Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Four Levels in a Row
Five days later, Yun Xi and Zong Hao had agreed to go to the market to sell spirit rice, but they ran into Wei Yun Qing at the entrance of the disciples’ courtyard.

This time, Wei Yun Qing wore a full spring breeze smile, and the look in her eyes toward Yun Xi was openly lofty and superior.

Wei Zong Hao hid the dislike in his eyes and asked politely, “Sister Yun Qing, what good thing happened to you?”

Wei Yun Qing lifted her chin. “I broke through, so I came back to tell you. I’m planning to move to a peak closer to the inner sect to cultivate. We probably won’t have many chances to meet in the future.”

Yun Xi swept her spiritual sense over her and found that her cultivation had risen to Qi Refining level eight, but it was very unstable. It was obvious she had only just broken through. Jumping from Qi Refining level four to Qi Refining level eight in one go meant she either stumbled into an opportunity or took pills.

No matter the reason, Yun Xi did not envy her. She even smiled and flattered her. “Sister Yun Qing is amazing. This is you building up for a long time and then bursting forward. I can’t even see through your cultivation now. What level are you at?”

“I’m at Qi Refining level eight!” Wei Yun Qing said smugly.

Zong Hao was startled. This was breaking through four levels at once. Still, he smiled and congratulated her. “Sister Yun Qing is truly amazing. Dual spiritual roots really are different. People like me can only look from far behind.”

Being praised made Wei Yun Qing even more pleased. She waved her hand. “Cultivate properly and you’ll be like me too. For someone with three spiritual roots, Zong Hao reaching Qi Refining level seven in just one year is already pretty good.”

Zong Hao had a mouthful of curses he wanted to throw at the tail-wagging Wei Yun Qing, but he still forced a stiff smile. “Sister Yun Qing is right.”

“I’m going to tell Yun Ying, and then say goodbye to Zong Jin and Zong Yu,” Wei Yun Qing said. “You two go on and do your own thing.”

She was already chasing them away. The two of them exchanged a look and left first.

Only after they entered the Outer Sect market did Zong Hao finally blurt out, “Little Sister Yun Xi, is aptitude really that important?”

Yun Xi knew he was shaken by Yun Qing’s breakthrough, so she smiled and said, “Brother Zong Hao, you’re not worse than her. Why torture yourself? Besides, her breakthrough is full of water. Either she got a big opportunity, or she took pills. Didn’t you notice her aura wasn’t even restrained?”

Zong Hao thought back and said, “That’s true. Just now, I didn’t sense her cultivation, so I overlooked it.”

“Whether she used something to break through or not, she didn’t stabilize her cultivation first,” Yun Xi said. “She came to show off, and she even said she wants to move to a peak closer to the inner sect. Do you really think a new peak is easy to live on?”

Zong Hao instantly understood and laughed. “You’re right. Sister Yu Ting and Brother Zong Han moved together to Outer Third Peak. Up to now, they can’t even spare time to meet us.”

“And as far as I know, their cultivation only barely broke through to late Qi Refining level six. That’s still one level lower than me,” Zong Hao added.

Yun Xi nodded. “Breaking through isn’t just about having enough spiritual energy. Your state of mind has to keep up too. The Qi Refining Stage is the foundation, like building a house. If the foundation isn’t solid, then no matter how fancy the materials are, you’re still doing useless work.”

“Little Sister Yun Xi, you know so much,” Zong Hao said.

“I go to the Library Pavilion a lot. Jade slips have everything,” Yun Xi said. “You just broke through, so don’t rush to break through again. It’s best if you go to the Library Pavilion and read for two days to settle down.”

“Alright. I’ll listen to you,” Zong Hao said. “This planting task was really interesting. I want to learn to grow spirit herbs, so when you learn alchemy later, I’ll provide the spirit herbs. How about we join forces?”

Hearing that, Yun Xi agreed. Zong Hao had fire, wood, and earth triple spiritual roots, so he had an advantage in planting. He could also learn alchemy, but he clearly did not like alchemy. It depended on personal willingness, so Yun Xi nodded. “Sure. As long as you’ve made up your mind. We’re still in the Qi Refining Stage, so we still have a chance to try different paths.”

“You’re right,” Zong Hao said.

Zong Hao felt that even though Yun Xi was young, everything she said was practical. He was willing to listen. At first, he grew closer to Yun Xi because of that pill, but after a year together, he truly approved of this younger sister, and he also wanted to be close to Yun Xi.

The two of them sold their spirit rice smoothly. Yun Xi bought more blank talisman paper and beast blood, and she also sold a batch of talismans she had drawn, letting her storage pouch recover a bit.

Since Zong Hao wanted to grow spirit herbs, he bought some first-rank spirit herb seeds to keep on hand. After wandering around for a while and finding nothing new in the market, they returned to the disciples’ courtyard together.

As soon as Yun Xi entered the courtyard, she saw an angry Wei Yun Ying. She sat at the jade table under the pear tree, and when she saw Yun Xi come in, she immediately waved her over.

“Sister Yun Ying, what’s wrong? Who made you angry?” Yun Xi asked, even though she already knew.

Wei Yun Ying asked irritably, “Yun Xi, did you run into Yun Qing?”

“I did. When Zong Hao and I went to the market, we ran into her at the courtyard gate,” Yun Xi said. “She broke through, and she was full of spring breeze smugness. She said she’s moving to Outer Third Peak to cultivate.”

As soon as Yun Ying heard that, she knew Yun Qing had already shown off to others. She said unwillingly, “Yun Xi, do you know how she broke through to Qi Refining level eight overnight?”

Yun Xi shook her head. “I don’t know. Even though we’re biological sisters, my relationship with her isn’t even as good as mine with you. Back home, she relied on Father’s favor and even tried to snatch my mother’s keepsakes. We only got by on the surface.”

“If she really ran into some good opportunity, she wouldn’t tell me. She’d love nothing more than to press me into the dirt,” Yun Xi said.

Wei Yun Ying believed that. The four sisters had lived in the same courtyard for a year, so she understood at least a little. Wei Yun Qing came looking for trouble with Yun Xi every so often, and Yun Ying saw it all. She could only sigh. “If only I had an opportunity like that!”

Yun Xi smiled. “As long as we work hard, we will. And Sister Yun Ying, you look like you’re about to break through to Qi Refining level five, right?”

“Yes. I planned to go to the cultivation hall today, but Yun Qing ruined my mood,” Yun Ying said. “So I wanted to talk to you for a bit. Tomorrow I’ll go to the cultivation hall and push for Qi Refining level five.”

She was clearly furious.

Yun Xi actually admired Yun Qing. She really knew how to draw hate. Yun Xi widened her eyes and said, “Sister Yun Ying, don’t be angry. I’ll tell you something secretly. Brother Zong Hao said that even though she broke through to Qi Refining level eight, her aura is floating. Her cultivation isn’t solid at all. It’s not as steady as ours when we advance. Don’t envy her.”

Hearing that, Yun Ying finally felt better. She complained a couple more times, then returned to her room to cultivate.

Just as Yun Xi broke through to Qi Refining level nine, she received a message talisman from Hua Xuan Zi, asking to team up and take a task in the sect’s back mountain.

Yun Xi hesitated for a moment, then replied to Hua Xuan Zi. She agreed to meet at the Task Hall the next day. As long as the task difficulty was not too high, she wanted to take it.

Right now, she lacked real combat experience. Ever since she killed Chen Feng, she had taken some time to settle down, and she realized she could not only raise her cultivation without raising her battle strength. If she did, she would only grow into a greenhouse flower.

She wanted to ascend. She wanted to become a great cultivator.

After Zong Hao learned about it, he decided to go with Yun Xi to take a look.