The Absurd Cultivation Speed

Yue Zhao pulled Yun Jin down to sit beside him, then casually brewed another pot of tea.

"Come, junior sister. This is a rare spirit tea. Drinking it nourishes the meridians and greatly benefits cultivation." With warm enthusiasm, Yue Zhao poured her a cup, then didn't forget to shoot a jab at He Linya. "That master of ours drinks nothing but wine. He's either drunk or on his way to being drunk. We mustn't follow his lowbrow example. Tea suits our class and elegance far more."

Yun Jin glanced at the scattered set of Pai Gow tiles on the table. Honestly, there wasn't much "class" to speak of.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Yun Jin blinked innocently, looking every bit the docile little white rabbit as she took a sip.

The tea entered her belly.

Yun Jin's eyes flickered ever so slightly.

Was it just her imagination, or had her cultivation method suddenly strengthened in that very instant?

She took another large gulp. The feeling of spiritual energy gathering grew even stronger.

A thought stirred in Yun Jin's heart.

"Could drinking tea be considered a form of eating?"

The sunflower seeds she'd snacked on earlier were mundane ones from the mortal world, so the effect on her cultivation hadn't been very impressive. But this tea, infused with natural spiritual energy, contained more qi in one mouthful than all those seeds combined.

In that fleeting moment…

Yun Jin broke through the first level of Qi Refining and was now steadily advancing toward the second.

"This tea is really good. Senior Brother, do you have more?" Yun Jin raised her head, only to find her three senior sectmates staring at her, dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?" Yun Jin asked, puzzled.

"Did you just… just break through the first level of Qi Refining?" Si Wanning stammered.

Yun Jin nodded naturally. "It's thanks to Senior Brother's tea."

"Senior Brother's tea has that kind of effect?" Si Wanning couldn't believe it.

She had drunk this tea many times. At most, it slightly nourished the meridians, and only with prolonged use would one see any noticeable effect.

How much had Yun Jin drunk just now?

One sip?

Two?

And her spiritual energy visibly increased?

[+2 Emotional Value.]

Is this even scientific???

"Exactly like that," Yun Jin said earnestly with a sincere nod.

Yue Zhao and the others exchanged baffled glances, then, in unison, each picked up their cup and took a sip of the tea.

No reaction whatsoever.

Their expressions shifted as they stared at Yun Jin.

Is this junior sister really just a Five-Spirit Root?

Did Master accidentally recruit some kind of monster?!

"Senior Brother, may I have another cup?" Yun Jin asked politely.

Yue Zhao shoved the entire teapot toward her. "Take it all!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Yun Jin didn't hold back. She sipped slowly and calmly. "Shall we get back to our Pai Gow game?"

Yue Zhao still looked dazed, but when she mentioned Pai Gow, he automatically nodded.

He'd been obsessed with the game for years. This was the first time he found himself unable to focus.

The reason?

On Yun Jin's side, spiritual energy fluctuations erupted every now and then. In just the span of one hour, as she leisurely drank tea and played tiles, she'd advanced all the way to the third level of Qi Refining.

[+5 Emotional Value.]

What kind of nonsense is this?!

"Does my tea have some hidden effect on newcomers?! That can't be right!"

None of them could keep their minds on the game. Their eyes kept drifting toward Yun Jin.

Seeing her spiritual power steadily climb, Yue Zhao finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Let's call it a day," he said, defeated.

"But there's still tea left," Yun Jin said a little regretfully.

The corner of Yue Zhao's mouth twitched. He pulled out an entire tin of tea leaves and handed it to her. "Take it. Drink all you want."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Yun Jin's gratitude sounded especially heartfelt.

Then she looked at Si Wanning and Yu Songnian. "Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother, I didn't prepare any gifts for our first meeting."

Si Wanning: "..."

"How could we make you give gifts? We should be giving you something."

That was exactly what Yun Jin wanted. She gazed at them expectantly.

Si Wanning found herself torn between amusement and exasperation. After thinking it over, she realized Yun Jin didn't need much at the moment. Spirit-infused food, like tea or beast meat, would be far more useful to her than pills or weapons.

"I'll give you a piece of fierce beast meat tomorrow after we pick out your residence," Si Wanning said. "You don't have a storage pouch yet, so it'd be inconvenient to carry now."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Yun Jin beamed, then turned to look at Yu Songnian.

Yu Songnian: "…"

"Why does this feel so stressful?!"

"No, I'm the senior brother—I have to stay composed."

Yu Songnian's expression stiffened, his voice cold as ice. "I'll give you some spirit herbs."

Yun Jin studied him.

"Huh. This Third Senior Brother is pretty cold."

Yu Songnian grew even more nervous.

"Why is she still looking at me?! I'm panicking!"

"Thank you, Third Senior Brother." Yun Jin smiled sweetly.

Her cultivation method could reach Foundation Establishment, but only through feeding. She needed to max it out by consuming qi-rich food. For now, she'd just have to borrow a little from her senior siblings.

"Let's go, junior sister. You can stay with me tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you to pick your own place," said Si Wanning.

"Thank you, Second Senior Sister," Yun Jin said sweetly.

Si Wanning summoned her flying sword and took Yun Jin with her.

Her residence wasn't far, quite similar to Yue Zhao's—just a few modest bamboo huts, simple and clean.

"Junior sister, pick any room you like," Si Wanning said.

Yun Jin nodded and chose one casually.

Si Wanning pulled out a bamboo bed from her storage pouch and placed it inside for her to rest.

Once she left, Yun Jin glanced at her system panel.

[Yun Jin][Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 3 (89%)][Cultivation Method: Mystic Codex (Proficient) {Automatically progresses through consumption}]

Her panel was still pretty barebones. Aside from the Mystic Scripture, she didn't have any other skills yet.

Yun Jin stroked her chin.

In just one day, she'd reached the third level of Qi Refining from zero.

"This speed is… acceptable."

With more spirit-rich food, her cultivation would skyrocket even faster.

"Better aim for Foundation Establishment soon."

In the world of cultivation, the Qi Refining stage was just the beginning. Only by reaching Foundation Establishment could one use magical artifacts and fly by sword. Lifespan would also increase to two hundred years.

That was when one truly stepped beyond mortality and walked the immortal path.

Her ancestral ring also required Foundation Establishment to open. Inside was a pocket realm filled with treasures. In her previous life, Ye Danxia had relied on this very ring to progress at an astonishing pace.

That night.

Yun Jin brewed a full pot of tea and drank it all in one go.

Then, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Even in her dreams, spiritual energy continued to pour into her body.

The next morning.

When she woke up, her panel had already changed:

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 (30%)]

Not bad at all.

Yun Jin was quite satisfied.

There seemed to be some commotion outside. She opened the door and saw Si Wanning practicing her sword on the open ground in front of the hut.

The sword technique looked quite refined.

Yun Jin's eyes lit up.

"System, analyze this sword art."

[Detected as Mystic-tier Technique: Lotus Bloom Sword Art. This sword art has nine levels. At mastery, it can manifest the Lotus Sword Domain. Requirements: Basic sword comprehension. Higher levels require understanding the essence of the lotus.]

Yun Jin raised her eyebrows and muttered, "Simplify."

She used three system simplification attempts before she got a version she was satisfied with.

[Simplified Version: Host must observe the Lotus Bloom Sword Art being performed ten times to reach Beginner Level. After that, further observations increase proficiency. (Note: Maximum proficiency cannot exceed the practitioner being observed.)]

"Not bad."

Yun Jin turned back, fetched a small stool, and brewed herself another cup of tea. Now, she could boost her cultivation by drinking tea while watching her senior sister train to improve her sword skills.

Two birds, one stone.