At this moment, Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang were sitting in the house, weighed down with worry.
Previously, their understanding of the Heaven's Absolute Sect had only scratched the surface. Even though they still didn't know much now, everything they'd heard about the Heartlessness Path was nothing good.
Things like having no emotions, severing family ties, and even rumors about killing one's wife to attain enlightenment...
Ji Yingjin had no idea whether any of it was true, but the more she heard, the more it sounded like pure beasts.
"Let's not panic yet. First, let's write a letter to Xixi and find out whether any of this is real." Liu Dazhuang tried to comfort Ji Yingjin, but his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
Sure, they had a daughter, so killing a wife to attain enlightenment wasn't a concern—but severing family ties was absolutely unacceptable!
"That girl is terrified of hard work. She wouldn't go near that Heartlessness Path." Liu Dazhuang muttered to himself.
He was beside himself with panic. The environment shapes a person—even if his daughter didn't want to learn it, she'd still be influenced by those emotionless people around her.
Ji Yingjin's brow was furrowed so tightly it looked painful: "The Liu girl is there too, and she joined the Heaven's Absolute Sect earlier than Xixi."
The two exchanged a look, both faces etched with despair.
What if Ji Zhaoxi got provoked by Liu Fuyin and swore to master the Heartlessness Path?!
Liu Dazhuang immediately wrote a letter to Ji Zhaoxi.
[Xixi, you should just come home. Your father and I don't need you to bring glory to the family. Whatever you do, don't learn those heartless things, and don't let the Liu girl provoke you. We love you.]
Liu Dazhuang started crying as he wrote. He refused to see his daughter turn into a cold, hard stone.
At that very moment, Ji Zhaoxi was wearing a cloak and walking through the black market.
Beside her was Liuli, who was being just as furtive.
The black market was a world entirely apart from the Heaven's Absolute Sect. The air was thick with the smell of wine and meat, mixed with the scent of various unknown herbs.
Most of the stall owners wore masks, dressed even more covered up than Ji Zhaoxi and Liuli, leaving only a pair of shrewd eyes exposed.
Ji Zhaoxi had bought many magical artifacts here before, worried she might get hurt during future training trips—after all, she had no spiritual energy.
But if she had magic artifacts, things would be different. She could die a little later...
Around them were many rogue cultivators and wealthy merchants hunting for treasure. The sound of hawking rose and fell, occasionally interrupted by the low growls of spirit beasts.
The two wandered around when, suddenly, a deep voice spoke up.
"Miss."
Ji Zhaoxi and Liuli looked over. In the corner sat a withered old man, fully wrapped up, wearing a felt hat so low even his eyes were hidden. In front of him sat a black box.
Liuli felt a chill of fear at the sight of the old man and clung tightly to Ji Zhaoxi's arm.
Inside the box lay something as thin as a cicada's wing, with an intricate hollow groove in the center, faint green light rippling within.
The old man's voice was hoarse: "Miss, this treasure is called the Reverse Pulse Cicada. Even someone with no spiritual energy at all only needs to place a spirit stone in the box, and the spiritual energy will flow back into the body."
Ji Zhaoxi and Liuli crouched down. Ji Zhaoxi looked at him with curiosity: "You can tell at a glance whether someone has spiritual energy?"
The old man kept his head down, but Ji Zhaoxi felt like he was staring right at her: "If I want to see, I can."
Ji Zhaoxi hesitated: "This won't be bad for my body, will it? What if something happens and I can't find you?"
The old man's laugh was a little chilling: "You've only just begun cultivating, haven't you, miss? In the black market, everything is by mutual consent. You pay the coin, I hand over the goods, and the transaction ends."
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the box, her heart itching. Just buy it, she figured. It's no different from her other artifacts anyway.
She paid quickly, and the old man, seeing that she was someone who knew value, cut the chase short.
His withered, stick-like finger pressed lightly on the Reverse Pulse Cicada. A faint light suddenly flickered, and a soft "click" sounded from within the artifact.
"Miss, there are three hidden clasps here. After you put the spirit stone in, twist it three times."
The old man gestured for Ji Zhaoxi to extend her wrist. He pressed the artifact against her pulse point, his voice raspy.
"This Reverse Pulse Cicada requires high-grade spirit stones. Don't go throwing any cheap stuff in there in the future, or the one who gets hurt is you."
Ji Zhaoxi nodded, her eyes fixed on the artifact.
She'd never felt spiritual energy before. Liu Fuyin was always showing off in front of her, and she wanted to see what it really felt like.
The old man flicked his fingertip, and a high-grade spirit stone slid precisely into the artifact.
Before Ji Zhaoxi could react, a wave of searing heat surged into her pulse point. The meridians that had been blocked for over a decade were forcibly expanded.
It stung a little, but it was bearable.
Liuli kept her eyes locked on the old man. If anything happened to her young lady, she would make sure to tackle him before he got away.
Ji Zhaoxi lowered her gaze. For the first time, she saw those invisible intangibles. She could sense, amidst the chaos of the black market, tiny specks of blue light scattered about.
"Miss, you look like you've just ascended, I swear." Liuli said with a serious face.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the light particles around her. She felt like the heavy weight pressing down on her had vanished, replaced by a sense of lightness.
Ji Zhaoxi turned to Liuli, thrilled: "Liuli, I can really feel spiritual energy!"
No wonder those people in the Heaven's Absolute Sect trained like their lives depended on it—this was what having spiritual energy felt like.
It felt like her entire body had been washed clean.
"If I use this every day, could I eventually truly grow a spiritual root?" Ji Zhaoxi looked at the old man expectantly.
The old man's mouth twitched. He didn't answer, just packed up his things to head home. He'd made enough money for today.
"Are you sure it won't work? What if I put in a few more high-grade stones?" Ji Zhaoxi said, disappointed.
She really loved this feeling of having spiritual energy.
The old man slung his bag on his back and nimbly climbed over the wall.
He simply couldn't be bothered to answer her.
Just about every person who came to buy the Reverse Pulse Cicada asked the same question. People only ever grew more greedy.
Sunlight slanted across the architecture of the Heaven's Absolute Sect. The air was dry and warm, every glazed tile glowing with a halo. Afternoon was the time for disciples to study in the Sutra Pavilion, so the surroundings were completely quiet.
Ji Zhaoxi didn't have a jade token, so she couldn't attend the study sessions. Instead, she continued her training with Wen Shubai.
The two wooden buckets were filled to the brim with water. Ji Zhaoxi had lost count of how many trips she'd already made, focusing entirely on the moss-covered stone steps beneath her feet.
"Senior brother, how many more trips do I have left?"
Ji Zhaoxi was exhausted. Her shoulders ached terribly, and her legs wouldn't stop trembling.
Wen Shubai said gently: "Junior sister, this is only your second trip."
Ji Zhaoxi's face fell as she picked the water up again: "Really? Could have sworn it was my twentieth..."
The sun had to be frying her brain.
