Absorbing herbs

“Most of them, however, are more potent after refinement,” Ziyan remarked casually to Shangguan Xue, as she strolled through the Herb Valley.

“I suspect you’re about to add a ‘but’,” Shangguan Xue anticipated.

“But *this* one,” Ziyan said, flashing a smile before crouching down, “you can use right now.”

She reached for a plant.

“What is it?” Shangguan Xue inquired.

Watching Ziyan pluck a fist-sized, spherical flower, Shangguan Xue leaned in curiously, observing its fiery red hue, like a blazing inferno.

“It’s a Morning Glow, a century old,” Ziyan murmured, lowering her head to inhale its scent. “Once refined, it produces ‘Rosy Light’, which can accelerate cultivation.”

‘In her specialized field, Ziyan truly is dependable,’ Shangguan Xue mused, nodding as she took the flower from Ziyan’s hand.

“Shall I begin now?” she asked.

“Mhm,” Ziyan hummed through her nose. “The Morning Glow is most potent right after it’s picked.”

Shangguan Xue, having settled into a cross-legged position, acknowledged her words.

Requiring no guidance for refining herbs, she immediately circulated the imperceptible spiritual energy within her, then swallowed the entire Morning Glow flower.

“Sister Xue’s talent…” Beigong Qingmei murmured, a frown creasing her brow. “Is her innate spiritual energy truly so meager?”

Generally speaking, individuals with more innate spiritual energy are destined for greater achievements in the future.

For instance, Shi Ledong’s innate spiritual energy is equivalent to the spiritual energy of the Soul Condensation Realm, meaning she essentially begins her cultivation at the second realm.

Shangguan Xue’s innate spiritual energy, however, was almost nonexistent.

If the average person’s quantity was a cup of water, hers was merely a single drop.

“Indeed,” Jia Nan sighed. “Who would have imagined that someone with such humble talent could become one of the most formidable figures in the world?”

The others couldn’t help but smile, their expressions filled with a mix of wonder and emotion.

Shangguan Xue heard their words, but paid them no mind.

Her entire focus was captivated by the herb’s effects.

At that moment, she felt a wave of searing heat spread through her body, and her spiritual energy circulated with newfound agility.

Yet, her internal organs also throbbed with a sharp pain.

‘Damn it, my innate spiritual energy is far too scarce! I can’t even withstand the medicinal power of a foundational strengthening herb!’

Shangguan Xue nearly cursed aloud.

She had truly not anticipated that such an extreme lack of talent would render even talent-enhancing medicines unusable, a condition known as ‘deficient and unable to be nourished’.

This was because, during her first cultivation, she had barely consumed any herbs.

‘If I can’t control the medicinal power much longer, I’ll have to go through reincarnation all over again…’

‘Alright, it’s probably not that serious. If I were truly in danger, they would all notice and help me refine it.’

‘But I really don’t want their help.’

‘I am a Martial Saint, yet I need assistance with something as trivial as refining an herb? If word got out, I might as well dig a pit and bury myself.’

Shangguan Xue grumbled internally, simultaneously pondering her next move.

Suddenly, she realized something was amiss: could an ordinary person endure such pain, complain internally, listen to others, control spiritual energy, and think, all at the same time?

‘This isn’t a person; it’s clearly a computer!’

‘This means my information processing capabilities haven’t diminished with my body’s regression… my spiritual consciousness retains its strength.’

A sudden inspiration struck her, and she channeled her spiritual consciousness, thread-like yet indestructible, to spread throughout her body.

Her spiritual consciousness enveloped the Morning Glow’s medicinal power, allowing its effects to seep into her body gradually, preventing any harm to her physical form.

‘To think my spiritual consciousness is still usable…’ Shangguan Xue was genuinely surprised.

Theoretically, one could only use spiritual consciousness to interact with physical objects after advancing from the Body Tempering Realm to the Soul Condensation Realm.

Yet, she hadn’t even reached the Body Tempering Realm.

‘Primarily, no one before me had ever cultivated to the Creation Realm and then undergone a perfect re-cultivation… I have absolutely no understanding of the changes that come with re-cultivation.’

‘This time, two things caught me off guard. First, I couldn’t withstand the foundational strengthening medicine’s potency; second, my spiritual consciousness is still functional.’

‘These are two pieces of good news… Firstly, I have more trump cards than I anticipated; secondly, it made me realize that reincarnation and re-cultivation don’t make me omniscient, and I must still remain cautious.’

Shangguan Xue muttered these thoughts to herself, using her spiritual consciousness in conjunction with her spiritual energy to thoroughly refine the Morning Glow’s medicinal power.

She sensed that indeed, a rosy glow illuminated her entire being.

As spiritual energy flowed within this radiance, both its speed and intensity increased by several folds, significantly accelerating her cultivation.

In just this short period, her spiritual energy, initially akin to a single drop of water, had expanded to the equivalent of ten drops.

“Did you succeed?” Jia Nan’s questioning voice reached her.

“I did,” Shangguan Xue declared, springing to her feet. “So… shall we all head home now?”

“If you’re fine, we’ll depart,” Beigong Qingmei stated. “I’ll expedite your enrollment.”

Pausing, she then added a reminder: “Sister Xue, you’d best be close to the Body Tempering Realm before September enrollment, or you might struggle to keep up.”

“Don’t worry, Qingmei,” Shangguan Xue waved her hand dismissively.

“Very well, I shall take my leave then.”

Beigong Qingmei retrieved the brush from her waist, drew a door in the void, and stepped through it, returning to the Ink Pavilion.

“I’ll issue orders to strengthen the patrols,” Shi Ledong assured, remembering Shangguan Xue’s request.

Having spoken, she drew her sword, slashed it through the air, and tore open space to return to the Sun Palace.

“I’ll head back to refine your medicine now…” Ziyan said, patting Shangguan Xue’s head.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ziyan,” Shangguan Xue replied, watching her tear through space and depart.

Jia Nan, who remained, stretched languidly. “Come on, let’s fly to find a place to stay near the Grand Spirit Academy.”

With her cultivation too low, spatial teleportation would be suicidal, even with protection.

Shangguan Xue could only fly for now.

“Mm,” Shangguan Xue mused for a moment. “Oh, by the way, Jia Nan, could you transform back into your original form and carry me there?”

Jia Nan pretended to ponder for a moment.

“I don’t think I can,” she replied. “But you can carry me.”