Senior Sister Jiang answered questions with remarkable speed, offering immediate solutions and remedies the very moment a doubt was raised.
Listening to those questions and Senior Sister Jiang's answers, Xu Yuxiu found every one of them quite reasonable, so she carefully memorized both the questions and their solutions.
Amidst this rapid pace of questioning and answering, it was soon Xu Yuxiu's turn.
At that moment, many gazes converged upon her, and Senior Sister Jiang's eyes on the Dao Transmission Platform also turned in her direction.
Being watched by so many people for the first time, especially with a Foundation Establishment stage Senior Sister Jiang looking down from the platform, Xu Yuxiu could not help but feel a little nervous.
She stood up and began to stammer as she described the difficulties she had encountered in her cultivation.
"Senior Sister Jiang, I am a newly admitted outer disciple, and I have already successfully induced Qi into the body to reach the Qi Condensation 1st Layer. What I want to ask is, recently during my cultivation, my speed in absorbing spiritual energy has become slower and slower, and my body also has an uncomfortable sensation. What is going on?"
Hearing Xu Yuxiu's question, Senior Sister Jiang smiled faintly and said, "A newly initiated outer disciple should have been practicing for only half a month or so. The fact that you managed to successfully induce Qi into the body and reach the Qi Condensation 1st Layer in such a short time shows that your aptitude is quite good."
Senior Sister Jiang paused briefly and continued, "Your question is very easy to answer. Before I answer, let me ask you a few questions. How many hours a day do you spend on cultivation?"
"I cultivate for ten hours every day," Xu Yuxiu answered truthfully.
"Have you taken any medicinal pills?"
"Aside from Inanition Pills, I have not taken any other pills."
"Have you ever used spirit stones to aid your cultivation?"
"I have never used them."
"Then the answer is self-evident."
After asking these questions, Senior Sister Jiang said, "The path of cultivation requires a proper balance of tension and relaxation. While diligence can make up for a lack of talent, you must remember that too much of a good thing is bad.
Your problem is that over-cultivation has pushed your meridians beyond their capacity, rendering them unable to effectively absorb spiritual energy. If you were to continue like this, you would likely sustain irreversible, deep-seated injuries, and by then it would be too late for regrets!"
Upon hearing the answer, Xu Yuxiu felt as though she had been struck with a sudden realization. It was as if a bolt of thunder had exploded in her mind, leaving her standing frozen in place.
"So that's how it is!"
She murmured to herself, her gaze growing distant.
Born frail and sickly, she had been fortunate enough to encounter the path of immortality, believing that she could change her destiny solely through diligent cultivation.
Coupled with the quotas set by the sect, she felt crushed under a heavy burden. Driven by this immense pressure, she could only force herself to cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate!
Never had she imagined that her desperate drive to cultivate would turn out to be the very source of disaster. What was she supposed to do from now on?
"Snap out of it!"
Boom!
Just as Xu Yuxiu sank into self-doubt and bewilderment, a thunderous voice exploded by her ear, pulling her back from the edge of confusion.
Coming to her senses, Xu Yuxiu blankly looked up at the figure high on the platform. She involuntarily felt a stinging sensation in her nose, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up and spun within them.
Seeing Xu Yuxiu in this state, Jiang Yuyan sighed and said to her, "The path of cultivation is fraught with obstacles. One must face hardships with calmness and composure.
I do not know what you have been through, but you are still young and have plenty of time for cultivation. Do not let temporary difficulties disturb your state of mind, or you will likely stop progressing right here for the rest of your life."
This was Jiang Yuyan's piece of advice for her.
Xu Yuxiu listened and locked it deep in her heart. Fighting back the tears pooling in her eyes, she bowed deeply to Jiang Yuyan on the high platform. "Thank you, Senior Sister Jiang, for clearing my doubts. I will surely keep your teachings in mind!"
Jiang Yuyan nodded slightly, and Xu Yuxiu returned to her seat.
The questioning moved on to the next person.
Xu Yuxiu gathered her wits and once again began listening to the cultivation doubts of others and the answers provided by Senior Sister Jiang.
Time slipped quickly by amidst these questions and answers.
As dusk approached, the lecture on the Dao Transmission Platform finally came to a close.
Jiang Yuyan transformed into a wisp of light and nimble sword Qi, vanishing into the horizon, while the outer disciples dispersed in twos and threes.
Xu Yuxiu stood up and began to walk at a leisurely pace.
This time, she lacked the urgency she had felt upon arriving. She frequently stopped to admire the scenery along the way, strolling and halting by turns. She felt an incomparable relaxation in her mind and spirit, and even the fatigue in her body seemed to vanish without a trace, leaving her feeling much lighter.
"So the scenery along the road is this beautiful. Why didn't I notice it when I came?"
Life is tiring, and the path of cultivation is bitter. When exhausted, there is no harm in stopping to admire the scenery along the way; it provides at least some solace to the soul.
A gust of wind swept past, carrying the radiance of the setting sun to drape the rolling sea of bamboo in a layer of golden gauze.
Standing amidst the bamboo sea, with the gentle breeze brushing the stray locks of hair from her forehead, Xu Yuxiu felt at that moment as though she had merged with the bamboo sea itself—a wondrous and indescribable sensation.
It was right at this moment that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to gather around her body.
"This is!"
Xu Yuxiu felt a surge within her dantian, and the very next instant, she sensed the Qi Condensation Formula operating on its own, beginning to absorb and gather the spiritual energy converging around her.
Seeing this, she made no move, simply letting the technique run its course to absorb and refine the spiritual energy.
She knew not how much time had passed. When she finally awoke from that wondrous state, night had fallen, and a full, bright moon hung high in the sky.
At this moment, she felt a profound sense of fullness within her dantian.
Her divine sense probed into her dantian, only to find that a pool of spiritual power had gathered inside.
"Qi Condensation 2nd Layer!"
Xu Yuxiu could hardly believe it. Had she broken through to the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer just like that?
She carefully checked several more times, cross-referencing the descriptions in the Qi Condensation Formula, and finally confirmed that she had truly broken through to the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer.
Though she had reached the Qi Condensation 2nd Layer, Xu Yuxiu's face did not show the excitement she had anticipated; instead, she appeared remarkably calm.
The Qi Condensation 2nd Layer was merely the beginning of the path of cultivation; there was nothing worth rejoicing over.
She continued her leisurely stroll back to her courtyard.
Just as Xu Yuxiu's figure drifted further away into the bamboo forest and completely vanished without a trace, a figure materialized right where she had previously stood.
"To possess such a state of mind at such a young age—not bad!"
With these words, a gust of wind swept through, causing the bamboo forest to sway, leaving only an echo that slowly drifted away in the wind, while no trace of anyone remained amidst the bamboo.
Xu Yuxiu returned to her dwelling at a leisurely pace. The courtyard was quiet and still, with only the faint undulations of spiritual energy hinting that the other four were deep in cultivation.
Not wishing to disturb them, she gently closed the courtyard gate and returned to her room.
This time, Xu Yuxiu did not continue her cultivation. Instead, she lay down on her bed for the first time in ages, quietly drifting off to sleep.
Ever since entering the sect over half a month ago, she had rarely rested on this bed, sometimes simply taking a brief nap during meditation before quickly waking up to resume cultivation.
Such a routine was undoubtedly grueling for a young child of only seven years.
The moment she lay down, she quickly fell fast asleep.
Her sleep was long, long enough to sweep away every ounce of fatigue accumulated over the past half-month.