57: Chapter 57 Unable to Enjoy the Spiritual Cave

Xia Shaoxin stood at the courtyard entrance as two Senior Sisters arrived, one after another, to take over shifts from the fellow Disciples in other rooms.

In just this short while, Xia Shaoxin had met nearly half of the Inner Sect Disciples of Xueyan Cliff.

It turned out that those who were rarely seen on ordinary days were all here.

Every Disciple who came out, without exception, looked exhausted, as if they had spent the entire day doing chores.

"Are you the new Junior Brother?"

"Mm-hmm, quite good."

"Let's chat next time."

Of course, most of them remained silent, brushing past him without the strength to even spare him a glance.

Xia Shaoxin felt quite surprised, recalling a morning at Li Family Hollow, in that building or whatever it was, where the men who came out all had this same appearance.

Physically exhausted, yet completely satisfied.

He felt an itch in his heart, eager to taste the experience of the Spirit Cave.

An hour later, Liu Tingting emerged, her eyes slightly closed and her steps light, as if she were tipsy from drink.

Catching sight of Xia Shaoxin still at the courtyard entrance, she asked in surprise, "Eh? You haven't left yet?"

Xia Shaoxin was curious: "Don't you have your own time to Cultivate? Why do you need to sponge off others' time?"

"I do, but if their time isn't used, wouldn't it be a waste?"

Xia Shaoxin said in a low voice, "I want to sponge off some time too, is that okay?"

"No!" Liu Tingting's eyebrows stood straight up. "This sweet gig was arranged for me by the Elder. Do you think any random person can do it?"

Xia Shaoxin was unconvinced: "It's just watching a door; any random person really can do it."

Liu Tingting pouted: "Are you insulting me?"

"You said it first."

Liu Tingting's sword-like eyebrows stood straight up, and she shot out a palm. Her movement was extremely fast; Xia Shaoxin didn't react in time and was struck directly in the chest, instantly sent flying.

Xia Shaoxin was extremely shocked. A few days ago, he had been able to trade blows evenly with Cao Ben of the Qi Refining Realm.

Yet today, he couldn't withstand a single palm from Liu Tingting.

Fortunately, Liu Tingting didn't truly want to hit him; the moment her palm touched his chest, she changed the strike into a push.

If she had actually struck, what would be hurting right now wouldn't be his butt, but his chest.

"Hmph, you've been insolent several times. Do you really think I don't know how to be fierce?"

Xia Shaoxin was full of confusion. That counted as insolence? And several times at that?

"Come back in the second half of the night. Stop being an eyesore here!"

Liu Tingting returned to the guard room and sat in meditation on a meditation cushion, her expression calm and very composed.

Xia Shaoxin had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

Returning to his own room, he tossed and turned, unable to settle down, as the expressions of ecstasy on the faces of the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters kept appearing in his mind.

He endured until the second half of the night, then hurried to Jingsi Courtyard.

Liu Tingting was still meditating in the guard room. Xia Shaoxin coughed, about to speak, but Liu Tingting didn't even open her eyes and said softly, "Hurry up and go, stop wasting time with chatter."

Xia Shaoxin couldn't help but ask, "Do you guard here all day and all night?"

Liu Tingting opened her eyes slightly and chuckled.

"I find time to sleep during the day. The Senior Brothers like to Cultivate during the day; they all use their time to the fullest, only a few Senior Brothers aren't very good."

Xia Shaoxin hurried towards Room Ding.

The door was made of wood and covered in carved runes; looking at this door, a sense of solemnity inexplicably arose in his heart.

He took out his token, and the wooden door opened.

He straightened his clothes and stepped inside solemnly.

To his surprise, it was just a small room inside, with walls and ceiling all covered in spirit talismans.

The floor was also covered in runes. In the center was a one-foot-high stone platform, with a large white jade bed lying horizontally on it, matching the width of the platform.

A brocade meditation cushion was placed on the white jade bed.

Xia Shaoxin walked tremblingly to the jade bed and sat cross-legged properly on the cushion.

Apart from a sense of luxurious, Advanced quality, he didn't feel anything special.

The wooden door closed automatically.

He closed his eyes to meditate and began to operate his Cultivation Technique.

As soon as the Cultivation Technique began, he suddenly felt extremely hot all around, as if he had been thrown into a pot.

He couldn't help but be greatly alarmed; this was sensing the Spiritual Qi, more than ten times stronger than Cultivating on his own outside.

A surging stream of heat poured in from his wrists; this was Qi Intake.

Previously, when eating the jade bamboo spirit leaf, this stream of heat had been like a gentle breeze, but now it was like a howling north wind.

He felt as if a little person, holding a torch, was patrolling within his meridians.

He felt some panic in his heart; was the Spiritual Qi excessive?

Upon careful thought, it was a bit better than eating ten jade bamboo spirit leaves at once, so he should be able to withstand it.

Thus, he tried hard to guide the heat stream and Circulate the Heavenly Cycle.

Once the Cultivation Technique cycle finished, the heat stream entered the Dantian, transforming into a wisp of True Qi that nourished the Dantian, and the pressure on his body was immediately alleviated.

Sweat poured from his whole body, as if he were exhausted.

After stopping the exercise, the hot air around him gradually dissipated.

After resting for a while, he operated the Cultivation Technique again.

The air became hot again, as if someone were building a fire outside the door.

He struggled to Circulate the Heavenly Cycle three times, but could no longer endure the discomfort of being roasted, so he stood up, opened the door, and wanted to go out to catch his breath.

Only to see Liu Tingting standing at the door with a smile.

"You came out after only one hour?"

Liu Tingting's eyes flickered, and she was practically wearing the word "trash" on her lips.

"I..."

"It's fine, I couldn't stand it at the beginning either."

"Actually, I just..."

Liu Tingting reached out and pulled him out.

Her palm was gentle, touching his stiff skin like piercing through the thin ice of late winter.

As the cool breeze blew, Xia Shaoxin felt as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, his whole body weak.

"Go rest!"

The wooden door slammed shut with a clang.

Xia Shaoxin stood blankly at the door of Room Ding of the Spirit Cave, weakly reaching out his hand, waving it, and then putting it down in disappointment.

He was very disappointed in himself.

A pig cannot digest fine bran.

With such a good Spirit Cave, he could actually only use it for one hour.

He stumbled back to the guard room; he wanted to wait for Liu Tingting to come out and ask her a few questions.

Seeing the meditation cushion, he sat on it.

Sitting isn't as good as lying down, so he tilted his body and lay down.

Gradually, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander beyond the heavens.

Lying down isn't as good as sleeping...

He slept very soundly, without dreams all night, until he suddenly felt his nose itch, sneezed, and woke himself up.

Opening his eyes, he saw Liu Tingting holding a blade of grass, tickling his nose.

"Ah, you're awake!"

Liu Tingting was startled and jumped back with a grin.

"I suddenly think you're quite alright, but this is my territory; you'd better go back to sleep."

After sleeping, Xia Shaoxin no longer felt exhausted.

"You think I'm quite alright?"

"Yes, you are the best among all the fellow Disciples."

Xia Shaoxin suddenly understood what this sentence meant.

"I'm that trash who used the Spirit Cave for the shortest amount of time?"

"Remove the word 'trash'; don't talk about yourself like that."

After a night of Cultivation, Liu Tingting was physically exhausted but mentally invigorated, and needed to rest, so she forcibly pulled Xia Shaoxin up and pushed him outside the door.

Xia Shaoxin had no power to resist.

"How high is your cultivation?"

"I am at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, level four."

"Ah!"

Not even twenty years old, and already at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

Such high talent!

"Why could I not withstand the suffering of the heat after Cultivating for a while?"

Liu Tingting was already seated on the meditation cushion and said impatiently, "Insufficient talent, cannot endure hardship."

These eight words were equivalent to saying "stupid and lazy."

Xia Shaoxin felt very uncomfortable and asked one more question: "Is there any way to let me stay in the Spirit Cave longer? For example, taking some medicine to help with Cultivation?"

Liu Tingting cracked open her eyelids, glanced at him, and snorted coldly: "You want to take a shortcut?"

"Ah, are there any shortcuts?"

"Hmph, I don't know. The Elder once warned me that taking a shortcut is the longest path."

"Oh, I don't quite understand. Is there one or not?"

Clap.

The door of the guard room was slammed shut.

Liu Tingting wanted to rest and didn't want to bother with him at all.