Spiritual energy continued circulating rapidly through Lian's body.
Far smoother than before.
The Qi Gathering Pill dissolved steadily within him while streams of warm spiritual qi flowed repeatedly through his meridians in continuous cycles.
Lian's face gradually flushed from the rising heat.
Sweat formed along his forehead.
Yet the excitement inside him only grew stronger.
So this…
…was what real cultivation truly felt like.
Not vague sensing.
Not barely guiding tiny strands of spiritual energy.
This felt alive.
Powerful.
Every completed circulation cycle left behind faint traces of spiritual qi within his body.
Strengthening him little by little.
Refining him little by little.
Lian remained completely focused throughout the process.
Carefully guiding the qi along the pathways Wa Shi had taught him.
One mistake—
and the flowing energy immediately became unstable.
Several times, the spiritual qi nearly scattered apart entirely.
The warm currents trembled dangerously inside his meridians before he hurriedly stabilized them again.
His breathing became increasingly controlled afterward.
Slow.
Steady.
Focused.
Time passed quietly.
Eventually—
the medicinal energy within the pill gradually weakened.
The powerful warmth flowing through his body slowly began fading as the remaining qi circulation lost momentum.
At last—
Lian completed one final circulation cycle before exhaling deeply.
"…Haaa…"
His eyes slowly opened.
For several moments—
he simply sat there in stunned silence.
Then he immediately lowered his gaze toward his hands.
He could feel it clearly now.
Spiritual energy.
Not merely inside his meridians—
but faintly spread throughout his entire body.
Even his senses felt slightly sharper than before.
The world around him seemed clearer somehow.
More vivid.
Lian lightly clenched his fists.
"…Amazing…"
Then—
a foul smell suddenly drifted into his nose.
Silence.
Lian blinked once.
Then slowly lowered his gaze toward himself.
Dark sticky impurities lightly coated parts of his skin.
His expression twisted immediately.
"…What is this?!"
He nearly jumped off the bed.
The smell was absolutely terrible.
Like mud mixed together with sweat and rotten leaves left beneath the rain for days.
Lian hurriedly sniffed his sleeve.
Then instantly recoiled in horror.
"…That's definitely me."
He stared downward in disbelief.
"The pill did this?!"
Yet despite the disgusting smell—
his body strangely felt lighter than before.
Less exhausted.
Even the lingering soreness from his old injuries had mostly disappeared.
Lian's eyes brightened almost immediately afterward.
"…This must be impurity cleansing like the stories say…"
Excitement rapidly replaced his earlier horror.
Then he quickly stood up.
"…Bath."
"I seriously need a bath right now."
Without wasting another second—
he grabbed the water buckets and rushed outside the house.
Meanwhile—
beneath the earth below—
the white lizard remained motionless.
Impurity cleansing.
A common occurrence for low-level human cultivators during the initial stages of cultivation.
Weak mortal bodies naturally contained countless impurities.
The lizard silently observed Lian hurrying away toward the village well.
Then—
his attention shifted inward slightly afterward.
Compared to human cultivation—
his own evolutionary path truly differed greatly.
No pills.
No spiritual roots.
No gradual cleansing process.
Only consumption.
Assimilation.
Evolution.
A far more direct path.
—
After bathing—
Lian genuinely felt like an entirely different person.
The foul impurities coating his body had finally been washed away completely beneath several buckets of cold water.
Now dressed in fresh clothes—
his entire body felt lighter.
Cleaner.
Even breathing somehow felt easier.
Lian stepped out from the house afterward carrying two empty wooden buckets balanced carefully across a shoulder pole.
The afternoon sun hung warmly above the village while distant voices echoed softly between the houses.
He quietly began walking toward the village well.
But inwardly—
his thoughts remained restless.
The Qi Gathering Pill.
Even now—
he could still faintly feel traces of spiritual energy lingering within his meridians.
Far stronger than before.
Lian's expression slowly brightened again while walking.
Amazing.
Just a single pill had improved his cultivation so much.
Then what about stronger pills?
Higher-grade medicinal resources?
Or powerful cultivators capable of refining superior medicines?
The thought stirred excitement deep inside him.
Cultivation resources truly mattered.
Without them—
progress would probably become painfully slow.
No wonder Village Head Wa Shi constantly emphasized the importance of resources.
Lian adjusted the buckets slightly while continuing along the dirt path.
Then his thoughts shifted once more.
Xu Mei's Wind Control.
The spiritual energy circulating inside his body now.
The mysterious immortal who had saved him.
Everything somehow felt connected.
As though an entirely different world had suddenly opened before his eyes.
A dangerous world.
But also an incredible one.
Then suddenly—
his expression became slightly awkward.
"…I really smelled that bad earlier…"
Just remembering it made him grimace.
If he used another Qi Gathering Pill later—
would the same thing happen again?
Probably.
Still—
Lian's excitement easily outweighed the embarrassment.
Because for the first time in his life—
he could genuinely see a future ahead of him.
Not merely surviving day by day inside a tiny mountain village.
But truly becoming stronger.
His grip tightened slightly around the wooden pole resting across his shoulders.
One day…
…I'll definitely leave this village.
Not to abandon it.
But to become strong enough that nobody could ever take away the people important to him again.
The afternoon breeze drifted softly around him as he continued walking toward the village well.
The old well stood near the eastern side of the village beneath the shade of several large trees.
Villagers moved back and forth nearby carrying baskets, farming tools, and bundles of dried wood while soft conversations drifted lazily through the warm afternoon air.
Lian slowly lowered the wooden bucket into the well.
*Splash.*
The rope creaked softly as he began pulling the water back upward.
His body still felt lighter than before.
The effects of the Qi Gathering Pill lingered faintly within him even now.
Just thinking about cultivation caused excitement to rise inside his chest again.
Then—
a familiar voice suddenly called out nearby.
"Lian?"
He turned slightly.
A young girl stood several steps away carrying two small wooden buckets.
Long dark-brown hair rested neatly behind her back while curious eyes stared directly toward him.
Beside her stood an older boy carrying a shoulder pole with water buckets hanging from both sides.
The girl's eyes widened slightly afterward.
"It really is you."
Lian blinked once before recognizing them.
"Mu Yun."
The girl immediately walked closer.
"And Senior Brother Jian too."
The older boy snorted lightly.
"Who's your senior brother?"
Lian laughed awkwardly.
Shen Jian was around three years older than him and always acted far more mature than the other village children.
Still—
before Lian could respond further—
Mu Yun quickly spoke again.
"They said you got injured by a beast!"
Her expression immediately became worried.
"Is it true?"
"Are you alright?"
Lian opened his mouth to answer—
but Shen Jian spoke first instead.
"Of course it isn't serious."
"If it were, would he be standing here drawing water instead of lying half-dead at home?"
Mu Yun frowned immediately.
"But they said he was covered in blood."
Then—
without hesitation—
she stepped closer.
"Let me see."
Lian's face instantly reddened slightly.
"It's nothing!"
He hurriedly stepped backward while awkwardly waving his hands.
"The blood wasn't even mine."
Mu Yun blinked in confusion.
"…Huh?"
Lian immediately continued.
"It came from a rabbit I killed in the forest."
At least partially true.
Far easier than trying to explain Rank Two beasts and mysterious immortals.
Shen Jian raised an eyebrow afterward.
"A rabbit covered you entirely in blood?"
Lian coughed lightly.
"…It was a very large rabbit."
Silence followed.
Then Shen Jian burst out laughing.
Even Mu Yun covered her mouth while giggling softly.
Lian's ears immediately turned even redder.
"You two are impossible…"
Mu Yun smiled brightly afterward before speaking again.
"But seriously…"
"I'm glad you're okay."
Her voice softened slightly near the end.
Lian paused briefly.
Then nodded quietly.
"…Yeah."
Shen Jian merely shrugged while continuing to pull water from the well.
"People in the village exaggerate everything."
Lian rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
Truthfully—
the rumors were not entirely wrong.
But he obviously could not explain what had truly happened inside the forest.
Mu Yun finally relaxed slightly afterward.
"Well… as long as you're okay."
Then her eyes brightened again.
"Oh right—"
"Mother said you've been going to Village Head Wa Shi's place every day lately."
Lian froze internally for a brief moment.
Shen Jian's attention shifted toward him as well.
"…Why?"
Lian hesitated briefly.
Then smiled awkwardly once more.
"…Just helping with some things."
Shen Jian narrowed his eyes faintly.
"Helping with what exactly?"
Lian immediately changed the subject.
"What about you two?"
"Why are you drawing water this early?"
Mu Yun puffed her cheeks slightly.
"You're avoiding the question."
Lian laughed nervously.
Shen Jian continued staring at him for another moment before eventually looking away again.
"Hmph."
Mu Yun sighed before answering instead.
"Mother needed water for cooking."
"And Grandpa asked Shen Jian to help repair one of the fences afterward."
Shen Jian nodded casually.
"Wild boars damaged it again last night."
Lian blinked slightly.
"Again?"
"Mm."
"They've been getting bolder lately."
Village sounds drifted softly around them while wind moved gently through the trees overhead.
Then Shen Jian suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…You seem different lately."
Lian stiffened internally.
Different?
Did he notice something?
But Shen Jian merely shrugged afterward.
"You're less gloomy than before."
Mu Yun nodded immediately.
"That's true."
"You used to look angry all the time."
Lian stared at both of them speechlessly.
"…Was I really that bad?"
"Yes."
The two answered instantly.
Lian could only sigh helplessly afterward.
The three continued casually talking beside the village well beneath the warm afternoon sunlight.
Not far away—
villagers moved about carrying baskets, farming tools, and bundles of crops while smoke drifted lazily upward from several rooftops.
Peaceful.
Ordinary.
And beneath the earth below them—
the white lizard remained motionless.
Watching silently.
His senses stretched effortlessly across the entire village now.
Every voice.
Every vibration.
Every heartbeat.
Perfectly clear.
The lizard's gaze shifted toward Lian once more afterward.
The boy's spiritual energy circulation had already become noticeably more stable compared to yesterday.
Slow.
Weak.
But steadily progressing.