In Xiao Fei's cave dwelling, a large pot was set up, the soup inside bubbling furiously. Pieces of crab and lobster meat floated in it.
The body of the giant octopus had been meticulously sliced into decorative patterns and arranged on jade plates.
Xiao Fei and the other two sat around the pot, eating and drinking heartily. Whatever tomorrow might bring, they had to eat today.
The flesh of the Nascent Soul stage giant octopus was crystal clear. After being sliced into decorative patterns and tossed into the boiling pot for a few rolls, it emerged looking like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Xiao Fei picked up a chrysanthemum-like piece, dipped it in chili oil, and then stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with gusto. The tender octopus meat released layers of savory, spicy flavor in his mouth.
After eating several mouthfuls of octopus meat, he washed it down with a cup of spirit wine.
The energy emanating from the octopus meat and spirit wine in his belly continuously nourished his entire body, absorbing a large amount of qi and blood.
The Golden Arhat Body Cultivation technique within Xiao Fei automatically circulated, constantly strengthening his liver. Nourished by the liver's blood, a faint golden light appeared in his eyes, his major sinews became more resilient, and golden fingernails flickered on his fingers.
Zhu Yu and Huang Feifei, who were eating with relish nearby, saw Xiao Fei's sudden change and knew he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
They could only silently put down their chopsticks, leaving the table full of delicacies to Xiao Fei.
Huang Feifei took out all the octopus meat she had saved, quickly processed the ingredients, washed the octopus meat clean, cut it into large chunks, and continuously tossed them into the large pot to cook. There was no need to be particular about the knife skills now.
Zhu Yu also consciously added some spirit wood to the bottom of the pot, taking charge of tending the fire.
Xiao Fei directly grabbed the cooked octopus meat with his large hands and devoured it in huge mouthfuls.
Sometimes, when a piece of meat was too big and got stuck in his throat, he would tilt his head back, stretch his neck, poke at it a few times with his chopsticks, and then gulp down a large mouthful of spirit wine.
After processing, the limbs of the Nascent Soul stage giant octopus still piled up on the ground like a small mountain.
Any single tentacle was thicker than Xiao Fei's waist.
However, Xiao Fei's stomach was like a bottomless pit, devouring the octopus meat piece by piece like a whirlwind.
The mountain of meat beside him rapidly shrank until, finally, the entire flesh of the Nascent Soul stage octopus was consumed by Xiao Fei.
At this point, Xiao Fei's liver tempering finally completed a cycle, and the essence generated from digesting the octopus meat flowed into his heart.
Nourished by the energy, his heart immediately produced a large amount of vital blood. As the vital blood surged, his complexion became ruddy and lustrous, and his meridians and blood vessels became more resilient and elastic.
At the same time, his divine sense also grew rapidly, and his mind became clearer and more agile.
After finishing the entire giant octopus, Xiao Fei rested for another half a month before he could fully refine the energy contained within it.
Feeling the all-around strengthening within his body, he hadn't expected the Golden Arhat Body Cultivation technique to have so many effects.
The cultivation of the Golden Arhat Body Cultivation technique emphasized strengthening from the inside out, achieving overall power.
It included five levels of cultivation for the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Xiao Fei had now cultivated the heart, liver, and kidneys, and his physical strength had more than doubled compared to before.
He recalled that his initial motivation for cultivating this technique was the pair of great hammers he had obtained from the Black Scale Demon Race.
Each of these great hammers weighed a hundred thousand catties. Previously, he could barely lift them with both hands, and wielding them to fight would likely result in him injuring himself before harming the enemy.
Today, Xiao Fei took out the two great hammers again and tried to lift one in each hand. It was still strenuous, but at least he could lift them.
However, with both hands gripping a single great hammer, he could already swing it.
Xiao Fei lifted a hundred-thousand-catty hammer with both hands and swung it several times. It whistled through the air, looking quite intimidating. At least he no longer had to worry about hitting himself on the head.
He had also developed a new usage: through space, he could directly open a spatial exit wherever his divine sense reached.
For example, a great hammer could suddenly appear above an enemy's head and smash down.
In fact, Xiao Fei could also develop weapons that were more suitable for spatial teleportation, allowing him to suddenly appear next to an enemy for a surprise attack.
The red explosive spirit fruits he had transplanted into his space were quite suitable for this, but the small trees he had planted had not yet grown, and had not even begun to bear fruit.
After practicing with the great hammers for a while and feeling more proficient, he put them back into his space.
Xiao Fei also took the opportunity to check his space. The spiritual medicines he had purchased at the auction were all planted there.
Especially the Holy Luo Fruit, a miraculous healing medicine. He kept the pulp, and the seed was planted in the depths of the small lake in his space. It had now sprouted, and it looked like it had survived.
The pulp of that Holy Luo Fruit was combined with some other spiritual medicines and refined into a batch of Holy Luo Pills, yielding only five pills.
Xiao Fei walked out of the cave dwelling, greeted Huang Feifei, and then transformed into a white ape again, heading towards Black Flood Dragon City alone.
He had made an agreement with the golden-haired old rat last time to purchase a large quantity of Green Marrow Jade. The time agreed upon by both parties was not far off, and he wondered how prepared the other party was.
In the Black Flood Dragon City market, the golden-haired old rat was looking dejected, his round eyes dim and lifeless.
The last time he made an agreement with someone, he had spent all his savings and even incurred significant debt to acquire this batch of Green Marrow Jade.
But now, with the agreed-upon time approaching, this mysterious cultivator had disappeared without a trace.
If the other party were to stand him up, he would be stuck with all this Green Marrow Jade.
He could only blame himself for being too hasty. For the healing pills he desired, he had only thought of closing the deal at that moment, missing this opportunity, and who knew where the next would be.
Just as the golden-haired old rat was feeling anxious, the white ape he had been thinking of day and night finally appeared before him.
The golden-haired old rat quickly stood up on its hind legs and grabbed Xiao Fei.
"Fellow Daoist, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting so hard for you!"
"Why the rush, Fellow Daoist? Isn't there still a few days left before the final deadline for the transaction?"
Xiao Fei was not in a hurry. He didn't mind waiting a day or two to refine the jade altar.
"Are all your Green Marrow Jade ready, Fellow Daoist?"
"Everything is ready. The stall here is too small to hold so much material. Please come with me to collect it yourself."
"Where is it?" Xiao Fei asked cautiously.
Leading someone to a location to inspect goods and then killing them for their treasures was a common tactic for treasure-hunting cultivators.
"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist, it's right here within Black Flood Dragon City."
"Then let's go! Lead the way!"
The chance of being killed for treasures within the city had decreased significantly.
The two immediately left the market one after another and walked towards a small courtyard within the city.