Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)

“Origin-Tracing Incipient Dao Fruit?” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy said, repeating the name.

“Tracing back to the origin, returning to the starting point.”

Although he had offered an explanation, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy still didn’t quite grasp it. “What can it do?”

Lu Yang grinned slyly. “Just wait. We’ll find out when I test it on someone.”

Lu Yang stretched comfortably. To comprehend the Incipient Dao Fruit, he had cut off his perception of time. He had no idea how long his seclusion had lasted, but it certainly couldn’t have been short. He felt stiff and rigid all over.

Stepping out of the cave abode, he found the morning sunlight almost blinding.

“Why are there so many herbs?”

Lu Yang was taken aback. As far as his eyes could see, the mountain was covered in medicinal fields, stretching from the summit all the way down to its base. The medicinal herbs cultivated were of exceptionally high vintage and couldn’t be purchased even with top-grade spirit stones. If any one of these herbs appeared in the outside world, it would spark a frenzy among Fusion cultivators.

Just how long have I been in seclusion? Why has Heaven’s Gate Peak turned into a medicinal garden?

Yun Mengmeng wore a straw hat, bent over with a jade vial in hand. Its mouth was aimed beneath the tip of a leaf to catch the dewdrops rolling off its surface.

“Second-in-Command, you’re out of seclusion?!”

Yun Mengmeng sprinted across the medicinal fields with the jade vial and came to a stop before Lu Yang. “Perfect timing. Try some of the dew I just collected.”

“Dew?” Sister Mengmeng was collecting dew just now?

“I just discovered this recently. Morning dew is really delicious.”

Lu Yang was baffled. “Why not just gather it with a spell?” Collecting dew drop by drop with a jade vial is so tedious. One can fill several vials in an instant with a spell.

“This is called living.”

Lu Yang nodded, pretending to understand. Though I don’t get it, I respect it.

He downed the dew in one gulp. Though he couldn’t tell whether it was just a psychological effect at play, it did taste good. “It really is delicious.”

“Right?”

“What’s with all these medicinal fields? Did the sect’s herb garden move to Heaven’s Gate Peak?”

“I found it quite troublesome to keep going down to the herb garden every time I needed ingredients for cooking, so Little He and I planted some up here. They grew incredibly well. One-year-old herbs turned out looking like ten-year-old ones.

“Little He said it’s because I have the Everlasting Incipient Dao Fruit and she has the Longevity Incipient Dao Fruit, both of which promote the growth of herbs.”

This reminded Lu Yang of how tempting the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s Everlasting Dao Fruit was for the Little Herb Kings.

“By the way, First-in-Command, Second-in-Command, let’s go there. There’s good stuff on that side.” Yun Mengmeng suddenly remembered something. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Lu Yang and dragged him toward the mountainside.

Arriving mid-slope, they were greeted by a riot of flowers in a profusion of hues, encircling the entire mountain. The floral fragrance was intoxicating.

“What’s this?”

“It’s to celebrate your emergence from seclusion. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“This was Little He’s and my idea. From the foot to the summit, the medicinal fields have twelve different blooming periods, starting in the first month at the bottom and ending in the twelfth month at the top.

“That way, no matter when you emerge from seclusion, Second-in-Command, you’ll always see flowers in bloom.” Yun Mengmeng beamed with an innocent smile as she explained.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy floated out and remarked offhandedly, seemingly indifferent, “Quite pretty. You prepared this specially for Xiao Yangzi?”

Yun Mengmeng replied without hesitation, “Of course it’s for you too, First-in-Command. It hasn’t been easy for you to stay by Second-in-Command’s side through all that seclusion.”

“Hmph, as long as you acknowledge this immortal’s hardships.”

Yun Mengmeng found the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s reaction slightly peculiar, but she didn’t dwell on it. “Second-in-Command, you’ve been in seclusion for so long. Is this the end of it?”

“Of course. Don’t you know who I am?”

“You’ve condensed an Incipient Dao Fruit? What does it do?” Yun Mengmeng’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Lu Yang hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t bring himself to test it on Yun Mengmeng. “Let’s find Old Meng. We’ll try it on him.”

On the way, Lu Yang asked, “Is Senior Qing He not around?”

“Well, the Creation Ancient Domain in the Demon Region has many lost species of herbs. Little He felt that our variety was still insufficient, so she went there to search for more.”

The Creation Ancient Domain was where Jiang Lianyi had once slumbered. It was a place with abundant ancient herbs. Lu Yang had once entertained the idea of acquiring a few specimens, but those ancient herbs were far too delicate to adapt to the outside environment.

Presumably, Qing He had found a way to acclimate them.

Most of the Everlasting Lineage members arrived at Meng Jingzhou’s cave abode just as he stepped out and stretched lazily.

“Old Meng, just emerged from seclusion too? You’ve made a breakthrough?” Lu Yang didn’t even need to check Meng Jingzhou’s cultivation with his spiritual consciousness. The smug expression on Meng Jingzhou’s face was enough to confirm that he had broken through.

“It’s nothing special; just the Intermediate Transcendent Tribulation Stage.” Meng Jingzhou put on a modest front, but immediately noticed Lu Yang’s equally smug expression.

“Don’t tell me you’ve broken through too?”

“Just a half-immortal; nothing to make a fuss over.”

“You actually succeeded?!” Meng Jingzhou was astonished. Before his own seclusion, he had heard that Lu Yang had traveled the world in search of clues for condensing an Incipient Dao Fruit.

Who would have thought that Old Lu would become a half-immortal with cultivation at the Intermediate Transcendent Tribulation Stage by the time I emerged from seclusion?

“Let’s find a place to spar?”

“Let’s go!”

Both had broken through and were eager to test their newfound abilities.

They picked a secluded, uninhabited spot deep within the Dao-Seeking Sect, with Yun Mengmeng perched in a tree to watch their battle.

“Just so we’re clear, we’ll fight on our own merits. No Animal Form Fist from you, and I won’t borrow cultivation from my old ancestor.” Meng Jingzhou recalled their last duel. Old Lu had fought dirty, using the Animal Form Fist to borrow not only cultivation but also the Everlasting Incipient Dao Fruit. No wonder I stood no chance.

“Deal.”

The place was surrounded by mountains, with a massive lake at its center. The two stood upon the water’s surface as though they were weightless, and the lake remained as still as a mirror.

Meng Jingzhou’s muscles bulged, veins standing out across his taut frame. He was like a hunting leopard, waiting for his prey to move.

Lu Yang drew the Qingfeng Sword and infused its blade with the intent of the Origin-Tracing Incipient Dao Fruit.

Seeing Lu Yang move, Meng Jingzhou exploded with power. With a thunderous boom, the lake erupted into towering waves, yet his speed far outpaced the water. From a distance, it looked as though the colossal waves were chasing in his wake.

Lu Yang performed what appeared to be an ordinary sword move, bringing the blade down upon Meng Jingzhou’s ironclad physique, and the latter raised his arm to block.

Clang!

The Qingfeng Sword left only a shallow mark on Meng Jingzhou and drew a single drop of pure yang true blood.

“Old Lu, have you not eaten? That force is pathetic!” Meng Jingzhou laughed heartily. A wound like this can be healed with a single thought.

An enigmatic smile curled at the corner of Lu Yang’s mouth. “Is that really so?”

Meng Jingzhou faltered. “What do you mean?”

Before he could finish his question, his expression changed drastically. The cultivation realm I’ve just broken through to is gone!

In the blink of an eye, his cultivation had dropped from the Intermediate Transcendent Tribulation Stage to the Basic Transcendent Tribulation Stage.

“What’s going on?!”

Meng Jingzhou was certain that he wasn’t under an illusion. My cultivation has genuinely dropped!

Lu Yang’s smirk remained fixed upon his visage.

This time, Meng Jingzhou finally understood the meaning behind Lu Yang’s grin.

“I’ve condensed the Origin-Tracing Incipient Dao Fruit—tracing back to the origin and returning to the starting point. All things exist within cycles of reincarnation. Life does, and so does cultivation.

“In simpler terms, it sends you back to the moment you first broke through to the Transcendent Tribulation Stage.”

Meng Jingzhou’s pupils contracted sharply. Returning to the starting point and lowering one’s cultivation—what a heaven-defying ability!

Realization dawned upon the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. She was overjoyed to finally understand what Lu Yang’s Incipient Dao Fruit could do.

“Isn’t this suppressing your enemy’s cultivation to a level below yours, then defeating them? Xiao Yangzi, you’ve grasped the essence of the Unbeatable Golden Core!”

Lu Yang was speechless. Immortal Fairy... how do you make such a profound and unfathomable ability sound so tacky?