‘From Qi Refining first layer to the second layer, lifespan increased by five years, delightful.’

In her previous life, living to eighty would already beat the average.

Bai Sui wasn’t greedy; if she could live past a hundred in this life, she’d feel she’d made a killing.

What surprised and delighted her was that even after stepping into the second layer of Qi Refining, the effect of each cultivation session didn’t diminish at all; she still climbed step by step as steadily as an old dog.

Now cultivating for one night could raise about 2 points. In other words, in just a month and a half, her points could reach 100 again.

By then, wouldn’t she be able to smoothly step into the third layer of Qi Refining?

Bai Sui felt a bit excited.

The third layer of Qi Refining!

Looking across the entire Jade Pool Market, this level of cultivation might still be nothing much to look at, but it shouldn’t be underestimated either, right?

And in Spirit Water Village, a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining would definitely be considered “outstanding.”

You know, Manager Liu was considered “pretty awesome,” and he was only at this level.

But didn’t every villager regard him highly? When they spoke to him, who wasn’t gentle and polite?

Haha, in just over a month, she, Bai Sui, would be one of those people too!

The little figure in Bai Sui’s heart kept waving its arms, jumping in place with alternating feet.

No, no!

Low-key! Must be low-key now.

Reason made her calm down; Bai Sui constantly warned herself that while she was still weak, she must keep a low profile.

Showing off brings joy, but it also invites hatred. Not to mention she was only ten years old; in others’ eyes, she should just be starting her cultivation initiation at this age.

Being able to smoothly draw qi into the body would already be considered precocious and extremely talented.

Exposing her strength too early, the best outcome was being accepted as a disciple by a large sect, but at worst she might face life-threatening danger!

She’d heard the cultivators in the village say that those who could reach the third layer of Qi Refining before eighteen were considered “talented” among cultivators. Many people cultivated for half their lives and were still stuck at the third layer of Qi Refining, unable to move!

If she weren’t ten this year but fifteen, then even reaching the third or fourth layer of Qi Refining wouldn’t be as conspicuous as now!

‘Ah, I still have to stay low-key. At least until the fourth layer of Qi Refining, I’d dare say I have some foundation for self-protection!’

After a little thought, Bai Sui concluded she had to be even more cautious.

She absolutely couldn’t let her great potential as a “future rising star” be extinguished in the budding stage.

* * *

Against the backdrop of the setting sun, a small figure carrying a bundle of firewood taller than herself walked along the road from the mountain to the village entrance.

Bai Sui returned to Spirit Water Village with the fruits of her day’s labor.

As usual, she sold the firewood and the wild fruits she had casually picked, exchanging them for a dozen or so patterned coins.

Then she walked home in a good mood.

Turning a few corners, her little courtyard came into view, and then she saw a middle-aged man and a youth of fifteen or sixteen standing at her doorstep.

“Uncle Tian, Brother Xiaodong, what are you doing here?”

Uncle Tian and his son Tian Dong were Bai Sui’s neighbors. When Bai Sui first arrived in Spirit Water Village two years ago, the first people she met were Uncle Tian and his wife, who gave her a lot of help. Later, it was through Uncle Tian’s mediation that Bai Sui rented her current courtyard from Manager Liu.

Seeing her young and a girl, Uncle Tian had been helping her a lot over these two years. Bai Sui naturally remembered this kindness in her heart.

At that moment, Uncle Tian also saw her and greeted her with a smile.

Bai Sui deftly opened the courtyard gate and invited them in to sit.

Uncle Tian was an old hunter, with a full beard and tall, sturdy build. His son Tian Dong followed his father’s trade; though only sixteen, he had inherited Uncle Tian’s large frame, standing around 1.8 meters, with bronze skin and muscles all over. Standing beside him, Bai Sui only reached his chest, and a sense of pressure hit her.

Clearly only six years apart, yet it felt like a generation gap.

Bai Sui had thin arms and legs, was small in stature, and her features hadn’t fully matured yet—really like a daughter.

“Uncle Tian, Brother Xiaodong, please sit…”

Bai Sui brought bamboo chairs and carried a teapot to pour them tea.

Uncle Tian quickly waved his hand: “Little Bai girl, you don’t need to be so polite.”

“Yeah, Little Bai sister, this isn’t our first time here, no need for such courtesy.”

Seeing them like this, Bai Sui also stopped with the formalities. She just looked at them quizzically: “What brings you here this time?”

Uncle Tian slapped his forehead: “Look at me, forgot the main thing.”

Then his face showed joy, and he explained: “Today, your brother Xiaodong and I went hunting in Mengyang Mountain and caught a big one. We sent the goods to sell with Xiaodong, but there are still some bits and pieces left. Your Aunt Tian is cooking them up, so we came to see if you were in and call you over to eat.”

“A big one?”

Bai Sui poured them tea, curiosity on her face.

Mengyang Mountain was in the opposite direction from the Spirit Water Peak where Bai Sui cultivated, and further from Spirit Water Village. Because the mountain had many strange beasts, safety was extremely low, so aside from cultivators and hunters confident in their skills, almost no one dared to set foot there.

A month ago, while chopping wood, Bai Sui had mistakenly strayed to the edge of Mengyang Mountain and very unluckily encountered two cultivators fighting over a demonic beast. She hid trembling in the grass but was still knocked out by the aftershock.

Fortunately, she didn’t die; instead, it awakened her memories of her previous life. Yet the name Mengyang Mountain still stirred something deep inside her.

Seeing her complexion turn slightly pale, Uncle Tian thought she was frightened by the “big one” and laughed heartily: “It’s a blood pig! Over three hundred jin, sold for more than two thousand patterned coins!”

Uncle Tian had clearly made a “blood profit” and was in great spirits.

The blood pig resembled a wild boar but was larger and more ferocious.

An adult could weigh over a thousand jin, usually requiring over a dozen hunters to subdue. Uncle Tian and his son were just lucky; an immature blood pig had stumbled into a trap they had set in advance.

The whole process was like getting something for free.

Hearing this, Bai Sui couldn’t help but open her mouth; such luck was truly enviable. At the same time, she marveled that being a hunter, though dangerous, could bring quick money!

“Ah, it’s getting late. Let’s not just stand here talking. Come on, to Uncle Tian’s house.”

Saying this, Uncle Tian stood up and called Bai Sui to go eat at his place.

Bai Sui naturally obeyed, since she’d known Uncle Tian’s family for so long, excessive politeness would seem distant.

And blood pig was not something one could eat casually. With this opportunity, Bai Sui could broaden her horizons and satisfy her appetite.

Their homes were about two hundred meters apart, and they reached the Tian household in no time.

The courtyard was much larger than Bai Sui’s, maybe twice the size! When Bai Sui entered, she saw Aunt Tian busy in the kitchen, while Grandpa Tian sat in the main room handling some hunting gear.

“Grandpa Tian…”

Bai Sui greeted him sweetly, then went into the kitchen, ready to help Aunt Tian.

“Hey, Little Bai girl, what are you doing in the kitchen?” Uncle Tian called her back, telling her to rest in the main room.

“It’s fine, I’ll go see if there’s anything I can help with.”

Bai Sui smiled, and as she spoke, her figure slipped into the kitchen.

Seeing this, Old Man Tian laughed heartily and said to Uncle Tian, “This girl, at such a young age, is already a homemaker.”

Uncle Tian agreed and nodded: “Little Bai girl lives alone, she knows more about these things.”

Thinking of Bai Sui’s situation, Old Man Tian sighed: “It’s the times. Children of poor families have to grow up early… And you!”

Old Man Tian glanced at his grandson, who stood silently to the side, and a fire of nameless anger rose in his heart.

“Look at you, growing so big for nothing, eating the most all day, no skills to speak of, and when you come back you don’t even greet your grandpa. Less sensible than a ten-year-old girl.”

“…”

Tian Dong felt very wronged. Who did he provoke? His hunting skills were pretty good, alright.

Every time Little Bai from next door came over, he always got scolded for no reason.

So much for the special bond between generations.

People die from comparison, goods are thrown away from comparison!

* * *

In the kitchen.

Whether in this life or the previous one, lighting a fire and cooking was not too difficult for Bai Sui; she handled it with ease.

Driven by necessity, plus the previous life’s cooking videos being everywhere, she had developed considerable culinary skills.

Though a ten-year-old girl flipping a wok larger than herself looked a bit comical.

Undeniably, her deft movements were quite a sight.

Now Bai Sui was much stronger, and even with a pot full of meat, she didn’t struggle at all.

She had perfect control of the heat; after stir-frying over high heat, she added various seasonings, tossed in some chopped scallions, stirred a few times, flipped the pot, and plated.

Soon, several aromatic dishes were brought to the table.

Tian Dong also brought over the stools.

The Tian family of four, plus Bai Sui, five people in total, sat around the large square table, each with a big bowl, eating heartily.

Being hunters, the Tian family was a well-off household in Spirit Water Village, so there was no restraint when it came to food. There were three meat dishes, the centerpiece being today’s main dish—the blood pork personally cooked by Aunt Tian, golden and gleaming as if coated in gold, making Bai Sui exclaim with delight.

After the meal, Aunt Tian cleared up.

Bai Sui was called over by Uncle Tian, who asked about her plans for the next day.

“I heard from Manager Liu in the village that tomorrow, disciples of the Crimson Sun Sect will come to test everyone’s spirit roots for free. Several surrounding villages will send children of suitable age. Little Bai girl, what do you think? Do you want to give it a try?”

“This spirit root testing only happens once every ten years. In my opinion, you should go try!”

Old Man Tian picked his teeth, and upon hearing his son bring up the topic, he spoke seriously.

“Not only Little Bai girl, Xiaodong must go too! It’s just that Xiaodong is already sixteen, probably missed the best time.” Uncle Tian added with concern.

“Still better than being a hunter for life. With this opportunity, how can we miss it?”

Tian Dong listened and couldn’t help but nod, also feeling Grandpa’s words made sense.

Who in the cultivation world didn’t yearn to cultivate?

Bai Sui was silent for a moment.

Actually, she did want to go, and it would be a chance to see her own attributes.

Though she had tested her spirit roots a few years ago, confirming she had metal, fire, wood triple spirit roots, which was why Senior Uncle Peng brought her back to the South Dipper Sect, she hadn’t formally become a disciple, and a more detailed test hadn’t been done. So she didn’t know the specific spirit values of her triple spirit roots.

The higher the spirit value, the faster the cultivation speed.

This was common knowledge in the cultivation world.

And for multi-attribute spirit roots, measuring the spirit values was very necessary because one could then train in a targeted manner based on the specifics!

But her situation…

Was there a risk?

If to understand her so-called “attributes,” she exposed herself, would it be worth it?