Just one bite caused Zhao Xing to instantly gain 25 points of vital Qi. His body, like a thirsty sponge, greedily absorbed this energy.
“Crunch, crunch, crunch~” Zhao Xing quickly devoured the Tianyuan Pear, even crushing the seeds to absorb the juice. The seeds of the Tianyuan Pear were useless to him; he couldn't even cultivate a third-tier high-grade seed at this moment.
Soon, the panel kept flashing with records, and Zhao Xing felt something unusual happening in his body; he even felt a sensation of being overly full!
“Hiss, so cold.” After pushing through, Zhao Xing felt a chill all over and shivered.
The Tianyuan Pear was cold in nature, and to prevent its effects from dissipating, he ate it hurriedly. The cold attribute of the third-tier high-grade vital Qi made him feel as if he were in an ice cellar.
“Focus and calm the mind, gather the Qi into the body!” Zhao Xing quickly sat cross-legged and began to digest.
His blood and Qi surged within, and the vital Qi began to be neutralized by the vigorous fire energy.
Round after round, Zhao Xing's originally pale face turned rosy.
After a full half an hour, he had nearly digested it and opened his eyes.
“Whew~ Goodness, this is indeed a third-tier high-grade item.” Zhao Xing exhaled a long breath of cold air.
He had eaten too hastily; if he had consumed it while at the Gathered Essence First Level, he might have caught a cold and harmed his body instead.
For the Gathered Essence Second Level, it was originally safer to eat it piece by piece, but if left cut open, the effects of the Tianyuan Pear would weaken. Zhao Xing was unwilling to waste it, so he had to endure a wave of the ‘ice bucket challenge.’
“It’s cold, but the effects are very obvious. Just this one pear, fully digested, gave me a boost of 195 points!” Zhao Xing looked at the panel.
Gathered Essence Second Level: 955/1000
“The Dao Embryo Pill is truly exaggerated.” Zhao Xing was not praising the pear, but the Dao Embryo Pill.
He had eaten Tianyuan Pears many times in his previous life; they were nothing special.
The standard for boosting vital Qi at the Gathered Essence Second Level was around 70 points, a figure verified by countless players over billions of attempts.
Due to individual physical qualifications differing, absorption efficiency varied, and vital Qi could dissipate or be expelled after consumption.
An absorption efficiency exceeding the standard by 70% was considered excellent, and over double was exceptional.
The Dao Embryo Pill allowed Zhao Xing's absorption efficiency to reach three times the standard, nearing the limit of vital Qi contained in this Tianyuan Pear!
“Could it be that I have already reached the legendary Leakless Body?” Zhao Xing couldn't help but fantasize, but quickly dismissed the thought.
The Dao Embryo Pill was not capable of transforming him to such an extent; it was merely that the quality of the treasure was not high, which resulted in an almost ‘perfect absorption’ effect.
“It seems that in just a few days, I will reach the Gathered Essence Third Level.”
Zhao Xing satisfactorily closed the box, saving the remaining Tianyuan Pear.
This item should not be eaten consecutively; consuming one every couple of days was optimal.
Otherwise, Chen Shijie would not limit him to just 15 pears in a month; he also considered Zhao Xing's current capacity. Otherwise, if Chen Shijie had the pear orchard in hand, giving 30 would not be a problem at all.
……
Since earning the nickname ‘Zhao Erjia,’ Zhao Xing's home had become much livelier, with colleagues often visiting to strengthen relationships.
Indeed, as Zhao Ruide had said, social interactions were truly unavoidable; when people visited, they generally brought gifts.
One could not simply host a meal without offering something to drink.
Eating at home was still acceptable, but going out would cost even more.
“Mother, mother, big brother said to prepare meals for four more people at noon.” Zhao Zheng found Madam Cai and tugged at her skirt.
“What? They’re coming again!” Madam Cai immediately frowned, “He can eat by himself, but now he’s bringing people home. I tolerated it the first two times, but now you come to order me around? How unreasonable!”
“Just go tell him that I…”
Before she could finish, Zhao Zheng pulled out a small bag containing some silver.
“Hmm? Where did you get this silver?”
“Big brother gave it to me,” Zhao Zheng replied honestly.
“What does he mean by this?” Madam Cai took the silver pouch and asked.
“Big brother said that you’ve been working hard these past few days, and he received support from a nobleman. It seems he has become a tribute official, receiving five taels of silver each month… this is to honor you.”
Madam Cai initially had a cold expression, but upon hearing this, she was momentarily stunned.
Seeing the silver again, she quickly warmed up her attitude!
She didn’t know exactly what a tribute official entailed, but she remembered that it was either five or ten taels of silver each month.
In any case, Zhao Xing could at least earn some money now, greatly reducing the possibility of competing with Zheng’er for family assets. In the future, he might even be able to help Zheng’er, after all, if he truly became an Agricultural Affairs Officer, that would still be an official position!
“Zheng’er, go tell Zhao… your big brother, I’ll get started right away!”
A few days later.
“My cooking is rough, and I don’t know if it suits your tastes. If I fail to host you properly, it’s all my fault, so please don’t blame my Xing’er,” Madam Cai said warmly to the guests with a smile.
After finishing the meal, the officials chatting suddenly stood up and clasped their hands:
“Aunt, please don’t say that; it is we who have disturbed you.”
“Indeed, Aunt, your cooking is excellent; I’ve never had such delicious food before!”
“…”
Zhao Xing watched Madam Cai’s gentle and virtuous demeanor, dumbfounded.
She was calling him Xing’er as if he were her own son!
The allure of money was truly immense! Zhao Xing was still accustomed to her stingy demeanor; now, seeing her like this was quite an adjustment.
However, Madam Cai had been chatting with others these past few days.
“My Xing’er…”
“You don’t know how diligent Xing’er usually is…”
Stop it, Master, stop it!
Two days later, Zhao Xing ate the second Tianyuan Pear.
The coldness dissipated, and he had reached the Gathered Essence Third Level.
[Gathered Essence Third Level: 10/10000]
Upon reaching the Gathered Essence Third Level, all spells, including the Scarecrow Technique, saw a slight increase in proficiency.
The stronger the vital Qi contained within a person, the more comprehensive the enhancement of their qualities, which naturally included the brain, leading to a deeper understanding of spells.
“Many people are obsessed with increasing their vital Qi strength, while they only practice spell techniques to a sufficient level.”
“In combat, being lax is not entirely short-sighted; it’s just a different personal choice. During peaceful times, the pursuit of spell techniques is not as urgent; not everyone will step out of their comfort zone.”
“If I had the background of a wealthy young master from a sect, relying on resources to easily gather vital Qi, I would probably also slack off, thinking I could practice my skills tomorrow. Once that thought arises, who knows how many tomorrows would pass?”
Zhao Xing glanced at another box on his desk, a gift sent by Zong Shichang. He was indeed generous, casually gifting a box of ten Gathered Essence Lower Grade Pills.
Although they couldn’t compare to the Tianyuan Pear, ten together was still quite valuable.
Although Zong Shichang could be somewhat self-centered and domineering, he was still very trustworthy and did not go back on his word.
“Gathered Essence Third Level, I’m a little closer to becoming an official, and a step closer to the goal of longevity.”
“After the beginning of autumn comes the end of summer, and then the White Dew, but due to the customs of ‘floating river lanterns’ and ‘sacrificing to the souls of the dead’ during the end of summer, the examination for that period is skipped, and it will only resume during the White Dew.”
“The end of summer not only involves floating river lanterns and sacrificing to the souls of the dead, but also includes preliminary assessments for divine positions like ‘divination’ and ‘sacrificial’ professions, so I might as well go take a look.”
“However, I still need to practice the Bright Eyes and Night Vision technique to a higher level; otherwise, I won’t be able to see anything at all, not even a ghostly shadow.”
“There’s a high possibility that the White Dew examination will be theoretical, which is perfect for studying while practicing spells.” Zhao Xing opened the bookshelf and began to burn the midnight oil.
(End of Chapter)