Cultivation begins with harvest.

The ingredients for nourishing the animal feed had been prepared long ago: swallowtail grass, yellow wormwood, century-old spirit wood, and moon essence liquid. Except for the moon essence liquid, Chen Guang had already bought all the others.

It can't really be called refining; it's just processing materials, mixing and stirring them into a liquid. The process is very simple, mainly involving the technique and the control of the quantity. Nobody mentions it, and you might not be able to create it even in your entire life. All you need to do is mix the prepared liquid with chopped monster meat and bake it into a ball shape with spiritual fire. This is the final form of nourishing beast food. However, this form is not easy to preserve, so you only need to process it to the previous liquid state.

Chen Guang immediately made a batch, intending to test the effects on the Ice Armor Turtle first.

Nourishing animal food, when consumed long-term, can shorten the time it takes for animals to grow to adulthood to one-sixth. If consumed from the beginning, they may even reach maturity in just one year. Ice-shelled turtles take six years to mature, and this one has been kept in captivity for two years. With the continued use of nourishing animal food, it may reach maturity by the end of this year.

This method certainly cannot be used on a large scale on spirit beasts that need to be used frequently. The growth time is too short, and the spirit beast will inevitably appear immature. It is only suitable for some spirit beasts that are not intended to be used frequently. Even so, the effect is still quite powerful.

Upon entering the ice mist array, the Ice Pine gradually began to grow strong, and the cold air emanating from the Frost Grass covered the ground, causing a layer of crystalline frost to condense on the ground. The Concentration Flowers had all been harvested and were just waiting to be sown with new seeds.

In the three ponds, black filamentous algae and white duckweed are thriving, having expanded beyond the ponds and spread their leaves on the ground. Chen Guang has recently been using these two spiritual plants to extract some plant essence to curb their increasingly exaggerated expansion.

Ice-tailed shrimp are now cared for less, having become a staple food for pinnacle weevils and ice turtles.

When Chen Guang entered, the two ice-shelled turtles were fast asleep in their nest. When they heard Chen Guang's voice, they were not as enthusiastic as before. They just poked one of their heads out of the nest and put it on the ground, looking indifferent.

"Eat this"

With the activation of the Spirit Communication, the two Ice-Armored Turtles obediently got up and swallowed the nourishing beast food shaped like meatballs in Chen Guang's hand without much enthusiasm or pickiness. Each of them was only the size of a broad bean, and they felt full after eating three. Chen Guang did not force them to eat more.

"Nourishing beast food isn't particularly appealing to the Ice-Armored Turtle, but it's not entirely averse to it either. Perhaps its color, aroma, and taste are just average to a spirit beast."

The amount of nourishing beast food consumed by the Ice Armor Turtle was recorded. The two Ice Armor Turtles didn't seem to care, but Chen Guang observed them for a while before leaving the ice mist array.

Chen Guang returned to the courtyard, where a large magical vat was placed in the center. It was already more than half full of blood-red water. Although the opening had been sealed, a pleasant fragrance could still be smelled, which made people feel comfortable. However, Chen Guang couldn't help but feel his muscles tense up.

Looking at the sun high in the sky, with spring approaching and the sun beginning to blaze intensely, Chen Guang removed his robes and examined his body. He noticed the distinct muscle definition and robust physique. Taking a deep breath, he retrieved a long, dense Bloodthorn from the room and began wrapping it around his left hand, starting from his fingers, gradually extending it down to his right shoulder. The sharp thorns pierced Chen Guang's body with a single touch, causing blood to gush out uncontrollably.

The cultivation of Xuanxiu has always been inseparable from endurance. This kind of self-torture cultivation is a shortcut to quickly improve the body refinement realm and combat techniques. Chen Guang wanted to use a breathing technique from the Ember Blood Combat Technique when he was surrounded by blood thorns.

Breathing and magic, fist techniques and body movements must be combined, and pain must not disrupt the rhythm.

Chen Guang also faced another unprecedented challenge. His cultivation of the Blood Scripture and the healing effects of the Nest Water Ginger from the Jianmu Tree were entirely passive. Under the impetus of the Blood Scripture, the effects would only be amplified and difficult to suppress. As soon as one side pierced the flesh, the other side began to recover. The tingling itching sensation was only momentary, followed by a numb pain, as if the blood thorns were also wrapped in the flesh and growing together.

You will gradually feel some fear, and it takes repeated exposure to gradually get used to it and stop being afraid.

As the Bloodstained Battle Technique was unleashed, the blood flowing from the tips of the Blood Thorns stopped dripping and instead flowed along the thorns, suddenly appearing to ignite. Crimson flames ignited the Blood Thorns on Chen Guang's body, making him feel as if he were about to be set ablaze. Chen Guang's skin quickly turned red and warm, slowly becoming scalding hot.

The blood-red thorns writhing in the fire added an indescribable eeriness to the scene.

A quarter of an hour later, after completing a full set of boxing techniques, he broke the seal on the large vat and jumped inside.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle"

Crimson sparks exploded on the water's surface, releasing astonishing heat. A cloud of white steam billowed from the rim of the tank, while Chen Guang felt the water gradually cool, becoming unbearably cold. At the same time, his body began to regain its vitality, and a strange spiritual energy was released from the mixing of the blood thorns and the medicinal liquid, drawing it into his heart.

The unique insights of combat techniques often affect the mind. The number of combat techniques one can cultivate is directly related to one's physical refinement level. There are many examples of cultivators who have died from heart rupture due to cultivating too many techniques without reaching the required level.

These blood thorns have undergone special treatment. The blood thorns themselves are just an imprint. The thorns that pierced Chen Guang's flesh dry up as the water temperature begins to recover, dissolving in the water at a visible speed and completely disappearing from Chen Guang's body.

The blood-red water in the tank now had more grayish-white foam, and the water level had dropped by about one-tenth.

Chen Guang then leisurely left the water vat and put on his clothes.

The medicinal liquid in this water tank is consumed and contaminated every time. The next time it is used, some new medicinal liquid needs to be added. Naturally, the impurities will sink to the bottom. After each cultivation session, these impurities are retrieved. Chen Guang also noticed that the medicinal liquid in this tank is somewhat indescribably dirty. However, this medicinal liquid is like old wine. It must always be kept so that it can be used for cultivation again and again.

Even though Chen Guang wasn't a qualified Xuan cultivator, he understood that the Bloodstained Blood Battle Technique was one of the most challenging battle techniques among all.

After cleaning out the impurities, the large vat was sealed again. I rolled up my sleeves, and the dark skin on my arms was completely healed, without a single scar.

He casually grabbed a stone bench and sat there basking in the sun. While taking a Mind-Concentrating Pill, he began to visualize the Azure Mountain Map. The mountain had nine peaks, all shrouded in clouds and mist. Simply by visualizing it, his soul not only received the Mind-Concentrating Pill to increase its spiritual foundation, but also felt as if it were being hammered and refined.

By the time Chen Guang realized it, the sun had already begun to tilt noticeably.

"It won't be long before I reach the second stage of Divine Forging. The combination of the Concentration Pill and the Visualization Diagram has a truly remarkable effect. Each step in the growth of one's spiritual realm requires meticulous refinement, but with the Visualization Diagram, I can skip over those. If I really encounter any difficulties, it will be during the fourth stage of Divine Forging."

In the Qi Refining stage, there are three minor realms and one major threshold for each of the three levels. For a Qi Refiner to enter the middle stage of cultivation, all meridians and acupoints need to be opened. For a Xuan Cultivator to enter the middle stage of cultivation, the blood in the heart aperture needs to be as heavy and solid as a drop of lead and mercury, which is essential for high-level Xuan Cultivator combat techniques. For a Spiritual Cultivator to enter the middle stage, it is to break through the fog in front of the platform, so that they will no longer grow old and confused, or be absent-minded without realizing it, and will no longer be foolish.

Judging from the performance, the direct changes brought about by entering the middle stage of spiritual cultivation are the least, and even among cultivators, there is no particularly dazzling performance. However, in the long run, the effect is obvious. Being able to maintain a focused state for a long time is a commendable result. Often, one only realizes the benefits long after the fact.

Chen Guang was completely clueless about how to dispel the fog surrounding the Upper Court. The explanations from the Scripture Pavilion were also vague, offering only a general direction. While this was specific enough for a rogue cultivator, it was still too rough for Chen Guang, who had had enough of the "minor hardships."

"Take your time. The time and number of Spirit Condensation Pills needed to advance from the second to the third level of Divine Forging are a bit excessive. Even for Foundation Establishment, the third level is enough. No rush, no rush."

With winter drawing to a close and having made further progress, Chen Guang felt carefree and naturally more enthusiastic. He decided to refine another batch of the other pills from the Red Heart Pill Scroll to enjoy them.