Chapter 77 - 32: Devour Everything, Digest All Souls, the Bizarre Feast Ceremony

Chapter 77: Chapter 32: Devour Everything, Digest All Souls, the Bizarre Feast Ceremony

In fact, by facing the ultimate cold and annihilation, this thread of vitality was tempered, growing ever more resilient and brilliant.

’Is this life? Unyielding, never surrendering...’

CRUNCH.

He soon finished most of the winter ingredients, and Jiang Xuan’s chopsticks returned to the spring vegetables.

And so, through the Feast Ceremony, he experienced a complete Four Seasons Reincarnation, as if he had lived through it himself.

Then came the second cycle, the third...

CRUNCH, CRUNCH...

Jiang Xuan was meticulous with every bite. He would chew each mouthful thoroughly, making sure to fully comprehend the ingredient’s life trajectory, its Spirit Charm, and its Daoist intent, before slowly swallowing.

But empowered by the Feast Ceremony, his chewing and digestion were astonishingly fast. He didn’t pause for even a moment.

In the end, in just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had eaten every last one of the ingredients representing the four seasons.

As he swallowed the final bite, the Feast Ceremony concluded. The solemn, almost eerie aura surrounding him quietly dissipated.

"Hooo—"

The moment the ceremony ended, the first feeling that washed over Jiang Xuan was one of ultimate satisfaction.

A rich, abundant vitality, so potent it felt like it was about to overflow, surged through his limbs and bones. With this immense energy as a foundation, Jiang Xuan could finally operate the Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique at full power without any reservations.

At this point, he didn’t even need to absorb Spiritual Qi from the outside world. Four Seasons Valley had been quite generous; many of the foods used in the assessment were Spiritual Objects. Even if they were of the lowest grade, a Spirit Plant was still a Spirit Plant, and it contained a wealth of Spiritual Qi.

While the Feast Ceremony was active, Jiang Xuan had locked all of this Spiritual Qi inside his body.

Now, as the Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique circulated at high speed, the endless stream of Spiritual Qi was rapidly put through Refinement into his own Magical Power. This surging Magical Power then flowed like rivers into the sea, directed by him to charge and nourish the acupoints throughout his body.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

One, two, three... In a short span of time, Jiang Xuan broke through three new acupoints in one go. Even the acupoints he had previously opened grew more stable, reaching a state of Perfection under the nourishment of the immense Magical Power.

"This is so fast!"

There were always three major hurdles in the First Realm of Cultivation: Spiritual Core Awakening. The first was locating the acupoints. A Cultivator had to first perceive the elusive positions of the acupoints, which existed somewhere between spirit and flesh, before even thinking of opening them. The second was the depletion of qi and blood; the core of Cultivation in this realm was Refining Essence and Qi, making Essence, Yuan, Qi, and Blood the foundation for everything. The third was the Cultivation Technique, the sole medium for converting the Unowned Spiritual Qi adrift between Heaven and Earth into one’s own controllable Magical Power.

But now, Jiang Xuan had overcome all three of these hurdles.

The Feast Ceremony had filled his body with abundant Life Energy. The Dao Foundation Contract, bound to the Nine Breath Qi Ingestion Technique, transformed the common Cultivation Technique into an exclusive one, perfectly tailored for him.

And finally, there was the Mirror of Clarity. Its Trait of Observing Oneself meant his acupoints were never hidden; instead, they were as clearly visible as if he had map-wide vision.

With all three combined, Jiang Xuan finally understood what it felt like to be a true cultivation genius. ℴ

’So this is what it’s like... Cultivation can be this smooth, this exhilarating!’

The surging Magical Power and his rapidly climbing Cultivation made Jiang Xuan feel almost drunk with power. Thus, even though the Feast Ceremony had ended, he did not immediately open his eyes. He kept them shut, focusing his mind to carefully perceive the changes within his body and completely stabilize his explosive growth in Cultivation.

By the time he concluded his practice, his aura had grown significantly stronger.

"Incredible! I really made the right choice becoming a Gourmet..."

The excitement in his heart still lingered as Jiang Xuan slowly opened his eyes. But the moment his lashes lifted, the scene before him made his heart leap, and he instinctively held his breath.

It was no wonder he reacted that way. He never expected that the moment he opened his eyes, he would find a delicate and lively face leaning in close, their noses almost touching.

The young woman’s skin was like radiant jade, her cheeks flushed with an excited pink. Her clear, almond-shaped eyes, bright as stars, were fixed on him, filled with praise and delight.

They were so close that the fresh, herbal scent of her breath washed over his face.

"Too close." The scene made Jiang Xuan instinctively lean back.

The person who had done this was, of course, Xia He, who was thrilled that Four Seasons Valley had found a genius. Seeing Jiang Xuan return to his senses from his Cultivation, she immediately leaned in and announced in a clear, bright voice, "You passed!"

As she spoke, her fair, jade-like hands gripped Jiang Xuan’s sleeve tightly, and she began hastily pulling him toward Huangni Village. She looked as if she were afraid he might run off at any moment.

Her eagerness left Jiang Xuan not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Still, being valued this highly was far better than being ignored at Star Sword Peak. Besides, the disciples of Four Seasons Valley had all left a very good impression on him.

"Stop pulling, I’m not going to run. I came to Four Seasons Valley for the assessment with the intention of joining as an intern."

Xia He nodded at his words, but then quickly added, her voice laced with urgency, "Not just an intern! You’ll be a disciple of our Four Seasons Valley. As long as you join us, I guarantee you can become an Inner Sect Disciple!"