Ye Ju was in dire straits. Since beginning her cultivation, everything had been smooth sailing, and she hadn't endured much hardship. Now, Ye Ju realized that the stone milk, when consumed in excess, had been too much for her mortal body. She had downed two bottles at once! For Bai, she was an ancient spiritual beast, and spiritual beasts were renowned for their robust physiques. They could withstand the immense energy contained within the stone milk.
Within her divine sense, she inwardly inspected her bones and witnessed a horrifying scene. Every bone was cracking, only to be repaired. The repaired bones were crystal clear, emitting a metallic sound when struck. They possessed a metallic texture. That surge of energy was uncontrollable. She could only desperately mobilize her repairing white energy to chase after it, resulting in two streams of energy wreaking havoc within her body, destroying and repairing her internal organs in the same manner. In her subconscious, Ye Ju used her spiritual power to protect her heart meridian, fearing that if her heartbeat was destroyed before it could be repaired, she would perish. Ye Ju dared not to inwardly examine her internal organs, lest she witness a bloody scene of bursting liver and viscera, thus she was unaware that her internal organs had become crystal clear, without a single blemish.
Ye Ju gritted her teeth in pain, her limbs and bones feeling as if they no longer belonged to her. Her spiritual platform desperately maintained a sliver of clarity, lest she faint from the pain and meet her demise. Yet, she understood that not everything could be achieved overnight. She didn't know how others cultivated, but she had never read anything similar in the cultivation novels she had previously consumed.
As the end drew near, feeling as if she were about to pass out, she extended a wisp of spiritual energy from her fingertip, guiding the spiritual spring water into her mouth. Instantly, her spiritual platform became much clearer. Gritting her teeth, blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, and finally, it was over. Almost all her bones had been destroyed by that immense energy, as if her entire skeletal structure had been replaced. In the end, Ye Ju could no longer endure and let herself pass out. At this moment, Ye Ju's body was covered in a layer of black grime and sticky residue.
When Bai saw Ye Ju enter that state, her face contorted in pain, and he knew he had caused trouble. The fruit no longer smelled appealing. He leaped down from the tree and began to guard his sister. However, his sister was in a critical moment, and Bai dared not disturb her. He had forgotten that his sister was human and did not possess a body strong enough to withstand such immense energy.
Bai lifted Ye Ju with his spiritual power and placed her into the bathing pool, then leaped into a smaller pool beside it. Watching the dirt on his sister's body slowly dissolve and wash away, the little fellow breathed a sigh of relief; he preferred his sister to be clean.
Huh...? Bai always felt his sister was different now. Her face looked different from that morning. The sky was completely dark. Although Bai liked water, he didn't like sleeping in the pool. He scrambled back up to the ice spirit fruit tree and found a branch to nestle in. He had to guard his sister. The spiritual spring would help heal his sister's injuries; she was bleeding!
She was her sister's soul-contracted spirit beast and knew that her sister's most dangerous moments had passed. Now, her sister was fine. Her sister was no longer a mortal. From the inside out, her bones had been completely replaced. It was estimated that Ye Ju could now flatten a small mountain with a single palm strike.
Bai should be grateful that his master sister, by chance, possessed the five-element spiritual roots and cultivated them simultaneously. The five elements, when unified, naturally restrained each other, yet also maintained a delicate balance. The sudden surge of spiritual energy disrupted this balance but also allowed them to unite against external forces, ultimately aiming to achieve energy conservation.
The universe releases energy. When captured by sentient beings, it gives rise to cultivation. As one perceives more of this energy, a title is bestowed upon them—spiritual power. When the Great Dao is unified and cultivation reaches its apex, one ascends to another level, which is immortal cultivation, even shattering the void and achieving godhood! The Earth, in another world, is shielded by the universe. The energy released reaches Earth only to leak away like through a sieve. Therefore, the spiritual energy on Earth is sparse.
Three days later, in the early morning.
As Ye Ju woke up, she met a pair of large, round eyes. Bai's exquisite little face was pressed right against Ye Ju's.
"Sister, you're finally awake. I've been waiting so bored!"
Ye Ju...
She always felt Bai had a huge contrast after transforming compared to before. Before, he had a milky, adorable voice! Now, she felt he was a somewhat roguish, violent little loli. Seeing how he beat that long fish, he was indeed a violent little loli! Ye Ju hadn't rubbed her forehead in a long time.
"Bai, sister was almost blown up by the spiritual energy of that stone milk. Explain yourself. Don't tell me you didn't know. You've already received the inheritance; you know better than sister!" Ye Ju said indignantly.
"Hehe, sister, I forgot. I usually eat like that and I'm fine. I forgot sister is human! Now sister has become stronger! And sister has become more beautiful, completely different from when I first saw you!" Bai said with a smile. He knew his master sister was doing well.
Ye Ju was puzzled and curious about how she had changed. Recalling the principle of mirror imaging, she used her spiritual power to condense a water mirror. With a slight tremor, the water mirror almost dispersed. A face of stunning beauty appeared within it. It looked nothing like her own, as if she had been reforged. It would not be an exaggeration to say it was captivating enough to make the moon and flowers feel ashamed. Ye Ju was stunned. Could cultivation turn one into another person? However, becoming more beautiful was a happy thought; it was natural cosmetic surgery.
What was going on? It was just like having bones reset and features remodeled. She emerged from the water pool, still muttering.
"Sister, did you also receive the inheritance? Sister, did you also revert to your ancestral form?"
"Revert to ancestral form? Bai, did you receive the inheritance because you reverted to your ancestral form?" Ye Ju asked curiously.
"Yes, sister." Bai hopped around beside her. His four tails swayed gracefully behind him. Ye Ju looked at Bai, thinking, truly a descendant of the Nine-Tailed Fox. I am a woman, and even I can't control myself. Now he's still a little loli; who knows what he'll be like when he grows up?
She ate the spirit fruits for breakfast, planning what to do today. She had been cultivating during this period. None of her previous plans had been realized. Looking around the spiritual spring, the trees were lush and verdant, with spiritual flowers and grasses radiating fifty meters from the spring, making it look like a fairyland. Ye Ju decided to move here. She would plant the fruits she had eaten earlier around the area, creating an orchard. She would also dig up some of the purple bamboo from the other side and bring it here. No sooner said than done!