Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

247: Little Grey’s chanceLin Jingyu’s expression was calm, his hands moving like butterflies flitting through flowers.

A series of incredibly complex steps unfolded in his hands, yet they flowed like water and clouds, filled with a mysterious and natural aesthetic.

Lin Jingyu was focused, his eyes calm, the Spiritual Qi at his fingertips shifting and changing. Sometimes gentle like a spring breeze caressing a willow, sometimes swift like a sudden clap of thunder, he precisely controlled every subtle change in the medicinal power within the furnace.

The three yang furnace hummed softly, and the Pill fragrance escaping from the gaps in the furnace lid grew increasingly rich and mellow, invigorating anyone who smelled it.

Lin Jingxia held her breath, not daring to exhale, her eyes filled with admiration and shock.

Although she knew her brother’s Alchemy skills were superb, she had never watched him refine such a High Grade Medicinal Pill up close. His effortless, natural demeanor was deeply imprinted in her heart.

About an hour later, when the sun had completely set behind West Mountain, leaving only a brilliant sunset glow in the sky, Lin Jingyu’s hand seals suddenly changed, and he softly shouted:

”Pill complete, open!”

The furnace lid opened in response. In an instant, ten thousand rays of rosy light and a thousand streams of auspicious Qi shot forth.

A strange fragrance, ten times richer than before, soared into the sky, almost materializing.

Five round, flawless, Dragon-eye-sized Spirit Pills, containing precious light within, were visible.

The Spirit Pills, their surfaces circulating with cloud patterns and Pill halos, lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace like works of art. All were High Grade Spirit Pills of extremely high quality.

”Take it, calm your mind, and guide the medicinal power to circulate through your body. No matter what you feel, you must maintain a clear Spirit Platform.”

Lin Jingyu handed a still-warm Transcendence Pill to his sister, speaking solemnly.

Lin Jingxia nodded heavily and placed the Spirit Pill into her mouth as instructed.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering her mouth, instantly transforming into a torrent of medicinal power that was gentle yet vast as the sea, not the fiery heat she expected.

Instead, it was like warm, moist jade liquid, instantly flowing through her limbs and bones, gently yet firmly scouring her Meridians, nourishing her muscles, bones, and internal organs, and washing away the Impurities hidden deep within her body.

She felt warm and tingling all over, as if soaking in a hot spring, every pore breathing happily.

Blockages encountered during past Cultivation were washed away one after another. An indescribably comfortable feeling flooded her entire body, causing her to let out a soft moan.

Gradually, a faint, slightly foul-smelling gray substance slowly seeped out from beneath her skin. Her consciousness slowly sank into a tranquil, Void Gazer-like state, and her perception of the outside world became blurred.

However, just as Lin Jingxia was immersed in the gentle yet powerful medicinal power of the Transcendence Pill, an unexpected change occurred!

Little Ash, the Earth Spirit Rat, who had been quietly squatting in a corner, whose aura seemed much stronger than before, and whose fur was much shinier.

Suddenly, it twitched its nose fiercely, and its small head snapped “swish,” turning toward the segment of gleaming white bone that Lin Jingyu had casually placed on the stone table nearby.

This bone segment was obtained from a very hidden place within the Secret Realm. It looked ordinary, gray and unremarkable, and Lin Jingyu had studied it for a while but failed to ascertain its specific use.

He only felt that its texture was unusual, faintly emitting a strange fluctuation that was extremely ancient and weak, yet fundamentally high-level, so he temporarily set it aside. He hadn’t paid too much attention to it.

But this seemingly inconspicuous bone segment held an irresistible, fatal attraction for Little Ash, one that originated from the deepest part of its Bloodline.

It was the instinctive reverence of a subject toward a sovereign, the desperate craving of a starving person for food, and the ultimate thirst of a dry riverbed for sweet rain.

”Squeak!”

Little Ash let out an unprecedentedly sharp, rapid, and almost frantic squeal of excitement. Its entire body of gray fur instantly bristled, standing straight up.

Its small body trembled violently due to extreme desire.

The next moment, it completely ignored the subtle pressure emanating from Lin Jingyu, suddenly transforming into an almost invisible gray bolt of lightning.

At a speed that surpassed its usual limit, it frantically darted toward the stone table, aiming directly for the gleaming white bone segment.

Its small eyes were bloodshot, containing nothing but pure, frantic possessiveness.

Lin Jingyu reacted incredibly fast. With a slight shift of thought, the bone segment was already captured in his hand.

Little Ash pounced on empty air, crashing heavily onto the stone table with a muffled ”bang.” Yet, seemingly oblivious to the pain, it immediately flipped over, scrambled up, and desperately spun around on the table.

Its tiny paws frantically scratched the hard stone surface, letting out mournful ”squeak, squeak, squeak” cries. The sound was sharp and urgent, and its eyes were filled with extreme craving and pleading.

There was even a hint of desperate madness, as it stared intently at the bone segment in Lin Jingyu’s hand, as if it were the entire meaning of its life.

Lin Jingyu felt surprised and uncertain, his sword-like brows slightly furrowed.

Although Little Ash was highly intelligent, acting so wildly and even daring to ”snatch food” from his hands was unprecedented.

He carefully sensed the bone segment in his hand again. That ancient, weak, yet fundamentally high-level fluctuation was indeed extraordinary. It seemed to contain a trace of extremely thin yet incomparably pure and high-ranking... Demonic Qi?

Or perhaps, it was the Origin mark of life belonging to some ancient, peak creature?

He pondered for a moment, considering a possibility.

The Earth Spirit Rat’s Bloodline is common, but legend holds that its ancestors also possessed an extraordinary Bloodline, which has long since thinned and degraded.

Could this bone segment be the remains of an Ancient Spirit Rat, or even a Demon Emperor possessing the powerful Bloodlines of creatures like the Heaven-Swallowing Rat or the Treasure-Seeking Rat? Did it hold a fatal attraction for Little Ash, promising a return to its Origin and Bloodline advancement?

Looking at Little Ash, who was nearly frantic, pitiful, and filled with extreme craving, Lin Jingyu’s heart stirred.

Little Ash had followed him for a long time, possessed great intelligence, and was deeply loved by Lin Jingxia. If it could use this Opportunity to Awaken its ancient Bloodline...

In the future, it might become a great aid to him, perhaps even growing into the Lin family’s Guardian Spirit Beast.

”Forget it. Fortune and disaster are intertwined; risk often coexists with Opportunity. I’ll grant you this good fortune; let’s see what your personal destiny holds.”

He stopped hesitating and carefully brought the gleaming white bone segment to Little Ash’s mouth.

An extremely strange scene unfolded!

The strange bone segment, which appeared hard and which Lin Jingyu couldn’t damage even with his full Spiritual Qi, instantly touched Little Ash’s constantly twitching pink nose and eagerly extended tongue.

It seemed as if ice and snow had met the blazing sun, or as if it had encountered a force of similar Origin drawing it in, and it began to rapidly soften and dissolve.

It was not a physical fragmentation, but a fundamental ”return” and ”Fusion”!

It transformed into an imperceptible stream of milky white air, pure and condensed to the extreme, emitting a faint Chaos luster and ancient pressure.

As if possessing life, it was greedily, almost instinctively, and frantically inhaled into Little Ash’s body.

”Squeak...”

Little Ash suddenly let out an extremely sharp, prolonged cry mixed with extreme comfort and a hint of pain. The sound was piercing, actually shaking the bamboo fence of the small courtyard.

Its small body suddenly stiffened, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning, and its eyes instantly widened into perfect circles.

Its pupils contracted, reflecting a brilliant Chaos radiance, before quickly losing focus and becoming blank.

The next moment, the gray fur all over its body moved without wind, standing straight up, making it look like a fluffy ball of fur.

Beneath the fur, countless intricate and complex strange patterns, flashing with faint silver light, appeared on the surface of its skin, as if some ancient Bloodline Runes were being forcibly activated.

A vast, ancient, noble, yet unstable terrifying aura, like a sleeping volcano, suddenly erupted from its small body, instantly sweeping across the entire small courtyard.

An indescribable pressure permeated the air, mixed with primeval savagery and an intent of extreme greed toward heavenly treasures.

The flowers and plants containing Spiritual Qi that Lin Jingyu had just planted in the courtyard actually curled their leaves slightly under this pressure, and their Spiritual Radiance dimmed somewhat.

”This is...”

Lin Jingyu’s pupils contracted, and he was shocked. The level of this aura far exceeded his imagination.

This was definitely not as simple as an ordinary Ancient Demonic Rat Bloodline Awakening!

Little Ash’s body began to tremble violently, as if unable to bear the sudden, immense power within it.

Its small belly swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye. Its skin was stretched transparent, faintly revealing surging, Chaos-colored energy wildly colliding within.

It let out painful, intermittent ”squeak” sounds, and a trace of pale golden blood even overflowed from the corner of its mouth, clearly indicating it was enduring immense suffering.

Lin Jingyu’s expression was grave. Without hesitation, he immediately acted.

He held his fingers together like a sword, gathering pure and gentle Spiritual Qi from the Evergreen Art at his fingertips, mixed with a trace of the calming power of the Spirit Refining Art.

He quickly tapped Little Ash’s forehead, using his own power to help stabilize its rampaging Qi and Blood and guide the chaotic yet immense energy.

With his help, the trembling of Little Ash’s body gradually calmed down somewhat, but the swelling of its belly and the surging energy inside did not diminish.

It seemed to have exhausted all its strength. It closed its eyes, tilted its small head, curled directly into a tight ball of fur, and rolled off the stone table.

With a soft ”poof,” it landed on the ground and completely fell into an unresponsive sleep.

Its breathing became extremely slow and long, as if it had entered a deep state of Turtle Respiration, and its life aura was stable.

But the ancient power within its body, like a dormant Dragon, was slowly and surely undergoing a deeper level of Fusion and transformation with its Bloodline.

The color of its fur visibly became shinier, faintly revealing a noble silver light within the gray.

Its physique also seemed to have slightly expanded. It no longer looked so frail, instead possessing a slightly rounded and vigorous posture.

Lin Jingyu carefully picked up the small ball of fur undergoing transformation in its sleep, clearly sensing the vastness and antiquity of the Chaos energy within it.

”What a little fellow blessed with deep good fortune... If it manages to wake up successfully this time, it will truly be reborn.”

He muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

He took out a special Spirit Beast Bag that he had prepared long ago.

This bag was woven from a mixture of Ice Silkworm Silk and Void Gazer Stone fragments. It contained a small internal space and was inscribed with runes for gathering Spiritual Qi, stabilizing the soul, and calming the mind.

It was spoils of war obtained from a certain Demonic Cultivator and claimed by Lin Jingyu.

Originally, he planned to use it to raise a pet with potential, but he never expected to use it on Little Ash, this small Spirit Beast he had never valued highly.

He lined the inside with soft Cleansing Heart Grass and Warm Jade fragments before carefully placing Little Ash inside, tying the opening shut, and hanging it on his waist.

After dealing with Little Ash’s transformation, Lin Jingyu finally relaxed slightly, turning his gaze toward his sister, Lin Jingxia, who was still immersed in the medicinal power of the Transcendence Pill.

Seeing her face was rosy, her breathing steady and long, and faint dirty Impurities continuously being expelled from her body, then dissolved by the medicinal power, she was clearly in the critical stage of Marrow Cleansing and Muscle Transformation, and everything was proceeding smoothly.

He felt relieved, waved his hand, and cast a Cleansing Art, cleaning up the mess and bloodstains in the courtyard.

Having finished all this, he slowly walked to the window and pushed open the wooden frame.

Outside the window, the setting sun had completely sunk behind West Mountain, and the last streak of brilliant sunset glow in the sky was about to be swallowed by the ink-blue night curtain.