2 Innate Violet Aura

After Yao Liuniang left, the Grand Elder handed Yao Qian a storage pouch. "Go back to your cave dwelling and pack everything you need. We will leave shortly."

Although Yao Qian was born into a cultivator family, it was her first time holding a storage pouch, and she found it fascinating. The Grand Elder chuckled, "You’ll have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with this pouch later. Now, go organize your belongings. When the time comes, I won't wait for you."

Yao Qian looked up and asked, "Grand Elder, have you arranged to travel with someone else?"

The Grand Elder nodded. "Yes, so I won’t wait for you." The distance from Green Bamboo Ridge to Green Wood Valley was considerable. Though the Grand Elder was fearless traveling alone, bringing along a child who hadn’t begun cultivation raised concerns about safety.

Coincidentally, Jin Gu-niang, the matriarch of Black Python Village near Green Bamboo Ridge, was also heading to Green Wood Valley to offer congratulations. They had agreed to travel together. Otherwise, the Grand Elder wouldn’t have taken Yao Qian away without letting her say farewell to her parents.

Upon hearing this, Yao Qian immediately headed to her cave dwelling. She had lived on Green Bamboo Ridge for nine years and had accumulated many small possessions. Yao Qian had a mild attachment to objects and was reluctant to part with things she liked. But the storage pouch made moving so convenient that within the time it took to brew a tea, she packed everything she intended to take.

Before leaving, she wistfully stroked several green bamboo stalks near her cave. These bamboos were planted by the early ancestors of the Yao family and were at least two hundred years old. As she touched each stalk, she infused a dragon-shaped purple aura from her dantian into the most vigorous bamboo.

This dragon-shaped purple aura was a postnatal purple energy Yao Qian had refined over the past year, distilled from the essence of the morning sun’s purple qi. The name might be slightly off since she named it herself, but this aura could enhance the aptitude of living beings.

Its effect was not as profound as rare treasures that could transform muscles and bones, and it was only effective on low-level spiritual entities. Yet, being condensed from the essence of morning sun’s purple qi, it could still be considered a postnatal purple aura.

After all, the primordial purple qi was a legendary treasure, and those rare materials capable of transforming the body required long periods of nurturing. She had cultivated a postnatal purple aura in just a year, using environmentally friendly materials that could be reused, which she found superior to other treasures.

Over the years, Yao Qian had accumulated six postnatal purple auras, all applied to the spiritual green bamboo at the mountain peak. The aura could also be used on herself, but since she had been practicing breathing in purple qi, this was unnecessary.

Because of this, the family had produced five spiritual bamboo emperors—bamboos of exceptional quality—but these were hidden by the clan elders. The difference between spiritual green bamboo and spiritual bamboo emperors was not age but quality. Spiritual green bamboo could only absorb shallow spiritual energy, while the emperors absorbed spiritual energy a hundred times stronger. The older the bamboo, the more potent the spiritual energy it absorbed.

Most spiritual bamboo emperors were formed after the bamboo reached a certain age and broke through a lightning tribulation, with only one in tens of thousands advancing. But the bamboos evolved by the purple aura could advance without the tribulation.

However, the purple aura was not omnipotent—one of the six auras had failed. Still, Yao Qian was satisfied with the success rate. Now, the Yao family had six spiritual bamboo emperors, and the spiritual energy at the peak of Green Bamboo Ridge was comparable to a low-grade spiritual vein.

Since birth, Yao Qian had deeply benefited from the Yao family’s kindness. Though she could not share her secrets with others, she would do her best to help her clan.

Seeing how quickly Yao Qian had packed, the Grand Elder smiled faintly. "Let’s go!" Being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Grand Elder could already fly by controlling qi, but the journey from Green Bamboo Ridge to Green Wood Valley was long, and ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators lacked the robust true essence to sustain the flight.

The Grand Elder summoned a flying artifact shimmering like rosy clouds. This artifact was forged from the morning glow’s qi, collected by the Yao family’s ancestor—the Rainbow Mist Veil.

The forging method originally came from the secret teachings of the Flowing Cloud Sect, a heretical grand sect. The ancestor had a close friend who was a disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect and knew her fondness for the morning glow. That friend specially forged this flying artifact and secretly taught her the forging method.

After the ancestor passed away, it was passed down to the Grand Elder. After centuries of meticulous refinement by two generations, the artifact had developed a slight spiritual consciousness. It didn’t require the Grand Elder’s energy to fly and could carry both of them smoothly and comfortably, albeit not very fast.

Yao Qian watched the artifact intently, determined to one day forge her own. The Grand Elder knew novices like Yao Qian were curious about everything in the cultivation world and smiled indulgently as she let her gaze linger on the artifact.

"Yao Sister, have you been waiting long?" A sweet, melodious laugh interrupted Yao Qian’s admiration. She looked up to see a bright and beautiful woman in colorful robes standing before the Rainbow Mist Veil. The woman wore thin clothing, revealing her slender arms and ankles as white and smooth as jade.

This was Jin Gu-niang, the matriarch of Black Python Ridge, also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, she cultivated the unique southern border arts of poisonous insects, excelling in killing techniques far beyond the Yao family. Yet, she was comparatively lacking in health preservation and often relied on the Yao family’s elixirs for maintenance.

The Yao family was a relatively new and small clan. Though they relied on the backing of Green Wood Valley, they still depended mainly on themselves. Therefore, they were always kind and accommodating to those seeking medicine, earning some goodwill in return.

The Grand Elder smiled. "We’ve just arrived as well."

Without being told, Yao Qian stepped forward to salute Jin Gu-niang. "Junior pays respects to Senior Jin."

Jin Gu-niang giggled softly. "Yao Sister, your junior is truly obedient."

The Grand Elder politely replied, "She only behaves well when she sees you. At home, she’s quite mischievous and nowhere near your outstanding descendant."

Beside Jin Gu-niang was a rosy-cheeked little girl, who was also bowing to the Grand Elder.

Jin Gu-niang smiled charmingly. "Don’t praise my little whirlwind too much. She never restrains herself around strangers."

The Grand Elder said, "Children are better off innocent and carefree."

Jin Gu-niang reached out to pat Yao Qian’s head. "Such a beautiful child. Our ancestor doesn’t have much to offer, so I’m giving you some little insects. If you’re afraid, just feed the eggs to your family’s spirit beast." She handed Yao Qian a small gourd.

Yao Qian looked up at the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder hurriedly said, "Aren’t those the Golden Silkworm eggs from your village? How could a child raise such precious eggs?"

Jin Gu-niang waved her hand. "These eggs were laid by my golden silkworm and aren’t particularly precious. We don’t even know if they’ll hatch. Even if they do, they’ll only become beautiful golden silkworms, just toys for children." She teased Yao Qian, "Do you like golden silkworms that spin golden threads? These eggs will hatch into little golden silkworms."

Golden silkworms? Yao Qian looked thoughtfully at the small gourd in her hand. Could these be a hybrid of the six-winged golden cicada and the golden-backed scorpion?

The Grand Elder said to Yao Qian, "This golden silkworm treasure belongs to your golden silkworm ancestor. Even as larvae, they are immune to blades, fire, and water. Your cultivation is still shallow, so don’t hatch them yet. Wait until you can guide qi into your body."

She also patted the little girl beside Jin Gu-niang on the head and handed her a long needle of jade green. "This is the Spirit Needle of Green Wood, a common artifact among disciples of Green Wood Valley. You will learn the forging incantations once you enter the sect."

Jin Gu-niang scolded playfully, "You just said my gift was precious. How do my worthless insect eggs compare to your Green Wood Spirit Needle?"

The Spirit Needle was forged from the essence of the Green Wood element. Though not as powerful as a true flying sword, its offensive power was on par with ordinary magical tools. Only cultivators from sects like the Grand Elder’s could forge such artifacts. Jin Gu-niang, a wandering cultivator, had no access to such knowledge, which was why she was determined to send her descendants into Green Wood Valley.

The Grand Elder laughed brightly, "In the past hundred years, our two families have only sent these two rare seedlings into the sect. As elders, we have done what we could to help them enter, but from then on, they must rely on themselves. I hope these two children will support each other and become kindred spirits."

Jin Gu-niang nodded repeatedly and advised both, "There are over ten thousand outer disciples in Green Wood Valley, but only a few hundred enter the inner sect. The path is difficult. You must help each other and strive to reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible."

Yao Qian and the little girl answered in unison.

Foundation Establishment was the greatest hope held by the elders. Yao Qian stared absentmindedly at the ever-shifting clouds around the Rainbow Mist Veil. In her previous life, reading cultivation novels, she always thought Nascent Souls were everywhere and Golden Core cultivators were common. Not advancing to Yang Shen was almost embarrassing for a cultivator.

A sect like Green Wood Ridge, where the highest cultivation method only reached Nascent Soul, and the sect’s peak had only one Nascent Soul and seven Golden Core cultivators, would be considered cannon fodder in many cultivation novels.

Many protagonists in those stories might have poor aptitude, serving as menial workers or outer disciples, but most joined great sects. Having truly transmigrated, she now understood how vast the difference was between fiction and reality.

Perhaps at some level, Nascent Souls were indeed common and Golden Core cultivators abundant, but that realm was beyond her current station.

The cultivation world she inhabited was enormous—far beyond what she had known in her previous life.

Take Green Bamboo Ridge as an example. By age ten, she had yet to traverse it completely. According to the Records of Mountains and Seas, Green Bamboo Ridge was just a minor hill in the Shouyang Mountain Range, named only three hundred years ago.

The Records briefly described it: Green Bamboo Ridge, abundant in water below, heavy rain above, with plentiful green bamboo and pit vipers.

The Shouyang Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Yet, there were five such mountain ranges in the southern wilderness, which itself was only part of Yunzhou.

Yunzhou also included the Northern Plains, Western Regions, Eastern Barbarians, and the even larger Central Land. The Eastern Barbarians once had boundless outer seas.

With such a vast cultivation world, one could imagine its immensity. The Shouyang Range alone housed thousands of clans and sects.

The Yao family was just one inconsequential small clan, only slightly better than an ordinary mortal family—more like a slightly larger ant among ants.

For both the Yao family and Black Python Village, having a Nascent Soul powerhouse and six Golden Core cultivators stationed in Green Wood Valley was already an unattainable giant, not to mention the major sects with proper legacies.

There were sects where cultivators ascended after centuries or millennia, but those were beyond her reach.

Her experience from two lifetimes taught her never to overestimate herself. Everyone wants to enter top universities like Tsinghua or Peking University, but how many succeed?

Her distance from the great sects was even greater than ordinary people’s distance from those universities. Rather than dreaming of joining a grand sect, she would seize the opportunities before her.

With the Celestial Evolution Monument at her side, she could refine and perfect her cultivation methods. Her starting point was far better than most cultivators. As long as she avoided recklessness, cultivated diligently, and acted prudently, she was destined to reach the pinnacle of the Dao one day.