Everything is Anime!

Dinner consisted of black-bone chicken soup and stewed beef. For Koneko—who lived alone in Japan—this was already a very sumptuous meal. But for Hikaru, this was just the norm. Outside of school, he couldn't bring himself to settle for mediocre food at home. Besides, he had a little foodie to feed.

"So good!"

With that simple remark, Koneko never stopped eating. After about twenty minutes, she had already finished four bowls of rice. Her previously flat belly was now round and full—anyone who didn't know better might have thought Hikaru had done something to her.

Est wasn't to be outdone, either. Normally she couldn't eat that much, but today she found herself unconsciously competing with Koneko.

After the meal, Koneko volunteered to wash the dishes. Once she was done, she said goodbye to Hikaru.

On her walk home, she patted her full stomach with a look of satisfaction.

"If I could live there, I'd be able to eat delicious food every day."

But she had no reason to move in, nor was she thick-skinned enough to freeload her way in.

"I'll just drop by for meals every day."

She immediately seized upon a compromise.

…

Back at Hikaru's house...

"Aren't you worried? Koneko is a girl,"

Est said from the sofa, glancing at Hikaru.

"Even if she's a girl, she's a devil—nobody's safer than her."

Hikaru chuckled. Est nodded and turned her attention back to the anime she was watching. Hikaru, meanwhile, sorted through what he had gained that day.

His "cheat ability" did more than just speed up training. Having spent considerable time with Koneko, he'd naturally refined magical power from his cursed energy. And after today's interaction with her, he acquired something new:

Immortal Qi (仙气).

Although Koneko was a devil, she also had another identity: she was actually a cat yōkai—an extremely rare breed that could wield immortal qi and senjutsu skillfully.

Compared to magic, refining immortal qi was surprisingly easy for Hikaru. The biggest difference was that, while magic was conjured from nothing or formed via a special process, qi was an intrinsic energy that resided within animals, plants, and humans, and therefore had no direct destructive power. Because it already existed rather than having to be generated from scratch, it was simpler to tap into.

Of course, if any senjutsu practitioner found out that Hikaru had refined immortal qi in just a few days, they'd be shocked beyond belief. Even for naturally gifted yōkai, cultivating qi is no easy feat—it can take years, decades, or even longer, and many fail to produce more than a weak trickle of energy.

As for what he'd achieved so far, it was unassuming yet extremely practical. If Hikaru closed his eyes now, he could clearly sense the flow of qi. Even though many life forms can't harness or cultivate qi, it still exists in every living being. Devils, angels, humans—even Est—each had their own unique qi signature. Devils' qi was tinted purple, angels' golden, normal human races white, and Est's silver, massively powerful in quantity.

In truth, Est deserved at least half the credit for Hikaru's progress.

Getting back on track, qi itself can't be used for direct attacks. But it's akin to the spiritual energy in xianxia novels—it strengthens one's body from within, so Hikaru's physique improved thanks to immortal qi. For now, the growth was slow and not drastic, but he was clearly more agile than before, and his strength had become even more formidable.

As the qi flowed gently through his body, it provided a continuous cool sensation. Its effect far exceeded Hikaru's expectations. Even if he chose to focus solely on cultivating immortal qi in the future, he might well reach a level comparable to the Maou (Demon King) class. In the Underworld, that was already the highest tier of devil strength. Beyond that lay the so-called "Transcendent" class—"Transcendent" being merely a label, but those power levels typically exceeded the average Maou by a factor of ten. Much like how, in Dragon Ball, Super Saiyan 2 far outstrips Super Saiyan 1.

His only regret at the moment was the lack of a matching secret cultivation manual. While he could continue to explore and train on his own, having one would be much more efficient.

So, while Est continued watching anime, Hikaru continued to build up his immortal qi. This qi strengthened his physique, and once his body improved, all his other abilities rose in tandem. And thanks to his cheat ability letting him feel his progress, he was even more motivated.

As he cultivated, the once-minuscule wisp of qi gradually expanded. If it had been the size of a soybean initially, after just a few hours it had become a small spring. Meanwhile, the inherent vitality he'd shown before—which even normal people could sense—was starting to subside, making him look, at least on the surface, like an ordinary human once again.

~~~

Omg, it's cultivation on anime, this is trash. I know, this is my first impression on this at first, but I read and yes it's good. We're here for anime girls...

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