perfectly attuned to Pine Skill!"

Noticing Lii Xiaolan's astonishment, Lin Xuankong provided a light-hearted excuse.

Lii Xiaolan pondered his words, her forehead creased in concentration.

Moments later, the striking features on Lii Xiaolan's face slowly returned to calm.

She adopted a serious demeanor next, imitating an elder of the Martial Dao, "With your solid talent and natural affinity for Pine Skill cultivation, you ought to dedicate yourself fully to training!"

Yet that serious look faded swiftly as her lips twitched into a mischievous smile.

"Having formed Transcendent Qi Blood, you now count as a true Martial Dao practitioner. Lineage holds great importance among Martial Cultivators. You received the cultivation method from me, so starting today, address me as 'Master'!"

Stunned for a beat, Lin Xuankong shook his head vigorously. "We're husband and wife already. Calling each other master and disciple would disrupt all harmony!"

Lii Xiaolan, mid-smile, appeared momentarily startled by his response...

Soon enough, an idea seemed to strike her, and she cast a sidelong look at Lin Xuankong. "Now that Transcendent Qi Blood has fortified your body, get moving and bake those flatbreads! Start bringing in money for our home! Over these last days, all our food, drink, and supplies came from my dowry. Do you realize how many years I scrimped to gather that silver? It's nearly depleted! Beginning today, no earnings means no more Qi Blood nourishing soups for you!"

She hesitated briefly before continuing, "Abundant Qi Blood benefits from extra manual work in cultivation. Now go labor away!"

At her words, Lin Xuankong's grin broadened. "Fine, fine, I'll bring home plenty of silver and provide well for you!"

Saying this, he headed straight to the rear kitchen without awaiting Lii Xiaolan's response.

Lii Xiaolan snorted dismissively, "Hmph, as if I require your care!"

But as Lin Xuankong stepped into the back kitchen and the noises of his preparations reached her ears, the trace of annoyance in her gaze softened further.

She settled at the table, murmuring a sigh over the bizarre geniuses populating the Great Thousand Worlds, before reflecting inwardly: