Chapter 011

Chapter 11: Washing the Marrow, Infusing the Spirit

Heavenly One Sect was short on people. Even though they had searched hard for good seedlings for decades, very few could be chosen. So when a boy with excellent bones and talent came to them on his own, like Li Wan Zhi, of course they would try to keep him.

Li Ming De stroked his beard with satisfaction: “A fine seedling. We must find a way to keep him.”

On the other side, by the Marrow Washing Pool, Fang He An squatted on the steps for a long time and did not see Ye Wan Wan come out. He asked in a small panic: “How long has she been inside?”

Li Wan Zhi answered nervously: “A quarter of an hour.”

Fang He An shot to his feet: “A quarter of an hour? That long?”

Li Wan Zhi nodded: “It is quite long.”

He had wanted to rush out the moment he got in. This little girl could soak for this long?

Fang He An paced, uneasy: “In our generation, the one who stayed in the Marrow Washing Pool the longest on her first try was Second Senior Sister, and even she stayed only about seven or eight minutes. She is already close to fifteen minutes.”

Something was off. “No, I have to go check.”

If the girl fainted in there, that would be terrible.

Fang He An took the steps two at a time and rushed to the pool’s edge, ready to shout. Sounds came from inside. Rustling, like someone dressing. He turned around at once.

Li Wan Zhi hurried up and asked over his shoulder: “How is it, how is it? Did she faint? Do we need to call for help?”

Fang He An pressed his head and turned his face away: “It is fine. Junior sister is coming out.”

Ye Wan Wan stepped out, now dressed in Heavenly One Sect robes. Both Fang He An and Li Wan Zhi nodded again and again.

Fang He An appraised her with real pleasure: “Much better than before.”

Before, Ye Wan Wan had looked like a stray cat. Her air was unique, but she looked homeless. Now, in this robe, the feeling was completely different. It gave her a sense of belonging. The robe seemed made for her.

Li Wan Zhi circled her with bright eyes, and a Jin Yu abacus appeared in his hand as he clicked the beads: “Junior sister wears a one-spirit-stone robe like it costs a hundred Spirit Stones. If I had you sell clothes, we would make many times the price.”

Fang He An pushed his head away: “Shut up, you little miser. Sect robes are not for sale.”

Ye Wan Wan cupped her hands in thanks and explained: “Thank you, Senior Brother Fang. I am fine now. Since it was my first time in the Marrow Washing Pool, I stayed a little longer because I was curious.”

Fang He An understood at once. So she had been testing the water at the edge to see if she dared to go in. He had experience with that. Li Wan Zhi had stalled for a whole hour the first time, so this time Fang He An had simply kicked him in.

Fang He An liked this junior sister more and more. He smiled and said: “In Heavenly One Sect, I rank third. If you do not mind, call me Third Senior Brother. Senior Sister Bai is second. We also have an Eldest Senior Brother, but he is away. I will introduce you later.”

He pointed to Li Wan Zhi and added: “As for Junior Brother Li, he is fourth. That makes you the sixth. Little Six.”

Ye Wan Wan thought: [Then where is the fifth?]

Li Wan Zhi asked her thought out loud: “Why did you skip five?”

Fang He An answered easily: “Fifth junior brother has been reserved by senior uncle, but he has not brought him back yet. We may need to wait a while to meet him.”

As he spoke, he led them onward to the next place.

Li Wan Zhi sniffed and muttered: “Reserved? Not yet brought back? Those words sound unlucky. Was he kidnapped too?”

Fang He An shot him a glance: “Not the same. Fifth junior brother is stubborn. Senior uncle said we must persuade him more. At least three visits to the thatched cottage to trick, cough, to bring him back.”

He grinned at Li Wan Zhi: “But you were different.”

He bared his teeth in a friendly way: “Your father delivered you to our door.”

Li Wan Zhi went silent. He felt like Fang He An had said: you walked into the den on your own.

Leaving the Marrow Washing Pool, Fang He An guided Ye Wan Wan and Li Wan Zhi into another building. From the outside it looked two or three stories tall, but inside it was a single vast floor. A wide platform on the ground level opened straight to the dome above. The ceiling rose more than eight zhang, about eighty feet, and made people feel small.

Fang He An stopped at the doorway and said with a smile: “We are here.”

Li Wan Zhi, for once, did not resist. He picked a spot and flopped down comfortably. He told Ye Wan Wan in a whisper: “This is much more fun than the Marrow Washing Pool.”

Ye Wan Wan looked around and did not see what was special, but as she stepped onto the platform, light poured from the high dome. Countless motes of spirit gathered on the platform, focused by Array Arts, and surged into their bodies.

It washed the marrow and infused the spirit. It was spirit infusion.

After washing the marrow, meridians expand. At that time, if a powerful Spirit Infusion Array gathers the gifts of sun and moon and the breath of Earth Spirit for the disciples, they can absorb it quickly and strengthen their meridians. Some, in their first infusion, break the limit of the Human Realm, step into the Qi Refining Stage, and create a small miracle.

Although Ye Wan Wan and Li Wan Zhi were not beginners, the effect here was still extremely helpful. The Marrow Washing and Spirit Infusion stacking together produced results far greater than the sum of the two. But a Marrow Washing Pool was already rare, and a Spirit Infusion Array was even more expensive, a sky-high cost. Even with the wealth of the Supreme Sect, they could only set up a small Spirit Gathering Array near their Marrow Washing Pool so new disciples could feel how much better their bodies absorbed spiritual power after tempering, for comparison.

Heavenly One Sect was generous. So generous that Ye Wan Wan felt they were rich. Truly rich. They were not using a Spirit Gathering Array at all, but a massive Spirit Infusion Array built into an ancient structure. This array absorbed the essence of sun and moon and the strength of the mountain year after year, and when needed, it simply opened and poured out for the disciples.

Catching the rain of spiritual power, Ye Wan Wan murmured in awe: “Heavenly One Sect has very deep foundations.”

It was nothing like the shabby outer look they showed.

Li Wan Zhi muttered from his spot: “Just living off the old stores. Stay longer and you will see how poor we are.”

Ye Wan Wan still nodded: “Even if they are poor, just by sending us into the Marrow Washing Pool today and then into a Spirit Infusion Array, you can tell how generous they are to new disciples.”

In other sects, even disciples who had cultivated for ten years might never get these chances. Ye Wan Wan herself had stayed in the Supreme Sect for many years, yet she had never even entered a Marrow Washing Pool.

For once, Li Wan Zhi did not argue.

Not knowing how long the Spirit Infusion would last, Ye Wan Wan seized the time to breathe and absorb. The five clouds in her dantian spun quickly. With the double boost of washing and infusion, her Fire Spiritual Root, which had already reached the third layer in the Marrow Washing Pool, now pressed toward the fourth. Beside her, Li Wan Zhi was not slow. The aura of the fifth layer of Qi Refining grew more solid, faintly showing a sign of breakthrough. Yet he seemed not to notice. Warmed by the spiritual power, he had fallen fast asleep. He did not even pretend to sit and meditate.

Ye Wan Wan sighed softly: “[Blessed and he does not know it.]”

Two hours later, Fang He An arrived with a bright smile to fetch them. Bits of grass on his clothes showed he had not idled away the time. He called lightly: “Time is up. Come out.”

By then, the sun was falling in the west. He took them to the dining hall for dinner and then led them back to the disciples’ residence. The sun had fully set.

Fang He An arranged the next day with a smile: “Today was junior sister’s first day in the sect, and you also hurried on the road last night. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow I will take you to morning class.”

He turned and welcomed her formally, still smiling: “Junior sister, welcome to Heavenly One Sect. You will look forward to the days ahead.”

Li Wan Zhi rubbed his eyelid with worry and muttered: “Left eye for fortune, right eye for trouble. My right eye is twitching. Trouble is coming.”

Fang He An simply dragged Li Wan Zhi away: “Come on, junior brother. Your room is next to mine. Since we meet again, let senior brother make up all the lessons you missed.”

Li Wan Zhi’s face fell: “…”

The courtyard grew quiet, leaving only Ye Wan Wan. She slipped inside alone out of habit. Something rustled in her Spatial Pouch. She patted it and remembered: “I almost forgot you.”

She released the black turtle and found a basket: “Make do with this today. Tomorrow I will find you a proper nest.”

The turtle looked at her, then slowly climbed into the basket without complaint, mostly because Ye Wan Wan thoughtfully tucked in a handful of Mystic Spirit Grass.

She calmed herself and meditated. Her first day in Heavenly One Sect passed in peace.

The next morning, Bai Jian came knocking at the door.