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Qin Shu was full of question marks. What was going on? Where had all her colorful spiritual energy gone?!

Could it be that last night's scene was just a rare alignment of timing, location, and fate—a once-in-a-century occurrence—and that what she experienced now was her real aptitude?

Thinking about how the original story mentioned that the original owner of this body had only barely reached the third layer of the Qi Refinement stage after eight years of cultivation, Qin Shu's heart sank halfway to the bottom.

She closed her eyes again, calmed her mind, and circulated her spiritual energy through a full cycle. Observing the distinct three-colored spiritual energy in her dantian, she was suddenly confused again.

Why did her dantian seem normal now? And what was up with the purple spiritual energy she cultivated yesterday?

Her mind was a chaotic mess. She didn't understand anything, and she didn't even have a master to guide her through her doubts.

At Xuantian Sect, one had to enter the inner sect to formally become a disciple of one of the peak elders. Outer sect disciples were mostly there to make up numbers, and no one was available to answer their questions at all times.

In theory, they could ask their questions at the Transmission Hall, where senior brothers and sisters would help clarify their doubts.

However, Qin Shu had clearly gone to the wrong place—there was no one in the Transmission Hall, and she couldn't figure out the situation herself.

Her face grew serious as she carefully observed the remaining trace of purple spiritual energy in her dantian.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that the once-quiet purple spiritual energy was now stirring. Bit by bit, it was devouring the red fire energy closest to it.

She watched as it grew larger, consuming all the spiritual energy in her dantian, until it finally formed a peanut-sized cluster of pure purple energy.

Qin Shu fell silent, a deep sense of crisis welling up inside her.

At this rate, how long would it take her to reach the Foundation Establishment stage?

Earlier, she had considered going out to explore the immortal mountain, but now she had no mood for it.

There's an old saying: "Haste makes waste." But another says, "The slow bird flies first."

With her current aptitude, it seemed she would have to fly tirelessly.

She sat cross-legged in meditation, circulating her spiritual energy for a full cycle, which took about two incense sticks' worth of time. Yet a single cycle only yielded a cluster of purple energy the size of a peanut.

An hour has eight incense sticks' worth of time, and a day has twelve hours.

This meant that if she didn't eat, drink, or sleep, and cultivated non-stop for an entire day, she could only amass forty-eight clusters of peanut-sized purple energy.

Hovering on the edge of frustration, Qin Shu eventually resigned herself to reality.

In the world of cultivation, meditation could fully replace sleep. At worst, she'd just stop sleeping! By gaining an extra four hours of cultivation daily compared to the original body's habits, she figured her progress should reach at least the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.

Once she reached the third layer, she could accept missions to go out and gain experience. With some fortuitous encounters, Foundation Establishment might not be completely out of reach.

When the sun finally set and her stomach growled, Qin Shu realized it was already late and time to eat again.

Following the path from the morning, she returned to the dining hall, only to find it closed.

Rubbing her rumbling stomach, she sighed and decided to head to the western mountain to search for the golden rainbow pomegranate tree again.

This time, she had even carried two stones to use as a stepping stool to see if she could reach the fruit.

However, just as she finally managed to pick one fruit, a cold voice sounded behind her.

"So it's true. Someone really dares to steal my fruit."

The voice was all too familiar. Even in her dreams, Qin Shu wouldn't forget it. She froze on the spot.

"Come down," the person added when she didn't move.

Dejectedly, Qin Shu jumped off the stone and turned around, finally getting a good look at the man's appearance.

He was dressed in white robes, with a black jade token hanging from his waist, signifying his status as an inner sect disciple of Xuantian Sect. His sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes were complemented by his ink-black hair cascading down his back. As the evening breeze blew, his hair danced lightly, making him appear ready to ascend with the wind.

From looks alone, he was indeed deceivingly charming. No wonder the original body fell for him at a young age. If she had escaped from the demon race and encountered anyone but this senior brother, she might never have fallen into Qin Mian's hands.

"Senior Brother," Qin Shu greeted respectfully, holding the golden rainbow pomegranate tightly in her hand.

Hearing her address, Cheng Yan raised an eyebrow. "Which peak's disciple are you?"

Not daring to lift her head, Qin Shu stared at her toes and obediently replied, "I am not under any elder. I am merely an outer sect disciple of the Pill Peak."

Understanding dawned on Cheng Yan. He raised his chin slightly, his expression cold and stern. "An outer sect disciple dares to steal my golden rainbow pomegranates? Who gave you the courage?"

Qin Shu pursed her lips, inwardly cursing the little person in her mind who had written down "Wen Chi" on the map. If Wen Chi knew these fruits belonged to the senior brother, why had he sent her to pick them?!

"I didn't—"

Just as she was about to explain, another voice interrupted.

"I did."

Qin Shu froze, turning her head to see a figure in green perched atop a nearby cassia tree.

Wen Chi looked down at Cheng Yan with a smile. "Senior Brother, it was I who told this junior disciple to pick your fruits."

Qin Shu was stunned. While she felt grateful that Wen Chi had shifted the attention off her, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off between these two.

So that's why Wen Chi sent her to pick the fruit—she had been used.

She glared fiercely at Wen Chi, who caught her expression and smirked. "Why are you glaring at me, child? After all, the fruit is already in your stomach. Could it be that Senior Brother's carefully cultivated pomegranates aren't tasty enough for you?"

Qin Shu kept silent, but Cheng Yan frowned and said, "Since it was Wen Chi's doing, I will let this matter go. However, do not trespass here again in the future!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and vanished on the spot.

Wen Chi clicked his tongue twice. "How stern."

Jumping down from the tree, Wen Chi glanced at Qin Shu, who had spent ages picking just one fruit. He chuckled and tapped his folding fan against the tree trunk twice. Four more fruits fell into Qin Shu's arms.

"Take them and eat," he said.

Unsure whether to accept them, Qin Shu hesitated. Wen Chi spoke again. "You've now successfully initiated into Qi Refinement—a good start. But you're quite foolish. With spiritual energy at your disposal, why didn't you use it to pluck the fruits? Then you wouldn't have been caught by Senior Brother."

Qin Shu felt indignant at being called foolish but was stunned by the realization.

That's right! She could have used spiritual energy to pick the fruit!

Her ingrained habits from her past eighteen years on Earth had blinded her to such shortcuts.

Satisfied with her stunned look, Wen Chi burst into laughter. Before leaving, he warned her, "Do not come here again. If Senior Brother loses his temper, you won't be able to handle it."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed, and his expression grew serious.