Chapter Six: Sealing Beauty with Elixirs, Seeking the Way Amidst a Sea of Books

The days spent in seclusion were a blend of tedium and profundity. In my world, only breath and the flow of spiritual energy remained. Like gentle streams, the spiritual energy gathered, coursed, and grew within me. From the first stage of Qi Refinement to the second, then the third… Each subtle breakthrough was like opening a new window for me, granting fresh insight into both the world and myself.

Whenever fatigue or irritation crept into my cultivation, I would walk to Yiyi’s bedside and quietly watch her. She remained forever as she was at nine, her sleeping face serene, as if lost in a beautiful dream she was reluctant to leave. The three-tailed spirit fox, Little White, had grown considerably, now exuding an air of majesty, yet it never left her side, faithfully keeping watch.

Seeing her time suspended, my heart found both comfort and pain. Comfort, in that she did not age; pain, in that I knew not when I could finally awaken her. This obsession became my greatest motivation, driving me on without the slightest hint of slackness.

I do not know how long passed—perhaps a year, perhaps several. When the true energy in my dantian amassed to the peak of the ninth stage of Qi Refinement, I began to challenge the barrier known as Foundation Establishment.

It was a long and arduous process. I compressed and purified every ounce of true energy in my body, each compression like countless steel needles stirring within my dantian. More than once I nearly gave up, but each time I thought of Yiyi, still waiting for me in her slumber, the steadfast resolve of a father transformed into unbreakable strength, carrying me onward.

At last, in a single instant, all the pain receded like a tide. I “saw” within my dantian, that thick cluster of true energy finally transformed into a pool of clear liquid, quietly suspended.

Foundation Establishment—achieved!

My eyes flew open and a sharp gleam shot out, leaving a faint mark on the stone wall. Rising to my full height, I felt an unprecedented surge of power fill my body. Without delay, I rushed to Yiyi’s bedside and, with my newly refined spiritual sense, carefully examined her body.

Yet the result brought disappointment. Her body was still full of vitality, unchanged and healthy, but the reason for her slumber remained a mystery.

In that moment, a sense of urgency welled up within me as never before. I not only had to take her away, I had to uncover the secret behind the elixir. I resolved that I could no longer blindly cultivate as before. I needed knowledge. Surely, in this Penglai Immortal Sect, with its countless millennia of heritage, there must be a repository of books.

After settling Yiyi in, I began to explore the vast palace complex. At last, deep behind the main hall, I discovered a library known as the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Scrolls. Pushing open the dust-laden stone doors, I found rows of jade slips floating in midair, each emitting a soft, gentle glow.

From that day forward, my life was consumed by two pursuits: cultivation, and the search for truth amidst the sea of books.

Like a parched sponge, I absorbed knowledge voraciously. From the Chronicles of Penglai to the Atlas of Spirit Flora, from the Primer on Arrays to the Introduction to Alchemy… My horizons expanded as never before, and my understanding of “cultivation” deepened from the simple pursuit of power to something far more profound and multidimensional. I scoured every mention of elixirs, spirits, and rare maladies, hoping to find the slightest clue that might relate to Yiyi’s condition.

Of course, I never forgot my ultimate goal. Daily cultivation never ceased. With my Foundation Establishment, I absorbed spiritual energy at several times my previous speed. The lingering effects of the Longevity Pill continued to subtly assist me, allowing my comprehension of techniques to advance by leaps and bounds.

Day after day, year after year, so passed my existence.

Yiyi remained ever the slumbering child of nine, while I, immersed in books and cultivation, grew ever steadier in heart and mind.

And finally, on a night that seemed no different from all the others, as I refined the last trace of true essence according to the Penglai Taoist Canon, the liquid energy within my dantian suddenly collapsed and contracted inward!

The violent spinning generated an indescribable pull, as though it would draw my very soul in. I clung to clarity of mind, letting that force rage through me. I do not know how long it lasted, but at length, all became calm.

Slowly, I “opened” my inner vision, and there, within my dantian, I saw a bead the size of a longan, perfectly round and emitting a soft golden glow, spinning gently.

The Golden Core—achieved!

My eyes snapped open in the physical world, and an uncontrollable surge of power burst forth from within me. This time, I did not linger to savor the new strength. Instead, I immediately cast my spiritual sense—now a hundred times stronger than before—over my sleeping daughter.

With the penetrating insight of the Golden Core stage, I finally saw the truth!

Within Yiyi’s body, a vast, boundless life essence, far beyond what her young form could bear, had not dissipated, but transformed into purest soul force. Like a warm cocoon of light, it enveloped and nourished her tender soul. Her body, too young and lacking any foundation in cultivation, could not withstand the full power of the immortal elixir. The spirit of the pill had chosen another path—suspending her flesh, and instead nourishing her soul with all its might!

It was both protection and a supreme blessing.

Ecstatic, hot tears streamed down my cheeks. So this was the truth—so this was why!

I reached out, carefully channeling strands of my newly formed Golden Core energy into her body, as a patient craftsman might guide a mighty force. I gently led that immense soul energy to slowly and gently begin merging once more with her physical form.

Under my guidance, her long lashes at last trembled softly.