A flurry of transparent screen notifications flickered across Ji Wuye's mind's eye as his brow furrowed over tightly closed eyelids. He remained utterly still, his focus solely harnessed on the monumental task of mending the myriad injuries that ravaged his body.

A faint, ethereal bluish-green Qi radiated from his body, the luminescent tendrils snaking outward as micro-dantians steadily exerted their revitalizing influence.

These infinitesimal nodes pulsed with energy, emitting subtle signals that drew forth platelets, oxygenated blood cells, and other vital mechanisms of bodily repair like iron filings to a magnet.

Gradually, the micro-dantians began their cyclical spin, flushing toxins and cellular detritus from the traumatized areas in gentle, whirlpooling waves.

Though Ji Wuye remained oblivious, sequestered away in his meditative trance, over five full incense sticks' worth of time had bled away while he focused the Healing Art Primer Stages.

The once raucous laughter and chatter from the streets beyond the medicinal herb shop had long since dissipated into the tranquil silence of true night.

Only the mournful calls of a solitary owl and the ceaseless thrum of grasshoppers' songs pierced the quiet veil, for midnight had well and truly descended. Even the wind carried a haunting, eerie tone as it howled through the empty byways.

Yet here, cloistered away on the shop's second floor where Ji Wuye's motionless form was bathed in bluish-green light, the dried blood caked onto his skin and robes gradually dissolved, replaced by beads of sweat that rolled down his furrowed brow.

His thick long white locks hung disheveled and damp, clinging in tangled strands to the sweat-stained white of his martial robe.

Ji Wuye's features were a rictus of concentration, eyes sealed as tightly as a clenched fist, his entire being focused inward. Yet despite his impressive efforts, a deepening crease marred his brow, the subtle downturn of his lips betraying an inward frown.

'Why does it still feel so heavy?' his mind whispered, the thought drifting up from his subconscious like a bubble breaking the surface of a lake.

Despite having mended the vast majority of his wounds, the feeling of heavey...still here... as there was someone pressing him...

At last, Ji Wuye slowly opened his eyes, thick lashes fluttering against the sudden onslaught of light as his vision gradually sharpened from the unfocused blur. And there, hovering like a ghostly specter, a transparent screen hung suspended before him.

image [https://i.ibb.co.com/5BwDLGM/Notif-1.webp]

image [https://i.ibb.co.com/RBPCYr7/Notif-2.webp]

image [https://i.ibb.co.com/85dhKx9/Notif-3.webp]

image [https://i.ibb.co.com/vYgrNkm/Notif-4.webp]

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Ji Wuye's focus shifted entirely to the hovering transparent screen, his crimson pupils contracting momentarily as a vast and unfamiliar stream of knowledge flooded into his mind like a tidal wave crashing over him.

Just as during previous breakthroughs, his consciousness felt assaulted - or rather, forcefully filled - with strange, alien information about the next stage. He pressed a hand to his face, bracing himself against the torrential onslaught of new understanding.

Yet unlike in times past, when the overwhelming sensation would linger far longer, Ji Wuye had grown slowly accustomed to this metaphysical growing pain.

Now, it lasted only a fleeting moment - less than the time it took to draw six deep breaths. Once the deluge stabilized, he managed to regain his composure, the furrows in his brow slowly relaxing.

Ji Wuye looked back at the crystalline screen hovering before him, his strained, tense lips gradually curling into a satisfied smile as his eyes squinted in quiet triumph. 'A huge gain...tsk..tsk... A huge gain,' he thought, shaking his head slightly as his grin widened.

The Cleansing Qi Water stage was the third level of the Healing Art Primer, an esoteric external martial art that allowed its practitioners to emit soothing waves of Qi from their palms. These undulating ripples could wash away toxins, restore injured joints and tendons, and perform myriad other revitalizing, curative functions.

Coincidentally, there was someone nearby suffering from a freshly broken bone in need of such healing attention. However, just as Ji Wuye's focus began to shift away from the diaphanous screen, his mouth fell slightly agape and his eyes widened marginally, crimson irises ringing with shock.

In an instant, his expression transformed utterly. The hard lines of concentration melted away, his features softening as his lips curled into a warm, beatific smile brimming with tender affection.

The second floor of the medicinal herb shop was spartan - just a simple cushion, a low table, and a window covered by a loosely hanging bamboo curtain that filtered the silvery-blue light of the high moon. Through the gaps in that swaying partition, beams of cool moonlight poured in to intermittently bathe the room in an ethereal glow.

The flickering light of a candle, hanging from the low ceiling, cast a warm, dancing glow over the area, mingling with the rich, earthy scents of dried medicinal herbs that permeated every nook of the shop.

Woven through those pungent aromas lingered the faintest trace of sweet jasmine, accompanied by the soft, rhythmic breathing of multiple women.

Ji Wuye sat cross-legged atop the simple cushion, gently surrounded by his beloved Senior Sisters. Lian Rougang, clung to his left side, her lithe arms wrapped possessively around his torso as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

Cascading down her back in voluptuous waves were lustrous raven tresses. On his right, his Senior Sister Qiu Xia, rested her head lightly on his shoulder, strands of her long, dark, and sleek hair cascading across his chest.

Meanwhile, the ever-petite Shen Bi lay with her head pillowed on Ji Wuye's thighs, her diminutive frame curled towards him.

There were no chairs; they all arranged themselves on the plain wooden floor, cushioned by simple paddings.

Ji Wuye could feel the satin smoothness of their exposed skin, the gentle rise and fall of their breathing, the faint floral hints of their presence - intimate details that brought a warm tenderness to his crimson gaze.

Even swathed in thick bandages, they appeared delicate and fragile in his eyes, yet they were the same loving Senior Sisters he had always cherished.

"I told you, Big Sisters, there's no need to worry about me," he murmured softly, the rumbling timbre of his voice barely audible over the crackle of the candle's flame.

With those words, Ji Wuye inhaled deeply, calling upon his Qi to circulate forth from his Lower Dantian. The energy swirled and coalesced, rapidly covering his upturned palms in a soft greenish glow.

Gently, he placed those radiant hands over Qiu Xia's thickly bandaged leg, closing his eyes once more as he focused his consciousness on the healing process.

Visualizing the pathways of energy in his mind's eye, Ji Wuye willed his palms to emit a gentle, soothing aura akin to the calming undulations of rippling water.

As the revitalizing Qi flowed outward, it penetrated deep into Qiu Xia's wounded joints and muscles, particularly the fluid-filled spaces between bones and tendons.

Through his heightened inner visualization, Ji Wuye could perceive the full extent of Qiu Xia's injury with crystalline clarity. Her bone had suffered a catastrophic break, fragmenting into jagged shards resembling pieces of shattered glass.

Fortunately, the wooden splints securely tied along both sides of her leg and reinforced by the thick bandages kept the broken segments roughly aligned, preventing any further dangerous displacement.

However, the trauma was severe. The multitude of fragmented edges posed a significant challenge, but under the soothing influence of the verdant light radiating from Ji Wuye's palms, the shattered pieces began an intricate dance of reunification.

Slowly, with precise, meticulous care, each sliver of bone inched back towards its original position, as if pulled by an invisible, guiding force. The healing Qi seamlessly fused the fragments back together, restoring the wholeness and fortitude of the previously splintered bone.

The surrounding cartilage tissue then set about regenerating in tandem, while proper lubrication was restored to the fluid-filled spaces of the joint. Step-by-step, the surgical realignment of the bone and revitalization of adjacent anatomy demonstrated the exacting control and power of Ji Wuye's healing abilities.

Though progress was undeniably slow - the delicate process had already consumed over one full incense stick's worth of time.

However, concurrently, the entire cascading stack of transparent notification screens that had previously been minimized into small viewports began rapidly multiplying.

They piled up in a cluttered, chaotic jumble at the periphery of his vision, creating an increasingly messy distraction. Adding to this rising disarray were the lingering transparent screens leftover from his previous battle - ones he had not yet had the chance to review or clear away amidst this more pressing healing work.