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Qin Shu felt guilty for the poor snake's pitiful condition, knowing it was all her fault. It was just peacefully napping on a tree when she went and shook it down, leaving it injured and bruised. She couldn't simply ignore it now, could she?

Now, she could only hope that this little black snake was intelligent enough not to bite her.

She scooped up some cold spring water and gently cleaned the blood from the snake's body, watching as the water in the basin gradually turned red. She couldn't help but wonder, How can such a tiny snake bleed so much? Just how badly is it hurt?

She casually poured the bloody water onto the flowerbed by the door and returned to look at the battered little snake. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she quickly dug out a small bundle she'd brought along when she arrived.

Madam Qin, knowing the dangerous nature of the cultivation world, had packed her daughter some premium wound medicine, along with some gold and jade trinkets.

Qin Shu gingerly held up the hefty pieces of gold, feeling both amazed and at a loss. In her two lifetimes, this was her first time seeing so much gold at once. But... it was useless! In the cultivation world, what she needed were spirit stones, and she had none.

Feeling defeated, she took out the bottle of wound powder. Whether it was meant for mortals or not, as long as it could heal, it would do. Right now, it was the only healing remedy she had on hand.

She carefully sprinkled the powder on the little black snake's wounds. Perhaps it stung a bit, as the snake twitched slightly.

Qin Shu frowned. With its smooth, slippery scales, it wouldn't do for the snake to squirm around too much.

Her gaze wandered around the room and landed on a piece of cloth originally used as a shawl. Her eyes lit up with an idea.

After a few moments of busying herself, she clapped her hands in satisfaction at her handiwork—a small stick wrapped up with a bow.

Qin Shu looked at her work with pride. It was the best bow she had ever tied in her life.

"I did my best. Life or death is up to fate now. If you don't make it through, it's really not my fault..." She clasped her hands together in mock prayer, mumbling to the little stick-snake in front of her.

Ten days earlier, Xie Shiyuan had been enduring a great tribulation, a lightning trial to reach the Great Ascension stage. However, a traitor leaked information, leading eight Nascent Soul stage elders to ambush him. They struck when he was at his weakest.

Despite his powerful original form, which enabled him to resist the lightning tribulation and retaliate, he suffered severe injuries. Although he managed to escape, he was gravely wounded and couldn't even maintain his original form, shrinking down and falling from the celestial mountain.

Of course, the eight elders didn't escape unscathed either, each returning in critical condition.

Xie Shiyuan hadn't expected to end up at the Xuantian Sect's alchemy division and to be "rescued" by a mortal girl with no cultivation abilities.

Although the wound medicine she applied was merely a cheap mortal remedy, it wasn't entirely ineffective, however minuscule the benefit might be.

At that moment, Xie Shiyuan's entire being felt as dry as a withered tree, with only a faint spark left to keep his heart beating.

The powder Qin Shu had applied felt like the light drizzle of spring rain, soothing and refreshing.

His semi-conscious mind noticed this subtle change, and he sent a bit of his awareness to investigate. What he saw left him stunned.

What?

He was wrapped up like a stick, with some sort of shabby cloth tied around him... and that bow? Hideous!

Who was so audacious? To think they could bind him with just a rag!

A surge of murderous intent bubbled within him. But unfortunately, in his current state, he could barely move his heart, let alone shake off a mere "rag."

While the medicine might have been a cheap mortal item, it wasn't harmful, at least.

Xie Shiyuan's awareness scanned the room, seeing only a young girl sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat. She had no aura at all, not even enough to suggest she'd begun cultivating.

Feeling somewhat reassured, he surmised it must have been this child who saved him.

Seeing that he was in no immediate danger, he gradually drifted back into unconsciousness.

Unaware that she had just brushed past death, Qin Shu followed the steps in her jade slip, sitting cross-legged, eyes half-closed, palms up, and tongue resting against the roof of her mouth...

The instructions seemed simple, but putting them into practice was anything but.

She sat until her legs went numb and her backside ached, yet she still couldn't sense even a trace of spiritual energy. Are those so-called five-colored motes of light a scam?

Just as her legs were on the verge of falling asleep and her head started to droop, she suddenly noticed tiny specks of light floating around her, resembling fireflies in the summer night.

As a "country bumpkin" who had never seen anything like it, Qin Shu was equal parts curious and thrilled. She reached out, attempting to touch them. Three colors—red, yellow, and green—seemed drawn to her, while the others were indifferent.

The three-colored spiritual energy entered her body, circulating through her meridians. Qin Shu quickly focused, following the instructions to guide the energy toward her dantian.

As more spiritual energy gathered in her dantian, a faint purple mist began to form.

After a while, Qin Shu finally opened her eyes.

Tilting her head, she tried to recall what she had read in the jade slip.

"Multiple elemental roots drawing in spiritual energy, each element occupying its own corner, allowing for independent control..."

Qin Shu was stunned. She had clearly "seen" the different elements merge into one purple cloud in her dantian.

Her mind went blank.

Is this good or bad? She was already clueless about cultivation, and now even her dantian wasn't behaving normally?

While she sat there frowning and contemplating, the full moon had quietly risen high in the sky.

A cold moonbeam filtered through the window, bathing her in its light. A tiny red speck floated down, softly landing on the back of her hand before disappearing like a snowflake in winter.

Qin Shu froze, quickly collecting her thoughts and scanning her surroundings.

Her eyes widened as she saw the scene.

In her small wooden hut, three-colored motes of light swirled around, dancing in the moonlight, dreamlike and ethereal.

Not wanting to miss this rare opportunity, Qin Shu hastily resumed her meditative stance, muttering the incantation.

As she did, the previously scattered motes of light seemed to find their destination, swarming into her tiny body.

She guided the energy through her meridians in a cycle, yet with each pass, a little of the energy dissipated.

Qin Shu frowned in deep thought. Could it be... my body is leaking qi?