“Can’t even use the Object Control Technique properly, yet trying to learn pill refining. How ridiculous.” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs finally couldn’t help but speak mockingly.

“Weren’t you the one who said raising my realm was most important, and that practicing spell control wasn’t urgent?” Ye Kong snorted. He simply gave up on the Object Control Technique and used his hand to grab the Starvation Tree fruit, placing it directly on the small fireball to burn.

“Of course raising your realm is important, but you can’t neglect these spells either. Your control ability over various attributes is also very important. This not only helps you advance in realm, but also provides great help when facing enemies. For example, the basic spell is Ice Bullet, which is a small ice ball. If your ice attribute manipulation ability is strong, then you can make the ice ball become an ice needle. Think about it – ice ball or ice needle, which is more formidable?”

“Oh, what you say makes sense, but I don’t have many basic spell incantations for the five element attributes.” The incantations Ye Kong had were just the few he’d robbed from Fan Jiushe – Ice Bullet Technique, Fireball Technique, Flowing Sand Technique. Nothing else.

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs said generously, “I can teach you all the other spells.” Then he frowned. “But this really isn’t a place for cultivation practice.”

Ye Kong nodded. Old Ancestor Yellow Springs was right. Practicing these spells required constant use and release, but how could he use them at home? Was he supposed to throw fireballs around inside the room? That would be brain damage.

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs consoled him, “But those aren’t urgent. What’s important now is still your realm. After your realm rises, you can go practice spells in the wilderness… hey, can you stop burning that thing? It stinks to death!”

Ye Kong looked at the Starvation Tree fruit he was holding. The thing hadn’t become liquid at all. Instead, a large section had been burnt black, and at the same time, a burnt smell filled the entire room.

Fortunately, the Spiritual Cultivation Formation could disperse these odors, so Ye Kong didn’t need to open a window to air it out.

“Can’t refine natal magical treasures before Golden Core stage, so does that mean I can’t refine pills either?” Ye Kong dejectedly threw the burnt Starvation Tree fruit to the ground.

“You can, but you need tools.”

“Tools?” Ye Kong asked doubtfully.

“A pill refining furnace! You really are a blockhead!”

With pill refining hopeless, Ye Kong could only sit dumbly to the side, watching Old Ancestor Yellow Springs continuously burn Starvation Tree fruits, constantly removing impurities from within while that mass of liquid became increasingly bright green.

The Starvation Tree fruit melted quickly, but refining it took time. The two had nothing much to say, so Ye Kong just stared blankly at Old Ancestor Yellow Springs’ mechanical movements.

“Those local thugs and scoundrels you mentioned just now… why have I never seen them?” After a long while, Old Ancestor Yellow Springs suddenly spoke up to ask.

“Hm?” Ye Kong was startled for a moment before understanding what Old Ancestor Yellow Springs was asking. He smiled and replied, “I was talking about hooligans or street punks, not just local thugs and scoundrels.”

“Is there a difference?” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs glanced at Ye Kong and asked, “Like the Lu brothers?”

“No, no, no. They’re just thugs, not the kind of real hooligans I’m talking about. Real hooligans should be extremely loyal, righteous. If there’s money, they’ll spend it together. If there’s food, they’ll eat it together. When there’s trouble, they’ll fight to shoulder it. Not brothers by blood, but closer than brothers. Even if it means three stabs and six holes for a brother, they won’t even furrow their brow.”

“Money to spend together, food to eat together, trouble to fight over shouldering… not brothers by blood but closer than brothers… for a brother, three stabs and six holes without furrowing a brow…” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs chewed over these phrases, appearing thoughtful.

After quite a while, he flicked away newly appeared impurities and asked, “Are there really such good people in this world? I don’t believe it. This ancestor has lived a hundred thousand years, and what I’ve seen is only slaughter over treasures. Even fathers and sons, even brothers – for a single pill, the best of friends will turn on each other. Even between husband and wife, it’s only for dual cultivation. If there’s a better dual cultivation partner, one side can mercilessly kill the other without hesitation. What everyone pursues is only advancement in realm. For this purpose, killing all relatives and friends, killing everyone under heaven, doesn’t even require consideration.”

“Isn’t that just like beasts?” Ye Kong countered, then changed his words. “No, worse than beasts. Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its cubs.”

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs shook his head and smiled. “You’re still naive. What difference is there between humans and beasts? Natural selection, survival of the fittest. People live to become stronger.”

“And why become stronger?”

“To live longer.”

“And why live so long?”

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs sneered. “Then you can kill more people, seize more treasures, become even stronger… and finally ascend to the Immortal Realm.”

“Is that all life’s purpose is? Is that the only pursuit a person has? There are so many things more precious than life!” Ye Kong had never been a philosopher, and he hadn’t been a good person back on Earth either, but he fundamentally couldn’t accept these rules of the Cangnan Continent cultivation world.

Ye Kong became somewhat agitated. Old Ancestor Yellow Springs also roared, “That’s right! This is the pursuit of all cultivators on Cangnan Continent! A person’s most precious thing is their own life! As long as it’s to keep yourself alive, anyone can be killed!”

“Forget it, forget it. I won’t argue with you.” Ye Kong waved his hand. “In any case, I won’t become that kind of person. That sort of so-called immortal who’s selfish and heartless to an inhuman degree – I don’t like it either.”

“That’s why I say you’re naive.” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs sneered and raised his hand. Those millet seeds formed a dragon of rice and flew into the fire…

“But the kind of hooligan you described, I actually like a bit,” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs muttered to himself.

Ye Kong smiled. “Not just hooligans. As long as they’re true friends, anyone will do. It’s just that I’m a hooligan, so I’ve seen more of them…”

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs didn’t want to say more to him and barked, “Why haven’t you prepared jade bottles to hold the pills?”

Ye Kong said blankly, “Jade bottles? I don’t have any.”

“Then what will you use to hold them? Go get a couple small bowls.”

Before long, Ye Kong brought two small porcelain bowls. By this time, the millet had also become liquid. Then Old Ancestor Yellow Springs picked up the small sword artifact.

“Divide!” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs gave a low shout. The small sword in his hand slashed rapidly. The Starvation Tree fruit liquid was evenly cut into eight sections.

The flame withdrew, and the Starvation Tree liquid and millet liquid also stuck together, quickly beginning to solidify.

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs raised both hands and made a rubbing motion, shouting, “Form!”

That green liquid had already been wrapped by the white millet liquid. Spinning rapidly, it slowly fell, finally landing in the small bowl with a crisp impact sound.

“Clang.” A fingertip-sized white pill spun in the porcelain bowl. Then another clang, and another pill dropped.

“So this is an Inedia Pill.” Ye Kong picked up a white pill and examined it curiously.

The pill was lustrous white like jade, with a white porcelain-like sheen on its surface. Because it had just formed, it felt warm in his palm, though not scalding. At the same time, wisps of faint white smoke rose. When he sniffed with his nose, a rice fragrance whetted his appetite.

“I really didn’t expect that such an unpalatable Starvation Tree fruit, when refined into a pill, would actually smell so good,” Ye Kong praised.

“You be careful. Poison can smell fragrant too, or how else would it trick you into swallowing it?” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs rolled his eyes and said strange things again.

Ye Kong smiled. “Others might harm me, but Old Ancestor, you won’t, because we’re friends. Money to spend together, pills to eat together, trouble to shoulder together.”

“You just said ‘fight to shoulder,’ how did it become ‘shoulder together’?” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs said dissatisfied.

“You remember so clearly? Fine, I’m scared of you now. Let’s say ‘fight to shoulder’ then.”

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs smiled slyly. “Don’t worry. This ancestor is old, and my legs don’t work well. When the time comes, I definitely won’t be able to fight you for it.”

“Wow, you’re so selfish. Careful you don’t get struck by lightning.”

According to what Old Ancestor Yellow Springs said, one Inedia Pill could keep you from eating for five days. Today he planned to refine fifty pills, which would be two hundred fifty days without eating. That was quite a lot – more than half a year without needing to leave seclusion.

After Old Ancestor Yellow Springs refined ten pills, he began refining the second batch. Seeing Ye Kong still watching from the side, he cursed, “You little brat, this ancestor is working hard refining pills to help you advance faster, yet you’re wasting time. Don’t you know that time is like a sponge – you have to squeeze it?”

“Wow, you even know about sponges?”

“I heard you say it before,” Old Ancestor Yellow Springs smiled.

“Then let me teach you another saying.” Ye Kong scurried onto the bed like a monkey and smiled. “Time can also be like a woman’s breasts – squeeze them and something comes out.”

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs laughed again and cursed irritably, “You know all this yet you’re not hurrying to cultivate? When you reach Layer 4, you can control magical artifacts. Don’t you want to venture out and see the real cultivation world?”

“Alright, alright, I know. Wasn’t I just afraid you’d be lonely? If you don’t want me keeping you company talking, then I’ll cultivate.” Ye Kong pouted and sat cross-legged to begin entering a cultivation state.

Old Ancestor Yellow Springs knew he’d wrongly blamed him. Then thinking that Ye Kong had actually not been cultivating because he was afraid the ancestor would be lonely, a strange feeling arose in his heart.

The blue-green infant fire continued burning silently. One small bowl on the bed was already filled ​unauthorized copy​to the brim with white pills, but Old Ancestor Yellow Springs was becoming restless.

He’s already entered a cultivation state. What a great opportunity! A voice like a venomous snake kept echoing in Old Ancestor Yellow Springs’ mind.

Yes, Old Ancestor Yellow Springs wouldn’t kill him. If there was no opportunity for soul seizure, the ancestor wouldn’t act.

But Ye Kong had forgotten – Old Ancestor Yellow Springs knew the Soul-Searching Great Method! Old Ancestor Yellow Springs could completely take advantage of this moment to restrain him, use the Soul-Searching Great Method to learn his secrets from inside Ye Kong’s head, learn how to control that golden light, and then perform soul seizure.

Of course, it might fail. But Old Ancestor Yellow Springs had countless wronged souls under his hand. He never cared about killing a few more Qi Refinement stage trash.

Moreover, using the Soul-Searching Great Method could obtain this kid’s Chinese language ability. Even if Ye Kong died, Old Ancestor Yellow Springs could completely take the Five Elements Ascension Scripture and find another cultivator with Five Spiritual Roots.

The infant fire continued burning, but the frequency with which Old Ancestor Yellow Springs turned his head to look at Ye Kong grew more frequent… He no longer flicked away impurities. His gaze toward Ye Kong became increasingly frozen, his pupils contracting to the size of needle points, blood-red fanaticism in his eyes…

Kill him, don’t be threatened by him, obtain his cultivation method, seize his body, and all that spiritual energy that should belong to you! Finally, there’s even the possibility of ascension… all of this will be yours! Old Ancestor, what are you still hesitating for? You’ve never been this soft-hearted before. Hundreds of Golden Core cultivators have died by your hand. He’s just a small Qi Refinement Layer 2 cultivator. Do it now!