Chapter 4

The next morning, Su Jin woke up.

But she was rather dazed.

Because she saw a dark, murky space.

At the very center of that space was a pale golden light.

Little Su Jin crept closer—it was a space shaped just like her Little Wu Tian.

A semi-spherical pale golden dome!

But this space seemed much larger than her Little Wu Tian; it was a full three or four mu in size.

The moment she entered, she felt she had a physical body.

Before, when she had drifted outside, she felt formless, like a wisp of wind.

Now she was solid again—Su Jin.

The ground beneath her feet felt solid too.

She stamped her foot—no hint of emptiness.

On this pitch-black soil grew only one small sprout.

Probably because it had just sprouted, the sprout bore only a tiny curled leaf.

Though small, this sprout glowed!

A vivid emerald radiance.

It made her strangely recall the red ginseng seed she had planted in a flowerpot and then covered with her Little Wu Tian.

Little Su Jin walked over and gently touched the sprout, now bearing its first tiny leaf.

“Grandma, I’m Xue Chiluo,” the sprout immediately sent her a message.

Grandma?

Xue Chiluo?

What on earth are these?

“Jin, wake up! If you don’t get up, you’ll be late for school!”

“Oh, okay, I’m getting up, I’m getting up!” Her sister-in-law’s voice pulled Su Jin back to reality. She hurried to rise and wash up.

Over breakfast, little Su Jin casually asked her elder brother, “Brother, this morning I suddenly saw a dark, murky space.”

Su Jian immediately dropped his bowl in surprise.

“Was it pitch-black, with nothing visible, and no boundaries above, below, or around?” Su Jian said, his expression turning slightly serious.

Su Jin nodded quickly. “Exactly! When I opened my eyes this morning, I was stunned—I saw this strange dark, murky space.”

“That’s your spiritual sea. You’ve generated spiritual sense.” Su Jian smiled. “Most cultivators only generate spiritual sense after breaking through Qi Refining seventh layer. Even your brother hasn’t generated his yet!”

I never expected you’d generate spiritual sense so young.

But our sect has many geniuses; some are born with extraordinary talent and develop spiritual sense very early.

You probably have a naturally strong soul, so your spiritual sense formed unusually early.

It’s not a big deal, but today, after you learn the cultivation technique at school, privately tell Liu Shi you’ve generated spiritual sense and ask for a spiritual sense cultivation technique.

She’ll prepare one for you.”

Su Jin’s expression immediately fell when she heard she’d have to learn another technique.

She couldn’t muster any joy.

“Jin, do you know how many spirit stones a spiritual sense technique costs outside?” Su Jian asked.

“A few hundred spirit stones?” Little Su Jin guessed. Her father had once told her he spent five hundred spirit stones to buy the complete Qi Refining technique, the Wood Ascending Divine Art—Qi Refining Chapter—only because he was a Su, a clan cultivator of the sect.

“At least three thousand spirit stones—and that’s only because we’re SUs, clan cultivators of the sect. If this were auctioned at a major external market, even just the Qi Refining chapter alone would fetch over ten thousand spirit stones.”

Su Jin’s eyes widened.

So many spirit stones?

This spiritual sense technique is that expensive?

“And since you generated spiritual sense early, you can choose the most expensive, best spiritual sense technique in our clan’s library. You’ve hit the jackpot—tens of thousands of spirit stones, free.”

Su Jin realized—he was right.

This reward was definitely worth securing.

“Brother, I get it. Watch me.”

Su Jian was satisfied, gave her more encouragement, then reluctantly saw her off. Once her energetic little figure vanished from sight, he turned around to find his wife watching him with a complex expression.

“When you were courting me, did you ever go through this much trouble?” Yunniang said coolly.

“Cough, cough—your little uncle seriously asked me to help. I couldn’t mess it up. You know how much he dotes on his daughter,” Su Jian said awkwardly. “Wife, you really think I didn’t try when I courted you?”

“Shall I court you again?”

“What nonsense—you’re already married to me, how can you court me again?” Yunniang blushed.

“I have an idea. Listen to me,” Su Jian quickly explained his plan… and Yunniang’s face gradually lit up with a happy smile.

In the clan school classroom, morning.

Liu Shi had arrived early.

She stood on the podium, commanding presence.

“Starting today, I’ll teach you cultivation techniques.

Since we’re the Wood Class, the techniques focus on Wood-element cultivation.

Our clan’s foundational Wood technique is the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art.

The Qi Refining chapter of this technique has been simplified by our elders—it’s extremely simple, balanced, and unlikely to cause mishaps.

So you can cultivate it with confidence.

Moreover, the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art improves beauty, extends lifespan, and heals internal injuries.

Once you’ve cultivated it successfully, you’ll save greatly on healing pills, longevity elixirs, and beauty elixirs. Truly, the benefits of cultivating the Verdant Wood Eternal Spring Art are countless.

In short, it’s a technique perfectly suited for you.

Now, Liu Shi will explain how to cultivate the first level of the Qi Refining chapter.

Listen carefully—this lecture is meant to help you find the Qi sensation and fully enter Qi Refining first layer…”

Liu Shi continued expounding at length.

In truth, cultivation techniques are best begun after age ten or so, when meridians are thick and resilient enough to handle the flow and refining of spiritual energy.

But most clan cultivators don’t want their children falling behind from the start.

So from birth, they bathe their children in medicinal concoctions.

Once the child’s elemental affinity is detected at age three, the baths immediately intensify.

After three years of medicinal bathing, a six-year-old can enter the clan school to begin learning foundational techniques.

This saves nearly ten years compared to children outside who start at fifteen or sixteen.

Ten years matter immensely—for average-talent children, it’s enough to leap ahead two or three levels.

For gifted children, it can mean a lead of four or five levels.

By the time everyone is seventeen or eighteen, they’re already at late Qi Refining—you’ve just begun.

Who will the sect value more? Need I say?