“When we take the Inner Sect Assessment, can we be in the same group?” Yan Xia asked, initially a little embarrassed, but gaining resolve, she asked straightforwardly. Her gaze then fixed on Chang Yi'er, her eyes filled with expectation and a touch of nervousness.
“In the same group? Is the Inner Sect Assessment done in groups?” Chang Yi'er asked, confused. So far, she had only heard Senior Brother Chen mention an Inner Sect Assessment six months after joining the sect, but she knew none of the details.
Looking back, she was now truly a cultivation hermit, oblivious to worldly affairs and solely focused on cultivation.
“Yes, Senior Sister Chang doesn’t know? Then let me tell you.” Yan Xia wasn't too surprised by Chang Yi'er's reaction, as she understood Senior Sister Chang and knew she had two main characteristics.
First, her stamina was excellent; upon entering the sect, she had surpassed all other disciples, even some boys older than her, and received a reward.
Second, she was a cultivation hermit, only caring about cultivation and nothing else. She even found going to the canteen for meals a waste of time, which showed her diligence.
She had also tried learning from Chang Yi'er, bringing food back to her courtyard to cultivate diligently, but later found the food wasn't fresh and couldn't stomach it, so she gave up. Although she wasn't from a royal or wealthy family in the mortal world, she came from a comfortable background and couldn't force herself to endure hardship like Chang Yi'er.
However, precisely because she knew Chang Yi'er's two traits, she thought highly of Senior Sister Chang. Putting aside spiritual roots, just based on her tenacity, Chang Yi'er was destined to go further than them.
“I’ve inquired about it lately; the Inner Sect Assessment is usually done in groups of two. There are four people in our courtyard. Sun Ting has Dual Spirit Roots and, according to her, is about to achieve Qi Ingress in the next couple of days. Feng Rong and she have been close since childhood, so they'll definitely be a pair.”
Speaking of which, Yan Xia seemed a bit disappointed. “I only have Triple Spirit Roots, so my cultivation speed is inherently slow. Moreover, I don't know many people here, and no one wants to be in a group with me, so I was thinking…”
She looked up again, her eyes shining as she gazed at Chang Yi'er, full of anticipation.
“Alright!”
“If you agree to team up with me, Senior Sister Chang, I can bring you food from now on and gather information for you… What, you agreed!” Yan Xia was still chattering, saying things that would be very useful to Chang Yi'er. When she realized Chang Yi'er had agreed, she was so happy she almost jumped.
She's still a child, Chang Yi'er sighed inwardly and said:
“Yes, is there a problem? It just so happens I'm alone, so teaming up with you is fine! As for bringing food, there’s no need. After I achieve Qi Ingress, I received a bottle of Grain Abstinence Pills, so I won’t need meals for at least two months. As for you,”
Chang Yi'er paused, then turned back, half-jokingly, half-seriously, “you need to hurry up and cultivate. I don't want you to hold me back then!”
“Of course, Senior Sister Chang, I will definitely work hard not to hold you back,” Yan Xia clenched her small fists, looking determined as she encouraged herself. “I’ve already drawn in my Water and Metal Spiritual Roots, and I’m only one step away from successfully drawing in Earth Spiritual Roots. I’ve brought enough provisions for several days. I’ll go cultivate now, and I’m sure I’ll succeed in Qi Ingress next time I go out.”
Seeing that Chang Yi'er had nothing more to say and had returned to her room, Yan Xia also immediately ran back to her own room to cultivate diligently.
Closing the door, Chang Yi'er's heart stirred. She recalled the incredibly powerful flames from today and felt a hint of surprise. She took out the incense burner from her storage bag again.
The incense burner was still reddish, with no particular luster, seeming much the same as before, with no apparent changes.
No, there was a slight change. Chang Yi'er's pupils contracted sharply. She leaned down to observe closely and indeed, on the dull gray incense burner, a very, very small character had appeared. The character was no larger than a millet grain. If she hadn't examined every inch meticulously, she would never have discovered it.
The character strongly resembled the seal script character for ‘Refine,’ and the more she looked, the more ancient and profound it felt, as if imbued with limitless power.
This small change sent Chang Yi'er into a state of ecstatic joy. She was now certain she hadn't been mistaken. This was the Sky Refining Furnace, the divine artifact that had wreaked havoc in the hands of the original male protagonist. Now, she had truly obtained it.
Had she stolen the male protagonist's fortuitous encounter? Although she felt a bit ashamed, she was very happy.
This was her secret for navigating this world, and her greatest trump card at the moment.
However, she only knew the Sky Refining Furnace was powerful, but she didn't know its specific uses or how to use it. For now, all she knew was that it could enhance the power of her Fire Attribute Spiritual Power. As for other functions, she could only discover them step by step.
As usual, Chang Yi'er pricked her finger with a silver needle and dripped a drop of blood onto the Sky Refining Furnace. Soon, the blood was completely absorbed.
Chang Yi'er put away the silver needle and was about to start meditating when she suddenly stopped. In that brief moment, a subtle thought inexplicably appeared in her mind: stingy.
Stingy? What stingy? Who was calling her stingy?
No, this wasn't her thought. Chang Yi'er's gaze suddenly fixed on the incense burner in front of her, her eyes unblinking.
Could it be that this thing was calling her stingy?
Was the Sky Refining Furnace communicating its thoughts to her?
After some thought, Chang Yi'er pricked her finger again, and another drop of blood fell onto the incense burner. It was absorbed again.
Stingy, stingy, stingy.
But the thought calling her stingy in her mind persisted and seemed to grow more urgent.
Could it be that the blood she gave before wasn't enough? No, when she first obtained the Sky Refining Furnace, she had dripped blood on it. Back then, she had been ruthless, not using a silver needle but a dagger, and a lot of blood had flowed out. Yet, apart from absorbing blood, the Sky Refining Furnace had shown no other special properties.
Could it be because she hadn't started cultivating then?
After pondering, Chang Yi'er put away the silver needle, took out a small dagger, gritted her teeth, and cut her finger. Blood gushed out, dripping onto the incense burner. It was absorbed quickly, drop by drop.
The thought calling her stingy disappeared, and a feeling of deep satisfaction and contentment emanated into her mind.
However, seeing so much blood flowing from her hand without any sign of stopping, Chang Yi'er felt a headache coming on. This thing was a vampire, needing so much blood?
She was starting to wonder if she would be drained dry when the object finally stopped.