With A Crippled Spiritual Core, I Become The Boss Of The Cultivation World - Chapter 20

Chapter 20 A New Discovery

After testing out the power of the Meteor Fire-Snake Dart, Wang Ping was also curiously examining the upper region of Black Stone Mountain while teaching Lin Xiao’e how to read.

The area was covered by array formations all year round; very few itinerant cultivators knew about what went on up there.

From Wang Ping’s past conversations, there were quite a few cultivators who made speculations about the place. Even he himself had made some guesses.

However, after a thorough investigation, Wang Ping realized with much regret that he and those itinerant cultivators had all made the wrong assumptions.

The mountain peak was no spiritual wonderland, nor were there any lingzhi and other immortal herbs, nor was there any jade palace in that place.

The environment at the top of Blackrock Mountain was almost the same as the area below the mountainside. It could even be said to be much more desolate.

The only difference was the concentration of Spirit Qi.

The closer they got to the cave abode, the denser the concentration of Spirit Qi became.

About thirty feet away from the entrance of the cave where Wang Ping could approach, the concentration of the Spirit Qi there was already comparable to that on the small island inside the “Heaven and Earth Shell.”

Because of this, Wang Ping didn’t need to waste any more time thinking about how to enter the “Heaven and Earth Shell” to meditate and cultivate without Lin Xiao’e spotting him. Instead, he could just carry out his meditation and cultivation by sitting directly atop the rock outside the cave.

When the “Black Shark Drifter” left, he had taken out all the food stored in the cave abode and placed them in another cave outside, so as to make it convenient for Wang Ping and Lin Xiao’e to collect them when they needed them. Therefore, although they could not leave the mountaintop area, they did not need to worry about starving.

The two of them stayed on Blackrock Mountain like this for almost twenty days before the “Black Shark Drifter” returned.

“From the looks of you two, it seems like nothing much has happened these days.”

The “Black Shark Drifter” who had just returned to Black Stone Mountain was sweeping his gaze over Wang Ping and Lin Xiao’e before finally stopping on the latter. He asked with an amiable expression. “How is it? How is your literacy progress, Xiao’e? Have you gotten used to living here?”

Hearing his words, Lin Xiao’e’s little face instantly tensed up. She nervously pinched the corner of her shirt and replied softly, “Replying to Master, under Brother Ping’s guidance these few days, your disciple has already learned how to read and write more than 500 words. Living here has been good so far for me too.”

Seeing this, “Black Shark Drifter” instantly began showering her with praises. “Not bad, not bad. Only 20 days have passed, yet you’re already able to read and write over 500 words. Xiao’e, you’re really smart.”

Lin Xiao’e was, after all, still a young girl. She wasn’t as nervous anymore after being complimented by him. She then looked at him and said, “It’s all because Brother Ping taught me well. Master, can you let Brother Ping teach me all the words before letting him leave?”

When Wang Ping heard this, his expression changed slightly. His mouth twitched, wanting to speak, but he ultimately held himself back.

Meanwhile, “Black Shark Drifter” narrowed his eyes slightly, giving Wang Ping a side-eye. Then, he stroked his beard and smiled at Lin Xiao’e as he said, “Since Xiao’e thinks that Young Brother Wang has taught you well, I can of course allow him to continue teaching you. It just happens that I’ve obtained quite a bit from this trip, and I need to do some closed-door cultivation for a short while to process my gains from this trip.”

After he spoke, he looked at Wang Ping with a gaze full of meaning and said, “Young Brother Wang, what do you think of my arrangement?”

“This junior will follow the senior’s instructions.”

Wang Ping lowered his head and agreed respectfully. However, he felt a sense of bitterness deep within.

Lin Xiao’e’s self-assertive decision had caused him a lot of trouble.

Teaching a disciple to read was something that a master should be doing. In the process of teaching and transmitting knowledge, the disciple and master could begin to understand each other bit by bit, which was beneficial in deepening their bond.

Now that Lin Xiao’e had requested for him to replace the “Black Shark Drifter’ for this task, as her master, what would the “Black Shark Drifter” think?

Yes. Lin Xiao’e was still young, so she would not understand these principles. The “Black Shark Drifter” would definitely not hold anything to this disciple with such an outstanding spiritual core constitution.

But for Wang Ping, this was going to be disadvantageous for him on both ends. If he taught her well, the “Black Shark Drifter” would not thank him for it.

If he did not teach her well, “Black Shark Drifter” would have more reason to punish him.

It could only be said that Lin Xiao’e’s suggestion to let Wang Ping stay for a longer period of time would only serve to make her and Wang Ping suffer.

However, Wang Ping could neither reject her, nor could he tell her everything.

In the following period of time, “Black Shark Drifter’ did just as he had said, cultivating in seclusion in his cave abode, not coming out to meet Wang Ping and Lin Xiao’e. He did not even come out when the temporary market opened in September, October, and November.

However, Wang Ping was no longer unable to leave the mountain like before. Before “Black Shark Drifter” went into seclusion, he had given Wang Ping an entry token. After injecting Dharma powers into this token, he could freely pass through the mountain’s array formation, but he could not bring Lin Xiao’e out.

The reason why the “Black Shark Drifter” had given him this entry token was to allow him to purchase a batch of clothes for Lin Xiao’e in a mortal city about two hundred kilometers away from the foot of the mountain. He could also get some fresh seafood to improve the quality of Lin Xiao’e’s meals at the same time.

Wang Ping made use of this opportunity to enter the world within the “Heaven and Earth Shell” multiple times to feed Xiao Feng, bringing comfort to this spiritual pet that was locked inside.

During this time, Wang Ping had even discovered a ‘secret.’ It was during the days when he was cultivating on Black Stone Mountain, the amount of Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi absorbed by the “Heaven and Earth Shell” had an obvious increase from the amount absorbed at White Gull Mountains. The diameter of the island inside had even increased by more than ten feet, and the area of the sea had also expanded.

This meant that as long as he stayed in a place rich with Spirit Qi, the growth rate of the “Heaven and Earth Shell” would increase. This definitely gave him quite a bit of encouragement.

In addition, the bird egg that Wang Ping had obtained from Xu had also successfully hatched after more than eighty days.

The new hatchling was a chubby bird with pale yellow fur. Every day, Wang Ping would go to the seaside to catch fresh fish, conch, and seashells for it to feed on.

After more than a month of feeding, the small bird, which only weighed half a kilogram when it hatched, grew into a big fat bird that weighed five kilograms.

The little bird’s appearance brought the most happiness to Lin Xiao’e. Every day, after she finished her studies, the little girl would run around the mountain with the little bird in her arms as a way to relieve the stress brought about by her intense studies.

After more than three months of one-on-one guidance from Wang Ping, the number of words that Lin Xiao’e could recognize had increased to almost 1,500 words. She had also learned simple arithmetic.

Most importantly, the “Black Shark Drifter,” who had been in seclusion for more than three months, finally emerged.