Li Shiming exited the guesthouse and returned to his own yard, where he saw Si Qin sitting on a small bed by the outer door, with arms crossed and eyes squinting slightly, nodding slowly.

    Upon hearing the noise, Si Qin immediately became alert.

    "Young Master, you''ve finally returned, ah, it smells terrible!" Si Qin hurried off the bed and noticed the odor coming from Li Shiming as she was speaking.

    "Prepare hot water quickly!" Li Shiming waved his hand as he spoke.

    "I really don''t know what the Young Master was up to!" Though she complained, her movements were swift, and she quickly stepped out.

    Before long, a large bucket of hot water was ready, and as Li Shiming soaked in it, the grease on his body peeled off with the hot water, revealing even finer skin underneath.

    He thought of the two Cultivators he had seen, and now his skin slightly resembled theirs.

    The troubles in Nanling City had nothing to do with him, and after three days of practicing the "Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique," the Spiritual Energy Vortex in his chest had completely stabilized.

    During these three days of cultivation, he noticed that the four glowing stones on the Gathering Spirit Plate had dimmed a bit.

    This observation was made possible because it was in the machine room space. When the Gathering Spirit Plate was brought into the machine room space, this slight change in brightness and darkness was detected through his conscious perception.

    He concluded that the four glowing stones on the Gathering Spirit Plate were in a state of depletion.

    As long as the Gathering Spirit Plate was activated, the four glowing stones would continue to deplete.

    He did not know how to shut down the Gathering Spirit Plate, nor did he dare to forcibly remove the four glowing stones.

    At least for now, he could still rely on the Gathering Spirit Plate for cultivation. If he were to damage it, his cultivation would become problematic.

    He had tried to cultivate away from the Gathering Spirit Plate. When he sensed the single-digit Spiritual Energy points around him, he realized that without the help of the Gathering Spirit Plate, it could take a hundred times longer to reach the Qi Refining Second Level.

    Using the calculations from the large server IBM z15, Li Shiming determined that the Gathering Spirit Plate could support him for another twenty-five days.

    The spiritual energy of the longsword and the white robe were similar, suggesting that they were of the same grade.

    Li Shiming compared them with the small wooden sword he got from Chief Escort Wang. Although very small and impractical to use when held, the concentration of spiritual energy it contained far surpassed that of the longsword and the white robe, indicating a very high quality.

    Having no detailed criteria to judge the quality of cultivation items, he could only make a rough estimation based on the concentration of spiritual energy.

    He took out the five books, which he was most eager to obtain. Books on cultivation could help him gain a deeper understanding of cultivation knowledge.

    "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill", "Geng Metal Skill", "Earth Spirit Technique", "Basics of Spirit Plant Cultivation", and a cultivation journal.

    "Basics of Spirit Plant Cultivation" recorded how to grow spirit rice, spiritual tea, spirit grass, spirit flowers, and over twenty types of spiritual medicines he had never heard of— from soil composition to considerations for each season and potential issues.

    The level of detail was akin to tutor-like teaching.

    Furthermore, "Spring Breeze and Rain Skill", "Geng Metal Skill", and "Earth Spirit Technique" were mentioned in "Basics of Spirit Plant Cultivation" as essential spells that any cultivator of spirit plants must master.

    These three spells were each detailed in a separate book, explaining every step of casting the spells in great detail.

    It was only when he saw the cultivation journal that Li Shiming understood why Shi Ximing''s storage bag contained these items.

    It turned out that Shi Ximing was a cultivator of spirit plants, and the two bags of spirit rice were cultivated by him.

    Within the cultivation journal, there were also twenty-three talismans, eleven of which were the "Basic Light Body Talisman" he had seen before; the others included two Basic Earth Armor Talismans, five Basic Fireball Talismans, and five Basic Ice Arrow Talismans.

    He took out one Basic Light Body Talisman from his hand, thought about it, but decided not to try using it.

    At least until he formally entered the cultivation world, these talismans would be his trump card.

    Although he had "Introduction to Runes" in his possession, unfortunately, he lacked the materials and could not learn to craft the talismans.

    Shi Ximing''s cultivation journal was essentially a guide to becoming a cultivator of spirit plants. Li Shiming''s spiritual power was insufficient to learn the spells, and considering which cultivation profession to choose was far too premature.

    The cultivation journal in his hand could only broaden his knowledge, but was not of much practical use.