Halfway up the back mountain, there is a dim cave. The entrance is not big, just enough for one person to enter. The soil on the surface is fresh and still has moisture, obviously it was opened up not long ago.
It was about ten feet wide, with a pit in the corner, from which a spring gushed out, clear to the bottom. Opposite the pit was a stone bed about ten feet long, on which sat a naked young man, his face flushed, his forehead sweating, his hands resting on his knees, his fingers moving rapidly.
This person is Wu Tian.
Ten days have passed since he fell off the cliff. During these ten days, Wutan has been living in the cave and has not returned to the village once. It is not that he does not want to go back, but Long He searches in the mountains during the day and guards the village entrance at night, leaving him helpless.
"What's going on? Grandpa's fate is unpredictable?"
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Wutan opened his eyes and frowned slightly. He wanted to calculate whether his grandfather was safe or not, but at the critical moment, he was interrupted by an invisible force. He had never calculated his grandfather's fortune before, but unexpectedly, he was just like himself, difficult to see through and impossible to calculate.
"As long as I don't return to the village, Long He will think that I'm dead and won't do anything to Grandpa."
Wu Tian took out the token from his waist and looked at it carefully, but still found nothing. But why was Long He so excited when he saw the token that he even killed himself to silence him. If Xiao Tian hadn't rescued him at that time, he would have fallen off the cliff and smashed into a meat pie. He would probably have been dead by now.
However, although he did not die, he was seriously injured by Long He's palm, and his internal organs were displaced. He was unconscious for nearly five days before waking up. He then refined the essence given by Xiaotian and it took another five days for him to recover.
And all this happened because of this token.
"This token must contain some secret, but I have lived in the village since I was a child and don't know it." Wutan muttered and put away the token.
During these ten days, Wutan gained a lot. Part of the essence he refined during the healing process was used to heal his injuries, and the other part automatically lost and disappeared. After some searching, he finally found the reason.
It turned out that part of the lost essence actually gathered in the forehead. After two or three days of accumulation, a slight swelling and pain would occasionally appear in the forehead. In the end, this swelling and pain became more and more severe, as if the skin was cracked, and the pain was unbearable.
“Quack!”
At this time, Xiaotian jumped out from outside the cave. With his body as big as a fist, he was actually holding a one-meter-long straw donkey. There was a hole on the donkey's neck, and the blood had dried up. It was obvious that it had been dead for a long time.
This is the food Xiaotian specially prepared for Wutan.
After entering the cave, Xiaotian dropped the donkey and jumped onto Wutan's shoulder. He licked his cheek with his long wet tongue. His narrow eyes had a hint of flattery and were extremely lively.
"Haha, little guy, how was your harvest today?"
Wutan stood up, pulled out a pitch-black dagger, and while asking, he cut off a fat leg, peeled off the fur, washed it in a mountain spring, and ate it raw.
For fear of being discovered by Long He who was searching in the mountains, he did not dare to make a fire and could not roast the meat, so he could only eat it raw. So he lived like this these days. Fortunately, there was a mountain spring in the mountain, so he did not have to drink blood and eat raw meat.
Although it was hard to swallow, Wutan ate it voraciously. After a while, only bones were left of a fat leg. He stood aside, drank a sip of mountain spring water, sat back on the stone bed, waiting for Xiaotian to hand over today's harvest.
"Quack!" Without waiting for orders, Xiaotian opened his mouth wide and shot out blood balls, like blood amber, crystal clear, shining, full of energy, filling the cave.
“Blood Lion Essence, Mountain Ape Essence, Three-Colored Snake Essence… Ah! This is the Man-Eating Scorpion Essence… Wow, fifteen in total, Xiaotian, today’s harvest is not bad.” Wu Tian was delighted, but at the same time he was extremely shocked.
The masters of each of these essences were terrifying beings in the back mountain, fierce and brutal, and the overlords of one side. Unexpectedly, they were all swallowed alive by Xiaotian. This was simply incredible. In the past, when Wu Tian saw these monsters, he would flee in panic and stay away from them. How could he refine their essences and turn them into his own strength like now
“Quack!”
Xiaotian chirped, stood up, and waved his front legs around, as if he was showing off, looking very proud.
Wu Tian patted its head and said with a smile: "I know you are powerful. Go eat the donkey, and then help me refine the coldness in the token. I think you will be able to open your body and become a cultivator soon. The essence of water element may be of great use to me."
In the past few days, Wutan discovered a strange sign. Whenever he held the essence of the water element, a stream of air would flow into his body and spread throughout his body without any rejection. This meant that he could absorb the essence of the element. Although this absorption was slow and tiny, it was vaguely visible.
Xiaotian shook his head, put his front feet on his back, and walked upright, looking agile and funny.
After ten days of getting along, although the little guy looks dirty, he is very lovable. Of course, it depends on the person. If it is a woman, no matter how ethereal Xiaotian behaves, no one will be willing to touch it. But for Wutan, it is like a family member and he is very close to it.
Wutan shook his head and laughed, picked up a piece of essence and threw it into his mouth. It melted in his mouth and instantly absorbed into his body, like a sweet rain, nourishing every inch of his skin and making him feel refreshed.
Close your eyes, keep your mind calm, control your essence to impact the Qi sea, break through the barriers, open the door to the Qi sea, then you can unlock your body, tap into the treasures of the human body and become a healer.
He had a hunch that after refining the fifteen essences, he would be able to break through and enter the initial stage of rebirth.
The first step in cultivation is the rebirth period.
In the initial stage of rebirth, the fetal qi is shed, the body is opened, and the essence is restrained. In the minor stage of rebirth, the essence is condensed, the body is cleansed, and impurities are refined, so that the body reaches a pure state without any flaws or dirt.
In the Great Completion Stage of Transmigration, the essence leaves the body and enters the body, which has the effect of enhancing the hardness of the body and improving the sensitivity of the five senses. In the Perfect Stage of Transmigration, the essence takes objects, condenses into phantom objects, and fights with people.
The main purpose of the rebirth stage is to cleanse the body, condense the essence, reach the second step of expanding the meridians, stimulate the potential of treasures, and develop physical strength, which is the real opening of the door to cultivation.
…
Dragon Village!
At this moment, an old man in his sixties was standing at the entrance of the village. He had two pigtails on his head and a walking stick in his hand. He was looking at the mountain behind and counting with his fingers.
This person is Wujitia’s grandfather, Longshan.
"Longshan, why are you doing this? Xiaotian has been missing for ten days and there's no news from him. And you just sit here without eating or drinking, without sleeping, and calculating the situation. Don't let him not come back and end up exhausting yourself." A villager nearby kindly advised.
Longshan had a blank expression on his face and didn't say a word. His fingers were counting faster and faster.
"Old man, listen to our advice. This is not a solution. You should go back and have a rest!" another villager advised earnestly.
"Wutian is such a fool. He went to the top of the mountain to sleep in the middle of the night. Didn't he know there were powerful monsters there? Now he was attacked by the monster and fell off the cliff. His life or death is unknown. He even implicated Long He. It's really worrying."
"That's right. Long He lost a hand to save him, and his strength was greatly reduced. What will happen to the food of the village in the future? If he dies, he dies. Why does he want to implicate the villagers? He is really an evil star."
"Alas! I shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let him into the village, and now the situation wouldn't be like this."
"Puff!" At this moment, Longshan's hunched body trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His expression withered, as if he might die at any time. However, his wrinkled face was full of smiles.
After ten days of strenuous calculations, he finally found a clue and got a glimpse of his grandson's fate. It turned out that he was not in serious trouble.
Long Shan retracted his gaze, looked at everyone, and said, "Although Tian'er cannot practice, he has been very sensible since he was a child, loves you and treats you as his family. It's ok for you to make sarcastic remarks on weekdays, but now that his whereabouts are unknown and his life or death is uncertain, not only do you not care, but you treat him coldly and make sarcastic remarks. Is this the character of you as elders? Are you still human?"
“Old man Long, don't say such harsh words. If you hadn't insisted on bringing that piece of trash into the village, this wouldn't have happened now. You can only blame him for having no self-awareness.” The person who spoke was Long He's father, Long Quan.
“Longquan, what you said is too much. Longshan has no children, so it is only natural to adopt a child. Even if he cannot practice, we have lived together for so many years and he has already become a part of the village. What’s more, Xiaotian is a filial and sensible child, much better than the other children.” The villager who initially persuaded Longshan said with a dark face.
Longquan said angrily, "My son lost one hand to save that little beast, and you are still protecting him. From now on, no one will go hunting, no one will make money, and no one will protect the village. I wonder how you will live? If he wants to be sensible, he should die on his own, and don't let my son and everyone else get in trouble."
"Father."
At this time, Long He strode over from a distance: "Father, please stop talking. Xiaotian's death is my responsibility. If I had enough ability, I would not watch him fall off the cliff."
"Alas! This is my little destiny. Don't blame yourself, Long He."
"That's right! Xiaotian is ignorant and went to the back mountain to sleep in the middle of the night. It's not your fault."
"Have you found Xiaotian's body? He is still a member of the village, after all. We can't just leave him lying in the wilderness!"
After all, they are from the same village, and most of them feel a little bit sorry for it.
Long He frowned and said, "In the past ten days, I have searched every corner of the back mountain, but I couldn't find Xiaotian's body. I'm afraid he has..."
"Really?" Longshan asked.
Long He nodded and said with concern: "Uncle Longshan, don't worry, don't worry, as long as Xiaotian is not found, I will not give up, but you can't continue like this. If Xiaotian comes back safely one day, he will be heartbroken to see you so haggard."
Long Shan smiled faintly and said to everyone: "I will say it again, no matter whether Tian'er can practice or not, he is still my grandson. From now on, no one is allowed to mention his background in front of him, and no one is allowed to say that he is an orphan."
After saying this, Longshan walked towards a wooden house with his crutches, without much worry on his face.
"Old stubborn man." Longquan cursed, and then advised: "He'er, your injuries are not healed yet, go and have a good rest. Don't search day and night for the person who caused you to lose your hand. It's not worth it!"
"Father, Xiaotian is a member of the village. It is my duty to take care of him. There is no point in talking about whether it is worth it or not. Don't say that again."
Long He looked at the villagers and said loudly: "Dear fellow villagers, although Long He has lost a hand and his ability has weakened, please rest assured that no matter what, I will protect the village and take care of you as usual, so that you will have enough food and clothing, because you are all my family."
"Haha, with this promise, we feel relieved." The villagers smiled happily. With this promise, the heavy stone in their hearts finally fell.
…
In the cave.
Wutan sat upright on the stone bed, his body covered in blood mist. In the dark cave, he looked somewhat eerie and terrifying.
As the five essences were refined, Wutan felt the swelling and pain in his forehead becoming more and more intense, as if something was about to break through the skin.
When the tenth essence was refined, the bloating and pain disappeared, and the forehead seemed to reach saturation and stop absorbing essence. Or perhaps stronger energy was needed to open the skin and let the contents burst out.
Wutan was completely puzzled by this situation, but he vaguely understood that this might be the reason why he had been unable to open his body for sixteen years.
Since the mysterious ball of light on the forehead has reached saturation, isn't it possible to activate the physical body
He did it as he thought. Wutan threw all five essences into his mouth. Immediately, the powerful essence spread out, wandering around every inch of his body, and then gathered at one point, like a sharp arrow, shooting towards the sea of qi, swift and powerful.
"Puff!" His body trembled violently, blood overflowed, and severe pain swept through every nerve like a tide, but Wutan clenched his teeth and did not frown.
“Kaa ...
Waves of clear and crisp sounds came from within the Wutian body, like the sky collapsing, the earth cracking, like breaking through barriers and releasing shackles. The sounds became louder and louder, and the cave suddenly shook, as if it was shaken violently by the sound.
"boom!"
Suddenly, a powerful suction force was generated on the surface of Wutian's body. The essence of flowers, plants and trees within a hundred feet outside the cave floated out and poured into the cave and entered the body like a green ocean.
"This is the initial stage of rebirth, this is the repairer, really powerful." Wutan's eyes suddenly opened, and two beams of light shot out, like thunder, illuminating the entire cave.
(End of this chapter)