"The path of Qi Refinement lies in meditation. In the profound stillness of the mind, one visualizes the qi of the world and refines it for one's own use—this is what is known as Qi Refinement."
"Brother, I understand the reasoning, but how do I actually sense the existence of worldly spiritual qi?"
Faced with his younger sister Zhou Qingyu's earnest inquiry, Zhou Fuyou froze.
To him, this was the single thing that required the least thought.
Within his perception, water-attribute spiritual qi was omnipresent; drawing it in and refining it came as naturally as breathing.
Yet for Zhou Qingyu, it was as if an insurmountable chasm lay sprawled before the threshold.
Could the three pills left behind by Senior Danzong truly be ineffective?
A month ago, he had already administered the Five Viscera Peiyuan Pill, the Snow Spirit Meridian-Opening Powder, and the most crucial Spiritual Root Pill—bestowed by the Old Ancestor—to his sister.
According to the records, under the synergy of these three medicines, a "pill spiritual root" would form within a mortal, assisting them in absorbing worldly spiritual qi.
What was more, this medicinal potency could be maintained for thirty whole years without fading!
Within thirty years, if she could break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, relying on a cultivator's externally manifested spiritual sense and internally expanded sea of qi, she would be able to independently sense, capture, and refine external spiritual qi.
Yet the physical aptitude Zhou Qingyu displayed right now was unexpectedly poor.
Even with the pill spiritual root within her, she still could not sense the spiritual qi of the outside world.
Clearly, his sister and he were twins; it made no sense for him to possess monstrous, heaven-blessed talent while she fell so drastically short.
Even in Zhou Fuyou's eyes, as she grew up, his sister had shown remarkable intelligence; whenever he explained the lore and knowledge found in ancient records, she grasped it almost immediately.
If only I could give half my aptitude to my sister.
Sighing inwardly, Zhou Fuyou revealed no sign of disappointment on his face.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly recalled a technique recorded in an ancient manual, used by higher-realm cultivators on lower-realm ones to help them perceive the next realm in advance.
Although that technique drained immense energy and had a low success rate, at this point Zhou Fuyou could not afford to be fastidious.
"Maomao, close your eyes and relax. Do not resist me!"
Zhou Qingyu did not understand what he meant, but out of absolute trust in her brother, she complied without reservation and obediently closed her eyes.
Zhou Fuyou took a deep breath, slowly reached out, and placed his hand over the young girl's head.
Strands of pure spiritual power surged from his palm, entering the girl's body along acupoints such as Baihui, Fengchi, and Taiyang.
In an instant, the girl let out an instinctive groan of pain.
Seeing this, Zhou Fuyou barked in a low voice:
"Do not resist! Follow my lead and sense the outside world!"
Enduring immense agony, the young girl did her utmost to keep her mind clear and focused.
Gradually, she seemed to see tiny motes of light outside her body.
Is that spiritual qi?
After an unknown length of time, the young girl slowly opened her eyes. Across from her, Zhou Fuyou was watching her with deep concern.
Parting her lips, Zhou Qingyu said weakly yet with boundless delight, "I felt the spiritual qi!"
Zhou Fuyou breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders.
Immediately following was the same surge of pleasant surprise.
He had thought this guiding technique would require several attempts, never expecting it to succeed on the very first try.
Did his sister's body possess an unusually low rejection of his spiritual power?
The reason she had appeared in such pain initially was merely that she was still a mortal body, incapable of withstanding such potent spiritual power.
Reason dictates that each person is a distinct individual, so why does my sister barely reject my spiritual power at all?
The thought flashed through his mind and vanished. Zhou Fuyou then asked for more specific details.
"Did you sense the attributes of the corresponding spiritual qi?"
"All five colors were there, mottled and chaotic."
"That means the pill spiritual root within you contains all five elements. Did any particular one feel familiar or relatively easier to absorb?"
"No, they all felt about the same."
"Tsk, I hardly know how to evaluate this Spiritual Root Pill Senior Danzong concocted. It clearly gives someone hope, yet plunges them into such despair. Can five spiritual roots truly lead all the way to the Great Dao?"
After expressing his lament, Zhou Fuyou did not lose heart.
Senior Danzong could do it, and Tiannan Dao Palace deliberately took away the five-spiritual-root Zhou Ping'an in hopes of doing it as well. Why couldn't he try to nurture his sister too?
All it required was a massive amount of resources!
Conveniently, his noble status in the Zhou family placed him beneath only one and above all others, allowing him to claim whatever resources he desired. Besides, his own aptitude was terrifyingly high, rendering ordinary resources completely useless to him—so he would give them all to his sister!
"Rest well. I'm going to the clan's Scripture Pavilion to pick out a suitable cultivation art for you."
After giving these brief instructions, Zhou Fuyou rose to his feet and departed the Yinlü Water Pavilion.
***
The Zhou family's Scripture Pavilion lay quite far from Yinlü Water Pavilion, requiring some time to reach.
Zhou Fuyou cast the newly mastered Water Escape Art, Wave Treading, swiftly making his way toward the Scripture Pavilion.
Along the way, he encountered more than a few Zhou clansmen.
Yet every single person who laid eyes on the handsome youth in the red-coral-embroidered white robe respectfully stepped aside.
Even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator guarding outside the Scripture Pavilion did not hinder him in the slightest once he presented the Old Ancestor's medallion.
Entering the Scripture Pavilion, Zhou Fuyou began browsing with practiced ease.
From the first floor to the fourth, he needed only a single glance at the various cultivation arts to understand their general effects.
Yet the more he searched, the more disappointed he became.
Cultivation arts compatible with five spiritual roots were simply too scarce.
And if it were just an ordinary single-attribute art, he could hardly bring himself to settle for it.
Gradually, Zhou Fuyou halted his steps, a thoughtful look surfacing on his face.
Perhaps I'm being too picky?
For my sister, the pill spiritual root grants only thirty years. The art she needs shouldn't chase destructive power or worry about high upper limits—it only needs cultivation speed.
If so, isn't the Dew Cicada Art that I cultivate the most suitable?
The *Dew Cicada Art* had no threshold, meaning all five elements could practice it. Its sole drawback was that the magic power it cultivated was exceedingly meager, making it completely unsuited for combat.
However, Zhou Fuyou believed that under his protection, his sister would never need to fight anyone.
All he wanted was for his sister to live well and survive in peace and safety for several hundred more years.
Furthermore, having her practice the *Dew Cicada Art* came with another benefit: he could pass on his own cultivation insights to her, saving her from many detours.
Having thought this through, Zhou Fuyou, standing on the fourth floor, stopped searching for techniques. His fingertips slowly released their hold on a white coral jade slip.
Yet the moment he let go, his hand touched the slip once more.
"A new spell? And it bears the Old Ancestor's imprint—could it be the Old Ancestor's latest creation?"
Intrigued, Zhou Fuyou took down the white coral jade slip and probed it with his spiritual sense. Four large characters leaped into his mind:
*Qi Sea Floating Heaven.*
Following that was a brief introduction left behind by the Old Ancestor:
[This art is the distillation of this old man's lifelong comprehension, condensed from my entire Dao cultivation. It bears no specific grade; its might can continuously expand as the cultivator's realm advances, and it possesses myriad variations with immense inclusivity. So long as a cultivator has achieved Foundation Establishment and opened a sea of qi, they may practice this art... Should someone of ingenious wit and outstanding talent cultivate it to great success, perhaps one day they can elevate its might to rival a divine ability!]
Zhou Fuyou was stunned.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected this spell to possess such profound origins, having been penned through the Ancestor's lifelong painstaking efforts.
Moreover, the Old Ancestor held exceptionally high hopes for it, envisioning that successors could cultivate it to the level of a divine ability.
Yet why must it be left to successors rather than the Old Ancestor himself deducing it to its apex and creating a true divine ability?
The question lingered for only an instant.
In a flash, Zhou Fuyou arrived at his own answer. He thought somberly:
Rumor has it the Old Ancestor has little lifespan remaining and his end approaches; he likely lacks the time.
Perhaps that is why he created this spell and left it in the Scripture Pavilion!
"Then this descendant shall carry on the Old Ancestor's ambition and carry this art to glory!"
Zhou Fuyou rallied his spirits and stored the original copy of *Qi Sea Floating Heaven* into his storage bag.
This trip had certainly not been in vain!
Not only had he settled on his sister's future primary cultivation art, but he had also acquired a spell with boundless growth potential.
Truly wonderful!
***
Time flew like an arrow hastening age; years sped by like a galloping steed urging youth onward.
In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.
The younger generation of the Zhou family had all left the Hall of Passing Techniques and grown into genuine Qi Refinement cultivators.
On this day, the youths were summoned and set out toward Bailu Marsh.
Along the way, many chatterboxes were engaged in lively discussion, speculating on why the clan had summoned all cultivators.
"It must have to do with developing Bailu Marsh!"
"That plan was conceived over a decade ago, but because a group of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators in the clan perished back then, it was temporarily shelved."
"Right. Bailu Marsh is vast, spanning three thousand li across. But our Zhou family holds barely a third of it. The remaining swath of territory is occupied by lethal miasma and that flock of black-billed egret demon beasts. As our clan's population continues to grow, a meager third of the land can no longer meet our needs, so the plan to develop Bailu Marsh has been restarted."
"I heard that this operation is led by the Sixth Elder?"
"Zhou Yuqi's father? After ascending to the Golden Core stage, his standing in the clan has grown increasingly prominent. First he presided over the Spiritual Root Testing Ceremony, and now he is spearheading the Bailu Marsh development plan. Perhaps he'll eventually take over the Third Elder's mantle and oversee external affairs!"
"That's only natural; after all, the Sixth Elder is the youngest! Besides, his external network is broad. I heard he even pulled strings to send Zhou Yuqi to audit classes at Tiannan Dao Palace."
"Tsk, tsk, how enviable. Having such a good father."
"If you don't have a good father, having a good brother works just as well!"
Amid the chatter, a few people quietly cast their gazes toward a beautiful woman at the rear of the crowd.
She was barely twenty, yet had blossomed into a graceful, slender beauty. Her brow, lips, and nose seemed sculpted by nature itself, in flawless harmony.
Were it not for an air of stubborn obstinacy about her, she could truly be called devastatingly enchanting!
This woman was Zhou Qingyu!
Reasonably speaking, owing to Zhou Fuyou and her own breathtaking beauty, she should have been fervently courted within the clan.
In reality, however, that was not the case!
Zhou Qingyu, who had once tested without a spiritual root, was suddenly able to cultivate one day!
Moreover, while her cultivation speed was not extraordinarily fast, it was by no means slow—reaching the middle Qi Refinement stage in eight years, faster even than some clansmen with three spiritual roots.
This naturally sparked boundless speculation among the clan.
Had her immensely prestigious brother abused his authority for personal gain, deliberately pouring vast resources into Zhou Qingyu so that a good-for-nothing mortal could be forcefully elevated to such a realm?
This alone was enough to make many poorly talented, resource-starved clansmen turn green with envy, their hearts blazing with bitter resentment.
Naturally, there were also fawning clansmen who sought to curry favor with her, but the abrupt change in attitude displayed by her so-called friends at the Spiritual Root Testing Ceremony years ago had left Zhou Qingyu permanently distrustful of such cheap friendship, warmth, and affection.
Except for her brother, she gave no one a pleasant expression.
Every day was spent in arduous cultivation, solely to keep pace with her brother's footsteps.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*
Wind howled as the youths piloted their flying artifacts, quickly arriving at the edge of the Bailu Evil Marsh.
They did not venture inside, instead waiting quietly.
Before long, streaks of formidable escaping light flew in from the clan grounds.
Leading them were none other than Clan Head Zhou Junxiao and Sixth Elder Zhou Haiye.
Looking across the vast expanse of Bailu Marsh, both men wore visible expressions of delight.
"Indeed. Over these past few years, the miasma filling the evil marsh has visibly diminished. With this, the vile beasts lurking inside have finally lost their greatest reliance!" Zhou Junxiao said excitedly.
The miasma of Bailu Marsh was far more perilous than it appeared.
In the densest areas, even Golden Core Masters dared not inhale too much.
Meanwhile, those black-billed egret demons not only possessed tough bodies and rapid flight, but could also manipulate the deadly miasma, making them extraordinarily difficult to handle.
Without the Old Ancestor stepping in personally, the massive Zhou family had found itself completely helpless before this treasured land.
Fortunately, over the past few years, the miasma within the Bailu Evil Marsh had mysteriously dwindled.
After petitioning the Old Ancestor, Zhou Junxiao had received a clear command: they could begin culling the black-billed egret demons and developing Bailu Marsh.
"Haiye, I grant you fifty Foundation Establishment clansmen to delve deep into the evil marsh and slay the demons. If you encounter the Egret Demon King, prioritize subduing it; if it cannot be subdued, slay it outright!"
Zhou Haiye smiled slightly. Holding in his mouth a Poison-Warding Pill painstakingly concocted by Fifth Elder Zhou Chongxiao, he immediately led the band of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators into the miasma-choked evil marsh.
Zhou Junxiao then turned his gaze upon the hundreds of Qi Refinement cultivators below.
Among them were not only older Qi Refinement cultivators, but also newly matured juniors.
He said sternly, "The Sixth Elder will handle the threats deep inside. If any Rank 1 egret demons escape, your duty is to capture and kill them. For many of you, this is also a prime opportunity for practical experience. Now then, form three-person teams, fan out, and surround the Bailu Evil Marsh!"
Hundreds answered in unison, then dispersed in their respective groups.
Seeing this display of strict discipline and obedience, Zhou Junxiao could not help but curl his lips into a faint smile.
Under his stewardship, the clan had finally regained some vitality.
However, upon noticing a solitary woman standing alone in the southeast corner, his brow furrowed.
Why is no one teaming up with Zhou Qingyu?
At that moment, Zhou Qingyu held a dainty, exquisite flying sword, alighting atop a hill and gazing into the distant Bailu Evil Marsh.
She acted as if deaf and blind to the surrounding whispers, sneers, and ridicule.
Brother once said: Dragons do not dwell with snakes, and tigers do not walk with dogs. If one wishes to achieve greatness, one must endure loneliness and hardship. As for so-called friends, it is fine to have them, and fine not to; there is no need to force it!
Clutching her flying sword, a trace of anticipation shone in her eyes.
Anticipation of possibly clashing with egret demon beasts later for real combat.
And anticipation that once the Bailu Evil Marsh was purged, her brother might return.
Indeed, only she knew that when her brother vanished three years ago, he had ventured deep into Bailu Marsh to cultivate.
She had heard he went there to practice a special spell.
Who knew what results his cultivation had yielded by now?
***
Meanwhile.
Deep within Bailu Marsh, inside a patch of swampland shrouded in thick miasma.
Several streaks of light streaked past, and one of them, seemingly sensing something, descended.
It was a beautiful young married woman, holding a map in her hands as she navigated by it.
"According to the map given by the Yin family, that valuable small ore vein should be around here."
"Haiye needs to oversee the grand operation, so it falls to me to collect it."
"I must be quick and avoid discovery by other clansmen if possible!"
Holding a Poison-Warding Pill in her mouth, the young woman advanced swiftly.
As she went deeper, the surrounding miasma grew increasingly dense, giving her an ominous foreboding.
This isn't even the deepest part; why is the miasma so thick?
Suddenly!
The thick miasma abruptly parted, laying bare the scene within.
A handsome young man clad in a white Taoist robe adorned with red coral opened his eyes, looking at her with cool indifference.
"Seventh Aunt, why have you disturbed my cultivation?"
Seeing the young man, the woman addressed as Seventh Aunt experienced a slight change in expression.
"Zhou Fuyou, how can you be here?"
"That is a question I should be asking you. Furthermore..." Zhou Fuyou slowly rose to his feet, a strange light glinting in his eyes. "While we are at it, I would also like to ask about what happened back then!"
Chapter 1037