Emily Thompson didn’t say much either. He picked up the clothes and casually tossed them down. William Clark was generous, sure, but also really shy—almost like a woman. If it weren’t for his completely flat chest, Emily Thompson might have actually thought he was a girl.

William Clark possessed the Water Spiritual Vein and practiced water-based cultivation techniques, so there was no need to worry about his clothes getting wet.

Soon, he put on the clothes and walked out of the water. Since Emily Thompson was a bit taller than him, Emily Thompson’s clothes looked a bit baggy on him, making him appear somewhat comical.

William Clark awkwardly adjusted his sleeves and curiously asked Emily Thompson, “Where did you get your Qi Gathering Pills?”

Qi Gathering Pills weren’t cheap; they cost at least five hundred spirit coins each. He couldn’t imagine how Emily Thompson had managed to save up so many spirit coins.

Emily Thompson shrugged and said, “Found them…”

“……”

William Clark was stunned for a moment, but in the end, he could only marvel at Emily Thompson’s luck.

When the two returned to Baiyun Temple, they encountered quite a few disciples along the way. Many people looked at Emily Thompson with strange expressions. To be precise, the male disciples’ gazes were tinged with envy and jealousy, while the female disciples mostly looked at him with curiosity.

“Did Emily Thompson really succeed in gathering qi?”

“Of course, I saw it with my own eyes. David Brooks was sent flying by his punch, and he can even fly through the air. If that’s not a successful qi gathering, what is?”

“There are only three months left before the sect stewards come to select disciples. He’s really lucky…”

……

Everyone looked at him with envy. After all, successfully gathering qi meant officially stepping onto the path of cultivation. Unlike them, who had been stuck at the Qi Introduction stage for two years and were about to be expelled from Baiyun Temple.

Some female disciples approached a young woman and quietly asked, “Senior Sister Carter, is what they said true? Did you see it?”

The young woman recalled a certain scene, her face flushing red. The other girls, seeing this, couldn’t help but be shocked: “Emily Thompson, oh Emily Thompson, who would have thought…”

……

Emily Thompson appeared before everyone again three days later.

During these three days, he stayed behind closed doors, focusing on sorting through his memories. Even his meals were brought to him by William Clark.

The body Emily Thompson now inhabited had just turned eighteen this year. There was nothing special about his memories before the age of sixteen—just a boy who had lost his parents, struggling to survive in this world.

The turning point in his life happened when he was sixteen.

That year, he encountered a demonic enchantress.

From then on, a mysterious and magnificent world opened its doors to the young man.

Now that he had officially entered the Qi Refining stage, Emily Thompson spent these days in seclusion digesting memories related to cultivation.

A long, long time ago, the ancients of this world began their pursuit of immortality. Countless cultivation methods flourished. Over time, some unorthodox techniques faded into obscurity, leaving only a few remaining.

Emily Thompson and William Clark practiced Daoist methods. It was said that if one cultivated Daoist arts to the extreme, they could break through the world’s boundaries and ascend to the legendary Immortal Realm, living as long as heaven and earth, shining alongside the sun and moon.

The Qi Refining stage was the first step in Daoist cultivation. During this period, the main focus was on the meridians. The predecessors divided the body’s 360 acupoints into five spiritual veins, each with seventy-two acupoints corresponding to the five elements. To complete the Qi Refining stage, one had to open all seventy-two acupoints of a single spiritual vein.

Emily Thompson raised his hand and looked at it. Right now, although he could store spiritual energy in his body, he could only store it in the Shaochong acupoint of his right hand. He still needed to open at least eight more acupoints to reach the second level of Qi Refining.

With eight acupoints per level, there were nine levels in the Qi Refining stage.

Opening acupoints wasn’t easy. From the first to the ninth level of Qi Refining, those with great talent might finish in a few years, while those less gifted could take decades. The truly untalented might never lay their foundation in their entire lives.

Emily Thompson didn’t think he was particularly talented. With normal cultivation, it might take a long time to reach the second level of Qi Refining. That’s why he was eager to meet the enchantress again, hoping to use his glib tongue to get some more benefits from her…

Unfortunately, Emily Thompson had no way to contact the demonic enchantress and could only wait for her to come to him.

At noon, William Clark came in from outside and called Emily Thompson to go eat in the dining hall.

The food at Baiyun Temple was very plain. Emily Thompson took a steamed bun and ate it with cabbage and tofu, always feeling like everyone around was watching them. At a certain moment, he finally couldn’t help but turn to William Clark and ask, “Do you feel like they’re all looking at us?”

William Clark cleared his throat and said, “Maybe they’re just envious that you succeeded in gathering qi…”

Emily Thompson hadn’t left his room for three days and didn’t know that he had already become famous among the disciples of Baiyun Temple—not because he succeeded in gathering qi, but for other reasons…

As Emily Thompson was eating with his head down, a waft of fragrance suddenly drifted by.

He turned his head and saw a young, beautiful woman walking toward them.

Emily Thompson was very familiar with this woman. Her name was Sophia Carter. Because of her outstanding looks, she was quite famous in Baiyun Temple—known as the temple’s flower. She had countless admirers and was herself at the first level of Qi Refining.