Lan Yingqing! A rising star in the Cultivation World and the Palace Master of Xiaoyao Palace! Having ascended to the position of Palace Master while merely in the Golden Core Stage, his mastery of talismans was nothing short of miraculous, allowing him to completely crush any cultivation level below the Deity Transformation mid-stage!
After all, there were only five individuals in this entire world at the Soul Formation Stage! And those at the Deity Transformation Stage were extremely rare as well!
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lan!"
That single address of "Senior Brother Lan" caused Lan Yingqing to pause in surprise, after which the corners of his lips curved upward into a smile and he nodded.
The other three, however, were having none of it! Resentful glances were repeatedly cast in Jin Bao'er's direction.
"Little Junior Sister, you never call me that~"
Fourth Senior Brother Guan Ziyun, sporting a bird's nest of messy hair, wore an expression full of grievance and the sorrow of an aggrieved wife.
Jin Bao'er finally snapped back to reality. She took a step forward, cupped her fists, and said, "Jin Bao'er greets Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Brother! Being new here, I must ask all my senior brothers to bear with me!"
These words left everyone present stunned for a moment. Realizing something was amiss, Jin Bao'er hesitated and asked, "Is something wrong?"
Third Senior Brother sighed, his eyes complicated. "Nothing's wrong. I just didn't expect our little junior sister to be so well-mannered at only ten years of age. There's no need to be so restrained from now on! Come on, let's go eat first, then we'll wash up, sleep, and resume cultivation tomorrow!"
With that, he took the initiative to hold Jin Bao'er's hand. Feeling her stiffness and resistance, a pang of slight heartache touched him—the child must have been through a great deal to be so cautious.
In reality, Jin Bao'er was simply unaccustomed to it, especially since her fingers had been severed in her past life, leaving her completely ignorant of what holding hands felt like...
That night, facing everyone's warm hospitality, she felt a complex mix of emotions. Having lived for thirty years, no one had ever treated her this way. At the sight of her bowl piled with meat and vegetables that was larger than her face, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
Her once-scarred heart seemed to receive a measure of nourishment, yet when she closed her eyes to sleep, the agony of her golden core and spiritual roots self-destructing not long ago made it impossible for her to rest.
She simply sat cross-legged and quietly sensed the surrounding spiritual energy...
As a Cultivator who once possessed a mid-level Golden Core cultivation, she was more than familiar with the basics of absorbing spiritual energy. Before she knew how much time had passed, she finally stepped into Qi Condensation Level 1!
By then, day had broken! The nourishment of the spiritual energy left her feeling full of vigor, entirely free of the exhaustion of staying up late.
"Boom!"
A loud crash rang out. Jin Bao'er immediately pressed herself against the wall in vigilance, her muscles tensing up all over as her gaze locked fixedly on the doorway, ready to protect herself in the most perfect defensive posture...
This was a habit cultivated during those years of being hunted! And thanks to this instinctive reflex, she had evaded numerous sneak attacks!
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and Third Senior Brother Luo Nanshan's anxious and caring voice soon came from outside the door. Only then did she snap out of it, realizing she was being overly suspicious.
"Little Junior Sister, are you awake?"
She walked over and opened the door to find the plump, white-faced man sweating profusely, the air around him carrying a faint fishy scent. She smiled slightly.
"Good morning, Third Senior Brother!"
Seeing this, Luo Nanshan finally heaved a sigh of relief and complained, "Did I frighten the Little Junior Sister? It's all Old Fourth's fault! His alchemy furnace blew up again, and as soon as I heard the noise, I rushed over..."
Hearing his explanation, Jin Bao'er remembered the bird's nest-haired Guan Ziyun from yesterday. It seemed they took their alchemy furnaces very seriously indeed!
"Hehe, don't mind him, Little Junior Sister. Are you hungry? I made you some delicious clear-pork whitefish soup. A light and easily digestible meal is best in the morning. You're still growing, so you need to nourish yourself properly..."
Jin Bao'er finally understood where the fishy smell from earlier had come from—Third Senior Brother had actually gone out of his way to stew fish soup for her at the crack of dawn...
She was not someone easily moved, especially having just experienced such a despairing ordeal not long ago. At this moment, her heart was in turmoil. They were practically strangers, yet why were they treating her so well?
In the days of being hunted, she had killed Demon Races, monster beasts, and Cultivators alike, because it was a matter of kill or be killed. Given a second chance at life, could she actually receive care from others?
The young girl pressed her lips together and softly murmured a word of thanks. This sight filled Luo Nanshan with a helpless ache in his heart; it was clear his junior sister must have had a terribly hard life before! He would definitely have to cook more delicious, nourishing food for her from now on!
(And so, Jin Bao'er had meat with every meal. In less than seven days, some meat appeared on her little face, and she rounded out at a visible rate...)
After the meal, today's formal cultivation began. Although the old man's cultivation wasn't particularly high, he was at the Deity Transformation mid-stage and was still capable of guiding a young girl into the Qi Condensation stage. The other six arrived after hearing the news as well!
Aside from the four from yesterday, the remaining two were Second Senior Brother and Seventh Senior Brother, who had been absent yesterday.
"So this is the Little Junior Sister. She's so cute, just a bit... young! Well, I suppose she'll grow up in a few years..."
Jin Bao'er looked at the mesmerizingly handsome man standing before her, lowering her head and drooping her gaze! "... " She was truly sorry for being so young, hmph!
Seeing her show no reaction, the handsome man waved his hand in self-amused boredom.
"Alright, I am your Second Senior Brother Qian Futu! And that fellow over there is your Seventh Senior Brother Du Hengchang..."
With that, he leaned in close to Jin Bao'er and whispered, "Don't let his honest and dutiful appearance fool you; he's actually the biggest hypocrite of us all. A grown man, yet he wears floral underwear..."
Before he could finish speaking, the painfully earnest-looking young man nearby flushed a brilliant red and roared angrily, "Qian Futu, what nonsense are you spouting! She's still a child!"
The handsome man curled his lips at this, stubbornly and sophistically arguing, "What, did I say something wrong? I clearly saw your floral under—mph..."
Before he could finish, Du Hengchang lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth, his entire face turning the color of pig liver!
Watching this bickering pair, Jin Bao'er faintly caught a whiff of something unusual, though she said nothing.
"Ahem, alright! I'm starting the lesson!"
The old man's voice interrupted their squabble, and he began earnestly explaining to Jin Bao'er the methods for absorbing spiritual energy, along with the location of the Dantian and other such basics...
Jin Bao'er listened attentively, feeling as though a lifetime had passed. Long ago, the methods she had learned were things she had figured out entirely on her own. Immortal Venerable Louyun had simply handed her a mental cultivation manual, offered a couple of pointers, and left her to study it by herself.
When she finally mastered it and eagerly tried to teach Su Xianzhi so they could progress together, it had drastically slowed down her own cultivation pace, ultimately leading to her being mocked as foolish for wasting such great talent.
Resentment bubbled up once more, and a wave of fear and fury swept through her entire body.
"Bao'er? My good disciple? What's wrong?"
Jin Bao'er snapped violently back to reality, only then realizing that she had unconsciously immersed herself in her memories, her emotions fluctuating wildly to the point where even her Dantian was beginning to ache slightly...
Lowering her head, she felt remorse for her momentary lapse. She had already been given a second chance; she should be focusing on the present. How could she so easily let herself be shackled by the past?
"Forgive me, Master, I drifted off!"
The old man was stunned at first, but the very next second, his expression turned utterly astonished.
"You... have already entered Qi Condensation Level 1?"