Plant VS Cultivation

Chapter 10: Master-Level Cleaning Technique

"Alright, let's test the effects of the master-level Cleaning Technique."

The time it took for Gu Mo to achieve mastery in the Cleaning Technique was even faster than he had anticipated. Without delay, he adjusted his state, formed the hand seal, and cast a master-level Cleaning Technique on himself. Technically, given his current level of proficiency, he no longer needed to form the seal to activate the spell instantly. However, since this was his first time using the master-level Cleaning Technique on himself, he opted for the safer approach by using the hand seal.

As the seal was formed, his spiritual energy began vibrating at a specific frequency. The moment this vibrating energy spread across his body, Gu Mo felt a sudden jolt—his bones and tendons trembled, followed by an intense soreness. It felt as if his entire skeletal structure was being scrubbed relentlessly against a washboard.

"Damn, did something go wrong?" Gu Mo gritted his teeth, enduring the overwhelming soreness, a trace of panic rising in his heart. The highest level of the Cleaning Technique recorded in the library was only at the advanced level. The master level was something he had theorized and developed on his own.

The function of the Cleaning Technique was to remove dust and impurities. At the advanced level, it not only cleansed externally but also maintained the body's well-being. To take it a step further, it needed to purify both the interior and exterior of the body completely.

External cleansing was simple—even the entry-level Cleaning Technique could achieve that. However, purifying the internal organs, muscles, and bones was a far more complex task.

Gu Mo had considered using vibrations at different frequencies to cleanse his internal organs, bones, and flesh, thereby achieving the desired effect.

Over the past few days, he had been meticulously adjusting his spiritual energy, searching for a frequency that could cleanse his body without causing harm. Now, he had found it. His spiritual energy was currently vibrating at this special frequency, resonating throughout his entire body.

However, he hadn't anticipated the intense soreness that came with it.

Fortunately, the pain subsided quickly. Given his current spiritual energy reserves, he could only maintain the master-level Cleaning Technique for a short duration.

"Hu~~"

As the spell ended, the soreness vanished, replaced by an indescribable lightness. A quick self-examination revealed a significant amount of filth on his body.

"Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement!"

Seeing this, Gu Mo immediately recalled the process cultivators undergo when stepping into the Qi Refinement stage. Their cultivation growth naturally cleanses their bodies, a process known as Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement.

Thinking back to the descriptions of this process, Gu Mo was certain—his master-level Cleaning Technique had triggered the same effect. Normally, cultivators achieve Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement when they enter the Qi Refinement stage, using spiritual energy to purge impurities from their bodies. Gu Mo's master-level Cleaning Technique, however, used vibrating spiritual energy to cleanse his organs, bones, and skin, achieving a similar effect.

The difference was that breakthrough-induced Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement was more thorough and effective, but Gu Mo's technique had no cultivation-level requirements.

By undergoing Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement before reaching the Qi Refinement stage, Gu Mo would gain even greater benefits when he eventually advanced.

Moreover, if he could use this master-level Cleaning Technique on himself, he could theoretically use it on others. If he set up a stall offering this service, he could easily make thousands of spirit stones in no time.

However, given what had happened to Fan Shaoming, Gu Mo knew better than to expose his abilities recklessly. Besides, his current spiritual energy reserves were too low—just one use of the master-level Cleaning Technique drained him completely. He barely had enough for himself, let alone others.

Having mastered the technique, Gu Mo began casting it on himself daily, steadily enhancing his Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement.

Meanwhile, the black mist within his mysterious space was gradually dissipating as more and more solar essence was consumed. One day, a portion of an object emerged from within the mist. Seeing something new appearing in the black mist space filled Gu Mo with excitement and anticipation.

Eager to fully uncover the object, he even slowed down his cultivation to divert more solar essence toward dispersing the mist.

Of course, this wasn't the only reason he slowed down his cultivation. Gu Mo also wanted to extend his Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Refinement process as much as possible before stepping into the Qi Refinement stage. The better his foundation before breaking through, the greater the benefits he would receive.

As time passed, more of the object in the black mist was revealed.

It was a vending machine.

Although only a portion of it was exposed, Gu Mo could already confirm its identity.

Driven by curiosity, he moved closer to inspect it. Through the partially revealed window of the machine, he spotted something he had been longing for—a sunflower.

However, acquiring the sunflower required purchasing it with solar essence.

To buy a single sunflower, he needed 50 units of solar essence.

Given his current rate of gathering solar essence, it would take 50 days of abstaining from cultivation to accumulate the necessary amount.

Though this would significantly delay his cultivation progress, Gu Mo knew that obtaining a second sunflower was absolutely worth it. With two sunflowers, he could generate two units of solar essence per day.

Once he had two sunflowers, it would only take 25 days to purchase a third.

The more sunflowers he had, the shorter the time needed to acquire the next one. With enough sunflowers, his daily solar essence gain would skyrocket, greatly accelerating his cultivation speed.

The only problem was that he lacked a spiritual field. Using a flower pot with embedded spirit stones was only a temporary solution—growing even one sunflower was already pushing its limits. He couldn't possibly use the same method to grow a second one.

Thus, obtaining a spiritual field was critical to his future growth. And to acquire one, he needed to join the Spiritual Farming Hall as a spirit farmer. The prerequisite for becoming a spirit farmer was reaching the Qi Refinement stage.

"First, I need to improve my strength."

Gu Mo decided to pause his efforts in dispersing the black mist and dedicate all his solar essence to cultivation. As for the other items still hidden within the vending machine, he would have to explore them later.

Since only a small portion of the vending machine was visible, he was certain it contained more than just sunflowers. However, all these items were still concealed by the black mist, and whatever they were, they would likely require solar essence for purchase.

Given his current situation, he wouldn't have enough solar essence to afford them until he had a spiritual field. Rather than fixating on treasures he couldn't yet obtain, it was better to focus on strengthening his cultivation first. Once he had a spiritual field, he could then return to explore the mysteries of the black mist space.