Chapter 121: Refinement

The first person to give up resistance fell to their knees, and almost everyone else followed suit immediately. Although they had been incited to rebel by the Han brothers, they were not fools. They knew that if captured by Xue Minwen, they might still have a chance at survival, but being struck by fireballs of that magnitude... having already witnessed the consequences, no one dared to test that feeling of being instantly reduced to ashes.

The spell had already been cast, and it was impossible to retract. Yue Qi took a deep breath, and the fireballs hovering around him shot violently into the sky, emitting a dazzling and magnificent light in the pitch-black night.

"Surrender! We surrender!" someone shouted, the first to react. If they had held a sliver of hope before, they had now completely abandoned all resistance. The sight of the explosive fireballs bursting like fireworks in the sky was blinding.

"Uncle Xue, I leave the rest to you," Yue Qi said with a smile to Xue Minwen, while supporting Qin Luo, who looked somewhat pale.

Xue Minwen did not hesitate; he strode over in two steps to untie his daughter. He then examined Xue Hong carefully to confirm she had not been abused by the Han brothers, only then feeling a slight sense of relief.

"Father!" Seeing her father, Xue Hong immediately threw herself into his arms. She was, after all, still young, and having held back her emotions while facing the others, she finally let them out.

"There, there, my good Hong'er..." Xue Minwen hugged his daughter tightly, feeling a wave of lingering fear. If the Han brothers had been truly insane and sought to drag them down with them... he dared not think further. She was his only daughter; he would rather suffer himself than see her come to harm.

"Alright, Father, I’m going to thank Brother Yue," Xue Hong said, wiping away her tears as she remembered the man who had saved them all.

Yue Qi had his hands full. Qin Luo was deathly pale, clearly suffering from overexertion of her spiritual energy. Yue Qi had never encountered such a severe situation before; he had underestimated these secular soldiers, never imagining the intensity would be too much for Qin Luo to handle.

"I’m fine, I just need to rest," Qin Luo said, though she didn't complain, seemingly too tired to muster any energy.

"What happened to Qin Luo?" Xue Hong asked, walking over to Yue Qi while dabbing at the tears on her cheeks. Seeing the girl who had been laughing and chatting with her earlier in such a state made her feel distressed.

"It's nothing, she just exhausted her spiritual energy," Yue Qi said, cutting in before Qin Luo could speak. He remembered the old man’s instructions to take good care of her, and he felt responsible for this lapse in judgment.

"Oh? Then I will arrange two rooms for you immediately so you can get some rest," Xue Hong said, thinking that was the only way she could help.

"That would be great, thank you!" Yue Qi nodded. It was indeed the best way for Qin Luo to recover.

"Don't say that, Brother Yue. If it weren't for you today, I don't know what would have happened," Xue Hong replied, feeling fortunate that she had met Yue Qi and Qin Luo in the forest and brought them to the camp.

Yue Qi remained silent. To him, it was a small favor. He knew Xue Hong, and she had kindly brought them to the camp; he could not have stood by and watched them die.

***

Xue Hong informed her father and then led Yue Qi and Qin Luo away. Yue Qi naturally took on the role of protector, carrying Qin Luo on his back. He felt no emotional burden in doing so, as his heart belonged only to Bai Lian, and he saw Qin Luo as nothing more than a little sister.

After finding the rooms, Qin Luo went straight to sleep, and with Xue Hong staying to look after her, Yue Qi felt at ease. Truth be told, he was eager to see the cultivation techniques of the number one sect in the world of cultivation.

Cultivation methods were different from spells. Spells varied widely—like the "Five Spirits Casting the Universe" he had obtained, or the first and second-tier spells commonly used in the cultivation world. Cultivation methods were different; they allowed practitioners to recover spiritual energy more quickly, and superior ones could grant a practitioner a larger reservoir of energy than their peers at the same stage. Yue Qi had previously only practiced the most basic technique of the Qinghe Sword Sect, called the "Green Lotus Manual," and given the sect's standing, it was not exactly high-tier.

Time passed quickly. Qin Luo had recovered significantly over the next two days, but Yue Qi had been hiding in his room in "seclusion." Qin Luo even grumbled that Yue Qi had abandoned her.

Xue Hong, following her father's wishes, had tried a few times to bring food to Yue Qi, but Qin Luo stopped her. Although Xue Hong knew Yue Qi probably had supplies, she still wanted to let him go hungry for a meal or two, so she told Xue Hong that cultivators like Yue Qi had long since achieved "inedia" and did not need to eat.

Qin Luo’s wish was granted, as Yue Qi had indeed eaten nothing for days, becoming so engrossed in practicing the "Three Pure Ones Scripture" that he forgot to eat or sleep.

The benefits of the Three Pure Ones Scripture were far superior to the Green Lotus Manual. After just a few days of practice, Yue Qi could feel his internal spiritual energy was far more robust than before. Previously, without using spirit stones, his internal reserves allowed him to cast ten second-tier spells; now, he could cast fifteen. The efficiency increase was massive. In a battle between two cultivators, the one using the Three Pure Ones Scripture would undoubtedly have much greater stamina.

"Hoo..." He exhaled a breath of stale air and opened his eyes, which glinted with a sharp light.

"What a powerful feeling..." Yue Qi clenched his fists. He felt an incredibly rich amount of spiritual energy within him. If he had been able to handle three or five mutant zombies before, he was certain he could handle ten now.

"So, a good cultivation method really is that important!" Yue Qi looked at the book in his hand. The Three Pure Ones Sect was surprisingly generous; the book not only contained methods for reaching the Convergence Stage but also the formulas for the Gold Core and Nascent Soul stages.

"I suppose only the Three Pure Ones Sect would be so bold," Yue Qi mused. In the past, his own Qinghe Sword Sect required them to pass tests from elders at every new stage before they were allowed to see the next level of techniques.

He pushed open the door. It was early morning, and most people were not yet up, though a few passersby looked at him with surprise.

Although not everyone knew that Xue Minwen had been captured, many did, and thus many were aware of Yue Qi’s presence. While they hadn't seen his power firsthand, they had heard legendary accounts of how he had single-handedly resisted the Han brothers.

"Looks like I'm early," Yue Qi said, shaking his head at their curious stares and returning to his room. He hadn't eaten in days, and he still had some rations in his Mustard Seed Bracelet. He would eat a little, and wait for Xue Hong to join him for a proper meal later.

After eating, he sat back on the bed to meditate. This time, it wasn't for spiritual energy, but to ponder the cultivation insights left behind by the Han brothers.

The Han brothers were undeniably strong—at least, before the disaster. Being late-stage Convergence cultivators and disciples of the Three Pure Ones Sect, they might have been a level or two higher than even Bai Lian. As he read their notes, Yue Qi felt they were even more valuable than the Three Pure Ones Scripture itself, containing profound insights into spiritual energy and even mental cultivation.

***

Yue Qi felt he hadn't made progress in his mental strength for a long time; it seemed to have hit a bottleneck after he learned arrays. These notes didn't necessarily increase his capacity, but they taught him how to use it more flexibly.

"I should show these to Qin Luo," he thought, selecting the parts related to mental strength. Although the old man was a master of arrays and his use of mental energy was flawless, cultivators were different from ordinary people, and Qin Luo might gain some insights from them.

After about half a day, sunlight streamed into the room, and Yue Qi finally snapped out of his focus. Looking out the window, the thick fog had long since dispersed, and the people assigned to work were already busy.

"Time to go out," he decided. But as he stepped outside, he found Qin Luo and Xue Hong standing at his door.

"What are you two doing here?" Yue Qi asked, surprised. Qin Luo had clearly recovered; the deathly pallor and weak aura were gone.

His sudden appearance startled them, and Xue Hong’s face turned slightly red.

"Oh! Nothing, we just wanted to see when you'd come out!" Qin Luo said honestly, though her eyes betrayed her—clearly, that wasn't the only reason.

"Really?" Yue Qi looked at her suspiciously. Since she didn't want to say, he wouldn't press her. He turned to Xue Hong and asked, "I want to see your father. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Oh!" Xue Hong was caught off guard for a moment before replying, "He's in the main hall of the government office. Shall I take you there?"

"No need, I can find it myself!" Yue Qi smiled at her and left.

"See? I told you these cultivators practice inedia and don't eat anything," Qin Luo whispered to Xue Hong.

"It seems you're right. Brother Yue looks so full of energy..." Xue Hong nodded thoughtfully.

"Achoo!" Walking down the path, Yue Qi suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself, "What's going on today? Did I catch a cold?" As he thought this, his stomach let out a loud growl. It seemed he was truly hungry after all.