novelraw Chapter 14 : First Layer of Qi Refinement
Chapter 14 : First Layer of Qi Refinement
Chapter 14: First Layer of Qi Refinement
She had sat in this private room for nearly an entire day, lost in thought—from the disappointment of failing to perform Dual Cultivation with Qin Bai, to the surprise of uncovering the origin of the Thousand Mechanism Poetry Lock, then being unexpectedly “enlightened” by Xiao Meier, and finally obtaining the inconceivable inheritance of the Path of Theft…
The gains of this single day far exceeded expectations!
She walked to the window and pushed it open. The evening breeze, carrying the moist scent unique to the Qinhuai River, flowed in.
Drunken Immortal Pavilion was bustling with activity below—crowds moving about, courtesans calling out, and patrons laughing and chatting, all blending together.
Although she was eager to practice the newly acquired 【Sneak Attack】 and 【Formless Hand】, Lin Xiaowan restrained herself.
She clearly understood her current realm—she had not yet truly opened her Qi Sea. The small amount of spiritual energy in her dantian was like rootless water: once used, it was gone.
Practicing techniques now would only waste her energy and greatly delay the process of opening her Qi Sea—it would not be worth it.
Only by opening the Qi Sea could a true qualitative transformation occur.
It was like digging a deep pit on the shore of the ocean—once the pit was deep enough, seawater would naturally flow in.
From that moment on, even without actively meditating, the sparse spiritual energy drifting through the surrounding world would be faintly drawn toward the Qi Sea, gradually gathering and circulating within that “pit,” maintaining a delicate balance.
Only this kind of power—freely mobilized and used to cast techniques—could truly be called “mana.”
And right now, she had not even finished digging that “pit.”
Just as she was thinking, the door was knocked, and Honggu entered with a radiant smile.
“My girl, all dressed up?” Honggu looked her over with satisfaction. “Tonight’s guest—I’ve chosen a good one for you—the seventh young master of the Li Family, Li Xiaobai.”
Li Xiaobai?
Lin Xiaowan searched her memory briefly.
A disciple of the Li Family, fond of poetry, wine, and women, often frequenting pleasure quarters. He had some reputation among the talented youths of Luoyang City.
It was said he had a spiritual root.
But he had always lingered at the fringes of his family—likely his aptitude was similar to that of this body’s original owner: possessing a spiritual root that might as well not exist. With normal cultivation, it would probably take ten years of hardship to condense a Qi Sea.
Compared to the tragic fate of the original “Lin Xiaowan,” this Young Master Li lived quite freely and indulgently.
“Young Master Li enjoys poetry and elegance. Since even the second young master of the Qin Family praised you, handling him should be no problem,” Honggu said with a smile. “Serve him well—he’s a regular here and quite generous.”
Lin Xiaowan nodded slightly.
Midnight.
Li Xiaobai entered Lin Xiaowan’s room, gently waving a folding fan engraved with the words “Graceful and Unrestrained.”
He looked to be in his early twenties, fair-skinned, dressed in a pale robe embroidered with bamboo patterns, with a scholar’s cap on his head—at first glance, he indeed appeared somewhat like a refined scholar.
Upon entering, he took a deep breath, savoring the faint fragrance in the room.
Then he paced slowly, his gaze sweeping over the zither table, the screen, the carved wooden windows, clicking his tongue in appreciation—or perhaps searching for inspiration.
Lin Xiaowan rose and gave a graceful bow. “Greetings, Young Master Li.”
“No need for such courtesy—please rise.”
Li Xiaobai turned at once, snapping his fan shut with a sharp snap, then made a gesture to help her up, his movements smooth and practiced.
“I have long heard of your ‘Orchid in the Empty Valley’ reputation. Now that I see you… you are indeed worthy of the name.”
His gaze lingered on Lin Xiaowan’s cool, exquisite face before he finished his sentence.
The two sat by the tea table.
Li Xiaobai sipped tea and looked at the gradually brightening moon outside the window, swaying slightly as he spoke, “Ah, such a beautiful night—how can there be no poetry? Miss Xu, I hear your zither skills are also excellent. Would you play a piece for me to inspire my poetry?”
Can we get to the point already?
Lin Xiaowan thought to herself.
But her expression remained calm. She obediently walked to the zither, adjusted the strings, and played a refined piece.
The music flowed like moonlight.
Li Xiaobai stood, gently waving his fan, muttering as if composing lines—yet his gaze occasionally drifted toward Lin Xiaowan’s lowered profile, her slender fingers, and the graceful movement of her shoulders as she played.
A lecher. I have no intention of wasting time with you.
Lin Xiaowan sneered inwardly. Though he appeared refined, the thoughts in his eyes were impossible to hide.
She had already decided how to lure him and strip away his false elegance.
When the piece ended, the lingering notes faded.
Lin Xiaowan stood, as if adjusting her sleeves. “Accidentally,” her wide sleeve brushed the edge of the table, sweeping a stack of neatly arranged papers onto the floor.
The sheets scattered, densely filled with writing—drafts from her attempts to solve the Thousand Mechanism Poetry Lock earlier that day.
Many were incomplete lines or fragments, marked and revised.
“Oh my,” Lin Xiaowan exclaimed softly, bending as if to pick them up.
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Li Xiaobai hurriedly crouched down, picking up several sheets.
Within moments, his eyes were captured by the fragmented verses.
“Flying waters fall straight down…”
“Sunlight upon the incense burner…”
Though incomplete, the lines were either ethereal or majestic—just a glimpse was enough to stir the soul.
“This…”
He grew excited, urgently flipping through the papers, trying to piece together the full poem. “‘From afar the waterfall… what comes after… ‘hang’? Brilliant! And then? Why isn’t the rest here?”
“Miss Xu, these poems…”
He looked up—only to see Lin Xiaowan sitting sideways on the table, biting the end of her brush, tilting her head. “Young Master Li, are you looking for a word… is it perhaps… this one?”
As she spoke, she extended her fair arm before him.
On the smooth inner side of her arm, written in fresh ink, were two delicate characters—“Before the River.”
The ink was still wet, standing out vividly against her pale skin.
Li Xiaobai’s breath halted, his eyes widening instantly.
He stepped forward and reached out, touching it as he muttered, “‘From afar the waterfall hangs before the river… yes, yes!”
His heart pounded like a drum, as though he had discovered a treasure. His hand lingered, unwilling to withdraw.
Lin Xiaowan let out a soft laugh. Holding the brush, she wrote “Flying Waters” across her shoulder.
Ink adorned her snow-white skin, glowing under moonlight and candlelight.
Then she slowly turned, lifting the hem of her skirt slightly, and traced five large characters along the outer side of her thigh—“Falls Three Thousand Feet.”
Li Xiaobai’s gaze darted between them, his hands uncertain where to rest. Under this successive, bold yet refined “temptation,” his reason completely collapsed.
Poetry, elegance—everything was drowned by primal desire.
“You wretched woman! Lie down properly!”
With a low roar, he lunged like a beast.
A smile flickered in Lin Xiaowan’s eyes as she retreated gracefully. He missed, then quickly pursued, entangling with her.
Amid her soft laughter, it took only moments for Li Xiaobai’s Primordial Yang to be extracted—far inferior to Qin Bai’s tightly guarded essence.
Lin Xiaowan circulated her technique, carefully guiding and refining the energy.
This first round of Dual Cultivation allowed her to gauge his condition—Li Xiaobai possessed a spiritual root but had not yet opened his Qi Sea.
“In that case… I’ll go further.”
Her lips parted slightly as she exhaled a faint, nearly colorless and odorless wisp of Mirage Qi onto his face.
Li Xiaobai froze, his eyes turning vacant.
Suddenly, he felt as though he were ascending to immortality—the beauty before him seemed like a celestial maiden, both distant and near.
“Done.”
Looking at the now defenseless Li Xiaobai, Lin Xiaowan clapped her hands lightly.
His Primordial Yang was now completely unguarded—she could harvest it freely.
Pure Yang energy was transformed and absorbed, refined into qi through her breathing, all flowing into her dantian, nourishing the forming vortex.
In his half-conscious state, Li Xiaobai was harvested five or six times, until his face turned pale and his eyes hollow, before he was finally spared.
The next morning, as dawn broke,
Li Xiaobai staggered out of the room, holding his waist, his steps unsteady.
Yawning, dazed, with a faint smear of dried ink at the corner of his mouth, he muttered, “Xu Fu… truly peerless… never seen such beauty in my life!”
Inside the room, Lin Xiaowan circulated the Profound Essence Scripture, feeling the qi in her dantian had grown significantly.
“Those with spiritual roots possess far superior Primordial Yang and Female Essence compared to ordinary people…”
She opened her eyes, satisfied.
She silently hoped more such individuals would come.
However, before she could enjoy it for long, Qin Bai returned.
Lin Xiaowan felt helpless but could only cooperate outwardly.
His tightly sealed Primordial Yang was like a dam—impenetrable, tempting yet unattainable.
Since she could not harvest him, she allowed her thoughts to wander—considering Honggu’s management methods, the complex relationships within Drunken Immortal Pavilion; more often, she repeatedly simulated in her mind the techniques of the Path of Theft—【Sneak Attack】 and 【Formless Hand】—their energy flows and applications.
Every detail was dissected, recombined, and practiced countless times in her mind.
Occasionally, she also paid attention to the neighboring room.
With focused perception, she soon detected changes in breathing and faint sounds of clothing brushing against the wall.
She knew—Xiao Meier was eavesdropping again.
It made her want to laugh.
“If I can sense it when focused, Qin Bai certainly can if he wishes… perhaps he’s doing it on purpose. What a strange hobby.”
By morning, when Qin Bai prepared to leave, Lin Xiaowan returned the restored Thousand Mechanism Poetry Lock with both hands.
“Returning it to its rightful owner. This mechanism is truly exquisite—fascinating.”
Qin Bai accepted it, weighing it casually. “Any progress?”
Lin Xiaowan showed a trace of frustration. “After much effort, I only managed to press out ‘Bright,’ ‘Moon,’ and ‘Light.’ As for the rest… I truly could not deduce it.”
Qin Bai smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying, and put it away.
Before leaving, he suddenly said, “In three months, there will be a ‘Medicine King Gathering’ at Luoxia Valley upstream of the Qinhuai River outside the city. Are you interested?”
Medicine King Gathering? Luoxia Valley…
Lin Xiaowan searched her memory, recalling only vague details—an unusual valley discovered jointly by three cultivation families in recent years.
She showed curiosity. “A gathering for gathering herbs?”
“Something like that,” Qin Bai said casually. “Luoxia Valley has denser spiritual energy than outside, with mist year-round, producing many spiritual herbs. The most valuable ones have already been taken by elders. What remains is left for the younger generation to seek opportunities—also a form of training.”
“It sounds interesting… but is it dangerous?” she asked, feigning curiosity with a hint of fear.
“Dangerous?” Qin Bai smiled. “Truly dangerous areas are marked and guarded. Most regions are safe. If you’re worried, stay near the entrance—though there are no rare herbs, ordinary medicinal plants are plentiful and can nourish the body.”
Lin Xiaowan’s heart stirred.
This could be an opportunity to obtain cultivation resources.
Still, she hesitated outwardly. “As an outsider, would it be appropriate for me to go with you?”
“No problem.” Qin Bai waved his hand. “Many young disciples and even merchants or independent cultivators will attend. Just treat it as an outing.”
He paused. “I’ll have Honggu prepare a carriage for you.”
At this point, Lin Xiaowan had no reason to refuse.
She smiled and bowed. “Then I thank Young Master Qin.”
Seeing her smile, Qin Bai leaned close and whispered teasingly, “I’ll be busy for a while and may not come… don’t miss me too much.”
Lin Xiaowan cast him a reproachful glance, turning away—but inwardly, she was delighted.
Finally rid of this “untouchable feast,” she could focus on Dual Cultivation!
Indeed, over the next month, Qin Bai did not appear.
Lin Xiaowan entered a busy period.
With her reputation and appearance, a steady stream of patrons arrived. Honggu carefully selected guests, raising her price.
She encountered many with spiritual roots, advancing her “path of Dual Cultivation.”
She also saw all kinds of men: muscular warriors with weak, impure Yang; childlike men with unexpectedly pure essence; even elderly men who could barely perform, allowing only minimal extraction.
Over the month, her mastery of the Profound Essence Scripture deepened, and her control of Mirage Qi improved.
At last—
one late night, about two months after Qin Bai’s departure—
after sending off a young merchant with decent Yang energy, Lin Xiaowan sat cross-legged on the bed.
Her dantian vortex had reached a critical point, swelling with energy, causing pain.
She knew—the time had come.
Focusing her mind, she fully drove the vortex.
“Buzz—”
Spiritual energy surged inward, compressing violently.
Pain tore through her, sweat forming, her body trembling—but she endured.
Then—
“Boom!”
Like thunder, like a seed sprouting.
All qi converged into a single point.
Lin Xiaowan opened her eyes, a flash of light within.
Her dantian had become a vast Qi Sea.
First Layer of Qi Refinement!
She had truly stepped into the path of cultivation.
Her body felt lighter, senses sharper, even her divine sense strengthened.
She raised a finger, focusing her will.
A faint glow appeared.
She directed the energy toward a wooden box.
“Formless Hand!”
A pale blue hand emerged, grasping the box and returning it to her palm.
Not fast—but successful on the first try.
With practice, it would only improve.