blueteamnovel Chapter 20 – In the Heavenly Lotus Sect, one can choose not to be active, but cannot choose to not exist
Chapter 20 – In the Heavenly Lotus Sect, one can choose not to be active, but cannot choose to not exist
Brandon Jiang fumbled at the back of his head, trying hard to tear at his skin, but he couldn't find a place to rip open.
This gradually calmed his heart, and then he felt a bit self-deprecating.
He was scaring himself. How could the Villain of the Blood Sea possess such heaven-defying methods?
Even if, by some wild chance, his guess was correct, what would be the point of such a powerful entity taking over his body?
He was just at the first level of Qi Refining, the lowest of the low in the Heavenly Lotus Sect, with no value whatsoever.
If that mysterious presence really was lurking inside him, it would have already switched to a more valuable host.
Like his Senior Sister Chu Jun beside him, who was at the peak of Qi Refining, much more useful than his current status.
But since his body showed no signs of any disturbance, it could only mean that there was nothing wrong with him.
This made him breathe a long sigh of relief. He stopped thinking about those wild thoughts and calmed his mind to inspect his Dantian.
The state of his Dantian made him smile bitterly.
He had been so scared by the illusion of the Villain of the Blood Sea that he had used up all the spiritual power he had painstakingly cultivated just to run away.
At this moment, his Dantian was completely empty of spiritual power. Fortunately, he had already reached the first level of Qi Refining, so as long as he continuously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the consumed spiritual power would replenish itself.
Brandon suddenly realized that cultivators not only needed a sacrificial furnace for cultivation but also for restoring spiritual power, which explained the high demand for mortals.
Luckily, he hadn't used up all the spiritual energy from the Qi Gathering Pill, so he didn't need to consume a sacrificial furnace to recover.
Brandon operated his breathing techniques, continuously converting the spiritual energy from the Qi Gathering Pill in his Dantian into spiritual power. After an hour, his spiritual power was replenished, and his cultivation had slightly improved.
"Strange, I've been cultivating and recovering these past two days, consuming quite a bit of the Qi Gathering Pill's spiritual energy. Why hasn't it decreased?"
During his cultivation, Brandon noticed that the spiritual energy from the Qi Gathering Pill in his Dantian was unusually abundant.
He remembered that when he had just broken through to the first level of Qi Refining, he had clearly felt the spiritual energy thinning out, but for some reason, it had now stabilized again, no matter how much he consumed.
Could the spiritual energy condensed by the Qi Gathering Pill be this durable?
Brandon felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint it. However, having more spiritual energy was not a bad thing, so he didn't dwell on it.@@@@
By this time, dawn had broken, and it was almost time for Patricia Qing's morning class.
Brandon and Chu Jun couldn't travel together, so Brandon left first and headed to the cafeteria on Green Leaf Peak.
Although he was much stronger than a mortal at the first level of Qi Refining, he was still far from achieving Inedia.
He took two steamed buns and ate them slowly, listening to the conversations of the senior sisters in the cafeteria.
"I'm not as good as Junior Sister Taibai. Although I also used the mortals from yesterday's B-grade evaluation reward, the effect wasn't as good as yours. I only managed to break through to the first level of Qi Refining thanks to a Qi Gathering Pill I accidentally obtained before joining the sect."
Ashley Taibai understood but still said:
"Senior Sister Jiang may not have my talent, but your dedication to the Dao is the same as mine."
"I heard that there aren't many newcomers like us who use so many mortals to extract life force and fortune on their first official day."
Brandon forced a smile, about to agree, when suddenly a voice interrupted.
"Indeed, there aren't many."
The two of them instinctively looked at the speaker, who was none other than Senior Sister Patricia Qing.
At this moment, Senior Sister Patricia Qing was looking at Brandon and Ashley Taibai with eyes full of admiration.
She praised:
"I've seen many newcomers, but those with such a firm dedication to the Dao as you two are rare."
"Such newcomers, as long as they don't die prematurely, often reach my level."
"Among the newcomers, only three reached the first level of Qi Refining last night. You two are among them, with top-notch talent and determination. Your future is boundless!"
Brandon was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Senior Sister Patricia Qing to show goodwill towards them.
He quickly understood the reasoning behind it.
Although all Qi Refining disciples were sacrificial furnaces to Foundation Establishment senior sisters, sacrificial furnaces varied in quality. For those of excellent quality, they would be more willing to nurture them, harvesting them at the mid or late stages of Qi Refining for greater benefits.
If such sacrificial furnaces were obedient, loyal, and sensible, the senior sisters might even develop feelings for them and help them achieve Foundation Establishment, treating them as equals.
Brandon and Ashley Taibai were the new targets of Patricia Qing's cultivation.
Before them, perhaps Chu Jun was the most favored by Patricia Qing, but since Chu Jun had reached her peak and it was time to harvest, their relationship had soured.
So, was this a good or bad thing?
It was clearly a good thing. As long as he didn't reach Chu Jun's level, he could gain more benefits and higher evaluations from Senior Sister Patricia Qing!
Of course, the premise was... to win Patricia Qing's favor.
Brandon's mind raced, and he immediately showed an excited expression, saying:
"Senior Sister, you overpraise me. How could I have your talent and wisdom? I would be content just to catch a glimpse of your greatness in this life."
"If it weren't for your guidance yesterday, how could I have broken through to Qi Refining so quickly? It's not my talent; it's your excellent teaching!"