Cultivating by picking up attributes, I accumulate my strength!

Chapter 17: Chapter 15: Strange Tales from the Ancient

Temple

Translator: 549690339

Time flew by and it’s been a while since he’d sparred with Liu Lingqi in the inner courtyard.

He had several ribs broken during that fight, which were then healed with the Nourishing Body Soup. His Tiger Arm Fist also vastly improved. Upon gaining the attribute “Unparalleled Fist Intent”, his strength increased once more.

The tranquil days passed quickly, and two months have gone by.

It’s nearing December, the coldest season of the year is upon them.

Soft, feathery snowflakes were floating down from the sky.

Despite the frigid weather, Han Ye continued to rise early every morning and began his physical training in the inner courtyard.

This consisted of two main practices: standing stake training, which was most effective in the early mornings, and the Breathing and Exhaling Method, which worked best at sunset when the Heavenly Earthly Spiritual Qi surged, making successful cultivation more achievable.

Next was the cultivation of the Forging Body Four Meridians.

The physical body is equally important in internal cultivation. A strong physique could easily perceive Qi Sense, the foundation for manifesting True Qi. Those who were physically weak and prone to illness should practice with caution.

Practicing internal cultivation on an empty stomach would only result in the depletion of physical strength!

So, eating well was of utmost importance to fill the body with vitality and energy.

He would train from dawn till dusk, afterward he would enjoy a meal before soaking in a medicinal bath to enhance his body conditioning, helping his body recover and replace the Qi and blood that had been lost throughout the day.

This was Han Ye’s favourite part of the day. During this time, he would feel completely relaxed as if soaking in a hot spring, which provided a soothing relief to his tired body.

Even though he possessed the Dragon-Tiger Physique and hence had stamina in abundance, the high-intensity training he performed every day inevitably strained his body.

On these cold nights, it was time for meditation.

Han Ye would sit cross-legged, clearing his mind of any distractions, starting his Breathing and Qi Exchanging Technique.

This method, imparted by the Liu Manor, helped to restore the spirit, harmonize the mind and spirit, and visualize the Heavenly Earthly Spiritual Qi converging at the Dantian. He believed that it could open a singularity point through contraction and expansion.

Regrettably, despite many days of practice, Han Ye had yet to successfully sense Qi.

When the moonlight was deep, Han Ye would join the other martial artists in the courtyard for some late-night snacks and conversations. They would discuss the colorful world and their future aspirations, no topic was off limits.

Only in the late night would they go to sleep.

This was how Han Ye spent his days.

Busy yet rewarding.

Ordinary but full of motivation.

Practicing martial arts, eating, and sleeping. Keeping to this schedule without interruption.

Furthermore, his stats on the panel had improved significantly.

“Name”: Han Ye

“Cultivation”: Body Forging Realm (Third Level Internal Organs)

“Destiny”: Cumulative Gains

“Owned Attributes”: Wei Wu Legacy (Green), Dragon-Tiger Physique (Blue), Unparalleled Fist Intent (Blue)

“Wei Wu Legacy (0/100): Your charisma attracts all women, with positive feelings soaring, you are like a shower of rain, falling on a drought-ridden land.”

“Dragon-Tiger Physique (104/500): Superhuman physique, vastly surpassing others, sheltering the Dragon and Tiger Breath, which never ceases within the body, possessing the strength to easily lift thousands of pounds.”

“Unparalleled Fist Intent (51/500): Your speed in learning martial arts techniques surpasses that of ordinary people. You have a deep understanding of the techniques and can communicate with the Fist Intent.”

Unlike other days, Han Ye had taken a day off. He didn’t stay at the manor for martial arts practice.

Instead, he went to a run-down Buddhist Temple located on a mountain to the west of Langlang Village.

The mother of his original self was buried near this run-down Buddhist temple.

That’s correct. He intended to pay his respects at her grave in the mountains.

In his memory, the original self would go to the Buddhist temple to keep vigil at his mother’s grave around this time, nearing the new year. He had been following this routine for ten years, without any changes.

Many villagers knew about this habit of his. Han Ye had been raised by the entire village; they knew him well.

In a small village, any minor incident could quickly become known to everyone.

The original host had never seen his father since he was young, and was raised solely by his mother.

Firstly, Han Ye didn’t want his absence to be noticed by others.

Secondly, this was fulfilling a wish of the original host.

Today, he planned to go to the Buddhist temple to the west, to burn incense and keep vigil at the grave.

The large mountain covered an area of hundreds of miles, filled with dense jungles and complex terrain, laced with numerous mountain peaks.

As Han Ye travelled the path, he contemplated on the profound principles of the Forging Body Four Meridians. The internal arts were created by a martial arts grandmaster, specifically to provide direction to those just starting their martial arts journey.

It also fulfilled the cultivator’s basic training requirements.

He spent two months but still hadn’t reached the Blood Marrow level, which made him feel somewhat frustrated.

As dusk was about to fall, Han Ye arrived at the entrance of the Buddhist temple. The temple was occupied by a simple old monk.

In the courtyard of the side hall, numerous bird droppings were scattered around, weeds grew unchecked, and an air of desolation hung heavy. The main hall’s Buddha statue also seemed rather worn out.

Clearly, it didn’t receive a good patronage of incense offerings.

Han Ye planned to stay here overnight. After paying his respects at the grave the next morning, he’d depart.

Upon entering, he gave the old monk several strings of incense money. After a simple vegetarian meal, he settled down in the side hall.

Deep in the mountains and forests, in an ancient temple swept by frigid winds.

Run-down Buddha statues, on a moonless night.

Just thinking about these was quite eerie.

“Great Zhou seems to be believing in Daoism, no wonder the Buddhist Temple is so dilapidated, the government doesn’t want to spend any money on repairs.”

Han Ye lay on a bed of pure wooden planks, wrapped in thick quilts, watching the light snow at night, lost in thought as he spoke.

“Wait… I drank too much water, I’ve got to pee.”

Suddenly, Han Ye smacked his lips, put on his clothes, and walked outside the house.

Han Ye breathed out a breath of white mist, but he didn’t feel too cold.

This was mainly because he cultivated his physical body every day. He was robust, and this helped him withstand a certain degree of severe cold.

Once he arrived at the pungent dry toilet, Han Ye stood tall and yawned, overcome by a wave of sleepiness.

“Woo, woo, woo!”

Suddenly, a few sharp howls sounded from the deep mountains near the temple, as if from some kind of animal. They could be either a wolf or a fox, making the snowy forest even more terrifying.

But Han Ye wasn’t scared, he frowned and glanced towards the woods, intending to find out what was making the noise.

After a month of cultivating the Dragon-Tiger Physique, his inner Dragon-Tiger Breath had already accumulated to ten strands.

His heart was full of courage, without any fear. The Dragon-Tiger Breath was strong and vigorous, keeping weak monsters and ghosts away.

Powerful monsters were unlikely to appear in a place like Langlang Village.

“Hmm? What’s this…”

Suddenly, Han Ye spotted a ball of white fluff next to the dry toilet.

Then, the fluffy ball darted towards him.

It was only then that Han Ye saw what it was.

It turned out to be a snowy white fox.

Its size was tiny, you could hold it in both hands.

The green vertical eyes of the white fox spun around, and then it stood by the dry toilet. Its hind legs stood up, the front limbs were held up as if to stand upright.

A snowy tail swung back and forth.

And that’s when Han Ye realised.

The white fox’s posture was just like his own!

It was mimicking him as he peed.

Laughing, Han Ye shook himself.

The white fox imitated him, its fur quivered rapidly.

Although Han Ye thought the scene of the white fox copying a human was quite strange and bizarre, he still laughed and said:

“This little guy, you’re quite good at learning, you’re quite like a person.”

“Really?”

All of a sudden, a crisp voice sounded, which was alluring.

Han Ye was firstly taken aback, then realized that the voice came from the white fox beside him, his eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

His whole body broke out in a cold sweat, he was extremely alarmed.

Without bothering to pull up his pants, he took a few steps back, cautiously looking at the white fox.

This white fox was actually a demon!

“Destined one, thank you.”

The white fox spoke again.

This time, right in front of Han Ye, the voice was like that of a charming young girl, full of allure, it was unimaginably eerie!

“Are you a demon, or…”

Just as Han Ye was about to ask something, the white fox turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the partition of the dry toilet.

“Sir, who were you talking to?”

The monk from the Buddhist Temple heard the commotion, walked over, hands clasped together in prayer, and curiously asked.

“No… not much.”

Although Han Ye felt it was very strange and bizarre, he didn’t say much.

“Sir Han, the incense for your ritual tomorrow has been prepared by this monk.”

“Great, thank you.”

Han Ye thanked him, but he was still distracted by what had just happened. Even after he returned to his room and lay down, he still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

It was just like a dream.

But the biting cold wind told him that it had indeed happened.

This world did indeed have demons, and this was the first time he had seen a living demon.

But why didn’t this white fox bear any malice towards him?

Could it be just because he said, “you really look like a human?”

He had heard about the anecdote of wild foxes gaining wisdom in his previous life.

Over time, a wild fox in the mountain could become enlightened, leant the “Art of Skin Drawing”, and wander around in human skin all day, doing evil deeds.

But this white fox didn’t seem to be acting that way.