Yun Xi didn't dare to get arrogant. After all, she was hiding her spiritual root attributes and had the chat group as a cheat. If she still ended up being outdone by others, that would really be hard to explain.
More and more disciples gathered around her. Some were fellow disciples who had gone through the Shuangshan City incident with her, offering sincere congratulations. Others looked on with envy and jealousy. But with a Nascent Soul-level elder sitting aboard the flying ship, no one dared to act out. All they could do was sneak glances at Yun Xi, eyes filled with envy and discontent.
Two days later, the flying ship landed on the platform in front of the Haoran Sect's main gate. Yu Feng Zhēnjūn took Sheng Yuhong to meet the Sect Master, while the other disciples returned to their respective mountain peaks in small groups.
After exchanging brief farewells with Mu Ningzhu and the others, Yun Xi sent a transmission talisman to Wei Zonghao. Upon learning that he was still watching over the medicine field, she immediately flashed over to see her older cousin.
Wei Zonghao smiled when he received her message and opened the formation in anticipation of her arrival.
When Yun Xi appeared before him, the pressure he hadn't had time to suppress radiated faintly from his body. He smiled and cupped his fists.
"Yun Xi, congratulations on advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage."
Yun Xi returned the smile.
"We're cousins, no need to be so formal. I can see you're on the verge of a breakthrough too. Why haven't you gone to the cultivation hall to push through?"
She could tell right away. The spiritual energy around Wei Zonghao was already condensed. It was only a matter of time.
Wei Zonghao didn't hide anything.
"You weren't back yet, and I was worried. Plus, I didn't feel comfortable leaving the medicine field in someone else's hands. So I decided to wait.
Not long after you left, Wei Yunqing said you had suddenly disappeared and even dragged Cousin Yun Ting to the medicine field to look for you. When she found out you took a sect mission and left, her face turned downright nasty.
But her fuss actually helped spread the word that the difficulty of your mission had been raised, and that it had been transferred to the inner sect task hall.
So I figured you'd be back soon. No harm in waiting a few days. Besides, it gave me time to further compress my spiritual power. The breakthrough will go even smoother this way."
Hearing that, Yun Xi knew Wei Yunqing was still scheming. She hadn't let go of her designs. But this trip had indeed been fruitful. So Yun Xi shared some of her experiences with Wei Zonghao. His eyes kept widening with surprise.
When he heard about the Ninefold Sacrificial Array, his already-round face scrunched up completely. He couldn't help but sigh at Yun Xi's luck. If he'd been the one caught in that, he probably wouldn't have even left behind a scrap of soul.
After about an hour, Yun Xi wrapped up her story and said,
"Zonghao, I'm back now. You can go ahead and break through. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, we can enter the inner sect together. That way, we'll have each other's company."
This time, Wei Zonghao didn't refuse. The medicine field was Yun Xi's lease, after all. He had only been helping. Now that she was back, it was time to return it to the rightful caretaker. He stood, gave a few reminders about the field, then left the planting peak.
After watching him leave, Yun Xi thought for a moment, then sent voice transmission talismans to all her Wei family siblings—except Wei Yunqing. She let them know she had returned safely to the sect and was currently watching over the medicine field. If they needed anything, they could contact her or come by in person.
She didn't mention advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage. That would seem like bragging. By hinting that they could come visit, she had left the door open. Those who cared would come. Those who didn't, she wouldn't force.
Soon after, replies came back one after another. Everyone was glad she had returned safely. Most said they were cultivating and didn't want to disturb her, but hoped to gather in a few days when there was a chance.
It was Wei Yunting who suggested the get-together. The others sent polite greetings. Wei Zongyu didn't respond at all—likely in closed-door cultivation.
Yun Xi didn't dwell on it. This was the norm for cultivators. Gone were the days of seeing each other daily like back in the clan.
She had sent the messages purely to let them know she was safe, nothing more. After receiving the replies, she followed Wei Zonghao's instructions and began watering the spirit plants.
Then she took out the fourth-rank composite formation disk gifted by City Lord Li. She was quite satisfied with it. It was ideal for use across realms. While she hadn't reached the Nascent Soul stage, her divine sense already had. If she ran into a powerful enemy, this formation could hold them for a while. With enough spirit stones, she might even trap a Nascent Soul cultivator long enough to gain the upper hand.
It was a fourth-rank composite array: trap, defense, offense, and illusion all in one. A must-have for survival and counterattacks during travels.
Since she was about to cultivate, she activated the formation, but only enough to cover her straw hut, saving spirit stones in the process.
Next, Yun Xi brought out her talisman brush, talisman paper, and beast blood, then began drawing second-rank talismans. She practiced every talisman she had already mastered. By the time she had burned through half her spiritual power, she began attempting second-rank talismans she hadn't yet fully grasped, pushing herself to improve.
Once her spiritual energy was depleted, she packed up her tools and began seated meditation to restore her strength. She didn't want to stir up spiritual fluctuations. This was, after all, an outer peak. So she held spirit stones to cultivate. At her current level, a few stones here or there didn't matter anymore.
Once her spiritual power was fully restored, she spent the latter half of the night practicing her body refining technique.
She had already mastered the first six movements. Though her entire body ached every time she finished a set, once she ran spiritual energy through her meridians to soothe the strain, the relief was tremendous. She could feel it. The harder the movement, the more star power her body absorbed.
As her body continued to be tempered by star power, it grew tougher and stronger. The tearing sensation caused by her powerful soul had nearly disappeared. As long as she didn't use divine sense attacks far beyond her cultivation level, there would be no burden on her body.
A layer of gray sludge formed on her skin. Yun Xi recognized it instantly. Impurities being forced out from the body. She formed a Dust-Cleansing Seal to purify herself, then sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate the Soul Refining Art.
The divine sense spike she had used before was one of the offensive methods from the Soul Refining Art. Her goal now, aside from consolidating her spiritual soul, was to turn her divine sense attack into a hidden trump card.
As always, Yun Xi absorbed the first trace of purple qi at sunrise. Then she began tending the medicine field. Along the way, she harvested mature spiritual herbs and brought out her Ziyu Panlong Cauldron to start refining second-rank pills.
Back at the pill refining peak, she had always been careful not to reveal her skills. Now, with her own cauldron, she could finally refine pills openly and confidently.
She spent the entire day refining. Only when the spiritual herbs in her storage pouch and storage ring had been completely used up did she reluctantly put the cauldron away. After sorting the pills, she sat down again to restore her strength.
Once her spiritual power was full again, Yun Xi took out the Seven Stars Soul-Shattering Staff and began practicing staff techniques. Her staff style was a personal adaptation of the Wushuang Sword Lightning Art, and the transition between sword and staff made her movements a little awkward.
But Yun Xi understood the difference between a sword and a staff. She wasn't discouraged. Instead, she practiced while analyzing, slowly adapting the sword technique into a new staff form. By the time she finished, the original sword form was barely recognizable, but her staff moves had become much smoother.
With her staff technique beginning to take shape, Yun Xi moved on to cultivate Thousand Shadows Riding the Wind. At her current stage, she could split into two separate figures, which was enough to confuse enemies momentarily. Neither the naked eye nor divine sense could tell them apart. Whether stronger cultivators could see through it, she still wasn't sure.