"This is true invincibility."
Sensing the abundant true qi throughout his body, and the seemingly endless power,
Yang Hong suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, as if he could pierce a hole in the sky.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
"Is it the problem with this world, or my own problem? This world feels tainted, making it difficult to breathe."
The more he sensed, the more uncomfortable Yang Hong felt.
He felt as if something was missing from the world.
"Could it be spiritual energy? This world has no spiritual energy, so I feel something is missing and have difficulty breathing. Is it because my body cannot breathe spiritual energy?"
Having read many novels, Yang Hong, combined with his current state, quickly formed a guess.
"Yes, it must be the absence of spiritual energy, which is why the highest cultivation in this world is Grandmaster, and they use internal force. Internal force is the result of physical training and refining food.
If there were spiritual energy, it should permeate the entire world.
"It's precisely because of the lack of spiritual energy that the world's martial arts limit is Grandmaster."
"Then, can I not advance any further?"
Yang Hong unleashed his sensing ability to its fullest and discovered that what he perceived as spiritual energy was not entirely absent from the world, but extremely scarce, almost nonexistent.
At the same time, he noticed that the spiritual energy was slightly more concentrated around a few spiritual grapevines, and even scarcer elsewhere.
"The theories from my previous life seem to apply in this world.
Spiritual energy is likely exhaled by trees, especially spiritual plants."
"It seems I need to continue farming, especially planting spiritual plants. Next year, I must increase the cultivation of medicinal herbs. Spiritual medicine should produce more spiritual energy than spiritual vegetables."
"I won't be leaving this cold palace for now. It's a perfect environment for me to farm in peace."
Initially, Yang Hong had planned to leave after this cultivation evolution. After all, he was invincible, so why remain confined to this small cold palace?
But now, he realized that in the cold palace, especially with the support of the Retired Emperor, he could cultivate spiritual plants more peacefully and continue to increase his strength.
This was also a good outcome.
Having made his decision, Yang Hong began planting several types of medicinal herbs near the small building where he resided.
Naturally, ginseng came first. In both Xianxia and Xuanhuan novels, ginseng is a precious medicine, especially thousand-year-old ginseng, which can miraculously revive the dying and regrow flesh and bones.
Such spiritual medicine must produce a lot of spiritual energy.
Of course, Yang Hong did not forget his true method of cultivation growth – the system that bestows cultivation.
To increase his cultivation, he still relied on the system.
However, while the system increased his cultivation, without spiritual energy in the world, he would lose his ability to sustain combat.
Therefore, planting spiritual plants was essential.
However, Yang Hong was no longer as anxious as before; he could now enjoy life.
With Yang Hong's design and the craftsmanship of the Ministry of Works, the winter winds could not penetrate Yang Hong's courtyard.
Looking at the light snow falling outside the small building, Yang Hong suddenly felt like drinking.
"Xiao Cao, ask Old Wang to get some venison later. I'll stir-fry a few dishes to go with wine today."
"Yes, Your Highness. I've learned a few tricks from the imperial chefs these past few days. I'll make sure you enjoy your meal today."
Xiao Cao was a little excited. As the Retired Emperor began to pay attention to Yang Hong, her status in the palace had also risen, allowing her access to the imperial kitchen.
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it. Make the dishes a bit spicier. I remember a few jars of [Blazing Flame] should be ready to drink."
Saying that, Yang Hong slowly got up from his lounge chair, walked into the brewery, and took down two 10-jin wine jars from the wine cellar.
The evening meal was very rich: stir-fried deer tail with leeks, braised deer sinew, stewed venison with napa cabbage, stir-fried bok choy, and smashed cucumber, among others.
Xiao Cao prepared eight dishes and two soups in total.
"Xiao Cao, this is a bit wasteful. How can I finish so much by myself?"
Looking at the abundant dishes, Yang Hong shook his head and gently admonished Xiao Cao.
"Hehe~ It won't be wasted. If Your Highness can't finish it, I will."
Xiao Cao smiled charmingly. She knew Yang Hong's habits. Unlike other princes, he would not directly discard leftovers or forbid servants from eating them.
He would say it was a waste and give them to the servants.
This was absolutely unique in the entire Great Sui Imperial Palace.
"Finish~ Finish what? You're not leaving any for me?"
Just as Yang Hong was about to sit down and start eating, the Retired Emperor's hearty voice came from outside.
Yang Hong's brow twitched upon hearing the voice.
"Grandmaster, Innate Grandmaster!"
From the voice, Yang Hong sensed the aura of a Grandmaster. Upon approach, he simply sensed and confirmed that
Retired Emperor Yang Zhong had returned to the Innate Grandmaster realm.
"Haha~ I've arrived at the perfect time. You're just about to eat."
Yang Zhong entered the small building and saw Yang Hong in the dining hall, ready to eat.
"Oh, the little girl's cooking is quite good. These dishes smell delicious."
He directly sat beside Yang Hong, picked up Yang Hong's untouched chopsticks and bowl, and began to eat.
As he ate, he kept exclaiming, "Not bad~ not bad."
Yang Hong rolled his eyes. He asked the slightly flustered Xiao Cao to get him a fresh set of chopsticks and bowls and joined the feast.
He was certain that if he showed any politeness, Yang Zhong, that shameless old man, would eat all the dishes.
There was no need to doubt a Grandmaster's appetite; half a cow in one meal was not a problem.
"Mmm~ Xiao Cao's cooking has improved."
After tasting a few bites of each dish, Yang Hong put down his chopsticks and praised Xiao Cao.
He also opened a wine jar on the table.
A faint aroma of wine wafted out. It wasn't strong, but it was very captivating, drawing you in with just a whiff.
"Xiao Liu, your wine is ready to drink. Let me have a taste too."
Without Yang Hong's permission, Yang Zhong grabbed another jar of wine, broke the seal, and drank directly from it without a cup.
"Empe-"
Yang Hong was about to stop Yang Zhong from drinking so much, but then he thought of something and suddenly stopped trying to dissuade him. He poured half a bowl of [Blazing Flame] wine into a bowl.
Holding the pinkish, beautiful wine, he watched Yang Zhong gulping it down greedily.
"Haha~ refreshing. Xiao Liu, this wine is potent. Smooth on the entrance, rich aroma, warm down the throat, fiery in the belly. Perfect for drinking in winter."
After drinking half the jar, Yang Zhong finally stopped.
"Heh heh~"
Yang Hong remained noncommittal. He took a small sip and said nothing, just watching Yang Zhong's face turn red and sweat appear on his forehead.
"Hiss~ exhilarating, truly exhilarating. This wine is so satisfying, so~"
As Yang Zhong was exclaiming with pleasure, he suddenly froze. The heat in his abdomen seemed to ignite into a raging inferno.
"Xiao Liu, this wine?"
"Oh, it's just ordinary wine."
"Hiss~ such strong aftereffects, such potent internal force, and you call it ordinary wine?"
Yang Zhong glared at Yang Hong and could no longer speak.
The potent kick of [Blazing Flame] had taken hold.
Feeling the fiery kick of the wine, Yang Zhong initially sat still, intending to use his internal force to dissipate it. However, in less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, he stood up abruptly and rushed outside the small building, starting to practice martial arts.
"Heh heh~ you drank so fast, so eagerly, and so much?"
Yang Hong chuckled gleefully and began to slowly savor the wine and eat the dishes.
"Bang~ bang~ bang~"
Sounds of air breaking echoed, like a drumbeat accompanying his meal.
At the same time, Yang Zhong's newly restored Grandmaster cultivation was rapidly stabilizing.
Sensing the condition of his body, Yang Zhong's eyes lit up even brighter.