After resting for a moment, Bai Shuying stood up and began to apply her new ideas to her movement art, Lotus Steps.
"Let's see if I angle my foot this way."
Bai Shuying started to angle her foot in a different direction and focused her Yin energy into her foot.
A faint lotus started to form on the sole of her foot, following the angle and direction of the foot.
"Hahaha, so it does do it."
Bai Shuying wanted to see if the lotus would form in any angle and direction her foot was in. This allowed her to perform maneuvers in a three-dimensional way rather than the two-dimensional way of left, right, front, and back.
Bai Shuying zipped through the air at different angles, almost like viewing a ball bouncing in a cube.
She stood still with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily, looking at the ground.
In her view came delicate jade toes painted red, Bai Shuying looked up and exclaimed.
"Master!"
"Are you practicing?"
"Yes, I'm practicing my movement art."
"Good! Keep it up, your efforts will pay off later."
Bai Shuying smiled at her master's words of encouragement and looked down in thought.
Hua Xiran waited for Bai Shuying to finish thinking.
Hmm, what's this smell?
Hua Xiran's nose twitched, smelling a nice fragrance, and looked at the sweating Bai Shuying.
"Master, can you explain the cultivation realms?"
"Oh, sorry, you cultivated quicker than I expected. I would have forgotten until you mentioned it."
"It's okay, master, I did not expect to go this far either."
Hua Xiran pulled out two cushions and placed them on the ground.
"Here, take a seat."
"Thank you, master."
Bai Shuying sat down on the cushion without realizing Hua Xiran was taking big breaths through her nose when she was not paying attention.
"Okay, let's start with…"
The Qi Condensation realm is the first step onto the path of cultivation, consisting of nine stages. Practitioners draw wisps of ambient qi into the body, circulating through the meridian channels. As they progress through each stage, by reaching the late stage, they start to awaken their spiritual roots.
"Normally, this is what all cultivators do, but you are different."
Bai Shuying was surprised.
"Huh?"
I'm abnormal?
"You already reached the Tier 1 Spirit Beast core a long time ago."
Bai Shuying nodded.
"You said that before, but I'm not sure when."
"That does not matter; what matters is that your core automatically started to absorb ambient qi and spread it all over your body. The qi you absorbed should not have any element, but yours, after being refined in your body, turned into Yin energy. "
Bai Shuying tilted her head in confusion and asked.
"Is that not the same for everyone else?"
Hua Xiran calmly replied.
"No, usually humans awaken the spiritual roots, then reach the foundation establishment stage, only then does qi take on the elemental quality your spiritual root has affinity for."
"Mine already had Yin quality."
"That's why you're different. When you did awaken your spiritual roots, nothing happened except the quantity and quality of your Yin energy increased, and you turned out to have a single element Yin spiritual roots."
Bai Shuying worriedly asked.
"Is a single element bad?"
Hua Xiran shook her head and said.
"No, it's a heaven-defying talent! The less affinities you have, the easier it is to progress, but this does not decide everything, as long as a person puts in the effort, they can progress with mixed spiritual roots."
Bai Shuying curiously asked.
"What about master and senior sister?"
Hua Xiran took a moment, then replied.
"In Meilin's case, her spiritual roots have two affinities, Yin and Earth, but it's not a big deal since she possesses the pure Yin body. As for me, I have a single affinity, spiritual roots of Yang and a pure Yang body."
Bai Shuying was shocked.
"Pure Yang body?! How is that possible? Aren't you a woman master?"
Hua Xiran narrowed her eyes at Bai Shuying.
Bai Shuying, knowing what she said implied, quickly spoke.
"C-cough, you know what I mean, master."
Hua Xiran, ignoring her comment, continued to speak.
"It is nearly impossible for a woman to have it, Near! Not impossible, a man can have a Yin body, but we have not seen it yet."
Bai Shuying nodded her head in agreement and remembered.
"Oh, so when you said you use Yin object, you meant…"
"Yes, I practice the Yin-Yang Fusion Scripture because I had no choice back then, by using Yin objects to cultivate."
Bai Shuying asked in doubt.
"Can you always do that, master? What happens when you run out?"
Hua Xiran looked at Bai Shuying meaningfully and said in a soft voice.
"No worry, I already found a solution."
Bai Shuying smiled with relief and said.
"Oh, thank goodness!"
Bai Shuying was curious about something Hua Xiran had mentioned before and asked.
"What's a special physique?"
Hua Xiran thought for a moment and replied.
"No idea, some people are born with it. Even if you have it, it does not mean much, just a little head start from the starting line compared to others."
Feeling the discussion going off track, Hua Xiran said.
"Enough with the tangents, let's go back to you. You already have everything people want to accomplish in that realm. As you increase in stage, your spiritual sense, physical enhancement, and basic elemental manipulation just improve."
Bai Shuying felt proud of herself and asked.
"I see, so what about the foundation establishment realm?"
Hua Xiran smiled and explained.
"For humans, they would open their dantian to store qi permanently and cleanse the body of impurities. The goal of this stage is to solidify the qi into a stable foundation. Once you enter this realm, your true qi will circulate automatically, and you'll be able to use low-tier spells."
Bai Shuying tilted her head in confusion.
"Dantian?"
"A dantian is a space located inside the body where the naval is. That's for normal cultivators, but you're different."
Bai Shuying was shocked and thought.
Damn! Why do I feel like a freak?!
Thinking about the Blooming Lotus art, she quickly asked.
"Is it because I already opened the dantian?"
Hua Xiran answered.
"Yes and no. You opened the space for two reasons: one, you have a demon core residing in that space, and you became a spirit beast; two, you cultivated the Blooming Lotus cultivation technique. You opened it, but you can't store qi. You don't have access to it because you did not reach the foundation establishment realm."
Bai Shuying was baffled.
"What does it have to do with the demon core and the Blooming Lotus art?"
Hua Xiran giggled at her surprise and said.
"Demons do not have that space in their body. When they cultivate, they are just increasing the tier of their core, but you're a hybrid, not much information out there about them. I'm assuming it is a reason because it's in the dantian. The Blooming Lotus art creates a lotus in the dantian. You'll truly reap the benefits when you reach the next realm."
Bai Shuying thought of something and asked.
"Wait, does that mean my core has an elemental affinity as well?"
Hua Xiran nodded her head and said.
"Yes, it's most likely Yin affinity."
Bai Shuying's eyes widened in thought.
What kind of Yin freak am I?
Bai Shuying curiously asked.
"Master, why are you so sure it's Yin?"
Hua Xiran looked at Bai Shuying weirdly and said.
"Foxes align with the Yin element, they're not known as seductresses for nothing."
Bai Shuying was flustered.
"Wha-what?! Do those even have a connection?"
Hua Xiran tried to suppress her grin and laughter.
"Ptfff~, well, women are Yin and men are Yang, harmony, my disciple."
I would take you seriously if you didn't have that grin on your face.
Bai Shuying smirked and said.
"Master, your Yang."
Hua Xiran pouted and replied.
"Hmph, yeah, is there an issue?"
Bai Shuying thought her master looked cute and replied absent-mindedly.
"Hmm, no."
Hua Xiran smiled.
"Sooner or later, you'll know that's a good thing."
Why would I find that a good thing?
Bai Shuying felt she should change the subject and asked.
"Master, what are lower-tier spells?"
Hua Xiran thought for a moment and said.
"Lower-tier spells are skills that use elemental qi energy. The Lotus Steps that you practice are a form of lower-tier spell."
Bai Shuying tilted her head.
"It is?"
Hua Xiran further explained.
"Yes, Martial Arts uses the physical body to perform actions. As cultivators, we use qi with the martial arts by enhancing our bodies to go beyond what we are physically capable of. Now using qi energy with elemental qualities, we create actions that generate a phenomenon in the physical world."
Hua Xiran lifts her palm, focusing her qi with fire quality, then striking her palm in the air.
A palm made of fire was projected into the air, going forward until it dissipated.
Hua Xiran proudly looked at Bai Shuying as if trying to impress her and said.
"See?"
Martial Arts began from observing the world. That is why most techniques are named after beasts. Humans, by watching beasts, mimic the actions of beasts, but find it difficult to adapt to the different body structure, they then adapt it to the human body.
Bai Shuying was dazzled for a moment, then asked.
"You said only foundation establishment cultivators could practice it, but I'm a qi condensation cultivator, and I could do that."
Hua Xiran seriously stated.
"That's because you're abnormal."
Bai Shuying was exasperated and thought.
Is that going to be the reason to explain my situation from now on?!
Hua Xiran, amused by her irritation, said.
"Pftt! It's due to your Yin energy quality and quantity being potent enough, allowing you to do it. Now, any low-tier spell you perform will have Yin energy imbued in it, giving it the quality of coldness."
Bai Shuying nodded her head.
"I see."
Hux Xrian continued to explain.
"For the core formation realm, you just create a core in the dantian, I won't go to much in detail since you are far from getting there."
Bai Shuying thought for a moment and asked.
"What about my demon core?"
Hua Xiran tilted her head and said in doubt.
"I'm not sure, but I think if you want to break through realms safely, both cultivation systems should be equal to balance itself out."
Bai Shuying took a breath and said.
"If I want to break through, my demon core has to reach Tier 2 Elemental Beast."
Hua Xiran was unsure.
"I'm assuming, I don't know for sure, but you'll have to figure it out when you reach that point. For demons, cultivation of their core is just accumulating energy."
Bai Shuying nodded.
"If it's just accumulating energy, then should I just consume pills?"
Hua Xiran looked as if Bai Shuying were a fool and said.
"No, try to avoid consuming any pills if possible."
Bai Shuying frowned and asked.
"Why?"
Hua Xiran explained.
"The majority of pills contain impurities. When you consume them, those impurities will be stored in your body. It will start to accumulate over time as you take more pills, causing you to have a weak foundation."
Bai Shuying showed her understanding.
"Oh, we did discuss pill purity in the alchemy class."
Hua Xiran stood up and said her finishing remarks.
"Well, that's it for now. I'll come back when I have time to discuss something with you. Keep practicing hard, it will pay off later."
After saying this, Hua Xiran vanished. Bai Shuying cupped her hands and bowed.
"Thank you, Master, for your guidance!"
I wonder what the master wanted to discuss?
…
After Bai Shuying took a bath and rubbed herbs on her body to cover the scent that was leaking out due to the fragrance trait. She made her way to the Sutra Pavilion.
Having the conversation with her master made something clear to Bai Shuying.
I am uneducated!
"I don't know anything about the world."
Bai Shuying was average when it came to test scores, but her intelligence was slightly above average. Now realizing how dumb she was, it felt as if her pride was hit.
I need to learn, and the best place to go to is the Sutra Pavilion.
Bai Shuying entered the Sutra Pavilion she greeted Elder Qin.
"Hi, Elder Qin."
Elder Qin glanced at Bai Shuying and nodded his head, then focused on the book he was reading.
Bai Shuying looked at the book Elder Qin was reading after seeing the title she shook her head and went to the left.
Still reading garbage.
Bai Shuying browsed the first floor she grabbed all the books about history, geography, and sects.
The other disciples were surprised someone was taking piles and piles of books.
"Is she going to read all those?"
"No way. She'll probably skim through them."
As they whispered, Bai Shuying found a secluded table and took a seat.
The first book she started with was titled Yin-Yang Sect for Dummies.
I would have never thought I would read books like this. Oh, how far I have fallen.
Yin-Yang Sect is structured into outer and inner circles with a total of thirty-two elders, sixteen outer elders and sixteen inner elders. The main peak, where the sect master resides, deals with administrative tasks. The Yin-Yang Sutra Pavilion stores and records information ranging from arts to history. The Yin-Yang prison, which houses criminals. Then there are the five halls: the Alchemy Hall, which consists of alchemists, the Refining Hall consists of refiners, the Multi Hall consists of talisman masters, beast tamers, etc., the Combat Hall, where duels and combat puppets for training are, and lastly the Task Hall assigns task for disciple to complete and handles exchanges of contribution points and spirit stones for goods.
Wow! There's so much I've been neglecting. I should check out these combat puppets.
Bai Shuying muttered in a low voice.
"I wonder who wrote such a comprehensive book on the Yin-Yang Sect."
"Achoo!"
"Sect master, you've been sneezing a lot lately."
"It could be the dust on these papers."
Bai Shuying finished reading the book and grabbed the next one.
I'm so dumb, I didn't even know the currency here, I've only been bartering!
Mortals use copper, silver, and gold taels, while cultivators use spirit stones based on their sizes of small, medium, and large.
100 coppers are equivalent to 1 silver, and 100 silvers are equivalent to 1 gold.
100 small spirit stones are equal to 1 medium spirit stone, and 1000 medium spirit stones are equal to 1 larger spirit stone.
So I'm practically broke! Poor!
Bai Shuying felt like crying at the realization of her current financial situation.
Wait, I own a house, but I don't have proof of ownership. Was I just a squatter then?!
Bai Shuying never viewed her residence as a house, just pieces of wood stuck together. It only became a house after Su Meilin renovated it. The chief of the village deals with ownership rights for the land and then reports to the authority above them, but no one cared about telling Bai Shuying. They all thought she was an orphan and did not want to make things difficult for her.