Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

The moment Du Ruolan heard Wei Lingyue say he'd consider it, she knew she had already won. She didn't press her advantage any further and simply returned to Hǎitáng Courtyard.

Her intentions were straightforward. Since Wei Yunxi no longer had anything valuable on her, there was no way she'd allow that little brat to follow her daughter into the sect. She wouldn't risk dividing her daughter's cultivation resources.

Meanwhile, the very thing Wei Yunxi had been dreading turned around the very next day.

One of the children cultivating in the training hall succeeded in drawing in qi—Wei Zongjin, the son of Wei Lingyue's second brother. As a member of the "Zong" generation, he was now the first among them to succeed.

During the spirit root test, Wei Zongjin's moment had been completely overshadowed by Wei Yunqing, leaving him deeply dissatisfied. After overhearing Wei Yunxi's words in the cultivation hall yesterday, he'd been holding in a lot of frustration and was determined to fight for a place in Haoran Sect.

He possessed wood, fire, and metal spirit roots, all with values around eighty-five—significantly stronger than Wei Yunxi's concealed aptitude. After Wei Yunqing succeeded in qi intake, Wei Zongjin had already begun sensing spiritual energy. Now, in the more concentrated spiritual atmosphere of the cultivation hall, he succeeded in drawing in qi in one stroke, becoming the second child to do so.

That very night, Du Ruolan informed her daughter: Wei Yunxi would not be going with her to Haoran Sect.

Wei Yunqing immediately grew anxious. "Mother, why? Didn't you say she could come with me to Haoran Sect?"

Du Ruolan quickly soothed her. "Qing'er, be good. I had Zhenzhu turn Zhuóhuá Courtyard upside down over the last two days. That hairpin you wanted, and all those other cultivation resources her mother left behind, none of them are with Wei Yunxi. They were all left with the Feng family.

The Fengs are clearly being guarded. Even if she does go to the sect with you, she wouldn't be able to bring those things. You'd end up dragging her along like dead weight, and out of respect for the Feng family, you'd feel obligated to look after her. What if that ends up slowing down your cultivation?"

Wei Yunqing found her mother's words reasonable, but something still didn't sit right with her. She couldn't quite explain the discomfort, and only frowned slightly. "Then Mother, you must find a way to get that hairpin. I really feel like it's important to me."

"Don't worry. As long as she stays inside the Wei estate, there's nothing she can stir up."

Du Ruolan promised without hesitation. Her goal was simple—keep Wei Yunxi under her watch, make her easier to control and suppress, and find a way to dig out the good things Feng Jiayun had left behind.

At her young age, Wei Yunqing still didn't understand that some opportunities weren't tied to items at all. Her greatest opportunity… was Wei Yunxi herself. But that was something she wouldn't come to realize until much, much later.

By then, the gap between them would already be so wide that she couldn't get close anymore—only circle around from afar.

Elsewhere, the Feng family finally sent someone over. This time, it was a maid specifically assigned to instruct Wei Yunxi in cultivation. The woman, named Feng Xiu, had water, wood, and fire spirit roots, and was already at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. She instantly outclassed Zhenzhu.

The blatant slap in the face made Wei Lingyue visibly uncomfortable, but he said nothing. After all, this was the Feng family showing concern for their niece. If she lacked talent, they'd make up for it with resources. He had no grounds to object.

After exchanging a few brief words, he sent Feng Xiu directly to Zhuóhuá Courtyard.

Wei Yunxi had finally received her reinforcements. If the Fengs had delayed even one more day, she would have been forced to initiate qi intake herself.

Feng Xiu's cultivation level far surpassed Zhenzhu's. The moment she arrived, she took charge of the entire courtyard. With just one look, she sent Zhenzhu packing to the outer courtyard.

"Miss, this is what the head of the Feng family asked me to bring you. He said you can now focus on your cultivation without worry."

Feng Xiu handed over a small storage pendant as she spoke.

"Thank you, Sister Feng. Please send word to my uncle that I'm safe, and thank him for all his preparations."

"Yes, Miss."

That night, Wei Yunxi wasted no time. She activated her isolation formation and sat cross-legged in her training room, palms up, five-heart posture facing the heavens. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began syncing her breath with the rhythm of her heartbeat.

As her consciousness gradually quieted, the world fell silent around her. The only sound was the beating of her heart. In the darkness, little orbs of light began to drift toward her—one, two, three, then more and more, until she was completely surrounded.

Wei Yunxi extended a silent, welcoming intent. The spiritual light responded. One green orb was the first to enter her skin, followed by a second, a third…

As more spiritual energy flowed into her body, she began to feel a swelling pressure in her meridians. The sensation grew stronger with each orb, as if her vessels were on the verge of bursting from the sudden influx.

She silently recited the qi intake technique committed to memory, guiding the blocked energy through her channels. After one full cycle, the refined spiritual energy settled into her dantian.

Her dantian had just opened. It was about the size of a duck egg. What she didn't know was that hers was already twice the size of an average new cultivator's. And when she circulated her qi, she was unconsciously drawing on her spiritual consciousness as well.

At the bottom of her dantian, the orbs had coalesced into three colors—green, white, and violet. They barely covered the base, but it was enough to mark her success.

Still unaware of what this truly meant, Wei Yunxi continued cultivating. The sensation was too comfortable—like soaking in a warm spring at the perfect temperature. She almost wanted to moan in pleasure.

As she continued to cycle her energy, more spiritual light flowed in. Soon, a layer of brown grime began to seep from her pores, releasing a faint foul smell. These were the impurities expelled by her body after the first successful intake of qi.

Feng Xiu, standing outside, couldn't sense the details within, but she had picked up on a faint fluctuation earlier. She knew the young miss must have succeeded.

The sun rose, and still, the formation wasn't taken down. Feng Xiu grew a little worried, but didn't dare barge in. Instead, she sent Chunyu to the cultivation hall to request a leave of absence.

Chunyu understood her intention and immediately left the courtyard. Halfway there, she was stopped by Zhenzhu.

"Chunyu, why isn't Miss Yunxi going to the hall today?"

Chunyu frowned slightly. "Miss said she's staying in to cultivate. She won't come out until she's drawn in qi. She's getting anxious, so I'm going to ask for leave."

Zhenzhu's eyes flickered. She said nothing and continued on her way.

Wei Yunxi, meanwhile, had been forced to interrupt her cultivation because her stomach was growling. When she opened her eyes, a wave of dizziness hit her. Low blood sugar.

Ignoring the smell clinging to her skin, she quickly deactivated the formation.

Feng Xiu rushed in the moment the array fell. When she saw Wei Yunxi crawling on the floor like a little turtle, she couldn't help but smile.

She cast a quick cleansing spell, washing away the layer of grime. Then she strode over and gently lifted the girl into her arms, feeding her a Bigu dan before checking her body from head to toe.

Wei Yunxi felt a warm stream spread from her mouth to her belly, easing the burning sensation. Only then did she mumble, "Sister Feng… how long did I cultivate?"

"Two full days and nights, Miss. If you hadn't come out soon, I was going to storm in and get you."