Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 81 The Path of "Cultivation" for Divine Beasts

That afternoon, Lin Yan was pondering techniques for generating power in the backyard of the villa. Ever since he mastered the internal force, he had been thinking about how to cause the greatest damage with the least amount of force. Concentrating 30,000 jin of force into a single point was certainly terrifying, but to achieve the same effect with one-tenth or even one-hundredth of the force was true mastery.

He sometimes stood still like a pine tree, and sometimes strolled slowly, his fingers pointing in the air, his divine sense observing every flow of power within his body. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Qi rolling around on the grass, its four little paws kicking wildly in the air, occasionally rubbing against the stone slabs, making a "crunching" sound, having a great time.

Lin Yan stopped what he was doing, stared at Xiao Qi for a long time, and then suddenly strode over and picked up the little Qilin that was playing happily.

"Awoo?" Little Qi was suddenly lifted into the air. Her four short legs kicked a few times in confusion, her big amber eyes full of bewilderment. "What are you doing, brother?"

Lin Yan placed it in the open space in the center of the courtyard, crossed his arms, and looked down at it: "Little Seven, you're supposed to be a Qilin, a divine beast. Besides eating meat and sleeping, don't you have any special abilities?"

Upon hearing this, Little Seven immediately covered its face with one paw, its eyes darting around, and its voice became even softer: "Brother, I was just born, I'm still very small... I need to eat a lot of meat to grow strong. I'm very weak now, but I'll be very powerful when I grow up..."

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes: "Oh? Isn't it because you've been playing all day and never cultivated?"

"No way!" Little Qi immediately bristled, lowering its paws and angrily retorting, "Brother, I didn't slack off! Although I like to play, I just need to eat lots of meat and sleep a lot to grow bigger! We Qilin don't need to cultivate! We advance in rank by eating and sleeping more!"

Lin Yan was stunned speechless by this brazen and shameless statement. He opened his mouth, and it took him a while to find his voice: "...Eat, eat and sleep? That's it? No need for meditation and qi cultivation? No need for body tempering and soul refinement? No need to comprehend the Dao?"

Little Qi proudly raised its little head, its jade-colored horns gleaming in the sunlight: "Of course not! We Qilin are auspicious creatures of heaven and earth, born and nurtured by nature. As long as we eat and sleep well, our strength will naturally increase!" It nodded vigorously as it spoke, looking smug, as if to say, "We divine beasts are just that awesome."

Lin Yan fell silent.

He recalled the three years he had spent in the accelerated time dimension to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining, those eight body tempering sessions, each one excruciatingly painful, making him wish he could tear himself apart and rebuild himself, and the agony of his soul being torn apart and reshaped during soul refining...

And look at this little guy in front of me, so confidently declaring that "eating and sleeping will make me stronger"...

At this moment, Lin Yan truly understood what it meant to say, "Comparison is the thief of joy." No, this wasn't just a difference between people; it was the difference between an ordinary person and a cheat code!

"Brother, what's wrong?" Seeing Lin Yan's ever-changing expression, Xiao Qi cautiously tugged at his trouser leg with her paw. "You look terrible..."

Lin Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart. He bent down and picked up Xiao Qi, looking into its innocent eyes, and finally could only helplessly rub its little head: "It's nothing... I just suddenly understand why so many cultivators want to tame divine beasts as mounts."

This kind of unique racial talent is just too hateful!

Little Qi seemed to understand but not quite, rubbing against his palm. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "Brother! Since you don't need to eat and sleep to become stronger like me, could you share some meat with me? I think I can have another serving of grilled lamb chops today!"

Lin Yan: "......"

He placed Xiaoqi on the ground expressionlessly, then turned and walked into the house.

"Brother? Brother, where are you going? Where's my lamb chop?" Xiaoqi asked anxiously as she chased after him.

"I'm going to get some peace and quiet," Lin Yan said without turning around, "and maybe reflect on life."

Little Seven stood there blankly, tilting its head and thinking for a long time, but it still couldn't understand why its brother was suddenly unhappy. However, it quickly put the question out of its mind, happily rolled around on the grass, and went back to sharpening its claws.

In the bedroom, Lin Yan was looking at his face in the mirror and for the first time had the thought, "Should I be reincarnated as a divine beast in my next life?"

"Forget it," he quickly dismissed the idea, "It's better to be a human. At least... I don't get picked up by the scruff of my neck and asked why all I do is eat and sleep."

Thinking about this, he felt a little better and decided to go to the kitchen to see what to eat tonight—of course, he definitely wouldn't give Xiaoqi any extra food!

As night fell, the coastline of Deep Water Bay was gently enveloped in the hazy moonlight. In the distance, lights twinkled like stars, reflected on the sea surface, and a gentle sea breeze rustled the palm leaves along the shore.

Lin Yan strolled on the beach, the silvery path paved with the bright moonlight beneath his feet. Xiao Qi, now in the form of a puppy, followed beside him, but unlike usual, it was not cheerful. Its little tail drooped, and with each step it kicked up a small clump of sand, whimpering to express its dissatisfaction at not having an extra meal that night.

Seeing the little guy's aggrieved look, Lin Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He squatted down and ruffled its fluffy little head: "Alright, it was your fault. I shouldn't have taken my emotions out on you."

Xiaoqi raised her big, wet eyes and made two soft "woof woof" sounds, "Where's my lamb chop?"

Lin Yan was amused by its greedy look. His gaze drifted to the silvery moonlight reflecting on the sea, and suddenly an idea struck him: "How about I take you to play in the sea? We'll catch some fresh and grill it right away, so you can eat your fill of fresh seafood, okay?"

Xiao Qi instantly perked up, her little ears perked up, her eyes widened, and she excitedly spun around several times, barking as she tried to rush into the sea.

"Wait!" Lin Yan chuckled, grabbing it by the scruff of its neck. "So eager to jump into the sea?"

He first used his divine sense to confirm that there was no one within an 800-meter radius. Then he circulated his cultivation technique, and pure water elemental energy emanated from his body, forming a transparent bubble of spiritual energy around him. Its shimmering light shone in the night like a giant water droplet. The air inside the bubble was fresh and moist, circulating on its own.

"Go!" Lin Yan chuckled, his figure shooting into the sea like lightning. Xiao Qi followed closely behind, immediately reverting to its Qilin form upon entering the water—

In an instant, a golden light appeared! Little Seven's golden fur and scales automatically emitted a soft and bright glow in the water, making the surrounding seawater appear as if it were soaked in liquid gold. It paddled lightly with its four hooves, swimming with an elegant posture as if it were born and raised in this place. It curiously turned its head, its amber eyes wide, surveying this new and bizarre world.

Lin Yan smiled slightly and took out a luminous pearl the size of an egg from his storage ring. After infusing it with a trace of spiritual energy, the luminous pearl immediately emitted a clear and bright white light, like a small moon, instantly illuminating the surrounding sea area for dozens of meters as bright as day.

"Awoo!" Little Qi was attracted by this novel thing and happily swam over, wagging its tail. It curiously nudged the glowing bead with its nose.

Bathed in the light of the pearl, the colorful coral reefs resemble an underwater forest, each with its own unique shape: some grow in clusters like deer antlers, some are crisscrossed like a brain, and others sway gently with the current like blooming chrysanthemums. Schools of phosphorescent fish dart among them like silver shuttles, their scales reflecting a dazzling, neon-like brilliance.

A sea turtle swam leisurely by, curiously observing the person and the animal. Xiao Qi excitedly chased after it, gently poking at the turtle's shell with its claws, startling the old turtle into scrambling a few times and hiding among the coral reefs.

Lin Yan smiled and shook his head, continuing his descent. The deeper he went, the more magnificent the scenery became. Jellyfish opened and closed like transparent umbrellas, trailing long tentacles, like a dream. An octopus cautiously hid in a crevice, its color-changing skin blending into the surrounding rocks, only its occasionally shifting eyes revealing its presence.

Little Seven, seized by a playful impulse, charged towards a school of shimmering silver fish. The school of fish instantly scattered like fireworks, only to regroup a short distance away, transforming into various shapes. Unconvinced, Little Seven charged several more times, each time returning empty-handed. Frustrated, it puffed out its cheeks and spewed out a string of bubbles.

Lin Yan laughed heartily at its antics and beckoned it over. He pointed to a rocky area ahead, where several enormous lobsters and plump fish were hiding. Little Qi's eyes lit up immediately. It cautiously approached, then suddenly pounced—

As a result, it pounced too hard and plunged headfirst into the sand, with only half of its rump and a wagging tail sticking out.

Lin Yan couldn't help but chuckle, then swam over and pulled it out. Little Qi shook the sand off its head, howling defiantly, wanting to fight again. This time, it was smarter; it quietly circled behind a large fish that was resting, waited for the right moment, and snapped at it with lightning speed!

Little Qi, smug and triumphant, swam up to Lin Yan with the still-throwing fish in its mouth, its tail wagging like a propeller, with a proud expression that seemed to say, "Praise me!"

"Alright, alright, our Little Seven is the best." Lin Yan smiled, patted its head, and took the large fish, which weighed at least five or six pounds. "That's enough for you to have a meal."

But Xiaoqi was clearly not satisfied and turned to charge at the menacing lobsters. In an instant, chaos erupted on the seabed, with chickens and dogs flying, fish and shrimp scattering in all directions – quite a spectacle!

While helping Xiao Qi surround the seafood, Lin Yan stored the harvest in his storage ring. Watching the little Qilin frolicking and playing on the seabed, its body radiating golden light, he thought it wouldn't be bad to relax like this once in a while.

Half an hour later, the man and the beast, having reaped a bountiful harvest, surfaced. Xiao Qi transformed back into a puppy, lying wearily on the beach, panting with its tongue lolling out, but its eyes sparkled with excitement.

Lin Yan lit a campfire, cleaned the fresh seafood, and set it on the grill. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air, and Xiao Qi anxiously circled the fire.

"Don't rush, they're all yours." Lin Yan handed the first grilled fish to it.

Xiaoqi couldn't wait to take a bite. It was so hot that she was panting, but she couldn't bear to spit it out and ate it with a happy expression.

Watching the little guy wolf down his food, Lin Yan suddenly felt that no matter what divine beast talent or the hardships of cultivation, nothing was more important than the warmth of this moment.

Under the night sky, by the campfire, a man and his dog share a feast bestowed by the deep sea. The sound of the waves continues, as if accompanying them.