Cultivation knows no years; three years passed in a blink of an eye.
On Peach Forest Island, the peach blossoms still bloomed year after year.
Qin Guiya slowly awoke from his meditation, the eighteen Immaculate Golden Spirit Pills placed before him already completely consumed.
He inwardly observed his Dantian; his Golden Core was much more solidified than before he went into seclusion, but there was still a considerable gap before reaching the Late Stage Realm.
“It seems I still need more Medicinal Pills to assist…”
He murmured to himself, then stood up, flicking his sleeve, and the door to his seclusion stone chamber opened in response.
Stepping out of his Immortal Cave, Qin Guiya took a deep breath of the fresh air, and his Divine Sense spread out, quickly detecting the Spiritual Qi fluctuations coming from the center of the island.
In the small courtyard, Lin Mushuang, dressed in simple white, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.
Before her, two small boys, about six or seven years old, sat with their eyes closed in concentration; they were Qin Yueqi and Qin Yuelin.
“Sink your Qi into your Dantian, and guide the spirit into your meridians.”
Lin Mushuang’s voice was clear and cool, and with a light touch of her fingertips, two gentle streams of Spiritual Qi were injected into the children’s bodies, “Remember the path of Spiritual Qi circulation; this is the first step in your Cultivation.”
Qin Yueqi and Qin Yuelin frowned slightly, and faint Spiritual Qi vaguely gathered around them; although weak, it already showed their initial perception of Spiritual Qi.
Qin Guiya stood not far away, quietly watching this scene, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Husband?”
Lin Mushuang seemed to sense something, turning to look, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, “You’ve come out of seclusion?”
Qin Guiya nodded, stepping forward: “Are you teaching them how to guide Qi into their bodies?”
“Mm.”
Lin Mushuang softly replied, “Following the introductory chapter of the Buring Sky Artifact Saint Art that you deduced.”
Qin Guiya’s gaze fell on the two children, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he already perceived their Cultivation progress.
“They’ve been sensing Spiritual Qi for at least three months now; these Five Spiritual Roots…”
He sighed inwardly but did not feel disappointed.
Spiritual Root Aptitude is important, of course, but the path of Cultivation is long and not entirely determined by Spiritual Roots.
Heart-Nature, Comprehension Ability, and Opportunity, none can be lacking.
What’s more, these two children had him, their father, and would never be like him in the past, whose parents died young, leaving him to grope his way to his current Realm step by step on his own.
“Is your Cultivation Technique progress smooth?” he asked.
“Not bad.”
Lin Mushuang nodded, “Yue Qi has a stronger sense of fire-attribute Spiritual Qi, while Yue Lin leans towards fire and earth attributes; although both have Five Spiritual Roots, there is a difference in their primary and secondary attributes.”
Qin Guiya nodded slightly:
“It doesn’t matter. With me here, they will never stop at Foundation Establishment or Golden Core.”
Unless… they give up themselves.
He didn’t voice this sentence, but his eyes conveyed everything.
“Where is Yue Xian?” he suddenly asked.
“She’s with Second Uncle.”
Lin Mushuang replied, “She has always been taught the Azure Wood Longevity Art by his Clone.”
Qin Guiya’s eyes flickered:
“An Azure Wood Spirit Body cultivating wood-attribute Cultivation Techniques yields twice the result with half the effort. Moreover, the Azure Wood Longevity Art is the Family’s best wood-attribute Cultivation Technique, and with Second Uncle teaching her, Yue Xian is fortunate.”
He looked up into the distance, his Divine Sense spreading, quickly locking onto a familiar aura.
Deep within the peach forest, a verdant bamboo house stood quietly.
In the open space in front of the bamboo house, Qin Yuexian was fully concentrated, forming hand seals, and streams of green spiritual light erupted from his fingertips.
As the spiritual light flowed, a vine suddenly broke through the soil in front of him, coiling around and binding a straw puppet tightly.
Beside him, Qin Faha’s Clone stood with his hands behind his back.
Qin Faha nodded slightly: “Not bad, the Azure Wood Spirit Body’s effect on promoting the growth of spiritual plants is indeed astonishing.
However, when fighting others in the future, remember to use a Magical Artifact to conceal this ability, otherwise, it will be easy for people to see through your true nature at a glance.”
Qin Yuexian put away his hand seals, his small face full of seriousness:
“Grandpa Second, I want to practice it again.”
“Good child.”
Qin Faha was about to agree when his expression suddenly changed, and he turned to look at the forest path, “Your father has come out of seclusion.”
Qin Yuexian’s eyes lit up at the words, and before he could speak, steady footsteps came from a distance.
Qin Guiya walked slowly, his gaze lingering on his son for a moment, a look of gratification flashing in his eyes.
“Daddy!”
Qin Yuexian shouted joyfully, taking three steps at a time as he ran over.
Qin Guiya reached out and ruffled his hair, saying softly: “You’ve made great progress.”
Qin Yuexian looked up with his small face, his eyes full of anticipation:
“Daddy, when can I learn more powerful Spells?”
“The Dao of Cultivation values gradual progress.”
Qin Guiya patiently explained, “Laying a solid foundation now will allow you to Cultivate high-level Spells with twice the result with half the effort in the future.”
Saying that, he turned to Qin Faha’s Clone and cupped his hands: “Thank you for your hard work, Second Uncle, these past days.”
Qin Faha waved his hand: “We are Family; there’s no need for formalities.”
After a slight pause, he suddenly transmitted his voice: “The Liu Family has been very quiet recently.”
Qin Guiya’s eyes flickered, and he also transmitted his voice in response: “The Liu Family’s Soul Transformation Old Ancestor hasn’t made a move?”
“Not yet.”
Qin Faha shook his head, “But with the Liu Family’s style, they will never let this go.
Since they can’t take Yue Xian away, it’s very likely they will start from the Main Branch.”
Qin Guiya was silent for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his lips:
“We’ll meet whatever comes our way.
Besides, the current Yue Xian already has his own opinions, so even if the Main Branch really wants to interfere, I don’t think he will let them completely cut him off from us.”
He looked down at his son, his tone gentle:
“Yue Xian, your Second Mother has called us back for dinner.”
The little boy’s eyes immediately lit up:
“Great! I love the snowflake cake Second Mother makes the most!”
Qin Guiya nodded with a smile: “Then let’s go back.”
Saying that, he took his son’s small hand and walked slowly towards the courtyard.
At night, the fragrance of spiritual rice wafted through the small courtyard of Peach Forest Island.
Lin Mushuang, in a dark colored long dress with her sleeves rolled up, was controlling a spiritual fire to simmer a pot of “Snow Jade Spirit Ginseng Soup.”
Beside the pot were several dishes of spiritual vegetables, among which the “Crimson Cloud Bamboo Shoots” were sliced as thin as hair.
The two little boys squatted in the corner of the courtyard, using wooden sticks to draw the Spiritual Qi circulation routes they had learned today on the ground.
Seeing Qin Guiya return, Qin Yueqi’s eyes lit up: “Dad! I can now activate fire-attribute Spiritual Qi!”
Saying that, he held his palm upwards, and a faint red glow flickered at his fingertips.
“Me too!” Qin Yuelin refused to be outdone, and a spiritual glow appeared in his palm.
Qin Guiya’s eyes flashed with gratification, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a “hiss” from the kitchen.
Lin Mushuang’s spatula clanged against the iron pot, splashing a few sparks of spiritual fire.
She turned to look, her clear and cool eyebrows softening slightly in the cooking smoke:
“You’re back? Qing Chan is still in seclusion, so it’s just the five of us tonight.”
“That’s enough.”
Qin Guiya walked into the kitchen and naturally took the spiritual wood spoon from her hand, “I’ll do it; you go talk to the children.”
His fingertips brushed her wrist inadvertently, and their breaths touched and separated instantly.
Lin Mushuang’s ear tips were slightly red, and she whispered:
“I added ice heart lotus to the soup; it can soothe the mind…”
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Yuexian had already clutched the stove and stood on tiptoe:
“Daddy! I want to eat that glowing spiritual rice cake from last time!”