Chapter 55

Han Luo returned to Luoxian Mountain without incident. As always, it was quiet and peaceful, with no visitors in sight. Shen Xian'er hadn’t returned—probably having too much fun over at Piaomiao Peak and forgetting all about her elder brother.

That was fine with him. With the little troublemaker away, he could finally focus.

Instead of heading straight to the pill furnace, he first carved out a quiet chamber next door to his alchemy room. After laying down an array for safety, he sat on a meditation cushion and pulled out the fragmented jade from his bronze ring.

Though he had done his research and confirmed that the visualization method within the jade posed no danger, he wasn’t about to drop his guard. As a precaution, he used an array to project and observe the visualization externally rather than exposing his own spiritual consciousness directly.

Why risk harm when you could still improve your spiritual power the safe way?

With that thought, he activated the jade fragment inside the array.

Once again, the vivid scenery bloomed before him—a picturesque landscape of serene mountains and clear waters. White clouds shifted lazily in the sky, while a majestic palace loomed faintly behind the mist in the distance.

Han Luo immersed himself in the scene but didn’t explore. Instead, he crouched down and quietly observed the blades of grass beneath his feet—fresh, vibrant, and full of youthful energy, straining upward to grow. It fascinated him. Across two lifetimes, he’d never once truly paused to appreciate something as simple as a single blade of grass. It made him realize just how much of life he’d missed.

He remained like that for a long time, until a subtle discomfort stirred him awake.

He calmly deactivated the eight alarm charms he had placed on his wrists, ankles, neck, hips, and abdomen—his fail-safes in case he became too absorbed in the visualization. Had those failed, his meditation cushion would have exploded, launching him into the air and breaking a water pipe to flood the room with water from Luoxian Lake. No way was he taking chances.

Thankfully, none of that happened.

Feeling the subtle changes within him, he could tell—his spiritual power had grown, roughly equivalent now to someone in the late Foundation Establishment stage. A full realm leap.

Satisfied, and silently thanking Chi Xiao for unknowingly gifting him this treasure, he left the chamber and returned to his pill room.

With his new spiritual strength and deepened understanding of the Spirit-Cleansing Pill, it was easy for him to refine ingredients seven times and produce a high-grade pill. Still, he wasn’t satisfied. That wasn’t even close to his limit.

He summoned Jiu Tong, the big yellow dog, and fed him the pill for testing before going back to work.

Eventually, he succeeded in refining a batch where the ingredients had been purified eight times—a perfect Spirit-Cleansing Pill.

Holding the pearl-like pill in his hand, with its flawless sheen and unbroken alchemical markings, Han Luo nodded in satisfaction.

"Jiu Tong."

The loyal hound bounded over, happily gobbling up the pill as Han Luo observed the effects. The dog's reaction was intense but positive. Both his cultivation level and internal spiritual energy were clearly elevated.

Han Luo jotted everything down in his notebook and removed his enchanted glasses. The pill had passed the trial run.

“Alright, time for human testing.”

He focused and refined a few more perfect pills, then pulled out a strange-looking spirit stone.

He brought it to his lips and whispered, “Xian’er, return immediately.”

Yes, this was his own invention—a sound-transmission spirit stone, a more secure version of the typical sound-transmission talisman, which could be intercepted. Though the range was limited, only Sect Master Yun Yangzi would have the ability to crack it—certainly not the other peak masters.

At Piaomiao Peak…

Shen Xian’er was in the middle of a luxurious food orgy, surrounded by a group of adoring senior sisters fawning over her like she was the sect’s mascot. Each one held a delicacy they had made themselves, trying to tempt her.

She, on the other hand, was digging in with her specialized eating tools, completely immersed in food heaven.

Suddenly, her waist pouch vibrated slightly.

Putting down her chopsticks, she wiped her oily little hands and pulled out the engraved spirit stone.

“Xian’er, return immediately.”

Upon hearing her senior brother’s voice, her eyes lit up. “Okay, got it!”

She cleaned her mouth, turned to the crowd, and cheerfully waved goodbye. “Sisters, I need to go back. I’ll come visit again next time!”

“Take the food with you!” one of the senior sisters called.

“I can’t…” Shen Xian’er looked conflicted. “My brother won’t let me bring food home. Why don’t you keep it for me? I’ll eat it when I come back next time.”

Her pure-hearted gluttony made all the senior sisters laugh affectionately. It was clear they adored her.

Back on Luoxian Mountain…

“Brother, I’m back! When’s dinner?” Shen Xian’er skipped over, cheeks pink with joy.

Han Luo looked at her fondly, pointing at the smudge of food by her mouth. “Looks like Piaomiao Peak has good food.”

Quickly wiping her mouth, Shen Xian’er giggled, “No way! Their food is terrible! Nobody can cook like you, Brother. Your food is the best in the whole wide world!”

She drew a big circle with her arms to show just how amazing he was in her heart.

“Alright, alright,” Han Luo chuckled, shaking his head. Every time she visited Piaomiao Peak, she seemed to come back a little more… expressive. The once pure and innocent girl was learning to flatter people now.

But fine. It had been a while since he himself had a proper meal.

From the mirror realm, he took out fresh ingredients and made four delicious dishes, paired with a bottle of fine wine. He and Shen Xian’er shared a cozy, satisfying meal.

After dinner, he had her go to bed early so she’d be rested before starting the Spirit-Cleansing process. This was, after all, his own junior sister. He had to be especially careful with the details.

The next day, Han Luo took out a perfect Spirit-Cleansing Pill.

It was finally time for Shen Xian’er to begin her cultivation breakthrough.