He could sense an increasing tension at the Great Light Peak as the huge war between the Li Dynasty and the Qiu Dynasty drew near and cast its shadow over the disciples at the peak.

　　It felt as if Li Ruolan had forgotten about him now since she had never shown up to see him again.

　　Nonetheless, Chu Li knew that Li Ruolan was purposely distancing herself from him so that Ji Xin would not feel jealous. Judging by how much she cared about Ji Xin’s feelings, Chu Li could tell that Li Ruolan sincerely liked Ji Xin.

　　Even if such a gentle and charming beauty did not end up becoming his woman, it would still feel nice to have her fall in love with him. However, she had fallen in love with someone else instead.

　　Chu Li sighed to himself, feeling a little sad.

　　He had maintained a slow rate of improvement in his cultivation level. While he had been spending most of his time cultivating rather than goofing off, he had used the Life and Death Scripture to conceal part of his inner energy to make it look as though his cultivation level had been improving very slowly. Thus, it would seem like he was cultivating from scratch.

　　That evening, after he had finished chanting at the tenth Spirit Medicine Nursery, he rose to his feet and made his way to the Flavorful Tower alongside Xu Jingya.

　　Xu Jingya was a rather quiet person who spent most of her time pondering in silence. She always seemed to have something to think about, and no one could guess what was going on inside her head. Nonetheless, since Chu Li could read her mind, he saw that she would usually ponder over various methods of planting spirit herbs as well as the habits and characteristics of the herbs. He respected her deeply for her almost-obsessive level of concentration.

　　“I’ve chanted at ten Spirit Medicine Nurseries today. If I continue at this rate tomorrow, my face is going to turn blue from too much chanting.” Chu Li let out a sigh as he walked beside her.

　　Xu Jingya replied, “After we complete this round of harvest, our production volume should be more or less enough to meet current demands.”

　　“The war is starting soon.” Chu Li shook his head. “It’s a pity we can’t join in.”

　　“Junior Brother Zhao, since you’re allowed to leave the mountain, it shouldn’t be hard for you to take part in the war if you wish to do so, right?” Xu Jingya asked.

　　Both of their residences were at the foot of the peak while the Flavorful Tower was located halfway up the peak. As they walked up to the Flavorful Tower, they did not encounter any other disciple along the way.

　　“I don’t think I’ll be able to join.” Chu Li shook his head. “I’m not sure when my cultivation level would fully restore.”

　　They arrived at the Flavorful Tower while they chatted.

　　As Chu Li scanned the place, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he brought Xu Jingya to where Mo Cuicui was sitting.

　　Sun Lihua and Song Donglin were also there. When they saw him and noticed his keen gaze at Mo Cuicui, they shook their heads helplessly and broke into laughter.

　　Xu Jingya gave a fist salute and greeted them with a calm expression.

　　“Junior Sister Mo,” Chu Li greeted.

　　Mo Cuicui silently clenched her jaw. Without saying a word, she rose to her feet and walked away. Soon after, she returned with a tray filled with four dishes and one soup.

　　Chu Li took the tray of food from her and passed it to Xu Jingya. “Please bring me another tray of food.”

　　Mo Cuicui glared him angrily.

　　Chu Li shook his head and sighed as he muttered, “The last time I left the mountain, I nearly died because of Altar Leader Mo!”

　　Mo Cuicui turned around and left at once.

　　A few moments later, she brought another tray of food over. It also had four dishes and one soup. She quietly placed the tray in front of Chu Li and spoke through gritted teeth, “Senior Brother Zhao, please enjoy your meal!”

　　Chu Li gave her a satisfied smile. “Thank you, Junior Sister Mo!”

　　“Alright, stop fooling around now,” Sun Lihua said while she waved a hand. “Junior Brother Zhao, have you not recovered your martial arts yet?”

　　Chu Li shook his head.

　　“Logically speaking, since you’ve cultivated the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, you should be able to recover your martial arts within half a month.” Sun Lihua frowned.

　　Song Donglin asked, “Is it because it hasn’t been long since you started cultivating it?”

　　Chu Li replied, “I honestly haven’t noticed anything special about the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture that can help me restore my martial arts!”

　　“That’s truly unfortunate then,” Sun Lihua said with a sigh.

　　While they were talking, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching as Qin Huaichuan and Meng Luo came to their table.

　　Chu Li frowned and turned to him.

　　Qin Huaichuan smiled faintly as he said, “Junior Brother Zhao, I heard that you haven’t been able to recover your martial arts?”

　　Chu Li replied, “Senior Brother Qin, you don’t have to worry about this!”

　　“We’ve both cultivated the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, so of course, we should discuss it when we can,” Qin Huaichuan said with a smile. “You’re probably cultivating it in the wrong way. That’s why you haven’t managed to restore your cultivation level rapidly. Would you like me to advise you on this?”

　　“No need!” Chu Li replied disdainfully. “Have you compared your injuries with mine? Our injuries are completely different!”

　　“You were wounded by a sword, right?” Qin Huaichuan asked.

　　Chu Li replied, “The sword techniques of Hai Cang Mountain from the Qiu Dynasty are unique and strange, so the injuries they inflicted on me are rather unusual and very hard to heal.”

　　“Right, but even if that’s the case, you should’ve been able to recover your cultivation level by now,” Qin Huaichuan said and shook his head. “If not, it’s not the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture that you’re cultivating. With the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, recovering your martial arts should be a piece of cake!”

　　“Since when has the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture been so incredible!” Chu Li shook his head and burst out laughing.

　　Qin Huaichuan said, “It’s because you don’t know how to use it that you haven’t been able to recover rapidly.”

　　Chu Li stared at him with a frown.

　　Qin Huaichuan chuckled. “Would you like me to tell you how to use it?”

　　“I don’t need your advice!” Chu Li scoffed.

　　Qin Huaichuan shook his head and said, “If I don’t tell you this, you’ll never be able to figure it out!”

　　“What’s your condition then?” Chu Li huffed.

　　“Consider this an apology for what happened previously,” Qin Huaichuan replied with a sigh. “After that last incident, I’ve been feeling rather guilty about it.”

　　Chu Li shot him a sidelong glance and shook his head.

　　Qin Huaichuan went on saying, “After all, since we’ve both managed to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, we can exchange whatever we’ve learned about it in the future. It has been very hard for me to cultivate it all by myself.”

　　“…Fine. How am I supposed to use it?” Chu Li asked with a huff.

　　He studied Qin Huaichuan closely. After having cultivated the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, he could peek into Qin Huaichuan’s thoughts. All this while, Qin Huaichuan had been suppressing his anger and was now planning to plot against him, so Chu Li would like to see what exactly the guy had in mind.

　　“Reverse cultivation,” Qin Huaichuan replied. “This is the mysterious part about the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture. You’d be seeking death if you cultivate any other martial art in reverse, but it’s possible to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture both in the right and reverse order and reap different benefits from it.”

　　“I see…” Chu Li silently nodded. “Alright then, I’ll give it a try.”

　　Qin Huaichuan gave a fist salute and smiled at him. “Well then, Junior Brother Zhao, may you restore your cultivation level soon!”

　　“I certainly hope so,” Chu Li muttered coldly while he returned the fist salute.

　　Although he knew that Qin Huaichuan bore no good intentions and was plotting against him, he was curious to find out what would happen if he cultivated the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture in reverse. The idea of cultivating it in reverse had never occurred to him before, so he looked forward to trying it this time.

　　However, neither could Qin Huaichuan guess the consequences of cultivating the scripture in reverse as well. If he were to view it as a normal heart technique and make an inference based on that, reverse cultivation would usually cause a person to succumb to internal demons.

　　In fact, succumbing to internal demons would be a less severe outcome. The worst thing that could happen was for the person to lose their life.

　　While Chu Li could not confidently predict what would happen, he could feel his heart as it stirred restlessly, prompting him to give it a try.

　　After Qin Huaichuan and his friend had left, Sun Lihua asked, “Junior Brother Zhao, are you really planning to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture in reverse?”

　　“I’d like to give it a try.” Chu Li nodded.

　　Sun Lihua frowned. “This doesn’t seem like Senior Brother Qin’s usual way of doing things. Whenever someone becomes his enemy, he’ll always hunt the person down vigorously until the person admits defeat. He has never tried to turn an enemy into a friend halfway through.”

　　Chu Li laughed. “Senior Sister Sun is worried that he’s trying to deceive me?”

　　“It’s very likely.” Sun Lihua slowly nodded.

　　Song Donglin said, “Indeed, you have to treat this with extreme caution!”

　　“I’ll never know for sure until I give it a try,” Chu Li replied.

　　“You…” Sun Lihua shook her head.

　　Mo Cuicui laughed coldly and said, “Senior Sister Sun, you’re always worrying so much. Since he’s seeking death so eagerly, just leave him be!”

　　Chu Li cast a sidelong glance at her. “If I die, won’t that be what you and Altar Leader Mo are hoping to see?”

　　“Exactly!” Mo Cuicui gave a scornful laugh. “So go ahead and cultivate until you die!”

　　“I’d like to see if reverse cultivation can kill me!” Chu Li scoffed.

　　Xu Jingya glanced at Chu Li with a thoughtful look.

　　Sun Lihua said, “Quite a number of our Holy Church of Light disciples have gone to the Qiu Dynasty. The war has probably started by now. It’s such a pity that we can’t take part in it.”

　　“It’s too dangerous to go to the Qiu Dynasty,” Song Donglin muttered. “It’s better for us not to go. Junior Brother Zhao, some good has come out of your misfortune after all, considering how you don’t have to take part in the war now.”

　　Since Zhao Dahe was allowed to leave the mountain, it was possible for him to go to the Qiu Dynasty and take part in the war. Nonetheless, given that he had been cultivating for less than a year, it would be too dangerous for him to go to the Qiu Dynasty so hastily. After all, he had already been crippled of his cultivation during his previous trip there.