After chatting and bonding throughout the entire previous night, Xia Ruxi had already grown close with Pei Yuanxiu’s team.
In the morning, whenever anyone woke up to wash up and happened to pass by the spot where Xia Ruxi was meditating, they would invariably offer a greeting.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by this, Xia Ruxi stopped her cultivation and joined them for their morning routine.
With foam still in his mouth and his toothbrush moving at lightning speed, Peng Liang didn’t forget to ask when they would start awakening their spiritual mansions and what preparations they needed to make.
Xia Ruxi was still figuring out how to use a toothbrush. Even though her physical body had no need for dental cleaning, she liked to do as the locals did and try out new things.
Copying what she saw, Xia Ruxi began brushing her teeth. Hearing Peng Liang’s question, she mumbled indistinctly, “We can start soon, and no preparation is needed.”
Once everyone was up and finished washing, they sat down in a row like kindergarten children.
This didn’t include Pei Yuanxiu, as he had already awakened his spiritual mansion and even broken through to the Qi-Transformation stage; he only needed to master the circulation and projection of spiritual energy.
Xiao Zhongqing spoke up a bit unnaturally, “Xia Ruxi, I think I’ll skip awakening a spiritual mansion.”
Even though that wasn’t what he truly felt in his heart, he didn’t want Xia Ruxi to feel forced to help him.
Xia Ruxi waved her hand and told him to sit down. “Why not participate? Although your words yesterday showed a lack of trust, it’s fine—this young lady won’t hold a grudge against someone who cares about the team’s safety.”
Hearing this, Xiao Zhongqing realized that walking away now would make him look petty, so he sat down as well.
“Awakening a spiritual mansion isn’t difficult. Regarding the rain and mist that swept across your world, I have a certain guess: there must be spiritual essence contained within it; otherwise, plants and animals wouldn’t have gained sentience.
“As for why humans turned into mindless zombies, I suspect the rain and mist contained not only spiritual essence but also toxicity, and it was this toxin that caused the mutation.
“However, I haven’t seen a zombie with my own eyes yet, so this is just a hypothesis. Why did I bring up that rain and mist when talking about awakening spiritual mansions? Because some of you possess aptitude. Those with aptitude didn’t mutate when exposed to the mist; instead, spiritual mansions formed inside their bodies, though it takes time for them to awaken.
“Both Pei Yuanxiu and Zhiyan drank the spiritual medicine I provided, which contained a certain amount of spiritual energy and thus accelerated the awakening of their spiritual mansions. Now, all you need to do is eat a section of the Wanteng vine stem I gave Zhiyan to drink yesterday, and you’ll awaken.”
With that, Xia Ruxi pulled a section of Wanteng vine out of her tree-bark bag. Her current spiritual power was now sufficient to retrieve things from her storage ring, so she didn’t begrudge this piece at all.
“Cutting a small section for each of you will be enough. It contains juice, and the stem itself is also wonderful for strengthening the body and preventing disease.” Xia Ruxi took out a dagger, cut the vine, and handed a section to everyone.
Remembering the miraculous phenomenon surrounding Gao Zhiyan yesterday, the others didn’t hesitate any longer and popped the greenish, aloe-vera-like section of the vine into their mouths.
Gao Zhiyan stared unblinkingly at the group, because she hadn’t been able to see what happened to her own body yesterday—she had simply woken up completely fine, and she wanted to witness how truly bizarre this process was.
Pei Yuanxiu, on the other hand, remained completely unmoved, having already seen too many peculiarities around Xia Ruxi. He felt he could now maintain a completely expressionless face no matter what he saw.
After everyone ingested the Wanteng vine, they sat cross-legged. Before the awakening began, Xia Ruxi instructed them on the points to note during the process.
First, a golden glow began to radiate from Xiao Zhongqing. While the light flickered, a cluster of light gradually emerged from his chest and abdomen, spinning endlessly around him until it completed thirteen orbits and returned into his body.
Xia Ruxi was clearly a bit surprised—she hadn’t expected yet another Heavenly Metal Spiritual Mansion. Were the people in this world all this naturally talented?
Before Xia Ruxi’s astonishment could settle, different colored auras lit up around Peng Liang, Qian Muxi, Chen Yingying, and Yuan Zhang. The light clusters in front of each of them similarly orbited eleven or twelve times before flying back into their respective bodies.
Xia Ruxi was completely flabbergasted, her mouth wide open in shock, completely unable to close it.
Noticing Xia Ruxi’s expression, Gao Zhiyan covered her mouth and chuckled. Had she not worried about disturbing her teammates, she probably would have doubled over with laughter, holding her slender waist.
“Ruxi, it looks like my teammates have given you quite a strong shock,” Pei Yuanxiu said with folded arms and a playful, teasing smile at the corner of his mouth.
Hearing Pei Yuanxiu’s teasing, Xia Ruxi wasn’t angry; she simply turned back and cast a light glance at him with her expressive, sparkling eyes.
“Pei Yuanxiu, this young lady was only slightly surprised. Your teammates’ aptitudes are just passable, barely enough to qualify for my sect. I’ll graciously take them all in—no need to thank me too much.” Waving her hand dismissively, Xia Ruxi couldn’t suppress the broad smile blooming across her face.
Walking up to the group who had just finished awakening their spiritual mansions, Xia Ruxi cleared her throat twice and announced loudly, “Everyone’s aptitude is quite good: Xiao Zhongqing, you have a Heavenly Metal Spiritual Mansion; Yingying, a Heavenly Fire Spiritual Mansion; Muxi, a Heavenly Wood Spiritual Mansion; and Yuan Zhang, a Heavenly Earth Spiritual Mansion.
“As for Xiao Liang, you’re a bit special. Your spiritual energy is black. If I’m not mistaken, it should be a Night Shadow Spiritual Mansion—meaning you are a born emissary of the darkness. In the dark, your speed, five senses, and physical fitness will be comprehensively enhanced, granting you the natural ability to blend into any shadowy area without needing to learn any cultivation techniques.”
Hearing Xia Ruxi’s words, everyone was thrilled, especially Peng Liang, who looked as if he was about to leap into the air. Running over to Pei Yuanxiu’s side, Peng Liang said happily, “Captain, did you hear what Sister Ruxi said? I’m going to get stronger and stronger, strong enough to protect the Captain!”
A distinct smile emerged across Pei Yuanxiu’s handsome face. Using a tone that combined authority with a touch of humoring a child, he said, “Alright, Xiao Liang is the best. I’m sure you’ll be able to protect me in the future, and I’m very much looking forward to your progress.”
Listening to the exchange between Peng Liang and Pei Yuanxiu, Xia Ruxi couldn’t help thinking: This team really has all the right pieces. Not only are the five elements completely covered, but there are also two mutated spiritual mansions—they’re practically the darlings of this world. I wonder if everyone in this world has such great aptitude; if so, founding my sect is going to be an absolute breeze.
After twitching the corners of her mouth a few times, Xia Ruxi smiled and turned to Gao Zhiyan: “Zhiyan, I forgot to tell you earlier—you have a Heavenly Water Spiritual Mansion. Your aptitude is also exceptionally good.”
Once everyone’s excitement had settled down, Xia Ruxi spoke again: “Awakening your spiritual mansions only gives you the qualification to cultivate. Next, I will give each of you a stalk of Qi-Breaking Grass. As the name implies, it’s used to help you break through to the Qi-Transformation stage. Only upon reaching Qi-Transformation have you truly crossed the threshold into cultivation. In a moment, crush the grass, ingest it, and follow the circulation method I explained earlier to let your spiritual mansions break through.”
Reaching into her ragged tree-bark bag, Xia Ruxi fished out six stalks of Qi-Breaking Grass, muttering under her breath, “Good thing I harvested a bit extra back then, otherwise it wouldn’t have been enough.”
When everyone had successfully advanced to the first tier of the Qi-Transformation stage, Xia Ruxi looked at the seven people before her like a wolf eyeing a flock of sheep, with saliva practically hovering at the corner of her mouth.
Shaking her head to banish those strange thoughts, she announced to everyone, “Right now, all you need to do is cultivate and accumulate spiritual energy, breaking through to the Great Circle of Qi-Transformation as quickly as possible. Until you advance to the Spirit-Gathering stage, you won’t be able to learn specific cultivation techniques and can only rely on your own bodies to channel and utilize spiritual energy.”
Everyone nodded in understanding.