Pausing cultivation after 23 years, Hyang mumbles.
Hyang: "She is certainly comprehending the Dao well right now.
I can see her eagerness to learn from how focused she is."
Hyang tries to wake Perlmut up, as she fell asleep for the past 23 years. Cultivating cross legged while giving Rex head pats, who laid there like a hardened board.
Rex doing Bing things.
Hyang: "It's time to move on, so postpone cultivating for now."
Upon not getting a reaction from her, he takes some stinky tofu on a stick out of his spacial ring.
Now holding his breath, the whole cave abode fills with a pungent, repulsive smell.
She awakes through this disgusting smell, without showing the same pure disdain for it.
Having noticed that she paused cultivating, Hyang promptly takes it upon himself to move them out of the cave abode.
Having put the stinky tofu back inside his storage ring after Perlmut woke up, it no longer smells as bad as they are now outside the cave abode.
And fortunately enough for him, he didn't touch it directly, nor did any of the stinky tofu juices spill onto any of them. Leaving only a fragrance rich cave abode behind that emits its stench for days to come to anyone unfortunate enough to walk past it.
Putting both of them down, he finally is in a position to follow etique, and so Hyang does, albeit silently.
Hyang: "Call me, Master Yi."
Resulting in Perlmut having a joking and lighthearted tone.
Perlmut: "Are you royalty or what?"
Hyang: "Never mind."
He says in a rather monotone and somewhat disappointed way,
as it doesn't even quite feel like they are his disciples.
Perlmut suddenly tries to cheer him up.
Perlmut: "There is no need for you to be so down, boy.
You should say it like a master."
Hyang: "Haa~ yeah. You're right."
*Whish I could have properly landed that line.
But they just ended up being talented beyond
any genius.*
Master Yi: "Ahem, anyway. Rex UNUStuse seems to kind of work like a catalyst
that increases your cultivation speed, and in turn his own."
Indeed he does.
Hyang: "You are now at stage 9 of the Body Tempering Realm.
And compared to cultivators at the same lvl your techniques should probably be twice as strong.
Because you used 100% pure Qi to build up your foundation and everything on top of it.
So the real strength of that cultivation technique lies
in being unaffected by how impure the surrounding QI is.
And because the density of the QI slowly increased over time, for whatever reason, in ever so slightly higher amounts.
I also managed to start breaking through at some point.
And am now at stage 9 of the Body Tempering Realm instead of a 4th stage sword master.
And thanks to the immeasurable power of this technique
You haven't been slowed down, even though
double cultivation normally decreases the cultivation speed.
And as for Rex... I- can't tell.
In conclusion, if you spend time comprehending techniques, you could get stronger than me.
Well with enough battle experience anyway."
Perlmut: "...mh, aha, ok, cultivation is great."
She says without enthusiasm.
Hyang: "Ah, right, as a former mortal, you don't even understand the madness of cultivation speed, your ice aptitude
gives you.- Well, unless you lied about not bein an old monster."
Perlmut: "Mhm, fascinating- tell me more."
in a monotonous voice.
Hyang: "Bla bla bla mortal doesn't count bla bla bla, so we are now in the 7th realm of cultivation.
So you just broke through 69 times. Bla bla bla bla... Are you listening?"
Perlmut: "mhm-"
Hyang: "good"
Perlmut: "really"
Hyang: "In any case, bla never before happened, bla bla-"
Perlmut: "And what now?"
Hyang: "Ah. I'll continue wandering the land and do good while you will carry Rex by my side.
And of course, the first thing I will focus on will be the finding
of a healing treasure for you, since you are still in bad shape.
Frankly speaking, I've never seen a cripple cultivate before.
...
Don't know yet if it is going to be an elixir or something else.
But I hope it will fulfill the conditions for curing you, and as such
increasing your carrying speed."
Perlmut: "I don't think I'll make it until then."
Hyang: "Do not worry. I found some hints and trails of clues while reading during our time here that talked about an
incredible healing treasure and its location."
Perlmut: "Are such treasures just common occurrence for you, or how did you encounter such information in but a night?"
Perlmut asks with slight sarcasm.
Hyang: "You must have been quite focused on cultivating the Dao.
Having lost track of time like that, or are you actually an old monster who lost her cultivation?
Well either way. 23 years have passed since we started cultivating in this cave abode.
You cultivated with diligence no cultivation beginner would."
Perlmut: "..."
Perlmut thinks: *WHAT?!? Pretty sure I was just sleeping. Must have been in a state of suspended animation
or something, no one could just oversleep like that.
Perhaps he is pulling my leg.*
Perlmut: "Hohohoo~ very funny."
Hyang: "That wasn't a joke."
Perlmut: "...you're pulling me, right? Although, taking a closer look at it."
She looks around, and sees long white hair and that it all comes back to her.
She touches her face, feeling it, feeling less wrinkles.
She then feels her head, noticing that cultivating is surprisingly
good for hair growth. As the scars causing bald spots have been relentlessly overgrown
by the power of cultivation. Her hair recaptured its domain, having taken dominion over it once again and without the help of a healing treasure.
Perlmut: "Cultivation helps surprisingly well against baldness it seems."
Perlmut thinks: *Should've noticed that faster even though I'm still sleepy from having just woken up.*
Hyang: "Yes. Either way.
I will read to you the most encompassing part of a historical record.
So that you somewhat know where the cherry blossom wind will carry us.
The Bandit Shin Qi Genauh sent Taoist alchemist Bandit Ux Uf to the eastern seas with 500 young men and 500 young tamed beasts to find the ****> This part has been too corrupted over time, but then it goes but returned without finding it.> Other than that, you only need to know how these mysterious mountains are called today and where they should be." Perlmut: "Shouldn't you know that place since you are a cultivator? Other than that the only place I have ever heard rumors about of being legendary and having healing pills is Mount Pingpong." Hyang: "Wait, Pingpong Mountain? Hmmm, you might be on to something. I have a hazy memory of someone calling it that back in the day." As preparation, Hyang gives Perlmut a technique on hair QI control that he helps her comprehend, showing off his intellect. Hyang: "This should help you hide your appearance more easily while carrying Rex Unustuse because bla bla bla. bla... and then you have to bla bla bla..." While Hyang intended to enable her to hide her appearance with her hair through that technique, She uses it to carry Rex on her back, and she takes out the crown from within her robes. Using the crown to transform her appearance into the astounding beauty of a fairy. '*sparkle*' '*shalala*' This time around, weirdly small. Looking like Marie Madeleine Charlotte de Foix, clothed in a beautiful blue dress that has golden fabric and white fluffiness on the sleeves. While her hair is extremely voluminous, hiding Rex fully inside of it. To put it into perspective, the volume of her hair hiding Rex is at least twice as great as her own transformed body volume. Hyang: "Someone might want to steal that treasure if they find out about its existence by accident. And besides you're in bad shape. Way too small with hair that basically asks to lift you up with the next breeze, flying you away. You look like some nobles daughter who thinks hair equals your standing in nobility. Seriously, it looks like you're carrying your parents coffin inside your hair. If only you could at least change his plank form." Hyang thinks: *I count this as having gotten back at her more properly.* Perlmut: "Quite rude, aren't you, boy? Or rather~ 'ahem' how dare you mock me peasant! You are below me and my hair." Hyang: "Well, I guess you are good enough at acting to perhaps convince whoever doubts this hair." Perlmut: "FufuFu~ you are not prepared." Hyang: "Well. Let's get going. I'll pretend to be your bodyguard if necessary."