26 The Phoenix Ruby Ring (1/2)
The darkness fell like a curtain draped over the sun.
XieRong and her uncle had decided that they would begin training next week when she was completely healed.
It was when the entire mansion had fallen asleep when she had an unusual visitor in her bedchamber.
”FeiHong, why are you not in your room?”
The Guo residence had seven courtyards other than the main building. She and FeiHong used their mother's Qiu (Autumn) courtyard.
”Jie, I want to show you something, can I come sleep next to you?”
XieRong let her sister slide in next to her.
”Jie, trust me and think nothing. I want you to come with me inside the Phoenix ring.”
XieRong felt her sister's hand hold hers as she closed her eyes and willingly let herself get pulled away.
When XieRong opened her eyes, she saw a clear sapphire blue sky above her and felt the soft velvet grass underneath her.
Was this inside the Phoenix ring?
XieRong looked around excitedly like a child visiting a festival.
”Jie, come with me,” her sister said, pulling her to a nearby spring.
XieRong saw Bai Yueliang drinking from it. It had been a long time since she'd seen her sister's spirit beast.
She reached for him and rubbed him behind the ears.
”Hello, YueLiang. It's been a long time. Looks like your wound has healed completely.”
-It has been a long time, first miss. My wound healed completely within the month.-
XieRong gasped and looked around then back at the fawn in front of her.
”YueLiang was that you?How?”
-As long as first miss is in master's space, I will be able to talk to first miss-
”Then can you tell me where my sister is?”
XieRong walked around looking to see if she could spot her sister.
-First miss, master wanted you to cultivate here as there is a lot of spiritual energy concentrated in this spring. Master has gone to collect some things and will be back soon.-
The purple eyed fawn came to sit beside XieRong.
-This one can sense the worry in first miss. If first miss can tell this one, perhaps this one maybe able to help.-
XieRong sighed.
”Yueliang, I read in a book that you needed to cultivate your spirit roots in order to break through to a realm. Don't you think I have to cultivate all my spirit roots to some level to break through to the soul gathering realm? Then aren't I trash rather than a genius?”
-First miss, cultivating spirit roots is a necessity to break through to a realm but it doesn't mean you need to cultivate all of them to break through. Your spirit roots are like vessels which collect and send energy to your dantian, you can choose to fill any one completely or fill all of them with a little amount. What actually determines whether you can cultivate slowly or quickly is the size of the vessels you are filling and the sink to which all of them are connected to, both you and my master have very large dantians and vessels. However, people here see how good the spirit roots are by determining their colour. The better your spirit root is, the better it absorbs energy from the surroundings.-
”So you're saying that the size of our dantian and the quality of our spirit roots balance each other out and we won't become very strong?”
-No, first miss. The first part of what you said is correct, but the part you said about not being able to become strong is incorrect. Both, master and you can become very powerful. Your initial cultivation will be extremely hard as you'll have to cultivate for longer periods of time, but once you've broken through to the spirit stabilising realm, your cultivation progress will be much faster than others as your dantian will have already been formed.-
XieRong hugged the fawn.
”Thank you, YueLiang! You've taken away all my worries.”
XieRong quickly sat down and started to cultivate her water spirit root.
It wasn't long before her sister came bounding up to XieRong.
”Sister, eat this,” FeiHong said, handing XieRong some herbs.
”It will improve your cultivation.”
FeiHong was about to set off again when XieRong grabbed her sister by the collar.
”Where do you think you're going, mei mei?”
XieRong gave her sister a cold smile.
FeiHong shivered.
”I've been cultivating here alone for two Shi Chen!”
”I've been picking herbs.”
”So I see, but you could have asked for help. We could have finished sooner and starting cultivating together.”
”Sorry, Jie, there were so many books and herbs I wanted to give you, I lost track of time.”