Chapter 44: Bing Chen Lu

The spiritual energy in the Third Classroom hadn’t changed, since only three people were there, and it was enough.

That day was the first of the month; Su Cheng had been persuaded by Su Wuji, and the two of them went to the Second Classroom while Su Jin was cultivating.

But not long after, those two came running back.

“My god, Su Yunhu really got the rough end of this deal,” Su Wuji said as soon as he returned and saw Su Jin had just stopped cultivating. He hurried over to her side.

“Hmm?” Su Jin frowned.

“Their spiritual energy’s running out. I heard Su Yunhu say he has to stop six times every afternoon. He even has to bring a Spirit Gathering Array home and practice at night to make up for it.” Su Wuji continued.

“Didn’t Master Liu boost the concentration of their spiritual energy?” Su Jin asked, puzzled.

“What good does boosting concentration do? Everyone’s using Spirit Gathering Arrays. I heard the students over there have all activated top-grade first-rank Spirit Gathering effects. Eight spirit stones to activate that effect? It’s night and day in terms of efficiency.”

“Now Su Yunhu’s been forced to activate top-grade first-rank Spirit Gathering too, or he won’t gather even a speck of spiritual energy when he tries to cultivate.”

“Su Yunhu has complained to us about this for hours.”

“And now that everyone’s using top-grade first-rank Spirit Gathering, within half a quarter-hour, their arrays have sucked all the spiritual energy clean out of the classroom. By the time four quarter-hours pass, even inside their arrays, there’s nothing left to absorb. So they just have to stop and rest—wait until spiritual energy gathers again before resuming cultivation.”

“Now we only have one hour of general knowledge class every morning.”

“The rest of the time is for cultivation.”

“Su Yunhu says whenever it’s time to cultivate, he’s doomed—his sessions are all broken up, and he has to stop at least five or six times a day. Sigh!!”

Su Wuji truly felt Su Yunhu was suffering terribly now.

“When we went over, the students there were still arguing. One girl, I think her name was Qi Yi, was shouting at several boys and girls by herself. She claimed that with her talent, if not for their delays, she’d have already broken through to Qi Refining Level Two and transferred to our Third Classroom.” Su Cheng added.

“The boys and girls opposing her actually mocked her, saying she didn’t know her own face. They said if she were truly talented, she’d have gone straight to the Third Classroom—why would she still be stuck in the Second Classroom with them?” Su Wuji said. “That Qi Yi is the new student who arrived on the twentieth day.”

“Oh, I know her—the one who broke through Qi Refining Level One after just one day of cultivation? The one rumored to have incredible talent?” Su Jin smiled.

“She’s a three-element root,” Su Wuji reminded her.

Su Jin looked at him skeptically. “So what?”

“Don’t you get it? Our sect’s top elders are all five-element roots,” Su Wuji winked.

Su Jin still stared at him, confused.

“Ugh, I give up. You’re so slow. Three-element root means exactly that—three-element root. Our sect’s top elders? All five-element roots. Got it now?” Su Wuji pressed.

Even Su Cheng laughed at this point.

Su Jin finally understood.

She couldn’t help but smirk—five-element roots had truly been twisted into a joke by those sect elders.

“Then how did you find out she’s a three-element root?” Su Jin asked, exasperated. “Aren’t we forbidden from asking other students about their elemental roots in clan school?”

“Someone in the Second Classroom has relatives working in the clan school—they looked it up. She’s just an in-law of the Su clan, so no one’s going to hide her talent.” Su Wuji said. Don’t think the Su clan school protects everyone—it’s impossible.

“Then how did she break through Qi Refining Level One in just one day?” Su Jin asked, baffled. “Are three-element roots really that strong?”

“No, three-element roots aren’t that strong at all.”

“We have dozens of three-element roots in our class and others. Even those who break through Qi Refining Level One within fifteen days are considered good,” Su Wuji explained to Su Jin.

Su Jin was stunned. “Then how did she do it?”

“You wouldn’t know—she stood out too much the moment she arrived at clan school.”

“Many students ranked above her became extremely wary of her.”

“Think about it—the top ten in each class get directly admitted as outer disciples when joining the sect.”

“Who wouldn’t be wary of her?”

“And she’s currently ranked eleventh. If she wants to rise, she has to push out someone ahead of her.”

Su Jin agreed with Su Wuji’s point.

The problem was Qi Yi’s position was terrible—exactly eleventh.

The ten students above her were probably terrified of her.

“Several students ranked above her couldn’t help but ask their families about her situation.”

“Their elders told them exactly how to handle a three-element root who breaks through Qi Refining Level One in just one day,” Su Wuji said, eyes gleaming with gossip. “Want to know?”

Su Jin nodded eagerly.

She was curious too.

“Quick, pour me a bowl of your Bing Chen Lu,” Su Wuji ordered like a lord.

Su Jin: Fine, I’ve paid too much just to hear gossip.

Su Jin quickly pulled out a pitcher of chilled tea from her basket.

It was a tea she’d personally selected herbs for and brewed according to her own recipe, called Bing Chen Lu.

It tasted excellent, and more importantly, it calmed the mind and stabilized spiritual energy, helping students enter cultivation state quickly.

After choosing the herbs for the tea, Su Jin had a sudden inspiration and tossed all the ingredients into Xiao Wu Tian for a full day and night.

When she later brewed them into Bing Chen Lu, the flavor was far better than any she’d made before.

Of course, the main advantage was that Bing Chen Lu also helped her raise her cultivation base—even if the gains were small each time, she could drink it endlessly.

She took out three small cups.

Su Jin poured Bing Chen Lu for both Su Wuji and Su Cheng.

Su Wuji and Su Cheng immediately sipped slowly, faces filled with pleasure.

Su Jin’s Bing Chen Lu was simply that good.

“Su Jin, how much does this Bing Chen Lu cost to make? Can you make more for me later? I’ll pay you spirit stones,” Su Wuji asked after a few sips, unable to hold back.

“About eight or nine spirit stones for ten jin of Bing Chen Lu. If you really want it, send someone to my house to pick it up. But I’ll charge ten spirit stones per ten jin—my craftsmanship alone is worth at least one spirit stone, right?” Su Jin said.

“Worth it,” Su Wuji said immediately. “The Bing Chen Lu recipe is everywhere. My family has it too—my grandfather even brewed it. But I think his version doesn’t taste as good as yours. Yours stabilizes spiritual energy better.”