With the latest round of progress, the pressure now shifted to Wei Yunyīng and Wei Yunqīng. The two exchanged glances, then quickly looked away, each silently vowing to break through before the other.
Three days later, Wei Yunqīng was the first to advance to the second layer of Qi Refining, finally reclaiming some pride. Soon after, Wei Zōngjǐn, Wei Zōngyù, and Wei Yunyīng also made their breakthroughs. Within just one month of joining the sect, every Wei family disciple had shown improvement.
This caused the other new outer sect disciples to feel a growing sense of urgency. With just over ten months left, it seemed the Wei family members would easily reach the third layer of Qi Refinement, even if they had to rely on pills. At that rate, their spots in the outer sect would be secured.
The mounting pressure lit a fire under many new disciples, driving them to train harder. Those who had originally planned to attend lectures began turning their focus to the cultivation halls instead. For now, breakthroughs were all that mattered.
Wei Yunxī, however, chose the opposite path. Each morning, she cultivated for two hours before heading to the lecture hall to attend classes taught by various shīshū. She didn't follow a fixed instructor and listened to whoever was teaching that day, sampling lessons across a wide range of topics.
During this time, she sat through lessons on the Four Arts of Cultivation, spellcasting fundamentals, and various cultivation insights. In the end, she chose to focus on alchemy and talisman crafting, making those her regular subjects.
Her daily cultivation practice consisted of sitting cross-legged in the training room, forming hand seals and practicing small-scale spells.
The ones she had already mastered included Dust-Cleansing, Spirit-Sensing, and then came her main set of daily spells: Fireball, Metal Arrow, Vine Bind, Water Sphere, Earth Spike, Thunderbolt, Ice Needle, and Wind Ride.
These were clearly all offensive techniques, and not without reason. She had handpicked them from her jade slips with intention.
The five elemental attack spells were necessary to conceal her true spiritual roots. The final three matched her actual affinities best, allowing near-instant casting and drawing out the spells' full potential. They served as her hidden aces.
Every time she exhausted the spiritual energy in her dantian through spellcasting and then replenished it via seated meditation, she noticed a subtle increase in her qi. The growth was faint, but perceptible, and she treated it as a useful method of strengthening her foundation.
Before leaving the training room each day, she always made sure to restore her dantian to full, never allowing herself to go without spiritual energy.
After a month of this routine, the qi within her dantian had clearly deepened. Each afternoon, she would head to the talisman lecture hall.
Strangely, for the past couple of days, Wei Yunqīng had been hovering around her again, almost as if trying to shadow her every step.
Wei Yunxī could sense that her half-sister was on the verge of a breakthrough to the third layer of Qi Refining, likely within the next two days. Yet despite that, Wei Yunqīng kept a close watch on her, clearly scheming something.
"Elder Sister," Wei Yunxī asked casually, "you're coming with me to the talisman lecture again today?"
"Mm. I'm feeling close to a breakthrough, so I thought I'd relax a bit before pushing through. Listening to lectures is a nice break," Wei Yunqīng replied with a smile.
Wei Yunxī could already see traces of the mature woman Wei Yunqīng would eventually become. She was learning how to hide her thoughts. Returning the smile, she responded, "You're amazing, Sister. It's only been a month, and you're already about to advance again."
"You'll break through too, if you keep working hard," Wei Yunqīng said offhandedly.
The two entered the talisman hall and sat on their meditation cushions without exchanging further words. Instead, Wei Yunqīng struck up a conversation with a nearby young disciple. The boy looked shy but still responded politely.
After the afternoon lecture ended, Wei Yunqīng brought something up.
"Yunxī, I heard from that young Senior Brother next to me that the outer sect has its own informal marketplace. It opens for three days each month around the middle of the lunar cycle. It's run by outer sect disciples to trade resources. Want to go take a look?"
"You've been attending talisman classes for a while now. You probably need to buy some tools to start practicing. Otherwise, all these lessons will go to waste. That little market is perfect for beginners like us, and it's safe."
Wei Yunxī nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll wait until you break through to the third layer, though. A higher cultivation level will help when it comes to bargaining."
"Alright, then it's settled. I'll push harder these next two days," Wei Yunqīng said cheerfully. To an outsider, it would seem the two sisters were close.
Wei Yunxī replied with a serene expression, then the two headed to the dining hall. In order to make her breakthrough, Wei Yunqīng went all in and bought a full bag of spirit-infused steamed buns. Under the astonished gazes of other disciples, she left the hall.
The head chef of the dining hall sighed to himself. "This batch of new disciples is really diligent. My spirit buns can't even keep up with the demand. I'll need to steam two more pots."
The next day, Wei Yunqīng didn't show up at lunch. It was clear she had holed up to attempt her breakthrough.
To confirm her guess, Wei Yunxī quietly observed from a distance. Her half-sister was indeed only a step away from piercing through the barrier to the third layer.
So Wei Yunxī calmly adjusted her own cultivation to that same level, then emerged from hiding with a smile and greeted her, "Sister, looks like I beat you to it again. I just pushed through to the third layer today."
Wei Yunqīng nearly coughed up blood from frustration. She had fallen behind again. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have returned at all. It was a terrible hit to her mood.
In the end, Wei Yunqīng forced a stiff smile and congratulated her younger sister, then turned around and went back into her room.
Wei Yunxī smiled faintly to herself. She had no qualms admitting that she had said it just to get under her sister's skin.
As expected, the next morning, Wei Yunqīng skipped the dining hall entirely and went straight to the training hall to cultivate.
Wei Yuntíng and Wei Yunyīng also felt the pressure and soon followed her lead, heading into closed-door cultivation.
Only then did Wei Yunxī call Wei Zonghao from the neighboring courtyard. The two of them went together to the small outer sect marketplace.
Wei Zōnghào was chewing a piece of dried meat with great care as he asked, "Yunxī, what do you plan on buying at the market today?"
"I've been attending talisman crafting lectures. I want to buy some tools to start practicing on my own. Maybe I can earn some spirit stones from it."
Wei Zōnghào nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I've heard about that. But talisman brushes aren't cheap."
"I'm thinking of picking up a used brush. No need to buy a new one until I know if I have the talent for it. If I spend all my spirit stones on a high-grade brush and find out I'm no good at it, that would be a waste."
"True. Worst case, if it turns out you don't have the talent, you can resell it at a discount. As long as you don't lose too much, it's fine."
"Exactly my thoughts."
The two chatted as they followed the flow of outer sect disciples heading toward the small market.
Wei Yunxī had another motive for this trip as well. She wanted to get her hands on that Bu Tian Dan that Wei Yunqīng might be eyeing. To avoid risk, she had specifically invited Wei Zōnghào to come along. Even if she couldn't secure the pill herself, she wouldn't let Wei Yunqīng have it either.
She had only remembered it after Wei Yunqīng started clinging to her again. That pill was something special. It could enhance the quality of one's spiritual roots.
Spiritual roots were granted by the Heavenly Dao, and without a fortuitous encounter, they were nearly impossible to change.