Chapter 23 Late-Stage Qi Refining Surprise Attack
Qi Zibo chased after Song Yin and hit her.
The Nascent Soul stage cultivator, whom everyone respectfully called Lord Shanyuan, was unable to catch up with his Qi Refining stage disciple.
After running a few laps, Song Yin said she was done, so Qi Zibo carried her back to the alchemy room to refine pills.
It was already evening when I saw Shi Heming again.
Shi Heming came to Song Yin's place specifically to share his joy with her.
His becoming an inner disciple meant he would be able to spend more time with Song Yin in the future. Otherwise, he would have worried about what would happen if he failed to enter the inner sect after Song Yin became one.
Shi Heming took out a talisman. "This is a high-level talisman that my master gave me. He gave me two in total. This one is for you."
Song Yin held the talisman, her heart filled with tears. She looked at the other person's master, then at her own. One was giving her the precious fruits of their labor, while the other was giving her tools to do the work.
Shi Heming cautiously asked Song Yin, "Are you unhappy?"
Song Yin: "I'm so happy, I'm overjoyed. But high-level talismans are precious, you can keep them for yourself."
Shi Heming was a little embarrassed: "This one is specially for you." He had just become a disciple and asked for something. Fortunately, his master was not angry when he found out. Instead, he generously gave him another one and said that he knew Song Yin was a good child.
"Huh?" Song Yin was stunned.
Oh, I'm so embarrassed, she didn't prepare anything for Shi Heming.
She definitely couldn't give the necklace given to her by her grandmaster to anyone else; she cherished it dearly. The alchemy furnace given to her by her master was even less suitable, since Shi Heming would be a talisman cultivator in the future. As for the gift from the senior, the bracelet had already recognized its owner.
"Wait a minute." Song Yin got up and ran into the house, taking out a pair of paperweights she had taken.
"This is for you. I'll keep an eye out for good things for you in the future."
Shi Heming happily accepted the paperweight, saying, "I will definitely treasure it."
Song Yin: "From now on, I won't go to Senior Zhou's place to study in the mornings anymore; I'll have to go refine pills. In the afternoons, I'll go to the training ground to practice swordsmanship with Senior Zhou."
Shi Heming: "Then should I also—"
Song Yin knew what Shi Heming was going to say, so she interrupted him directly, "If you should be studying, then go study. There's no need for you to follow me in everything."
Shi Heming instantly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
Song Yin had no choice but to change her approach, "If I don't attend class this morning, I'll definitely fall behind on some knowledge. If you learn it, you can teach me when you get back."
Shi Heming thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.
"Okay, I'll teach you after I learn it." He was instantly delighted.
Song Yin sighed, "This child is so easy to coax."
Song Yin's life returned to normal.
She refines elixirs in the morning, practices swordsmanship in the afternoon, and on her days off, she goes to Spirit Herb Peak to tend the spirit fields and learn about spirit herbs. In her spare time, she listens to Shi Heming teach her new knowledge.
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Song Yin is now ten years old.
Song Yin possessed exceptional talent, and thanks to her Pure Spirit Body, she reached the late stage of Qi Refining at the young age of ten. While advancement in cultivation was difficult for others, it was a natural progression for Song Yin.
After becoming a disciple, Shi Heming received personal guidance from his master, and his cultivation level successfully broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining a year ago.
The two were among the fastest-growing new disciples, with Song Yin being the fastest.
Over the past three years, Song Yin and Xia Xining have become increasingly close, almost like best friends. Whenever Shi Heming sees the two together, he tries to outdo them. Song Yin has told her off many times, but to no avail, and she's given up on trying.
As for Qi Zibo, after getting those paperweights, Song Yin started frequently taking good things from Qi Zibo.
At first, Qi Zibo thought, "Let's just take it." But as he looked at his courtyard, which was almost empty, his lips twitched uncontrollably. He admitted that he had finally seen through Song Yin's true colors, yet he always handled things lightly.
Song Yin gradually came to understand that Qi Zibo was a good teacher—a kind, responsible, and generous man—and began to genuinely respect and be close to him.
Another day of sword practice has come to an end at the training ground.
Senior Zhou's apprentice, Feng Gai, approached Song Yin.
Song Yin sheathed her sword and asked, "Senior Brother Feng, is there something you need?" Feng Gai's cultivation level was still in the early stage of Qi Refining, but his foundation was solid and he had Senior Zhou watching over him. He was almost ready to break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining this year.
Feng Gai is a good person and takes care of everyone in the class. He often helps Master Zhou Xinren teach swordsmanship to disciples who are weak in the basics and lagging behind. He is very patient and will teach again if he doesn't understand. The disciples in Senior Zhou's class who are younger than Feng Gai are all willing to call him Senior Brother, including Song Yin and Shi Heming, whose cultivation is higher than Feng Gai's.
Feng Gai: "I heard from my friends in Class A that some people don't like you. Lately, those people seem to be plotting something. You should be careful."
Song Yin's cultivation level is unique among the new disciples, and her cultivation speed is even faster than that of some disciples from cultivation families.
Those who entered the sect were at the early, middle, or even late stages of Qi Refining. After several years, many of them stagnated in their cultivation. However, Song Yin, who came from the mortal realm, kept breaking through. Some estimated that Song Yin's cultivation speed was so fast that it wouldn't take her more than a few years to break through to Foundation Establishment, and she was poised to become the top Foundation Establishment cultivator among the new disciples.
Her success deeply stung the eyes of some of her family's scions.
Song Yin nodded: "I understand, thank you for reminding me, Senior Brother Feng."
Feng Gai: "Don't worry, if they really cause trouble, just come to me and Master. We won't let them bully you."
Song Yin: "Don't worry, with my current cultivation and swordsmanship, they'll have to think twice before they try to cause me trouble. Besides, the sect has rules against attacking fellow disciples, so I doubt they'd dare challenge those rules."
Feng Gai: "Then I'm relieved."
After Feng Gai left, Song Yin stretched her shoulders, wondering who might be looking for trouble. If someone was going to cause her trouble, she needed to be prepared, keeping the recording stone she had taken from her master hanging on her waist and ready to be activated at any time.
She had also heard the rumors that the first person to reach the Foundation Establishment stage among the new disciples. Before this title fell on her, it belonged to Cheng Xian, a male disciple in Class A.
It is said that Cheng Xian is a child of the Cheng family, a cultivation family in the Eastern Continent, and his father is the current head of the Cheng family. Cheng Xian also has a single spiritual root, a single earth spiritual root, and his cultivation level was already at the mid-stage of Qi Refining before he entered the sect. Now Cheng Xian is seventeen years old, and his cultivation level is also at the late stage of Qi Refining.
After Shi Heming finished practicing the sword technique one last time, he came over to Song Yin's side.
Song Yin: "Finished practicing?"
Shi Heming: "Mm."
Now eleven years old, Shi Heming has grown considerably taller.
Song Yin: "I'm planning to go back to the bamboo hut. What about you?"
Shi Heming: "I'm going to the inner sect to bring back the talismans I've drawn these past few days for Master to check."
Song Yin nodded, and the two walked towards the teleportation array.
He peeked out from behind a tree in the distance, staring in the direction Song Yin had left.
Shi Heming teleported to the inner sect, while Song Yin teleported back to the bamboo hut.
Beside the teleportation array in the bamboo hut stood a somewhat overweight, unfamiliar male cultivator. Song Yin glanced at him; he was at the early stage of Qi Refining. Assuming he also needed to use the teleportation array, she immediately stepped out of the array to make room for him.
Song Yin's steps toward the courtyard suddenly slowed down; she sensed a murderous aura directed at her.
What a familiar feeling! It's the first time I've felt this way since I came into this world.
Song Yin did not stop and continued to walk forward, her fingertips already forming a hand seal, ready to attack at any moment.
Now!
Song Yin suddenly turned to the side and activated a fingertip technique.
The opponent was clearly prepared, knowing that his cultivation was no match for Song Yin's, so he used a magic weapon to attack Song Yin.
The magical artifact was extremely powerful, and Song Yin's spell was pierced through after only a few seconds. Those few seconds were enough for Song Yin to see who had attacked. She moved nimbly, lightly touching the bamboo beside her with her toes, and leaped into the air to dodge the attack.
Standing atop the bamboo, Song Yin looked down and asked, "Who are you, daring to kill a fellow disciple in the bamboo hut?"
The slightly overweight male cultivator was frustrated that he hadn't killed the opponent with a single blow. It was just after school let out, and some disciples were gradually returning to the bamboo huts. The male cultivator felt unlucky; he had finally confirmed that the elder in charge of the bamboo huts was out, yet his attack had failed.
As more people emerged from the nearby teleportation array, he immediately put away his magical artifact, turned around, and stepped into the teleportation array to escape.
The teleportation array activated in an instant, and Song Yin didn't have time to catch up. But it didn't matter; she had already memorized the person's appearance and spiritual energy.
Amidst the strange gazes of those emerging from the teleportation array, Song Yin jumped down from the top of the bamboo and walked back as if nothing had happened.
Upon returning home, she used a paper crane to send a message to Qi Zibo to complain, and also sent him the memory stone.
"This is outrageous!"
Upon hearing the telepathic message and seeing the image on the recording stone, Qi Zibo flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the table, and grabbed the recording stone as he headed towards the Discipline Hall.
Then another paper crane flew in.
“Master, I forgot to tell you, they will definitely try again after their failed attempt. Don’t rush to send the recording stones to the Discipline Hall. Give me a few more recording stones, and I’ll send them all to the Discipline Hall after I catch the culprit. I have the Crimson Flame Golden Jade Necklace given to me by my grandmaster, so don’t worry about my safety.”
Qi Zibo found a new photographic stone and sent a telepathic message to Song Yin.
"Go ahead and do this. Just make sure no one dies before the Discipline Hall gets involved. With evidence in hand, they won't be able to escape."
The main problem is that killing someone within the sect is very troublesome. Depending on the circumstances, the sect may decide whether to abolish the cultivation or spiritual root of someone who kills another disciple, but expulsion from the sect is certain.
Upon receiving the telepathic message and the image-recording stone from Qi Zibo, Song Yin disguised the image-recording stone and hung it on her waist.
"Instead of using his time to cultivate properly, he spends his time framing others. Tsk tsk tsk."
To prepare herself, she decided to go out more often recently.
Just when you're feeling sleepy, someone brings you a pillow; Xia Xining went to Song Yin for help.
"We've been looking for you at school, and you're home," Xia Xining said as she entered. "The Xuan Tian Tournament is about to begin, and in a few days there will be a send-off ceremony for the participating disciples at the plaza. Let's go take a look."
With her mind focused on cultivation and study, Song Yin asked, "What is the Xuan Tian Assembly?"
Xia Xining: "You actually didn't go to the Xuan Tian Assembly! There are actually people in the sect who don't know about the Xuan Tian Assembly?!"
Song Yin: "I haven't paid attention to these things."
Xia Xining: "The Xuantian Assembly is a grand event in the entire cultivation world, held once every ten years! The participants are all geniuses in the entire cultivation world. The age of the Golden Core stage cannot exceed three hundred years, and the age of the Nascent Soul stage cannot exceed five hundred years. Who among those who can participate in the assembly is not a prodigy! The sect has convened many meetings with its elders for this Xuantian Assembly. Today, the sect's main hall is still holding a meeting."
Song Yin: "Did every elder go?"
Xia Xining: "Of course."
No wonder that male cultivator dared to make a move in the bamboo hut; he had calculated that the elder was not there.
Song Yin touched the longevity lock on her chest, pondered for a moment, and said, "I agree to go with you."
Xia Xining: "Yay!"
A note from the author:
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Song Yin: Finally, someone's targeting me! This is the kind of treatment a protagonist should get! [covers face and peeks]
The person who plotted against me: No, huh? [Question mark]
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[Empty bowl]
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