Pregnant Cultivator, Doted by Big Boss

It had rained around noon.

By afternoon, the weather had started to clear up. The sky was now a brilliant, freshly washed blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by.

Before the Spiritual Energy Revival, the air would be fresh and humid after it rained.

Now, after the Spiritual Energy Revival, the Spiritual Energy would become incredibly dense after a rainfall. That was why every time it rained, the public square near her home would be packed to the brim. Everyone from the neighborhood would go there to practice their Cultivation.

Society couldn’t be allowed to stagnate, nor could technology be left behind. The government had therefore decreed that in addition to Cultivation, people still had to work their jobs and support their families, managing their time accordingly.

Since the world entered the Cultivation Era, many things had changed. A number of new, cultivation-related jobs had also emerged.

At that moment, by the cultivation square near her home, Celeste Grant was sitting casually on a nearby bench, dressed in a white shirt and jeans.

Not far away, an auntie was leading the men and women in the square in their Cultivation. Above the square, a video of a certain teacher’s cultivation lesson was playing.

"For Cultivation, you must focus your mind, calm your qi, and clear your thoughts."

"The Spiritual Energy of the world has different attributes. Everyone, open your minds and feel the Spiritual Energy around you. You’re practicing a Water Element Cultivation Method. You need to carefully sense the Water Attribute Spiritual Energy in the air, guide it into your body, and then use the method to convert it into Cultivation."

The one guiding their Cultivation was a former square-dancing auntie from the area. Before, she loved leading large groups in square dancing. Now, she didn’t dance anymore, but she was even more intense than before. Every day, the first thing she did was blast two deafening songs from her speaker to warm up the crowd.

The moment the music started, people nearby knew it was time to come practice their Cultivation.

The square was very large, and right now, two groups of people were practicing Cultivation. On one side were Cultivators with Water Spirit Roots, practicing the Water Element Cultivation Method. On the other side were Cultivators with Fire Element Spirit Roots, practicing the Fire Element Cultivation Technique.

The reason for this arrangement was because Fire Element Cultivation Techniques were a bit more volatile. If someone lost control and started a fire during practice, the Cultivators practicing the water techniques next to them could act as an emergency response, putting out the fire with their bare hands.

Cultivators of Water Element Techniques could immediately extinguish fires in an emergency.

For those cultivating water techniques, with the exception of a few extremely lethal techniques controlled by the state, the Cultivation Techniques practiced by most people were the same.

The foot traffic here was heavy. A quick glance around revealed milk tea shops and fried chicken places. Closer by, the roadside was lined with food stalls.

Celeste Grant looked up at the square, which could hold two or three thousand people. Tsk, tsk.

It reminded her of the times she had come here to watch the aunties square dance.

"They’re all so intense."

Perhaps because she was sitting not far from that auntie, the woman’s sharp eyes spotted her immediately. Seeing that Celeste had no Spiritual Energy fluctuations and sensing no Cultivation from her at all, the auntie stared fixedly at her.

’On my turf, there’s actually someone who can’t even perform Energy Introduction and is this lazy about Cultivation!’

"Hey, young lady! What kind of Spirit Root do you have? How come you haven’t even managed Energy Introduction yet?"

Only by achieving Energy Introduction could one be considered to have truly crossed the threshold into Cultivation.

Seeing that the woman was calling to her, Celeste Grant replied calmly, "I have a Water Spirit Root, same as you all." She was telling the truth, except that her Water Spirit Root had mutated.

Hearing that she had a Spirit Root—and a Water Spirit Root just like them—the auntie, who had already broken through to the Second Level of Energy Refining, gave her a look of utter disappointment.

"You’re a young girl with a Spirit Root, so why aren’t you cultivating properly? You have to be more proactive! Even if your talent isn’t great, you have to work hard. If you persist, you’ll achieve Energy Introduction sooner or later. Once you do that, you’ll enter the Qi Refinement Realm and have a lifespan of one hundred and fifty years. Isn’t that great, child?"

’Great? Of course it’s great!’

Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm generally had a lifespan of around 150 years, while Cultivators in the Void Refinement Realm had lifespans of around four thousand years. With her current Cultivation, living for a few thousand years was no problem. So yes, Cultivation truly could lead to immortality.

So, seeing the auntie’s look of disappointment, Celeste Grant gave a dry laugh. ’Could I really tell her I’m not exactly worried about my lifespan?’

After the world entered the Cultivation Era, over ninety percent of people were found to have a Spirit Root. However, most of these were just low-grade Spirit Roots or mid-grade Spirit Roots. Those with top-grade Spirit Roots were considered exceptionally talented geniuses, making up about ten percent of the population. As for those with a Top-grade Spirit Root, they were extremely rare—the best of the best among geniuses. You might not even find one in ten thousand people. As such, whenever one appeared, they were immediately registered by the state for intensive training.

Only a small minority had no Spirit Root and couldn’t practice Cultivation, but these cases had already been registered. The government said it would find a way to help them awaken a Spirit Root. It would probably just take a very long time; for now, at least, there was no solution.

Seeing that the auntie was about to say more, Celeste Grant held up a hand to stop her. She snapped her fingers, and a faint layer of Spiritual Energy rippled across her body, appearing to be at exactly the Second Level of Energy Refining.

"Actually, I’m also a Cultivator at the Second Level of Energy Refining."

The auntie was stunned. "Oh! So you’ve already broken through to the Second Level of Energy Refining! Not bad, not bad at all. But why couldn’t I sense any Spiritual Energy fluctuations from you just now?"

Celeste Grant said calmly, "It’s nothing special. I just cultivated a technique to hide my Cultivation."

Hearing this, the bystanders who were cultivating nodded repeatedly, their faces showing their understanding.

"Oh, so that’s how it is! My apologies, I thought you couldn’t cultivate yet. Young lady, you should join us to cultivate together whenever you’re free."

Celeste Grant replied aloud.

"Sure, sure."

She answered offhandedly.

Celeste Grant sat for a little while longer.

Just as she was about to get up and leave,

Her vision suddenly darkened.

’No... the sky itself has darkened.’ In an instant, the once-clear sky turned dim and gloomy.

"What’s going on? The weather’s changing. Is it going to rain again? It doesn’t look like it."

"What is that?"

"What’s happening? This looks a lot like a sign that a demon is about to appear."

"Tsk, tsk, all those novels you read weren’t for nothing. I think it looks like that too."

"If you ask me, maybe a Cultivator is undergoing a tribulation."

The chattering voices of the bystanders filled her ears.

Celeste Grant followed the sounds and looked up.

Thunderclouds were gathering in the sky, crackling with lightning. The once-azure sky was now suffused with a black-and-red aura. A vortex had even appeared amidst the thunder and lightning.

Seeing this sight, Celeste Grant froze.

’This was familiar.’

Just as she instinctively held her breath, a figure appeared in the vortex.

The man was tall and slender, his black robes swaying gently, though there was no wind. His face was handsome, with a golden Demon Pattern on his forehead, but he had a sinister and gloomy air about him. His eyes were deep and cold. His ink-black hair was not tied up but draped casually over his shoulders.