Building the Ice and Snow Castle was, after all, manual labor. Jiang Cai’Er helped for a while before she started to struggle, so Li Xiang taught her a little trick for incorporating the Breathing Technique and Body Techniques.

He had taught her the Breathing Technique before, and Jiang Cai’Er had already gotten the basics down. Now, Li Xiang focused on instructing her on the moves of the Body Techniques and the techniques for Force Manipulation.

Every single move of Li Xiang’s inherited techniques could be traced back to a form of physical labor. As a result, Jiang Cai’Er didn’t suspect a thing. She just thought her Brother Xiang was teaching her how to work more efficiently.

’Brother Xiang is so amazing,’ she thought. ’My parents do farm work and chores all the time, but they don’t know all these clever tricks. Is this what happens when you go to college? You get good at observing, thinking things through, and drawing conclusions?’

Sure enough, Li Xiang’s method worked. When Jiang Cai’Er followed his instructions and continued with the manual labor, it became much easier. Then, suddenly, she felt a gentle, warm current of energy flowing through her body.

She told Li Xiang about the strange sensation.

Li Xiang bluffed, "This is normal. We get a similar sensation of energy when we practice Tai Chi."

"Could it be the legendary True Qi?" Jiang Cai’Er asked, blinking her eyes.

"Probably not. Anyway, practicing it often is good for your body. As long as you strictly follow the breathing techniques I taught you, nothing will go wrong." This Cultivation Technique of his originated from daily life and farming. Although progress was slow, it was moderate and balanced all the way up to Tier Twelve, with virtually no risk of cultivation deviation.

The energy that had been generated was, of course, not mundane True Qi, but Extraordinary Spiritual Power!

Li Xiang hadn’t expected Jiang Cai’Er’s talent to be so exceptional. She had only practiced a few times and had already generated Spiritual Power. Of course, eating the Bamboo Swallow’s Nest earlier had something to do with it as well.

But during the Apocalypse, when countless Mysterious Particles emerged and many people obtained Breathing Techniques, those who could actually cultivate Spiritual Power were still only one in a hundred.

Someone like Luo Feifei was even rarer, a stunningly brilliant talent that appeared only once or twice in ten million people.

Li Xiang didn’t dare let Jiang Cai’Er practice for too long. It was her first time, after all; an hour or two was enough. Things had to be done step by step, without rushing.

"You should go back and do your homework. If Teacher Huang finds out I kept you here working, she’ll probably chew me out again!"

Jiang Cai’Er was feeling a bit tired too, so with a giggle, she ran toward the kitchen.

She really had no interest in Cultivation. Even though Li Xiang was tricking her into practicing under the guise of doing chores, the initial novelty wore off, and after a while, she just found it boring.

Li Xiang felt he should tailor his teaching to her abilities. Jiang Cai’Er had done a great job last time when she acted as producer, gathering so many classmates to film that short drama. ’What do you call that? Organizational skills! She’s a natural-born base administrator.’

’She just needs to manage things from the rear; she doesn’t need overwhelming martial power. The fighting and killing should be left to a Female War God like Luo Feifei.’ He figured he should find an opportunity to approach Luo Feifei.

’Isn’t she a popular young starlet? I’ll use the excuse of being a fan to trick her into joining me. Then I’ll find a chance to teach her the Ice Crystal Peach Blossom Spell, and she’ll become an absolute top-tier combatant.’

Li Xiang could redeem the "Ice Crystal Peach Blossom Spell" from his system—a perfect version, without any hidden flaws. He had never seen the contents of the "Ice Crystal Peach Blossom Spell" in his past life, but he had a feeling that the version from his system would surpass it in both power and potential.

Luo Feifei was exceptionally talented with the "Ice Crystal Peach Blossom Spell." If she were to rashly switch her Cultivation Technique, the transition might not be smooth.

Li Xiang told Jiang Cai’Er to do her homework in the kitchen, but she insisted on doing it in the corridor, saying she wanted to be able to watch her brother work.

Having no other choice, Li Xiang helped her move the fireside tea table outside. He added more charcoal to the brazier to make sure she wouldn’t get cold. He also put plenty of snacks on the table; anything she wanted to eat, she could roast over the fire. He even brewed a pot of Pu’er tea on the grill rack.

"Be careful not to let your homework catch fire from the coals," Li Xiang reminded her.

"Haha, that definitely won’t happen." Jiang Cai’Er thought, ’How could I possibly make such a rookie mistake?’

Li Xiang glanced around, then ran to the storage room and grabbed a roll of plastic sheeting. It was the kind used for propagating seeds in a vegetable garden; it could raise the soil temperature, maintain moisture, promote seed germination and rapid seedling growth, and even suppress weed growth.

"Brother, what are you doing? Are you going to plant vegetables with all this snow?" Jiang Cai’Er asked curiously.

Li Xiang smiled. "I feel a bit of a draft, so I’m making you a simple little greenhouse."

"Ah~" Jiang Cai’Er’s face immediately bloomed into a radiant smile. ’Brother is so sweet and thoughtful.’

Li Xiang’s "greenhouse" was indeed very simple. The corridor had pillars on both sides, so he just wrapped the plastic sheeting around four of them a few times. Just like that, a little wind-breaking "den" was complete. Since the plastic was transparent, it didn’t block the light.

He left a gap of about thirty to forty centimeters at the top and a smaller one at the bottom for ventilation to prevent any risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Then, he cut a small flap for a door with a pair of scissors, using clips to hold it shut.

Although it was crude, Jiang Cai’Er spun around to get a full look at it, her heart filled with a sweet, warm feeling. She found it incredibly cozy.

’Doing homework at Brother Xiang’s house is the best,’ she thought. ’It’s warm, there are tons of snacks, and if I don’t understand something, I can just ask him.’

...

Seeing that Jiang Cai’Er was now focused on tackling her practice problems, Li Xiang went back to work. The Spiritual Power in his body surged, circulating through the Great Cycle and endlessly regenerating, which gave him incredible combat endurance.

’The best thing about being a farmer is being able to work for ages. Unlike those gym rats, whose Endurance is pathetic.’

This was especially true after he integrated one of the rewards from slaying the Tier Ten Mutated Black-Maned White-Toothed Beast—the pair of White Fang Daggers—into his body. His strength was greater, and the work was even easier!

He felt as if he had transformed into the Wild Boar King himself, working tirelessly with a powerful, rhythmic drive.

In fact, in the old days, some families who didn’t own oxen would use pigs to plow their fields. Pigs were capable of that kind of work.

It was said that a pig that worked hard lived far longer than other pigs. Its legs may have been short, but it possessed considerable strength.

The "White Fang Dagger" pair, a reward from the system, was an Extraordinary Item. Apart from its inherent Solidity and Sharpness, it also possessed three additional Attributes: "Frenzy," "Giant Power," and "Wild Boar King’s Suppression."

The "Frenzy" Attribute allowed the user to unleash their potential, boosting their combat power by an extra 50%. However, it had a three-day cooldown period after each use.

If used too frequently, the user wouldn’t be able to bear the strain, as it overdrafted their fundamental life force. It was strictly for emergencies.

"Giant Power" was self-explanatory. It greatly increased the user’s strength, drawing energy from the White Fang Daggers themselves. It had no side effects but also came with a cooldown period.

As for "Wild Boar King’s Suppression," it was somewhat of a niche ability. It only affected wild boars Below Tier Ten. Against those Below Tier Five, the effect was even more pronounced—they would collapse in fear, tremble uncontrollably, and even lose control of their bowels and bladder.

However, this "Suppression" was only miraculously effective against wild boars. Against other species, its effect was greatly diminished, if not completely nonexistent.