Chapter 550: Common People?
Li Yun’s expression remained indifferent.
If they were outside, dealing with a 7th level Earthly Core Realm cultivator would still be quite difficult for him. However, within this great desert, the essence qi of all cultivators was suppressed. In other words, the strength of the middle-aged man in yellow robes was at most equivalent to the 3rd or 4th level of Earthly Core Realm.
Under these circumstances, killing him was naturally as easy as turning over his hand.
Li Yun reached out and grasped the Mansa Flower in his palm. Then, he sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the flower’s energy.
Under his absorption, the Mansa Flower swayed gently, and clusters of yellowish-brown light bloomed from its petals. The light scattered like flowers falling from the hands of a celestial maiden, then slowly merged into Li Yun’s body.
Li Yun’s expression remained calm. Without saying a word, he absorbed the energy within those yellowish-brown light clusters. Gradually, an extremely minute trace of yellowish-brown origin qi, similar to essence qi yet much heavier and deeper, was refined inside his body.
This trace of yellowish-brown origin qi was precisely Earth Origin Qi.
Earth Origin Qi was the core element for Earthly Core Realm cultivators. If one cultivated normally, refining even a single strand would require an extremely long time. Moreover, the further one progressed, the harder it became to refine Earth Origin Qi. Reaching the point where the essence qi throughout the entire body was saturated with Earth Origin Qi was incredibly difficult.
If he followed normal cultivation methods, Li Yun would need at least three more months to refine even this one trace of Earth Origin Qi.
An hour later, Li Yun had completely absorbed all the energy from the Mansa Flower. The Earth Origin Qi within his body had increased to a total of fifty strands.
Fifty strands of Earth Origin Qi were still a relatively insignificant amount compared to the chaos qi filling his body. Forget completely saturating his chaos qi, he was still far from even reaching half capacity.
However, even so, those fifty strands of Earth Origin Qi still provided a considerable boost to Li Yun’s strength, even though his cultivation level had not increased much from it.
Condensing one strand of Earth Origin Qi compared to having none was already a qualitative leap. Condensing fifty strands compared to only one strand was naturally another considerable improvement.
If he were outside, then after condensing fifty strands of Earth Origin Qi, Li Yun’s strength, relying solely on his chaos qi, would already be enough to rank among the outstanding experts at the very peak of Earthly Core Realm.
"The Mansa Flower truly lives up to its reputation as one of the strongest spiritual materials for Earthly Core Realm cultivators. If I could obtain a few more, my strength might soon break through to the 7th level of Mortal Core Realm."
Li Yun pondered this silently in his heart.
A few days later, an oasis suddenly appeared before him.
The oasis was not large, only slightly more than a hundred meters in circumference. There was a small grove inside it, and at the center of that grove, a small lake rested quietly like the moon surrounded by stars.
Beside the small lake stood a small wooden house. Outside the house, an old man was fishing, a young woman was cooking, and a child of about seven or eight years old was playing happily. Silver-bell-like laughter drifted through the air, creating a scene that looked exceptionally peaceful and content.
For such a scene to appear in the middle of the vast desert, it naturally made one’s mood relax.
A slight smile appeared on Li Yun’s face. He stepped lightly and approached the small lake, moving with extremely soft footsteps as though afraid of disturbing the peace and tranquility of this place.
"Huh, someone is here!"
Soon, the playing child discovered Li Yun’s presence. He cheered happily, suddenly pounced toward Li Yun, and shouted, "Big Brother, are you someone from the outside world?"
"Someone from the outside world?"
The child’s voice startled the old man who was fishing. He raised his head, revealing a kind and benevolent face, then smiled warmly and said, "Young man, it has been a long time since a newcomer visited us here. Xiao Yan, quickly make a few of your best dishes to entertain this rare guest."
"Oh, alright."
The young woman responded with a face full of smiles, displaying great warmth and enthusiasm.
"Elder, I am only passing by, so there is no need to trouble yourselves."
Li Yun quickly said, "I will be leaving soon. Elder, please continue with what you were doing and do not worry about me."
"How can that be?"
The benevolent old man pretended to be angry and said, "Since you have come here, you are a guest. As hosts, how can we allow a guest to leave without entertaining him? Young man, no matter what, you must eat a meal here today before leaving."
"That is right, that is right."
The child also shouted repeatedly, "Big Brother, outsiders rarely come here. How about this? You tell me stories about the outside world, and that can count as payment for the meal we treat you to."
Li Yun wanted to refuse, but the enthusiasm of this family finally made it difficult for him to say those words. In the end, he nodded and accepted their invitation.
Afterward, he sat beside the old man and fished with him while recounting some strange and interesting tales to the child. The child listened with bright eyes and a face full of excitement.
Soon, the young woman finished preparing the meal.
She had made eight or nine dishes in total, and each one looked perfect in color, aroma, and presentation. The dishes filled the table and appeared extremely tempting.
"Come, young man, do not be shy. Since you are here, treat this place as your own home. Eat whatever you like and eat freely."
The old man smiled kindly. His demeanor was extremely peaceful, and he kept urging Li Yun to eat more. He continuously placed food onto Li Yun’s plate, looking as though he were facing his own son.
However, Li Yun did not pick up his chopsticks.
Looking at the table of food before him, a faint half-smile suddenly appeared on his face. He looked at the benevolent old man and said flatly, "Senior elder, how long do you intend to keep up this act?"
"What are you talking about?"
The benevolent old man showed a puzzled expression. "What act? Young man, I do not understand what you mean. Alright, stop talking so much. Hurry and eat. Eat while the dishes are still warm."
"Eat?"
Li Yun gave a cold laugh. "I fear that what I eat will not be delicious food, but poison."
"Hm?"
The benevolent old man’s expression immediately changed. The kindness on his face vanished in an instant, and his wrinkled old face became incredibly grim. He sneered and said, "Brat, when did you start noticing?"
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