Chapter 013

Chapter 13: Beginning Cultivation

As soon as Du Ruo Lan heard these words, she knew Wei Ling Yue was seriously considering her suggestion, so she sensibly returned to Haitang Courtyard.

Her intention was simple and direct—since all the valuable items were not with that brat Wei Yun Xi, she had even less reason to let Yun Xi accompany her daughter to the sect. She couldn’t allow Yun Xi to share in her daughter’s cultivation resources.

Meanwhile, Wei Yun Xi’s worries took a turn for the better the very next day. Among the youngsters practicing at the cultivation hall, another child successfully completed qi induction. It was Wei Ling Yue’s second brother’s child, Wei Zong Jin, who became the first of the “Zong” generation to succeed.

Previously, Wei Zong Jin’s talents had been overshadowed by Wei Yun Qing during the spiritual root assessment, leaving him very disgruntled. Coupled with Wei Yun Xi’s words at the cultivation hall yesterday, he had become fiercely determined to earn a place in the Grand Righteous Sect.

Wei Zong Jin possessed wood, fire, and metal spiritual roots, all with values at eighty-five, making him far superior to Wei Yun Xi’s concealed talents. Ever since Wei Yun Qing succeeded in her qi induction, Wei Zong Jin had already begun sensing the spiritual energy clusters. Today, within the rich spiritual energy of the hall, he completed qi induction in one decisive attempt, becoming the second child to succeed.

That evening, Du Ruo Lan told her daughter Wei Yun Xi would not accompany her to the Grand Righteous Sect.

Wei Yun Qing immediately asked anxiously, “Mother, why? Didn’t you promise me that she could go to the sect with me?”

Du Ruo Lan gently soothed her, saying, “Qing’er, behave. These past two days, Mother had Zhen Zhu thoroughly search Radiant Brilliance Courtyard. Neither the hairpin you admired nor any of the resources left behind by her mother were with Wei Yun Xi—they are all at the Feng family. The Feng family guards themselves closely against the Wei family, so even if Yun Xi follows you, she cannot bring those resources along. She would be a burden, and you’d still have to care for her because of the Feng family’s face. Wouldn’t that affect your cultivation?”

Wei Yun Qing thought her mother’s reasoning made sense, yet an uncomfortable feeling lingered in her heart. Unable to clearly identify the reason, she merely frowned and said, “Then Mother, you must find that hairpin somehow. I feel it’s very important to me.”

“Rest assured. As long as she remains in the Wei household, she can’t cause any trouble,” Du Ruo Lan quickly promised. Her intentions were simple—keep Wei Yun Xi under close watch to suppress her and conveniently obtain whatever treasures Feng Jia Yun had left behind.

Young Wei Yun Qing did not yet understand that sometimes fate was not always tied to objects. Her own destined opportunity was actually Wei Yun Xi herself, though she would only grasp this truth much later. But by then, the distance between them had widened too greatly, and she could no longer catch up with her younger sister—she could only linger helplessly at the edges of her light.

Meanwhile, the Feng family finally sent a maidservant explicitly assigned to guide Wei Yun Xi’s cultivation. Named Feng Xiu, she possessed the same three-element spiritual roots of water, wood, and fire, and had reached the eighth level of qi refining, instantly surpassing Zhen Zhu.

This obvious slap to his face made Wei Ling Yue slightly uncomfortable, but he didn’t comment further. After all, Feng Xiu had been sent out of genuine concern for her young miss’s cultivation. If talent was lacking, resources could still compensate—he had no grounds to refuse. After a brief exchange, he allowed Feng Xiu to go directly to Radiant Brilliance Courtyard.

Wei Yun Xi, at last receiving the support she’d been awaiting, was relieved. Had the Feng family delayed any longer, she wouldn’t have been able to resist beginning her qi induction.

Upon arrival, Feng Xiu immediately took control of Radiant Brilliance Courtyard. With a single glance, she sent Zhen Zhu to the outer courtyard.

“Young miss, this is what the Feng Clan Master asked me to deliver to you. He said you can rest assured and start your qi induction cultivation,” Feng Xiu said, handing a delicate storage pendant to Wei Yun Xi.

“Thank you, Feng elder sister. Please send my regards to maternal uncle and thank him for everything he’s prepared.”

“Yes, young miss.”

That night, Wei Yun Xi impatiently activated the isolation formation. Sitting cross-legged in the cultivation chamber, she positioned herself with five hearts facing heaven. Slowly inhaling, then exhaling, she carefully adjusted her breathing and heartbeat.

As her mind gradually quieted, Wei Yun Xi felt the world around her sink into absolute stillness. Only her heartbeat remained audible. From the darkness, tiny glowing motes of spiritual energy began drifting gently toward her, one, two, three—until they gathered so densely that they engulfed her completely.

Wei Yun Xi then extended her goodwill, silently inviting these luminous motes into her body as honored guests. The first green mote slipped into her skin, followed by a second, then a third…

With each new spiritual mote absorbed, Wei Yun Xi felt her meridians swell slightly. The sensation became more pronounced as the number of spiritual motes increased, until finally, her meridians felt blocked by the sudden influx.

Quietly, she began chanting the qi guiding art she had memorized, gently coaxing the blocked energy along her meridians. After completing a small circulation cycle, she guided the refined spiritual motes into her newly opened dantian.

Her dantian, now freshly formed, was only the size of a duck’s egg. Yet unbeknownst to her, it was already twice as large as that of ordinary beginner cultivators. Furthermore, during this process, she unconsciously utilized her spiritual sense.

At the bottom of her dantian were neatly arranged spiritual motes of cyan, white, and purple, just barely filling the base, signaling her successful qi induction.

Unaware, Wei Yun Xi continued her cultivation. The sensation was immensely comfortable, as if she were bathing in a pleasantly warm spring, soothing enough to make her sigh aloud.

As her qi refining chant continued, even more spiritual energy poured into her. Soon, a layer of muddy impurities seeped from her skin, exuding a faint, unpleasant odor—these were impurities expelled from her body after initial qi induction.

Outside the door, Feng Xiu could not sense clearly within, yet she was confident the young miss had succeeded in her qi induction due to the subtle ripple of spiritual energy she’d felt earlier.

By sunrise, Wei Yun Xi had still not lifted the formation. Feng Xiu grew concerned, and unwilling to intrude, instructed Chun Yu to notify the cultivation hall of Wei Yun Xi’s absence.

Halfway there, Chun Yu was intercepted by Zhen Zhu.

“Chun Yu, why isn’t Yun Xi young miss attending the cultivation hall today?”

Frowning slightly, Chun Yu replied, “Young miss said she’ll cultivate privately in her courtyard and won’t come out until she succeeds in qi induction. She’s quite anxious, so I’m going to request leave for her.”

Zhen Zhu’s eyes flickered, and she quietly left Chun Yu’s side.

Eventually, Wei Yun Xi was forced to halt her cultivation due to hunger pangs. Opening her eyes, she felt faint and dizzy, symptoms of low blood sugar.

Ignoring the smell from her body, she first deactivated the formation. Feng Xiu instantly entered the room, seeing Wei Yun Xi crawling weakly on the floor like a tiny turtle. Feng Xiu couldn’t suppress a slight smile.

She first used a cleansing technique to remove the filth covering Wei Yun Xi, then gently lifted her up, feeding her a fasting pill. Afterward, she carefully checked the girl from head to toe.

A warm sensation filled Wei Yun Xi’s stomach, relieving the gnawing hunger. Only then did she softly ask, “Feng elder sister, how long was I cultivating?”

“Young miss cultivated for two days and two nights. Had you delayed any longer, I would’ve rushed in myself.”