Cultivation: Starting from a Mortal Bone

The Empress Dowager looked like a deflated balloon, her starry eyes seeming to lose their luster.

Every day Qin Yu left, she grew bored—yet that tyrant wouldn’t let her go out and play. It was torture.

Qin Yu thought of something and asked, ”Empress Dowager, the Festival of Ten Thousand Flowers is coming up, isn’t it?”

”Yes, I almost forgot!”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s beautiful eyes instantly lit up again.

The Festival of Ten Thousand Flowers, it’s said, originated after a world-shaking war in ancient times.

Across the continent, the creatures wailed and the landscape was bleak. One day, countless brilliant flower petals danced on the wind, scattered to every corner of the land. The earth, once barren, began to regain Spiritual Qi.

Since then, this day each year has been set as the Festival of Ten Thousand Flowers.

As time passed, the festival became one of the grandest, most ceremonious holidays on the continent.

”I shall go tell Her Majesty now!”

The Empress Dowager was just about to go find the Empress, when Little Ling’Er gently tugged her sleeve—thoughtfully helping her tidy her collar.

The Empress Dowager, though scolded many times by the Empress, didn’t seem to care much about how she dressed.

Actually, except when she’s in Jade Flower Palace and seen by Qin Yu...

Most times, whenever the Empress Dowager leaves, a veil of moonlight covers her, making it impossible to see her true face—even at the Tribute Banquet back then.

Seeing this, Qin Yu’s expression paused. Could it be that Little Ling’Er had already sensed something?

The days that followed remained as usual.

Yan Yu fetched resources; at night, Qin Yu began medicated baths. His cultivation speed...wasn’t that obvious.

He then realized that perhaps some things in this world didn’t contribute much to his cultivation.

How frustrating.

Though his cultivation was fast, as a Tributor, only at Golden Core stage—it was hard to justify.

Still, during this period, as Flame Points increased, Qin Yu elevated his Spiritual Power.

[Flame Point: 15]

[Spiritual Power: Initial Stage of Refining (Flame Point 15/200000)]

This time, the whole process lasted an entire day!

All his beautiful wives knew he was breaking through; Lin Shuishui, Zhao Mengli and the others were anxious, shedding tears.

Yet his beautiful master remembered the past.

Back then, Qin Yu broke through in the Alchemy Room—the miserable sight scared her. Perhaps from that moment, their master-disciple relationship began to change.

Now, surely Qin Yu’s Spiritual Power should be breaking through to Refining, right?

Only by reaching Refining can one be truly called...Master in the Imperial Capital!

Even without the Empress’s favor, just with Refining-level Spiritual Power, Qin Yu could stand firm in Imperial Capital and live comfortably.

Just the status wouldn’t be as high as now.

After breaking through, Qin Yu naturally soothed his beautiful wives first, then began to sense the changes in his Spiritual Power.

After entering Refining, his Spiritual Power changed fundamentally.

If Refining was a shift from ’hair’ to ’wood,’ now it was from ’wood’ to ’iron.’

Moreover, the difference between Refining and Subtle had become clear.

Mainly in the precision of controlling Spiritual Power.

Previously, when Qin Yu wove a net from Spiritual Power, it was dense, yet still left gaps.

This was why there were still many impurities left when purifying medicinal liquid.

But now, as his Spiritual Power grew stronger, there was almost no sign of breaking; he could even condense his Spiritual Power into strands finer than hair.

If used to kill...

This was killing without a trace!

No wonder, after reaching Refining Spiritual Power, whether or not one was skilled in Alchemy, Array, or other fields, they were called Master.

Qin Yu had planned to refine some elixirs.

But as he was only in the Golden Core Realm, he could only refine third-level elixirs. Though these earned some Spirit Stones, they were far from enough for his many wives’ consumption.

Besides, with Her Majesty’s urging, he hardly had time for alchemy.

He could only put it aside for now.

When Qin Yu appeared the next day, the first to sense his change was the Great Yan Empress.

That thing was condensed by the Empress herself; unless one’s cultivation surpassed hers, no one could perceive Qin Yu’s true condition.

The Empress remembered Qin Yu’s breakthrough from High Tier Refining till now—it had only been a little over a year?

Even as Empress, she couldn’t help but marvel at his speed of breakthrough.

Spiritual Power at Subtle level flooded the Immortal Country.

But once one entered Refining, it was a different story; in a region, one could become the number one.

The difference between the two tiers was immense.

With Qin Yu’s speed and talent...

The Empress suddenly felt that her Tributor might even break through to that legendary tier.

Divinity.

In the Nine Immortal Countries, only two exist—one being the Emperor of the Great Qin!

If Qin Yu truly reached that tier...

It would be absurd.

The Emperor of the Great Qin—what kind of being is that?!

And Qin Yu? He only walked out from a Loose Cultivator City, a junior cultivator. Could he really reach unimaginable heights?

Watching the three frolic in Jade Flower Palace, the Empress fell into thought.

Actually, all three’s every move was sensed by her, so ’worry’ didn’t even exist.

However.

Ling’Er’s feelings for Qin Yu—this the Empress never anticipated.

She hadn’t lacked thoughts of stopping it.

She could have severed their chance to meet—but could she stand by and watch Ling’Er fall back into endless illness and agony?

She couldn’t.

She had never seen Ling’Er so carefree, never seen such a smile on her sister’s face.

It came from her heart.

Yet the Empress knew what would happen if she let things go on.

She weighed the outcome.

Rather than let her sister suffer, it was better to let her be as she wished—even if she never cultivated again, living happily like this would be fine.

Besides...

Resolving Ling’Er’s issue might require trying that method.

Though the Empress herself was extremely averse to it.

But, what if—even without the illness—her sister wanted to be with Qin Yu?

She recalled the Empress Dowager’s repeated mention of one thing these days...

Whether Ling’Er should always stay by Qin Yu’s side.

The Empress hadn’t replied before, but now she felt—it might not be impossible.

Moreover, she could tell Qin Yu would never harm Ling’Er.

Let it be.

Let things take their natural course.