Soul Land 0: A Progress For A Better World (Patreon)

Chapter 9: Solidifying the Foundation

Douluo Calendar Year 2594, Early Autumn.

Northern outskirts of Shanhai Village, on the edge of the old forest.

Whoosh—!

A barely perceptible whistling sound suddenly pierced the air, blending into the rustling of the surrounding leaves—subtle yet swift!

The next moment—

"Ah Huang, go!"

With a soft command, a yellow blur darted out from a pile of dry, yellowed leaves, chasing after the direction of the whistling sound.

A few breaths later—

A dog, about seventy centimeters tall at the shoulder, with soft yellow fur on its head and back and white fur on its underbelly, well-muscled and robust, trotted back from the forest. In its mouth was a struggling gray hare.

“Ah Huang, well done!”

Zhang Lei took the hare from Ah Huang’s mouth and rubbed the dog’s head with his other hand, his praise flowing freely.

Two and a half years had passed. Zhang Lei, who had just turned six, looked sturdy for his age. Thanks to his family’s improving living conditions and sufficient nutrition, his 1.3-meter-tall frame carried a hint of plumpness, but it wasn’t bloated—rather, he gave off a surprising sense of strength for someone so young.

Weighing the hare in his hand and glancing at another brown hare tied up and immobilized under a pile of dry leaves, Zhang Lei nodded in satisfaction and said to Ah Huang, “Alright, let’s go find Ah Yi—”

“I wonder how his snares are doing.”

With that, Zhang Lei followed Ah Huang westward toward the edge of the forest.

<+>

Over 500 meters away, under a large tree with a faint metallic sheen on its dark brown trunk—

Ling Yi leaned against the tree trunk, sitting casually on the ground with his eyes closed, breathing steadily as he rested.

With each rise and fall of Ling Yi’s breath and chest, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass within a ten-meter radius seemed to move rhythmically, as if responding to him.

Suddenly—!

As if stimulated by something, all the Blue Silver Grass blades straightened abruptly, exposing a long, mottled yellow-green figure hidden in the grass.

It was a Dog-headed Snake, not a spirit beast but venomous nonetheless. For ordinary people or spirit masters below rank 10, its bite could pose a serious, even fatal, threat.

Now that its presence had been exposed, the Dog-headed Snake stopped slithering covertly and instead advanced rapidly toward Ling Yi, who remained sitting under the tree with his eyes shut, seemingly unaware.

When the snake reached within three meters of Ling Yi, it needed only a few more seconds and a single lunge. Its fangs, filled with venom, would pierce Ling Yi’s skin, injecting poison into his body.

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in the old forest north of Shanhai Village. Villagers had been bitten and killed by Dog-headed Snakes more than once.

Ling Yi’s long-lost uncle, Ling Changshan, who disappeared in this very forest over a decade ago, might have been killed by venomous creatures like this, in addition to the spirit beasts or predators that roamed deeper in the woods.

Swoosh—!

Like a yellowed blur, the Dog-headed Snake lunged forward. Its wide-open mouth revealed fangs brimming with venom, carrying a foul stench as it struck toward its target.

However, quite suddenly, a branch, as dark and hard as iron, appeared in the path of the Dog-headed Snake. One end of the branch sharply pierced into the snake's mouth, precisely entering along the snake’s tongue and going deep inside, performing a perfect deep-throat maneuver.

The other end of the branch was firmly held by a small, fair hand.

Unbeknownst to the snake, Ling Yi, who had seemed to be resting just moments ago, had opened his eyes. With swift precision, he picked up the nearby branch, raised it, and aimed.

Before the struggling Dog-headed Snake could lash out with its tail in a last-ditch effort, Ling Yi, calm and collected, tossed the branch far away, following the force of the snake’s movements.

Before the snake, deeply impaled by the branch, could hit the ground and continue thrashing, a gray-striped tabby cat descended from the trees. With a swift swipe of its forepaws, the sharp claws easily tore through the tough snake’s skin, retrieving the snake’s gallbladder, heart, and other internal organs.

After swallowing the organs in a few quick bites, the cat licked its lips with its tongue, then scraped its claws against the Blue Silver Grass on the ground. It then pranced elegantly and lightfootedly toward Ling Yi, nimbly walking over and resting its head on his lap, curling up comfortably.

Ling Yi glanced at the branch the cat had just jumped down from. His gaze swept over the three wild pheasants with broken necks that were hanging from the branch, before lowering his head to stroke the cat’s head. Deep in thought, he reflected:

‘Since the beginning of last year, after I entered deep sleep through self-hypnosis, my spiritual power has awakened to the point where I can extend it outward to sense the surrounding world…’

‘But…’ Ling Yi’s eyes sharpened, a glimmer of light flashing in them. ‘It’s still not enough!’

With his left hand continuing to stroke the cat, the purring sound vibrating in its throat, Ling Yi raised his right hand. He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the contained power within, but was still not satisfied with it.

In the Emperor of The Cosmos, the path of spiritual cultivation begins with deep sleep.

The first stage requires long periods of stillness and breathing guidance before one can enter a state of deep sleep.

Ling Yi had spent over a year using his new body's natural abilities and the spiritual talent brought by this life to subdue his restless mind, eventually entering deep sleep.

Then, it took almost another year to develop the Crystal Meditation Method 1.0, entering the second stage, where he could enter deep sleep anytime and anywhere, with longer-lasting effects.

Since mastering deep sleep, Ling Yi now only needed an hour of deep sleep to achieve the same resting effect as eight hours of normal sleep, and his physical development had also improved.

Now, at nearly four years old, Ling Yi was already as tall as six- or seven-year-old children in the village, only slightly shorter than his cousin Zhang Lei. With his fair and smooth skin, he had become a favorite among the young women in the nearby villages.

Though he was still young, Ling Yi’s family had prospered in recent years, becoming one of the better-off families in Shanhai Village. Now, the number of people wanting to arrange a betrothal with him was no less than those wanting to do so with his cousin, Zhang Lei!

<+>

Under an Iron Birch Tree, which could be embraced by one person, Ling Yi, radiating a calm and peaceful aura, conveyed this aura to the tabby cat lying on his lap through his gentle strokes.

As Ling Yi’s fair hand stroked from head to tail, the cat squinted its eyes in pleasure, feeling drowsy, its nostrils gently flaring as it let out a sound similar to purring.

Its belly, too, rhythmically rose and fell, making a “gurgling” sound, like a quiet engine humming, creating a unique and rhythmic noise.

“Ah Yi—!!”

A loud call suddenly echoed from nearby.

The half-sleeping cat was startled awake. It instinctively leapt up, its fur bristling with surprise!

At that moment, it arched its back, its spine stretching like a dragon, and it released a series of soft crackling sounds.

Ling Yi, whose palm was still resting on the cat’s back, could clearly sense the movements and their rhythm, which were reflected in his mental awareness.

Ling Yi’s lips curved into a small smile: ‘Tigers and leopards… the thunderous sound... hm.’

He continued to stroke the cat’s sleek fur to calm it down, and then turned his gaze toward the approaching figures, smiling as he asked:

“Brother Lei, Ah Huang, how’s the harvest?”