Chương 9

Within the Ember Sanctum, cultivators entered in a purely spiritual state. They were unaffected by hunger or other mundane bodily needs, and their physical condition remained ideal for cultivation at all times. As a result, Elara barely felt the effects of spending two straight days cultivating. She simply stood, stretched her back, and moved her arms and legs until the faint stiffness faded.

Even with the Minor Origin Breathing Art expanding her dantian and an abundance of spiritual qi at her disposal, two days of uninterrupted cultivation had taken a toll on her concentration. Rather than continue and let her efficiency plummet, Elara decided to spend some time practicing her arts.

"Raincall!" She formed the required hand signs, circulated her qi, and invoked the art. Spiritual qi gathered overhead, forming a dark cloud several yards across. It still wobbled unsteadily, almost like a drunk struggling to stay upright, but its coverage was at least four or five times greater than before. This was the difference a proper cultivation method and a breakthrough could make.

Elara's mastery of Raincall was still only at Level Two, but her greatly increased qi reserves allowed her to produce an effect far beyond anything she had managed before. Rain poured from the cloud in a heavy curtain and continued for more than ten breaths before finally subsiding. [Raincall successfully cast. Proficiency +5.] [40/100]"Both its range and duration have improved considerably. Tending a proper spirit field should be much easier now."

Elara took a few breaths and waited for the turbulence in her qi to settle. Once it did, she prepared to test her other cultivation arts. Next was Soften Earth.

"But this ground..." Elara pressed one foot against the mist-covered surface beneath her. It felt impossibly hard, more like solid stone or forged iron than soil. Even if she exhausted every last trace of qi in her Qi Refining Tier 2 dantian, she doubted Soften Earth would leave so much as a mark. If only I had ordinary spirit-field soil. Then I could get a much better idea of what I'm capable of now. The moment the thought crossed her mind, the Ember Sanctum began to change.

White mist thickened around her, swallowing the surrounding landscape. When it cleared, the towering gateway of the Stairway of the Great Dao still stood before her, but the area behind her had transformed into a vast stretch of untilled spirit-field soil. The Ember Sanctum can do this even when I'm not attempting a trial? Elara turned around and stared at the field in disbelief. She had never expected the Sanctum to respond so freely to her needs.

All she had done was wish for spirit-field soil to practice on, and an entire uncultivated field had appeared behind her. She crouched and rubbed some of the dark earth between her fingers. It felt completely real. Of course, it existed only for training. No matter how convincing it seemed, none of it could be taken outside when she left. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. That was part of what made the Ember Sanctum so mysterious.

Everything within it felt real, yet nothing it created could be carried back into the physical world. Once she confirmed that the field was suitable for practice, Elara formed another set of hand signs.

"Soften Earth!" [Soften Earth successfully cast. Proficiency +3.] [66/100] Afterward, she had the Sanctum create a field of mature spirit plants, materials for weaving straw servants, and even pest infestations for her to treat. She practiced Pest Ward on the afflicted plants and used the available materials to improve Grassweaving Art. The proficiency of every cultivation art rose steadily. Whenever her qi ran dry, Elara simply sat down and practiced the Minor Origin Breathing Art.

In less than half an hour, her reserves would be full again. With such a convenient training ground at her disposal, she fell into a relentless rhythm, alternating between practicing her arts and recovering her qi without wasting a moment. If she could demonstrate enough skill and value as a Spirit Gardener, she might even qualify for the Moonwatch Sect's formal disciple selection someday. Elara also tried to find a loophole in her reward ability.

She had the Ember Sanctum create a field of spirit plants on the verge of maturity, then cast Raincall to mature them all at once. Unfortunately, not a single reward orb appeared. So much for exploiting the Sanctum. With that shortcut closed to her, Elara settled down and focused on training properly.... [Three-day free-training limit reached.] [You will be returned to the physical world in three seconds.] [Ember Sanctum cooldown: One day.] Elara was in the middle of another Raincall when the notifications suddenly appeared. The Ember Sanctum produced almost none of the usual physical fatigue that came with prolonged training, so she had been able to remain patient and repeat each art over and over again. Before she could react to the sudden warning, the countdown ended and she was expelled from the Sanctum. When Elara opened her eyes again, evening was already approaching.

So free training inside the Ember Sanctum has a time limit if I'm not attempting a trial. It throws me out after three days. She rubbed her forehead, troubled by the discovery.

"I wonder if clearing more levels will increase my access." Fortunately, she still had plenty of talisman materials. Being expelled after three days wasn't a serious problem. She could simply wait for the one-day cooldown to end, craft another entry talisman, and return. The Ember Sanctum might have its limitations, but the benefits it offered were still enormous.

[Elara Lin] [Cultivation: Qi Refining Tier 2 — 11/100] [Race: Human] [Fortune: 2] [Talents] [Practice Makes Perfect — White] [Spirit-Touched Foundation — Green] [Skills] [Basic Arts] [Raincall — Level 2: 55/100] [Soften Earth — Level 2: 73/100] [Pest Ward — Level 2: 10/100] [Grassweaving Art — Level 2: 5/100] [Basic Talismans] [Soul-Calming Talisman — Level 1: 75/100] [Basic Cultivation Methods] [Minor Origin Breathing Art — Level 1: 10/100] Elara had spent the first two days achieving basic mastery of the Minor Origin Breathing Art.

Then, with the Ember Sanctum's abundant spiritual qi allowing her to recover rapidly between attempts, she had devoted the entire third day to practicing her cultivation arts. Every one of them had made noticeable progress. Pest Ward and Grassweaving Art had both broken through to Level Two.

"All four of my basic gardening arts have reached Level Two. My overall skill should be close to that of an ordinary Rank One Spirit Gardener now." Elara made a rough assessment of her abilities. With her current proficiency, she was more than qualified to assist with tending Dawnmere's spirit fields. It was already close to nightfall, so she had no intention of going out. For the first time since entering the Ember Sanctum, she felt genuinely tired.

The exhaustion wasn't physical, but mental, and it was enough to make her abandon the idea of spending the entire night meditating.

"Trying to force it will only slow me down. Cultivation requires rest as well as effort." Elara went out into the courtyard and found her little straw servant standing there in a daze. It was staring at the empty garden as though deep in thought. The moment it saw Elara, it pointed at the bare spirit plot. Its meaning was obvious. There were no spirit plants left to guard. Is this little thing more intelligent than an ordinary straw servant? Could it be because it was the first one I ever made?

Elara studied it, puzzled. She had woven plenty of straw servants inside the Ember Sanctum while practicing Grassweaving Art. All of them could understand simple instructions, but none had displayed enough awareness to communicate their own concerns without being prompted. Maybe it's because I kept replenishing it with qi. Has this little straw servant actually started to awaken?