Cultivation starts from devouring the Dao fruits

"Xiangjun pays her respects to the Immortal!"

Just as Zhao Yu was about to leave, Song Xiangjun, with a fragrant breeze, approached from the side and respectfully bowed to Zhao Yu, "Since the Immortal has bid for Xiangjun's first night, Xiangjun is willing to serve the Immortal. If the Immortal wishes, Xiangjun is willing to be a slave or a maid, serving by the Immortal's side."

Zhao Yu's eyes showed a hint of appreciation, "You indeed have courage!"

The battle between Zhao Yu and the Golden Lion Great Master had been brief, but it had heavily damaged the Flowery Dress Pavilion. Ordinary people around were too fearful to approach him, yet only Song Xiangjun took the initiative to come forward.

"If you had a Spirit Root, I might have taken you as a servant!"

Zhao Yu took out a Spirit Testing Talisman, pointed a finger, and touched Song Xiangjun's forehead.

The talisman paper spontaneously ignited without any wind but underwent no changes.

Zhao Yu said indifferently, "You do not have a Spirit Root; you cannot cultivate. We have no fate! However, for your courage, I will give you a gift!"

The White Ghost Emperor reached out its claw.

An invisible airflow curled the old madam over to Zhao Yu's front.

The old madam knelt on the ground with a thud and respectfully said, "I have seen the Immortal! May I know why the Immortal has summoned me, is there anything you wish?"

Zhao Yu said, "I have redeemed her freedom! The Changyang Ling Family will naturally bring money over later."

The old madam replied with even greater respect, "I understand! I will make sure she is well cared for on behalf of the Immortal!"

The Changyang Ling Family is indeed the sky of Changyang County, and the Ling Family is one of the great families of Cang Country! Under the directives of Cangling Sect, the Changyang Ling Family dares not meddle in Cang Country's state affairs, yet Changyang County is completely controlled by the Ling Family.

To ordinary people, the Changyang Ling Family is even more terrifying than Immortals!

Song Xiangjun bit her silver teeth and said, "Immortal, is it really impossible to cultivate without a Spirit Root? My heart's desire to pursue Cultivation is absolute and second to none!"

Zhao Yu said indifferently, "Those without a Spirit Root cannot cultivate!"

In the Cultivation World, there exist countless extraordinary skills and strange methods, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures. Legends even speak of ultimate treasures that can bestow Spirit Roots upon ordinary people. But such treasures, even in places like the Great Qian Empire with Nascent Soul Experts, are exceedingly rare. Zhao Yu, even if he had them, would not use them on Song Xiangjun.

Having said this, Zhao Yu took a step and vanished from everyone's sight.

Song Xiangjun watched Zhao Yu's departing figure, lost in her thoughts.

The old madam, with a joyful face, said, "Xiangjun, congratulations! With an Immortal taking interest in you, no one will dare to bully you anymore. Even if you marry into a noble family, you can contest for the position of a chief wife!"

For oirans like Song Xiangjun, even those from a clean background, marrying into a noble family and becoming a chief wife is very challenging. They might marry a rich merchant as a chief wife, or become a concubine in a noble family.

But being favored by an Immortal could increase Song Xiangjun's value a hundredfold and allow her to marry into a noble family as a chief wife.

Those elites of Changyang County quickly gathered around Song Xiangjun, eagerly expressing their admiration.

Inside a Quiet Room within a cave mansion at the core district of the Market Center District in Jiuchen Mountain.

"Using the Dao Fruit to devour the souls of cultivators not only strengthens my varied talents but also unlocks the various talents of the White Ghost Emperor, such as the most practical Illusion Technique talent!"

"If I plan to quietly cultivate the land, naturally I should enhance my Formation Path Talent! In this way, I can learn to set up and manipulate various formations, becoming an Array Master. A formation controlled by an Array Master is incomparably different from one without an Array Master's manipulation."

"If I plan to fight everywhere, then I should let the White Ghost Emperor awaken its Illusion Technique Talent, so it becomes more mysterious and powerful."

"I should enhance my Formation Path Talent! That way, I'll feel safer when I stay in Wolf Ridge Mountains!"

"No, what I really should enhance is my Alchemy Talent. After all, once I reach the second order, the resources needed to improve my alchemy skills become too much. It's better to enhance my Alchemy Talent to reduce consumption!"

Zhao Yu weighed his options and decided to enhance his Alchemy Talent.

A mysterious and unfathomable power surged from deep within Zhao Yu, entering his soul and nourishing it, making him feel extremely comfortable.

"Alchemy Talent: Quite outstanding (4/1000)."

Zhao Yu thoughtfully said, "As long as I kill more than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators, my Alchemy Talent should be able to advance to that of an Alchemy Genius."

In the northern desolation, a lone Foundation Establishment Cultivator can be referred to as a Great Foundation Establishment, capable of founding a clan that dominates an area.

Even for sects like the Cang Spirit Sect, which are Golden Core Sects, the death of ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators would severely injure the sect's vitality, drawing the attention of the Golden Core Ancestors.

After Zhao Yu's Alchemy Talent advanced to quite outstanding, many difficulties in alchemy began to resolve themselves.

Zhao Yu directly started alchemizing a batch of Crimson Blood Beast Pattern Pills; upon successfully concocting them, he was thrilled to find that a single successful alchemy session could increase his proficiency in the Crimson Blood Beast Pattern Pill by twenty points.

When Zhao Yu consumed a Crimson Blood Beast Pattern Pill and used the power of the Devouring Dao Fruit, the proficiency obtained from that pill also increased to twenty points. Thus, the increase in his alchemy proficiency more than doubled.

At the entrance of the Nine Depths Mountain Market.

"Why are there so many people? What's that?"

The moment Wen Caibai arrived at the market, he saw four wooden stakes beside the market, each with the body of a cultivator nailed to it, with many Qi Refinement Cultivators gathered underneath these bodies.

"Golden Lion Master! That was a Great Foundation Establishment, and he's dead!"

"The Zhao senior backing the Ling family is truly fearsome, capable of killing a Great Foundation Establishment!"

"Zhao senior is said to be only at the fourth level of Body Cultivation. How could he have killed a Great Foundation Establishment?"

"..."

As Wen Caibai got closer, he heard the rising murmurs of discussion.

Wen Caibai looked incredulously up at the body of Golden Lion Master, whose chest had been pierced. "Golden Lion Master was killed by Senior Zhao? How is that possible? Golden Lion Master was a Great Foundation Establishment!"

"Only the Miss is worthy of him since he could kill a Great Foundation Establishment!"

Lian Xue gazed at the corpse of Golden Lion Master and sighed softly, a trace of regret flickering through her deep eyes. After she left the protection of her mother, Cheng Linlan, and stepped into the true Cultivation World, she realized what being a Pill Master meant and understood what she had missed due to her capriciousness.

In the northern desolation, it is common knowledge that Body Cultivation practitioners are significantly weaker than other cultivators of the same rank. Though Zhao Yu's fourth level of Body Cultivation could crush an ordinary Great Circle of Qi Refining cultivator, it would still be difficult to defeat a cultivator at the Early Foundation Establishment, let alone kill one.

The death of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in such a wilderness was no small matter.

Seeing the body of Golden Lion Master hanging in the Nine Depths Mountain Market, many robbers, who had been restless, now began to behave. Their cultivation levels were far weaker than that of Golden Lion Master; he had died in battle, and they did not want to die in vain.

Ten days later, the bodies of Golden Lion Master and the other three cultivators were finally taken down.

Zhao Yu contacted Su Bingyun through the channels of the Ling family and briefed her on the details of the incident.