Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Not far away, at the Spirit Eye Spring, a different scene unfolded. Su Xiao, dressed in a simple dress, sat cross-legged on a futon with her eyes closed, her posture upright and her breathing deep and even.

She was surrounded by spiritual energy fluctuations that were almost invisible to the naked eye, making her much stronger than before.

Having broken through to the second level of Qi Refining for some time, his realm has long been completely stabilized, and the range and precision of his divine sense perception are far beyond what they used to be.

In addition to her own cultivation, she now also has to guide several disciples who have just successfully achieved Qi Induction, giving her a more composed and capable demeanor.

The most eye-catching thing is the medicinal herb garden that Li Xiaocao tends. Originally only a small plot, it has now expanded several times over, surrounded by a thin bamboo fence, and is filled with lush and green medicinal herbs of all colors.

Not only the shimmering grass, but also many rare varieties such as "moonlight orchid" and "red gold potato" obtained from the treasure pavilion.

Li Xiaocao was rolling up her sleeves, carefully loosening the soil around a spirit herb with silver-edged leaves, her movements as gentle as if she were taking care of a baby.

"Sister Xiaocao, this 'Silver Thread Grass' is growing so well! It looks even more vibrant than the shopkeeper of Baibaoge described!" Zhou Xiaoya exclaimed softly as she helped by carrying a small bucket.

Li Xiaocao raised her head, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and wore a simple yet satisfied smile:

"Hmm, this grass likes shade, so I planted it on the back of that big rock and water it with a little bit of sun-dried spiritual spring water every morning and evening. It loves it."

She is now a true spiritual plant master in the sect. Her cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining has made her more sensitive to the vitality of plants. The herb garden in her hands is as if it has come alive.

As she spoke, she subconsciously reached out a finger and gently touched the leaf of the silver thread grass. The leaf trembled slightly, as if in response to her.

"If you ask me, Little Grass, you really have this talent!"

After finishing his training, Shi Tie strode over, picked up a ladle from a nearby stone vat, gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water, wiped his mouth, and said, "With this land in your hands, even stones can bloom!"

Li Xiaocao felt a little embarrassed by what was said, so she lowered her head and continued working, but the tips of her ears turned a little red.

Just then, a clear bell rang out from the direction of the main hall. It was the signal to start breakfast.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the open space in front of the main hall. The kitchen was newly built; although simple, it was clean and tidy.

Zhou Xiaoya and Qian Xiaodou, who were in charge of the meals, had already placed a large pot of steaming hot Linggu porridge, several dishes of pickled vegetables, and a basket of mixed flour buns on the long wooden table.

"Whose turn is it to call A-Yuan and Xiao-Fan today?" Su Xiao asked while distributing porridge to everyone.

"I'll go," Zhao Qingyan replied softly, putting down the talisman brush she was wiping and turning to walk towards a secluded corner in the back mountain.

She is now Su Xiao's capable assistant, not only managing the sect's treasury and accounts in an orderly manner, but also showing amazing patience and talent in the art of talismans, and is already able to draw the lowest level of purification talisman.

It's already good if you succeed two or three times out of ten.

When she brought Lin Xiaofan and A Yuan back, everyone looked at A Yuan with some surprise.

The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, but her face was rosy, and she exuded an indescribable freshness, like a tender bud that had just been nourished by rain and dew.

"Ah Yuan, you...you last night..." Su Xiao, with her keenest senses, asked uncertainly.

Ah Yuan nodded groggily and whispered, "Um... Senior Sister Su, I... I think I feel gas... warm, swirling around in my stomach..."

"What?! You've already drawn Qi into your body?!" Shi Tie's voice was the loudest, his face filled with disbelief. "You little brat, you've only been officially cultivating for a few days?!"

The crowd erupted in commotion and gathered around. A-Yuan was one of the younger disciples of the Qingyun Sect. She hadn't started cultivating before; Shen Mo had only had her build a foundation, and she had only begun training a few days ago!

This speed is even more frightening than Li Xiaocao's!

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Mo also came out from the side hall. His gaze fell on A Yuan, and after carefully sensing her, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The spiritual energy within A Yuan's body was extremely weak, but exceptionally pure, carrying a rich vitality and being extremely peaceful, with a very high degree of compatibility with her own being.

"Very good." Shen Mo walked up to A Yuan, squatted down, and gently patted her head to encourage her.

"A mind free of distractions, close to nature—this is your destiny. Introducing Qi is only the first step; subsequent cultivation requires even more focus and diligence, and you must not slacken."

"Yes! A-Yuan remembers! Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader!" A-Yuan nodded vigorously, her little face full of seriousness and happiness.

Shen Mo pondered to himself. A Yuan's situation seemed to be more than just good aptitude; it was more likely that her mind was extremely pure, secretly in harmony with some kind of natural way.

With such talent, if properly guided, her future achievements in wood-based cultivation techniques or the study of spiritual plants are limitless. It seems we need to put more thought into how we nurture A-Yuan.

Breakfast ended amidst cheers and congratulations. After breakfast, the disciples took their places and began their day of practice and work.

Shi Tie continued to refine his "Giant Spirit Shaking Mountain Technique," striving to overcome that final bottleneck.

Zhang Daniu and Wang Lie were sent to reinforce a somewhat loose cliff face on the back mountain; Sun Xiaohou went down the mountain to the market to buy some daily necessities and inquire about some news.

Su Xiao first guided A Yuan and Lin Xiaofan in the most basic spiritual energy guidance. A Yuan made rapid progress and grasped the concepts immediately.

Lin Xiaofan continued to work incredibly hard, almost desperately, his brows furrowed as he repeatedly challenged his meridians, trying to absorb more spiritual energy.

"Xiao Fan, haste makes waste." Su Xiao couldn't stand it anymore and gently advised, "The flow of spiritual energy should be like a stream, continuous and uninterrupted. Forcing it will only damage your meridians. Look at A Yuan, she let nature take its course and things went smoothly for her."

Lin Xiaofan bit her lip and whispered, "Senior Sister Su, I...I know. But I...I can't be slow."

A hint of stubbornness and a deep-seated urgency flashed in his eyes.

Su Xiao sighed inwardly, knowing that the boy's inner turmoil was too heavy to be resolved with words, and that she could only take better care of him in the future.

Li Xiaocao plunged into her medicinal herb garden, busy building trellises for the newly cultivated "Red Gold Sweet Potato" plants.

Zhao Qingyan sat under the eaves of the main hall, with a newly bought low-grade talisman paper spread out in front of her. She held her breath and carefully dipped her brush in the spiritual ink, beginning to practice drawing the extremely complex "evil-repelling talisman" runes.

Qian Xiaodou, holding a broom taller than herself, was sweeping the yard with great effort.

Shen Mo surveyed the area, checking the progress in each place, and gave Shi Tie some pointers on the key points of qi and blood circulation when exerting force.

He inquired about the properties of several new medicinal herbs from Li Xiaocao and promised to have Sun Xiaohou bring back a copy of "Illustrated Compendium of Herbs" from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion next time; he also corrected a minor deviation in Zhao Qingyan's drawing of the talisman.

Throughout the morning, Qingyun Mountain was bustling with activity, yet everything was orderly and full of a down-to-earth and positive energy.

Just before noon, a strange thing happened!

On the open ground behind the mountain, Shi Tie, who was practicing his martial arts, suddenly let out a roar like a trapped beast!

His muscles tensed up instantly, the veins under his skin bulged like dragons, and his blood and qi surged with a rushing sound!

A scorching wave of heat radiated outwards from him!

"Open up for me!" Shi Tie roared, his eyes bloodshot, gathering all his strength to slam his fist into the half-person-high bluestone stone in front of him, which was used to test his strength!

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, the incredibly hard oak stone shattered into pieces with a single punch, sending fragments flying everywhere!

Shi Tie maintained his punching stance, panting heavily. The surging blood and qi around his body gradually calmed down, but an aura that was far stronger and more solid than before slowly emanated from his body!

Body Refinement Level 1! Success!