A strange surge of energy was crushing Su Jing's body.

It was as if she had the power to do everything she wanted, yet something was limiting her. Clearly, the culprit was her mortal body, not used to Qi Energy being directly linked to its dantian.

Meditating, she mended her remaining chaotic Qi. Su Jing stayed in this position for a few minutes, and when she opened her eyes slightly to peek through them, she saw a certain white shadow again. 

Li Yuan dwelled across the table from Su Jing, his face contorted in an ugly manner. ”You shook me out of my meditation.” With a grimace, he touched his forehead as if it hurt. Upon seeing him like that, Su Jing got worried about his condition.

"Did my Qi flow affect you?" she asked, trying to take a closer look at him. "If you want, I can search for some calming talismans."

She wasn't sure what would work on a bodiless entity like him, but she couldn't just leave him like that! Su Jing got up as she said that, but Li Yuan signalled her to sit back down.

"No need. Do not busy yourself," he replied, casting a more attentive gaze her way. "I noticed your Qi Energies were a bit erratic, so I kept an eye on you. Unfortunately, your breakthrough happened spontaneously, and it didn't give me enough time to react."

Su Jing frowned, unaware that she unconsciously did that to Li Yuan. 

Now that she thought about it, it was not recommended to breakthrough on your own. Yawen said to her that many times, yet it seems she did not listen to him and went into it alone. 

”Thank you.” she said to Li Yuan, "I might have ended up with meridian wounds if you hadn't intervened.”

And it's not like she had the miraculous medicine of the female lead!

Li Yuan sighed as if tired, "I was not the only one. That senior brother of yours arrived from time to time and watched over you. He left just a few moments ago."

Remembering how smoothly the Earth Qi had flowed, it was most likely his doing. His Earth Root was strong, so he had much more power in controlling this type of Qi. 

"I should have told him last night that I would cultivate!" Su Jing lamented in frustration. 

Li Yuan, however, furrowed his brow upon hearing her words, and he couldn't help but interject, "What do you mean? It's been a week since you started cultivating. You could not have possibly contacted him yesterday."

He side-eyed her while Su Jing froze at his words.

Days? During cultivation, she felt that only a few minutes had passed! Su Jing couldn't fathom how the intense focus of her cultivation had distorted her perception of time so drastically.

As she looked around the room, she noticed that someone had been taking care of the mess. The pot with soil she used was put elsewhere, and everything had been tidied up. Su Jing was certain that she had not left things like that!

”How could that happen? What about the Medical Contest?”

If she counted right, today should be the day the Medical Contest began awaiting its contestants! All the main characters should be already around this area!

She put her hands through her hair, unprepared to meet Fen Yulei or Feng Zhihao! She left this issue for later yet it seemed like time wanted to make a joke to her and propulsed her seven days ahead!

”That is not your issue for now, anyway. ” Li Yuan responded, finding her dramatic in her acting, ”There is a barrier array that obscures your Qi Energies. We can not get out till he deactives it."

”...”

Su Jing admired Yawen's dedication to keep her safe but sometimes it was exaggerated! Yawen had probably not expected her to wake up so soon and had, therefore, left the array ongoing. 

She could only search for the so-called talismans now that she was entrapped here! Su Jing opened the books she used for calligraphy practice, recalling that she had placed them somewhere around. 

As soon as she found them, she ripped one, its fragments disappearing to send a call to Yawen. The Medical Contest was organised at the border of the sect, where any contestant, be it from the sect or not, could participate. So Yawen most probably was around there.

Su Jing sits down back, this time beside Li Yuan. He looked at her in boredom.

”You can meditate again till Yawen comes here.” Su Jing proposed, ”I will watch over you.”

Recalling how he was when she had opened her eyes from cultivation, Su Jing realized that her Qi must have backlashed on him. It would be better for him to heal himself as soon as possible.

Even so, Li Yuan got out his black fan instead, starting to fawn himself.

”I already meditated enough. I would do that later.” he refused calmly, extending the awkward silence in the room.

Though he did not say it, Su Jing understood that Li Yuan wanted to meditate, but out of this place!

She wanted that too - but Yawen would take his time since he was busy with the event that probably already began! Su Jing sighed, expecting a long waiting period for them.

As she looked over the things on the table, Su Jing noticed the storage bag she hadn't been able to open for a long time. The small bag was standing beside her practice books, making it clear that Yawen put it there for her to see.

Quickly grabbing it, she was eager to test her new abilities. She got her head with problems and did not have the time to celebrate that she was a Qi Refinement cultivator!

She focused her Qi energy on the tips of her fingers, swiftly circulating it around the bag. She had read about this technique before, but experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different sensation. Her Qi was as playful and childlike as her newfound cultivation.

Not much time passed and it opened!

Su Jing gasped excitedly and flipped the bag, trying to make the things fall. Unfortunately, this did not work since the mechanism did not apply to the natural laws.

So Su Jing put her hand in it and took out the first thing she touched. As she pulled it out, she was struck by how much more spacious the bag's interior seemed than its exterior. A strange sensation tingled at her fingertips.

”Metal nails?”

Su Jing frowned as her palm was full of small nails, some of which fell on the table. 

She continued to retrieve more and more nails until a small pile formed on the table, creating a tiny peak.

”Just what are these? Do they want me to become a constructor?”

Of all the things she thought about, nails were the last thing she expected!

”These are no usual nails. It seems they are infused with densely packed metal qi.” Li Yuan explained.

Su Jing frowned, taking a nail and looking at it. It was normal, yet as she held it too much in her hand, her skin started to swell. 

”Ow, it hurts,” she said as she fluttered her hand. 

Her palm appeared untouched, yet the pain was still there. Was that why Yawen instructed her to also learn metal and fire Qi?

She moved them sideways with her sleeve, not wanting to touch these strange cultivator things. 

Su Jing next got out some more books and jade tablets.

Quickly skimming through them, all the materials were neatly structured, showing that their author was someone experienced in cultivation - though it had not Yawen's calligraphy. 

Li Yuan also briefly looked at the books she opened, not touching them. Su Jing thought that maybe he was too shy to ask to see so she put a few books in fron of him. 

Li Yuan instead gave her a side glance, stopping using his fan, "I have no interest in those. I am not a cultivator,” he said. ”They are only resourceful for you.”

He put the tip of the fan on the books, taping on them a few times.

Su Jing looked after them and recognised that these textbooks were for each level in Qi's refinement. There were also a few about pharmacology, talismans and arrays, which Su Jing opened interested in their beautiful drawings. 

Recalling the book Yawen made her, it seemed that he inspired himself by this author.

Su Jing carefully arranged them on the table, noticing how something shined from Li Yuan's direction. She looked over and saw a beautiful jade bracelet that lingered around Li Yuan's fan. He looked at it from a distance as if not wanting to touch it directly.

”Wow, this is so pretty!” Su Jing exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the shimmering crystal jewel. The vivid green hues of the jade seemed to radiate with an otherworldly energy, giving the air of a powerful ancient artefact.

Li Yuan tilted his head slightly, studying the bracelet with a somewhat indifferent expression. "That is a soul-locking antique," he explained, using his fan to gently touch the surface of the jade. "It is meant to purify and heal a damaged soul. However, given the strength of your spirit, it would be of little use to you."

Su Jing listened, finding the object too beautiful to be deemed futile. She took it carefully, enjoying watching how the bracelet sparkled even more now that it was on her palm. It seemed to react to those that touched it and Li Yuan did not wish to stay too close to it.

She wanted to ask why wouldn't it be beneficial for him but she shut her mouth down, feeling that Li Yuan needed more than a bracelet to completely mend himself.

The two of them rummaged through the other books and objects, finding some first-class recovery pills, 50 coopers, 2 small-sized spiritual stones, and various tools for talismans and alchemy. These were not in perfect condition, but remembering how difficult it was to find a good furnace or brush in the novel, Su Jing was already happy enough to have the chance to see them.

Besides those, Su Jing found some handmade colourful garments. Yazhu's sewing technique was obvious since these were the most beautiful clothes Su Jing had ever seen. Her style was very detailed, showing how much passion she had for making clothes.

What surprised Su Jing was the fact that Yazhu's true calling wasn't alchemy cultivation, as she had initially assumed. Thinking about it, if in the story Feng Zhihao met Yazhu after Yawen's death, then it was no surprise that Yazhu had lost her drive to compete in alchemy. 

Su Jing carefully put all the things back in the storage back, keeping the jade bracelet on her wrist. Her own dagger and bead were put there too, bringing her a slight relief now that she had a small protection on them.

Li Yuan disappeared shortly as he sensed a presence approaching, entering the storage bag. 

Steps were quickly heard as the door next opened.

”Su Jing!”

Yawen's voice sounded in the room, worried sick as he searched with his eyes for her presence. He touched the barrier and immediately broke it with his cane, making the spiritual rocks return one by one in his storage bag.

Finally, he found her and breathed a sigh of relief. "You're finally awake!" he exclaimed, catching her shoulder and examining her from head to toe. "I thought I would have to forcefully stop you, but you have successfully passed the bottleneck."

Su Jing smiled in response, thinking that she was in luck for having Li Yuan. 

"You don't have to worry, senior brother," she said. "I'm alright."

Yawen checked her meridians, ensuring that she had not harmed herself in the process. "Qi Refinement already?" he exclaimed with a satisfied smile. "That's earlier than I expected. At this point, you can be considered as good as our top outer disciples."

He complimented her, and Su Jing blushed, feeling embarrassed. "It was all thanks to your guidance, senior brother," she said. "I still have much to learn." 

Despite her efforts to learn, Su Jing felt that her knowledge was lacking. Su Jing remembered reading some novels about people transmigrating, but now that she was in their position, she could not understand how they got so much information only from that. Cultivation seemed so abstract that even if she studied an entire library, that would not be enough. The novel only predicted a path, but even this one seemed shaky because Su Jing simply survived. 

Lost in thought, Su Jing did not notice when Yawen patted her head. "Oh, you already opened your storage bag?" he said, gesturing towards her bracelet. "I see you wore the Jadeite Bracelet." 

Su Jing held out her wrist to show him, while Yawen waved his hand, indicating that it was not necessary. "This is now yours," he said. "No one can take it off apart from you."

Surprised, Su Jing looked now more attentively at it. 

”This jadeite is made by me and Yazhu, though we can exchange it with something else if you do not like it.”

”It was made by you two?” Su Jing thought that it was some kind of ancient treasure, of how good it looked. Yawen chuckled, his lips stretching in a pretty smile.

”Yazhu is a Heavenly Metal Root. She can handcraft you almost anything if she gets her mind into it. I only made sure to put a strong spell on it, though its potency depends on its user.”

Su Jing's fingers grazed over the unfamiliar object, her mind racing to recall the other items with the same metallic energy that she had come across. Yazhu had gifted her so many things, it was almost unbelievable - yet, the girl's demeanour towards her had been anything but friendly.

”Did she and Senior Yating leave a message in the meantime?” Su Jing inquired, hoping for some sort of update.

The girls should have been with him. Yawen shook his head, sighing.

”They seem alright on their life jades, though still missing. I will wait for this event to finish and then go and look for them. Master said he would lock our peak if necessary, but he refrained from doing it since the Sect Master would be for sure in control of it.”

Su Jing frowned at the complicated situation, hoping things not get to that state. If Yawen were to leave, he would only bring his health to a poorer state, since he can't overstimulate his Qi Energy. 

”Do not worry. I have faith that they'll return unscathed. This isn't their first time venturing out on their own.”

Yawen's consolations seemed somehow to be for both of them. 

Suddenly, Yawen froze and gave a quick glance behind him. His body tensed, and he quickly turned to face Su Jing with his hand on her shoulder, like wanting to hide her.

Su Jing's heart raced as she tried to comprehend what was happening.

”Junior Uncle Wen! Where are you?”

A strong girly voice sounded, making Su Jing's hair salt in the air. That type of coquette tone was unmatched, sounding nothing else but trouble.

As she gave a small glance behind Yawens arm, Su Jing saw the most unwanted presence she could think of - Fen Yulei!