It was already dusk when Ling Chunxi awakened. Little White was still lying in her arms, providing her with some measure of warmth.
She chuckled bitterly. “You deceitful God, I haven’t had a single good thing happen to me since I’ve come here. If I ever meet you one day, I’ll hurt you. I’ll hit you till peach blossoms bloom on your face1.” Despite feeling sore all over, Ling Chunxi couldn’t help but spit forth her resentment. How much oppression could one tolerate? Transmigrating to a foreign world, encountering problem after problem with everything going wrong, and now even being struck by lightning. It would be odd if she didn’t have the slightest bit morose.
However, what happened next stunned her out of her melancholy.
A breakthrough to Battle Qi Level 7!
In her excitement, Ling Chunxi managed to rise to her feet. Little White hopped out of her arms dutifully. The lightning had enabled her to break through the last barrier of Battle Qi Level 6 and brought her to the next stage. Did this mean what Ling Chunxi thought it meant? In Shi Qu Town, those with the highest level of abilities were the clan elders and the best of them were at Battle Qi Level 7 Pinnacle. Ling Yichen who was at Battle Qi Level 6 Pinnacle received widespread acclaim and was hailed as a genius. To put things more pointedly, it was now Ling Chunxi who had the strongest ability of anyone in her generation!
This meant she was a genius amongst geniuses!
“Come, Little White! This calls for a good meal!” Ling Chunxi laughed heartily as she picked up the small fox. For the longest time, she had been hoping to gain the ability to protect herself. It was all she cared for. And now, she finally felt closer to that goal. What a great feeling.
Ling Chunxi looked up to the heavens and let out a delighted giggle. If being struck by lightning meant she could enjoy such a breakthrough, she didn’t mind being struck a few more times providing she could survive each strike.
Unbeknownst to Ling Chunxi, little sparks were pulsating from the Battle Qi circulating within her veins, eliminating the impurities in her meridians. Contrary to what was widely believed, the lighting strike did not restructure her bones or refine her meridians. Instead Ling Chunxi’s meridians were strengthened, becoming smoother and stronger, resulting in her Battle Qi growing purer and more condensed. Although she was technically at the same level as others who were at Battle Qi Level 7, the purity and strength of her Battle Qi far surpassed theirs.
As the remaining strands of poison in Ling Chunxi’s body were destroyed by the surge of the electric current running through her, all lingering effects of the poison on her skin faded. Though there was no way for her to perceive it at the moment, Ling Chunxi’s skin was so fair and supple it looked like the surface of a beautiful piece of white jade.
“Let’s go home, Little White.” Overjoyed at finally being able to take Little White home with her now that she was strong enough to protect it, Ling Chunxi hugged the fox close and skipped home happily.
Night had already fallen by the time Ling Chunxi arrived in Shi Qu Town. She made haste straight for her house, cradling Little White safely in her arms. The lightning strike had left her clothes tattered and uncomfortable to wear given the chilly late autumn weather.
Thankfully, it was dark and there weren’t many people on the streets to see her in this miserable state. No one needed to see how she looked right now. But of course, upon taking a corner, she just had to run into someone she knew.
Ling Yuanhong!
Wasn’t this nice? Ling Chunxi scowled and discreetly clenched her fist. Beating him up would be about as challenging as… well, it wouldn’t be, really. All she needed to do was wait for him to open his mouth to say something stupid, then she’d make peach blossoms bloom all over his wretched face!
To her surprise, instead of glaring at her and spouting nonsense as usual, Ling Yuanhong simply gazed at her with the countenance of an infatuated man. “Good evening, miss. Are you new to Shi Qu Town? Do you require some assistance in getting around? I’d be most happy to help.”
Ling Chunxi stood rooted to the spot, stunned. However, she quickly recovered her wits and tried to make sense of the situation. The effects of the poison on her skin must have cleared. ‘Did it really make such a big difference?’ She pondered this thought. There was probably a significant difference. Previously, her face was distorted by swelling and countless red bumps. Who would have been able to recognize her true physicality? When she saw herself in the mirror the other day after her initial recovery, she acknowledged she was indeed blessed with beauty. Ling Yuanhong hadn’t seen her since before her skin started healing. No wonder he was unable to recognize her.