Qi Refining

Mingyao, Mingyu, and the now-handsome man sat once again inside the cave, gathered around a stone-like table.

The darkness that once plagued the area was gone, replaced by a soft blue luminescence radiating from crystal-like formations that chased away the lingering shadows.

"As I said, I am San Ming Yazu — a primordial nether spirit, and your guardian," the man explained.

Mingyao felt a wave of relief wash over her; her gamble had paid off. She noticed that the crow's fighting style bore a resemblance to that of the phoenix. From that, she deduced that the crow might not be trying to harm them. Still, its relentless attacks forced her hand.

With no other choice, she took a desperate gamble—diving into the bizarre sea. If her intuition was right, the crow would do everything in its power to prevent their demise. But if she was wrong… they would likely perish. Still, she decided it was better to die trying to escape than to live as a mere plaything of this nether spirit, whether her aunt had influenced it or not.

Now that she thought about it, could her second "Tribulation" have been caused by her aunt? It was possible—but then again, it might have been nothing more than a coincidence.

"Mortal!" The deep, resonant voice jolted Mingyao back to reality.

She looked up at the black-robed, striking man. His aura was silent and domineering.

"What is your quest in my domain?" San Ming Yazu asked, his voice very heavy and authoritative, even in its softness.

Mingyao looked at Mingyu, then back at the intimidating yet handsome face before her. Two pupils, a mix of red and blue, stared at her. The colors were something else—the outer ring red, fading into blue, and then sinking into darkness.

"I want to cultivate immortality," Mingyao finally said. "The spiritual energy in the mortal plane is weak, but here… it's abundant."

"Indeed," the crow said, turning his head thoughtfully toward a glowing tree in the distance.

Mingyao and Mingyu instinctively followed his gaze, suddenly noticing the magnificent tree—always there, yet somehow invisible until now. Its trunk glimmering with veins of light.

"I smell a hint of divinity on you two mortals," he said again, his voice deep and rumbling, "but it's tangled with mortal filth."

The crow stood. "If you want to walk the divine, best wash off all that filth. Follow me."

Without another word, he started walking toward the tree.

Mingyao and Mingyu exchanged a glance, then rose and followed the creature masquerading as a man.

Mingyao's thoughts turned inward. This creature… it had to be her aunt's retainer, her eyes and ears in this realm, probably telling her everything that happened, every move she made. Divinity, that's what it said—no wonder it found her, spanning this vast world. The spiritual energy her aunt planted in her body, guiding him straight to her without fail.

Now, the problem was how to destroy her cultivation without her aunt finding out. She pondered for a long while, letting the question twist in her mind, before giving up. Then another thought sprang up, sharper this time: her male spirit body, driven by her sister, was able to inject qi into her dantian and even use flame techniques — weak, yes, but still reminiscent of the abilities she wielded as Mingyu. Did that mean she would have to destroy both cultivations to move forward?

An idea surfaced. What if she pursued immortal cultivation while her sister continued with martial cultivation? How would their bodies even look? Would the Grandmaster's token still have any hold over them?

The questions swarmed her mind until, at last, she arrived at a solution. It was best if they both destroyed their foundations and began again. It was the most stable path she could see. Perhaps, without this guardian, she would have considered other options. But now, with San watching over them — still not fully trusted, but reliable enough — she knew she would not die under his watch. Not yet, at least.

After a short walk, the man stopped. Instinctively, Mingyao and Mingyu halted as well. Before them lay water — clear, blue, and unnervingly still.

"If you wish to pursue immortality, then this pool is your best chance."

Mingyao and Mingyu stared at the blue pool, shimmering with ethereal light and pulsing with something profound. Mingyao's gaze shifted to the man. "What are the effects of this pool of water?" she asked.

The man's brow furrowed slightly. "I just told you—it washes away mortal filth."

"No," she said, "I mean, what is this pool made of? Water? And are there any side effects—advantages or disadvantages?"

The man considered her words before answering. "This is a nether spring. It contains the power of the Nether Sea, but its effects have been highly diluted. The Nether Sea itself holds the divinity of great beings—high-ranking immortals, saints, and gods—who descend to the mortal plane for tribulations or other purposes. Such energy would disintegrate any weak being within seconds."

Mingyao felt a flicker of understanding, remembering the burning sensation she had felt as she plummeted toward the Nether Sea.

"So it's a diluted version of the Purple Sea outside," she murmured, then turned her head to ask aloud, "Apart from washing away our mortal filth, as you call it, what other effects should we expect?"

The man continued, "This water is brimming with spiritual energy and divine essence. It will greatly enhance your cultivation base, especially for someone as low as you. The only caution is this: if your base is impure, it will be cleansed away, and those with unstable cultivation bases might… explode from the energy."

Mingyao flinched slightly as the scene played in her mind before she turned back to him.

"Then… is it safe for me?"

The handsome man with delicate features simply smiled. "If you want to walk the true path to immortality, this pool is your best chance. But if not, the energy around here should be enough to aid other forms of cultivation."

Mingyao nodded. "Then if that's the case, I've made my choice."

The man smiled at her. She continued, "Are there any preparations we need to make?"

"Only one," the crow said, passing his hand through Mingyao's and Mingyu's abdomens. Immediately, they both exhaled a rush of air and collapsed to the floor. Mingyao felt the trapped energy inside her—nowhere to go—vanish and dissipate. She felt lighter, yet somehow weaker at the same time. Her body was hollow in a way that made her muscles tremble and her chest ache.

"You have to begin anew," the former crow said simply. Mingyao expected the outcome, but even so, she hadn't seen the crow move. The sheer power of the creature she was casually talking to hit her all at once.

"You can get in," the crow said, pointing to the shimmering blue pool of water.

"What about my clothes? Should I take them off?"

"For better absorption, yes. But if you're not comfortable, they can remain. It's a negligible interference."

Mingyao smiled at the crow and then jumped in with Mingyu. Even if she wanted to remove her clothes, they were stuck to her like a second skin. She couldn't shed them even if she tried.

The water was icy cold against her skin, and the wet cloth clinging to her made it prickly and uncomfortable. Then it began—something foreign seeping into her, creeping into her bones like ice, until suddenly her body heated, and the water around her bubbled and churned. And just as suddenly as it began, it faded.

"Here, recite this. It will help your mind stay calm and bring you into a deep meditative state with pure concentration."

The parchment was handed to both twins.

Breath returns to essence, essence returns to void. In the stillness of the void, Dao is revealed.

As soon as she read the words, another sutra came to mind—the one that had saved Mingyao from the phoenix:

Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Seeing this, the mind is freed.

They seemed different, yet at the same time the same. Was there a connection between the two sutras? Mingyao calmed her racing thoughts when she heard Mingyu beginning to chant beside her, eyes closed.

She closed her own eyes and began chanting as well.

"Breath returns to essence, essence returns to void. In the stillness of the void, Dao is revealed," she murmured slowly.

Within her body, she could feel her existing meridians filling with a new, more potent energy than she had ever felt before. Her body's heat surged again, just like before, and the water around her began to bubble as the energy spread through every part of her.

Then came a strange, prickling sensation, like something irritating crawling under her skin. At first it was just noise, barely noticeable, but as the energy continued to seep in, it grew in intensity, becoming sharp, almost painful. She wanted to stop. Across from her, she could sense Mingyu feeling the same strain.

But through the pain, the crow's voice rang in their minds: Continue. Do not stop. This was the process of cleansing their bodies of mortal filth.

The pain suddenly spiked, like thousands of hot needles pricking every inch of her skin. Her body felt weak, as if she had been working tirelessly without rest. Legs, arms, every muscle ached. The heat spread from her abdomen to the rest of her body, and she felt the urge to stop. Uncontrollable grunts escaped her with every relentless chant, yet she persevered.

Soon enough, the pain faded, and the foreign energy began to flow smoothly through her. Her body felt lighter, like the relief of finally yielding a long-held urge—a strange, familiar sensation, reminiscent of the first time she had entered inner strength, only deeper, more blissful. She pressed on, guessing she had already entered the first tier of Qi Refining. The energy coursing through her was cloud-like, gaseous, and easily escaped through her organs and pores. Sweat poured from her skin, yet it didn't hinder her.

She focused, gathering the energy in her abdomen and chest, trying to densify it, make it more liquid. She maintained it, leaving enough room for circulation, until a puff of clouds filled her abdomen. But suddenly, when she thought it was solidifying, the energy slipped away from one area. Her body shivered, cold, uneasy. It felt different… no, it felt familiar. This…

She opened her eyes to see Mingyao standing before him. Mingyao had returned to his male form, and his sister had become Mingyao. Mingyao—now Mingyu—and Mingyu—now Mingyao—stared at each other for a moment before Mingyu (Mingyao) said, "Let's continue… we'll sort that out later."

Mingyu (Mingyao) began condensing the cloudy puffs of energy, just as before. "Gather the energy around your abdomen and chest," he instructed Mingyao (Mingyu).

As they both focused, the energy continued to grow, and a faint warmth spread through their bodies. Then, suddenly, Mingyao and Mingyu found themselves before a sea shimmering with a spectrum of colors.

"This must be my spirit root," Mingyu (Mingyao) thought, gazing at the familiar scene, the one she had seen when her aunt injected her energy.

The endless sea, which had seemed stagnant the first time Mingyu (Mingyao) saw it, now pulsed with energy. The colors of the trees shifted slightly, like drifting clouds. Before they knew it, they were back in the pool.

Mingyao was back in her female body, and Mingyu had returned to the male form.

Mingyao felt a familiar sensation in her abdomen—the gaseous energy had condensed into liquid and formed a dantian. She had already formed a dantian.

She and Mingyu opened their eyes to find the handsome man gone. A small thrill ran through her—she had gone from tier one to tier four so quickly. Reaching tier thirteen suddenly felt more attainable than she had expected.

She wasn't sure how long they had been cultivating, but she wanted to finish as quickly as possible.

"Let's continue," Mingyao said to Mingyu.

She began the familiar breathing exercises she had used in her martial cultivation, trying to direct the spiritual energy toward a breakthrough to tier five. At first, nothing happened—except for a stronger connection to her male counterpart, almost as if he were an extension of her body, beyond her control.

Then it began.

Two narrow beams of light — one silver-blue above Mingyao, the other golden-yellow above Mingyu — pierced the air. They widened, pulsing like living hearts. The cave trembled as waves of ice and fire alternated through the air, each pulse colliding with the other.

Mingyao's eyes widened. "Control it!"

"I'm trying!" Mingyu gritted out, his voice strained as both struggled to restrain the forces raging within them.

The light swelled, growing brighter, fiercer, until the air itself split with a thunderous crack.

The balance of ice and fire was breaking — and neither of them could stop it.