Little Yu Xin continued learning stitching from Sister Xiao Rou alongside Zhao Qingqing.
This continued for about two weeks, until one morning.
Little Yu Xin was cultivating after waking up when he felt his meridians were blocked. He could no longer absorb spiritual energy.
He was shocked, then delighted.
"After so many days of absorbing spiritual energy, I'm finally at the peak of Qi Refining Level 2..."
Little Yu Xin sighed in relief. If there were anyone else with a low-grade spiritual root listening, they might have been tempted to strangle him. He was acting as if he had cultivated for ten years to reach this stage, when his entire life's cultivation so far amounted to only about three weeks.
Most people with the same low-grade spiritual root would have to cultivate for nearly two years to reach Qi Refining Level 2 perfection.
"This just goes to show the importance of resources. Especially ones without impurities," Little Yu Xin mused.
He then attempted the breakthrough without further hesitation. There was no true bottleneck between Qi Refining Levels 1 to 3, as they were all part of the early stage.
Once his meridians could absorb no more ambient energy, Little Yu Xin ate another Qi-Gathering Pill. Immediately, the stagnant spiritual energy began to flow again. The barrier broke; his meridians expanded to accommodate more spiritual energy, and the energy itself increased in quality.
Once more, Little Yu Xin felt that cool flow traveling through his body, strengthening his physique, expanding his meridians, and finally converging towards his forehead.
Feeling his sea of consciousness expand, he was again seduced by the allure of cultivation.
He now had a deeper understanding of the sea of consciousness, thanks to his recent cultivation and questions to his parents. The Sea of Consciousness was like a dantian, but instead of spiritual power, it housed mental energy. Cultivators used this energy for calculations far beyond mortal capability, and it was consumed when carving divine runes onto artifacts or constructing formations and talismans.
Yet, mental energy was not the soul. A cultivator's soul had no definite form, even at the Golden Core stage. It seemed the soul was a profound threshold in cultivation.
Little Yu Xin didn't dwell on it, choosing instead to savor the bliss of his breakthrough.
Sadly, he couldn't tell anyone. He was still wearing the Concealed Ring around his neck, so he could hide his true level up to Qi Refining Level 4 without issue.
After breakfast with his parents, he left for class, feeding Su Rong a few extra drops of Light Dew as a celebration.
In the classroom, it was no longer the gentle Sister Xiao Rou, but the stern, middle-aged Mr. Yan who waited for Yu Xin and Zhao Qingqing.
Little Yu Xin took his seat. "Good morning, Mr. Yan. Are you going to teach us today?"
Mr. Yan nodded. "Yes. Xiao Rou told me you have both learned mortal stitching quite well. Today, I will teach you the basics of refining textile artifacts."
They waited for Zhao Qingqing to arrive. After quite some time, she finally entered. Little Yu Xin braced for a scolding, but Mr. Yan showed no anger.
"You're here. Take your seat," he said politely.
Little Yu Xin was shocked, then remembered Zhao Qingqing mentioning her family owned the Gilded Claw Emporium. He had since learned the Zhao family was a third-rank clan, meaning they had a Golden Core cultivator. A flicker of jealousy arose, but he quickly composed himself.
Once Zhao Qingqing was seated, Mr. Yan stood.
"Now that you can weave mortal cloth, it is time to begin learning artifact refining. The physical skills are largely the same. What is crucial is that during weaving, you must learn to use your spiritual energy to coat the individual threads. This prevents them from reacting to one another."
After a brief demonstration, he gave each of them a ball of spiritual thread and a first-rank, low-grade needle artifact.
Little Yu Xin tried it, immediately encountering the problem Mr. Yan described. The threads would attract or repel each other, inevitably becoming a tangled mess. He focused, channeling his spiritual energy to coat the outer layer of a thread. His energy, colorless and elusive from the Karmic Wind God Scripture, conveniently matched the description of the basic technique his mother had given him. Mr. Yan noticed nothing amiss.
The difference was immediate. The insulated threads no longer interfered with each other.
"Correct," Mr. Yan said, observing their progress. "Continue practicing. I will return later to check."
After he left, the two were alone to practice. Little Yu Xin concentrated fully, an idea forming—he wanted to make a gift for his mother. To do that, he needed far more skill.
Zhao Qingqing couldn't help but glance at him, finding his focused expression particularly cute. Sensing her gaze, Little Yu Xin turned his head. Flustered, Zhao Qingqing snapped her attention back to her work, but the distraction caused her to prick her finger.
"Ow!"
Little Yu Xin saw the drop of blood and immediately pulled out a handkerchief his mother had given him.
"Hey, don't be careless!" he said, taking her hand to wrap the cloth around her finger.
Zhao Qingqing felt a sweet flutter, her face reddening with a mix of embarrassment and shyness. This feeling was short-lived.
"After all these classes with Sister Xiao Rou, you're still pricking your finger. Such low skill..." Little Yu Xin shook his head, tutting.
Zhao Qingqing immediately snatched her hand back, her expression turning frosty. She stomped her foot in frustration and returned to her weaving, ignoring him completely.
Little Yu Xin was confused but soon refocused on his own task.
---
On a random evening, the sun began to set. Clouds hung in the sky like flowing water, constantly shifting shape. A gentle wind caused the plants to sway slightly.
The weather was beautiful, just as one might expect in the cultivation world.
If only the heat weren't becoming unbearable, Liu Hua thought, weary after a long day managing the spiritual fields. It had been about a month since Little Yu Xin's assessment. The Southern Region was warm year-round, but it still followed seasonal patterns. Winter was ending, giving way to spring, which promised an even hotter summer ahead. The thought was distressing.
Just as she was about to head inside, she saw a small figure riding toward her on a beautiful, pure-white horse. Little Yu Xin, wearing a dark blue daoist robe, looked like an adorable dumpling. The horse shone brilliantly in the evening glow.
For a moment, Liu Hua saw an illusion: an immortal in blue robes riding toward her on a white steed, a silver flute in his hand, its music echoing with each step.
In the blink of an eye, the vision vanished. What remained was Little Yu Xin waving excitedly and calling out, "Mommy, look! I made you a dress!"
He pulled an ice-blue hanfu from his storage pouch. The robe was exquisite, a light blue adorned with embroidered white flowers, complete with a matching white embroidered belt. It seemed woven from ice itself—beautiful, pure, and delicate.