Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

278: Little Grey Wolf awakens”Whoosh!”

A gray shadow, moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, suddenly darted out from Lin Jingxia’s sleeve—or perhaps from a shadow behind her.

Carrying a sharp aura that made one’s hair stand on end, it shot straight towards Lin Jingyu’s face! Its speed was comparable to lightning!

Lin Jingyu’s pupils contracted slightly, and an immediate sense of danger arose in his heart.

But having undergone the tempering of the Sea of Thunder, how quick was his reaction? With a thought, a layer of subtle purple electric arcs naturally appeared around his body.

”Crack!”

The gray shadow collided with the electric arc, producing a soft sound, as if hitting an invisible wall, and its attack immediately stalled.

Only then did the crowd clearly see that the gray shadow was actually a small beast, palm-sized and covered entirely in silver fur.

It resembled a rat but had a pair of eyes as brilliant as rubies, a bushy tail, and short, sturdy limbs. It was currently baring its tiny teeth.

It made ”woo-woo” threatening sounds at Lin Jingyu, but its ruby-like eyes seemed to flash with a hint of curiosity and... familiarity?

”Little Ash! Don’t be rude! That’s my brother!” Lin Jingxia was startled and quickly reprimanded it.

Hearing this, Little Ash immediately retracted its fierce appearance, executed a nimble turn, and darted back onto Lin Jingxia’s shoulder.

It affectionately rubbed its furry head against her cheek, making ”chirp-chirp” sounds of endearment, completely different from its fierce demeanor moments ago.

Lin Jingyu dispersed the protective electric arc, surprise showing in his eyes. He recognized this small beast; it was the young Earth Spirit Rat he had exchanged for at the black market!

However, compared to when he left, the Earth Spirit Rat’s size hadn’t increased much, but its silver-gray fur was glossy and sleek, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

Especially its eyes, which were full of spirituality. The aura emanating from its body even made him feel a trace of Spiritual Pressure—it was definitely not something a Qi Refining stage Yao Beast could possess; it was clearly Spiritual Pressure comparable to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage!

”This... Little Ash...”

Lin Jingxia explained with a hint of embarrassment.

”Brother, not long after you left, it woke up. Then... then it became like this. Its appetite grew huge, and it especially loves eating Spirit Stones and Spiritual Plants.

But its strength has grown so quickly, and it listens to me very well.” She held out her hand, and Little Ash immediately jumped into her palm, behaving extremely gently.

Lin Lingshan smiled wryly from the side: ”It’s more than just obedient; it treats Jingxia as its sole master.

Anyone who gets close to it, except for Jingxia, gets bared teeth. Even I can’t touch it.

Two days ago, a blind First-Tier Middle Stage Yao Beast tried to approach the village, and this little fellow swatted it into meat paste with one claw. That speed and power... it might even be stronger than my full-strength attack.”

Lin Jingyu understood immediately.

After this little guy ate that strange bone, its Bloodline evolved.

Its closeness to Jingxia was a good thing, saving him the effort.

Once a Yao Beast acknowledges a master, especially one whose spiritual intelligence has awakened, they are often more loyal than humans.

”No matter, this is its good fortune, and also Jingxia’s Opportunity.”

Lin Jingyu smiled slightly, knowing that the little guy held no hostility.

It just wanted to show off a bit after becoming stronger.

Unfortunately, compared to Lin Jingyu, it still wasn’t much to look at.

However, with the Family gaining a Foundation Establishment Stage Guardian Beast, security would be greatly enhanced.

He looked at Lin Jingxia.

”It seems your fate with it is deep. Treat it well. Perhaps in the future, you can try signing a more formal Spirit Beast Contract; it will benefit both of you.”

Lin Jingxia nodded happily, gently stroking Little Ash.

Little Ash squinted its eyes comfortably, looking completely relaxed.

Returning to the long-unvisited underground secret chamber, Lin Jingyu found that the Spiritual Qi concentration here had increased significantly since he left.

In the cold pool, milky white spiritual mist perpetually rose and swirled. Clearly, the Spirit Awakening Array and the Spiritual Materials invested were continuously working, further rousing the vitality of the spirit eye.

He first checked the status of the spirit eye, and after confirming everything was developing positively, he began a short period of seclusion. The gains from his trip to Thunder Mountain were too great; he needed time to thoroughly digest and consolidate them.

He first took out the ”Thunder Divine Fruit” obtained from the mysterious youth. The Divine Fruit felt warm to the touch but was as heavy as a mountain, and the pure Power of Thunder Origin contained within made the Thunder Imprint deep in his Divine Soul leap with excitement.

However, he did not consume it immediately, but carefully put it away.

This item was related to the Foundation of his future Foundation Establishment and even Golden Core Dao, and must be used when his condition was most perfect and preparation most complete, to maximize its effectiveness.

Perhaps he could consume it before Foundation Establishment to further enhance his reserves!

Currently, he sat cross-legged beside the Cold Pool, fully circulating the Evergreen Art and the Spirit Refining Art.

Inside the Dantian, the nine-layered Qi Vortex slowly spun, and the Spiritual Qi was dense and magnificent, like liquid mercury.

Using his Divine Sense for internal inspection, he could see that the three Mental Energy Lakes were full of water and sparkling, and his Mental Energy was even more solid and pure than before.

The dark gold Thunder Origin Imprint floated like a star in the center of his Sea of Consciousness, slowly rotating and emitting an imposing aura.

However, the small cluster of flame he had obtained previously through the Grand Supreme Visualization Method still lazily occupied the very center position.

It showed no fear of the Thunder Imprint whatsoever.

It must possess extraordinary qualities, but unfortunately, Lin Jingyu had made no further progress in comprehending it despite spending so much time.

He carefully grasped the Profound Truths of ”Destruction” and ”Rebirth” contained within the Thunder True Intent, using them to verify the continuous cycle of life inherent in the Evergreen Art.

At the same time, he continuously refined his Mental Energy using the Spirit Refining Art, attempting to break through the Bottleneck of the second layer.

The second layer of the Spirit Refining Art was a qualitative leap: power could turn the illusory into reality, condensing into Mental Power, harming people invisibly, and allowing for fine manipulation of external objects, which was highly beneficial for Alchemy, Forming Arrays, and Making Talismans.

Time quietly slipped away during his cultivation.

Half a month later, the door to Lin Jingyu’s Secluded Cultivation Chamber slowly opened.

He walked out, his aura harmonious and contained. When his eyes opened and closed, his Divine Light shone brightly. Clearly, he had thoroughly consolidated the gains from Thunder Mountain, and his Foundation was far more solid than that of ordinary Peak of Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivators.

What pleased him even more was that the Cultivation of the Spirit Refining Art had finally achieved a crucial Breakthrough: the edges of his Mental Energy Lakes could now condense nearly substantial light silver ripples.

Although he was still some distance from condensing a true ”Blade of Mental Power,” manipulating physical objects was no longer difficult. He tested it and could already remotely control a silver needle to perform precise piercing movements.

After exiting seclusion, Lin Jingyu received news from Lin Lingshan: the Southeast Market Town’s annual Large-Scale Auction was scheduled to be held in a few days.

The scale of this auction was unprecedented, and it was said that many good items would appear, with even Qinglan Sect Disciples coming to participate.

Furthermore, Feng Xixi had already sent the Auction Invitation, but seeing that Lin Jingyu was in secluded Cultivation at the time, she did not disturb him.