Chapter 50: The Refining Furnace (Part 5)

As Xu Qianyu opened her eyes, she found herself sitting face-to-face with her mother on two stones, both meditating. Her mother gazed at her thoughtfully, her earrings swaying quietly, as if pondering something.
Shen Suwei was indeed deep in thought.
Xu Qianyu felt that her mother’s thoughts were elusive, and she was uncertain whether to trust her once more.
Xu Qianyu exclaimed in surprise, “You’re back again.”
Well, she decided to trust her one more time.
Her mother slightly nodded and said, “Today, I will teach you how to mold the spirit pool. You will do exactly as I say. Do not act without my permission.”
Her mother’s aura was cool and ethereal, resembling frost. When she spoke, her tone was gentle, yet there was an undeniable authority in her softness that made Xu Qianyu involuntarily reply, “Okay.”
However, she thought for a moment, feeling confused, and curiously asked, “But how do you know so much about the spirit pool and its roots? Could it be that you are also a cultivator? Which immortal sect are you from?”

When her mother spoke to her, she fixed her gaze directly on Xu Qianyu’s eyes. Upon hearing the question, she continued to stare but then suddenly smiled. It seemed as though the question was too naive and not worth an answer.
In previous encounters, her mother had shown little expression, like an immortal drifting in the clouds. But when she smiled, it was as if a sword broke through the haze, radiating brilliance that dazzled and mesmerized.
Xu Qianyu looked at her, revealing admiration and yearning in her eyes, forgetting what she wanted to ask.
Her mother then said, “Come here.”
Xu Qianyu hurriedly stepped forward, leaping to sit on her mother’s lap, her eyes still fixed on her face.
Shen Suwei held Xu Qianyu on her lap, her cool fingers guiding her down again, teaching her how to immerse herself in the spirit pool.
Shen Suwei was straightforward because she intended to erase Xu Qianyu’s memories afterward. When she woke up, she wouldn’t remember this dream, and revealing anything didn’t matter.
Before Xu Qianyu sank into the spirit pool, Shen Suwei first fused that substance, ensuring she wouldn’t see the masterpiece from last night. The memory of molding the spirit pool from last night was also entirely erased, preventing it from tainting her thoughts and allowing them to start anew.
Xu Qianyu looked at the swirling golden foil in front of her, puzzled, and asked, “What is this?”
“This is your spirit pool.”
Xu Qianyu replied in confusion, “I remember there was a tree here.”
Shen Suwei said, “You remember wrong. Your spirit pool reflects who you are.”
Who am I?

As Xu Qianyu pondered, the mass of gold foil transformed into a human shape.
But this figure was quite different. Xu Qianyu had a tendency to beautify her own appearance through self-deception, but this little golden figure was clearly much taller than her, with legs that were human and a half long.
Shen Suwei looked at the figure for a while before asking, “Are you sure you look like this?”
Xu Qianyu also stared at the figure.
She wanted to ask, Do I really look like this? Why is it bald?
Shen Suwei watched as spikes began to sprout from the little figure’s head and quickly said, “Don’t think wildly; retract what’s on your head.”
Xu Qianyu asked, “Then what should I think about?”
“Think about your own height and long legs. Start with your legs.”
Xu Qianyu carefully imagined while also unable to suppress her rebuttal. She clearly had hair, and it was very thick.
The little figure’s legs slowly retracted back to normal, but at the same time, sharp spikes began to sprout from its head like bamboo shoots after rain. The mother started calling her “Don’t,” but the little figure’s head had already grown into a spiky shape, resembling a cactus that was sprouting.
Xu Qianyu didn’t understand why the hair that grew out was so prickly, feeling a bit flustered: “Mother, can you see me?”
Shen Suwei was silent for a moment. Xu Qianyu felt an overwhelming sense of shame. The cactus-like figure turned its head back and forth, as if it couldn’t hide: “You’re not allowed to look! This is definitely not really me!”
Shen Suwei said, “Listen to me.”
But Xu Qianyu, in panic, tried to cover it up. The little figure suddenly underwent a transformation, its neck, legs, arms, and waist stretching out simultaneously, appearing as though it was about to develop in an indescribable direction.
The neck of that spirit pool suddenly elongated several times, piercing through the ice shell. Shen Suwei paused for a moment, dividing his consciousness into several parts, like arrows piercing through the clouds and thrusting into the ice shell. The resulting shockwave sent the flying fireflies flying away.
Xu Qianyu suddenly awoke from a trance, opening her eyes.
Immediately, she felt an indescribable sensation where her tailbone was being pressed. It was as if a seed was sprouting from that point, growing inward and outward through her meridians. Before she could grasp what that feeling was, it vanished.

The moment Shen Suwei’s consciousness entered the ice shell, he sealed all of her senses.
Mortals have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The sixth sense of cultivators, known as consciousness, is extraordinarily sharp and can perceive things beyond the reach of the five senses. It can sense everything and also pierce through the heart of a cultivator, disrupting their mental pathways.
Only those above the Golden Core stage can cultivate consciousness. Below that stage, there’s only a shallow awareness. Shen Suwei projected Xu Qianyu’s awareness outward because his consciousness was too powerful; the contact could lead to unknown consequences.
Then, his consciousness pressed down on that far-reaching head, forcefully pushing it back into the ice shell. That entity was once again melted by the ice shell.
Shen Suwei closed his eyes and recalled.
That day, Xu Qianyu was with “Lady Wang” when she went into the water. The girl’s head popped up from the shore, and then she pushed herself up using the grass at the bank. First her shoulders, then her waist, and finally her legs emerged like a young mermaid, splashing water like glass beads.
While talking at the shore, she wrapped herself in a skirt. In the night, she looked like a piece of ice and snow, exceptionally radiant.
Using his eyes as a measure, he estimated her height and leg length, calculating carefully. He divided his consciousness into several strands, simultaneously cutting in from all sides of the gold foil, swiftly shaping a little figure that was quite similar.
He immediately withdrew his consciousness; the entire process took only an instant—hurried but precise.
Shen Suwei felt his inner energy surging, as if there were a fishy sweetness, but he didn’t pay it any mind. Standing outside the ice shell, he checked whether the spirit pool was accurately formed.
While sealing Xu Qianyu’s five senses, he couldn’t seal his own consciousness, or he wouldn’t be able to maintain control.
Others found the spirit pool to be boiling hot like molten gold. He was inexperienced, having touched it for the first time. The sensation was stronger than he had anticipated. Although he was very restrained, it didn’t mean he couldn’t feel anything.
He had been practicing the Emotionless Sword Technique for a long time; this was a glaring breach of his discipline.

A mere touch caused layers to fall away.
Shen Suwei’s expression was indifferent, but deep within his dark eyes, there was a barely noticeable dispersion, though it returned to clarity in an instant. He lowered his gaze at his fingertip, stained red, and for a moment, a sense of self-destruction surged within him. He made no effort to resist, letting it peel away layer by layer.
So this counts as clearing his debts? What he cared about most was nothing but cultivation. With everything broken, it was finally even. To prove the path, it was sincere enough. Once his heart settled, he would retreat into seclusion and start his training from scratch.
Compared to the trials he had endured, this was nothing significant, and he didn’t care too much.
Then the light of the golden figure awakened him.
Xu Qianyu’s spirit pool corrected itself; her meridians were aligned and clear. The spiritual energy she had accumulated burst forth, like golden flowers blooming, enveloping the entire spirit pool in brilliant golden mist. Soon, the spirit pool began to expand layer by layer.
One layer, two layers, three layers…
Fifth layer of foundation building.

Shen Suwei watched, indifferently wiping the bloodstain from his lips.
To rise six layers in a row indicated that her previous internal training had been quite diligent. It was not in vain that he had put in so much effort.
Xu Qianyu’s five senses were unsealed, and she awakened from the chaos. She heard the chirping of insects all around and the distant calls of birds, clear to her ears, creating a lot of noise. She covered her ears, feeling the blood vessels in her occiput throb. Her thoughts became clearer, as if she were about to awaken from a dream.
Sure enough, many white mists appeared all around.
Her mother sat amidst the mist, still looking at her, as if real and illusory, as if she would dissipate along with the mist the next moment. Her voice was as ethereal as the fog: “Go.”
Xu Qianyu felt something and looked up at her: “Will you come back?”
“I won’t come back.”
“Then won’t I be unable to see you in the future?” Xu Qianyu forced a smile at her, but the corners of her mouth turned down, clearly showing her displeasure, unable to conceal it. “But I don’t want to be separated from you.”
The beautiful woman in white had a cold expression, looking straight ahead, unmoved: “Eat well, cultivate well, live well.”
Xu Qianyu moments ago couldn’t find a reply. Tears welled up in her eyes, glistening and shaking. Before she could cry out, Shen Suwei decisively stood up and left, disappearing into the bamboo forest.
“Why didn’t you even wait for me to say goodbye?” Xu Qianyu stood in the mist, looking around at the empty surroundings, feeling abandoned and helpless. She wiped her tears for a while in place, silently sobbing. After a moment, she collapsed onto the ground.
She fell earlier than expected, which was quite strange. The night outside was cold, and it wouldn’t be good if someone saw her overnight.
Shen Suwei turned back, standing in the mist with his original form. After a moment, he picked Xu Qianyu up, passed through the wall, placed her on the bed, and covered her with the blanket.
He then extended his jade-white fingers, wiping away the tears on her face.
Why is she crying? he thought.
Yesterday’s events were merely old dreams; it was better to forget. When the sun rises tomorrow, she should be happy.

However, Xu Qianyu suddenly opened her eyes, tears still hanging on her eyelashes, her chest still heaving with sobs. Yet her pearl-like eyes were fixed on him, stubbornly: “Senior Brother.”
Shen Suwei paused. Breaking a dream within a dream and finding rationality is not an easy task. She had feigned her fall earlier, just to see if he would come back. Holding her breath, she opened her eyes to see clearly who he was.
With two fingers approaching her forehead, Xu Qianyu turned his head to avoid it, grabbing his fingers tightly and showing an angry expression.
She did not want her memories to be erased.
Shen Suwei tried to pull her fingers away, but Xu Qianyu held on tightly, gripping her other hand. The two were locked in a standoff for a while; he had to maintain a bent posture, expressionless, staring into her eyes.
After looking at him for a moment, Xu Qianyu suddenly said, “Do you often fall down? I’ve tried it.”
This statement was disconnected, like a ramble from a dream.

“Why do you fall?”

“Because you can’t see.”

Shen Suwei’s heart trembled. He had a long period in his childhood when he could not see, but he was not blind; he was blind of heart. When his inner demons erupted, it felt like being trapped in a dark cave, losing his vision entirely. However, aside from Xu Binglai, no one in Penglai knew about this.
He thought again about the time he practiced swordsmanship with his eyes covered, which he had indeed only told Xu Qianyu about. He wondered if that was what she was referring to.
Xu Qianyu wanted to say something more, but being in a dream made it hard for her to express herself clearly.
She recalled Gao Fengxing’s description of her senior brother and completely agreed with it. A person who achieves the Dao should have a character like her senior brother to be able to influence others.
She wanted to say that the path to immortality is long and one should not be too anxious; it’s better to slowly comprehend. By doing so, one can build a more stable heart for the Dao. If not entangled by messy emotions, one wouldn’t self-harm. It’s a pity to have barely achieved becoming a sword immortal and then to fall too quickly.
How regrettable.

But such a complex statement, when spoken by her, turned into: “You, take it slow, and you can succeed.”
What is this? Xu Qianyu closed her eyes in despair, unable to comprehend even her own words.
Shen Suwei didn’t know what to respond with or how to continue. Taking the opportunity, he touched her forehead, urging her to sleep. He also withdrew his damp fingers from her grip, lowering the curtain. The place in his sleeve where she had held him felt as if it had been burned by fire.
As he left, he thought, How strange.
It turned out that the senior brother Xu Qianyu had been calling out to was no one else; from beginning to end, it had always been him.