The next morning.
He Wanying opened her eyes, her mind still a little foggy.
She then realized she was curled up in someone else’s arms, those not particularly strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close.
Her first reaction was blankness, then surprise, and quickly her consciousness returned as memories of last night gradually came back.
He Wanying’s face grew increasingly flushed.
What exactly did I say last night?!
She covered her cheeks, too embarrassed to speak.
“Hmm? You’re awake…”
Lin Guiming had already woken up, but since He Wanying was still asleep, he hadn’t moved.
Last night, the girl had a nightmare, and if she didn’t rest properly, today’s cultivation would be too much for her.
Judging by the time, she was about to break into the Skin Refining Realm today.
“Si… Senior Brother?” He Wanying’s heart suddenly fluttered like a startled deer, and she dared not look at him.
“What’s wrong? Your face is so red. Are you too hot?” Lin Guiming said with a slight teasing smile, then loosened his arms.
“Ugh…” He Wanying didn’t know how to respond.
She just whimpered softly, curling into a ball, her face almost steaming.
“Alright, time to get up. We still need to train today.” Lin Guiming said as he sat up and put on his clothes.
“Mm.” He Wanying responded reluctantly.
After all, cultivation was a hard thing; getting out of bed abruptly to train was definitely painful.
“The bed is so comfortable…”
He Wanying thought to herself and felt unwilling to move.
“What are you spacing out for? Want me to help you get dressed?” Lin Guiming saw her eyes starting to close and pinched her cheek.
“Ugh~” He Wanying whimpered and even stretched her hands out toward Lin Guiming.
“You…”
Lin Guiming sighed helplessly but still took her hands and helped pull her out of bed.
He Wanying’s hands were as delicate as her body, small enough to fit entirely in Lin Guiming’s palm.
“Alright, you change by yourself now.” After pulling her up, Lin Guiming headed toward the door, but not before glancing back at He Wanying and saying, “Don’t fall asleep again.”
“Huh?” The moment he said that, He Wanying shivered all over, blinking blankly as she looked around.
“…”
Lin Guiming thought it best to wait at the door until she was dressed.
Otherwise, they might finish breakfast, and she’d still be sound asleep.
Finally dressed, He Wanying walked alongside Lin Guiming toward the Main Hall.
She glanced at her senior brother and quietly clenched her palm, inexplicably wanting to hold his hand as they walked.
But in the end, she didn’t say anything.
The He family wasn’t that big; hesitating meant she lost the chance.
After breakfast, He Wanying resumed her cultivation, repeating the movements of the Body Refining Cultivation Technique over and over.
Nearby, Lin Guiming sat cross-legged in the courtyard, eyes closed.
Lin Guiming was now near the peak of the Body Refining Realm, with no further progress possible.
After completing this realm, the body contains spiritual energy; the next step is to condense that spiritual energy into Mana.
Once the spiritual power transforms into Mana, that marks the official entry into the Spirit Condensing Realm.
However, this transformation from spiritual energy to Mana is not easy; otherwise, seven or eight out of ten cultivators in the Cultivation World wouldn’t be stuck at this stage.
But who was Lin Guiming? He was the Sect Leader’s True Disciple of Bixiao Palace.
Even if 99% were stuck, it wouldn’t concern him.
In fact, if he wished, Lin Guiming could already start converting spiritual energy into Mana now.
But according to his master, the Body Refining Realm required a solid foundation.
His spiritual energy hadn’t yet reached the peak of the Illusory Spirit Realm, so it wasn’t wise to rush into Spirit Condensing just yet.
If he could accumulate spiritual energy to the extreme, when he eventually entered Spirit Condensing, his Mana would be far deeper, giving him a huge advantage over those with unstable foundations.
So right now, Lin Guiming’s task was to keep gathering spiritual energy, accumulating it to the utmost.
He swallowed a Dan Medicine, then began to convert its power, working with the spiritual energy around him to quickly fill his internal reserves.
But the spiritual energy in the secular world was far inferior to that in Bixiao Palace.
Even with Dan Medicine to aid cultivation, the effect was limited—only slightly better than nothing.
After absorbing the Dan Medicine’s power, Lin Guiming opened his eyes; nearly an hour had passed.
The first thing he looked at was He Wanying in front of him.
She seemed especially spirited now, probably because of the cultivation, her cheeks glowing red.
“Almost time…” Lin Guiming thought, estimating it would happen this very morning.