Chapter 54

“If you have this ability, you’ll never worry about cultivation resources in the future.” Su Cheng genuinely rejoiced for her. He took a sip of Ice-Chen Dew and said, “My aunt told me to learn one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, but I have no idea what to choose.”

“Why not learn a seed-breeding secret technique? I heard cultivation planters make a fortune just from this skill.” Su Jin recalled the exorbitantly priced Golden Silk Blueberry seeds and suggested.

“Seed-breeding technique? I think that’s fine. You should go the cultivation planter path. You’ll never lack for anything just from breeding seeds.” Su Wuji also advised.

“What about you? What skill are you planning to learn?” Su Cheng asked in return.

“I plan to learn talisman drawing,” Su Wuji said. “My grandfather and my late father were both skilled in talisman drawing. I intend to study it seriously. This is called inheriting the family’s art.”

The key to inheriting the elder generation’s skills is avoiding many detours in the early stages.

Su Cheng said, “I’ll think it over carefully. Learning a new skill now requires immense effort, and refining it consumes a great deal. I must discuss it with my family.”

Su Cheng thought to himself: This concerns my future—I must think deeply about it.

“Exactly,” Su Wuji praised. “You should think carefully and consult your family.”

“But I think you have plenty of time to decide. I heard that among us students, the clan school won’t let us choose a Hundred Art until we’ve broken through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer.”

“What?” Su Cheng was stunned. He wasn’t shocked that the clan school taught the Hundred Arts and let students choose one—he was shocked that they had to wait so long?

He wouldn’t break through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer until at least next year.

“So we won’t be able to learn any Hundred Art until next year at the earliest?”

“Of course! This year we’re aiming to break through to Qi Refining Third Layer and master two spells to minor proficiency. Just calculate—where would you find time to cultivate a Hundred Art?” Su Wuji asked, exasperated. “Even if I think I’m talented and have thick skin, I can’t be sure I’ll break through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer this year.”

Su Cheng: Wuji Brother, I think you’re being a bit too modest.

Su Jin added, “It’s truly difficult. I don’t think the odds are good. Breaking from Qi Refining Third Layer to Fourth Layer is a major hurdle.”

“Come on, you two, enough already. Breaking through to Fourth Layer in a year? I wouldn’t even dare say that.” Su Cheng said.

Although they had broken through to Qi Refining Second Layer within a month, and reaching Third Layer would take at most two or three more months, breaking from Third to Fourth Layer was a fundamental transformation of magic power.

Many spent four or five years without succeeding.

If they got stuck, they’d be done for.

“Alright, alright, time’s up. Everyone, go cultivate.” Su Jin said.

Cultivation was their main task—nothing could interfere with it.

The three students immediately separated to cultivate on their own.

After completing her daily cultivation, Su Jin dismantled the array plate and stored it in her small cabinet. Then she took out the Yellow Skin Gourd seed and began practicing the Entangling Technique.

One gourd vine after another died, rapidly increasing Su Jin’s Entangling Technique proficiency.

After killing ten gourd vines this time, she stopped.

She pretended to store the dead vines in a tiny black pouch—her mother’s small storage bag with barely any space.

This little bag held only one cubic chi of space; losing it wouldn’t matter.

But she carried it mainly to conceal that she was throwing all the dead vines into Xiao Wu Tian.

She hadn’t yet decided to tell Su Wuji or Su Cheng about Xiao Wu Tian.

The gourd vines inside Xiao Wu Tian could serve as fertilizer and spur new sprouts—nothing was wasted at all.

Next, she continued pondering the technique of Extracting Wood Essence. To even begin cultivating this technique, she had to go outside the city with her elder brother. Without a real large tree to practice on, relying solely on imagination would never let her master it.

At the clan school, they rested one day every ten days.

Seven days remained until their next rest day.

That was enough time for her to fully study Extracting Wood Essence.

At this moment, Su Wuji was also practicing spells.

Su Cheng, however, was still fully immersed in cultivation.

Everyone focused on their own tasks, disturbing no one.

Even when school ended and they packed up, they moved with perfect mutual understanding.

Su Jin truly felt Su Wuji and Su Cheng were far more mature than the other students.

Back home, Su Jin continued practicing the Entangling Technique. When her spiritual energy was exhausted, she went to meet her huge star in her dreams.

The next morning, Su Jin woke very early. After washing up, she ran to the backyard—she’d apparently forgotten to water the plants yesterday.

Red Ginseng only needed watering every two or three days.

Yesterday was her scheduled watering day. She’d forgotten.

The moment she appeared in the backyard, Xue Chiluo flew out.

Xue Chiluo leapt onto her shoulder and used its spiritual sense to recount everything that had happened in the backyard since she’d left.

“You mean you went to find my brother to water the plants?” Su Jin learned that Xue Chiluo had sought her elder brother’s help and was delighted.

Indeed, having an elder brother was great—even if she forgot to water, someone else could fix it.

Su Jian: I never intended to help you fix it. It was Xue Chiluo staring at me until I went to the backyard.

Yesterday, Su Jian had planned to leave the house for errands, but Xue Chiluo blocked him at the door.

He tried to leave, and Xue Chiluo blocked him. He tried to return to his room, and Xue Chiluo blocked him again. It even sent its pale, tender rootlets out and back, out and back.

Su Jian finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Are you telling me to follow you?”

Then he was stunned to see Xue Chiluo nod.

It bent its leafy portion downward, just like a human nodding.

“Then lead the way,” Su Jian, speechless, decided to follow Xue Chiluo’s lead.

Xue Chiluo led him straight to the small patch of red ginseng in the backyard.

“Xue Chiluo, are you asking me to water you?” Seeing the dry ground and the ginseng’s signs of thirst, Su Jian understood. But he wanted to confirm whether his Xue Chiluo was truly this capable—could it really summon him to water? So he asked aloud.

Xue Chiluo nodded again.

Su Jian was utterly stunned.

This ancient witch spirit was too clever—so tiny, yet it understood when the red ginseng was thirsty and knew to summon him to water it.