Chapter 67 - Reconstructing The Spine… Visiting Fu Wei

Upon hearing her son’s worry, Lady Ying immediately responded with, “Then why don’t you show them how formidable a Soul Cultivator can be so they would want to join your Faction? I heard that the Celestial Academy has a disciple ranking system, how about you challenge the Inner Disciple rankings? That would be a good way to display a Soul Cultivator skills to everyone since people like them are only convinced with overwhelming strength.”

Hearing his mother’s suggestion, Xi Shen only took two aspects from her words, “challenge disciples and beat them with overwhelming strength” and then “make them join his Faction.”

Put those two together and a wicked idea formed in Xi Shen’s mind that would likely turn the Celestial Academy on its head.

Unbeknownst that she had just stroked her son's massive ego to do something completely ridiculous, Lady Ying then said, “You think about it while you stay home, I had only sent you a message to come home to see how you were doing. After staying a while you can head back to the Celestial Academy.”

After saying that, Lady Ying rose to her feet and headed for her chambers to rest for the night, with Xi Shen wishing her a good night.

Even though it wasn’t required for cultivators of her level to rest during the night as mortals do, it was still a habit that had been ingrained into everyone no matter their cultivation, the same with eating food on occasions.

No one wants to stay a mortal, but they couldn’t break the habit of living like one on their journey towards the Great Dao, or as Xi Shen calls it, the journey towards Godhood.

Seeing that it was late into the night, Xi Shen decided to visit Fu Wei the next day and get a look at him with his own eyes, or ratter the plum blossom.

Xi Shen then headed for his own chamber that was a bit of a distance away from his mother’s and little sister’s own.

Upon reaching the entrance to his room, he opened the door to see a rather familiar room. Nothing had changed about it since he had been living here until about four to five months ago.

In his room, there was only a simple desk and chair along with a white blanket bed. There were few other pieces of furniture in there but it wasn’t luxurious or anything, it just gave off the sense of being a cozy and comfortable living space.

Xi Shen went to his bed and sat down cross-legged on top of it.

He decided he would just cultivate and refine a few of his bones until the next.

Xi Shen wasn’t worried that someone would happen upon him while he was reconstructing his bones as no one was allowed to enter this section of the Palace without permission. As for his mother, he had purposely chosen to live a distance away from her where her senses of a Soul Transformation Realm cultivator wouldn’t pick up on what he was doing without her sending out her Divine Will.

Like this, Xi Shen cultivated for the whole night until the sun was up again.

Xi Shen open his eyes and stood from his bed before he twisted his hips a few times.

He decided to start reconstructing his spine first, which was different from most cultivators. Cultivators in the Bone Reconstruction Realm would usually start by reconstructing their easiest bones first, like their fingers or toes.

But for Xi Shen it was the opposite, he wanted to get the tedious ones out of the way first before moving onto the easier ones.

Looking at his spine at the moment, several of his vertebrae were golden in color, while the rest which was a pale white-grayish color, now glowed a clear white color that resembled white jade.

After getting a feel of his bone reconstructed, Xi Shen took a step forward and his figure appeared twenty feet away in another part of his room. However, his figure flickered again and he appeared on the other side of his room.

He did this a few more times, each time his movements look erratic and unorganized, but flexible and unpredictable at the same time.

Reconstructing your spine would give one more control over their body’s movements and provide them with a lot more flexibility as well as speed than before.

Within this rather small twenty-meter room of his, Xi Shen was making use of this small space to test his current ability to control his body’s movement and speed in confined spaces.

After a moment, Xi Shen’s figure appeared in front of his room door, and the conclusion he came to was that the control of his body’s movements had indeed improved a level higher, as well as the speed he could achieve previously.

Before stepping outside, Xi Shen decided to take a quick bath and change his clothes from the day previous. After that he reined in all of his cultivation back into his dantian, not letting anything leak out, before he stepped out of his room and into the morning sun.

Walking past the open area he was singing the previous day, he head for the main dining room that was situated in the center of the courtyard.

Upon walking towards it, Xi Shen’s ears perked up as he heard the voice of a woman speaking rather loudly.

“Ling’er don’t you think you’ve taken a break long enough? You still have your study sessions to attend as well as finding you a good suitor.”

The voice of Ling’er then entered Xi Shen’s ears as he was coming up to the entrance.

“But mother, I already said that I don’t want to find a suitor, can’t I just…”

“No!”

The voice of the woman who turns out to be Ling'er's mother cuts her off and then said, “As the princess of the Li Royal Family you are expected to get married and continue the Li Bloodline. Whether you start late or now doesn’t make a difference. Now get up and come with me.”

This moment was when Xi Shen passed through the doorway and happen upon the scene of his third mother-in-law was standing over Ling’er while she was at the dining table. His mother was sat in a chair there as well, sporting a dissatisfied expression on her face as if she did not approve of her third sister’s treatment of Ling’er.

Walking closer to the scene, Ling’er seemed to have noticed Xi Shen's appearance and thus turned to him.

Xi Shen could then see tears were starting to well up in Li Ling's eyes, and she was looking at him with a pleading expression.

Li Ling’s mother also turned to look at Xi Shen as well.

Even though this woman was his third mother-in-law and Li Ling’er’s mother, he had hardly ever interacted with her. This is also including his father's other concubines as well, despite they were living within the same section of the Imperial Palace.

Xi Shen realized that Ling’er took her looks mostly from her mother, but unlike Ling’er who always has a cheerful and happy expression, this woman had on a stern look on her face that seemed as if it was permanently stuck there all year round.

Under everyone’s gaze, Xi Shen greeted his mother and then his third mother-in-law.

Upon receiving Xi Shen’s greeting, Li Sua, Li Ling’s mother, looked at Xi Shen with a passive expression and only made a little noise in acknowledgment.

Xi Shen didn’t mind her behavior and only said, “Third mother, why don’t you let Ling’er stay at our courtyard for another day or two. Since I just returned after being away for four months, it wouldn’t be a problem if Ling’er and I spend some time together, right?”

As Xi Shen said that, he walked to the table and took up a fruit that was in a bowl.

Li Sua was just about to refuse, but lady Ying spoke up and said, “That would be for the best since Ling’er hasn’t seen her brother in a while, as for her studies I’ll make sure she isn’t falling behind so third sister need not worry.”

Hearing how this mother and son was pushing this idea onto her, she still wanted to reject the idea but after thinking for a moment about her position as compared with these two, she finally relented and said to Ling’er in a stern voice, “I’ll only allow you to stay at least another two days to catch up with your brother, but during that time your studies are not to lag behind, do you understand?”

With a smile on her face, Ling’er nodded her head happily.

“Don’t worry third sister, I’ll make sure she studies appropriately.”

Li Sua only gave an expression with a slight frown on it to the mother and son duo before she strode off to her own courtyard.

Seeing her leaving, Ling’er let out a breath of relief and she turned to give Xi Shen a big thank you smile.

Xi Shen gave a smile in return before he turned to his mother and asked, “Mother, have you heard anything about eldest brother?”

Lady Ying, who had just taken a sip from her teacup in front of her, gave her son a questioning look as she asked, “Why, is something wrong?”

Xi Shen responded rather vaguely with, “He had left in a rush during the Freshmen Disciple Competition, and it seemed something was bothering him.”

Lady Ying thought for a moment then said, “Well since he returned, I’ve heard he gone into seclusion and hasn’t come out as yet.”

While biting into the Spirit Fruit in his hand, Xi Shen nodded before he turned to leave.

Seeing her son leaving, Lady Ying spoke up and said, “Shen’er, if your planning on visiting your brother, be mindful of your actions. You know certain people don’t like it when you visit that side of the Palace unannounced.”

Xi Shen smile a bit after turning to his mother and said, “Don’t worry mother, I’m just seeing if I can visit him before I have to leave for the Celestial Academy.”

As Xi Shen said that, he gave a pinch to a protesting Li Ling’s cheek before he left the Concubine’s living section of the palace, and headed for where the Queen along with his father and brother lived.

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Word Count: 1688