In Seconds

"Really amazing…" Lei Ya quietly muttered, her eyes wide with wonder. Simply feeling the vibrant aura of Spirit Grade Arts was rewarding. It was akin to taking a dip in a pool meant for nobles after bathing in dirty commoner water, the sheer purity of the Essence Energy invigorating. 

Her eyes wandered, taking in the sights of various scrolls, books, and jade slips, each humming with stored knowledge.

At the same time, Lei Jin was focused. He didn't want to mess this up. This cultivation art would serve them for a considerable amount of time, at least until they grew significantly in strength and could afford to amass greater Cultivation Arts. 

Thus, Lei Jin pulled on the power of his soul. A faint rumble of thunder echoed in his mind, a distant, internal roar. His bloodline surged, causing his senses to sharpen in that moment, his Spirit Sense becoming incredibly acute. Lei Jin had previously felt it. 

Everything about him was greatly amplified whenever he called upon the power of his bloodline. Even when using it in small quantities like sharpening his Spirit Sense, his control was getting better, more precise. He still didn't know how much his being was amplified, the true extent of his cheat, but he knew he'd need to take it one step at a time. 

His sharpened Spirit Sense scanned across the Spirit Grade Arts until he felt an undeniable pull towards one particular unassuming scroll.

Lei Jin moved his body, a silent confidence in his steps, with Lei Ya following right behind him, her gaze sharp and attentive. 

"Hm?" Lei Ya's eyes narrowed on the unassuming scroll he had sensed. "Beloved Flowing Art, huh? Will this do?"

"Only one way to find out," Lei Jin calmly spoke, his hand reaching to pick up the scroll. He then positioned himself so that he and Lei Ya could simultaneously read it, and with a practiced motion, opened the scroll. 

In that instant, a faint, radiant blue shine crossed the duo's gaze. Various insignia symbols and ancient words, imbued with a profound aura, were meticulously carved along the parchment, humming with latent knowledge.

Lei Jin and Lei Ya's Spirit Senses flowed into the scroll, and both siblings trembled. Profound insights flooded through their Spirit Senses. Their minds expanded, information flowed into them, and they rapidly comprehended such insights at a light-speed level. 

A deep, fundamental meaning was being spoken and understood by them. 

This Art was not just a guide in correctly absorbing Essence Energy. No, it delved into the subtle aspect of the continuous and adaptable flow of Essence Energy. It taught that to flow in any environment like Essence Energy, one must grasp the property of being agile, flexible, and resilient, all forged into a smooth, unstoppable state of being. Akin to how even the toughest stone can be carved by the unending flow of water, ignoring all of its rigid defenses. 

Such a profound meaning swept through the siblings' minds at lightning speed, settling deep within their nascent understanding of the Dao.

Lei Ya smiled mere seconds later, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "So, I think we found it, eh, Brother?"

"It appears so." The same quiet confidence radiated from Lei Jin as well.

The siblings, satisfied with their new gain, walked right back over to Elder Ling. Said Elder Ling blinked when she saw the siblings walking over to her, the Beloved Flowing Art in hand. She was about to open her mouth, perhaps to offer a condescending word of caution. 

But the duo beat her to it. 

Lei Jin and Lei Ya opened their palms. A faint blue radiance shimmered, causing a string of Essence Energy to sprout from the center of each of their palms.

And what occurred next left the indifferent Elder Ling utterly shell-shocked. The siblings' strings of Essence Energy began to form a circular shape. The circular shape came out perfectly, a revolving stream of Essence Energy that wouldn't dissipate if it wasn't disturbed, humming with a stable, vibrant power.

"This!" Elder Ling nearly fell out of her chair, her usual composure shattering. Her Spirit Sense swept over the revolving Essence Energy, but there was nothing that could disprove what she was witnessing. This was all coming from the siblings' direct control, a mastery that defied their perceived cultivation.

"Hm? What's got Manager Elder…" An Inner Core disciple happened to flick his gaze over at the sight, his words soon falling into his throat, his eyes widening in disbelief. 

His reaction caused his friends to look over as well. 

"Hey, what's got you… you're—thi—this!"

"Those two… why the hell are they controlling a Spirit Grade Art?!" 

Shocked murmurs began to rise. Disbelief crossed faces. Some were even trying to believe this was some sort of illusion martial skill. 

But nothing could disprove reality. 

Indeed, two trashy 2nd layer Mortal Awakening disciples were controlling the rudimentary state of a Spirit Grade Art! 

Even just the rudimentary state caused minds to go into shock.

Lei Jin expected this kind of reaction. After all, he could recall that the disparity of comprehension talent and skill was quite high in this world. 

Even 8th layer Mortal Awakening cultivators, who were continually enhancing their Spirit Sense, would struggle with comprehending a high-quality Mortal Grade art, much less a common-quality Spirit Grade Art. 

Even Essence Gathering cultivators, beings who evolved their Spirit Senses once crossing over this major realm, would have a bit of trouble comprehending a common-quality Spirit Grade Art without significant effort. 

And yet, here they were, the so-called bottom-of-the-barrel cultivators, achieving immediate success.

It was a calculated risk in Lei Jin's mind. As he had told Lei Ya, no matter how much others made a fuss, it was impossible to openly act against an Inner Core disciple within the sect. 

The rules against Outer Core disciples were more lax, allowing for subtle suppression. But Inner Core disciples represented the heart of a sect, the very foundation from which future elders and leaders would emerge. 

Core disciples were indeed special, but they were rare amongst this level of talent. They were scarce, thus there needed to be a steady supply of Inner Core disciples to make up for the lack of top-tier talent. Thus, it's why even Core disciples couldn't outwardly suppress an Inner Core disciple, unless they wanted to deal with an avoidable, troublesome situation that could draw the ire of sect elders. 

Eyes would gather on them for sure, rumors would spread like wildfire. But unless Lei Jin and Lei Ya entered a training combat ground or left the sect, nothing could be done to them. They could stay and cultivate in their rooms, safe amidst all the questions and rumors.

Confidence flowed out of the siblings as Lei Jin plainly stated to Elder Ling, his voice firm, "We'll be taking this one."

"Ah?" Elder Ling let out a slight gasp, her eyes still wide. But she soon regained her composure, her professional facade snapping back into place. "Yes, a fine choice." 

Even as she spoke, she was internally shaking her head, a whirlwind of disbelief in her mind. She knew of the true complication of the Beloved Flowing Art. The simple concept of flowing energy was not a simple one to grasp, a quality that even talented Essence Gathering cultivators struggled to understand deeply. 

This Art couldn't be brute-forced to be understood; that would only disrupt the natural order of revolving the flowing stream of energy. The correct way was through meticulous study, slowly and surely grasping the rudimentary meaning of flowing like a stream of a river. 

But these two mere Mortal Awakening juniors did it in but seconds… 

Elder Ling felt as if she needed a strong spiritual tea, perhaps even a potent elixir, to calm her frayed nerves.

Still, no matter her thoughts, Elder Ling completed the transaction. Lei Jin and Lei Ya respectfully bowed their heads to Elder Ling, a gesture of polite defiance, and swiftly left the Beloved Sky Library. 

On their way out, naturally, various eyes continually gathered upon the sibling duo, their gazes a mixture of shock, envy, and suspicion. But all could only internally sigh. 

If only those two weren't Inner Core disciples… 

Though nothing outward could be done, the spread of news was quickly making waves as the siblings left to their abode, their legend beginning to form.

....

Lei Jin and Lei Ya swiftly arrived back at Lei Jin's quarters, the opulent room now feeling like a fortress of solitude. Naturally, the siblings were planning to stay here for several days, immersing themselves in cultivation, and neither had any problem with this. 

Lei Ya had her own quarters, but she was simply accustomed to being with her brother during the duration of cultivation, their bond a silent comfort. 

While Lei Jin simply did what he felt was natural, thus choosing to not say anything about her presence.

The duo unrolled the Beloved Flowing Art, sat in a lotus position on the plush carpet, and infused their Spirit Sense inside the Art. Noises, the ambient air, everything outside of the duo's perception began to evaporate, fading into nothingness. 

There was only one thing on their mind: streaming every part of their being into a continuous, flowing motion that was impossible to disrupt. Time mattered little to the duo as they were immersed in profound comprehension. All that mattered was enhancing their cultivation.

Radiant blue sparkles continually flickered and danced across the room, tiny motes of purified Essence Energy. These streams of Essence Energy flowed straight into the siblings' bodies without a single issue, drawn in by their enhanced physiques and bloodlines. 

Everything was perfect at this moment. 

The profound principles of the Beloved Flowing Art, on its own, would cause a unique effect on one's Essence Energy. When refining the Essence Energy into Spirit Qi that flows into the dantian, that Spirit Qi would exude a denser, smoother property compared to others using different cultivation arts. This greater property of Spirit Qi would only make the dantian purer, causing cultivation speed to increase exponentially. And it would also significantly increase the combat prowess of said cultivator by the sheer power of denser, more refined Spirit Qi.

And this situation was even greater for the Lei siblings. 

The terrifying, multi-colored lightning within Lei Jin's soul and veins further refined the transformed Spirit Qi, giving it both a dangerous affinity to lightning and making it purer beyond belief. 

Lei Ya's body was operating on a similar structure. A mysterious power within her soul and body, latched onto her transformed Spirit Qi, making it dozens of times denser and purer than any ordinary Spiritual Grade cultivator.