Qi Cultivation First Heaven

"This is the Qi Nourishing Pill. It accelerates a soul master's cultivation speed, with effects lasting anywhere from three months to a year; the stronger the individual, the shorter the duration. When Uncle Snake Lance and the others take one, the effects last for half a year."

She picked up a white jade bottle, a hint of mischief in her eyes: "This is the Shaping Pill. It can reshape your face."

"After consuming it, you simply imagine a person's appearance in your mind, and within a few breaths, you will transform into them. It lasts for three days. Isn't that interesting?"

"And this is the Soul Burst Pill. After taking it, your soul power becomes violent, similar to a support-type soul master's amplification skill. It can double or even triple your strength for an hour, though your body will be weak for seven days afterward..."

Qian Renxue introduced them incessantly, swapping one jade bottle for another in her hands. From offensive pills to defensive artifacts, from cultivation-assisting formation disks to stealth talismans, the sheer variety was dazzling, leaving Qian Daoliu overwhelmed.

Half an hour later, Qian Renxue's throat was parched. She paused to catch her breath and looked at Qian Daoliu, asking, "Grandfather, what do you want? You can take any of these to use. If it's not enough, Xue'er can refine more."

Qian Daoliu reached out to stroke her hair, his eyes filled with gratification: "Little Xue, Grandfather doesn't need anything. You should keep these for yourself."

Having lived for over a hundred years, he had never seen so many wonders. Each item exuded a profound mystery, and it was hard to imagine they were the work of a fourteen-year-old girl.

He shifted the topic, asking inquisitively: "You have no soul power in your body; how do you draw upon the energy of heaven and earth to serve your needs?"

This was his greatest doubt—soul masters rely on soul power to manipulate the energy of heaven and earth. That Little Xue could refine pills and forge artifacts without soul power completely defied his understanding.

"Master says, the Great Dao has three thousand paths, yet all lead to the same destination." Qian Renxue tilted her head, earnestly repeating Chen Qingxuan's words.

"Whether it is soul power, blood energy, spiritual power, or life force, as long as it is a power that a person can master, it can communicate with the heavens and earth."

"Powers can be transformed into one another. As long as one possesses the method of transformation, all power will eventually move toward the same direction."

Qian Daoliu fell silent. These words seemed simple, yet they contained profound truths that far exceeded the understanding of the soul master world.

Soul master cultivation has always held soul power in the highest regard; no one had ever considered that blood energy or spiritual power could also serve as bridges to communicate with the heavens and earth.

Could her master's understanding of power have reached such a realm?

"Grandfather, do you want to learn alchemy?" Seeing him remain silent, Qian Renxue asked proactively, "I can teach you."

A flicker of interest crossed Qian Daoliu's eyes, but he immediately shook his head: "No. The art of alchemy is vast and profound. Grandfather is old; I fear I cannot learn it."

"It is you, however, who has achieved such mastery at such a young age. Your future accomplishments will surely be limitless."

Though curious, he knew that every profession had its own specialty. His energy should be focused on protecting the Martial Soul Hall, rather than being distracted by learning new crafts.

"That's not true! Grandfather is very capable; you'll surely learn it in no time." Qian Renxue was relentless, pulling his hand toward the Blazing Flame Cauldron.

"I'll teach you to identify the medicinal herbs first; that's the simplest part. Look, this is the Flame Flower; its nature is fierce, capable of increasing the temperature of the flame. This is the Ice Grass; its nature is cold, capable of neutralizing the harshness of the medicinal power..."

Qian Daoliu could not refuse her and had no choice but to patiently listen to her explanation.

The girl's voice was crisp and pleasant, and her explanations were clear and logical. From the properties of the herbs to the taboos of combining them, she spoke with complete authority.

He asked questions occasionally, and Qian Renxue answered them fluently, clearly having committed all of this to memory long ago.

In the days that followed, Qian Daoliu actually accompanied Qian Renxue in the forging room, watching her refine pills and forge artifacts, occasionally attempting to manipulate energy according to her guidance.

However, he was ultimately accustomed to driving everything with soul power. When he used blood energy to draw upon energy, he always appeared clumsy, often ending up drenched in sweat and feeling his blood energy churning within him after only a short while.

Whenever Qian Renxue saw this, she would give him a Body Tempering Pill: "Grandfather, this can replenish blood energy. You should try it."

Qian Daoliu took it with a smile, his heart filled with warmth.

This period was the most peaceful time he had experienced in years. There were no trivial matters from the Worship Hall, no strife from the Martial Soul Hall—only his granddaughter chattering away by his side, occasionally offering him a few pointers. The days were simple and heartwarming.

Three months later, in Qian Renxue's bedroom.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, her blood energy surging like a tide, forming a faint, blood-colored halo around her.

With a soft shout, the blood energy suddenly retracted. A weak yet pure stream of energy rose from her dantian, slowly circulating through her meridians—Organ Refining complete, Qi drawn into the body. She had successfully stepped into the first level of Qi Refining!

"Master, I've drawn Qi into my body!" Qian Renxue shouted excitedly in her mind, but feeling that faint wisp of energy within her, she couldn't help but pout, "But why is there so little soul power in my body?"

"Drawing Qi into the body, the first level of Qi Refining, is achieved by introducing just a wisp of heaven and earth spiritual energy," Chen Qingxuan's voice replied. "Afterward, with every level you ascend, the soul power within your body will increase significantly."

"But Master, I feel this soul power is so weak. It's not even as strong as my blood energy; the total amount is probably only one percent of my blood energy." Qian Renxue felt a bit discouraged. She had expected to possess powerful soul power after drawing Qi into her body, not realizing it would be this weak.

"The expressive power of soul, body, and primordial energy cultivation is inherently different. In the first stage of a cultivator, primordial energy is the weakest of the three. Only in the second stage can they reach parity," Chen Qingxuan explained.

"Why is primordial energy the weakest? Aren't they the same realm?" Qian Renxue asked, puzzled.

"They are different," Chen Qingxuan said. "The soul and the body have existed since you were born, and they have been growing stronger all these years."

"Qi Refining, however, starts from zero. The three realms are the same, but the 'quantity' is vastly different."

"The strongest strike of all three is similar in power, but now that you are at the first level of Qi Refining, your soul power can only support one full-strength attack, whereas your body can unleash hundreds. That is the gap."

"Is that so?" Qian Renxue was half-convinced.

"Go out and try it, and you will know."

Qian Renxue immediately jumped off the bed and hurried to the training grounds.

She took a deep breath, gathered that faint wisp of soul power in her body into her right hand, and slashed out a hand blade.

"Sshhh—"

A pale green sword aura several feet long whistled out, precisely striking a ten-foot-tall boulder not far away.

"Crack!"

The boulder was neatly sliced open, its cross-section as smooth as a mirror.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Qian Renxue's eyes lit up, but the next second she frowned—the spirit power within her body had been completely exhausted, just as her master had said, she only had the "power of one strike."

She clenched her fist, feeling the still-surging blood energy within her body, and her heart suddenly cleared.

Perhaps her spirit power was weak for now, but as long as she continued to accumulate it, one day she would surely catch up to the pace of her physical body.

Moreover, with such a formidable physical body as a foundation, the growth rate of her spirit power would certainly far exceed that of an ordinary person.

In the distance, Qian Daoliu watched this scene, a trace of gratification flashing through his eyes.

The three-month period had expired, and Qian Renxue had indeed cultivated spirit power; although it was faint, it meant she had stepped back onto the path of a spirit master.

More importantly, this strike of hers was actually equivalent to the full-force blow of a Spirit Saint.