Chapter 28
Qin Ran was quite irresponsible. He fed Chasing the Wind Li Shiyin's food, causing the poor little cat to vomit uncontrollably by the river for over half an hour. It was a pitiful sight.
"Really? Is it that scary?" Li Shiyin looked at him uncertainly and asked.
Qin Ran glanced at her without answering, hoping she would have some idea herself.
As the night grew later, the bright moon hung in the sky and the stars shone brightly, dotting the entire night sky.
Qin Ran checked the time and said, "Let's start."
Following his words, Li Shiyin walked into the spell formation and sat down cross-legged.
"The moon is so round tonight, its glow like water, so the timing isn't ideal," said Qin Ran, taking out a spirit stone and walking to the edge of the eye of the formation. "If you're a little more patient and wait for the next few days to pass, the power of the stars will be much richer then, and it will be somewhat easier to transform the energy vortex."
As he spoke, he placed the spirit stone in the eye of the formation. In a flash, clear light began to flow, rising from the ground and forming a thin film, enclosing Li Shiyin like a tent, with specks of light gathering in the air, like fireflies, crashing into the clear light.
"The concentration of the stellar power isn't too bad, but you'll still need to absorb it slowly. Too fast, and accidents could happen," he cautioned. "You absolutely must not break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The stellar power will temper your spiritual power vortex, so after successfully converting the vortex, it's best if your cultivation level drops a bit.
"Also, the stellar power is just an aid in the end. Cultivating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is the proper path."
Speaking thus, he watched the spell formation slowly retreat, falling back to sit in a chair.
Exhausted from vomiting, Chasing the Wind stumbled over, clawing up his pant leg to curl up in his lap, shifting around to find a comfortable spot.
Qin Ran lifted Chasing the Wind's paws and played with them in his hands. Despite being cat-sized, Chasing the Wind was a Profound Nether Spirit Tiger, so his paws were over twice as thick as a regular cat's, pleasantly plump to play with. He spread Chasing the Wind's paw pads, and the sharp claws popped out. Reaching out to test the claws, they were exceptionally keen, radiating a threatening edge. When Chasing the Wind had climbed up earlier, those claws had pierced through his pants and stabbed his calves painfully. He pondered whether he should trim Chasing the Wind's claws.
The starry river overhead faded away, and the stabilized inner cultivation opened Li Shiyin's eyes. Through the hazy formation, she saw the first ray of dawn fall on her master's face. Foolish master didn't shy away, allowing the sunlight to blind him.
She got to her feet, leaping out of the formation in one step. Under the morning light, she raised her fists, which shone with stellar radiance, and shouted loudly, "Master! I succeeded!"
Li Shiyin's figure blocked the sunlight. Qin Ran's squinting eyes opened a sliver to look over, as if seeing Garz sama flexing under the first ray of dawn. Facing the sun with glowing fists raised, that lass was a bona fide villain with consummate devilish arts.
"Why shout? I'm not deaf! If you succeeded, go take a bath. You reek." Qin Ran spoke flatly, heartlessly damping the silly disciple's excitement.
"Huh?" Li Shiyin froze, lowering her head for a sniff. She did indeed reek, as if not having bathed for years. On closer look, her clothes had some grey and black stains.
"The stellar power refines the physique, expelling the impurities from the body. That's why," Qin Ran explained evenly. "Although you've soaked in many medicinal baths, making your body very tough already, this upgrade is still quite significant."
Li Shiyin came to her senses, understanding why. The rough tomboy also had a sense of propriety, blushing as she dashed into the house and straight for the bathroom.
"Your strength has risen tremendously. Pay attention to control, don't break anything..." Qin Ran's voice chased Li Shiyin into the house, but before he could finish, Li Shiyin's shriek came from inside, having clearly already broken something.
Qin Ran's face darkened with anger, securing the cat before striding into the house. He discovered the stairs had one broken step from Li Shiyin stomping up them.
Chasing up the stairs, more screams came from the bathroom. Clearly she had wrecked some of its facilities. Leaning against the hallway wall with a black face, he coldly called towards the bathroom, "That's because your strength rose too fast. Keep digging the pond today! If you can't control your power well, don't stop."
"Noooo Master..." came Li Shiyin's miserable wail from the bathroom.
Qin Ran ignored it and continued, "I'm going to catch up on sleep. Make your own lunch too today!"
"Master..."