The next day, Bai Sinan crawled out of bed at the crack of dawn. She had been so excited about the prospect of her master teaching her to cultivate that she barely slept a wink.
However, while the ideal was beautiful, reality was cruel. Her very first task of the morning was to fetch water from the river at the Back Mountain!
Bai Sinan’s face fell. Was this just physical training? Was she not yet worthy of touching the mystical arts?
Luochen said calmly, "Your body is too frail and lacks flexibility. Mastering spiritual power right now would be of no benefit to you."
Bai Sinan thought: *That sounds reasonable enough, but even if it weren't, what else could I do?*
In the end, she strapped on two large buckets and headed to the Back Mountain. An hour later, Bai Sinan practically crawled back. She felt as though those two buckets were heavier than her entire five-year-old frame. Was this physical training? This was training for her survival!
Just as she was about to collapse, Luochen said in a flat tone, "Too slow. I’ll add a penalty of two hours in a horse stance."
"?"
Was that even something a human would say?
Seeing her remain motionless for a long time, Luochen channeled a sliver of divine power toward her. Bai Sinan was forced into a horse stance, her posture becoming unnaturally perfect, unable to move a muscle.
"Master, can I cry?"
"Why cry?" Luochen asked, looking puzzled.
Bai Sinan feigned profundity. "The wind is too strong; it’s gotten into my eyes..."
Luochen raised an eyebrow, a rare expression for him, despite the fact that there wasn't a breath of wind.
And so, the miserable days wore on. Over the next two years, the entire Qingxian Palace underwent a complete transformation. Whenever Bai Sinan had a moment of leisure, she would plant flowers, trees, and shrubs. After that, she dug several ponds and filled them with fish fry.
The Qingxian Palace was no longer the desolate, cold place it once was; it was now vibrant with life. From a distance, it truly looked like a celestial realm.
Meanwhile, her training never slackened. During this time, Luochen piled on more exercises: standing poles, walking poles, martial arts drills, and more. Anyone watching might have thought they had stumbled into the Shaolin Temple and were about to be tonsured as monks.
Yet, it must be said, the results were excellent. While she couldn't quite be described as "light as a swallow" or "sweeping a crowd with a staff," her reaction time and physical stamina far exceeded what she had possessed before her transmigration. She felt that with her seven-year-old body, she could take on ten of her twenty-year-old past selves with a single punch.
"From today on, I will formally teach you how to cultivate," Luochen said coolly.
Bai Sinan had waited exactly two years for those words. She was so thrilled that she leaped into the air, threw her arms around Luochen’s waist, and exclaimed, "Awoo! I can finally start cultivating! My miserable life is finally coming to an end! Yay, yay, yay!"
Luochen’s body stiffened. Although the little girl had pounced on him more than a few times over the past two years, he still wasn't quite used to it.
Bai Sinan, lost in her ecstasy, didn't care. She was practically delirious with joy. No one knew how miserable the past year had been—it was a living hell. Now that she could finally cultivate, she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
Luochen silently peeled her off his waist and said ruthlessly, "Cultivating does not exempt you from your physical training."
"..." Was that something a human would say?
Over the past year, Bai Sinan had read many books to understand the continent she was on. It was called the Qihuang Continent, a Lower Continent where practitioners were known as Spirit Cultivators.
Spirit Cultivators were divided into eight ranks: Spirit Disciple, Minor Spirit Master, Grand Spirit Master, Spirit Lord, Spirit King, Spirit Emperor, Spirit Venerable, and Spirit Emperor, with each rank further divided into five grades.
In the Lower Continent, one could also specialize as a pure Spirit Cultivator, Body Cultivator, Sword Cultivator, Alchemist, artifact crafter, or array master—provided, of course, that one was a Spirit Cultivator to begin with.
Bai Sinan had prepared extensively for this day, terrified that she might fail to live up to the life of someone who clearly seemed to be the protagonist.
Luochen instructed her on how to sense spiritual energy and channel it into her dantian. Bai Sinan closed her eyes to focus. Although Luochen had made her meditate often, she always ended up falling asleep, so the moment she closed her eyes, she felt drowsy. She felt nothing for a long time.
*Am I a loser? Did I not get the protagonist’s script?*
*Boo-hoo, I'm crying...*
Luochen sensed her restlessness and said, "Steady your mind and calm your breath. Do not let your thoughts wander."
Bai Sinan steadied her heart and mind and tried to feel again. She felt like she was just sitting there with her eyes shut. What was she supposed to be sensing? The wind? The air? The sunlight? The moisture? She didn't know, but she felt as if something was around her—indescribable, strange. It felt as if it both existed and did not.
It seemed to be hesitating, wondering whether to touch her, or perhaps wondering in what form it should touch her.
Bai Sinan tried her best to project friendliness and focus on its presence and its form. Finally, as if having made a decision, the spiritual energy surged toward her. It had no specific attribute; it was just pure, raw spiritual energy.
A hint of surprise flashed in Luochen’s eyes as he looked at her. Although the spiritual energy in a Lower Continent was typically attribute-neutral, it usually had some inclination and would manifest as a certain color. Yet, the energy surrounding his disciple was completely colorless. Moreover, this feeling… it was almost like divine power.
The spiritual energy around her surged wildly into her dantian. She could feel it flowing through her body like blood, widening her meridians inch by inch. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the chaotic energy around her finally settled. She could feel the energy in her dantian pulse three times.
A Rank 3 Spirit Disciple!
A seven-year-old Rank 3 Spirit Disciple!
Most people began as Rank 1 Spirit Disciples, and those who reached Rank 2 were considered geniuses among geniuses, especially since most cultivators didn't even begin their training until age eight.
Bai Sinan felt as if she were floating. Surely, this was the unmistakable mark of the protagonist's script.
Luochen said calmly, "Not bad. Go wash up. Starting today, your training load will be doubled."
?
It was only when Bai Sinan smelled the foul odor coming from her body that she remembered that one's first cultivation session expels impurities. She did need a bath. But... doubled?
"Hmm?" Luochen’s voice was faint, but Bai Sinan inexplicably sensed a chill in the sound.
Bai Sinan shivered. "Got it, Master. Your disciple will go right away."
The miserable life began all over again.