Chapter Twenty-One: Drawing Qi into the Body

In the blink of an eye, another month had passed. It was a night of the full moon, and the silvery light bathed the courtyard where Ji Mo resided. She walked to the center of the courtyard, sat cross-legged atop a brown stone, faced the moonlight, and closed her eyes. As her thoughts shifted, her inner energy began to circulate according to the basic incantation of the Mysterious Thunder Divine Art.

Over the past six months, although Ji Mo had yet to successfully draw spiritual energy into her body, her efforts had not been in vain. During her cultivation, even if she could not absorb spiritual energy, her body was being relentlessly tempered. Compared to before she entered the sect, her constitution had improved by countless degrees. Her mastery of the breathing technique was now second nature, and today, as soon as she sat down, she felt an unmistakable difference.

The spiritual energy that had always been so difficult to stir now seemed unusually lively. With just the stir of her mind, the surrounding energy surged toward her, streaming into her body. Having drunk Soul-Purifying Vein-Cleansing Tea and subsisted largely on spiritual fruits for six months, her body was already cleansed of all impurities. Now, as soon as she directed the energy, it poured into her dantian without the slightest obstruction.

Once her dantian was filled, the spiritual energy flowed along her meridians, flooding into her limbs and hundreds of acupoints, washing through every corner of her body in a continuous cycle. Ji Mo felt as if her body was being rinsed again and again by the energy, and with each pass, her meridians, acupoints, and bones seemed to grow denser and sturdier.

Gradually, Ji Mo lost all sense of time. Her spirit slowly merged with the environment, so she failed to notice what was happening at midnight, when the moon shone its brightest. The moon above, as if drawn by some unseen force, sent down countless beams of moonlight, which, accompanied by the surrounding spiritual energy, poured into Ji Mo’s body.

At that moment, Lei Wei happened to return from outside. He immediately noticed the unusual phenomenon in the sky. Seeing that the moonlight was descending precisely upon Ji Mo’s courtyard, he was startled, and in a flash, his figure disappeared from where he stood, reappearing behind Ji Mo the next instant. Sensing the surging spiritual energy and the faint moonlight flowing into her, his heart was filled with both astonishment and joy.

He rejoiced at the commotion Ji Mo’s breakthrough had caused—if nothing went awry, she would certainly succeed in drawing spiritual energy into her body tonight. Yet he was also shocked, for he had never heard of anyone who, upon first drawing in energy, could attract the essence of the moon itself. The spectacle was indeed extraordinary.

As dawn approached, Ji Mo seemed to hear a faint crack within her body. Suddenly, both her physical form and soul consciousness felt light as air, and her sea of consciousness became vividly clear before her eyes.

Within her mind’s sea, Ji Mo not only saw her own spirit but also a black leather-bound book suspended in the center. Beside the book stood a soul form of breathtaking grace and beauty. This soul was so faint as to be nearly transparent, only a simple outline, the features indiscernible, yet for some reason, it left the not-yet-nine-year-old Ji Mo utterly captivated.

“You—you must be the Peony Fairy?” Ji Mo stared in astonishment at the soul form.

“If I’m not, who else could I be?” The Peony Fairy’s soul rolled her eyes.

With that roll, all her ethereal elegance vanished instantly. Ji Mo paused for a moment, then blurted out, “You’d better not talk.”

“You little brat, I’ll deal with you another time. Don’t dawdle in your sea of consciousness—your master is right behind you. You’ve already completed the process of drawing in spiritual energy. If you remain unresponsive and make him suspicious enough to examine your body, that would be troublesome,” the Peony Fairy admonished her with a glare.

Master is here? Ji Mo was startled and immediately withdrew her consciousness, opening her eyes. She turned around and, sure enough, saw Lei Wei standing behind her with his hands folded behind his back. Ji Mo leapt to her feet. “Master, when did you arrive?”

“Not long ago. Congratulations,” Lei Wei said with a gentle smile.

“Master, it took me six whole months just to draw spiritual energy into my body—I feel so ashamed, I hardly deserve your congratulations.” Ji Mo’s cheeks flushed. Even among those with poor talent, this step rarely took more than a month, yet she had taken six. For Lei Wei to offer his congratulations in person, even someone as thick-skinned as Ji Mo felt a little embarrassed.

“Haha, I’m not mocking you. I offer my congratulations sincerely. Xiao Mo, you are not like ordinary people, so don’t judge yourself by ordinary standards, understand?” Lei Wei laughed heartily, his mood truly light. For more than five months, Ji Mo had failed to draw in energy, and he had indeed felt some pressure.

“M-master, please don’t place too many hopes on me. I’m not ambitious at all and rather lazy—if you expect too much, I fear you’ll only be disappointed.” Ji Mo hurriedly shook her head.

“Haha, silly child, you’re still young. A bit of laziness is no great fault, and as for ambition, as you mature and your environment changes, I trust your drive will awaken on its own. Seeing you finally succeed puts my mind at ease. I’ll be away for a while now, so focus on your cultivation,” Lei Wei said, laughing again. He reached out to pat her head.

“You’re leaving, Master?” Ji Mo was taken aback, looking up at him.

“Yes. This peak is my residence, and after I leave, for your safety, I’ll set up a barrier. Only your senior brothers and sisters, with their identity tokens, will be able to enter; no one else will be allowed in. Also, I’ll have Chi Yan stay with you. If you need anything for daily living, just find him. Of course, if you get bored staying on the peak, you can have Chi Yan take you for a ride, but I must make one thing clear: you are not to leave the territory of Thunder Peak,” Lei Wei instructed solemnly.

“Uncle Chi Yan? I haven’t seen him in so long—is he back?” Ji Mo’s spirits soared at the news, completely disregarding Lei Wei’s warning not to leave the peak.

Chi Yan was a Fire Eagle at the Core Formation stage, capable of transforming into human form, his entire body burning red as flame. When Ji Mo first arrived on the peak, she had been instantly taken with the great crimson eagle. Chi Yan, for his part, took a liking to Ji Mo as well, and in her first days at Thunder Peak, often carried her soaring above the mountain. However, after the first month, Ji Mo hadn’t seen Chi Yan at all.

“He’s back. Chi Yan, come down!” Lei Wei called up into the sky. A piercing eagle cry sounded, and Ji Mo saw a blaze streak down from above, landing swiftly in her courtyard. Looking closely, who else could it be but Chi Yan?

“Uncle Chi Yan!” Ji Mo cheered, rushing forward. She leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. In his human form, Chi Yan stood about one meter sixty tall and more than a meter wide. With his head slightly raised, Ji Mo, at her current height, had to jump to hug him.

Thus, a rather comical scene unfolded—a magnificent, fiery-red eagle with a little koala clinging to its neck.