Song Zhixia glanced at Song Weizhi. Seeing Song Weizhi's calm expression, she knew that Song Weizhi was considering her safety. Song Zhixia no longer felt embarrassed, took off her outer garment, and entered the bath. The bath was filled with warm water from the spiritual spring, and Song Zhixia felt relief as she soaked in it.
"Zhixia, are you ready? If you're ready, let's start. The process of refining your Spirit Root will take some time, about three hours. The pain you feel will intensify over time. If you can't bear it, just call me," Song Weizhi cautioned.
"Okay, Senior Sister, I'm ready. Let's begin," Song Zhixia took a deep breath and said to Song Weizhi.
Nodding with a slight frown, Song Weizhi handed the spiritual pill to Song Zhixia. Song Zhixia, feeling nervous, took the pill from Song Weizhi's hand without thinking much. After a moment, the pill dispersed within her body. She felt as if countless needles were pricking her, but the pain was bearable. The water in the bath opened the pores of her body, expelling impurities. After about an hour, the once clear spring in the bath had turned pitch black.
Song Weizhi used her spiritual qi to drain the now black spring water from the bath and refill it with fresh spiritual spring water.
At this point, Song Zhixia, with closed eyes, clutched the edge of the bath tightly. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and Song Weizhi, holding a piece of cotton in her hand, was ready to hand it over to prevent Song Zhixia from biting her tongue.
Another hour passed. Song Zhixia's hands, bloody and mangled, and her lips, bitten and trembling, showed the toll of the process. The water in the bath was now murky, not as black as the first time.
Song Weizhi replaced the water in the bath again, and this time, Song Zhixia had almost exhausted her strength. Her hands were oozing blood, and her lips, no longer biting the cotton, occasionally bled. The water in the bath was now only turbid, not pitch black.
After three hours, Song Zhixia had fainted in the bath. Sweat covered her forehead, and she appeared as if she had been soaking in water for a long time.
Song Weizhi carefully removed the bath, used a purification spell to dry Song Zhixia, and then placed her on her bed for a thorough examination. Song Zhixia had suffered significant injuries on her lips, hands, and feet. The wounds on her fingers were deep enough to reveal bone, and her nails had all fallen off. Song Weizhi felt a pang of distress as she carefully applied a healing ointment to the injuries.
After treating the wounds, Song Weizhi laid Song Zhixia on the bed and sat beside her, practicing her cultivation techniques. Having examined Song Zhixia's Spirit Roots, she knew that the impurities had been completely removed, and the remaining half of her Spirit Roots had been refined. It would take several hours for Song Zhixia to wake up, so Song Weizhi set up a barrier and patiently waited for her to regain consciousness.
As the sun set, there were signs of movement from the bed. Song Weizhi immediately looked nervously at Song Zhixia lying on the bed.
"Zhixia, how are you feeling? Is the pain still severe?" Song Weizhi fed Song Zhixia some spring water from her storage ring.
Feeling boneless and weak all over, Song Zhixia's body ached. In a hoarse voice, she replied, "Senior Sister, I'm fine."
"As long as you've passed this stage. Come, take this medicine first." Song Weizhi fed Song Zhixia a medicine that replenished qi and blood. After taking the pill, some color returned to Song Zhixia's face.
"Lie down and rest for a while. It will take some time for your Spirit Roots to fully recover."
Song Zhixia listened to Song Weizhi's words and fell into a deep sleep again, feeling light and experiencing a completely different sensation than before.
When Song Zhixia woke up, she felt a slight pain in her lips and a fiery sensation in her fingers. The dull pain from the previous day in other parts of her body had disappeared, and she quickly drifted back into slumber.
In the evening, after a day out, Wei Zhao returned. She knocked on the door and entered Song Weizhi's room. Upon lifting her eyes, she saw a graceful-looking girl lying on her Mistress's bed. Wei Zhao didn't dare to stare and quickly bowed, saying, "Mistress, I've carried out the tasks you assigned. However, Song Ruohai and Song Chaoyun seem to be normal at the moment. Today, they discussed the annual assessment for external disciples to be held by the Song Family in a month. Those who pass will be promoted to internal disciples and have the opportunity to enter the Linlang Secret Realm."
Speaking of the Linlang Secret Realm, it was briefly mentioned in the original book. The female protagonist of the original book faced various persecutions as an external disciple and, due to her half-spirit root, had slow cultivation progress. She never passed the internal disciple exam, so the Linlang Secret Realm was not mentioned.
"Good, you've worked hard. Go rest in your room first," Song Weizhi said. She pondered the matter of the Linlang Secret Realm and summoned the system in her mind, asking, "System, can you tell me about the Linlang Secret Realm?"
[The system cannot provide that information at the moment. Please explore it yourself,] the cold voice echoed in Song Weizhi's mind, leaving her with no choice.
A night of meditation not only didn't make Song Weizhi feel tired but also left her more spirited. She took out the healing ointment from her storage ring and applied it to Song Zhixia's lips and fingers. In a short while, the wounds on Song Zhixia's lips had completely healed, leaving only the more severe injuries on her fingers. The blood-red new flesh had covered the exposed white bone, indicating that the flesh inside had already healed.
Seeing that Song Zhixia hadn't awakened, Song Weizhi summoned her Li Shuo Sword and went down the mountain to buy chicken soup, rice porridge, and other foods for Song Zhixia. She also bought various grains, cooking oil, seasonings, vegetables, and meat. She put everything in a storage bag. Almost forgetting her Golden Core cultivation level that allowed her to go without meals, she remembered that Song Zhixia, at eighteen, hadn't even started cultivating. Eating more might help her grow.
When Song Zhixia woke up, she found herself alone in the room. Not seeing Song Weizhi made her feel a bit anxious. According to her past experiences, she wasn't someone who depended on others. However, she couldn't help but develop an inexplicable reliance on Song Weizhi, whom she had just met a few days ago.
As Song Weizhi entered, she saw Song Zhixia, who had been daydreaming on the bed. When Song Zhixia saw her, her eyes lit up, resembling a cute kitten seeing its owner. A smile unconsciously appeared on Song Weizhi's lips.
"Zhixia, you're awake. How do you feel? Have you sensed any changes in your body?" Song Weizhi asked softly as she sat by the bedside.
"Other than some lingering pain in my fingers, my body feels much lighter," Song Zhixia, with her peach blossom eyes, looked even more charming when she smiled.
"Well, you've successfully refined your Spirit Root. Now, you possess a pure Fire-type Single Spirit Root. Fantastic," Song Weizhi thought sincerely. Enduring such pain indeed required great determination.
"So, Senior Sister, can I start cultivating now? I also want to become as powerful as you." She thought of adding, "So I can protect Senior Sister," but refrained from saying it.
"Of course, you can. The cultivation speed of a single Spirit Root is the fastest. I believe you can do it. However, Zhixia, in battles in the cultivation world, it's not only the individuals fighting, but also their Spiritual Beast. Currently, the chicken doesn't have that ability. This means that many times, you'll have to face two opponents alone. Are you ready?" Song Weizhi asked seriously, and Song Zhixia listened attentively.
"I can do it, Senior Sister. I'll protect the chicken well." The girl's gaze was clear and determined.
"Good. However, before you start learning all this, the first thing we need to do is to feed you, Zhixia." Song Weizhi used her spiritual qi to place a small table by the bed. She then placed the bought sandpot chicken soup and white porridge on it. Continuing, she said, "I didn't know what you liked to eat, and since you were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't ask you. I just randomly bought two things."
Song Zhixia had never expected that Song Weizhi was the one who bought food for her just now. Even when she was sick in the past, her foster parents never bought her anything to eat. Even medicines were something she had never taken before coming here. If she fell ill, she would endure it herself. If she couldn't bear it, her foster parents would see her as a burden wasting food.
"Thank you, Senior Sister. I… I really trouble you. Although I've never cultivated before, I know time is precious for cultivators. I've already delayed too much of your time these days," Song Zhixia said, her eyes slightly reddening. She didn't understand why, but even though her foster parents had scolded and beaten her, she never shed a tear. However, at Song Weizhi's place, she always found it hard to keep her eyes from turning red.