Dual Cultivation System: My Cultivation Was Crippled, So I Rely on Intimacy to Level Up

Chapter 210: Just Finished Farming, Only to be Dragged Off by Senior Sister for Talisman Practice

Zhou Kai hung back at the rear of the crowd, his pace unhurried. He waited until the very last wave of Cultivators vanished behind the light curtain before finally taking a step forward.

A telepathic message had already quietly slipped into He Xinrou’s Consciousness Sea: Proceed as planned. Lead your people south. Advance slowly and steadily. Do not draw attention.

Stepping through the light curtain, the world opened up before him.

This was a vast, seemingly endless valley. The air was so saturated with medicinal fragrance and rich Spirit Qi that it felt almost solid. Just taking a deep breath was enough to clear the mind and invigorate the body.

Ancient, towering trees blotted out the sun, their massive vines coiling up the mountain walls like horned dragons. The dim forest floor was dotted with countless exotic flowers and strange grasses, each shimmering with its own unique spiritual light.

The valley ran east to west, naturally dividing into northern and southern regions. Even from a distance, one could sense that the Spirit Qi in the South Garden was far more abundant, and the scenery infinitely more magnificent.

Zhou Kai did not waste time in the North Garden. His figure blurred into a shadow, darting silently straight for the border between the two zones.

With a flick of his wrist, he released a dozen paper-crane Talisman birds. With a flap of their wings, the little constructs melted into the forest, scattering in different directions. Three of them trailed the Qian Family group from a safe distance.

As for the Asking Star Sect, Zhou Kai wasn’t the least bit worried.

This time, he had not only handed the Split Back Katydid swarm over to He Xinrou, but he had also lent her his three Jade Arm Mantises—his personal trump cards.

With that kind of raw combat power, the Asking Star Sect could walk sideways through the Spirit Medicine Garden.

Finding a treacherous cliff face with a commanding view of the area, Zhou Kai merged into the rocky terrain. He completely retracted his aura and Divine Sense. Like an unfeeling stone, he quietly guarded the only path leading into the South Garden.

…

The first 20 days were unexpectedly peaceful.

The North Garden was massive, and the sheer volume of Spirit Medicine was staggering. Mature Spirit Grasses could be found everywhere.

Most Cultivators were too busy stuffing their pockets to cause trouble. Even if two people spotted the same desired herb, they rarely fought over it unless there was existing bad blood.

After all, no one knew what hidden trump cards the other party possessed. Fighting to mutual destruction over a few stalks of Spirit Grass simply wasn’t worth the risk.

Occasionally, the sounds of combat would echo through the trees, but the spiritual fluctuations always died down quickly. Usually, it was just enemies taking the opportunity to settle old grudges.

Zhou Kai turned a blind eye to all of it. As long as they didn’t cross the boundary into his territory, he couldn’t care less about their petty feuds.

Time ticked away. When the final 10 days arrived, the easily accessible Spirit Medicine in the North Garden was completely picked clean. The atmosphere instantly turned volatile.

Desperate Cultivators, either empty-handed or unsatisfied with their meager hauls, began casting greedy glances toward the South Garden.

Finally, someone couldn’t resist.

A team of eight Cultivators, emboldened by their numbers, made a dash for the southern border.

Zhou Kai sat cross-legged on the cliff, not even bothering to lift an eyelid.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

A streak of light flashed from the forest shadows, moving so fast it was impossible to track. It was his Flowing Light Flying Sword.

The lead Cultivators felt a sudden, icy chill against their throats. Before they could even utter a scream, their heads rocketed into the sky, showering the horrified companions behind them with warm blood.

The brutal display of lethality froze the survivors in their tracks. Scared out of their wits, they scrambled away from the danger zone, crawling over each other in sheer terror.

However, there were always those who valued profit over their own lives. In the face of overwhelming greed, warnings often fell on deaf ears.

Over the next few days, three more waves of Cultivators attempted to breach the line. Without exception, they all met the exact same fate.

Zhou Kai showed absolutely no mercy. He decapitated over 20 trespassers, strung their severed heads together with vines, and hung them across the only path leading to the South Garden.

The gruesome faces, swaying gently in the mountain breeze, served as the most direct, bloody warning imaginable.

From that moment on, not a single soul dared to take another step forward.

Eventually, Zhou Kai stepped out of the shadows and rendezvoused with the Asking Star Sect.

He Xinrou immediately rushed forward, her face flushed with suppressed excitement. She produced over a dozen boxes made of High Grade warm jade and carefully opened the lids.

Inside each box rested a Spirit Medicine practically glowing with spiritual light. They had been meticulously packed in spiritual soil. The roots were completely intact, with not a single drop of medicinal potency lost.

“Senior, these are 15 portions of the primary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill. All of them are over 350 years old.”

“Good.” Zhou Kai nodded in satisfaction. “Your mission is complete. Evacuate the Spirit Medicine Garden immediately.”

“Yes, Senior!” He Xinrou bowed respectfully and led her disciples away without a sound.

After seeing them off, Zhou Kai turned his attention back to the North Garden.

Through the senses of his Talisman birds, he saw that the Qian Family was in trouble.

Because the Qian Family acted as the tax collectors for the new Town Guard Elder, they had offended a vast number of local factions. At that exact moment, a group of seven or eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators, led by the Zou and Wang families, had the 10 members of the Qian Family completely surrounded. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife; swords were drawn and bows were bent.

“Old Man Qian, don’t push your luck!” the Zou Family Patriarch snarled, his face twisted with greed. “Your family has reaped quite the harvest this time. Hand over 30 percent, and we’ll let you walk away. Refuse, and this garden becomes your graveyard!”

The Qian Family Patriarch trembled with rage. “Zou, you go too far! My Qian Family works directly for Elder Li! Are you not afraid of the Town Guard Elder’s wrath?”

“The Town Guard Elder?” The Zou Family Patriarch threw his head back and laughed maniacally. “Old Man Qian, you’ve gone senile! She’s just a newly arrived Golden Core. Do you really think she’ll wage war against the entire market district just to avenge your pathetic family? The law does not punish the masses! There are too many of us. Can she really kill us all?”

“He’s right!” another piped up. “Anyone can work for the Town Guard Elder! Why does it have to be you?”

Just as the Zou Family Patriarch raised his hand to order the slaughter, an indescribable, cataclysmic Aura Pressure crashed down from the heavens without a single warning!

This wasn’t a suppression of spiritual power or Vitality. It was a pure, absolute domination of the soul.

Thud!

The Zou Family Patriarch bore the absolute brunt of it. His knees buckled instantly, slamming into the dirt. He trembled like a leaf in a hurricane, streams of blood leaking from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He desperately wanted to beg for mercy, but the pressure locked his vocal cords. His eyes held nothing but infinite, primal terror.

The other aggressors fared no better. One by one, they collapsed into the dirt, their grand postures reduced to pathetic, groveling messes. They stared at the Qian Family as if looking at ancient demons.

The Aura Pressure arrived like a thunderbolt, and vanished just as quickly.

A single breath later, the suffocating weight was gone.

Pissing and shitting themselves in sheer panic, the Cultivators from the Zou and Wang families scrambled to their feet. Not daring to look back at the Qian Family, they bolted toward the valley exit like madmen, wishing their parents had birthed them with four legs.

The Qian Family Patriarch watched the pathetic retreat, then turned to his stunned clansmen.

“Listen closely,” he ordered. “We only survived today because the Town Guard Elder personally intervened. This matter must never be connected to Young Master Gao, lest we bring trouble to the Senior!”

His clansmen, still reeling from the shock, nodded vigorously.

Not long after, rumors spread like wildfire through the market district: The Town Guard Elder manifested in the Spirit Medicine Garden, using her divine might to crush the greedy. It quickly became the hottest topic among the local Cultivators.

…

Back in the Spirit Mountain cave dwelling, Chen Ziqing was swamped with work. The 20 auction slots for refining Foundation Establishment Pills naturally fell to her, the only Rank 2 Alchemist around.

Zhou Kai, meanwhile, buried himself in a newly excavated section of his cave. He was experimenting with how to cultivate the stolen live Spirit Medicines.

The three primary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill were: Purple Monkey Flower, White Dew Grass, and Meridian Condensing Fruit.

Taking out a Purple Monkey Flower, he used a jade knife to slice off a small section of the stem with the roots attached, along with a few leaves, and replanted it in the rich soil.

Zhou Kai actually knew a thing or two about farming Spirit Grass.

Back in the Chen Family, he had spent 10 years practicing the Azure Spirit Qi Gathering Art to grow fodder for spirit beasts. It was the only wood-attribute growth technique he currently possessed.

Though it was an incredibly low-end technique, it was better than nothing. It was perfect for studying the habits of these High Grade herbs, laying the groundwork for when he inevitably acquired a superior cultivation method.

Circulating the technique, wisps of azure Spirit Qi flowed from his fingertips, seeping into the soil to nourish the fragile root.

A month later, when Zhou Kai checked on his experiment, he was pleased to find that the severed Purple Monkey Flower stem had not only survived but had sprouted a tender, green bud.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he did some quick mental math. The main ingredients needed 300 years of medicinal potency. If he relied solely on the Azure Spirit Qi Gathering Art, it would take roughly 200 real years to reach the required standard.

“Too slow,” Zhou Kai shook his head, though he wasn’t particularly anxious. “You have to eat your food one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time. I’ll get my hands on a high-tier cultivation technique—or even a legendary time-accelerating treasure—sooner or later.”

He had just finished planting a new stalk of White Dew Grass when the Restriction outside his cave chimed.

Zhou Kai opened the stone door, blinking in slight surprise at his visitor.

It was Mo Qianyuan.

She wore her usual loose, plain Daoist robes. Her arms were crossed, her posture rigid, and her face completely devoid of expression. Her dead, unrippled eyes stared straight through him.

“Do you have free time now?” she asked, her voice as flat and robotic as a puppet. “If you are free, come with me to study the Dao of Talismans.”