It is currently nighttime, just right before bedtime.
In my right hand is the glass bottle I gained earlier. Its shape is similar to Pocari in five hundred milliliters. Its engraving and unusual toughness showcased its specialness.
…
I still can't believe this thing's effects.
Earlier, I probed it with my fingertip. I took out a very small drop. It ended up giving me an effect similar to spiritual plants… but dozens of times stronger.
It is even more potent than anything I ate.
High grade Spirit Roots has a characteristic of storing and processing medicinal effects extremely well. Even if I eat something beyond my level, the Spirit Roots store them within dantians. It holds them in place and slowly applies it to the practitioner.
It's just that…
The small drop I took caused it to be oversaturated. If not for my Spirit Roots, I would have exploded—a complete Qi Deviation.
I am fine with coughing up blood, but that?
Hell no.
Anyways, that small drop is a quarter of a fingernail. It is enough to grow my three dantians further. This effect… I think it will last for a week.
This is the pinnacle of late stage Qi Refining. Given to people in lower realms, it will only be better.
Hence…
"This is…"
"Milk."
"Ah?"
The small drop I took was divided in two before being diluted in water. That small drop caused the water to turn white. Smelling it alone feels very refreshing.
"It helps in practicing. One glass boosts your progress within a week." I explained. "It's something Master gave to me."
"Ah? Isn't it bad..?"
"No."
Bronya did not raise any objections. After convincing Seele, it is a done deal. The two of them drank it in one go. Both of them have different reactions.
"It tastes good!"
"...The Bronya agrees."
Well.
This liquid…
It is a spiritual milk of sorts. I confirmed it this morning with alchemy recipes. These should be second-grade—things Foundation Establishment cultivators use.
Recipes are different from techniques. I need to specify the realm it is on. It also contains much fewer words compared to techniques. I can get dozens of recipes from a single technique quota.
That acts as my final confirmation. I won't give it to others unless it is safe to ingest.
A round of good nights later, I found myself back in my room. The last glass of diluted spiritual milk is given to Kiana.
"Hm? It smells good!" Her eyes shifted between the glass and me. "Was that the thing I smelled in the morning?"
"You smelled that?"
"Of course!"
I am speechless.
When it comes to delicious food, her senses are top-notch.
"Once you drink it, you can complete the middle stage tonight."
"There's such a good thing?!"
Kiana broke through the middle stage in late March. She will originally take four to five months to complete it. The spiritual plants I gave her reduced that time. Add to that our shared progress during two months, she managed to complete the middle stage in less than three months.
My realm is higher than hers. Her Experience Potions will inevitably be more than what I receive.
Tonight…
I formed a connection with Bronya and Seele. It went off successfully. There are no limits with the [Xiutian Jue] except the 'karma' between the two people. As for what karma is needed, the technique went through it vaguely.
Its clearest explanation is this excerpt:
Heaven and Earth as a witness;
A life-long oath to be suppressed;
The Sun and Moon converges;
The Dao is endless.
I tried it on Tesla and Einstein and failed. I don't know what criteria it looks for. The only sure thing I have is that I can bypass this requirement in [Great Accomplishment] mastery, one level above my current level. Moreover, the people I can connect to now will produce even stronger effects in [Great Accomplishment]. It can also share the perception of the Dao and the likes.
It breaks the balance of cultivation. The more people I connect to, the faster my cultivation speed. Reaching the Purple Mansion Realm during four years might not be a dream anymore.
"Can I fly a sword too?" She excitedly asked.
"You need a Sword Heart for that."
"Ah… That's right. I know about it!"
Kiana took the glass and drank it in one go. She forgot about it and hid her embarrassment. It only took two seconds to empty the whole glass.
"Fwa… I never tasted milk like this. Do you have more?"
"...Yeah."
Feeding a glutton is… not that bad. It feels good whenever I see her enjoying cultivation.
I waited for a few seconds. Kiana's expression changed. She must have felt the influx of spiritual qi.
"Practice well. I will give it to you once the effects wear off."
"Um."
Kiana did not even finish her digital HOMU comic before sitting cross-legged. She went to the meditative state right away.
I sat down on my bed. I used my spiritual consciousness to view the mysterious space inside my dantians.
The familiar darkness greeted my sight. It is devoid of everything except the milky clouds floating aimlessly around it. Weirdly enough, I can sense Kiana, Bronya, and Seele inside this space.
The strongest feeling is Kiana, followed by Seele and Bronya. It corresponds to the 'karma' we have.
Then…
It's here.
A head-sized golden cloud floated quietly in front of me. It is shining with a faint rainbow glow.
The [Xiutian Jue] dubbed it as the "Gift of Tao". It manifests whenever a partner of mine progresses in their cultivation realm.
One interesting thing is that the 'upgrades' made using the Gift of Tao does not produce feedback to others. Instead, I have to cultivate on my own to produce a "Gift of Tao" for my partners—the same goes to them.
After that, I can pass their Gift of Tao to them. Distance does not matter. My confirmation is all that's needed to "send" this gift.
Buzz-!
The moment I touched the golden cloud, spiritual qi surged from the small white dot within my dantian. It began to actively push my realm upwards.
It is very small, but it is there.
The effects took a while to end. It did not make noticeable progress. It's understandable considering this is Kiana's cultivation progress in the day.
The empty space began to produce a golden cloud once more, except it is smaller. It is finger-sized at best. Its speed of growth is faster than before, though.
Hm…
I think I should try to find more people to teach. If there are ten people with high grade Spirit Roots to help condense the "Gift of Tao", won't my cultivation speed skyrocket?
For a while, these thoughts remained.