Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

Leng San's physique was indeed unlike that of a level-two gene-enhanced warrior, which was why Zhou Chen was suspicious. People like Bi Lang who had been injected with level-two gene-enhanced drugs would all become tall and powerful muscle men without exception, but Leng San's physique had not changed significantly; he just looked a bit stronger and more upright than before.

Faced with Zhou Chen's questioning, Big Boss Bi was also puzzled and shook his head, saying, "I don't know either, but what I can say for sure is that Leng San's strength is no less than mine. Perhaps he had some other fortuitous encounter and enhanced his strength in other ways."

Zhou Chen's eyes flashed as he said, "Leng San used to be thin and weak, but he's suddenly become very strong these past few days. Could it be related to the pretty young girl he brought back?"

Bi Lang nodded and said, "That's possible."

The members of the Canglang Scavenging Team's eyes lit up. Bi Lang immediately warned sternly, "You'd better not provoke Leng San. This kid is someone you can't afford to mess with, whether it's his strength or his intelligence. Don't make me clean up your mess later."

Upon hearing this, the other team members, who had been eager to try, all fell silent.

Bi Lang shook his head and sighed, "I've lived half my life, but I don't have the willpower of Leng San. One million contribution points, and he just says he won't go."

Zhou Chen and Ye Wenrou exchanged a glance, and the former cautiously asked, "Boss, are we still going to Xiangshi this time?"

Bi Lang said proudly, "Go, of course I'll go. I, Bi Lang, have accumulated this fortune by not being afraid of death. If I ever become afraid of death, I might really be close to it."

Zhou Chen and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They were all energetic young men, at the age when they were full of ambition. Compared to death, they were more afraid of being poor. It would be a real pity not to do such a big business. Even if they only managed to get a small share, they wouldn't have to worry about money for the next few years.

Meanwhile, Leng San returned to his residence and casually handed the unfinished can of cola to Chen Xi. If it were anyone else, the little girl would definitely have refused, but since it was from Leng San, she took it and started drinking, her eyes curving into sweet crescent moons, as if to say, "Delicious!"

Next was breakfast time. Leng San continued drinking his nutritional supplements, while Chen Xi ate canned food. After they were full, they tacitly entered a state of cultivation. Leng San cultivated, and Chen Xi spaced out; neither disturbed the other, yet neither felt bored. Their compatibility was 100%, truly a strange but perfect pair.

Having just earned a large sum of money, enough to last for several months, Leng San plans to go into seclusion for the next three months to see if he can break through to the first level of Qi Refining. This is also one of the reasons why he refused to join the Canglang Scavenging Team.

Since spending the night in the abandoned city the night before, Leng San has been more eager for strength than ever before. The world at night is too dangerous, with evil spirits and other such things appearing. The lightning-based cultivation technique he practices is the nemesis of these kinds of evil creatures.

However, lightning-based techniques require reaching the third level of Qi Refining to unleash even the most basic level of Arc Lightning. It's a long and arduous journey, so we must hurry!

Furthermore, even if people in the wasteland eat and drink the best food, their lifespan is only fifty or sixty years. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy purified by Dawn each day is not much. If Leng San cannot reach the Foundation Establishment stage before his lifespan runs out, then this is the end of Leng San's life. Re-cultivating the Golden Core stage is simply wishful thinking.

Because cultivators in the Qi Refining stage have a lifespan similar to that of normal people. Only by reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining, transforming spiritual energy into liquid, and tempering the physical body can one undergo a complete transformation, establish a foundation for the Dao, and thus obtain a lifespan of two hundred years, truly embarking on the path of seeking immortality.

Time waits for no one, so seize every minute!

So, over the next few months, the scavengers at Camp C-361 were surprised to find that Leng San and that pretty girl stayed at home every day and didn't go out, and they didn't know what they were doing.

However, over time, everyone got used to it. People have savings, and they can stay at home if they want. It doesn't bother anyone. Everyone just needs to take care of their own daily meals.

Another thing is that after Leng San went into seclusion, the seven members of the Canglang Squad drove a Liuling Rongguang van and left Camp C-361. They never came back. It is unknown whether they moved to another camp or were all wiped out. In any case, it is like a stone sinking into the sea.

On this day, a violent acid rain fell from the sky, pounding against the tin roof of the camp.

Snap—Boom!

A thunderous sound seemed to explode above the camp. Leng San, who was meditating, trembled slightly, as if he heard a cracking sound inside his body, like an egg breaking. Immediately afterward, his spiritual sea in his dantian suddenly trembled, and spiritual power automatically circulated throughout his body, constantly washing and widening his meridians and tempering his body. After eighty-one cycles, the spiritual power was reinjected into his dantian.

At this moment, Leng San's spiritual sea in his dantian had doubled in size, allowing him to store more spiritual energy, which meant that Leng San had broken through to the first level of Qi Refining.

As Chenxi was lost in thought, she seemed to sense something and turned to look at Leng San. At that moment, the latter also opened his eyes. Their eyes met, and a hint of joy flashed in Chenxi's bright eyes.

Leng San nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and looked inward.

That's right, Leng San, who had reached the first level of Qi Refining, was finally able to see inside his body. He examined his body and found that the spiritual sea in his dantian had doubled in size. The expansion of his meridians was not significant, perhaps because they had already been expanded when he received the second-level gene enhancement drug last time.

In addition, Leng San was pleasantly surprised to find that after being cleansed and tempered by spiritual energy, some of the radioactive substances deposited in his body were also expelled, which was something that gene enhancement drugs could not do.

In the wasteland, the average human lifespan is only twenty-five years, partly due to the scarcity of resources and the result of killing each other, but another important reason is radiation.

Although humans have become accustomed to living in low-radiation environments, the nutrients and clean water we consume daily still contain some residual radioactive elements. These elements accumulate in the human body over time, causing damage to the internal organs and naturally reducing the upper limit of human lifespan.

Therefore, even the nobles living in the "Green Zone" only have a lifespan of around sixty years. Leng San is now cultivating to expel the radioactive elements accumulated in his body, which naturally increases his lifespan.

Leng San examined his body internally, then began to examine his sea of ​​consciousness. He discovered that a blue flame the size of a fingernail was floating in his sea of ​​consciousness, exactly the same as the flame that had appeared on the fingertip of the woman in black.

It was obvious that the flame in Leng San's sea of ​​consciousness was planted by the woman in black to prevent Leng San from breaking his promise and abandoning Chen Xi.

Leng San tried to touch the flame with his divine sense, but the flame did not move at all. Instead, Leng San felt a sharp pain in his head and dared not move again. He immediately stopped his internal observation.

When Leng San touched the flame in his divine sea with his divine sense, Chen Xi visibly trembled, clearly sensing something. So when Leng San opened his eyes again, the little girl silently lowered her head, seemingly a little guilty and worried.

Leng San was also a little guilty. He really wanted to extinguish the blue flame in his divine sea, but after testing it, he found that he did not have the strength. However, Chen Xi sensed it, and it felt like being caught stealing something by the owner.

However, Leng San no longer felt that Chenxi would harm him. Leaving the flame in his divine sea wouldn't do much harm. Moreover, he had only managed to wake up from unconsciousness twice and save his life by having Chenxi activate that flame during the night he spent in the ruins.

Therefore, this is not necessarily a bad thing. At least when he goes out to scavenge and doesn't return, Chenxi can still know that he is still alive through the flames.

"Ahem, I'm going to take a shower, do you want to?" Leng San coughed lightly. He was sticky all over, covered in impurities that had been expelled from his body, including radioactive ones.

Chenxi actually nodded and turned around to get clothes, towels, soap and other bath supplies.

Leng San broke out in a cold sweat. He had only asked casually, but this little girl had taken it seriously.

Fortunately, when the two arrived at the bathhouse, the girl went into a separate stall and closed the door, instead of sharing a room with Leng San, which would have been awkward.

After Leng San finished showering, he waited outside for ten minutes before Chen Xi finally came out. Each time she showered, she lost at least twenty contribution points.

Three months later, Chenxi's hair, which had been cut short, grew back. Her dark, lustrous hair cascaded down her back, adding a touch of charm to the nine-year-old girl.

Leng San dried Chenxi's hair with a towel, then tied it up with a rope, leaving a ponytail at the back of her head like Ye Wenrou. After looking her up and down, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "Chenxi, you should wear women's clothes again from now on."

Chenxi blinked at Leng San, seemingly puzzled.

"With a face like yours, no matter how masculine you dress, you won't look like a man. It's just self-deception." Leng San pinched Chen Xi's smooth chin.

Chenxi's eyes narrowed into crescent moons again.

Leng San smiled and said, "Come on, I'll take you to buy some good food." After saying that, he took Chen Xi's hand and walked towards the supply station.

After purchasing canned goods and Grade A clean water, Leng San bought Chen Xi several sets of women's clothing, a hat, hair clips, headbands, and other items, leaving him with only 600 contribution points in his account. During these three months of seclusion, his more than 7,000 contribution points had been almost completely depleted.

"Looks like I'll have to go out scavenging again tomorrow, otherwise Dawn will run out of food in a few days. Those canned goods are just too expensive," Leng San thought to himself.

That night, Leng San continued his cultivation and was pleasantly surprised to find that Chenxi's purification ability had improved by about 10% compared to before. This was undoubtedly a significant improvement, meaning that the spiritual energy released by Chenxi was 10% greater than before.

Happiness came too suddenly, and Leng San didn't have time to delve into the reasons. He hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique, making the most of every second to absorb and refine spiritual energy.