Chapter 36: The Celestial Scent Spirit Cat

The golden glow of legend flickered and vanished. In its place appeared a quail-sized egg, entirely silver-white and tinged with blue radiance.

“An egg?”

“So small?”

Pinching the thumb-sized silver egg between his fingers, Cao Chengyu examined it with suspicion. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed unlikely to bring any benefit.

“Is it meant to be eaten?”

Just as he was about to swallow it, the quail egg quivered slightly, and a brilliant silver light burst forth. In his palm materialized a tiny cat, no bigger than a thumb.

The moment it hatched, it was bound to his soul; the sense of intimacy and reliance was unmistakably genuine.

At the same time, a stream of information inexplicably surfaced deep within his mind.

[Celestial Scented Spirit Cat]

A spirit born of nature, adept at controlling spiritual energy, capable of discerning all things, understanding the languages of myriad beings, and attuned to the spiritual essence of all creatures.

It possesses the divine ability to gather spiritual energy through a hundred apertures and to identify treasures of heaven and earth.

“A marvelous thing.”

Cao Chengyu needed only a glance to realize he had obtained a true treasure this time.

The spirit cat’s power to recognize treasures of heaven and earth could be seen in two aspects: appraisal and treasure-seeking.

Named for its celestial sense of smell, it could distinguish the nature of all things and was innately attuned to the treasures of the world.

It functioned much like a locating radar—anything within its range could be found.

The treasure chest awarded by the rankings had solved all of Cao Chengyu’s future needs for rare spiritual herbs. There was no such thing as “none exists”; it was only a matter of whether he was willing to search.

This was like being handed a fishing rod.

Currently, the little creature had just been born, and its innate sensing range was not large—only about fifty meters.

Curled up like a ball of fur, Cao Chengyu gently crafted a small nest from jade silkworm thread and placed the furry ball inside.

He had no experience raising such a natural spirit, and planned to visit the Tower of Heavenly Observation’s library to research proper care once the spirit cat awakened.

As for its divine ability to gather spiritual energy through a hundred apertures, its uses were still unknown.

…

Thus, three days later.

With Luo Yuzhu in seclusion and inaccessible, it was time to seek a second target.

The thumb-sized spirit cat had also been thoroughly understood by Cao Chengyu.

The so-called “hundred-aperture gathering” was a divine ability to assist cultivation. Born with a hundred interconnected apertures, it could absorb spiritual energy with remarkable efficiency; keeping it nearby more than doubled his cultivation speed.

Indeed, a spirit of heaven and earth—a true lucky star.

It lived by absorbing spiritual energy, and Cao Chengyu typically fed it refining herb. In three days, it had grown to be the size of two fingers, petite and adorable.

Its fur was silver-white, with grayish tips, and its large blue eyes glistened with watery innocence, evoking affection.

Such spirits grew no larger than a palm, making them extremely convenient to carry.

At present, the little creature liked to nestle inside his shirt collar, poking out its tiny head to curiously observe everything around.

It allowed him to indulge his paternal instincts.

As time passed, the Celestial Scented Spirit Cat would grow naturally, and its divine abilities would expand accordingly.

All Cao Chengyu needed to do was regularly feed it spiritual items that enhanced absorption and gathering, as required.

With this small pendant always on him, it felt rather pleasant.

That day, after completing his body refinement and sword practice, Cao Chengyu took a trip to the Five-Flavors Pavilion.

This was the most renowned tavern in the inner city of the capital.

It was even grander than the ethereal Misty Tower he’d visited before.

Its fame stemmed from its flavors, whereas the Misty Tower attracted guests with its lofty height.

The thrill of touching the clouds was indeed enjoyable.

Last time, he had even achieved enlightenment atop its highest floor.

Alternating tight and relaxed cultivation was one of Cao Chengyu’s guiding principles.

He had come merely to indulge his appetite.

Yet he unexpectedly encountered his second target.

Cao Chengyu frowned, looking at the woman sprawled across the wine table, his tone displeased.

“Are you here to stage a scene? A dignified cultivator, tripped by a stool? You even knocked over all my dishes—what kind of joke is this?”

The woman before him wore a white silk dress, her delicate face flushed with embarrassment. She held aloft a scroll of scripture, unwilling to let her book be stained, even as her robes were splattered with oil.

Put on the spot by Cao Chengyu, she appeared utterly at a loss, stammering,

“I... I... didn’t do it on purpose.”

Cao Chengyu was unconvinced; surely this woman had been drawn by his handsome appearance.

Her excuse was so flimsy he didn’t even bother to expose it.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to let it go—all appetite lost.

“Forget it, the mood is ruined. Just go.”

“Huh?…”

Seeing her still lingering at the table, Cao Chengyu’s expression darkened. He tossed three spirit stones as payment and turned to leave.

The gentle woman hurriedly stood.

“I am Ning Wenjun. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist? I will surely make amends next time.”

“You’re called Ning Wenjun?”

Cao Chengyu turned back in surprise, regarding her with curiosity.

Ning Wenjun finally regained her composure; scholarly discipline compelled her to acknowledge her mistake.

“Yes, I came to retrieve a scroll of scripture, but became engrossed along the way and inadvertently disrupted your meal. I will certainly compensate you.”

“Compensation? Fine. Treat me to a meal in three days. Here is my messenger paper crane—once you set the place, let me know.”

Cao Chengyu seized the opportunity, leaving the paper crane behind and departing without a backward glance.

The encounter with his target was more peculiar than he’d imagined.

This Ning Wenjun was already ninety-two years old—by mortal reckoning, she would be his great-grandmother—yet her demeanor was akin to a young girl.

Moreover, despite being at the pinnacle of the Dao Body realm, she refrained from retorting out of guilt, which was most unusual.

She exuded the air of a bookworm.

After much consideration, Cao Chengyu could only conclude that she rarely interacted with outsiders, spending most of her life absorbed in reading scriptures.

She wished to realize her ideals.

Thus, she was inexperienced in social matters, yet still capable of making the gesture to apologize—proof she had learned something from her books, though her execution was somewhat awkward.

Among cultivators, such a person was rare indeed.

Reflecting on it, Cao Chengyu felt he had seen right through Ning Wenjun.

A typical case of someone rendered a little dull by excessive study.

Her adaptability was quite good; she went from stammering to speaking fluently in no time.

This type, he realized, could be approached using nearly an entire strategy guide from his previous life’s single-player story games.

Worth a try.

Luo Yuzhu would remain in seclusion for another year.

That year would be Cao Chengyu’s time to indulge himself—he needed to find suitable targets to experiment with.

At the very least, his cultivation should reach the Dao Body peak, or else he wouldn’t even be able to flee quickly if trouble arose.