Chapter 155: Making a Fool of Oneself Before the Court Officials

Without opening his eyes, Donghua Yufan was surprised to find that he could actually see these things—small points of light emitting a gentle glow, dancing softly beside him.

“Could this be spiritual energy?” Donghua Yufan thought quietly to himself. He tried hard to radiate goodwill, realizing that these tiny beings seemed hesitant, as if the slightest movement from him might scare them away.

“Come here, come here…” Seeing one of the misty little dots cautiously approach, Donghua Yufan held his breath, afraid that any slight motion might frighten this delicate creature.

Gradually, it drew closer.

Then, Donghua Yufan shivered slightly as something seemed to enter his body, a faint coolness traveling from the center of his brow down toward his dantian.

Could it really be happening?

With the entrance of the first dot, the spiritual energy no longer seemed afraid. They gathered around him, but no matter how much effort Donghua Yufan exerted, the energy refused to enter his body. Instead, it twined around him, slowly forming a mist that enveloped him like a silkworm cocoon. When he opened his eyes, the world was hazy, and he could barely make out the room’s furnishings.

After staring blankly for a long moment, Donghua Yufan cautiously began to recite the cultivation method in his mind. Immediately, he was astonished again.

The spiritual energy, now transformed into mist, surged toward the center of his brow, nearly startling Donghua Yufan out of his wits. Fortunately, he steadied his mind and clumsily guided the unruly spiritual energy down to his dantian.

Once inside the dantian, the spiritual energy did not remain there but circulated through the various meridians throughout his body, expanding them and improving his physique. Since his body had already been altered by the hot springs, the pain was mild—just a slight discomfort.

By the time Donghua Yufan had absorbed nearly all the surrounding mist, he felt his dantian swell, as if he had overeaten.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but a faint sound whispered in his ear. With a gentle pop, the previous discomfort vanished, replaced by a blissful sensation that seemed to flood his entire being, elevating him as if he were transcending.

After stabilizing the spiritual energy in his dantian and concluding his practice, Donghua Yufan was filled with disbelief.

It had been so easy to cultivate his body. More than that, absorbing that dense cluster of spiritual energy had instantly elevated him to the first stage of Qi Refining.

Though Donghua Yufan didn’t fully understand the classifications, he knew he had reached the first level of Qi Refining. After all, his circulation of the Thousand Ancient Technique was now smooth—aside from some initial unfamiliarity, subsequent cycles had become quite proficient.

However, having broken through to the first level, Donghua Yufan didn’t dare rush to see his makeshift master. Even for a single-spiritual-root prodigy, such progress in less than a day was impossible. The process of purifying essence and marrow takes an entire day; mortal bodies harbor impurities, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is the purest substance. Before cultivating, everyone takes a marrow-cleansing pill.

Donghua Yufan hadn’t taken such a pill, and his master hadn’t given him one either. This made him frown slightly—did his master realize something? Or had he just forgotten? Regardless, Donghua Yufan decided not to seek him out immediately. Otherwise, it would be impossible to keep a low profile. Though he had a dual-spiritual root mutation, it was still dual-spiritual; if he were single-spiritual root, such rapid progress would already be astonishing.

Having thought this through, Donghua Yufan felt a bit regretful. He shouldn’t have rushed to cultivate these past few days; waiting a little longer would have been less conspicuous. Sighing, he reminded himself that, after all, he was still a mortal. Mortals envy immortals, and now having such an opportunity, he naturally wanted to try it quickly. He shook his head, realizing he was just as worldly as anyone else.

Because his body had been altered by the hot springs, it was somewhat purified, so he had forgotten about the marrow-cleansing pill. Now, suddenly recalling that the original story had mentioned taking such a pill before cultivation, though it wasn’t particularly important and had been glossed over then, he hoped his master would never appear or take notice of him.

After all, he knew that if a high-level cultivator used spiritual perception to watch a novice like him, he would never detect it—levels were completely different. In the story, the heroine sensed cultivators’ spiritual perceptions in certain places only because those cultivators weren’t high enough in rank. It would be absurd for a great master to do so.

Reflecting on this, Donghua Yufan felt truly unfortunate. His mother was dead, his father indifferent, even scheming against him. He had barely arrived and ended up with a master who didn’t care at all. Moreover, the vast Thousand Ancient Cold sect had only three people. Without him as a disciple, it would just be the master alone. Suddenly, Donghua Yufan understood—perhaps the master’s solitary years had twisted his personality somewhat.

“Miss, have you finished cultivating?” As Donghua Yufan sat up, perhaps making a slight sound, Yun Li’s anxious voice rang from the doorway.

Donghua Yufan suddenly remembered that, although his cultivation hadn’t felt long, it wasn’t the same for Yun Li. Cultivation disregards the passage of normal time; some can sit for days on end from the start.

“It’s nothing, come in.”

Donghua Yufan sat on the chair, rubbing his legs. After sitting cross-legged for so long, he felt no pain at all.

Indeed, cultivation was not something science could explain.

Yun Li entered carrying some items, relieved to see Donghua Yufan well but still worried. Upon a closer look, she eyed him curiously before saying,

“Miss, I feel like you’ve changed somehow!”

After saying this, Yun Li glanced again with uncertainty.

Donghua Yufan smiled and asked,

“Changed how?”

“You just look much prettier, hehe!” Yun Li replied shyly, unable to explain it further.

“Alright then, nothing special today. Let’s go out for a walk.”

Looking at the sky, Donghua Yufan realized it hadn’t changed much—it hadn’t darkened at all since before, remaining bright. Wearing common clothes, he felt neither cold nor hot.

Originally planning to walk along the bluestone street to the mountain foot, Yun Li told him there was a teleportation array leading directly there, which surprised Donghua Yufan.

“Did the master say anything else?”

“The honored master said that I should come to the mountain foot every day to check if anyone has sent a transmission talisman,” Yun Li said, glancing at Donghua Yufan’s expression before sighing in relief. Seeing several white-glowing paper cranes floating outside, she continued, “Like this one. The honored master said that if a transmission talisman arrives, Miss, you can open it to see.”

Curious, Donghua Yufan took a paper crane and opened it. The message read:

“Uncle Donghua, your common clothes are ready. Please let us know if you have sent someone to collect them or if the junior should deliver them to Thousand Ancient Cold.” The sender left their name and address.

After reading, Donghua Yufan’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of subtle emotion flickering across his face.