The next day, Mu Li found the Mu family’s library.
The library wasn’t very large—just a simple two‑story loft—but its collection was rich, and the atmosphere tranquil, far superior to any modern library she had ever seen.
She wandered from the first floor to the second. The first floor held basic cultivation texts, while the second was more specialized, with books on alchemy, artifact forging, talismans, and other arts. Since she knew nothing yet, she could only start from the very beginning. She returned to the first floor and picked up the most basic manual on “Qi Induction.”
But as soon as she began reading, she discovered something astonishing. She understood the contents after a single read, and as she grasped the words, her body unconsciously began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. By the time she realized it, the energy had already circulated through her body several times, leaving her feeling wonderfully refreshed.
“So this is cultivation…”
Mu Li was amazed.
For the next two hours, she immersed herself in the sensation, unable to stop until her body felt completely full, unable to take in any more energy. A pang of disappointment struck her. “Isn’t there some way to absorb more? Otherwise, it feels like such a waste.”
Right—she remembered that in the book, the male and female leads had undergone several physical enhancements, greatly boosting their ability to absorb spiritual energy. That was why their cultivation progressed so quickly. But those treasures had already been used up, and with her current level, she couldn’t hope to stumble upon any leftovers.
“Forget it. No use rushing—step by step.”
She returned the Qi Induction manual to the shelf, then pulled out a few books related to spiritual fire. The Sunheart Flame was within her, but until it was fused, there was always the risk of losing it. The sooner she fused it, the sooner she could be at ease. More importantly, she had just learned to use spiritual power and couldn’t resist trying it out.
The books described the fusion method as simple, though the difficulty varied depending on the fire’s attributes. After all, spiritual fire had its own temperament; high‑level flames could even develop intelligence. Without sufficient strength to suppress it, not only would fusion fail, but the cultivator could suffer backlash.
Mu Li carefully attempted her first try. It failed, though the backlash was mild—likely because the Sunheart Flame was still low‑level. After resting briefly to recover, she tried again. Still no success.
“Strange… it feels weaker. How come?” She was puzzled but also faintly delighted.
Without resting, she eagerly attempted a third time.
“Ah! Success!”
She felt the Sunheart Flame merge into her dantian, quietly submitting to her. Overjoyed, she leapt from her chair. “Heavens, I’m amazing!”
After her excitement passed, she calmed down. After all, the original body already had the foundation; she had merely discovered how to use it.
“Hmm… what next? Since I have spiritual fire, why not try alchemy? I remember that selling pills is the fastest way to make money in this world.”
Determined, she ran upstairs and grabbed several introductory alchemy texts. Her reading speed was astonishing—books shifted rapidly from her left hand to her right.
“What’s going on? My reading speed, memory, and comprehension all seem stronger.” She muttered to herself. “Illusion? Or does cultivation make people smarter?”
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. The original novel hadn’t mentioned cultivation improving intelligence. “Whatever. Getting stronger is always good. If only I’d had this memory and comprehension before crossing over—I could’ve gotten into the world’s top university easily.”
She sighed. Years of effort had only earned her admission to a decent university, and then she ended up transmigrating here. “If only I’d taken the train instead of a plane… first flight, first crash, and the last. So unlucky.”
“No, the real mistake was staying home during summer break, too hot to go out, reading novels instead. If I hadn’t read this book, I wouldn’t have transmigrated into it, becoming a tragic side character doomed to die.”
Luckily, I didn’t arrive at the moment of her death. Otherwise, I’d have had no chance to save myself.”
Grumbling, she returned the finished books to their shelves. “Alchemy feels just like doing chemistry experiments. Once the gossip dies down, I’ll buy some spirit herbs to practice.”
Both the Mu and Xuanyuan families were prominent clans, and Xuanyuan Yunfei was a well‑known figure. Their broken engagement was surely the talk of the town. Mu Li dreaded being surrounded by gawkers again, recalling yesterday’s scene at the marketplace with a grimace.
But after less than two days, her itch to try alchemy grew unbearable. She disguised herself simply and slipped out. At a spirit herb shop, she spent two hundred spirit stones on a pile of low‑grade herbs. Alchemy also required a furnace, which was costly. Even a basic apprentice‑level furnace was beyond the means of poor cultivators. Mu Li counted her savings, then gritted her teeth and bought one for two thousand spirit stones.
“Ugh, my wallet shrank so much.” She frowned at the few dozen stones left. “They say alchemy is hard to get into—true enough. Without money, you can’t even buy a furnace.”
Back home, she placed the furnace in the center of her room and followed the book’s instructions to refine her first batch of pills. Thanks to her improved memory, the steps were crystal clear in her mind, and she executed them smoothly without pause.
Soon, the results appeared. She stared, dumbfounded, at the few round pellets spinning inside the furnace. “Wait—wasn’t alchemy supposed to be extremely difficult? Even with a master guiding you, a novice might fail a hundred times before succeeding once?”
She had chosen the most basic Qi Induction Pill. Having only read the books, she expected to waste the two hundred spirit stones’ worth of herbs. Yet she had succeeded on her very first try. In disbelief, she repeated the process. This time, too, she succeeded—and the pills even looked better than the first batch.
“Could it be… I’m actually a genius at alchemy?” she whispered.