One hour later, Lin Xuankong slowly opened his eyes during his cultivation. He felt a refreshing ease throughout his body, as if the heavy burden of hundreds of pounds he had constantly carried had suddenly been lifted.
This sense of lightness made Lin Xuankong feel very comfortable. He stood up beside the bed, wanting to stretch. Unexpectedly, as soon as he slightly exerted force with his legs, his body shot up nearly three feet as if he had suddenly become weightless. Astonished, he hurriedly adjusted his posture and landed steadily back on the ground.
Has the strength in my legs truly become this great?
His face was full of surprise. After a moment of thought, he reached out to grab the side of the wooden bed. This old solid wood bed, along with the bedding on it, weighed over two hundred pounds, yet now, with a single grab, he lifted the entire bed with one hand.
It feels so easy!
Lin Xuankong's face was filled with astonishment. The first nourishment from the confluence of the three streams of Pine Crane Transcendent Qi Blood has had such an astonishing effect!
A few days ago, while his strength was near the limit of an ordinary person, it couldn't compare to his current state; he certainly couldn't have lifted the heavy solid wood bed with one hand back then.
After controlling his Qi Blood and setting down the wooden bed steadily, he concentrated on the few large characters in his mind:
Lin Xuankong: Remaining Lifespan 1,168 days
Life Plate: [Vigorous in Old Age]
First Talent of Life Plate: [Old and Wise] Age 59, cultivation speed increased fiftyfold
Realm: Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One Early Stage
Transcendent Qi Blood: 168/100,000
Cultivation Technique: [Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Initial Glimpse 1/4,000]
Then, the four golden-purple large characters [Vigorous in Old Age] shimmered, and the text for the Pine Crane Longevity Technique transformed: [Pine Crane Longevity Technique: Initial Glimpse 1/80].
Feeling all these changes, Lin Xuankong let out a comfortable breath.
His lifespan had lengthened from a mere 3 days to 1,168 days. This Pine Crane Longevity Technique was indeed quite mystical, a far cry from ordinary martial arts. After reaching Entry Level, it truly could extend one's life by three years!
One thousand one hundred sixty-eight days! Compared to the previous mere 3 days of lifespan, that's over 300 times longer!
Additionally, a new realm indicator had appeared in his Life Plate: Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One Early Stage.
While his lifespan increased, he had also broken through to become a true Pine Crane Transcendent Martial Cultivator.
Although he was only at the Early Stage of Layer One, and still quite a distance from Boss Zhang Wu of the Black Tiger Gang, who was at the Late Stage of Layer One, his strength was undoubtedly many times greater than that of Ma Xiong, who had been trailing him!
With this double blessing, Lin Xuankong's heart filled with boundless hope.
I wonder how much longer the next realm of the Pine Crane Longevity Technique can extend life? At least five or eight years, I bet...
With the [Vigorous in Old Age] Life Plate, his chances of survival in this world had greatly increased. Moreover, he had quickly become a true Martial Cultivator, admired by all. If I continue to cultivate diligently every day, how far could I grow?
Thrilled, Lin Xuankong walked to the window and looked into the backyard. Outside, spring rain had begun to fall, and in the continuous night rain, the scenery was somewhat obscure. He could vaguely see, about a dozen paces from the window, an old, dying willow tree quietly changing under the nourishment of the spring rain. From its nearly withered trunk, a few tender green buds had sprouted. Though the buds were small and weak, they were full of life!
Lin Xuankong's lips curled into a smile. A few days ago, I intended to chop down this old willow tree for firewood, but now it seems I should give it a chance to live!
After taking a few breaths of fresh air by the window, Lin Xuankong sat back down on the bed. Excited as he was, he did not feel sleepy. He was waiting to see if the mental confusion, chest tightness, and suffocation he had experienced before would reoccur, now that he had achieved Entry Level in the Pine Skill and his lifespan had significantly increased.
The Fourth Watch passed, then the Fifth. The night rain ceased, and the eastern sky gradually revealed the pale white of dawn.
As time passed, the frequent nocturnal occurrences of mental confusion and suffocation did not appear. Lin Xuankong was finally at ease.
He vaulted out of bed and, with light steps, walked into the outer room. After washing his face, he cheerfully went upstairs, intending to tell the Young Lady the good news of his achieving Entry Level in the Pine Skill.
To his surprise, after knocking a few times, there was no response from the wooden cabin on the second floor.
Lin Xuankong pressed his ear to the wooden door and listened for a while, finding no sound inside.
He pushed the door open and entered, only to see the wooden bed on the second floor neatly made. A faint fragrance wafted through the room, but Lii Xiaolan was nowhere in sight!
Lin Xuankong frowned. If Lan had to leave for some reason, she would definitely have told me... And she wouldn't go to the pharmacy at this hour!
After thinking for a moment, he ran to the back window to look outside. His expression couldn't help but change.
The rain last night had lasted for about six hours, leaving a puddle about ten feet across and half a foot deep in the small backyard. At this moment, Lii Xiaolan, dressed in green, was standing on the water.
Magically, she stood motionless on the water's surface. The water only dipped slightly where she stepped, but she did not sink, nor did her embroidered shoes get even slightly wet. In the morning light, faint water vapor formed a white mist that swirled around her. The scene had an air of Immortal Traces!
Lin Xuankong was inwardly astonished. The Young Lady is clearly cultivating, but what realm has she reached? To be able to stand on water without sinking while cultivating so calmly... that's not something an ordinary Martial Artist can do! Besides, such an exceptionally beautiful person standing on the water amid the swirling white mist looks stunning. If I shouted, would she be startled and fall into the water?
As his mind churned with various random thoughts, he went downstairs and entered the backyard, only to find that the graceful figure on the water had already disappeared.
Then, Lii Xiaolan's voice sounded from behind him, "You've broken through to Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One!"
Why does she always greet people from behind? Lin Xuankong was speechless.
But soon, a smile appeared on his face again. I reached Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One Early Stage in just thirty days! The Young Lady will surely be very surprised when she finds out!
Lin Xuankong turned around, his voice filled with some joy and a bit of pride, "It's all thanks to the Young Lady's excellent guidance!"
Hearing the joy and pride in his voice, Lii Xiaolan gave him a sidelong glance.
"Such a cultivation speed is barely acceptable, almost keeping up with the speed I had when I first started cultivating the Pine Crane Longevity Technique!"
Lin Xuankong's expression froze. Almost keeping up with the Young Lady's cultivation speed? But I have a fiftyfold cultivation speed boost... Is the Young Lady's talent really that strong?
Seeing Lin Xuankong staring at her in a daze, Lii Xiaolan maintained a serene demeanor. However, her small, fair hand, hidden in her long sleeve, was awkwardly fidgeting. Inside her beautiful embroidered shoes, her toes were also awkwardly clenching the soles...
How infuriating! My little old husband reached Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One so quickly! Ordinary Martial Cultivators might take six or seven years to achieve that, and even I took six or seven months to reach Layer One! How awkward! Will he see through my bluff? No, definitely not! I bluffed so naturally, he shouldn't be able to tell!
Her small, fair hand fidgeted awkwardly again. She coughed and decisively changed the topic.
"Since you've achieved Entry Level in the Pine Skill and broken through to Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One, relying solely on the Heart Method and Breathing Technique will cause your cultivation progress to slow down.
You need to start practicing the Cangsong Body Forging Posture, and should also use some more Qi Blood-nourishing medicines to lay a solid foundation at the Pine Crane Transcendence Layer One Early Stage!
Moreover, you should also start practicing the Spiritual Crane Finger technique, which is used for combat!"