Previously, when Chen Er was an outer disciple of Yuxu Sect, Lu Yujiao had treated him like an errand boy, keeping him running about all day and disrupting his proper cultivation. Shi Yu had already held a poor impression of her, and today she had experienced firsthand the arrogance of this personal disciple from Yuxu Sect's Lingle Peak.
After this little episode, Shi Yu felt an even greater sense of urgency toward her cultivation.
Returning to her small courtyard, she inspected the Maze Array she had set up around the grounds before returning to her room. Sitting cross-legged, she produced the bottle of Qingming Dew she had just purchased.
The jade bottle containing it was no larger than a thumb, its thin, semi-translucent surface barely revealing a faint blue mass of spiritual dew within.
Uncorking the bottle, a refreshing, delicate fragrance drifted out. Drawing it into her nostrils, her mind instantly grew clear and refreshed, her thoughts sharpening significantly.
Peering through the neck of the bottle, Shi Yu saw the spiritual dew inside resembling a droplet of solidified moonlight, its pale blue light swirling within the vessel. Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and downed it in a single gulp.
As the spiritual dew slid past her tongue and down her throat, its taste was intoxicatingly sweet and refreshing.
Shi Yu felt a wave of cool lightness flow from her mouth into her chest and organs, morphing into a marvelous sensation akin to mild intoxication that settled deep within her heart.
It was a pleasant euphoria akin to being pleasantly tipsy, yet possessed the airy elegance of reciting poetry, painting, sipping fine tea, or plucking a zither. Her eyes brightened, and the entire world seemed to turn ethereal and profound.
Green hills and azure waters unfolded alongside the fragrance of blossoms and herbs; countless pavilions and grand towers loomed in and out of sight. In a haze, celestial maidens holding harp-like konghou seemed to flutter up and down among them.
The scenery shifted, revealing halls, palaces, and bridges shimmering through mist and clouds, where an old Daoist priest rode a white deer while playing a jade flute.
Cascading verdant islands appeared amidst glowing, multicolored clouds along the horizon, as celestial birds and rare beasts danced in graceful flight...
“So these are the marvelous realms born of spiritual dew...”
The numerous visions before her were as vivid and fresh as a dream. As she immersed herself and savored them, realization after realization dawned in her mind.
The innate true Qi within her dantian was stirred, spinning without end.
The accumulation from her painstaking cultivation over the past period made everything fall naturally into place. Naturally, she heard a soft click, as if something had cracked through its shell.
Inspecting her interior with divine sense, Shi Yu saw a tender yellow sprout sitting at the very center of the innate true Qi inside her dantian.
Both illusory and real, the yellow sprout flickered with a translucent, sparkling luster.
Shi Yu’s spirits surged. The formation of the yellow sprout signified that she had officially established her Dao Foundation and entered the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Yet the wondrous visions induced by the Qingming Dew had not ceased. As the scenes before her eyes continued to shift, the form of the yellow sprout gradually transitioned from illusory to solid.
Normally, upon breaking through to a new realm, one's foundation would be slightly floaty and unstable, requiring a period of focused meditation to solidify.
But because the effects of the spiritual dew were still ongoing, Shi Yu directly bypassed that phase of instability, laying an exceptionally solid foundation.
“This spiritual dew is truly extraordinary. Even the lowest-grade Qingming Dew yields such results,” she couldn't help but marvel.
What Shi Yu did not know was that when others consumed spiritual dew, such wondrous and ethereal visions rarely arose, nor would their gains match hers.
The effectiveness of spiritual dew was tied to the user's comprehension and life experience.
In the game Xian Yuan, Shi Yu's soul had traversed countless spiritual rivers and great mountains, exploring innumerable secret realms and perilous lands. It could be said that within her age group in the Origin Realm, no cultivator possessed greater knowledge or broader experience than she did.
That was why taking the spiritual dew yielded such extraordinary results for her.
It was truly half the effort for double the reward, far exceeding her expectations.
...
After the ethereal and breathtaking celestial realm before her slowly dissipated, Shi Yu operated the Yin-Yang Fate-Tapping Record and cultivated for another three shichen.
Once the yellow sprout sprouted and took root, as she continued breathing and refining the medicinal power of the Dew-Condensing Pills, the resulting spiritual energy swirled continuously around its surface, forming five small Qi cyclones upon its leaves.
Five Qi cyclones meant Shi Yu was currently at the mid stage of the Qi Refining Realm's first layer. When the number of cyclones reached ten, she would reach the second layer, and so forth.
From Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, the journey remained a slow, painstaking grind of building cultivation bit by bit.
Once the number of cyclones reached over a hundred and each was compressed into spiritual liquid coalescing together, the Foundation Establishment Realm would be in sight.
Not until nightfall cloaked the land like a delicate veil did Shi Yu conclude her cultivation. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
At this moment, both her body and mind felt thoroughly cleansed. Her habitually heavy and frail body had received a degree of mending, leaving her whole self clear and refreshed.
The night was as serene as water. Outside the window, a bright moon hung high like a jade plate, spilling moonlight through the frame like water to illuminate the room.
Shi Yu stood up and lit the oil lamp, touching her stomach. After such a prolonged period of cultivation, her stomach was ravenously hungry.
In the past, she had been accustomed to being waited on. Now that she was relying on herself, her cooking was mere slapdash preparation. Still, she wasn't pretentious—having fallen to her current state, she hardly had room to turn her nose up at her own lack of skill.
Regardless of the taste, as long as it filled her belly, it was enough.
Expecting her to prepare a fancy meal was asking too much. She simply took out a handful of White Jade Rice, picked some green vegetables from her yard to chop up, added a bit of dried meat, and simmered them together into a pot of porridge to save trouble.
Fortunately, thanks to being watered with Life Spring water, the spiritual rice was fresh and sweet, and the vegetables were crisp and delicious, making the porridge reasonably satisfying.
While eating, Shi Yu pondered her future plans.
Now that she had reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm, she could finally officially begin engaging in the various secondary arts she truly excelled in: weapons, pills, arrays, and talismans.
“The spiritual energy in my body is more than enough to craft Tier-1 talismans. I won't need to expend extra divine sense to draw upon spiritual energy from spirit stones anymore, which will boost my efficiency tremendously.”
“Alchemy and weapon refining are still a bit troublesome. I haven't generated my natal fire yet, so I can only make do with mortal fire or earth fire for now.”
“I need to refine a few magic treasures for myself as soon as possible, and pills too. I've had more than enough of these low-grade Dew-Condensing Pills...”
“Besides, Changyuan Prefecture lacks blessed lands and cave-heavens, so the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is far too thin. I should figure out a way to refine an array plate and set up a Spirit-Gathering Array as soon as possible.”
A multitude of thoughts crowded into her mind, driving Shi Yu so she did not dare slack off.
She had only just stepped over the threshold of cultivation. If she wanted revenge, she was still far, far too weak.
Given her low-grade spiritual meridian and poor talent, she needed to work even harder to catch up. How could she grow complacent over a tiny bit of progress?
Yet all these plans required accumulating resources.
Alchemy required all sorts of spiritual plants; weapon refining demanded countless heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and spirit beast materials; crafting talismans and arrays was no different.
At Shi Yu's current cultivation level, expecting her to go into the mountains to dig up spiritual plants or battle spirit beasts was asking too much.
However, what capable alchemist or weapon refiner ever personally went through the ordeal of searching for materials themselves?
“I'll just buy them.” Shi Yu drank the last mouthful of porridge and set her bowl on the table.
With the stack of spirit talismans she had previously stashed away, combined with her much higher efficiency in crafting talismans now, she possessed a degree of self-defense. Going forward, whatever she chose to sell, she wouldn't need to be as overly cautious as before.
“Manager Jiang of Tongyi Pavilion will surely be delighted to purchase spirit talismans.”
Compared to unranked jade talismans, the price of spirit talismans was a difference between heaven and earth.
Rate on N.U.
