"Am I alive?"
He wondered as he opened his eyes and regained consciousness. Seeing the familiar ceiling above him, he couldn't help but smile. It was good to be alive.
But just as he was about to get up, he felt a hand pressing gently against his back. Confused, he turned to the other side. Before him appeared a woman with long, wavy hair in a deep shade of blue. Her eyes matched the color of her hair, her skin was as pale as snow, and she wore an elegant blue dress. It was his third sister, Qing Yan, also known as the "Blue Maiden."
Seeing her younger brother awake, Qing Yan sighed in relief. He had been missing for ten hours. Worried, she searched for him and found him unconscious, which had frightened her. However, after checking his condition, she realized he wasn't injured.
"Don't scare me like that, little one," she said, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry..." he replied sincerely. Then, he lowered his gaze to check his body. He was fine, with no injuries.
'It worked.'
He thought to himself, examining his entire body once more. However, his skin tingled as he recalled the intense pain he had experienced earlier.
He never wanted to feel that again. Experiencing it once in a lifetime was more than enough.
And what about cultivation?
'Can I cultivate now that my body has been practically rebuilt?'
He looked at Qing Yan and said, "Sister, teach me to cultivate! I can do it now!"
Hearing this, Qing Yan widened her eyes and gently held her brother's wrist. Using her spiritual consciousness, she began to examine his internal body. When she saw the golden veins pulsating with energy, she was stunned.
Then, she smiled—a pure, genuine smile. She was happy for her little brother, who could finally cultivate.
'The master will be so pleased when she hears about this... Could his unconscious state be related to this? Well, it doesn't matter. I'll just take it as my little brother's lucky break.'
Still smiling angelically, she hugged him again. Her little brother was so lovable.
"Alright, Little Chun, I'll teach you the basics. Teaching isn't really my specialty, but I'll give it a try."
She got up from the bed and motioned for her brother to sit down.
While Ling Lan was an alchemy genius, Qing Yan was a prodigy in music. As a siren—a lineage of humans who live in the sea—she possessed a unique sensitivity to sound.
In the world of cultivation, various mutant species had emerged over the years, both human and monstrous.
Qing Yan mastered several musical instruments, such as the piano, flute, and zither, which were most effective for attacking. A cultivator skilled in music was undoubtedly one of the most challenging opponents to defeat.
"Alright, Little Chun, in cultivation, the first realm is the Mortal Refinement Realm. Here, we use Spiritual Qi to refine the body: the skin, bones, organs, eyes, and finally, the brain. These are the five initial minor realms. You'll learn the rest over time. One step at a time."
"Yes, Sister!" Xia Chun responded enthusiastically. Just the thought of starting to cultivate made him excited. "Sister Yan! Give me the method to absorb Qi!"
So eager...
She smiled and retrieved a technique from her storage ring titled Secret Art of the Sea. This method was her own creation, developed after studying and combining various techniques with sounds. It was the cultivation technique she currently used.
Qing Yan wasn't sure if Xia Chun would be able to practice it. It was just a test. If he couldn't, she would teach him another method.
Opening the book, Qing Yan began to sing. Her voice echoed through the room like a celestial hymn. Xia Chun, hearing it, felt completely relaxed. He closed his eyes and used only his ears to absorb each note.
"Xia Chun, don't lose focus. Remember to cultivate," she said, pausing her singing momentarily to guide him. Then, she resumed.
"Sound is unique to each person, but it's present in everything: the animals' songs, water falling from a waterfall, conversations. Now, think of this sound as an invisible energy flowing through your body, like a sound wave!"
These words engraved themselves deeply into Xia Chun's mind. He began imagining a speaker blasting heavy electronic music at maximum volume, shaking everything around him. Each beat was an explosion.
But...
What if these explosions were Qi?
What if the sound waves shaking the ears began flowing through the body at the same speed?
The logic was strange, and Xia Chun knew it. But listening to his sister sing, it felt so real.
Testing this theory, he imagined his veins as speakers, the sky as the music, and the waves as Qi.
This simple yet utterly insane logic for the cultivation world worked. His veins began to pulsate, and the sky seemed to sing. Everything around him was singing.
Outside, Qing Yan stopped singing, stunned. Several particles of Qi were descending toward Xia Chun's body. It was extraordinary.
"My method is amazing... or is Chun a genius?" she murmured to herself, filled with doubt.
Unaware of all this, Xia Chun focused only on the sound. It was no longer his sister's singing but the sound of Qi itself. It was strange, but the entire technique seemed to be.
'First the skin, right?'
Sighing, he used all the Qi he had gathered to strengthen the pores of his skin. He felt the energy merging with his body. There was no pain, only a comfortable sensation, as if his skin were becoming stronger by the second.
He continued cultivating until he reached his limit, with nothing left to improve on his skin. Finally, he opened his eyes and saw his sister looking at him... and a message floating above her head.
[Qing Yan wishes to go somewhere to calm her heart, which is overwhelmed by shock at her younger brother.]