Song Ciwan sat cross-legged on the pillow in the middle of her small bedroom, activated the Duality Heart Protection Array Plate, and began to sell.
She started by selling a mass of emotional energy from Xie Yunxiang. This particular mass was specialâit wasnât simple "human desires."
Song Ciwan had sold Xie Yunxiangâs "human desires" once before, so she wanted to see what she would get this time.
âCultivation? Or something else?â
[You have sold the Celestial Demon Sound, a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivatorâs Heartâs Desire Qi weighing one mace and three cents. You have obtained a Two-star Level Talisman: one Confusion Talisman.]
âA Talisman, not Cultivation!â
âThen again, this mass of qi only weighed one mace and three cents. And itâs not like Xie Yunxiang is some profound master or Hermit. Getting a Confusion Talisman for it is actually pretty good.â
Confusion Talisman: Upon use, the target of this Talismanic Technique will unknowingly have a change of heart, follow the Casterâs guidance, and be at their disposal.
âHuh, this Confusion Talisman seems similar to the "Doubt" Illusion Text I got from Wang Yi, but its effect is actually a little different.â
âItâs also different from the Sun and Moon Transformation Skill. Its effect is closer to purely clouding someoneâs mind. For me right now, this Talisman is a nice addition to my arsenal.â
Song Ciwan put the talisman away and then sold the third mass of energy she had obtained from Xie Yunxiang.
[You have sold human desiresâthe joy, relief, and gratitude of a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivatorâweighing two jin and one tael. You have obtained two years and one month of Cultivation.]
âTwo years and one month of Cultivation!â
This was different from before. Previously, when Song Ciwan sold a mortalâs "human desires," the Cultivation she obtained was usually at a rate of one year per jin.
But when the mass of emotional energy came from a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivator or a Martial Artist of a similar level, the amount of Cultivation she received would increase tenfold.
One jin of "human desires" could usually be sold for ten years of Cultivation!
âBut now, the amount of Cultivation I received has shrunk. I figure itâs because I broke through to the Qi Refining Stage, causing the value of a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivatorâs "human desires" to diminish.â
âOr perhaps it wasnât that the value of a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivatorâs "human desires" had decreased, but that the substance of a single year of my own Cultivation had increased!â
In a flash, Song Ciwan entered a wondrous, ethereal realm.
A quarter of an hour passed in the real world, but within that wondrous cultivation space, Song Ciwan had already cultivated painstakingly for two years and one month.
And the effect of this cultivation session was vastly different from before.
The biggest difference was that the concentration of Vitality in Pinglan City was so much stronger than in Su Yang City!
Even when she wasnât in the Wangjiang Mountain Cave Mansion, just cultivating in an ordinary part of the city gave Song Ciwan an exhilarating feeling, like a fish back in water.
Although she had only cultivated for two years and one month, Song Ciwan felt that the results were not the least bit inferior to twenty years of her previous efforts!
The "Dao" and "Strong" Illusion Texts swirled around her like stars, drawing Song Ciwan deeper into the wondrous state of cultivation until she nearly lost all track of time.
What is Sitting and Forgetting?
To gain a new layer of insight with every cultivation sessionâthis, too, is Sitting and Forgetting.
Within the supreme Dao lies serene nothingness. The spirit is utilized without form, and so too are the mind and body.
This, too, is Sitting and Forgetting!
In what felt like no time at all, a quarter of an hour passed. Song Ciwan concluded her cultivation session and slowly regulated her qi.
She felt a sense of fulfillment, as if her cultivation had settled and solidified. Opening her Insight Technique panel, she saw the following:
Song Ciwan: Age: 15 (Lifespan: 200 years)
Main Cultivation Method: Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting (First Layer Mastered 30,101/100,000, Second Layer Beginner 516/1,000)
Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining and Divinity Transformation (Early-Stage Qi Refining 39,628/100,000)
The experience for the First Layer of the Sitting and Forgetting State of Mind had increased by more than three thousand points, the Second Layer by more than two hundred, and her Cultivation Realm had shot up by more than eight thousand points!
This rate of cultivation was undeniably fast; even a typical Celestial Pride would have found it difficult to keep pace.
Once she finished regulating her breath, Song Ciwan felt a faint flicker of joy.
But at the same time, she understood very well that sources of emotion like Xie Yunxiang were not so easy to come by.
The higher a personâs cultivation, the more difficult it was for their emotions to be exposed.
Even in Xie Yunxiangâs case, if she hadnât given him a helping hand this time, he likely wouldnât have produced so many masses of emotional energy.
âGoing forward, I canât just keep milking Xie Yunxiang as a source. Aside from the question of whether Iâd even succeed, it would be wrong to overdo it.â
âTo maintain this speed of cultivation, Iâll have to find new sources.â
Song Ciwan stood up, paced a few circles in the room, stretched her arms and legs, and opened the window to look outside.
The night was dark outside. At some point, the moon had vanished behind the clouds, but the lights of Pinglan City still shone brightly.
Flickering lights danced among the distant, dense rooftops, threatening to drag the silent night down into the hustle and bustle of the Mortal World.
This city was restless, even at night.
It was so lively, but it was also so unfamiliar.
Ultimately, that liveliness had nothing to do with her. She had to remain patient, guard against arrogance, and make her plans carefully.
âDonât rush. I canât be impatient.â
Song Ciwan closed the window and resumed her cross-legged position on the pillow.
Her Heaven and Earth Scale still held a few masses of "human desires" from Wang Yi, but Song Ciwan decided not to sell them yet.
Selling Wang Yiâs "human desires" would probably just grant more Cultivation. Her Cultivation had already grown a great deal tonight; she needed to take a moment to consolidate.
âSince I have nothing else to do, and itâs not yet Midnight, I might as well sell some more Dragon Blood.â
Song Ciwan proceeded to sell Dragon Blood twice more, offering one tael each time. In return, she received a total of twenty Fuyuan Pills.
With this replenishment, her supply of Fuyuan Pills was back up to one hundred and six.
She still had over a hundred jin of Dragon Blood, which was more than enough for now.
The Heaven and Earth Scale still had five sales left. Song Ciwan let her mind wander and decided to sell a few odds and ends.
For example, feathers from the Big White Goose.
[You have sold eight mace of feathers from an unranked Demon Beast (white goose) and have obtained one One-star Level Iron Feather Talisman.]
Iron Feather Talisman: Activating this talisman can increase oneâs defensive capabilities by fifty percent. Any living creature may use it, but the effect is enhanced when used by a member of the Feather Race. Once activated, if not triggered, the talisman will automatically expire after forty-eight hours.
âHuh, they even have things like this?â
Song Ciwan took the Iron Feather Talisman, walked to the main hall, and went over to the goose cage.
The Big White Goose was sound asleep. Without waking it, Song Ciwan simply held the Iron Feather Talisman in her palm and released a faint pulse of True Qi.
The Iron Feather Talisman instantly transformed into a streak of white light that shot into the Big White Gooseâs plump body and vanished without a trace.
The Big White Goose seemed to sense something and twitched its wings slightly.
Of course, it didnât wake up. It was always a sound sleeper and not easily woken.
A smile touched Song Ciwanâs lips. Her gaze passed through the gaps of the cage to the Big White Gooseâs dense feathers, and she couldnât help but wonder.
âDoes Big White... shed much?â
âHow many mace of feathers does it lose each day?â
âShould I find something to make its feathers grow more lushly in the future?â
âHmm... yes... I should probably add that to the agenda. Iâll make a note of it.â