"This is indeed a good place," Ze Fang exclaimed. After all, the Red Profound Fruit trees were gone, and no one would come here to search for treasures anymore. This cave entrance was also very hidden; one wouldn't discover it without careful inspection. If some demonic beasts were to roam nearby, people would be even less likely to venture here.
"Rest assured and build your foundation. I will guard you."
"The spiritual energy here is abundant and suitable for cultivation. I have set up a soul-confusing formation on the periphery; ordinary people cannot enter. You should cultivate with me too. Let's become stronger as soon as possible. I'm still waiting for you to protect me."
"Yes, I will definitely become stronger and protect you."
Xiao Man patted Ze Fang's head. A blush of shyness appeared on Ze Fang's face as he sat down next to Xiao Man to cultivate. After Xiao Man entered a meditative state, he got up and went out. Moments later, he returned to the cave and continued to cultivate, as if he had never left. Outside the cave, several high-level demonic beasts were now lurking, causing passersby to instinctively avoid this area.
While people searched frantically outside, Xiao Man and Ze Fang hid in this small world, cultivating with abandon. Xiao Man needed to raise her Primordial Chaos Heart Sutra to the third level before she could begin building her foundation. She was now facing the inner demon that the third level entailed!
"Mother, where are you?" a childish voice, choked with sobs, sounded like a lost child searching for its mother.
Xiao Man looked at the child before her, whose clothes were torn and body was covered in wounds. She suddenly remembered that this was Murong Sheng Rui in his youth. Murong Sheng Rui's birth mother was an adopted daughter of the Dugu family. Her parents were reluctant to let her enter the palace, so they adopted this daughter and sent her in her place. However, she ultimately did not follow her parents' arrangements and resolutely chose to enter the palace.
Everyone assumed she was pitying the child, felt indebted to her elder sister, and wanted the young emperor to become a puppet of the Dugu family. In the beginning, she did harbor intentions of manipulation, but she had a clear conscience regarding Murong Sheng Rui.
"Mother, don't leave me." Murong Sheng Rui cried, tears and snot all over his face, his pitiable appearance tugging at the heartstrings.
Xiao Man simply watched quietly. After entering the palace, she had done her utmost to give him the best. She and Murong Sheng Rui had each gotten what they needed. She wanted Cloud Rise to be peaceful and the Dugu family to be honored. However, due to Murong Sheng Rui's breach of contract, the Dugu family was annihilated, and Cloud Rise ceased to exist.
"I have a clear conscience regarding you, but you broke your promise to me and massacred the Dugu family. From now on, our relationship can only be one of us dying and the other living." Xiao Man unhesitatingly swung her sword, slaying the figure before her.
The illusion dissipated, and Xiao Man's Primordial Chaos Heart Sutra advanced to the third level.
The spiritual energy around Xiao Man surged into her body. Xiao Man should have built her foundation long ago, but because her Primordial Chaos Heart Sutra had not reached the third level, she had suppressed it. Now, it was time to build her foundation.
Xiao Man had initially thought building her foundation would not be difficult, and with her talent, she should be able to do it quickly. However, seven days passed, and she failed to build her foundation seven times.
Seeing Xiao Man's repeated failures, Ze Fang couldn't help but frown. Building one's foundation was crucial. For cultivators, a solid foundation meant they could go further on the path of cultivation. Although one could achieve foundation building with Foundation Pills, the roots would ultimately be unstable, and they wouldn't go far. Moreover, pills were not without side effects; taking too many would hinder cultivation.
Ze Fang took out a Foundation Pill and hesitated whether to give it to Xiao Man. He hoped Xiao Man would build her foundation through her own efforts, not through pills. Relying on pills to increase cultivation was a last resort.
Ze Fang stared at Xiao Man for a long time. If Xiao Man still failed to build her foundation after ten attempts, he would give her this Foundation Pill.
After finding that she couldn't build her foundation, Xiao Man did not panic. Instead, she entered a state of emptiness. Both her spiritual power and cultivation had reached the requirements for foundation building. Why was it failing? Did foundation building require other conditions?
Xiao Man carefully reviewed the information she knew, letting the spiritual energy in her body circulate with her blood, immersing herself in a state of selfless devotion.
Ze Fang had been anxiously observing Xiao Man's condition. He had expected Xiao Man to enter the state of foundation building again after failing, but Xiao Man had completely relaxed, her spiritual energy dispersed, entering a state of selflessness.
Seeing this, Ze Fang couldn't help but smile. As expected, she was intelligent, knowing to start from zero. If others had failed seven times to build their foundation, they would likely have become anxious long ago, but she became even calmer.
When Xiao Man opened her eyes again, a wave of energy spread out, causing the high-level demonic beasts outside to become restless. Ze Fang immediately dispersed these beasts and quickly returned to the cave.
"Xiao Qin, congratulations, you have become a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage."
"How long have I been cultivating?"
"Not long, just ten days." Ze Fang showed Xiao Man the demonic rabbit he was carrying. "Can this be eaten?"
Xiao Man took it. "You've been guarding me for these ten days, you must not have eaten well. Today, I'll show you my cooking skills!"
"Okay, I'm just craving something."
Xiao Man skillfully cleaned the rabbit, stripped off the meat, minced it into balls, and used the bones to make soup. She then went out to pick some fresh ingredients.
"Xiao Qin, what are you making?"
"Meatball soup," Xiao Man said with a smile. "But it's not just ordinary meatball soup. You'll know in a moment."
Ze Fang's eyes lit up, and he watched with anticipation as Xiao Man dropped the meatballs into the open pot. The meatballs immediately sank to the bottom and tumbled with the boiling water. While dropping the meatballs, Xiao Man chatted with Ze Fang.
"There's no shortage of food in the forest. Most things are edible and delicious, but they require the correct cooking method. Roasted demonic rabbit has a strong gamey smell, and you need to use heavy spices to mask it, but this will cover up the rabbit's original flavor."
"Will making it into meatballs solve this?"
"When you mince the meat, add this sour grass; it can effectively remove the gamey smell. And this fresh mushroom can enhance the soup's flavor. This way, the meatballs will be even more tender and springy."
Ze Fang listened and nodded. "Xiao Qin, you really know a lot about food."
"Of course. In the past, I loved researching all sorts of food. My father and mother hoped I would become a noble young master who never touched worldly chores, but I always went in the opposite direction, much to their disappointment."
"Your parents must have loved you very much," Ze Fang said enviously.
Xiao Man nodded slowly. "Yes, they loved me very much. My father loved me very much too." Su Dan Novel Network
Ze Fang remembered Xiao Man mentioning that her parents were now in the Western Paradise. "Xiao Qin, how did your parents pass away?"