After a good deal of playing around, Hua Yan stood with her hands behind her back.
She smoothed out her skirt and led Hua Xiangrong toward the cabin of the flower boat.
To one’s surprise, this small cabin contained a world of its own.
When the carved wooden door was pushed open, what appeared was not an ordinary room, but a barrier shimmering with distorted, colorful light.
Hua Yan flicked her finger, sending a streak of light into the barrier.
In an instant, the barrier dissipated into nothingness, revealing a delicate little courtyard inside.
It featured wooden buildings and stone paths in a serene layout.
There was even a small pond in the courtyard surrounded by rare flowers and exotic herbs, many of which were species Hua Xiangrong had seen in the Hundred Flowers Valley over the past few days.
“This boat is barely a decent Magic Treasure. Back then, I thought it looked nice, and the built-in courtyard suited my taste, so I bought several of them on a whim.”
Glancing at the excited girl beside her, Hua Yan explained with a straight face:
“I have already recorded your presence into the boat’s Formation. From now on, you can come and go as you please.”
“Tsk, but if I do that, won’t I have to mark this boat? If I can’t tell them apart next time and take the wrong one, won’t I have to record the data all over again?”
Hua Yan muttered to herself and then waved her hand.
On a part of the hull invisible to Hua Xiangrong, the character ‘Yan’ suddenly appeared in a flamboyant, dancing script.
‘Wait, no! I am traveling right now, and I am in a female body. Being this flashy might lead to a disaster if an old acquaintance recognizes me. That would be incredibly embarrassing.’
Thinking this, Hua Yan pondered for a moment.
She glanced at the pink-haired shorty beside her and waved her hand again.
On the hull, the bold character ‘Yan’ blurred like spreading ink, transforming in the blink of an eye into the elegant and beautiful character ‘Rong’.
‘Yes, this is much better.’
Hua Yan nodded in satisfaction and continued her instructions:
“You may choose any room in the buildings to live in, except for the one in the middle—that one is mine.”
“Also, you are not allowed to touch those flowers and plants. Do not disturb me unless it is important.”
Hua Xiangrong nodded obediently and then pointed to the wooden building closest to Hua Yan’s residence: “Then I’ll choose this one. Is that okay?”
“It is fine.”
Seeing her being so well-behaved, Hua Yan nodded and let a faint smile curl her lips.
“Come, follow me inside. I will teach you the basics of cultivation.”
The two walked across the pebble path, leaving the warm sunshine and the fragrance of flowers behind as they entered the small building.
Hua Xiangrong ran up the stairs with a thump-thump-thump, while Hua Yan followed unhurriedly behind her.
The furnishings in the bedroom were simple yet complete.
The bed, cabinets, vanity mirror, and other items were all meticulously crafted and spotless.
“Have you read the booklet I gave you earlier?”
Hua Yan asked.
Hua Xiangrong pulled the palm-sized Entry-level Cultivation Manual from her robe and shook her head honestly.
There hadn’t been enough time earlier, and she had been too busy riding “horseback” to bother flipping through it.
“Ahem… Fine, then I shall teach you personally.”
On second thought, Hua Yan realized her question was a bit silly.
She coughed twice to maintain her air of a great master.
“Give me your hand.”
Hua Xiangrong obediently reached out, and her slender wrist was gently grasped by the girl’s warm palm.
‘Hmm? This is… a Mixed Spiritual Root?’
Hua Yan’s brow furrowed as she carefully checked the girl’s pulse.
During these days in the Hundred Flowers Valley, she had only heard her grandmother mention that Hua Xiangrong had good talent, but she hadn’t looked into it closely.
Investigating today, how could she have a Mixed Spiritual Root?
Hua Yan’s divine sense delved deeper into the pink-haired girl’s body.
‘Wait, these Meridians and this Spiritual Platform… I think I understand what Grandmother meant…’
Under her investigation, Hua Xiangrong’s Meridians were naturally wide and flexible, and they were free of much worldly filth.
Rather than looking like a child around seven or eight years old, she was as pure as a newborn infant.
Furthermore, her Spiritual Platform was exceptionally translucent and significantly larger than that of an average person.
Wide Meridians meant she could withstand more spiritual energy in the future.
With such a vast Spiritual Platform, her divine sense would certainly not be weak.
‘Even though I cannot tell exactly what kind of constitution this is, she is undoubtedly gifted. Even with a Mixed Spiritual Root, her cultivation will likely progress rapidly, and she can master many different methods. No wonder Grandmother specifically asked me to teach her…’
However, she couldn’t say this out loud.
This brat already dared to ride on her head and act bossy.
If she found out her constitution was extraordinary and became smug about it, wouldn’t she turn the place upside down?
Hua Yan abruptly opened her closed eyes.
She looked the girl over carefully and finally let a smile hook her lips, her tone carrying a hint of deliberate disdain.
“Fine, I have seen enough. Your cultivation constitution is just mediocre. But it does not matter. With an eternal genius like me, Hua Yan, here, I could teach you even if you were a pig.”
‘Host, is your mother afraid you’ll get arrogant? Is that why she said that on purpose? I clearly remember the constitution you chose was very good,’ 099 said.
‘Hmm, it’s possible. But why do I feel like she isn’t actually that kind-hearted?’
While 099 and Hua Xiangrong were whispering in their minds, Hua Yan saw her standing there, seemingly discouraged by the evaluation.
She waved her hand and urged her again:
“Alright, alright. In the path of cultivation, constitution isn’t everything. With me teaching you personally, what is there to fear?”
“Quickly, sit cross-legged on the bed. I will lead you to sense the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.”
Hua Xiangrong gave an “um” and obediently sat cross-legged on the bed.
“Press your palms together and close your eyes.”
The pink-haired girl did as she was told, pressing her palms together in front of her and slowly closing her eyes.
In the next moment, she felt a pair of soft, slender hands gently touch her back.
“Now, relax your mind. Discard all stray thoughts and focus on your inner self.”
“Sense the tiny bits of spiritual energy around you—they might feel slightly cool or perhaps tingle. You only need to remain calm and let nature take its course.”
Hua Yan’s gentle voice seemed to drift from behind a layer of mist, slowly becoming ethereal.
Following the instructions, Hua Xiangrong stilled her heart and calmed her breath, sensing the faint, intangible light in the air.
She felt it.
‘Eh? So fast?’
Hua Yan sensed the girl’s state and was slightly surprised.
‘This brat’s talent might be even better than I thought.’
“Now, use your intent as a guide,” she continued, her voice as steady as a flowing stream.
“Imagine yourself as a piece of smooth, unrolled silk, and the surrounding spiritual energy is like a dense mist.”
“Accept them gently and let them naturally seep into your body. Do not try to grab them forcefully; just allow them to flow.”
With a thought from Hua Xiangrong, those specks of spiritual light were like fireflies returning to their nest, slowly merging into her small body.
A cool, moist, and transparently comfortable feeling spread through her, making her want to lose herself in it and absorb more.
But she remembered Hua Yan’s warning and suppressed the impulse, maintaining a slow rhythm.
‘Hmm, not bad. Her temperament is quite steady.’
Hua Yan nodded inwardly.
In the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo was being overeager for success.
Even though Hua Xiangrong’s Meridians were wide and could hold a lot of spiritual energy at once, it was always better to proceed step by step.
Under her deliberate guidance, the absorbed spiritual energy flowed like a stream through Hua Xiangrong’s limbs and bones, slowly traveling along her Meridians—starting from the dantian, moving up to the Spiritual Platform, and returning to the dantian in a continuous cycle.
“Remember the path this spiritual energy takes. This will be the foundation for your future cultivation.”
After leading her through several Heavenly Circuits, Hua Yan finally withdrew her hands.
“Now, try to circulate the energy yourself.”
Hearing this, Hua Xiangrong followed the memory from just now, driving the spiritual energy to circulate through her body.
From the dantian to the Spiritual Platform, then back to the dantian, repeating the process in an orderly fashion.
Hua Yan stood by, concentrating on regulating the concentration of the surrounding spiritual energy to keep it stable, just enough for her to absorb at a steady pace.
Time passed minute by minute.
Each circulation of spiritual energy brought a faint warmth that soothed her Meridians, making Hua Xiangrong feel so comfortable she almost groaned.
“Alright, that is enough for today.”
Following Hua Yan’s command, Hua Xiangrong completed her final Heavenly Circuit and slowly opened her pink eyes, which held a faint, sharp light.
She had reached Qi Refinement Perfection as easily as water flowing in a channel.
‘Tsk, even though this brat doesn’t have much worldly filth in her body, once she enters the Qi Refinement stage, she still can’t escape this hurdle.’
Hua Yan frowned, looking at the tiny spots of impurities seeping from the girl’s fair skin.
“Wow! 099, look! I think I succeeded!”
“Congratulations, Host!”
Before Hua Xiangrong could excitedly feel the changes in her body, Hua Yan waved her hand and picked her up.
“Go take a bath. Clean yourself up before you come to see me again.”
Hua Xiangrong felt her vision blur, and the room she was in suddenly changed—from the delicately decorated bedroom to a steaming bath filled with flower petals and medicinal herbs.
Then, a second later—
“Ah!”
Splash.
Her body suddenly felt cold.
She had been stripped bare and plunged into the pool with a loud splash, sending up a massive spray of water.
“Hahahaha!”
Hua Yan burst into laughter on the spot.
‘Heh, this can finally be considered revenge for that “horseback ride”!’
“You—you! Get out already!”
To Hua Yan’s surprise, after the pink-haired brat popped her head out of the water, the first thing she did was cross her arms over herself in embarrassment.
Her small face was flushed bright red as she glared at her—rather than shouting about telling her great-grandmother.
“Oh?”
Hua Yan found it amusing.
She leaned against the door with her arms crossed, playfully observing this rare, embarrassed look—a sharp contrast to her usual behavior of being either a little adult or a mischievous brat.
“We are both women now; what is there to be ashamed of? Besides, I am your mother. Even if I see everything, so what?”
“Is it possible that when your mother used to bathe you, you reacted like this too?”
Although her words were relentless, seeing that the blush on the girl’s face had nearly reached her ears, Hua Yan still smiled, turned around, and stepped out.
“…”
Left alone, the pink-haired girl huddled in the deepest part of the pool.
She slowly buried half of her face in the water, glub-glub-glub, blowing a trail of tiny bubbles.