Xiao Yue raised an eyebrow with a smile, "It seems you're not planning to give up. Luckily, I brought you something."
"Something?" Su Shi'er looked up, momentarily stunned.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yue waved her hand, and a few items appeared in her grasp: a set of blue clothes, two books, and an iron token.
"This is your identity token, with your name on it, used to verify disciples within the sect.
The disciple's robe, made from the silk of the Yunmeng Silkworm, can stretch and shrink according to your body size. Amazing, right?
And these two books are the sect manual and the introductory cultivation technique, Basic Breathing Technique!"
Xiao Yue introduced each item with a smile and then handed them to Su Shi'er.
After thinking for a moment, she added, "Additionally, all disciples who join the sect can receive three bottles of Foundation Pills from the Pill Pavilion each year.
Of course, if you advance to the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, you can not only select a formal technique from the Library Pavilion but also receive ten extra Spirit Stones and three bottles of Gathering Qi Pills."
"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Su Shi'er accepted the items, his gaze sweeping over the Basic Breathing Technique book, his eyes flashing with eagerness. Quickly, he cupped his hands in gratitude towards Xiao Yue.
To him, nothing else mattered. This book, teaching the art of cultivation, was the treasure he had longed for.
"Alright, seeing how eager you are, I won't disturb you. Cultivate well. Han Yu has already reached the peak of the first level of the Qi Refining stage, so keep it up." Xiao Yue smiled at Su Shi'er, noticing the urgency in his eyes.
Despite her words, she didn't believe Su Shi'er could match Han Yu, who possessed top-grade dual spirit roots. Still, a few words of encouragement were necessary.
With a smile and a shake of her head, she hurriedly left.
Su Shi'er saw Xiao Yue off, memorized her instructions, and returned to his room, eagerly picking up the Basic Breathing Technique to study it carefully.
The book not only recorded the cultivation methods for the first six levels of the Qi Refining stage but also included some basic cultivation knowledge and two minor techniques, Fire Control and Wind Summoning.
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Su Shi'er wasn't particularly focused on this information, but with his good memory, he managed to grasp the gist of it with a quick read.
However, his attention was mainly on the cultivation section.
The book detailed the techniques for absorbing Qi into the body and circulating it internally for each level.
In this area, Su Shi'er showed some talent, understanding the meaning after a single read.
To be safe, he meticulously read the book two more times. Then, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, albeit nervously.
After consuming a large number of Foundation Pills, he could clearly sense the faint presence of the spiritual energy in the air.
But when he actually tried to absorb the Qi into his body, he found it incredibly difficult. The strands of spiritual energy were like untamed wild horses, hard to control.
***
For several days, Su Shi'er cultivated day and night. Initially, he was worried, fearing the black-clothed person might come looking for him at any time.
But then he realized that the black-clothed person might not even know he had a spirit root and had joined the Cloud Song Sect.
With this thought, he felt temporarily at ease.
In cultivation, despite his young age, he showed great patience.
It wasn't until the fifth day that he successfully drew the first wisp of spiritual energy into his body.
Feeling the presence of the spiritual energy within him, Su Shi'er was overjoyed, quickly using his mind to lock onto it.
He then exerted all his effort to circulate the energy throughout his body according to the technique. After one cycle, the energy transformed into a small grain-sized mass of true essence, merging into his Dantian's sea of Qi.
In the next moment, his body trembled, and an extremely comfortable sensation spread throughout his body.
Exhaling a breath of white mist, Su Shi'er smiled with delight, clenching his small fists in excitement.
"Great, from today onwards, I can consider myself a Qi Refiner! This bit of true essence may not accomplish much, but it's a good start! Keep going!"
Taking a deep breath, Su Shi'er continued to absorb Qi into his body, refining the spiritual energy.
***
However, after ten days of continuous cultivation, he only managed to refine a few more wisps of spiritual energy, adding a few barely visible points of true essence within him.
This speed and result left him thoroughly disappointed with his spirit root.
"No, at this rate, truly reaching the first level of the Qi Refining stage is a distant dream!
If I can't quickly improve my cultivation, let alone seek revenge on that black-clothed person, I might not even complete the newcomer trial in three years.
It seems I need to try the Gathering Qi Pills. But these pills can only be obtained at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, there must be a reason for that."
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Su Shi'er muttered to himself, then took out a Gathering Qi Pill from his pocket.
Studying the pill in his hand, his expression froze slightly.
"According to the book, the grades of cultivator pills are divided into low, mid, high, and top grade. Top-grade pills, being free of impurities, appear crystal clear, like flawless white jade.
Such pills, free from pill toxins, can be consumed infinitely by cultivators, making them incredibly precious. Could it be that the pill furnace refines only top-grade pills?"
Thinking of this, Su Shi'er became excited.
Others had to be cautious when consuming pills, regularly finding ways to cleanse pill toxins from their bodies. But with the mysterious pill furnace, the pills he refined required no such worries.
Suppressing his excitement, Su Shi'er's gaze returned to the Gathering Qi Pill in his hand.
For him, the most important thing now was to quickly improve his cultivation.
After a moment's hesitation, he resolutely swallowed the Gathering Qi Pill.
As the pill entered his body, it immediately transformed into a vast amount of spiritual energy, filling him completely. In the next second, Su Shi'er's face turned red, veins bulging all over his body, overwhelmed by pain.
Though he was mentally prepared, facing it for real revealed just how painful it was.
The spiritual energy contained in the Gathering Qi Pill, though not as wild as the natural spiritual energy, was immense, far beyond what a Qi Refiner below the sixth level could handle.
At that moment, he couldn't cultivate normally, the pain nearly causing him to faint. The terrifying spiritual energy threatened to burst his meridians!
In his semi-conscious state, reminded of the vengeance he bore, Su Shi'er gritted his teeth, mustering a bit of spirit, and forced himself to activate the Breathing Technique, enduring the pain to refine the spiritual energy within him.