Wooden Root: Barbara's Journey

The next morning, Bárbara and Hai Tu met at the sect's cafeteria for breakfast. The two friends shared their recent experiences while enjoying the meal. Hai Tu, with her usual enthusiasm, began talking about her alchemy classes.

"You know, I finally managed to refine a pill on my own," she said, a proud smile on her face. "This one is for you. It’s a strengthening pill for cultivation. It helps increase qi flow and improves energy absorption."

Bárbara looked at the small, glowing pill in her friend's hands, surprised and grateful for the gift. She knew how much Hai Tu had been dedicating herself to alchemy, and the fact that her friend had chosen to give her one of her first creations was significant.

"Thank you, Hai Tu!" Bárbara thanked her with a warm smile, carefully holding the pill.

After they parted ways, Bárbara returned to the dormitory, eager to test the pill’s effectiveness during her cultivation. She sat calmly in the center of the room, closed her eyes, and with a deep breath, swallowed the pill.

Immediately, she felt a gentle wave of warmth spread through her body, starting from her chest and radiating to her extremities. The pill’s energy began merging with her qi, providing a sense of comfort and balance. Gradually, the power emanating from her wood spiritual root seemed to strengthen, as if her connection to the wood element was being nourished and amplified.

The sensation was pleasant, almost like being enveloped by a warm breeze on a spring day. Each breath intensified the flow of energy in her body until her cultivation became more efficient than ever. Bárbara felt the potential of her power growing and knew that this was only the first of many achievements to come with her new venture and Hai Tu's help.

After finishing her cultivation, Bárbara headed to the spiritual herb area, where the air vibrated with pure, intense energy. The place was surrounded by well-maintained fields, full of plants flourishing with impressive vitality. There, she would begin her task of cultivating rare herbs to accumulate contribution points, essential for her progress within the sect. With a focused mind and skilled hands, she knew that although the work would be hard, the valuable rewards could help her achieve her goals more quickly. Each herb she cultivated was one more step along her path to development.

While Bárbara was immersed in her work, focused on cultivating the spiritual herbs, something unusual was happening. The plants under her care were growing at an impressive rate, their leaves greener and more vibrant than any other plantation in the sect. The quality of the herbs also surpassed those cultivated by the other disciples, though she hadn't noticed. However, a sect elder passing by the area did. He approached the plants, observing them closely, and then turned to the disciples working there, his sharp gaze asking a silent question:

"Who is responsible for these plants?"

As he awaited a response, the elder made a mental note, marking the event as something worthy of attention. He knew that something out of the ordinary was at play, and Bárbara's future seemed intertwined with these exceptional plants.

The disciples, realizing the elder's interest, discreetly pointed toward Bárbara. She stood up, curious and a little nervous, and walked over to the elder. When she stood before him, the old man’s piercing gaze fixed on her for a moment before he asked in a deep voice:

"So, you're the one responsible for these plants?"

Bárbara, with a slight smile, confirmed, "Yes, it's me. I was the one who took care of them."

The elder observed her in silence for a few seconds, as if evaluating something beyond the obvious. He nodded, as though noticing something peculiar, and made another mental note. It wasn’t just the accelerated growth of the herbs that impressed him, but their unusual quality.

The elder used his spiritual sense to assess Bárbara closely. His eyes gleamed upon detecting something rare: a unique wood spiritual root, pulsing with serene and powerful energy. Intrigued, he wondered how a cultivator with such rare talent had become an outer disciple. In the sect, youths with exceptional abilities were quickly nurtured by the masters, but no one seemed to have taken an interest in her until now. Perhaps, for some reason, no elder had dared to train a cultivator with such a spiritual root, one so attuned to the cultivation of superior-quality spiritual plants.

Such talent cannot be wasted, the elder thought. This power should be harnessed for something grand. It was something he needed to investigate further.

The elder gestured for Bárbara to follow him. He walked with steady steps, but his expression showed deep concentration.

"I’ll take you as my disciple," he said firmly. "From now on, you must follow my teachings. Call me Wei Jian Qiu."

They walked for a few more minutes until they arrived at a secluded cave. Wei Jian Qiu pointed to the entrance and said, "This will be your lodging from now on. Bring your things here. Tomorrow, we will begin proper training."