With only one week remaining, Qi Ping did not do anything out of the ordinary.
As usual, he spent his days cultivating and nurturing spirit herbs. Occasionally, he would tend to the various flowers planted on the mountain, which sometimes yielded small amounts of Druid experience. Though it was significantly less than what he gained from accelerating the growth of spirit herbs, over time, he had accumulated several dozen points of experience this way.
It was a modest but respectable gain when measured by the steady accumulation of days and months. Most importantly, he did this during the breaks between his primary cultivation and herb-tending, so it never hindered his overall progress.
On one visit to the Black Little Bees, he found the honey in the hives nearly overflowing. Only then did he realize he had neglected to harvest their production for quite some time. Since it was currently the transition between spring and summer, the output of ordinary honey was rapid. After collecting and appraising it, Qi Ping estimated it was worth roughly thirty to forty spirit stones—a pleasant little windfall.
The reason Qi Ping maintained this specific rhythm of life, aside from the small gains in experience and stones, was for the purpose of heart cultivation.
The path of cultivation placed great weight on talent, but it valued one's temperament and state of mind just as highly. The higher one's cultivation rose, the more critical one's mental fortitude became.
Human cultivators were unlike spirit beasts. Before a spirit beast reached its bloodline ceiling, it could rapidly increase its power as long as it had sufficient resources. For example, a third-rank bloodline Wind-Thunder Spirit Eagle could reach the equivalent of the Golden Core realm simply by having enough resources, even if it spent every day sleeping.
Humans, however, had to cultivate step by step from the Qi Refinement stage. Without a steadfast will and a powerful state of mind, it was impossible to reach higher realms, let alone control world-shaking power. At the Soul Transformation stage, one would undergo a terrifying ordeal known as the Mind-Devil Tribulation. Countless brilliant geniuses perished during this trial. Those who could step past it were without exception individuals of extraordinary mental fortitude. Many who reached that stage began tempering their hearts as early as the Qi Refinement stage.
Only those with a firm heart, aligned with the Dao, could summit the Great Path!
As for what this "Dao" was, it depended on the individual's path. There was the Path of Slaughter, the Path of Heartlessness, the Path of Sentience, and even those who sought the Dao through wine or worldly desires. These were common knowledge in the cultivation world. Over the past five years, Qi Ping had enjoyed reading all sorts of books during his free time, giving him a broad understanding of the world's affairs.
In the past, hindered by his poor talent and lack of resources, the middle stages of Qi Refinement had been his ultimate dead-end. No matter how much he knew, it had been useless. But things were different now.
With the Druid profession, Qi Ping knew he had the chance to climb up step by step. Whether it was the Demon Insect Cultivation Manual offering a chance to raise the Golden Marrow Bees to the third rank, or the Li-Fire Crow's steadfast conviction and evolving bloodline, everything gave Qi Ping the confidence to pursue the path of immortality.
Furthermore, Qi Ping still had a vacant animal companion slot. In two months, when his Druid level rose again, he would gain yet another slot. As long as he managed these crucial companion contracts well and bonded with the right creatures, he believed he would have the chance to reach even higher realms of cultivation.
Under such a premise, his state of mind was paramount. In this regard, neither the Druid profession nor his animal companions could help him; he had to rely entirely on himself.
Old Man Zhou had once told him: "On the path of the Dao, temperament is vital. The further you go, the greater the influence your state of mind will have on the cultivation world."
"It is a pity that most rogue cultivators never even get the chance to touch upon it. The first hurdle that requires a strong will is the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage, a realm that countless rogue cultivators spend their entire lives failing to reach."
"My former disciple's will was the strongest I have ever seen. News of his great deeds occasionally drifts back from the Qingtian Domain, yet he has never once returned to see me. Perhaps he has taken the Path of Heartlessness..."
Though Qi Ping felt his will was relatively firm, he was still far from being considered outstanding. He had to begin realizing his own path now. If his heart was not steadfast, he would surely die under the influence of mind-devils. One day, he might be cultivating only to have a mind-devil sprout suddenly, causing his cultivation to spiral out of control and kill him.
Currently, what Qi Ping needed to do was simple: understand the path he truly wished to walk.
Facing the external threats of marauder cultivators and demon insects, he wanted to cultivate hard to increase his power. Facing the path of the Dao, he wanted to reach the summit and live forever! Facing the dangerous secret realms and the treacherous world of immortals, he did not want to set foot in them; he only wanted to stay in his own place, farming, keeping bees, and cultivating.
When he cultivated, he did not want to spend every day in dry, silent meditation, absorbing spiritual energy. He wanted his life to be richer, more comfortable. Otherwise, was the meaning of immortality nothing more than boring meditation? Such a life could last tens or hundreds of millions of years...
Qi Ping also wanted to plant flowers and grass, nurture spirit herbs, and raise a few animal companions. That felt right to him. Sometimes, watching the cycle of growth and decay, the flowers withering to produce seeds, or the bees busily working, he would feel many realizations stir in his heart.
As time passed, Qi Ping realized he might be close to finding his path. At the very least, he had gained more determination and conviction on his quest for the Dao.
Three days before the Century Fire Spirit Honey was due to be finished, something happened that left Qi Ping rather annoyed.
That woman in green had returned!
To deal with her, Qi Ping quickly stashed his spirit herbs into his storage bag and had the bees carry them away. Then, he put on his straw hat and pretended to be tending to the flowers he had long since planted in the forest.
It didn't take long for the woman in green to find him. Qi Ping had no choice but to brace himself and meet her. Honestly, if she weren't a disciple of the Qingyuan Sect, he wouldn't have been so cautious. If he encountered a bad outcome with a stranger, he would simply kill his way out.
But against a Qingyuan Sect disciple, he truly didn't dare to act unless forced into a corner. Otherwise, if he provoked some old monster at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage, he would likely be singing his own funeral dirge.
Furthermore, dealing with the woman this time was more troublesome than before. He could clearly feel that she was becoming more impatient. Qi Ping could even tell she wanted to mobilize more forces to investigate this area, though she seemed hesitant to let too many people know for some reason.
Qi Ping estimated that before long, her patience would be entirely exhausted. He did his best to cater to her, trying to buy himself at least one more week. After a difficult round of social maneuvering, he finally managed to send her away.
Through this ordeal, Qi Ping realized he truly detested the feeling of his territory being invaded, even if the intruder was an exceptionally beautiful female cultivator. He hated the feeling that his personal space could be breached at any time.
Fortunately, after sending her off, he had finally secured enough time. After three days of anxious waiting, the Fire Spirit Honey brewed from the Century Fire Spirit Grass was finally a success!