Lan Yingqing! The rising star of the immortal cultivation world, the Palace Master of the Carefree Palace! Reaching the Golden Core stage at such a young age to ascend to the position of Palace Master, his mastery of talismans was unparalleled, capable of crushing all cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage!
After all, there were only five Nascent Soul cultivators in the world! And even fewer in the Body Transformation stage!
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lan!"
The address "Senior Brother Lan" caused Lan Yingqing to pause for a moment, then a smile curved his lips as he nodded…
The other three, however, were not pleased! Their resentful gazes frequently fell upon Jin Bao'er.
"Little Junior Sister, you didn't call me~"
Fourth Senior Brother Guan Ziyun, sporting a bird's nest of hair, was filled with grievance and the sorrow of a neglected spouse.
Jin Bao'er finally realized her oversight and took a step forward, cupping her fists.
"Jin Bao'er greets Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Brother, and Sixth Senior Brother! I am new here, please bear with me, everyone!"
Her words, however, caused everyone present to freeze. Jin Bao'er quickly sensed something was amiss and hesitantly asked.
"Is… something wrong?"
Third Senior Brother sighed with a complex expression.
"Nothing's wrong, it's just that we didn't expect our Little Junior Sister, at only ten years old, to be so polite. You don't need to be so formal from now on! Come, let's eat first, then bathe and sleep, and cultivate tomorrow!"
With that, he took Jin Bao'er's hand. Feeling her stiffness and resistance, he felt a pang of sympathy. This child must have gone through a lot to be so cautious.
In reality, Jin Bao'er was simply unaccustomed to it. Especially after her fingers were severed in her previous life, she no longer knew what holding hands felt like…
That night, facing everyone's warmth, her eyes were filled with complex emotions. She had lived for thirty years, and no one had ever treated her like this. Thinking of the bowl of meat and vegetables, larger than her own face, she couldn't help but laugh and cry.
Her once scarred heart seemed to be receiving some nourishment. But when she closed her eyes to sleep, the pain of her Golden Core and spiritual roots self-destructing not long ago made it impossible to fall asleep.
She simply sat cross-legged, slowly sensing the surrounding spiritual energy…
As a former cultivator at the Golden Core stage, she was all too familiar with the basic art of breathing in spiritual energy. After an unknown period, she finally broke through to the first layer of Qi Condensation!
By then, the sky had already brightened! The nourishment of spiritual energy left her feeling refreshed and energetic, with no sign of fatigue from staying up all night.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion echoed, and Jin Bao'er immediately tensed against the wall, her muscles coiled and her gaze fixed on the door, adopting a perfect defensive posture to protect herself…
This was a habit ingrained from her years on the run. It was thanks to this subconscious instinct that she had survived numerous surprise attacks!
Hurried footsteps sounded, and the anxious, concerned voice of Third Senior Brother Luo Nanshan quickly came from outside the door. Only then did she snap back to reality, realizing her paranoia.
"Little Junior Sister, are you awake?"
She walked over and opened the door, seeing the pale, plump man covered in sweat. A faint fishy smell hung in the air. She smiled slightly.
"Good morning, Third Senior Brother!"
Seeing her reaction, Luo Nanshan breathed a sigh of relief and grumbled.
"Did I startle you, Little Junior Sister? It's all Fourth Brother's fault! His alchemy furnace exploded again. I rushed over as soon as I heard the noise…"
Through his explanation, Jin Bao'er remembered the bird's-nest-haired Guan Ziyun from yesterday. It seemed they placed great importance on their alchemy furnaces!
"Heh heh, Little Junior Sister, don't think about him. Are you hungry? I made you some delicious clear fish soup. You should eat something easily digestible in the morning. You're still growing, you need to gain some nourishment…"
Jin Bao'er finally understood the source of the fishy smell. Third Senior Brother had actually gone to stew fish soup for her so early in the morning…
She wasn't someone who was easily moved, especially after the despair she had just experienced. Her heart was filled with complex emotions. They weren't even close, so why were they treating her so well?
During her years on the run, she had killed demons, beasts, and even cultivators. It was either them or her. Now that she had a second chance, could she actually receive kindness from others?
The young girl pursed her lips and softly said thank you. Luo Nanshan felt a pang of heartache and helplessness. It seemed his junior sister must have had a difficult past! He was determined to cook more delicious food for her from now on to nourish her!
(And so, Jin Bao'er ate meat every meal. In just seven days, her little face gained some protein, and she visibly plumped up by a noticeable margin…)
After breakfast, the day's cultivation officially began. The old man, though not highly cultivated, was at the mid-stage of Golden Core, which was sufficient to teach a young girl how to enter Qi Condensation. The other six also arrived upon hearing the news!
Besides the four from yesterday, the remaining two were the second and seventh senior brothers who had been absent.
"This must be Little Junior Sister. So cute, just a bit… young! Hmm, but in a few years, she should be fine…"
Jin Bao'er looked at the beautiful and charming man before her, lowering her head. "..." So sorry for being young!
Seeing her lack of reaction, the handsome man waved his hand dismissively, feeling a bit bored.
"Alright, I'm your Second Senior Brother Qian Futu! That fellow is your Seventh Senior Brother Du Hengchang…"
With that, he leaned closer to Jin Bao'er and whispered.
"Don't let his honest and upright appearance fool you; he's actually the most secretly flirtatious. A grown man still wearing flowery boxer briefs…"
Before he could finish, the upright-looking youth next to him turned bright red and roared.
"Qian Futu, what nonsense are you spouting! She's just a child!"
The handsome man pouted and retorted shamelessly.
"How am I wrong? I clearly saw your flowery boxers last time… Mmph…"
Before he could finish, Du Hengchang pounced and covered his mouth, his entire face turning the color of a liver!
Jin Bao'er watched the two lively rivals, faintly sensing something unusual, but didn't say anything.
"Ahem, that's enough! I'm going to start the lesson!"
The old man's voice interrupted their bickering, and he then solemnly explained to Jin Bao'er the method of absorbing spiritual energy, the location of the Dantian, and so on…
Jin Bao'er listened attentively, feeling as if she were in another lifetime. The methods she had learned in the past were all self-taught. Immortal Venerable Lou Yun had only given her a set of cultivation techniques and a few pointers before letting her figure it out herself.
After she finally managed to learn, she eagerly taught Su Xianzhi, and they improved together. This greatly slowed down her cultivation speed, leading to her being mocked for being foolish and wasting such good talent.
A sense of unwillingness surged again, and fear and anger washed over her.
"Bao'er? Good disciple? What's wrong?"
Jin Bao'er suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing she had unconsciously been lost in her memories. Her emotions had fluctuated wildly, and her Dantian even felt a dull ache…
She lowered her head, regretting her recent lapse. Having been given a second chance, she should be more focused on the present, not be easily bound by the past!
"Sorry, Master, I was distracted!"
The old man was startled for a moment, then his expression turned to shock.
"You… have already reached the first layer of Qi Condensation?"