Morning. Manager Qin's Residence. Bed Chamber.
Bubai sat cross-legged on the bed in his birthday suit, seemingly engrossed in the contents of a coarse, tattered booklet clutched firmly in his hand.
The distracting sensations below and the gentle tickle of soft hair couldn't divert his attention from memorizing the content of this booklet - a compensation he had cunningly wheedled out from WeiWei's hands after learning she was planning to reduce his portion of spirit rice due to a low supply.
What kind of book was more interesting than an erotic tale?
Well, this was an attribute-specific Qi refining method found among Manager Qin's hidden loot.
Bubai had always been using the fundamental Qi refinement technique taught by the Cloud Sword Sect. Yet, he was always aware of the existence of alternative methods, knowing that a variety of Qi refinement techniques existed.
Why did he not get himself one? Obviously, the challenge of acquiring these methods naturally lay in their sky-high cost - even the most cheapest copied versions of these alternatives exceeded the entirety of his amassed assets over the many years.
Thus, he found himself constrained to stick with the basic method provided by the sect.
Certainly, he didn't intend to downplay the value of the Cloud Sword Sect's Qi refinement method, generously provided free of charge. This fundamental method was indeed not bad and was the universal method used by all the handyman disciples.
However, its universal nature lacked the uniqueness many sought. While effective for anyone with a spiritual root, it failed to cater to any specific attributes, rendering it devoid of cultivation benefits tailored to individual needs.
This resulted in a level playing field for the sect's handyman disciples, with no distinctions except talent. This conformed to the sect's interest, a test to weed out the untalented.
Only those who had joined the outer sect could select techniques tailored to their specific spiritual roots, and Bubai heard these methods promised enhanced cultivation efficiency.
Ordinary Qi may appear colorless and all the same, but that is only on the surface. In fact, its hidden attributes actually always existed. It was just imperceptible to low-level cultivators like them.
Qi, being a fundamental building block of the world, is generated and pervades every corner with a myriad of attributes. Even if these attributes remain elusive to those at lower cultivation levels, it still plays a huge role in their cultivation.
Unfortunately, when cultivators absorb Qi, their ability to sense Qi is limited to the Qi with which they have an affinity, according to their spiritual roots.
If their spiritual roots are of a higher grade, they definitely had the capacity to sense more Qi, but the Qi they gather is still constrained by the inherent affinity of their spiritual root's attribute.
It's worth noting that the environment harbors a vast amount of Qi with numerous attributes, far exceeding what a cultivator can detect. The fraction, cultivators actually sense, comprises only a small portion of the overall Qi available.
This discrepancy contributes to the perception of a scarcity of Qi for cultivators.
Adding onto that was the fact that powerful cultivators monopolize a significant portion of the natural Qi through the manipulation of Qi flow with formations.
With many cultivators gathering in one place and the cultivator's ability to sense only Qi with their particular affinity, even if there were Qi that remains unclaimed, it would be miniscule.
This was also what Bubai felt when he first cultivated in Ling City. Single-attribute spiritual root cultivators had it rough.
And this highlights the significance of individuals with multi-attribute spiritual roots, regarded as geniuses due to their access to a more extensive pool of Qi. Being able to sense and absorb Qi of multiple attributes would naturally result in faster growth compared to single-attribute cultivators.
Certainly, there are strategies for single-attribute cultivators to stay competitive.
One key approach involves choosing the right location. The world's landscape is complex, and certain areas naturally harbor more specific types of Qi.
For instance, a forest might be rich in wood-attribute Qi, a mountain abundant in earth attribute, and the ocean saturated with water attribute Qi.
Cultivators, therefore, actively seek and inhabit places aligned with their own affinity. However, such territorial claims are typically made by more powerful cultivators and organizations.
Weaker practitioners, on the other hand, resort to a second method: embracing cultivation exercises tailored to their specific attribute.
And now, in a stroke of luck, Bubai had acquired one such technique - the Woodland Spirit method!
Coincidentally, Manager Qin's spiritual roots matched his own wood attribute, which meant this method would be effective for him.
Unlike generic Qi refining techniques, this attribute-specific method, when employed by a cultivator with a wood affinity, heightened their ability to sense wood-attribute Qi over a wider radius. It also facilitated a faster accumulation of wood-attribute Qi into their dantian.
Not only that, the Woodland Spirit method had also been tailored with a unique effect, allowing its cultivators to even extend their reaches to sense and extract Qi stored in trees!
Of course, this was just a low-level method and the amount of Qi absorbed from each tree was limited. It was impossible to drastically drain the life from trees and will never be as dramatic as those mysterious methods in novels.
Otherwise, the nearby forest would have long been transformed into a dead forest by Manager Qin.
Alas, it seems the creator of this method probably comprehended the meaning of sustainability, imposing these restrictions to allow the trees to recover.
Well, Bubai did feel this was a pity. He wasn't an environmentalist and his pragmatic mindset saw no harm in sacrificing a few trees for personal cultivation gains.
But beggars can't be choosers. He acknowledged he was already fortunate to obtain such a method. It was like a pie falling from the sky.
And considering the enhanced memory he possessed since transmigrating, Bubai was confident in swiftly committing the technique to memory. As for the deeper understanding of this method, it could be contemplated gradually within the recesses of his mind when he wasn't on a time constraint.
After delicately turning the aged, fragile pages, Bubai felt a surge of excitement- he was nearing the end soon!
With a sense of anticipation, he lowered his free hand, exerting a strong pressure on the bobbing head beneath the booklet. As he immersed himself in the method, Bubai was unable to contain himself any longer-
The familiar muffled response brought a faint smile to his lips, his focus undeterred from the booklet, thanks to the wisp of Qi drawn from the mysterious space. Yes, he can never let his guard down.
Upon sensing the completion of his note-taking, Bubai shifted his hand to a resting position beside him.
Moments later, the wooden bed trembled slightly as he reveled in the abrupt thrill from his undepleted pen dipping in and out of the warm ink bottle.
This time, distraction crept in as he peeked down at the fervently undulating ink extractor beneath him, and he couldn't resist pouring the remainder of the ink in his pen into the ink holder… multiple times.
Just as the story was about to be completed, the ink extractor abruptly raised up, the soft, flexible tube coming loose and slipping off the pen! An "accident" happened in the extraction process!
However, a hand reached out to remedy the "accident", continuing the rhythmic extraction just in time, allowing the remaining ink to complete the enchanting painting of WeiWei as she posed with her tongue out, waiting for praise.
When the ink ran dry, Bubai was met with an enchanting sight - WeiWei, her parted, beautiful lips gasping softly for breath, showcasing the collected ink within as her seductive red eyes peered upwards, exchanging a glance with him.
Oh, what a messy "accident".
As some of the murky ink slowly slid down her face, WeiWei cleared her throat before offering the pale Bubai a sweet smile. "Hehe… Master finally looked at WeiWei."
As Bubai gazed into her red eyes, he seemed to fall into a daze, momentarily entranced. Had her attractive pupils always been this shade of red?
Before the pale-faced Bubai could react further, WeiWei lowered her head again to begin the meticulous cleanup, her face turning side to side as she skillfully patrolled for more, not intending to miss out on even a splotch of the mess.
Seriously, he might be her king, but unlike King Arthur, his pen is not a dragon. Why must this enchantress be so relentless in tempting him?
Bubai shifted his book to shield himself from the distraction below while resisting the persistent thrill that surged through him.
Instinctively, he began drawing Qi to recover after a night of indulgence that had yet to grant him the so-called 'sage mode' – the enlightenment state perfect for comprehending the book in his hands.
He couldn't help but wonder - was it his mysterious green Qi making him invincible or did the issue come from this demoness?
Although being able to indulge all he wants was something to be happy about, it was bad news for this to be discovered by this succubus. And bad news… often didn't come alone.
As Bubai reached the conclusion of the book, a realization struck.
Qi circulation - he knew it could only commence once the first strand of Qi had been condensed. It was the upgraded way of gathering Qi after breaking through the early stage.
However, the Woodland Spirit technique only detailed the Qi circulation method, omitting the crucial breathing technique necessary for the early stage of Qi refinement!
Furrowing his brow, Bubai turned his attention to WeiWei below, "Where is the breathing method?"
Looking up from her cleaning duties, WeiWei licked her lips, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Her clever eyes rolled around a bit before she put on an innocent expression, "Breathing method? Ah, the book? WeiWei was cooking rice for Brother Bubai, and accidentally used some pages to light the fire. Hehe… Brother Bubai won't blame WeiWei, right? After all, it shouldn't matter because Brother Bubai doesn't cultivate."
"..." No wonder this fox willingly gave him this method. How could she make it easy for him?
With the lack of Qi in his body, she probably still can't confirm if he actually cultivates, especially considering his pretense of being a mortal.
Thus, this revelation served as a probing test. But, Bubai wasn't stupid enough to step into the pit. If he really admits it, it could drastically alter the dynamics of their interaction.
After all, her set of methods for dealing with a mere, helpless mortal with a special physique would most likely be a world of difference from her methods of dealing with an actual cultivator.
Well, although a bit annoyed over missing out on a breathing method, Bubai wasn't too disappointed.
No matter how good the breathing method is, can it be faster than his golden finger's automatic Qi gathering formation?
Suppressing his annoyance, Bubai put on an awkward smile, "No, I won't. I was just wondering if it was there. After all, I also want to see if I would be able to learn it to see if I can cultivate."
"Hehe… Brother Bubai is so bad." WeiWei's giggle held a hint of disbelief, yet she refrained from unveiling the truth. With a sly smile, she firmly took the book from Bubai's hand, casually tossing it aside.
Bubai briefly glanced at the scattered pages before redirecting his focus to WeiWei, who had already got onto her preacher position, her knees like a butterfly, clearly ready to accept his hard-earned salary as donation for reading the book.
Soon, Bubai savored the sensation of his salary entering the donation bin once more.
Grasping his wrist, WeiWei guided his now empty hand to the holy fruits, her lithe tongue tracing the leftover holy water that hung on her lips. "Brother Bubai, feed WeiWei one more time. Then, WeiWei will go cook."
Oh my goodness. How many more fill'er will there be?