Chapter 17 First published on Jinjiang Literature City, I feel sorry for you.

Yao Sisi slipped into her spatial dimension shortly after obtaining the Xuan Stones. She tossed ten Xuan Stones to the artifact spirit and said, "Quickly activate the time array; I need to go into seclusion to cultivate!"

Ten mystic stones floated from her hand, controlled by the artifact spirit, flying to the edge of the white mist before falling like sharp swords. The artifact spirit said, "Master, the formation has been activated!"

Yao Sisi took out a newly bought futon from her storage bag, placed it on the ground, and opened the Refining Spirit Technique, closing her eyes to cultivate.

A month later, she finally mastered the Refining Spirit Technique and reached the initial stage of the first level. Her cultivation level also reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. It wouldn't be long before she was able to step into the fourth level of Qi Refining.

She opened her eyes on the futon, "I didn't expect a month to pass so quickly. I haven't had time to practice my swordsmanship at all. My talisman-making skills haven't improved either..."

She had spent most of her energy just cultivating her divine sense. She felt a very mysterious sensation after cultivating her divine sense. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense the movements not far away.

For example, even when she was sitting on a futon in the space, she could feel the breathing of the Gale Wolf behind the thatched hut.

In the secular world, would this be considered... having a strong sense of the enemy's presence?

She gathered up the futon and books from the ground. The food prepared in the space was gone. She checked the time and slipped out of the space.

"Phew, I thought I could break through in about a month, but I didn't expect cultivating the divine sense to be so difficult..."

It seems I need to enter the time array again to practice swordsmanship and break through my cultivation level. Moreover, there are so many books in the space, and I haven't finished reading some of the popular science books yet. How can I explore the senior's cave if I don't understand anything?

They probably wouldn't even recognize the treasure right in front of them.

"There's still so much to do! Why is time so tight..."

She opened the closet and changed into some casual clothes, wanting to find a place to take another shower. Although she was already quite adept at using her cleaning magic, she couldn't overcome the habit of over twenty years. She always felt that she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't really wash herself with clean water.

We need to replenish another batch of food into our storage bags, and I reckon Qi Mu will be sending someone to deliver the Xuan Stones soon.

She stretched and moved her arms. She often sat upright on the futon and felt that her body was not feeling very smooth.

Yao Sisi left the room, not planning to go to the kitchen for food. After all, only a little over a day had passed in the real world, and it was hard to explain how so much food she had prepared had been consumed so quickly.

She decided to go out and order some food so she could eat it whenever she wanted while cultivating, since she had some spare money now...

She went outside and found the weather was lovely. It was the tail end of summer, and her clothes were quite light—a simple long dress. Her hair was styled in a loose bun, secured with a wooden hairpin and two decorative hair clips. She looked quite refreshing overall, but only she knew that those two decorative hair clips were essential; without them, her hair wouldn't hold properly...

"It would be great if there were a hairpin that could automatically style hair."

To avoid wasting time on these trivial details...

Yao Sisi didn't rush out this time. She had been cultivating for so long that she was quite stressed. Even though she thought she was in good spirits and not tired or tense, her body couldn't speak or express its thoughts. It would only send out signals when things got serious.

She needs to give herself some time to relax, after all, cultivation is a long-term process, and a natural transition between tension and relaxation is best.

As the ancients said: The way of Heaven is like drawing a bow. It lowers what is high and raises what is low. It reduces what is excessive and supplements what is insufficient. It reduces what is excessive and supplements what is insufficient, without being arrogant or impatient, and adjusts its position according to the situation.

As she walked along, admiring the vibrant greenery in the courtyard, she felt herself enter a mystical state. Her spiritual energy fluctuated intensely, and she could sense a large amount of spiritual energy being drawn out of the space.

She actually broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining in one go!

Yao Sisi closed her eyes, and the spiritual energy vortex in her dantian circulated at high speed, showing no sign of stopping. Her meridians were gradually widening under the surge of spiritual energy. She felt some pain in her body, but she couldn't stop, like a sponge that kept absorbing water, desperately expanding itself.

Qi Refining Level 5! She actually broke through again.

As we all know, the first and second levels of Qi Refining only involve condensing spiritual energy into the dantian. At this stage, one cannot even cast spells. At the third level, the dantian expands and the spiritual energy becomes more abundant, allowing one to use some low-level spells. At the fourth and fifth levels, the dantian remains unchanged; one simply condenses spiritual energy to fill the expanded dantian.

The sixth level is the next hurdle.

Yao Sisi's cultivation level stopped at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

When she emerged from this mystical realm, Qi Mu was standing not far away, gazing at her. Not far beside him was an unfamiliar young man carrying a sword.

Yao Sisi bowed to Qi Mu, who quickly returned the bow.

Qi Mu: "Congratulations, Miss Sisi, on your progress in cultivation."

Yao Sisi: "It was just a lucky breakthrough, you're too kind, young master."

The sword-wielding youth not far away scoffed in dissatisfaction. He said, "Qi Mu, where did you get to know this woman of unknown identity? Her cultivation is even higher than yours. If I were you, I would have been so ashamed that I couldn't lift my head."

Qi Mu, feeling humiliated, said, "Qi Yuan, you came to my residence uninvited and spoke rudely. If I were as rude as you, I would be ashamed to the point of not being able to lift my head."

Qi Yuan's face was extremely arrogant: "Impolite? Heh, force is the best principle! If you were so gentle, without the protection of your family, your bones would be rotting somewhere else. And what your family protects you with is called strength!"

Qi Mu pursed her lips: "Qi Yuan, I have guests and don't want to get entangled with you. Please leave."

Qi Yuan looked at him disdainfully: "Do you think I want to get entangled with a piece of trash like you in front of outsiders? It would only lower my standards. Trash is trash. It's a waste for someone of your skill level to use such a good sword. You might as well give it to me! Only I can bring out the value of this precious sword."

When Yao Sisi saw the same insignia on their clothes, she knew they must be from the same clan. Just as they said, it was indeed inappropriate for her, an outsider, to interfere. Besides, they were arguing in front of her for no reason, and she couldn't be bothered with the quarrel between the two men.

But they never expected that the other party was after that sword.

Hearing this, she couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought it was something serious, but I never expected someone to describe robbery in such a refined and elegant way. It's quite surprising!"

Qi Yuan glared at him, his arrogance palpable: "What nonsense are you spouting? Good weapons should be paired with more qualified people!"

Yao Sisi didn't go along with his idea and mocked, "I get it, you mean... you think you're exceptionally talented, but you don't dare to go out and cause trouble, so you only set your sights on your own family. You're really something!"

Qi Yuan was not ashamed but proud: "Hmph! What do you know?"

He turned his gaze to Qi Mu, his eyes greedily fixed on the sword on his body: "It's no use if you don't give me the sword. I will talk to the ancestor about this. The ancestor loves me the most and knows better than anyone that benefits those with good aptitude. Even if you hoard the good stuff, you won't be able to keep it for long!"

Qi Mu's brow twitched slightly, and he almost lost his gentle demeanor: "This sword was not provided by the family. It's no use bringing up the ancestor. Don't covet what isn't yours."

He waved his hand, and a masked guard appeared beside him. "Send him away!"

Qi Yuan pointed his sword at me, his face flushed: "Qi Mu, you dare to chase me away? Well, you've got some nerve!"

Qi Mu's expression darkened, and he said, "Why wouldn't I dare? If you want to teach me, it's too early. Let's wait until you reach the Bone Refining Realm!"

Yao Sisi knew that the Bone Refining Realm he mentioned was equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The farce ended there. The boy named Qi Yuan was taken away by his personal bodyguard by the neck. Before leaving, he was still cursing and being disobedient. Qi Mu was furious.

Yao Sisi saw his chest heaving violently, but he was still suppressing his emotions and trying to hold them back. However, there was a blush on his neck, which was very obvious against his fair skin. His collar was very high, and even in summer, it covered him tightly. If he hadn't been so angry that he had tugged at his collar slightly, she might not have been able to see it.

Thinking back... several of the things that person said hit his sore spots, and he had a very hard time holding back.

Yao Sisi approached him and noticed that his fingers were trembling with anger, hidden in his sleeves, causing the wide sleeves to sway slightly.

"Alright, he's just an arrogant brat. It's not worth getting angry over him. Besides, the swordsmanship I gave you is far superior to his. You will be better than him."

Qi Mu pursed his lips. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss Sisi. He is a descendant brought back from a side branch. Because of his good talent, his biological parents dare not discipline him. Others like to flatter him, which makes him more arrogant and lawless."

Upon hearing this, Yao Sisi realized that the young master was very concerned about his reputation. He had explained so much because he was afraid she would think that all the children in his family were so arrogant, but he hadn't mentioned swordsmanship. It seemed that strength was indeed a sensitive topic for him, and he had subconsciously avoided it.

"It is not appropriate for me to inquire about your family affairs, young master. I wonder why you have come here? Were you disturbed by my breakthrough?"

Qi Mu paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze to her. Her eyes, which were originally as clear as lake water, seemed to be engulfed by a bright flame, burning in the emerald lake water and releasing endless moisture that rose gently into the sky.

The young master was clearly angry, but he looked like he had been crying. He stubbornly straightened his back, not wanting anyone to look down on him. It was really cute.

"Young Master?"

Qi Mu reached out and touched his sword scabbard, as if it gave him strength. "Speaking of which... I feel that your cultivation speed is very fast..."

Not wanting to reveal her superpower, Yao Sisi made up a story: "I did have cultivation before, but something went wrong and that's why I looked like a mortal. It wasn't actually that fast..."

Qi Mu nodded, not really believing her, taking it as her modesty. He pretended to be calm, while hiding his other hand in his wide sleeve, thinking to himself: They are all so strong, but I will not be ungrateful. I will catch up with them as hard as I can.

He casually asked, "I see. Do you remember anything from the past?"

Yao Sisi's eyes flickered: "I remember some things, but not all of them..."

Qi Mu: "By the way, I brought the Xuan Stone that Miss Sisi wanted, so I'll just hand it over to you!"

He took out a cloth bag from his storage bag. Yao Sisi took it and shook it slightly, and found that there were many more bags than she needed.

"Young Master?"

Qi Mu said, "It's just an external possession. I happen to have it and I can give it to you, Miss, so you won't have to go through the trouble of running to the forest outside the city."

Yao Sisi thought to herself: There must be at least a hundred Xuan Stones in his bag, which is probably most of his savings.

"This must have been saved up by you for a long time... and you just gave it to me like this? Doesn't it hurt your heart?"

Qi Mu smiled and said, "I feel a little sorry for you... but it's fine if you use it. Anyway, I don't need these for the time being. Besides, even if I used them myself, I would still feel a little sorry for you."

Yao Sisi was amused by him: "You're quite honest."

She picked out some mystic stones and returned the other half to him: "I don't need the rest for now. Young master, why don't you buy some body-refining medicine for yourself, so that you won't be covered in scars when you become a sword cultivator?"

Qi Mu: "I'm not afraid of pain!"

Yao Sisi smiled and stuffed the remaining small bag of black stones into his palm. "Young master, consider this my way of showing concern for my benefactor!"

A note from the author:

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Hey heroine, please tone down your charm! He's still just a naive young master! I can't handle him!