After leaving the principal's office and dealing with Feng Yue's insidious remarks, Feng Yan returned to her dormitory. The dim corridors were quiet, the faint hum of conversations and footsteps from the students drifting through the walls. She had learned to block out the noises around her, choosing instead to focus on the quiet sanctuary she had built within herself.
The dormitory was a simple space, not grand, but it suited Feng Yan just fine. She didn't need luxury to thrive. What she needed was peace—a rare commodity in the chaotic life she led as an adopted daughter in a family that had never truly accepted her. Now that she was away from their suffocating presence, she could finally breathe.
After freshening up, Feng Yan sat at her desk, her slender fingers typing swiftly on her laptop as she browsed through the details of the upcoming university competition. The prize for the top contenders was a highly coveted recommendation letter, something that could open doors to prestigious institutions that would normally be out of reach for someone like her. But this competition wasn't a simple academic contest; it was rigorous, mentally and physically demanding, and took place in the capital—a city she hadn't visited since being separated from her family.
Her eyes scanned the screen, absorbing the layers of information about the competition. It was divided into multiple phases, starting with an entrance exam, which she felt confident she could pass. After all, she had just topped her class in the recent exams, proving to herself that she had the capability. But beyond the written tests, there were practical challenges, interviews with university officials, and even physical endurance tasks. Feng Yan knew that while her intelligence would carry her through the first part, the later stages would require something more—something she didn't have yet.
The capital city was a sprawling metropolis, and while Feng Yan felt no fear in going there alone, she knew that the competition would be fierce. She wasn't worried about the students from her school; it was the competitors from prestigious academies, from wealthy and influential families, that concerned her. They had resources, training, and connections she didn't. She only had herself and her will to succeed.
The thought of competing against the elite didn't intimidate her, but it reminded her of how much more she had to prepare. She clicked through various forums and discussion boards, gathering any information she could find about past competitions. She studied the routines of successful participants, the tactics they used to navigate the challenges. The more she read, the more complex it all seemed. Yet, amidst the intricacies of competition, one thing remained clear to Feng Yan: she had to win. Not for glory, but for freedom.
Her mind lingered on the thought of her estranged family—the Feng family. Despite their disdain for her, she would show them that she wasn't just an adopted daughter discarded for bad luck. She would prove herself worthy, not to gain their approval, but to rise beyond their reach. Her success would be her silent revenge.
As night fell and the dormitory grew quieter, Feng Yan glanced over at her roommate. She lay still, sound asleep, her soft breathing the only sound in the room. The dorm was shared with other students, but none of them mattered to Feng Yan. She was used to being alone, and in some ways, she preferred it.
The clock on her desk showed the late hour, but sleep was not on Feng Yan's mind. With a deep breath, she shifted her consciousness and flashed into her space.
As soon as she entered her space, the familiar rush of spiritual energy enveloped her, filling her lungs with crisp, pure air. It was like stepping into a different world entirely. Here, the atmosphere was thick with spiritual energy, a resource so scarce in the outside world that most cultivators could only dream of training in such a rich environment.
Feng Yan closed her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the energy wash over her. In this space, she felt refreshed, revitalized, as though all the fatigue and stress of the day had melted away. The spiritual energy not only rejuvenated her body but also cleared her mind, sharpening her focus.
However, tonight, something gnawed at her thoughts. Despite the abundant spiritual energy in her space, Feng Yan felt a lingering weakness in her body when she tried to cultivate further. She had successfully reached the first stage of forming her core in the dantian, an accomplishment that marked the beginning of her cultivation journey. Yet, despite the potential for rapid growth in this space, her body seemed to resist moving to the next level.
She frowned, frustration creeping into her otherwise calm demeanor. It was clear that her foundation wasn't strong enough. Without a proper foundation, it would be impossible to progress any further in her cultivation. She needed more—more resources, more knowledge, more power.
Her thoughts turned to herbs, the essential ingredients for creating medicinal pills that could strengthen her body and increase her yang energy. Without these herbs, leveling up her cultivation would remain out of reach. She could sense the imbalance within her body—the spiritual energy around her was vast, but her physical form wasn't yet strong enough to harness it fully.
"I need to buy herbs," Feng Yan muttered to herself, her voice quiet in the serene space. "I need to refine pills to strengthen my body and my cultivation."
The process of leveling up in cultivation was intricate and demanding. In this world, few ever reached the heights of Immortal Emperor, where one's power could rival the heavens. Even fewer could dream of becoming an Imperial Emperor, a level so far beyond the realm of possibility that it was thought to be a myth.
Feng Yan, however, had no intention of stopping at the lower levels. Her journey had only just begun, and she would not be held back by her current limitations. She knew the levels of cultivation well: gathering qi and forming the core in the dantian, mystic core, golden core, immortal core, celestial, and finally, Immortal Emperor and Imperial Emperor. Each stage was divided into basic, mid, and peak levels, with each advancement becoming increasingly difficult.
Currently, Feng Yan was at the first stage of forming her core in her dantian, a critical point in her cultivation. While her meridians were open and the spiritual energy in her space was abundant, she couldn't push forward without a strong foundation. Moving forward without the right preparation would be reckless, and Feng Yan was anything but reckless.
She spent the next few hours cultivating, drawing the spiritual energy into her core, reinforcing her dantian with slow, deliberate breaths. The energy flowed through her, gentle yet potent, but she could still feel the limitations of her physical form. After what felt like an eternity, she opened her eyes, her frustration tempered by her resolve.
"This won't do," she whispered. "I need those herbs."
Rising to her feet, Feng Yan walked toward the scrolls she had stored within her space. These ancient texts contained valuable knowledge about herbs, their properties, and the intricate processes required to refine them into powerful medicinal pills. She pulled out a few scrolls and began reading, her eyes scanning the lists of herbs she would need to strengthen her yang energy.
Her mind absorbed the information quickly, her fingers tracing the diagrams of the herbs and the steps to refine them. The process of pill refinement was delicate, requiring precision and concentration. One wrong move, and the entire batch could be ruined, or worse, become toxic. But Feng Yan wasn't worried. She had always been meticulous, her mind sharp and her hand steady.
She made a mental list of the herbs she would need, marking the most important ones: Bloodroot, Fire Lotus, Dragon's Claw, and Sunvine. Each of these herbs had potent yang energy, and when combined in the right proportions, they would form the base for a powerful medicinal pill that could boost her cultivation to the next level.
She had spent hours cultivating and reading, and the exhaustion was beginning to set in. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and shifted her consciousness out of the space, returning to the real world.
The dorm room was dark and quiet when she opened her eyes. Her roommate was still asleep, undisturbed by Feng Yan's nocturnal activities. Feng Yan slipped back into bed, pulling the covers over her as she settled in for the night.
As she lay there, staring up at the ceiling, her mind buzzed with thoughts of the future. The competition, the herbs, the next stage of her cultivation—it all seemed so close, just within her reach. But she knew better than to rush. Everything would come in time, and she would be ready when it did.
For now, she would rest. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, and she would face them with the same calm determination that had carried her through so many trials before. With that thought, Feng Yan closed her eyes and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, her heart steady and her mind clear.