Chapter 27: Can I Fly Now?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Can I Fly Now?

After spending some time with her mother, Xi Yunxui left the house.

She didn’t go far.

A short distance behind the village was a mountain range covered with thick trees and winding trails. According to the original Xi Yunxui’s memories, villagers occasionally went there to gather herbs, firewood and other useful plants.

Today, however, Xi Yunxui had another reason for going there.

She slowly climbed the mountain path.

The higher she went, the quieter the surroundings became.

The sounds of the village gradually faded behind her.

Instead, she heard birds chirping among the branches, insects humming beneath the leaves and the occasional rustle of wind moving through the trees.

Xi Yunxui slowed down.

She looked up.

Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy overhead, creating patches of light across the forest floor.

A small bird landed on a branch nearby.

Xi Yunxui smiled.

"Beautiful."

She continued upward.

There was something else she could sense now.

Something faint.

Almost imperceptible.

The air seemed... different.

She couldn’t see it.

She couldn’t touch it.

But she could feel a gentle, almost invisible energy moving through the mountains.

Spiritual energy.

Xi Yunxui’s expression became serious.

So the system wasn’t lying.

There really was spiritual energy here.

And compared to the city, it did feel much purer.

After walking for a while longer, Xi Yunxui finally found a relatively secluded clearing.

There were no houses nearby.

No obvious trails.

Only trees, rocks and the distant sound of birds.

"This should work."

She removed the small bundle of clothes she had brought with her.

Rather than spread them on the ground, she carefully laid them over a large, flat rock.

Then she sat on top of them and crossed her legs.

She took a deep breath.

"System."

[Yes, Host.]

"I’m ready to purchase the Beginner Cultivation Manual."

There was a brief pause.

[Host, why did you choose to cultivate here rather than at your mother’s residence?]

Xi Yunxui tilted her head.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

[Please elaborate.]

She thought for a moment.

"That golden phenomenon that happened in the library..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"What if cultivation causes something like that?"

She looked toward the village below.

"If I cultivate at my mother’s house and another golden light suddenly appears, someone might investigate. Then they could trace it back to her house."

She shook her head.

"I don’t want to bring trouble to my mother."

Xi Yunxui glanced around the mountains.

"But if something happens here, it’ll be much harder for anyone to know where it came from."

The system remained silent for a few seconds.

Then—

[Host’s caution is reasonable.]

Xi Yunxui smiled.

"See?"

Another pause.

[Are you certain you wish to purchase the Beginner Cultivation Manual?]

Xi Yunxui answered immediately.

"Yes."

[Purchase confirmed.]

[10 Affection Points deducted.]

[Remaining Affection Points: 5.]

Xi Yunxui barely had time to react.

A tremendous amount of information suddenly flooded into her mind.

"Ah—!"

Her hands instinctively went to her head.

Cultivation techniques.

Breathing methods.

Meridian pathways.

The circulation of spiritual energy.

The gathering of qi.

The foundation of cultivation.

It was far more information than she had expected.

For several moments, Xi Yunxui could only sit there, breathing heavily.

Then the information settled.

Her expression slowly became focused.

She closed her eyes.

Her body naturally followed the instructions she had received.

Her palms came together.

Her breathing became slower.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Again.

And again.

At first, nothing happened.

Then—

Something changed.

Very faint red threads began appearing around her body.

They were so thin that they almost looked like strands of red silk floating through the air.

At the same time, the spiritual energy surrounding the mountain began moving.

Slowly.

Almost imperceptibly.

It gathered toward her.

The grass trembled faintly.

Leaves rustled despite the absence of wind.

The spiritual energy in the surrounding trees and earth seemed to respond to something within her.

As the red threads emerged from her body, the spiritual energy flowing from the mountain gradually intertwined with them.

They circled her.

Gathered around her.

Then slowly sank toward her body.

Xi Yunxui remained completely unaware.

Her eyes were closed.

Her breathing remained steady.

She simply followed the cultivation method stored within her mind.

Minute after minute passed.

Five minutes.

Then eight.

Then ten.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

A brilliant golden light erupted from Xi Yunxui’s body.

It shot straight into the sky.

The clouds above the mountain were illuminated.

Golden radiance spread across the heavens.

Birds scattered from the trees.

Far below, villagers looked toward the mountain in shock.

"What was that?"

"Did you see the light?"

"Something happened on the mountain!"

"Is there a fire?"

"No! That’s not fire!"

The villagers began talking among themselves, alarm spreading through the village.

Nobody knew what had happened.

Nobody knew that the source of the phenomenon was a young woman sitting quietly beneath the trees.

Xi Yunxui, meanwhile...

had absolutely no idea.

The golden light gradually faded.

The spiritual energy settled.

The forest became quiet again.

Xi Yunxui slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around.

"Hmm?"

She looked at her hands.

Then at her surroundings.

"Is that it?"

She felt...

different.

Stronger.

Lighter.

But she had expected something more dramatic.

"System?"

[Yes, Host.]

"How do I know whether it worked?"

There was a brief pause.

[Host may test her physical strength.]

"How?"

The system answered calmly.

[Try kicking that tree.]

Xi Yunxui looked at the tree beside her.

Then she looked back at absolutely nothing.

"You want me to kick a tree?"

[Yes.]

She frowned.

"This sounds like a trap."

[It is not.]

Xi Yunxui stood.

She walked toward the nearest tree.

She lifted her leg.

Then—

Bang!

Her foot struck the trunk.

The tree shook violently.

Xi Yunxui’s eyes widened.

Then—

CRACK!

The trunk split.

A moment later, the entire tree fell sideways.

THUD!

Xi Yunxui froze.

She looked at the fallen tree.

Then at her foot.

Then back at the tree.

"..."

She swallowed.

"System."

[Yes, Host.]

"Did I just do that?"

[Yes.]

Xi Yunxui’s eyes slowly brightened.

She walked over and poked the fallen tree.

"It really fell."

She suddenly smiled.

"Is this the strength of a cultivator?"

[Partially.]

Xi Yunxui became excited.

She immediately asked,

"Then can I fly now?"

Silence.

"Can I jump onto the roof of a house?"

Silence.

"Can I climb buildings without falling?"

The system remained silent for several seconds.

Its silence was so long that Xi Yunxui began to suspect it had crashed.

Finally—

[No.]

Xi Yunxui’s smile faded slightly.

"No?"

[Host is currently only at the Beginner Level.]

[Flight is not currently possible.]

She frowned.

"Then how far can I jump?"

[That depends on the host’s physical strength and cultivation.]

Xi Yunxui looked disappointed.

"So I still can’t fly."

[Correct.]

She sighed.

"Fine."

She wasn’t going to give up that easily.

She crossed her arms.

"Then tell me something."

"What are the cultivation levels?"