"Meow... It’s not that I’m being cheap. I really want to show you, but... but for some reason, I can’t transform," the Little Black Cat hurriedly explained.
When it returned to the complex this afternoon, it had tried to transform again. But despite jumping all over the place and meowing its head off, its body didn’t change at all.
"Huh?!!!" After hearing the Little Black Cat’s explanation, Zhou Tongtong started to wonder. ’Is this little guy just messing with me, saying he can transform?’
Seeing the doubt in Zhou Tongtong’s eyes, the Little Black Cat grew anxious. "Meow... I’m telling the truth! I’m not lying! Little White can vouch for me."
"He was pinned down by that Big Orange Cat, and I only transformed to save him. Maybe the condition for me to transform is that Little White has to be in danger."
The Little White Cat standing nearby rolled its eyes at its companion, complaining internally.
’That idiot Little Black. Can’t he stop bringing up the time I was pinned down and bullied by the Big Orange Cat in front of Zhou Tongtong? Doesn’t he know how embarrassing that is for me?’
Zhou Tongtong looked at the frantic Little Black Cat and felt that it really didn’t seem to be lying. Then, she turned to look at the Little White Cat.
"Meow... Little Black really did transform. He became several times my size," the Little White Cat confirmed, vouching for its companion.
Zhou Tongtong nodded, now believing the Little Black Cat. She reached out to stroke its head and exclaimed in amazement, "I never knew you were so incredible. You can even transform..."
"Meow... Just you wait, Zhou Tongtong! As soon as I figure out how to do it, I’ll transform for you right away..." the Little Black Cat said earnestly, enjoying her gentle strokes.
"Okay!" Zhou Tongtong said with an expectant smile.
The Little White Cat watched its companion with a hint of envy. ’It’d be great if I could transform, too,’ it thought.
「The sky grew a little darker, and the streetlights in the complex flickered on.」
Zhou Tongtong played with the Little Black Cat and Little White Cat for a while after they finished their meal. Then she said to them, "My mom should be done with dinner by now. I need to go home and eat."
"Meow... Okay, see you later," the two little strays nodded.
Zhou Tongtong picked up the small metal bowl, waved at the two little strays, and ran toward a building entrance in the distance.
The two little strays, sitting on the grass, watched Zhou Tongtong go. They only looked away after she had disappeared into the building.
"Meow... GROW!" the Little Black Cat yelled, mustering all its strength.
...
Nothing happened. Apparently, just shouting wasn’t enough to make it transform.
"Meow... We just ate. You should rest for a bit," the Little White Cat said. It then padded over to a large, leafy tree and lay down beneath it.
The Little Black Cat thought about it and decided its companion was right. It should rest for a while after eating before trying to figure out the transformation again.
The dim, yellow light from the streetlamps attracted countless moths, illuminating only a small patch of the greenbelt.
In a spot untouched by the lamps’ dim yellow glow, beneath the leafy tree, lay two little strays—one black, one white—full and content.
It’s easy to get drowsy on a full stomach. The two little strays, lying on the grass, were asleep in no time.
Just as with the previous times they had eaten the Yellow Ox Exotic Beast Meat, the meat in their stomachs began to release Spiritual Energy, which their bodies slowly absorbed.
After absorbing all the Spiritual Energy from the Exotic Beast Meat, their bodies began to proactively draw in the free-floating Spiritual Energy from the air.
Although the two little ones weren’t very efficient at absorbing the free-floating Spiritual Energy in the air, their efficiency had noticeably improved compared to before.
As the two little ones methodically absorbed Spiritual Energy, the Spiritual Energy Waves they emitted grew steadily stronger. At this rate, their breakthrough to the First Rank Initial Stage was just around the corner.
Inside the complex, some parents who had finished dinner early brought their children downstairs to play.
The children roughhoused and chased each other around, while the parents sat in a nearby pavilion, chatting.
Some of the parents brought up the recent incidents involving Mutant Beasts, all agreeing that the wilderness outside the city was getting more and more dangerous.
But as these people discussed how the wilderness was growing more dangerous because of Mutant Beasts, they had no idea.
Not far from their pavilion, within the greenbelt and beneath a large, leafy tree.
Two little stray cats that had awakened their Spirituality and could cultivate by absorbing free-floating Spiritual Energy from the air had already become Mutant Beasts.
The very Mutant Beasts they considered so incredibly dangerous were, at that moment, closer than they could ever imagine.
...
"BURP..."
Having eaten his fill, Lin Li let out a burp. The beef and potato stew went perfectly with rice; he had finished the entire large pot he’d cooked.
With his current appetite, the remaining Yellow Ox Exotic Beast Meat in the fridge would only last him for one more day.
Lin Li thought for a moment and decided to go to the Spirit Realm tomorrow and solve his food problem in Dongwu City.
He happened to recall learning about several famous restaurants in Dongwu City that he could try.
Besides, during lunch with Zhang Yuxi today, she had mentioned introducing him to some clients. He could stock up on some extra goods in advance and also take the opportunity to acquire a batch of pearls in Dongwu City.
He also needed to check on the Red Blood Gang. If they were living a little too comfortably, he’d have to go stir up some trouble for them.
After thinking over his plans for Dongwu City tomorrow, Lin Li got up and started clearing the dishes from the table.
A moment later, having finished cleaning up in the kitchen, Lin Li walked into the living room with an ice cream in his hand.
He turned on the TV, flicking to a random channel for background noise. Then he pulled out his phone, and while eating his ice cream, he started scrolling through his social feed to see what everyone was up to.
A few new posts had appeared on his feed. The first one was from Su Yue, showing a photo of the dishes from her dinner gathering.
Lin Li liked Su Yue’s post and continued scrolling.
The next post was from Liu Jialin. Hers was a little unusual: it was a photo of a pair of silver handcuffs with an interesting caption. "The new cuffs from the bureau are super sturdy. Tremble, lawbreakers!"
He scrolled past a few more posts, all from his university classmates who had recently started their new jobs.
Many of them were complaining about the hot weather, the crowded buses and subways after work, the traffic jams, and so on.
After seeing his classmates’ posts, Lin Li sighed to himself. ’The daily grind is tough.’ He finished the last bite of his ice cream, locked his phone and set it aside, then lay down on the sofa. Placing his hands over his abdomen, he began to circulate the Spiritual Energy within his Dantian.
The free-floating Spiritual Energy in the air began to converge rapidly on Lin Li’s body as he lay on the sofa.
Lin Li had wondered before what it would feel like to cultivate while lying down, and now he was finally giving it a try.
Every time he ate a Magical Little Fruit, his cultivation talent improved slightly.
Having eaten five Magical Little Fruits, Lin Li’s cultivation talent now surpassed that of many highly gifted Cultivators.
It was a world of difference compared to his talent before he had eaten any Magical Little Fruits.
The free-floating Spiritual Energy in the air was rapidly absorbed into Lin Li’s body. After being refined, it was channeled into his Dantian, increasing his cultivation level.
Time flew by when he was cultivating. When Lin Li stopped and opened his eyes, he realized that over two hours had passed without him even noticing.
’Tsk... Even though my cultivation efficiency is now more than ten times faster than before, just by absorbing the free-floating Spiritual Energy in the air...’
’...even at this speed, with my current cultivation level, it would still take me several years to break through to Tier Three.’
’In terms of time investment, hunting Mutant Beasts in the wilderness for Magical Little Fruits is still the most efficient way to break through.’
Lin Li stood up and stretched his arms wide. This experiment had proven one thing: cultivating while lying down was definitely more comfortable than sitting cross-legged.
However, he was still a little dissatisfied with the progress he’d made just by spending time cultivating.
...