After receiving Meng Yan's reply, Qi Ping felt at ease.
With Meng Yan's status, acquiring a set of formation manuals was a simple task. Moreover, the man had just slain three geniuses from rival sects and must have earned significant merit within the Qingyuan Sect. Thus, Qi Ping had no doubts about whether the request could be fulfilled.
With the formation issue handled, Qi Ping returned to his life of farming and cultivation. No matter how fierce the fighting was outside, it had nothing to do with him; he only needed to ensure he helped Meng Yan if the man encountered danger. He didn't care who won or lost the war.
His greatest desire now was to build a territory of his own where he could safely develop his farming and beekeeping empire!
...
'Acquiring the formations will take some time...'
'So during this period, I'll still focus primarily on nurturing the high-potency spiritual herbs Ya Ya needs and getting the little Flower Demon to Rank Two as fast as possible.'
'The rest of my time will be spent refining honey to raise my cultivation toward the peak of Qi Refinement. And I can try practicing the Radiant Fire Glass Body I obtained from that Sky-Fire Pavilion disciple...'
Obtaining the Radiant Fire Glass Body was an unexpected surprise for Qi Ping.
He had killed his fair share of cultivators, but they rarely dropped their primary cultivation manuals, especially sect disciples who were strictly forbidden from carrying jade slips out of the sect.
Meng Yan had mentioned this before, saying that sects were very strict about preventing their manuals from leaking.
Yet that burly disciple from the Sky-Fire Pavilion had not only carried the Radiant Fire Glass Body but had a complete jade slip! Qi Ping guessed that this manual wasn't a technique of the Sky-Fire Pavilion, but something the man had obtained through his own fortune.
'Radiant Fire Glass Body... Tempering the flesh with intense flames, using fire-refining methods to stimulate the body's potential... extremely high requirements for physical talent... requires fire-attribute pills to practice...'
'Once mastered, the body is like glass... perfect in both offense and defense...'
'This manual is quite strong...'
After carefully sensing the contents, Qi Ping found that the concept behind the manual was profound. If practiced to perfection, one would not only have a peerless body but also an overbearing aura capable of suppressing all things. It was a manual that led directly toward the physical law of rules...
Qi Ping estimated that the Sky-Fire Pavilion disciple had been close to perfection; otherwise, his combat strength wouldn't have been so high.
However, Qi Ping didn't intend to practice the manual in its entirety. He only planned to borrow the fire-refining methods to stimulate his potential and raise his physical body to another level. He estimated reaching a level equivalent to "Small Success" would be his limit.
Any higher would mean truly committing to the path of body cultivation.
There was a significant difference between body cultivation and qi cultivation; sometimes they even conflicted, making it difficult to reach the peak of both simultaneously. Their paths were worlds apart. In fact, some extreme body manuals would eventually make it impossible to practice qi manuals at all.
Therefore, the body manuals practiced by qi cultivators were generally not true body cultivation manuals in the absolute sense. At their core, they used spiritual energy to nurture and temper the flesh, allowing the body to withstand the pressure of spiritual energy circulation.
True body manuals, on the other hand, sought extreme physical strength, attack, and defense, which could cause mutations that were detrimental to qi cultivation.
Qi Ping's plan to use the nurturing and tempering methods of the Radiant Fire Glass Body would not cause such changes. Generally, the methods used by top-tier body manuals were superior, and it was perfectly fine for a qi cultivator to use them for tempering.
'With the help of Fire-Glow Honey and the Radiant Fire Glass Body, combined with my Beast King's Flame and Sun-Fire Physique, completing the first stage of tempering shouldn't be too difficult...'
'Once I finish this step, my physical strength should reach a completely new level. By then, it will be more than enough to handle the Explosive Flame Movement or the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment...'
...
Qi Ping meditated on the manual for five full days. Only after ensuring he hadn't missed anything did he begin to try practicing.
He swallowed a mouthful of Fire-Glow Honey and began using fire spiritual energy infused with the Beast King's Flame to strengthen his body through the specialized nurturing and tempering methods...
After just a short while, he felt his physical strength and power growing rapidly!
'Such a powerful effect!'
He couldn't help but marvel at the rate of improvement.
'Knowledge truly is power. These methods and insights left behind by ancestors are far more effective than just using spiritual herbs on my own!'
This experience deepened his understanding of the importance of knowledge.
'But the reason the effect is this good is likely because I've been consuming Fire-Spirit Body-Tempering Honey and Fire-Glow Honey for so long. I had accumulated a great deal of medicinal power in my body, and now the manual is finally releasing it all.'
'This is also a form of "thick accumulation." My previous efforts weren't inefficient after all!'
Driven by this rapid progress, Qi Ping practiced with great motivation. Aside from nurturing herbs and raising his cultivation, he spent all his time using the manual's methods to temper his flesh. With his Sun-Fire Physique and the powerful Beast King's Flame, his efficiency was astounding.
A month later.
'My physical strength can finally withstand the pressure of the Explosive Flame Movement!'
Qi Ping darted through a field of boulders using the movement technique. Wild, terrifying power surged through his body, yet it no longer caused him any strain!
'This is the true complete state of the Explosive Flame technique!'
The spiritual energy within him circulated wildly without reservation. He could unleash his strongest Explosive Fireball or net at any time, and his movement technique could now be sustained for long-duration bursts.
'If I were to face that burly man from the Sky-Fire Pavilion now, with my current strength and the enhancement of my net and Barkskin, I could probably hold my own in a short-term slugfest and even injure him in return.'
Being able to go toe-to-toe with a genius body cultivator without falling behind proved that Qi Ping's defensive power had reached the top tier of his rank.
'Excellent. I no longer need to worry about my physical strength for combat or the breakthrough!'
Feeling the great power and vigorous vitality within him, he was incredibly satisfied.
His strength had grown, his lifespan had increased, and his body felt indescribably comfortable. This was the true meaning of cultivation!
Roughly seven days later, Qi Ping finally received a message: the formations had arrived!