Chapter 22: Introspection and Tragic News
Chapter 22: Self-Reflection and Bad News
The dawn light filtered through the window.
The horizon had already begun to brighten with the pale light of early morning.
Magnolia was clearly exhausted, clutching the quilt as she slept soundly, her posture rather ungraceful, even emitting soft snores.
Meanwhile, a weary Yu Xian sat cross-legged on the floor, bare-chested, a radiant glow emanating above his head.
The spiritual energy within him churned incessantly, reacting in a strange way with the surrounding air, creating the appearance of a faint white aura enveloping him.
Though the mortal realm’s spiritual energy was thin and unsuitable for cultivation, this situation clearly did not apply to someone with a cheat-like advantage.
The new spiritual power growing inside Yu Xian seemed to come from another dimension entirely, unaffected by the current environment.
At last, he successfully broke through to the late Qi Refinement stage.
[Name: Yu Xian]
[Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Level 7 (1/210)]
[Spiritual Partner: Magnolia (1/1)]
Beyond the increased potency and purity of his spiritual energy, the most notable feature of the late Qi Refinement stage was the separation of spiritual consciousness from the body.
At the early Qi Refinement stage, the spiritual energy condenses and the consciousness naturally forms.
Yet at this point, the consciousness remained fragile, only enhancing the cultivator’s senses, making them more perceptive.
As cultivation deepened, the consciousness grew alongside it.
By the mid Qi Refinement stage, the consciousness could fully control itself, allowing the cultivator to monitor their own condition anytime—a technique known as internal observation.
With greater strength, the cultivator could extend their consciousness beyond the body, achieving a form of clairvoyance.
Just as Yu Xian had done previously during his jade stone gambling.
At this stage, if one wished to train in martial arts, every cultivator would be a prodigy.
Because mastery over the body’s essence and blood would allow them to excel in the path of qi and blood cultivation, advancing by leaps and bounds.
However, few cultivators chose to pursue martial arts actively.
After all, the circulation of spiritual energy automatically refines the body, making martial arts unnecessary to achieve physical strength.
Along with the existence of powerful spiritual techniques, martial skills had become somewhat redundant.
Only in the mortal realm, where spiritual energy was scarce and Qi Refinement was difficult, did martial arts find a place to survive.
By the late Qi Refinement stage, the spiritual consciousness was no longer a mere auxiliary force but became one of the core powers running alongside the internal spiritual energy.
The consciousness, which once barely separated from the body, now broke free from its physical limits, able to roam freely outside the body, like a cultivator’s third hand.
And what’s more, this third hand came equipped with a full 360-degree panoramic map.
The external projection of the spiritual consciousness was also the foundation for controlling spiritual artifacts.
Though the concept of artifact control sounded grand, it was essentially no different from a martial artist wielding a sword or dagger, except the hand holding the weapon was replaced by an invisible, intangible consciousness.
The distance the consciousness could extend determined the range of artifact control.
Upon reaching the late Qi Refinement stage, Yu Xian’s consciousness could extend less than ten meters.
Within this radius, he could command spiritual artifacts at will; no movement could escape his notice.
If he wished, he could even observe the movements of an ant in a corner behind him without turning around.
With a mere thought, a teacup on a table three or four meters away trembled as if an unseen hand tried to lift it.
Yet as it rose about two centimeters above the table, the force dissipated, and the cup settled back down steadily.
"Seems like pure spiritual consciousness still struggles to directly affect the physical world. No wonder a spiritual artifact is a standard issue, not just any weapon," Yu Xian pondered quietly.
Previously, during mid Qi Refinement, he could manipulate a giant spiritual hand to move wooden crates weighing hundreds of pounds.
Now, relying solely on consciousness, he couldn’t even lift a cup of tea.
Of course, moving massive objects was a grand, sweeping action, while delicately handling a teacup was akin to embroidery on tofu; the difficulty was incomparable.
He had once thought that if his consciousness could extend freely to wield blades drawn in midair, it would be akin to commanding a spiritual artifact.
But after this trial, he realized there was still a long road ahead before spiritual consciousness could influence reality directly.
Without guidance from predecessors, all his cultivation experiences had to be discovered through personal trial and error.
Yet Yu Xian did not see this as a disadvantage.
Once tied to a master or sect, one would be caught in a web of interpersonal relations and inevitable troubles.
When the master labors, must one assist?
When the sect encounters danger, must one intervene?
Once involved, myriad trivial affairs arise, even battles of magic and life-and-death struggles, where a single misstep could mean destruction.
Though living alone meant a simpler, harder life, unwilling to waste even a single spiritual stone, it also meant peace of mind.
More importantly, with his spiritual partner’s support, his cultivation proceeded steadily, free from the usual troubles plaguing ordinary cultivators, bringing ease to his heart.
Ordinary cultivators depended on masters and elders of their sects for greater progress.
After his breakthrough, Yu Xian reflected deeply and found himself quite content with his current life, deciding to maintain this course.
"Level 7 of Qi Refinement requires 210 cultivation points. At an average of two points per day, I need just over three months—not too long."
"By this calculation, the number of points needed for each level equals the total points of the two previous levels combined. So level 8 would take half a year, and level 9 just over a year."
"Tsk tsk, before coming to the mortal realm, who would have believed I could confidently rise from a minor role at level 3 to a near Foundation Establishment master at level 9 in under three years?"
"A life with cheats truly needs no explanation."
"Time is on my side. No need to rush or compete; better to stay low-key."
Yu Xian gathered his spiritual energy, the restless aura gradually calming, replaced by a heavy wave of fatigue.
He lightly tapped his lower back.
Indeed, the sensation was utterly depleted, not a drop remaining.
Though at the late Qi Refinement stage, his body was still mortal flesh, not yet transcendent; naturally, his kidneys had normal limits.
This urgent breakthrough had greatly exhausted his potential for a comfortable life ahead.
"Damn it, they’re almost worn out," Yu Xian muttered, staring at a certain spot, lost in thought.
Then he yawned, got up, and climbed into bed, pulling Magnolia into a deep sleep.
He had planned to start forging spiritual artifacts in one go, but now it was impossible.
…
The sun sank behind the western hills, leaving only the afterglow illuminating the evening clouds.
Yu Xian awoke groggily and instinctively reached beside him, only to find emptiness—Magnolia had already gotten up.
"Seems I must act within my limits from now on. Good wine is tempting, but one must not overindulge," he mused, his mind blank as he reluctantly got out of bed, dressed, and clattered down the stairs in wooden clogs.
In the courtyard, he saw Magnolia speaking with Chen Yi, her expression heavy with worry.
Hearing his footsteps, Magnolia immediately turned and called out to him, rushing forward to throw herself into Yu Xian’s arms.
"What’s wrong?" Yu Xian asked, holding her, still puzzled.
"Master, do you know? The Treasure Pavilion was robbed. Many people died. Fortunately, we didn’t go today," Magnolia said, her face filled with both fear and relief.
(End of chapter)