It had been more than half a month since Li Xuan accepted Xu Yan as his disciple and taught him a fabricated cultivation method.
During this half month, Li Xuan had enjoyed the most comfortable days since his arrival in this world. He had his disciple serving him daily, taking care of cooking, feeding the chickens, and tending to other chores.
Every day was either spent sleeping or leisurely strolling around the village, or simply lying back in a chair, enjoying life to the fullest.
There was only one piece of the Nine Leaf Essence Mushroom left, and once it was stewed today, it would be all gone. Li Xuan marveled at how remarkable the effects of the Nine Leaf Essence Mushroom were. Over the past half month, he had noticed a significant change in his body.
His spirit had improved, his vision had become sharper, his body had grown noticeably stronger, and his strength had increased.
"Should I stew some thousand-year-old mountain ginseng tomorrow? Would it be too nourishing?" Li Xuan lay back in his chair, pondering.
"But thousand-year-old mountain ginseng is different; should I save it for later?"
He glanced sideways at Xu Yan, who was diligently practicing his horse stance. He couldn't help but feel perplexed.
"It's been half a month; how can he stay so calm? He appears composed and not impatient, which is a good trait. Unfortunately, his mind doesn't seem to work well."
"Nevertheless, it's better this way. The more composed he is, the more advantageous it is for me... But it's been half a month, and he hasn't cultivated anything yet. He doesn't even have any questions?"
Li Xuan was quite surprised.
"At mealtime, I'll ask him if he has any questions, fulfill my responsibility as his master."
"Let me think, how can I make up some nonsense that sounds reasonable, comfort him, and encourage him to persevere..."
...
"I've finally achieved perfect skin tempering!"
As Xu Yan practiced, he suddenly felt a rush of energy throughout his body. His skin tightened and then relaxed, and at that moment, he sensed a significant improvement.
He had achieved perfect skin tempering!
"Master was right; cultivation should not be rushed; it requires a balance between work and rest."
"Every day, whether it's cooking, feeding chickens, planting crops, or even catching wild game for additional meals, it may seem like I have less time for cultivation. However, with this balance, my mental state is completely different, and my cultivation speed has actually increased. It feels easier too!"
"Master is truly an expert with a profound level of understanding!"
Xu Yan marveled at his master's wisdom.
Master Li Xuan, a true hermit, seemed ordinary on the surface, but that was the true demeanor of a master.
"Perhaps this is what Master mentioned before, returning to simplicity and approaching the Dao?"
"I shouldn't aim too high; I need to remain grounded. Someday, I will become a master like him!"
Xu Yan imagined himself, motivating and reminding himself not to become arrogant or complacent.
"In less than twenty days, I've achieved perfect skin tempering. I'm just one step away from reaching the Consummate Skin Tempering stage. It should only take another three to five days to complete it."
"After I achieve perfect skin tempering, I'll ask Master about the intricacies of bone tempering."
"Master mentioned that ancient prodigies completed skin tempering in five days. Although I can't compare to them, achieving perfect skin tempering within a month should still be considered good progress."
Xu Yan checked the time and realized it was time to prepare dinner.
So, he ended his cultivation session and went to the chicken coop to catch a chicken. He planned to cook it with the last piece of Nine Leaf Essence Mushroom.
"Master mentioned that after achieving perfect skin tempering, regular weapons can't harm me. Is it true?"
Excited, Xu Yan couldn't resist the urge to test this newfound strength. He lightly cut his forearm with a kitchen knife, without using any internal energy or much force.
It was a cut a regular person could endure.
The blade passed over his skin, leaving only a faint, shallow white mark, which quickly disappeared as if it had never been there.
"Is this the defensive power of perfect skin tempering?"
Xu Yan was thrilled. Even though he hadn't exerted any real force, he had effortlessly cut open a chicken's abdomen. A regular person would have been severely injured from such a cut, with blood and flesh exposed, but there was not a scratch on his skin.
"Just as Master said, after achieving perfect skin tempering, regular weapons can't harm me!"
Xu Yan looked forward to the next stages of his cultivation, especially bone tempering and organ cultivation.
...
"In these past few days, you've shown great composure and patience in your cultivation, and that pleases me."
During the meal, Li Xuan carefully chose his words.
"Master, I understand. I will remember to avoid impatience and cultivate with composure," Xu Yan replied respectfully.
Inwardly, he felt fortunate that he hadn't rushed things and had maintained a calm demeanor. This had created a favorable impression in his master's eyes.
"Li Xuan is aware that I'm close to entering the bone tempering stage, and he probably expects me to have questions about it. He's advising me not to be impatient first, and then he'll answer my questions. This will calm my impatience and help me understand the process of bone tempering."
The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more he believed that every word his master said carried deep meaning and was guiding him in the right direction.
"Master, I have no doubts about the skin tempering method. I'd like to inquire about bone tempering. When we infuse our blood and energy into our bones and continuously temper them, are there any specific techniques to follow?"
"At what point can bone tempering be considered complete?"
Xu Yan asked several questions about bone tempering, and Li Xuan was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't prepared any nonsense about bone tempering; his fabrications had all been related to blood and energy sensing and skin tempering.
He hadn't anticipated Xu Yan's curiosity about bone tempering.
"Wait, it's been half a month already, and he hasn't cultivated anything. He hasn't even raised any questions?"
Li Xuan found this perplexing.
"I'll answer his questions about bone tempering to fulfill my duty as his master."
"Now, let me think about how to fabricate some reasonable-sounding explanations, comfort him, and encourage him to persevere."
Li Xuan pondered how to answer Xu Yan's questions while maintaining the illusion of being a knowledgeable master.