Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Chapter 98: The Bottleneck of a Special Cultivation Technique_1

Translator: 549690339

“Uncle, if you are not satisfied with the Black Leaf Sunflower you bought from me, I can return your money. Please don’t kick me out, okay?”

She pleaded in a mournful voice.

“What are you talking about! Take me to see your grandfather, maybe I can help him.”

Qin Niu said with a smile.

“Ah… really?” The little girl was skeptical.

Having wandered through society at such a young age, she must have seen all sorts of dark human hearts. She was very cautious.

“This is a Tempering Elixir; if I see that your grandfather is truly sick, and he needs this elixir to save his life, I will give it to him. But if you dare to deceive me, I’ll spank your butt.”

Qin Niu intimidated her towards the end, sounding very fierce.

“I didn’t lie to you…” She covered her bottom and quickly stepped back a bit. “I’ll take you there right now.”

After speaking, she turned and left, carelessly leaving her stall behind.

“You child, tidy up your stall first!”

“I won’t need these herbs even if I take them, and I can’t sell them, so I won’t bother collecting them!”

Seeing that Qin Niu actually brought a Tempering Elixir, she was willing to leave her stall behind.

After all, a child is still just a child.

Qin Niu sighed and helped her pack up the stall.

Although the herbs were not valuable, they were the result of her hard work digging them up from the mountains. If she truly didn’t want them, Qin Niu would take them home to plant, as they could be used for many experiments.

The prices Miaodan Pavilion paid for buying herbs were so high, they were very tempting to him.

With enough money, according to his plan, he could eventually buy up that entire mountain range.

Once it became his legally owned private territory, he could act much more freely.

Following the little girl, they left the Cultivation Market, turned left and right, and passed through three or four alleys, still not reaching their destination.

If it wasn’t for Qin Niu now being an Insect Master, he would have really been nervous, wondering if he was being led into a trap by a child.

Some bandits specifically use children to gain people’s compassion, lure them to deserted places or inside houses, and then brutally strike.

If the victim is a woman who looks decent, there’s a possibility she could be kidnapped and sold into a brothel.

“We’re here!”

This was a very dilapidated low house, built with green bricks, and covered with swallowtail tiles.

The house looked dirty and old, and the door was broken.

“Is this your home?”

“It’s the house my grandfather rents. We don’t have a house,”

said the little girl.

Qin Niu took a moment to observe the inside of the house before entering.

Careful sailing lasts a million years; one must always be cautious and careful when outside.

After entering the house, a foul smell hit him.

It was the scent of human feces and urine mixed together.

On the low wooden bed lay a withered old man, covered with a thin blanket stained with filth.

This home could be described with the phrase ‘utter poverty.’

“Grandfather, this kind-hearted big brother says he is willing to save you with a Tempering Elixir.”

Not long ago, she had called Qin Niu ‘uncle,’ and now she switched to ‘big brother.’

The old man on the bed slowly opened his cloudy eyes.

“You are an Insect Master!”

The old man exclaimed in surprise.

“Elder, where does your body feel unwell? Tempering Elixirs are usually used for cultivation; I haven’t heard that they can cure diseases!”

Qin Niu took out a Tempering Elixir but didn’t hurry to give it to the other person.

This was worth threefold Silver Money, and he definitely wanted to make sure that after taking it, it would save the old man’s life before he gave it away.

“It’s an old illness! I’m getting on in years and wanted to use a Tempering Elixir to try and break through to a higher cultivation level. I’ve heard that with every increase of a cultivation level, one can extend one’s life by at least half a year. I am currently at the Onefold peak of Mortal cultivation, and I’ve been stuck here for many years.”

Such a skilled individual, yet fallen to such a state of destitution.

Hearing this truly felt unbelievable.

They say the city is filled with experts, and now a chance encounter with an old man on the verge of death revealed he had the cultivation of a mortal at Fourfold.

This instilled in Qin Niu an even greater sense of reverence for this world.

“Then let me help you up!”

Qin Niu said to the elderly man.

“Okay!”

The old man sat up with his assistance.

Though emaciated beyond recognition, his skeletal frame was solid, his veins full and pulsating.

A person with a certain level of cultivation, even in such a withered state, is still beyond comparison with ordinary people.

The saying ‘a dilapidated ship still has three pounds of nails’ refers exactly to this.

“Young lady, go fetch a cup of water for me.”

Qin Niu carefully peeled away the sealing wax from the surface of the Tempering Elixir.

In the eyes of the common folk, it was a treasure that could rapidly enhance one’s cultivation. As for Qin Niu, who cultivated the Everlasting Spring Technique and could train under the Ancient Banyan Tree at a speed twenty times faster than normal, he held little regard for such low-grade elixirs.

“It’s the Tempering Elixir, truly the Tempering Elixir! If only I could extend my life by half a year, I’d be able to make plans for my granddaughter. After I pass away, she at least won’t lack clothing or food.”

The elderly man’s excitement grew as he smelled the fragrance of the elixir.

“Rest assured, I never accept favors for nothing. Once I recover from my illness, I will surely repay you twofold.”

These words fell on Qin Niu’s ears, but he didn’t take them to heart.

It was enough just to listen.

If this old man really could earn a fortune, would he need to squeeze into this tiny dilapidated room with his granddaughter?

He would have long bought a property in the city and employed several servants to take care of them.

“Young brother must not believe me, thinking I’m just boasting. I’ve earned no small amount of Silver Money over the years, most of which I spent on Xiao Qing. The rest I used to buy elixirs to push for higher levels of cultivation. I was overly confident, using up all the remaining money in the house to buy elixirs for my cultivation, never anticipating a failure.”

The old man shared his past.

“A shabby house and poor-quality clothes are insignificant. These things are merely external; it is cultivation and lifespan that are the most precious commodities.”

These words did make Qin Niu look slightly less down on the old man.

“I have a feeling that being stuck at the peak of mortal Fourfold for so many years means that my accumulation is sufficient. I’m just a little short of advancing to mortal Fivefold. With the Tempering Elixir you’ve gifted me, I’m bound to succeed.”

At that moment, the old man resembled a gambler.

And one whose eyes were red with anticipation.

“Aren’t there no bottlenecks below mortal Tenfold? How come you’ve been stuck at mortal Fourfold for so many years?”

Qin Niu found it somewhat incredible.

“This… is related to the Cultivation Technique I practice. Please forgive me for not disclosing further details.”

What exactly was the Cultivation Technique the old man practiced?

Qin Niu felt puzzled.

Would his cultivation of the Everlasting Spring Technique also encounter bottlenecks?

So far, he had risen from mortal Onefold to Threefold without any obstacles; it was as simple as eating and drinking.

“Here’s the water!”

The little girl brought over a cup of water, neither cold nor hot, just lukewarm.

It was evident that she was very attentive in caring for her grandfather.

“Let me feed it to you.”

Qin Niu placed the elixir into the old man’s mouth, then took the water and helped him swallow it.

After taking the Tempering Elixir, the old man sat erect with his eyes closed, beginning his cultivation.

As the Cultivation Technique operated, Qin Niu felt a very special energy within the old man’s body.

Each Cultivation Technique could yield a different kind of power upon practicing.

But what was the technique the old man cultivated?

As the elderly man continued to cultivate, leveraging the Tempering Elixir to break through his bottleneck, a faint white mist began to appear over his face.