Chapter 067

Chapter 67: Seeking Guidance from the Boss

Yun Xi had a pleasant exchange with Tribe Warrior. Once he delivered the items, he quickly went offline. It was harvest season in his tribe, and he was busy organizing hunts and gathering tasks.

Noticing that “Drifting with Immortal Grace” was online, Yun Xi privately messaged him, “Senior, this young woman has a question. Do you have a moment to spare?”

Drifting with Immortal Grace replied, “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve reached the ninth level of Qi Refining,” Yun Xi explained, “and I hope to achieve a perfect Foundation Establishment without relying on a Foundation Establishment Pill. Should I further compress my spiritual energy and try breaking through to the tenth level?”

“That’s doable,” he replied simply.

Hesitating a moment, Yun Xi continued, “Junior has a lightning spiritual root. Could I use heavenly lightning for body tempering during the tribulation?”

She pondered deeply before asking this. In the cultivation novels she’d read, using heavenly lightning to temper the body was a common theme. Having a lightning spiritual root herself, it seemed logical—and beneficial—for her to attempt it. Yet, she wasn’t certain exactly how. Considering her current status in the sect, her publicly known three-element spiritual root did not include lightning, and her displayed cultivation was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. To outsiders, Foundation Establishment was still distant.

Drifting with Immortal Grace replied with amusement, “Little one, you’re quite ambitious. Using heavenly lightning for body tempering demands extreme physical strength. Do you practice any lightning cultivation techniques? Attempting it without sufficient bodily resilience could be very dangerous.”

Yun Xi considered carefully before responding, “Senior, this girl has been consistently using the milk fruit provided by Tribe Warrior to strengthen my body. Compared to peers, my physical strength is two to three times greater. However, I haven’t found any lightning techniques yet and currently practice only the most basic Qi Refining Art.”

Drifting with Immortal Grace sent back an emoji of a figure holding its forehead, clearly exasperated. “I suggest you hold off on attempting Foundation Establishment for now. Continue compressing your spiritual energy and enhancing your physical body as much as possible. You’re still very young. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, your physical growth will slow dramatically. Unless you’re comfortable looking like a child until the Nascent Soul stage, it’s best to delay it.”

Yun Xi felt a question mark floating over her head. “Senior, how did you know I was still a child?”

Drifting with Immortal Grace responded sheepishly, “Well… I’m the group’s deputy admin, so I have the authority to view detailed profiles. Don’t worry—your information is safe with me.”

“Oh, I see.”

Satisfied with this explanation, Yun Xi put aside her suspicions. After asking two more cultivation-related questions, she exited the group chat.

However, she didn’t immediately leave her personal space. She realized her cultivation plan needed revising.

It was clear she shouldn’t rush Foundation Establishment, especially at her current height of just 1.34 meters. She hoped to grow taller—ideally at least 1.7 meters—to appear more dignified and commanding.

Furthermore, her young age was another drawback. Though she considered herself mature due to her previous life’s experience, by the cultivation world’s standards, her current age was practically a fraction of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s lifespan.

Therefore, her immediate focus wasn’t to raise her cultivation, but to strengthen her body, seek a suitable lightning cultivation technique, gather practical battle experience, and learn alchemy. Alchemy would not only provide a reliable skill but also a legitimate means to earn spirit stones and justify acquiring cultivation resources.

Having clarified her thoughts, Yun Xi finally exited her space. But this time, she brought along the mysterious green plant sealed within a transparent glass box.

After more than a year of research and discreetly consulting the sect’s botanists, she concluded this plant was likely a mutated Immortal Spirit Herb, capable of attracting and condensing spiritual energy—similar to a spirit gathering formation. Such a herb had been extinct in the cultivation world for centuries.

She wouldn’t miss such an exceptional cultivation aid. Yun Xi decided to keep it close whenever she cultivated privately. As for the herb’s other potential effects, she’d uncover those gradually.

Removing the glass cover, Yun Xi watched as the Immortal Spirit Herb’s leaves gently stretched, glowing softly as if waking from sleep. Glowing green particles drifted outwards, dispersing throughout the room before slowly converging around Yun Xi and the herb. She felt pure spiritual energy seeping into her meridians. Excitedly, she sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Four hours passed before she opened her eyes. Night had fallen.

This cultivation session left her refreshed, like experiencing Qi induction for the first time—a wonderful sensation of spiritual energy cleansing her body.

Yun Xi looked down at the Immortal Spirit Herb with sparkling eyes. She was certain this exceptionally pure spiritual energy had been refined or attracted by the herb.

“Hehe, little Immortal Herb, you’re amazing!” Yun Xi admitted to herself that her grin seemed a bit silly. In her joy, she hugged the herb and kissed its leaves before placing it carefully back into the glass case and stowing it safely in her space. A treasure like this must remain secret.

She was too delighted to notice the tiny cut on her lip caused by the leaf’s edge—a cut that healed almost instantly, leaving only a trace of blood absorbed unnoticed by the Immortal Spirit Herb. As it returned to the space, the herb briefly shook its leaves and became still again.

Only then did Yun Xi notice the room’s spiritual energy had been completely drained. She immediately began drawing talismans to replenish her depleted supply from her previous mission with Senior Sister Hua. Even after exhausting her internal spiritual energy, the room’s spiritual energy still hadn’t recovered. Typically, it would refill within half an hour, but now she had an uneasy feeling.

Instead of leaving immediately, Yun Xi retrieved two low-grade spirit stones, refilling her empty dantian before stepping out of the cultivation room.

Since her room was located in a more remote corner of the cultivation hall, few others were nearby. After walking a short distance, she encountered several disciples leaving their own rooms.

They exchanged puzzled glances until someone finally asked, “Did you also leave because the spiritual energy isn’t recovering in your room?”

“Yeah, how can we cultivate without enough spiritual energy?”

“Let’s go ask the steward disciple.”

“I’m going too—I paid contribution points!”

“My contribution points are for a cultivation method, so I paid in spirit stones!”

Hearing their conversation, Yun Xi understood her situation wasn’t isolated—but still felt inexplicably guilty.

Outside, many disciples had already gathered around the steward disciple, who was bewildered and hurriedly sending a message talisman to an Outer Sect Elder while calming the crowd.

Quietly blending into the crowd, Yun Xi asked casually, “Senior sister, did the spiritual energy fail to recover in your room as well?”

“Yes! You too?”

With a serious nod, Yun Xi replied, “My room was in a remote spot and usually recovers slowly. But today there wasn’t even a trace of spiritual energy, so I came out to see what happened.”