The Thousand Feather Darts naturally caught Chi Ze’s eye. He stroked the weapon gleefully; it was a fine treasure indeed, the premier tool for long-range ambushes.
Ling Xiaoyin clearly disliked the Cloud-Resting Hook. Pouting her small lips, she refused to take it. It was so ugly; she didn't want it at all. In the end, she chose a Jade Moon Pendant and a Rain Jade Hairpin. Both were mid-grade magic treasures, beautiful to look at and possessing decent power.
Zi Huang’s choice was much easier. There were many fire-attribute treasures, and she selected the Red Spirit Pearl. Zi Feng chose the Red Flame Ring. Both were mid-grade fire-attribute treasures, suitable for spirit beasts who had not yet transformed into human form.
Hei Yan took a liking to the Heavy Cloud Cover, a mid-grade earth-attribute defensive treasure, and tucked it away with satisfaction.
Seeing that everyone had made their choices, Li Xue finally breathed a sigh of relief. *Fortunately, my net worth is quite substantial,* she thought. *Otherwise, I would have been left destitute long ago.*
After preparing the pills and everything else needed for her seclusion, Li Xue began her deep cultivation. She had not entered a long-term seclusion since stabilizing her realm after Core Formation. One reaps what one sows, and cultivation was no different.
First, she consumed Qi-Nurturing Pills, absorbing the spiritual energy from the high-grade elixirs and slowly refining it into her Golden Core. This was her daily routine.
Next was the practice of the Golden Breath Art. Cultivating one's divine sense was also vital. In the future, she would need a specialized magic treasure for her divine sense—ideally one that could grow in rank—so that her mental power could exert its maximum potential.
Finally, there was the tempering of the Five Elements Flying Shuttle. Any magic treasure needed to be fused with one's natal soul and practiced with until it was familiar, making it easier to drive during combat.
Thus, time flowed rapidly. For five years, Li Xue remained in seclusion within the Dream Realm.
One day, after finishing her usual cultivation, Li Xue stepped out of the Snow Whisper Cottage. She suddenly noticed that the edge of the spirit fields was extending outward at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Li Xue’s eyes widened. The spirit field, originally the size of a football pitch, had already tripled in size, and a forest had clearly emerged in the distance. Li Xue’s divine sense immediately swept over the entire Dream Realm. Her heart leaped with joy; it turned out that Ling Xiaoyin had advanced to Rank 3.
In the cave dwelling beside the spirit field, a young girl of about ten years old stood there, dancing with joy. She was clearly very excited.
“Xiaoyin, congratulations on growing up!” Li Xue looked at the young girl, who looked exactly like her younger self. She couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful and adorable she must have been at ten.
“Haha! I’ve finally grown up! Does this mean I can go out and play now?” What Ling Xiaoyin cared about most was likely going outside.
“Of course. From now on, why don't you call me 'Mother,' just like Xiao Lin does?” Li Xue said tenderly.
“Mother!” Xiaoyin called out sweetly. That trace of bloodline connection was more than enough for her to regard Li Xue as her mother.
“Mhm. Do you know why the spirit fields outside have grown larger?” Li Xue asked.
“Huh?” Xiaoyin was also surprised. she hurried out of the cave dwelling to take a look. Sure enough, the area beyond the spirit fields had become a forest. The Dream Realm had expanded again.
“Oh my, a forest has appeared! I still have so many tree seeds I haven't collected yet. This is perfect!” Xiaoyin ran off happily to inspect the woods, wondering how she should go about gathering seeds.
Li Xue fell into deep thought. The appearance of this forest was certainly related to Xiaoyin’s advancement. Could it be that her Wood Essence was linked to the Dream Realm itself?
Li Xue performed several hand seals, and soon, Li Lin, Chi Ze, and Hei Yan all entered the Dream Realm.
The three of them were stunned upon entry, followed by great joy. The Dream Realm had expanded again, and now there was even a forest. This meant the wood attribute had reached a certain threshold.
Previously, after the Earth Essence joined, the cliffs had grown larger and the mountains taller, though no one could yet climb high enough to see what was at the peaks.
Now that Ling Xiaoyin had reached Rank 3, a forest had emerged, proving even more effective than the Earth Essence. It seemed they would need to pay more attention to the Earth Essence’s growth in the future.
At this point, Li Xue and Li Lin understood: the five elemental essences could promote the development of the Dream Realm. Now, as soon as the two of them entered a state of meditation, they could clearly feel a massive aura of the wood attribute.
Chi Ze happily picked up Ling Xiaoyin. “Xiaoyin, you’re amazing! Look, this whole forest appeared because you advanced!”
Ling Xiaoyin was also delighted because the species in this forest were all rare varieties not found in the ordinary cultivation world. As a flora spirit, the more precious wood-attribute life there was, the more beneficial it was for her cultivation.
“Xiaoyin, you can try out your Exquisite Whip now,” Li Lin said gently.
“That’s right! The high-grade treasure Brother refined for me—I haven't even bound it yet!” Ling Xiaoyin rushed back to her cave dwelling to refine her new magic treasure.
Seeing Xiaoyin’s energetic manner, Li Xue felt a warmth in her heart. This girl’s personality was truly similar to her own when she was a child.
The Exquisite Whip was a high-grade magic treasure Li Lin had crafted for Xiaoyin. The reason he chose a whip was due to the Jade Heart Art she practiced.
The Jade Heart Art contained two major techniques: the Withered Wood Art and the Spring Return Art.
The Withered Wood Art could directly cause the life force of any living being to dissipate. If used by someone with immense power, such as an Immortal or a God, it could instantly destroy all life on one or even several planets. It was terrifyingly powerful.
The other, the Spring Return Art, was a healing technique. Only those with great power could achieve the effect of bringing the dead back to life.
Currently, both techniques were of little practical use to Xiaoyin. At her current level, one use of the Withered Wood Art could only make the leaves of a small tree turn yellow. Thus, it wasn't viable for combat yet.
“Xiaoyin, doesn't your Withered Wood Art have a move similar to 'Falling Leaves'?” Li Lin had asked her before. He had used a similar move back when he used the Cloud-Turning Whip.
“Yes, but Falling Leaves can only knock down things like leaves and flower petals!” Xiaoyin explained.
“If you used it on an opponent, could it knock all their clothes off?” Chi Ze asked somewhat wickedly.
“Uh, I suppose it could!” Xiaoyin thought it over and decided it was possible.
“Then isn't that great? At least it would catch the opponent off guard, wouldn't it?” Chi Ze added.
Li Xue imagined an opponent being stripped bare by Xiaoyin’s Falling Leaves move, standing there stark naked. The thought gave her the chills. She couldn't help but exclaim, “Ze, you’re too wicked! That wouldn't just be catching them off guard—they’d be flying into a rage from the embarrassment!”
“It’s just stripping them; what’s there to be so angry about? I really don't understand the way humans think,” Chi Ze grumbled softly.
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
千羽镖 | Thousand Feather Darts | A water-attribute magic treasure used for long-range attacks.
栖云钩 | Cloud-Resting Hook | A wood-attribute magic treasure.
碧月佩 | Jade Moon Pendant | A mid-grade magic treasure chosen by Ling Xiaoyin.
雨玉簪 | Rain Jade Hairpin | A mid-grade magic treasure chosen by Ling Xiaoyin.
赤灵珠 | Red Spirit Pearl | A fire-attribute magic treasure chosen by Zi Huang.
赤炎环 | Red Flame Ring | A fire-attribute magic treasure chosen by Zi Feng.
重云罩 | Heavy Cloud Cover | An earth-attribute defensive magic treasure chosen by Hei Yan.
金息诀 | Golden Breath Art | A cultivation technique focusing on the divine sense.
玉心诀 | Jade Heart Art | Ling Xiaoyin's primary cultivation method.
枯木诀 | Withered Wood Art | A destructive wood-attribute technique.
逢春诀 | Spring Return Art | A healing wood-attribute technique.
落叶飘零 | Falling Leaves | A specific move within the Withered Wood Art.
玲珑鞭 | Exquisite Whip | A high-grade magic treasure Li Lin refined for Ling Xiaoyin.
