In the training grounds of the Ledal Empire castle, Xu Fang sat cross-legged, absorbing Yang Qi from the Sun's rays. Around him, his sisters mirrored his position, their eyes closed, engrossed in absorbing Qi from their surroundings.
After fifteen minutes, Xu Fang opened his eyes, rising from his position. Approaching Xu Min, Xu Zhi, Xu Ling, and Xu Jing, he inquired about the differences they felt between the current session and the previous one.
"Tell me, how much of a difference do you feel compared to earlier?"
"My absorption speed has increased," Xu Min remarked, and the others nodded in agreement.
"Good. Now, let me assist you in gathering thicker Qi from your surroundings. I'll start with Elder Sister Min and Big Sister Zhi. Once I place my hands on your backs after gathering Qi, start absorbing faster," Xu Fang explained, initiating his plan to absorb Yin Qi from his sisters.
Not only did Xu Fang aim to absorb Yin Qi from his sisters, but he also intended to share the benefits of Neutral Qi stones with them to aid in their cultivation.
As his sisters closed their eyes to begin absorbing Qi from their surroundings, Xu Fang discreetly waved his hand, summoning a Neutral Qi stone into his grasp.
He then commenced extracting Qi from the Neutral Qi stone, dispersing it around his body. Once the stone transformed entirely into Qi, he initiated the absorption process, channeling Qi through his arms.
With his right hand placed on Xu Min's back and the other on Xu Zhi's, they began absorbing the Qi transmitted from his hands to their bodies. After a few moments, Xu Fang commenced storing Yin Qi acquired from his sisters' bodies.
Xu Fang adeptly multitasked, engaging in the simultaneous processes of absorbing and transferring Qi extracted from the Neutral Qi Stone to his sisters, all while storing Yin Qi from their bodies. Observing the Qi around his body diminish to 40%, he withdrew his hands and directed Xu Min and Xu Zhi to commence cultivating with the acquired Qi.
Moving on to Xu Ling and Xu Jing, he repeated the procedure, channeling Qi through his arms, placing one hand on each sister's back, and initiating the absorption process. As they absorbed the Qi, he remained focused, maintaining a balance between aiding his sisters and absorbing Yin Qi within himself.
Once the Qi surrounding him was fully absorbed, he withdrew his hands from Xu Ling and Xu Jing, encouraging them to start their cultivation. Seated beside them, he immersed himself in the cultivation of the Qi obtained from the Neutral Qi Stone, followed by the cultivation of Yin and Yang Qi.
'Hahaha, this is the best cultivation ever.' Xu Fang chuckled in his mind after completing his cultivation.
In just one day, he managed to bridge a significant gap in his cultivation, thanks to the aid of the Neutral Qi Stone, the Yang Qi from the Sun, and the Yin Qi from his sisters. A few minutes later, his sisters began to open their eyes one by one. While their cultivation speed wasn't on par with his, they were still thrilled with the results.
"That was amazing, wasn't it?" Xu Ling asked with a big smile.
"I've never experienced anything like this before," Xu Min exclaimed, expressing her newfound excitement.
"If I continue cultivating like this for the next two weeks, I might just achieve my last breakthrough," Xu Zhi shared with anticipation.
"It feels like accomplishing 2 to 3 days of cultivation in a single day," added Xu Jing, echoing the positive sentiments.
Then, with happy expressions, they all stood up and approached Xu Fang. They exchanged glances, silently nodding at each other as if they were having a non-verbal discussion. Turning their heads back to Xu Fang, they spoke in unison.
"Thanks, Little Brother."
"It's nothing. As I already told you guys, I'm always here to help whenever you need me. And from now on, there's no need to thank me either." Xu Fang replied with a warm smile and with a serious tone, followed by a playful smile.
"Now, let's head back to our rooms and take a bath. My body is drenched with sweat too."
"Hahaha... Right, let's go." They all giggled and made their way back to their respective rooms.
'I thought I needed one more month to break through to the eighth stage, but if I cultivate like today, it only takes nine to ten days.' Xu Fang mused as he entered his room.
Directly heading to the bathroom for a refreshing bath, he emerged clad in fresh clothes. Just as he finished dressing, a knock echoed on his door. Opening it, he found his stepmother, Long Xiu, waiting outside. Uncertain about the reason for her visit, he inquired.
"Mother Xiu, you're here. Do you need anything?"
"Yes, I want to ask you a few serious questions." She entered the room, locked the door, walked toward the bed, and took a seat.
"Serious questions about what?" Xu Fang queried, his confusion evident.
"First, I want to know how your cultivation increased this fast," Long Xiu posed her first question.
"Mother Xiu, what I told you earlier is true," Xu Fang reassured her, maintaining the veracity of his earlier statements.
"Oh, I'm not talking about what you said about your fifth stage; instead, I'm talking about your original cultivation stage, the seventh," she clarified her question.
'She knows?' Xu Fang thought to himself.
"I didn't know what you were talking about," he replied, feigning ignorance.
"Oh really? When I checked your cultivation earlier, I knew your cultivation was higher than you said. Why do you want to hide?" She revealed that she had already discerned his true cultivation level when they were in the throne hall.
"Sigh... If you know, why didn't you tell others?" He sighed, questioning her decision not to disclose this information in the throne hall when she was aware of it.
"First, you give me an answer to how your cultivation increased this fast," she reiterated, pressing for an explanation.
"Nothing, Mother Xiu, you know I was studying, and in those books, there were written a lot of ways to meditate and absorb Qi. So, I started to try and absorb Qi in every way possible," Xu Fang began, weaving a detailed narrative.
After trying out various meditation techniques and ways to absorb Qi, I combined them to come up with a new method that helps me progress faster in my training. Today, I shared this technique with Elder Sister Min and the others. Since it was their first day, I guided them in gathering Qi from their surroundings and absorbing it.
He spun a tale to mislead her, weaving a detailed explanation he knew she'd likely buy into.
"Your unique Qi-absorbing technique is the reason why dense Qi gathers around you during your post-lunch cultivation," Long Xiu pointed out, understanding why Qi accumulated around Xu Fang in the afternoons.
"What? I mean, Mother Xiu, when did you see me cultivating?" Xu Fang was surprised, worrying that she might have caught him extracting Qi from the Neutral Qi Stone.
"Today, after lunch, while you were deep in cultivation and your sisters were training on the grounds. Is there a problem?" She clarified the time she observed him and asked if something was amiss.
"No, I'm just surprised by your mention of 'thick Qi' because, usually, nothing is aiding cultivators in the higher realms." He swiftly covered up his initial shock.
"No, I believe it can benefit them too. Even if the quantity isn't huge, it can still help in their cultivation," she explained, asserting that his cultivated Qi could benefit higher realm cultivators as well.
"Oh, Mother Xiu, is there anything else you'd like to know?" Xu Fang asked if she had more questions.
"Yes, can you explain why you chose to hide the fact that you're already at the seventh stage?" Long Xiu queried him about his decision to conceal his true cultivation stage.
"Mother Xiu, it was hard for me to share this with you and Mother. Just six months ago, I was only at the third stage, and now I've reached the seventh stage," Xu Fang began explaining his situation.
"I didn't want anyone else to find out. Just imagine the consequences. What about my older sisters? Wouldn't they feel disheartened if they knew? I didn't want them to start thinking I was better than them and develop resentment.
That's exactly why today I shared my method of Qi absorption and cultivation with them, guiding them through the process to help them break through faster than their usual routine.
Today is just their first day, so I assisted them three times by transferring Qi. But starting tomorrow, I plan to gradually increase it to speed up their progress, just like mine."
"How did you become so mature at this age? And can you gather Qi from your surroundings and transfer it to others too?" She was astonished by his maturity and sought confirmation that he could indeed transfer Qi after gathering it around him.
"Yes, not only can I gather Qi for myself, but I can also transfer it to others for cultivation," he nodded in confirmation.
"Can I try it myself?" She asked if he could demonstrate what he had just explained.