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Even so, by the next morning, a wisp of faint purple energy had gathered in Qin Shu's dantian. As her consciousness probed into it, she could sense a deep sense of affinity with this purple energy.

Could this count as drawing Qi into her body?

What Qin Shu didn't realize was that, based on the concentration of spiritual energy in her dantian, she had already reached the threshold of the first layer of the Qi Refinement stage.

Such cultivation speed, if placed in the cultivation world, would undoubtedly earn her the title of a genius.

Qin Shu opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

Looking out the window, she saw the faint light of dawn breaking across the sky, accompanied by a veil-like purple mist that bore a faint resemblance to the energy in her dantian.

She tried to absorb that purple mist, but it was in vain; instead, she lost a tiny bit of the energy in her dantian.

Noticing this loss, she quickly stopped cultivating, her heart aching as she examined her dantian's diminished energy. She then angrily jumped off the bed and flipped a middle finger at the mist in the sky.

She felt that the spiritual energy in her dantian and the purple mist in the sky must be the same thing. The only problem was her current lack of ability.

She vowed that once she became powerful in her cultivation, she would definitely absorb and refine that purple mist!

Stretching her body, she was surprised to find that despite not sleeping all night, she felt refreshed and invigorated.

She couldn't help but marvel at how amazing cultivation was!

If she were still in the modern world and had stayed up all night, she would have been utterly exhausted by now.

Turning to the pink snake staff lying lifelessly on the table, she frowned.

Was it truly dead? If it wasn't, it must be hungry by now, right?

Recalling how it had been coiled around the Golden Rainbow Pomegranate tree yesterday, she deduced that the fruit might be its food.

Lifting the snake staff, she pried open its mouth and tried to squeeze some juice from a pomegranate into it.

After squeezing out half a fruit's worth, she figured that given the snake's size, it wouldn't be able to consume an entire fruit. Satisfied with her reasoning, she stopped.

Great, she thought. Now she had saved half a fruit for herself.

She ate one and a half fruits, feeling a warm, soothing sensation spreading through her body as if she were basking in sunlight. Even the spiritual energy coursing through her meridians became much smoother.

The cold energy that had seeped into her body after falling into the icy pond yesterday was now being expelled from her bones. The comfort was so intense that she almost let out a moan.

"Golden Rainbow Pomegranates grow on celestial mountains," she mused. "They must be celestial fruits, completely different from mundane fruits."

Having tasted their benefits, she decided to pick a couple more after completing her lessons for the day.

What she didn't know was that in Xuantian Sect, even a single blade of celestial grass had an owner, let alone an entire fruit tree.

The fruits from the tree she had picked belonged to the head disciple of the Alchemy Sect. These fruits had been gifted by the second disciple to curry favor with someone else. The second disciple naturally felt no guilt about this.

Qin Shu left her house, swiping her identity token across the runes on the door. The house's protective barrier reactivated, ensuring no one could intrude in her absence.

This security system reminded her of modern access cards—it was quite user-friendly.

When she stepped outside, the morning mist had yet to dissipate. The distant celestial mountains appeared faint and ethereal, while beams of light pierced through the fog, creating a breathtaking scene.

"So beautiful," she sighed, taking a deep breath of celestial air.

As she walked toward the fence, she noticed that some tender green leaves had sprouted in the previously barren garden plot outside her house.

Overjoyed, Qin Shu crouched down to examine them closely, wondering what they would grow into.

Could they be flowers? Who wouldn't want a small wooden house surrounded by blooming flowers?

Today marked their first day as disciples of the sect. According to the Beginner's Guide, after drawing Qi into their bodies, they could proceed to the Hall of Transmission to learn basic spells.

Typically, the earliest disciples to achieve this would take at least three days. Those with poorer aptitude might even require a month or more.

As outer sect disciples, they were naturally seen as less promising. No one could have expected that such an anomaly would emerge among them.

Even Qin Shu herself didn't realize how her overnight success in drawing Qi into her body would stir waves of astonishment.

As she climbed the stairs and looked around, she finally spotted a sweeping boy.

"Excuse me, Senior Brother, could you tell me how to get to the Hall of Transmission?"

Ruiming was an immortal crane raised by Elder Fucheng. After consuming a transformation pill, he gained a human form, though his cultivation was not high. His main duty was to sweep the Alchemy Sect's fallen leaves.

Hearing the little girl call him "Senior Brother," Ruiming straightened his posture, trying his best to look like a proper senior. "Are you a new disciple?"

Qin Shu nodded politely. "Yes, I joined the sect yesterday and wish to find the Hall of Transmission. Could you guide me, Senior Brother?"

Since she had called him "Senior Brother," Ruiming felt obliged to help. "Alright, since you've called me Senior Brother, I'll take you there."

With that, he performed a hand seal and transformed back into his crane form.

Although Qin Shu had mentally prepared herself for the wonders of the immortal sect, witnessing the transformation in person still left her stunned.

What?! Now this was what you'd call a real transformation!

A child about 1.2 meters tall had suddenly turned into a 2-meter-tall crane. How could she not be amazed?

To Ruiming, her expression was one of admiration, which made him even happier. Stretching his long neck, he urged, "Hurry up and get on my back. I'll take you there."

Although Qin Shu was tempted, she hesitated. "Will it be inconvenient?"

Ruiming, simple-minded as he was, replied, "Not at all. A senior brother giving a junior sister a ride is nothing."

Only then did Qin Shu beam with joy. "Senior Brother, then I won't hold back!"

She climbed onto his back, holding onto his soft feathers tightly.

Ruiming spread his wings and soared into the clouds, enveloping Qin Shu in his spiritual energy to shield her from the wind.

As Qin Shu marveled at the stunning 3D view, she silently added another grudge against Wen Chi for pushing her into the icy pond yesterday.

Ruiming proudly remarked mid-flight, "The Hall of Transmission is halfway up the mountain. Without me, it would've taken you an hour to walk there!"

To show off, he flew higher and circled around before descending.

When they landed, Ruiming transformed back into his boy form. Seeing her eyes filled with excitement, he felt a little shy.

He coughed lightly and pointed to a welcoming pine tree nearby. "This is the place. Next time, just follow the steps up. When you see this tree, you've arrived."

Qin Shu nodded obediently. Ruiming then pointed north. "Head that way, and you'll find the Hall of Transmission. I've got other duties, so I won't accompany you further."

Qin Shu bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Brother, for bringing me here. My name is Qin Shu. May I know your name?"

"I'm Ruiming!"

After some thought, he plucked a feather from his wing and handed it to her. "Keep this crane feather. If you ever want to find me, just call my name three times, and I'll come."