Chapter 186: Be Greedy
True to her word, Yan Ping did not let Anji return to the accelerated cultivation chamber. She spent more time resting and recovering physically, taking walks in the forest behind the mountains to understand nature better.
Assimilation with an ever-changing energy source was more difficult than redirecting energy in a specific direction. Anji had no idea what her shifu did to her artificial cores. However, the effort she needed to move the energy was less than before. One breath of qi circulation could easily complete an entire meridian cycle. However, the lack of control also meant most of the energy she circulated did not do anything for her spiritual circuits. The artificial cores did not process anything because the energy passed too quickly. The sieve method she developed could not be used.
It had been a few days since she had learned the sutra that Grandpa Jin had taught her. It was very different from soul cultivation. What was more concerning was Anji’s tendency to slip into her second sight without warning. Back then, she was able to control her Heavenly Eyes. Now, it seemed as if all her past efforts were laid to waste.
Staring at the blank air, Anji observed the various types of energy present in the mountain. Previously, she thought these unusual eyes could only see the aura of someone’s cultivation core. However, after her teacher modified the artificial core seals, Anji realised that she could see faint moving colours if she focused hard enough. It was an accidental discovery but not the most shocking change.
Anji thought her Heavenly Eyes only applied to others. She had never once thought to examine herself using them until she reached to rub her tired eye and saw the spiritual circuits on her hand. The shock broke her concentration almost immediately, but since then, Anji had started testing her new ability on everything she could see.
It started with the grass and trees. Then, she began to see life forms hidden in the vegetation. She spotted birds and squirrels even without knowing they were there, thanks to their stronger and more unique energy signature. The more complex the living organism, the easier it was for Anji to study its energy colour.
Presently, Anji was quietly studying a lazy frog resting on a lotus leaf. It seemed to be taking an afternoon nap, unmoving. It was a very strange thing to be doing, and Anji had no idea how to explain it to anyone who asked. Thankfully, her shifu was blind and could not see what she was studying.
As the frog inhaled, the surrounding faint wisps of energy emitting from the lotus plant were absorbed into it. The aura around the frog also deepened in colour by a little. However, whenever it exhaled, Anji noticed how the aura colour became a shade lighter. However, the energy absorbed into its body does not escape the same way it was inhaled.
Puzzled, Anji wondered why plants constantly emit a glow of energy that could easily be lost to the environment and absorbed by others, but animals do not lose energy that easily but constantly consume it. If the concept of givers and takers exists, then plants were naturally givers, while other living creatures were naturally takers. It did not seem fair to Anji that the plants were always in charge. Wasn’t there a way to give and take simultaneously?