After the meal, she returned to her room and instructed the two to continue cooking with this type of rice the next morning. They both readily agreed.
As soon as she went back to her room, the siblings’ eyes lit up—not only because of her generosity but also because of the miraculous effects of the rice they had just eaten!
They had only taken a few bites, yet they were no longer hungry at all. Instead, their bodies felt warm and incredibly comfortable.
Though they didn’t understand exactly what was happening, they knew it must be something extraordinary.
“Big brother, I think this mother is quite nice,” Chen Xingyun said, gazing at Xiao Ying’s room with a smile in her eyes.
Chen Xinghai nodded. “But we still need to observe her a bit more.”
“Mm,” Chen Xingyun agreed, then added, “I noticed Mother doesn’t seem to like the wild vegetable soup. Big brother, let’s go into the mountains tomorrow and see if we can gather some mushrooms.”
“The wild vegetables are one thing, but I think the bigger issue is the seasoning,” Chen Xinghai said with a bitter smile. Their family didn’t even have rice anymore, let alone salt. All they had was a piece of vinegar cloth that didn’t taste very good.
The two exchanged glances, feeling somewhat disheartened. They were genuinely afraid that if things continued this way, their mother might stop giving them rice to eat.
Xiao Ying, of course, was unaware of their thoughts. As soon as she returned to her room, she immediately began testing the difference in the flow of time inside and outside her space.
She made two identical funnels out of stiff, coarse cloth and filled them with the same amount of fine soil.
She placed one outside and the other inside the space, then observed the rate at which the soil drained.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the funnel inside the Xianfu had completely emptied, while the one outside had only drained about half.
Though not entirely precise, she roughly calculated that the time ratio between inside and outside was two to one.
Xiao Ying was very pleased with this result. It meant that from now until the next morning, she would have nearly twelve hours to cultivate.
Without further delay, she entered the space and began circulating the spiritual energy from the Spirit Rice.
This process took over half an hour, and the speed was several times faster than before.
Once she had fully digested the energy, the pace slowed down significantly, leaving her somewhat frustrated.
She then fetched a slightly larger wooden bucket from the kitchen, which seemed to have been used by the previous owner for bathing—perfect for her needs.
She filled the bucket with Spiritual Spring Water, removed her clothes, washed herself briefly, and then stepped into the bucket. She also drank several large gulps from a cup.
Spiritual energy surged toward her once again.
This bucket of Spiritual Spring Water was equivalent to at least several dozen bowls of Spirit Rice. If she could fully refine it, she would undoubtedly reach the first level of Qi Refining.
Unconsciously, twelve hours passed.
Xiao Ying remained immersed in the Spiritual Spring Water, and her body gradually began to change.
A thin layer of impurities seeped out from her yellowish-black skin and quickly dissolved into the water.
By the end, the water had turned murky.
The Spiritual Spring Water gradually lost its spiritual energy as she refined all of it. After one night, she successfully advanced to the first level of Qi Refining!
“Phew…”
Exhaling the turbid air from her chest, Xiao Ying slowly opened her eyes. They were clear and bright, filled with a sense of satisfaction.
Reducing what would have taken a month to just over twelve hours was largely due to the crucial roles played by the Spirit Rice and the Spiritual Spring Water.
In cultivation, it’s often said that wealth, companions, methods, and location are essential—and this indeed held true. The difference between having auxiliary resources and not having them was immense.
Reaching the first level of Qi Refining brought back a familiar feeling. Though it was far from the strength she had possessed in her previous life, it at least provided her with a sense of security.
Her body possessed three Spirit Roots, making her strength equivalent to three times that of a single Spirit Root cultivator at the same realm. Her current physical power likely matched that of four or five grown men, with a significant improvement in speed as well.
If augmented with a Magical Artifact, her capabilities would only grow stronger.
“Urgh…”
The surrounding stench abruptly snapped her back to awareness, and she realized the water had turned murky.
She quickly stepped out of the wooden tub, drew another bucket of water to cleanse herself thoroughly, and didn’t stop until she was completely clean.
Due to the expulsion of impurities, her skin, though still dark and sallow, had become much smoother and finer, with a noticeably lighter tone.
She believed that with further cultivation, her complexion would grow even fairer.
After putting on her dried clothes, she suddenly sensed something amiss. A quick glance revealed the white mist around her slowly receding.
Another Spiritual Field, roughly one mu in size, had appeared. Was this a benefit of reaching the first level of Qi Refining?
Would there be additional rewards with each future breakthrough in cultivation?
She felt a stir of anticipation.
Lost in thought, she approached the Spiritual Field and discovered it wasn’t planted with Spiritual Rice but with potatoes.
Pulling up a plant at random, she unearthed ten potatoes, each weighing about half a kilogram.
Xiao Ying’s face lit up with joy. Potatoes were a valuable find—not only high-yielding but also versatile in cooking and delicious.
The World of Cultivation did have potatoes, but their spiritual energy content was far inferior to Spiritual Rice, making them less favored by high-level cultivators. However, they were perfectly suited for the mortal realm.
Recalling that this world had no potatoes, she realized she could potentially make a fortune from them.
But for now, there was no time to focus on that. A glance outside showed the sky was fully bright, indicating it was already late.
With a thought, she returned to the external world.
Opening the door, she found the siblings gone, but a warm meal had been left in the pot.
Unwilling to endure the taste of wild vegetables again, Xiao Ying only drank a bowl of rice congee before heading out.
She needed to find more food—rice alone wasn’t enough; she required vegetables, meat, and essential seasonings.
Following the remembered path toward the back hills, she encountered few people along the way since her home was at the village’s edge.
The village was called Chenjia Village, with fifty-one households and nearly four hundred residents, sixty percent of whom shared the surname Chen.
It was a very poor village, with only three families owning ox carts: the village chief, a clan elder, and one who made a living by hiring out his cart.
Her family was among the poorest in the village, largely due to the original owner’s mismanagement.
Before her husband Chen Enke’s passing, he had been the village’s only scholar, and their household was once the wealthiest.
It was during that time the original owner insisted on dividing the family, fearing the elderly parents and other siblings would take advantage of them.
Shortly after the separation, Chen Enke died on his way to the examinations, and their prosperous circumstances began to decline.
Over the years, the original owner sold off everything of value in the house, not to mention the fields, so finding food meant foraging in the mountains.
As she sorted through her thoughts, Xiao Ying reached the foot of the mountains.
A vast, endless range stretched before her, spanning who knew how many hundreds of li, teeming with all kinds of wild delicacies, though few could successfully hunt them.
To catch game, one had to venture deeper into the mountains, but the inner regions harbored many large, dangerous beasts, making it a risk only seasoned old hunters dared take.
Now, however, there was one more: Xiao Ying.
After entering the mountains, Xiao Ying chose a path that was usually untraveled, maintaining her speed without slowing down.
Within half an hour, she had advanced several miles deep, reaching a very remote area.
She had been quite fortunate along the way, bagging four wild rabbits, three pheasants, and several sparrows—some dead, some alive—all of which she tossed into her space.
She also gathered several types of mushrooms and some fruits along the way.
It was currently mid-April, and the climate here was relatively mild, with some fruits already available at this time of year.
It’s worth mentioning that this world also had twelve months in a year, though each month only had twenty-eight days.
Summers were intensely hot, while winters were not particularly cold, rarely dropping below freezing.
As a result, the growth habits of the local flora and fauna were somewhat different.
Looking at the few small animals she had caught, Xiao Ying felt unsatisfied. How many meals could such a small amount of meat provide? If only she could hunt something bigger.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she heard a significant commotion up ahead.
Xiao Ying’s spirits lifted immediately; from the sound alone, she could tell it was no small creature.
With a flick of her wrist, a dagger appeared in her palm, and she dashed straight toward the source of the noise.