By the way, this is my Patreon! Please support it! With enough support, I'll upload more chapters each week (I plan to upload seven a day).
There are ten chapters available in advance!
https://patreon.com/Raven_Feather?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
----------------------------
Qing Xuanling returned to her room, satisfied. The past few days had been full of tension, so her muscles melted when she finally lay down on her familiar bed.
Xuan Dan wasn't there, so she imagined he must still be studying with master Wangu. She turned over and stared at the ceiling with a vacant gaze. She had nothing to do currently. Rather, right now she didn't want to do anything at all.
Her mind felt slow, her muscles were relaxed, and...
"I really don't know how to relax."
Qing Xuanling sighed in exasperation as she got up from the bed. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror for a second and shook her head. She quickly went to take a bath and changed.
She was now wearing black robes embroidered with red flowers.
Yes, the robes Madam Yechan had gifted her! During the six days she spent with Su Meiren, she had taken the opportunity to ask for help with that, and she really managed to find someone to repair the outfit!
She carefully groomed herself and observed her reflection. Her black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her face, now boasting skin as white as snow thanks to her body cultivation, gave Qing Xuanling a charming appearance.
Qing Xuanling had never been a particularly beautiful girl; at most, she was slightly above average. Her rating would have been a solid six. But now, she had no doubt she had become an eight!
Of course, that didn't matter much when she remembered there were women who completely broke that scale, as it was impossible to quantify their beauty with numbers...
She chuckled slightly at the thought and left her room. She wanted to take advantage of her free time to meet some old acquaintances.
She headed straight out and walked through the second ring of the clan grounds, asking a few people for directions. Soon, she arrived in front of the door of one of the rooms where clan veterans or those at the advanced stage slept.
She knocked on the door and waited patiently. The person who opened it was pleasantly surprised to see her.
"Sister Xuanling?! So good to see you!" Qing Linxi, the body cultivator who had given Qing Xuanling her own body cultivation technique, which served as the foundation for the Devouring White Dragon Cauldron technique, smiled brightly. "It hasn't been long, but you've become so pretty! I see you've had success cultivating what I gave you, haven't you?"
Qing Xuanling smiled, unsurprised by Qing Linxi's reaction. She really had become more attractive since her physique reached the first level of the Devouring White Dragon Cauldron: Copper Skin.
"You have a good eye, Sister Linxi. How about I come in and we chat for a bit? Or am I not welcome?" Qing Xuanling laughed.
Qing Linxi looked at her with slight surprise but quickly smiled. "You're more lively than the last time we talked, I like that! Come in, come in, I'll let you taste the best tea this sister has!"
Both entered Qing Linxi's room, which turned out to be much cleaner than Qing Xuanling had initially imagined. It was also quite empty.
There was only a bed, a desk, and a guest-receiving table. Besides that, there was nothing else.
Qing Xuanling sat at the guest table while watching Qing Linxi prepare a teapot on a portable stove, a quite useful everyday artifact for daily life. She had wanted to buy one before, but since she was saving up and didn't usually eat in her room anyway, she ended up passing on it.
"Did you come to ask me about Abnormal Steel Caterpillar Observation Diary?" Qing Linxi asked directly as she sat down, bringing a teapot and two cups of tea. "It's a complicated technique even for geniuses like you and me, if I may say so. Actually, I expected you to come looking for guidance sooner."
Qing Xuanling blinked, confused for a moment. But soon a playful smile appeared on her face. "Sister Linxi, haven't you noticed what my body cultivation level is?"
Qing Linxi frowned. Body cultivators had their own methods to discern others' cultivation from the advanced stage onward, but she hadn't bothered to do so with Qing Xuanling.
After all, how far could someone who had only been cultivating for less than two months really go?
But Qing Xuanling's words piqued her curiosity. She carefully inspected the girl before her. Her eyes immediately widened.
"Second layer of Body Refinement?!" Qing Linxi jumped up from the table. "How is that possible?! Even I took more than six months to reach the second layer when I started cultivating my physique!"
Qing Xuanling laughed in satisfaction. "Your surprised face is quite amusing, Sister Linxi!"
"Hmph, impudent brat, now you even know how to tease your dear sister!" Qing Linxi crossed her arms. "I think I regret giving you my body cultivation technique!"
Though her words were harsh, Qing Linxi's eyes shone intensely. She understood what Qing Xuanling's rapid advancement meant.
That the girl had managed to improve the original technique! Though she didn't know how she'd done it, she didn't care!
The important thing was that her own body cultivation was finally about to break through!
Qing Xuanling realized the meaning behind Qing Linxi's gaze and smiled. She wouldn't delay any longer.
"As you might have guessed, I managed to improve the technique you gave me, even changed its name." Qing Xuanling smiled shyly. "Almost two months have passed since then, and as you can see, my cultivation has advanced quite a bit thanks to the improvements I made."
Qing Linxi nodded, her eyes bright. "I can see that. There isn't much difference in talent among body cultivators except in special cases, especially when it comes to the same technique. That you achieved in two months what took me over half a year says a lot. Though I have to say, you're quite bold changing the technique's name~"
She laughed at the last part, looking at Qing Xuanling teasingly.
Qing Xuanling's ears reddened slightly, and she pouted.
"You won't say the same when you hear the details!" She huffed before continuing. "I renamed the technique to Devouring White Dragon Cauldron. I didn't actually change the original technique much, since it's quite complex and complete, plus I don't have the ability to do something like that. What changed compared to before is that I added something else to the equation."
"When I started cultivating the technique, I couldn't help but think of those Steel Caterpillars mentioned in it, and I got an idea after reading about their lifestyles. What if I could perfectly imitate their cultivation environment? For example, using fire inside my body to mimic the heat of bathing in lava. And it just so happens I had a quite friendly fire at my disposal..."
"Wait!"
Qing Linxi reached out toward Qing Xuanling, looking at her in disbelief. "Y-you...! Are you seriously telling me you put fire inside your body?! Well, sure, it perfectly mimics the heat one would experience inside lava, but!"
She was slightly at a loss for words. She had heard many crazy things in her life, but few like this. If it weren't Qing Xuanling herself telling her this, and not the news that some madwoman died trying to burn her own organs... Well, at least she wouldn't have doubted the latter as much as she did now.
Qing Xuanling smiled. "Don't rush to conclusions, it's not as simple as lighting a fire inside me. First of all, the flame I used is the Clear Flame, a fire that lacks the ability to burn. Besides that, I also took Demon Blood Pills and... In the end, it resulted in a technique that improves the absorption capacity for pills and possibly heavenly treasures, while also greatly enhancing the blood within the body."
Qing Linxi's expression was hilarious at this point. She looked at Qing Xuanling as if she were some kind of phenomenon. Well, she actually believed that.
She brought a hand to her face. "You know, I knew you were someone special, but this mix of luck, insight, and tenacity is simply mind-boggling. If you had lacked even a little in any of these areas, it would have been impossible for you to create such a magical technique!"
"Damn, no one would contradict you if you said this technique is as profound as an Earth Rank technique! At least in its Qi Refinement section!"
Qing Xuanling just smiled. She believed so too.
Earth Rank techniques could carry someone up to the Golden Core realm, but they also included Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment sections. Actually, most Earth Rank techniques weren't complete, with the Golden Core chapter lost.
So it wouldn't be impossible for the Devouring White Dragon Cauldron technique to pass as an ancient Earth Rank technique if it ever came to light.
"As expected of Sister Xuanling, as distinguished and beautiful as an immortal. I knew you would be unmatched from the moment I saw you..."
Qing Linxi continued praising Qing Xuanling's talents until the latter finally realized what was going on.
"Sister Linxi, I'll give you the Devouring White Dragon Cauldron, so stop flattering me so much!" Qing Xuanling rolled her eyes. "You're almost saying I'm the reincarnation of the heavens themselves!"
Qing Linxi stuck out her tongue, unable to hide the excitement in her eyes at Qing Xuanling's confirmation.
A defeated look appeared on Qing Xuanling's face as she took out a book from her storage bag. "Here's a copy of this new technique, though it's mainly the procedures for creating the Clear Flame and some of my cultivation ideas so far."
Qing Linxi smiled. "It's more than enough! I've been stuck at the eighth layer of Body Refinement for over three years, but I think with this I'll finally be able to take this step!"
Qing Xuanling's eyes brightened upon hearing that. She hadn't expected Qing Linxi to have such deep cultivation! That meant not just great talent, but tremendous determination to come so far on this tortuous path!
She made a decision immediately.
"Sister Linxi, take this bottle of pills. It contains Demon Blood Pills. Your cultivation should advance even faster with these!" Qing Xuanling pulled the bottle from her storage bag with a smile.
Qing Linxi's eyes lit up immediately. "Thank you, Sister Xuanling! I didn't expect you to be so kind as to hand me the pills before I even asked for them... Wait, why do you look more excited to give me these pills than I am to receive them...?"
Qing Xuanling's smile froze as she watched Qing Linxi's eyes dart rapidly, as if thinking through many things.
A lightbulb seemed to turn on over Qing Linxi's head when she suddenly pointed at Qing Xuanling accusatorily.
"You, you wretched woman! you want to use me as a test subject for your method to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm in body cultivation?!"
Qing Xuanling coughed awkwardly, slightly indignant. 'Although Sister Linxi looks a little silly, she really had a sharp mind! How annoying!'
"Hmph, it's not that different from you giving me your cultivation technique so I'd help you complete it in the future!" Qing Xuanling didn't forget Qing Linxi's past actions either. "Actually, you should be happy! Did you even have a chance of reaching the Foundation Establishment realm in the next decade?!"
Qing Linxi averted her gaze sheepishly at that. Qing Xuanling couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Qing Linxi joined in the laughter.
Both burst into hearty laughter.
The two chatted about plenty of things after that. About how life had been lately, about Qing Linxi, about Instructor Huan, and all sorts of nonsense. Two hours passed in an instant, and Qing Xuanling had to leave.
"So Instructor Huan is currently on a mission?" Qing Xuanling sighed. "What a pity, I wanted to greet him. It's been a while since I've seen him."
Qing Linxi shook her head. "He's been more focused on training lately. I mean, he always has, but it seems seeing you grow so fast recently inspired him. It's a shame he has no chance of entering the next major realm..."
A shadow fell over Qing Xuanling's face. Instructor Huan's situation was quite tragic. That a genius who could fight five Foundation Establishment cultivators by forcibly raising his realm was condemned to remain in the Qi Refinement realm was a very cruel joke by fate.
"Why can't he advance to the Foundation Establishment realm? What injury did he sustain that left him stuck forever in Qi Refinement?" Qing Xuanling tilted her head. She had never asked before.
Qing Linxi hesitated a bit, but finally sighed. "Don't tell anyone else, he doesn't like others knowing. His injury, rather than being external, was self-inflicted. Forcibly elevating your realm has its consequences, and the ones he had to endure were among the most severe."
"His spiritual roots were almost completely destroyed. His current cultivation at the peak of Qi Refinement is due to long, painful years of constant accumulation. And even so, his combat power isn't even a thousandth of what it once was."
Qing Xuanling's eyes widened in disbelief. As far as she knew, any damage to one's spiritual roots could cause immense pain to the cultivator! According to anecdotes she had read before, a cultivator who fractured their spiritual root in half felt like a sword was being driven into their stomach every time they tried to cultivate!
'All the pain he has to endure every time he cultivates...!'
Qing Xuanling shook her head helplessly and quickly bid farewell to Qing Linxi.
"See you later, I'll stop by your room for more pills when I run out!"
Qing Xuanling laughed at Qing Linxi's words. That was still quite far from happening.
'Seems she didn't believe me when I told her the Clear Flame isn't an easy technique to master~'
She amused herself thinking about Qing Linxi's future suffering as she left the clan grounds. She still had someone else to visit.
She walked through streets that felt all too familiar. Stalls clearly selling defective goods, vendors arguing with each other, and even faces of people she didn't know but seemed familiar.
At the end of that familiar path was a shop that went unnoticed.
"Immortal's Junkyard..."
She smiled and opened the door without knocking or announcing herself.
"I'm coming in~"