Chapter 5: The Reciprocity of Nourishment

Once the door was closed and the most basic soundproofing barrier was set, Bai Yuening finally allowed herself to relax completely.

She carefully unwrapped the beast hide bundle, revealing the ironclad rhinoceros horn, its surface gleaming with a bluish-black sheen.

“Tsk, that color and texture. I can't wait any longer, hand it over!”

Ye Ming’s voice exploded in her mind, pulsing with an almost tangible hunger and impatience.

Bai Yuening was so exhausted she didn’t even have the strength to argue. She cast a weary glance at the sword on the table, her voice hoarse:

“All because of your ‘mouth,’ two hundred contribution points are gone just like that. Do you know how many pills and talismans I could have traded for with that…?”

Her heart ached; those were resources she had scraped together with long, painstaking thrift.

“Contribution points? Are those more important than your life? If I’m repaired, your life is safe, too. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

Ye Ming’s tone brimmed with utter incomprehension and indifference—survival was the only supreme rule.

“Hurry up, stop dawdling! I can feel the essence in this thing slowly leaking away!”

Resigned, Bai Yuening sighed, and pressed the blade of her sword to the dense root of the horn.

At that instant, the sword emitted a low, resonant hum.

From the bluish-black horn, pure, earthy-yellow energy visibly streamed forth, drawn by an unseen force and absorbed into the sword.

The energy condensed into filaments of light, flowing constantly into the blade.

The sword trembled gently, its fine cracks visibly knitting together and fading away.

At the same time, a warm current, more robust and pure than anything she’d felt before, surged into Bai Yuening’s body.

It washed kindly through her meridians and nearly dried-up dantian, sweeping away her fatigue.

A translucent screen flashed before her eyes:

[Detected: Pure earth-element life essence absorbed into sword body. Sword automatically repaired and essence converted to spiritual reserve.]
[Sword status: Minor damage → Nearly intact]
[Spiritual reserve: Low → Nearly full]
[Spiritual reserve nearly full. Initial feedback enhancement unlocked.]
[Feedback enhancement: Spiritual energy can recover slowly on its own; body slightly strengthened.]
[Host can activate feedback enhancement with a single thought; spiritual reserves will be gradually consumed while in use.]
[Symbiotic status: Stable]

“Aah, this horn is truly remarkable!”

“I can feel the blade nearly restored; no more of that ‘waist’ ache.”

“Also, besides repairing the sword, some of what I absorbed seems to have been transformed and stored.”

“It feels like I’ve unlocked some ability that benefits you—try to sense it.”

Thanks to the screen’s updates, Bai Yuening already knew about this so-called feedback enhancement before Ye Ming.

She focused inward, closed her eyes, and indeed sensed her spiritual power becoming livelier and smoother, her bones acquiring a hint of toughness.

Even the rate at which her spiritual power recovered was noticeably faster than during ordinary meditation.

At last, her furrowed brow eased, and she thought to herself,

“If I can restore spiritual energy without meditating, I won’t have to worry about running out when hunting demon beasts.”

“But since it consumes spiritual reserves, I can’t keep it active all the time—best to save it for critical moments.”

With that, she dismissed the feedback enhancement and let out a long breath.

She examined her sword closely—the cracks had vanished, the once-dull blue-steel hue now deep and restrained, the blade warm and solid to the touch.

Upon the sword’s spine, a faint bluish-black pattern flickered, exuding an aura of immovable stability.

It was utterly transformed from its previously shattered state.

“All that for two hundred contribution points, just for a bit of enhanced energy recovery? Still seems like a loss…”

Her tone was tinged with heartache, an attempt to mask the awe she truly felt. The effects far exceeded her expectations.

“A bit? You call this a bit?”

Ye Ming’s voice rose sharply, brimming with “you’re hopeless” exasperation.

“This is the foundation, a wellspring of lasting benefits! Look further ahead, will you? Let me absorb more, and the advantages will only multiply!”

Once the last thread of yellow essence was consumed, the heavy horn lost all luster, turning gray and brittle before crumbling to dust.

Simultaneously, the sword grew heavier, and the bluish-black pattern on its spine settled, vanishing within.

“Excellent, excellent! The essence from that horn has made my body sturdier—shouldn’t be so easy to chip anymore!”

Bai Yuening ran her fingers over the spine; the reassuring solidity filled her with unease.

Such a transformation was too obvious—if anyone saw it…

“No, it must be hidden. No one can know!”

She stood up abruptly, eyes scouring the room, before settling on a nondescript scrap of old gray cloth in the corner, even speckled with dust.

“Wait, what are you doing with that filthy rag?” Ye Ming sensed her intent, his voice full of protest.

“That cloth looks filthy! I just started feeling better, and you’re going to wrap me in that?”

“Shut up. Would you rather be seized as a rare treasure and studied, or have me branded a demonic cultivator and purged? If you want to survive, stay hidden!”

Irritated by his complaints, Bai Yuening’s hands didn’t hesitate.

“Fine, but can’t you pick something cleaner? This thing reeks of ancient dust!”

Ignoring him, she briskly wrapped the rejuvenated sword in the gray cloth, layer by layer, leaving only the hilt exposed for gripping, ensuring not a trace of the blade could be seen.

“Bai Yuening! This is outrageous! It’s abuse! I demand better treatment!” The sword spirit’s indignation pulsed from within the cloth bundle.

“Keep whining and I’ll shove you under the bed to collect dust.”

She slapped the sword—now resembling nothing more than a firewood stick—down on the table.

At last, the world was silent, save for a faint trickle of lingering grievance and discontent from within the cloth.

Rubbing her throbbing brow, Bai Yuening felt utterly spent.

A sharp hunger pang reminded her how long it had been since she last ate.

Sighing, she headed to the crude little stove in the corner, pulled out her last handful of spirit rice and a few withered wild greens, and prepared to cook something to stave off her hunger.

“What are you doing now?” Ye Ming’s curiosity overcame his indignation.

“Making a fire to cook? Aren’t cultivators supposed to live on spiritual energy alone? Why bother with food?”

As she clumsily lit the fire, Bai Yuening snapped, “That’s only for Core Formation cultivators and above!”

“For a lowly Qi Refining cultivator like me, if I don’t eat, I’ll starve!”

“Even the Foundation Establishment elders have to regularly take fasting pills or eat spirit herbs and fruits to fight off hunger.”

“Only after forming a golden core, when the body transforms, can one truly go without food, relying solely on spiritual energy for survival.”

“So that’s how it is—low-level cultivators still need to eat…”

Muttering to himself, Ye Ming’s attention soon shifted to her awkward cooking.

“Hey, the fire’s too weak—spread the kindling out, let some air in…yes, that’s it.”

“Isn’t that too much water? Will this be porridge or rice soup?”

“The vegetables—did you even wash them? There’s still dirt on them!”

“And you’re not using any salt?”

On and on he went, offering endless advice.

Bai Yuening grew more and more flustered under his barrage, especially since he was annoyingly correct.

“Oh, forget it. Judging by your skills, if it’s edible at all, that’s a miracle. Do as I say…”

He sighed and began giving detailed instructions.

“Keep the fire steady, not too high.”

“Scoop out some rice, just a little.”

“Wash the greens, remove the wilted leaves, chop them up.”

“Now put them in, stir it around.”

“That little jar—oil, right? Add a dash.”

“Now taste it. Needs salt, add a bit at a time.”

Though skeptical, Bai Yuening lacked confidence in her own cooking and followed his directions.

Gradually, the pot’s aroma changed from bland to faintly inviting.

At last, a bowl of steaming, slightly thick porridge was ready.

She tasted it hesitantly, eyes widening.

Simple as it was, the timing was just right, the rice soft, the greens seasoned perfectly.

It was leagues better than the half-raw or over-salted messes she usually produced.

She ate in silence, the warm food easing her exhaustion.

“Well? Isn’t that better than what you usually make?” Ye Ming’s voice was tinged with smugness.

“The ingredients are humble, but with my guidance, at least it’s edible now. Trust me on these chores from now on.”

“Of course, only if you hurry up and find more good things for me to absorb.”

Bai Yuening kept her head down, sipping her porridge, unwilling to respond.

This sword spirit—mouthy and self-important as he was—

In some ways… he wasn’t entirely useless.

After finishing, fatigue claimed her. She sat cross-legged and began to regulate her breath.

With each cycle, her spiritual energy gradually recovered.

The bottleneck at the fifth stage of Qi Refining, which had troubled her for so long, seemed to loosen just a little.

Ignoring Ye Ming’s endless chatter, she immersed herself fully in cultivation.