After logging off Cultivation Online, Yuan immediately began trying to move his real body, hoping that the Vermilion Phoenix Blood had cured his illness and healed his crippled body.
But alas, he quickly realized that nothing had changed when he still couldn't move his limbs or see the world around him.
However, he was not discouraged, and he began reciting the cultivation technique inside his head, silently praying that it would work.
'Even if my body is still crippled, as long as I can cultivate...!'
With that thought in mind, Yuan proceeded to spend many minutes cultivating.
"..."
"..."
"...Ouch!"
The pain returned after a few moments of cultivation, but Yuan did not give up and tried again.
"...Ouch!"
And again.
"..."
"...Ouch!"
And again.
"...Ouch!"
"Why?! Why hasn't anything changed?! My body is still useless and I cannot cultivate! Why didn't the Vermilion Phoenix Blood work like the Translucent Dew of Flawlessness?! Damn it!" Yuan gritted his teeth in frustration and cried out in a low but deeply sorrowful voice after realizing that he was still crippled and useless, feeling as though his hopes had shattered.
However, right as tears flowed from his eyes, Yuan suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart, almost as though there was a small flame within his heart.
This warm feeling gradually grew hotter and hotter, and it also began spreading throughout his body shortly later.
A few minutes later, Yuan could feel his entire body burning feverishly, almost like he was inside an oven with its temperature turned up.
However, this burning sensation did not feel painful, nor was it unpleasant.
'This is… Is this the effects of the Vermilion Phoenix Blood?' Yuan wondered to himself, feeling as though his body was engulfed in flames just like a burning phoenix.
Although Yuan did not know this at the time, his damaged meridians were actually being restored by the Vermilion Phoenix Blood, hence the burning sensation all over his body.
After sweating a bucket of sweat, the burning sensation in Yuan's body began to subdue, yet the gentle flame within his heart lingered no matter how long had passed, almost like an undying flame.
Once everything calmed down, Yuan took a moment to clear his mind and began reciting the cultivation technique again.
This time, Yuan could instantly recognize the difference, and the difference was as clear as day and night— like breathing with a blocked nose and breathing normally.
Furthermore, although there was still slight pain while he cultivates, it wasn't as painful as before and it was completely endurable even for long periods at a time.
And many minutes later, Yuan suddenly felt a refreshing feeling spread throughout his body starting from the center of his body until it reached the end of his limbs, making him recall the first time he'd become a Cultivator.
'This feeling… Did I become a Cultivator?' Yuan wondered to himself as he was unsure. Without the system telling him, he had no proof or confirmation that he had successfully become a Cultivator just now.
However, one thing he was certain would be his condition— even if he'd somehow managed to become a Cultivator in the real world, his body still remained crippled. With that being said, it was not as though nothing about his body had changed.
Although it was only slightly, his body had regained some sense of feeling, allowing him to feel the wet blanket and his own sweat when he previously wouldn't have been able to feel a thing except for the weight of the blankets.
"It worked! Hahaha! It really worked!" Yuan began laughing out loud at his success.
"What worked?" Yu Rou suddenly returned to the room with breakfast.
"Oh… Nothing…" Yuan said. He was simply not ready to tell her just yet.
'Just wait a little longer, Yu Rou… Once I can finally start moving again…' A mysterious smile appeared on Yuan's face.
"Ah! Brother Tian! Why is your body soaked in sweat?!" Yu Rou immediately realized the wet blankets and exclaimed.
"Eh? I guess it's a little hot in here…" Yuan said with a weird smile on his face.
Yu Rou immediately removed the wet blanket from his body and tossed it on the floor.
"Let's quickly finish breakfast before you catch a cold…" Yu Rou said as she began feeding him soup for breakfast.
A few minutes later, Yu Rou called the servants to change the blankets and clean the bedsheets whilst she took Yuan to the bathroom to give him a quick shower.
While being cleaned by Yu Rou, Yuan could faintly feel her hands rubbing his body, indicating that his senses were truly beginning to return.
'Ahhh… How long has it been since I last felt such sensations on my body?' Yuan sighed inwardly, feeling like he was on cloud nine.
However, a weird and unfamiliar sensation appeared in his body when Yu Rou began cleaning the area below his waist, especially the area between his legs. Although he couldn't understand why, it felt unfathomably awkward, and he could feel a chill going down his spine.
This weird sensation would continue to linger in his body for some time, as Yu Rou seemed to be especially focused on cleaning around that area.
Sometime later, he could feel the water rinsing his body.
And then he felt a strong wind blowing on his body.
By the time Yu Rou finished cleaning Yuan, the servants had long cleaned the bedsheets and blankets in Yu Rou's room, allowing them to sleep on it again.
"I made sure the blankets this time are not as heavy so you don't sweat like that again," Yu Rou said to him before they entered the cultivation world again.
"Hm? Looks like Feng Feng is still trying to close the store," Yuan said after not seeing her face in the room.
While they waited for Feng Yuxiang to finish closing the store, Yuan asked Xiao Hua, "How can someone who just became a Cultivator tell that they have actually become one?"
Although Xiao Hua was confused as to why he would ask such a basic question, Xiao Hua still answered him regardless, "When someone becomes a Cultivator for the first time, they will be able to feel a burst of spiritual energy within their body."
"It's that refreshing feeling, right?" Yuan asked.
"That's right." Xiao Hua nodded.
"What else?"
"Well… They will be able to sense the spiritual energy in the air. If one cannot feel Spirit Qi, then it means they are not a Cultivator yet."
'Ah! That's right! Feeling the spiritual energy in the air! How could I forget such a basic thing!' Yuan sighed inwardly. His excitement from cultivating successfully had messed with his ability to think properly.
After asking Xiao Hua a few more basic questions about Cultivators, Yuan sat on Feng Yuxiang's bed and cultivated while they waited for her to return.
A little over two hours later, Feng Yuxiang returned to the room with her body slightly glistening from sweat.
"I am sorry for making you wait so long for me, Young Master. I ran into some problems, but I have finally closed the store." Feng Yuxiang said to him.
If not for some reluctant people begging her to stay in Phoenix City, she would've completed her errands much quicker. Though, as one of the top figures and the owner of one of the most famous stores in Phoenix City, it was only a given that her sudden departure would shock a lot of people in the city, especially the powerful families and individuals.
"Don't mind it." Yuan said, and then he continued, "By the way, I have another question regarding your Vermilion Phoenix Blood. Does it have any effects besides healing injuries, increasing longevity, and awakening Bloodlines?"
"Hmm… Another effect, huh?" Feng Yuxiang immediately closed her eyes to ponder.
After thinking for a good minute, she suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Oh. That's right. My blood can also heal one's meridians."
'Restore meridians? Xiao Hua did mention something like that before. Perhaps that was the reason for my frustration. Now that her blood has restored my meridians, I can finally cultivate!'
After pondering for a moment, Yuan turned to look at Feng Yuxiang before approaching her with a wide smile on his face.
"Thank you, Feng Feng! Although you may not realize it, you have saved my life with your blood! In return, no matter how much blood you want from me or when you want it, I will gladly give it to you!" Yuan suddenly opened his arms and hugged Feng Yuxiang's slender body tightly, his voice filled with joy.
"Y-Young Master?!" Feng Yuxiang panicked when Yuan suddenly embraced her, as she could immediately feel Xiao Hua glaring daggers at them. However, she also didn't dare to push Yuan away, as that could be regarded as being disrespectful! Furthermore, she has already told Yuan that he could do whatever he wanted to his body, and pushing him away would contradict her promise!
Sometime later, once Yuan expressed all of his excitement through the embrace, he released Feng Yuxiang, who appeared to be sweating even more than a minute ago.
"Anyways, are you ready to come with us?" Yuan asked Feng Yuxiang afterward.
Feng Yuxiang nodded and said, "No matter where the Young Master goes, this one shall follow."
A second later, Feng Yuxiang's body suddenly became engulfed in beautiful golden flames until her body could no longer be seen, and her figure began shrinking until it was a small ball of golden flames.
While Yuan was dumbfounded, Feng Yuxiang—now a ball of golden flames— flew directly at Yuan's chest where his heart was located, disappearing from the room and into his chest, and Yuan could feel a warm sensation in his heart afterward, almost like his heart was also engulfed in flames.
'This sensation…' The warm and pleasant feeling in his heart was very familiar, and it quickly reminded him of a similar feeling that could be felt in his real body.