"Jin! Oh, Jin! I don't know what you did, how you did it, but this is all so damn amazing!" Lei Ya exclaimed, her voice still trembling with a mix of awe and boundless excitement.
But as a second passed, her awe continually shifted into worry. Her brow furrowed, and she grew serious, pressing on, "But… but we're always supposed to be slow. If we can cultivate faster now… there are too many prowling eyes and snakes here. I don't want to deal with those damn elders again."
Her grumbling tone was infused with a lifelong brew of hatred, a bitter residue from years of being overlooked and suppressed.
To her worries, Lei Jin had already considered. A ruthless glint shone within his pupils, a look ready to breach into the world. "Naturally, I've already considered all of this. What's done is done, and from here on out, it's time for us to increase our strength so we'll never experience suppression again. And to begin that, we need a suitable cultivation art to explain our improved speeds, something better than the ordinary trash we have here."
Lei Jin had pulled on his previous memories. What he and Lei Ya were currently cultivating was a rudimentary art of the sect, a mere Mortal Grade art. Something like this was only worth for the most average of cultivators.
Cultivation Arts are crucial for any cultivator. This was a fundamental truth in this world. A cultivation art allowed cultivators to correctly flow Essence Energy into their dantian and shape it in accordance with a specific energy path.
Without a cultivation art, gathering Essence Energy could cause severe harm to the dantian as the reckless flows would disrupt the delicate harmony within. A Mortal Grade Cultivation Art was far too slow, practically useless for any true talents.
Lei Ya's eyes glinted in agreement. She nodded, noting, "Yes, then we need to visit the Beloved Library!"
A clear sparkle glowed beautifully within her pupils. She faintly trembled in excitement. "I've always wanted to go over there and see if those over-exaggerated praises were true. And now that we're like this, hah!"
Lei Jin couldn't help but gain a soft smile at Lei Ya's infectious enthusiasm. He could hardly blame her. From his memories, The Beloved Sky Library truly was a gem for them. It held various grades of cultivation arts, suited for disciples and elders alike. And the better the cultivation art, the better one's cultivation speed and combat prowess.
For talents that came from noble families, the library was a goldmine.
Lei Ya grew increasingly excited, but her rational mind began to return after a few seconds. "Appropriate comprehension is needed to actually take out an art, but with the way we can now take Essence Energy, that's not a problem in the slightest."
Lei Jin internally nodded at her assessment. Indeed, despite how smoothly Lei Jin and Lei Ya were able to grasp the Essence Energy within the air, that process was more complicated than one might think.
One would need to comprehend how to operate their souls to then stir their Spirit Sense. Once that connection was made, a cultivator then needed to comprehend how to use their Spirit Sense to grasp Essence Energy and flow it into their dantian. Without understanding this intricate process and the natural properties behind the Essence Energy swirling around them, it would be impossible to do anything.
This was why cultivation arts were so critical. They not only made this process far easier with clear guidelines, but they also helped the cultivator understand more about the natural properties within Essence Energy.
And Lei Jin and Lei Ya had just successfully and easily absorbed Essence Energy without relying on their cultivation art. Their comprehension skills were evident by this fact alone.
Although there was another issue they had to consider. One that was making Lei Ya cross her arms with a furrowed brow as she said, "Our Spirit Stones… we've been saving, but higher-grade arts are costly."
To this, Lei Jin waved his hand with a casual smile. "Spirit Stones won't be an issue. With our combined wealth, we will be able to afford a Spirit Grade Art. And we can simply share afterwards."
"Understood… but," Lei Ya narrowed her eyes, a playful glint appearing. "We won't be sharing for long. After all, I can't kick your ass right if we're using the same Art."
"Kick my ass?" Lei Jin let out an amused smile, a hint of his old Earth self's teasing nature surfacing. "Do I need to give you another lesson in humility?"
His hand playfully waved, a gesture that felt strangely natural, as if it were carved into his bones.
"You…" Lei Ya's body quivered a bit, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She almost instinctively reached to massage her backside, a phantom ache from continuous roughhousing.
Instead, she clicked her teeth and turned her head away, trying to hide her reaction. "Let's stop wasting time and go! I hate looking at your ugly smug face."
"Right…" Lei Jin calmed this sense of peace inside him before focusing. The determined gaze that had seen him through transmigration could never be broken. "To the Library. Oh, and before we leave, just in case for any elders or stronger disciples, remember to focus on suppressing your aura. We can't have anyone getting suspicious as of now."
"Of course. For now, us siblings are nothing more than mere 2nd layer losers of Mortal Awakening. But later… heh." Lei Ya's lips deviously curled, and the same deviousness began to form on Lei Jin's lips, a shared understanding of their great ambitions.
...
Though bits and pieces of memories were still coming back to Lei Jin, he let Lei Ya take the lead to the Beloved Sky Library. He didn't want to accidentally end up somewhere he shouldn't be and cause trouble.
Lei Ya was calm walking through the sect grounds, her head held higher than she ever felt before, a newfound confidence in her stride.
While Lei Jin was outwardly calm, inwardly he was taking in the fascinating sights all around him. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that words alone didn't do the sight of the cultivation world justice.
The ground they walked upon was littered with motes of beautiful, shimmering lights, the ambient Essence Energy made visible by his awakened senses.
All around him, he witnessed sprawling complexes of elegant pavilions, each with their own distinct purpose and imbued with a fantastical, almost ethereal atmosphere. Serene gardens, with air so fresh it was near-hypnotic, stretched out, filled with exotic spiritual flora. And bustling training grounds, where disciples alike threw themselves relentlessly into the unforgiving path of cultivation, their grunts and shouts echoing through the air.
These disciples were of some notice to Lei Jin. He took notice of the pristine sect's azure robes they were wearing, each disciple with a polished badge pinned onto their chest, wearing it with utmost pride.
The appearance of these disciples was considerably cleaner, more refined, and healthier than the average person in his previous homeworld. Evidently, the benefit of cultivation caused a passive enhancement to both the health and appearance of the body, a subtle perk of this new existence.
But above all, the sheer power radiating off these disciples was noteworthy. Some were simply performing basic training moves, akin to the martial artists of his previous homeworld. And yet, even those tender teenagers were exuding a might that would have an ordinary grown man kneeling, gasping for air, overwhelmed by the sheer spiritual pressure.
This reinforced what Lei Jin had already decided: to get ahead, he could never hesitate, unless he wanted to die without knowing how.
Throughout their walk, Lei Jin and Lei Ya stayed silent, maintaining their facade. But this didn't mean others didn't take notice of them. Groups of disciples, friends going about their days, took subtle glances at the siblings.
Some held indifferent yet slightly disdaining gazes, appraising the siblings as if they weren't worth the effort to acknowledge.
While others held openly mocking gazes. Some didn't care about being quiet as they jeered to their friends, joking as if they were seeing clowns walking the streets.
"Look, the cripple and the useless waste Inner disciples. Say, why are these guys here again?" a sneering voice carried on the wind.
"Hehe~. Now, now, we know these two need to cling to the thighs of sweet Martial Sister Li Hua. Otherwise…" another chimed in, a cruel laugh following.
"To so shamelessly depend on an innocent maiden to keep them from scouring the streets, tch…" The taunts and disdain reached the siblings' ears, sharp as daggers.
And yet, Lei Jin didn't even twitch his mouth. Their words were like air to him, meaningless distractions. As someone who had already experienced the ups and downs in his previous life, he knew when to strike back or when to simply treat others like air.
Lei Ya, someone less experienced than he, did twitch her lips and silently clenched her fist, her body rigid. She was but a fine line away from erupting in a furious retort.
But Lei Jin simply grasped her shoulder with a calm, gentle confidence. They shared a look, a silent communication passing between them. All other noises vanished between them, leaving only the profound understanding of their shared determination kindling in their gazes.
A new, vigorous light glowed within Lei Ya's eyes. She nodded, her resolve solidified, and continued leading on.
Lei Jin continued following behind, though he did think of something. He filtered out the useless bits of the taunts, but he did gain a bit of information.
The reason they could stay with the more talented disciples of the sect was all because of that Li Hua. With his quickening memories, he was beginning to faintly understand that the relationship between them and Li Hua was not weak at all.
As his thoughts swirled, Lei Jin soon felt a shift in his Spirit Sense. An instinct, a subtle pull warning him of something foul in the air, a malicious intent directed squarely at them.
Lei Jin only needed a second to recognize this. It would faintly happen in his previous life whenever he felt danger, a prickling sensation on his skin. But now, with his fully awakened Spirit Sense, the sensation was far more prominent, a clear, undeniable alarm. Someone had specific malicious intent towards them.
Lei Jin calmly flicked his eyes to the right. And there, seemingly just passing by them, were a man and a woman. These two were evidently different compared to the other disciples.
Lei Ya briefly paused, also picking up on the malicious intent, her head tilting almost imperceptibly.
This man and woman duo both walked with a subtle arrogance in every step they took, an air of self-importance. Their azure robes were even of higher quality, woven with a specific, intricate pattern unique to them running down their clothes, denoting their elevated status.
The man was good-looking, carrying a presence that seemed to sway others to his heel. While the woman was beautiful, exuding a noble grace that made those around her admire her from afar.
The two took a glance at each other, an amused smirk crossing over the man's face. He spoke in a hushed tone to her, "Time for some fun?"
A cute, almost predatory smile curled upon the woman's face. "This is never not fun."
Other disciples noticed the pair and their eyes lit up, as if they were waiting for a good show. "Martial Brother Huo and Martial Sister Yue! Always so fantastic wherever they go."
"Mn. No wonder Senior Martial Brother Long is helping them out. Essence Gathering Realm… even here I can feel a quiver in my legs just from their aura."
"Heh. Let's see how they'll clown on the wasteful siblings again."