Chapter 83: Planting Lotus in the Sea of Consciousness

“He did come,” Wang Yurou said, “but your elder sister didn’t agree to it. The young man was quite good, really, just too young—about ten years too young. Your sister has always been a bit against this sort of thing.”

“That’s good,” Qin Shu nodded, then added with a smile, “Just wait until Dad and your sister come back. I’ll give you all a surprise.”

Wang Yurou laughed, then sighed. “Even though you and Little Qing are busy with cultivation, you can still come back. But by the time Little Gui comes back, I’m afraid we’ll all have turned to dust.”

Qin Shu also sighed. Even if Qin Gui possessed extraordinary talent, it would take tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of years for a Great Luo Golden Immortal to return.

However, he was confident his family wouldn’t turn to dust. He said, “Mom, I’ve already worked out a way for you, Dad, and your sister to cultivate so we can wait for Little Gui’s return.”

Naturally, Wang Yurou believed her son. “So this is the surprise you were talking about?”

“Yes,” Qin Shu nodded.

In the evening, Qin Wei, Qin Yu, Qin Rou, Qin Ying, and Qin Hao returned. Naturally, there was great joy at seeing Qin Shu again.

Said Qin Shu, “Eldest Sister, you’ve been managing the Pill Pharmacy. Tomorrow, let’s all go to Qingping Island together. I’ll teach you how to cultivate.”

He had previously prepared his family for this moment, but upon learning they could truly begin cultivating, they were still overjoyed.

The next day, Qin Hao’s entire family arrived at Qingping Island, including himself.

They entrusted the Pill Pharmacy to Qin Yue’s management.

Qin Yue remained in the Foundation Establishment realm, needing to continue accumulating power to break through to Core Formation.

On Qingping Island…

Qin Shu activated the Great Array of Five Elements, drawing spiritual energy from heaven and earth. He then took out the seeds of the Purple Lotus of Samsara, allowing them to find their chosen masters autonomously.

Having absorbed Houtu’s Samsara divine ability, these lotus seeds possessed tremendous potential. They would grow far faster than ordinary seeds once they found their chosen ones.

Now that Qin Shu had set them free, one lotus seed did not hesitate, choosing Qin Ying as its master.

“Am I the first?” Qin Ying looked at the Samsara lotus seed floating before her, her heart racing with excitement.

“Yes, Third Sister, you are the first,” Qin Shu replied. “Close your eyes and focus your mind. Let the lotus seed take root in your sea of consciousness. This way, it can replace your spiritual soul and aid you in cultivation.”

“Very well!”

Without hesitation, Qin Ying sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and concentrated her mind.

The Samsara lotus seed transformed into a beam of purple light, entering her sea of consciousness and taking root.

Soon, rings of purple radiance began to spread out from her body.

Above her head, an illusory three-petaled purple lotus materialized, signifying the first rank of the Violet Lotus of Samsara.

A lotus is considered one rank for every three layers it possesses. A fully formed lotus can be classified as a Native Spirit Treasure, containing a thread of the Samsara dharma.

Currently, Qin Ying had no cultivation base whatsoever.

This thread of Samsara dharma transformed into a cultivation technique legacy, offering her profound insights.

Witnessing the boundless spiritual energy converging upon her, protected by the Samsara Violet Lotus, she rapidly sensed the qi. Her cultivation base swiftly grew.

The power of Samsara cleansed her body, broadening her qi passageways and dantian. In moments, she broke through from the first level of Qi Refinement to the second.

Despite reaching this point, she showed no sign of stopping; her cultivation base continued to surge, entering a state of deep enlightenment.

Wang Yurou softly asked, “Xiaoshu, your Third Sister will be alright, won’t she?”

Qin Shu explained, “Don’t worry, Mom. She’s already at the second level of Qi Refinement. Since the lotus seeds don’t count as spiritual souls, they won’t be transported to the Abyss for training. Rest assured.”

“That’s a relief!” Wang Yurou sighed, her face filling with anticipation, as did the others’.

Qin Shu wasted no time. Enveloping them with true essence, he swiftly traveled five kilometers away and then produced a Flame Lotus red lotus seed.

The red lotus seed found Qin Rou, transforming into a crimson glow that merged into her body.

Red lotus karmic fire rose, forming a virtual image of a red lotus above her head. Compared to the Samsara Violet Lotus, it was visibly inferior.

In truth, despite the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed’s impressive bloom, it only constituted a single layer. Achieving transcendence would not be so simple.

The Purple Lotus of Samsara’s ascension to first-class status owed much to Houtu’s Samsara divine ability.

Within Qin Rou, the Flame Lotus burned brightly, yet it did her no harm. Instead, it purified the impurities within her body.

The only noticeable change was her hair turning crimson—a deep, blood-red hue that lent her an eerie appearance.

As spiritual energy coalesced, Qin Rou swiftly entered the first stage of Qi Refinement.

Then, Qin Shu led his family to another location and released the White Lotus of Purity’s lotus seeds.

Apart from Qin Hao, Qin Wei, Wang Yurou, and Qin Yu all wore expressions of eager anticipation.

Soon, the lotus seed hovered before Wang Yurou. With a flash of white light, she assumed a cross-legged pose and began receiving the legacy of the White Lotus of Purity.

Next, the Golden Lotus of Merit chose Qin Wei.

Qin Shu held the seed of the Black Lotus of Destruction and said to Qin Yu, “Eldest daughter, this is the final one. It contains destructive power, so the succession process might be more painful than usual.”

Destructive power, the antithesis of fortunate power, was not something most mortal bodies could withstand.

However, considering her lifespan of merely a few hundred years—even extended by centuries with an Age-Prolonging Pill—Qin Yu yearned to cultivate her way to immortality.

She declared, “Bring it forth; your Eldest Daughter fears not a bit.”

Qin Shu nodded, then instructed Qin Yu to sit cross-legged as he placed the Black Lotus of Destruction against her forehead.

The destructive force erupted immediately, aiming to annihilate its host.

Qin Yu’s expression jolted; she felt as though her body was about to shatter.

It was precisely because he anticipated this reaction that Qin Shu had prepared the Destruction Lotus Seed.

Once the seed entered Qin Yu’s body, he promptly began channeling Karma True Yuan into her.

The destructive force sought to tear down, while the fortune force aimed to repair and rebuild.

Qin Shu communicated telepathically, “Eldest Sister, use your will to tame it.”

Qin Yu possessed a strong-willed nature, usually reserved but harboring a fierce determination beneath her quiet demeanor.

She could distinctly feel the Destruction Lotus Seed rejecting her, even harming her. Yet, she forced herself closer to it, striving to accept it.

Qin Shu could only maintain Qin Yu’s life signs. Whether she would succeed in taming the Destruction Lotus Seed was entirely up to her.

Demonstrating her fierce resolve, Qin Yu endured the excruciating pain of her body being torn apart by the destructive force. With her formidable willpower, she asserted herself as the new host for the Black Lotus of Destruction.

Through this ordeal—of destruction by the destructive force and repair by the fortune force—her body was elevated to an entirely new level.

In terms of physical refinement, she now matched even Qin Ying, who had acquired the Reincarnation Purple Lotus.

With that, all five members of the family entered a state of cultivation.

Qin Hao, observing from the side, asked tentatively, “Fourth Brother, since Mom, Dad, and my sisters are cultivating, what should I do?”

“Come with me,” Qin Shu replied. He led Qin Hao to the perimeter of the Great Array of Five Elements, then produced a Stone Stele of Martial Arts. “Watch me practice martial arts,” he instructed. “Absorb as much as you can.”

Practice martial arts?

This essentially pertained to the body tempering stage. In school, they taught some basic methods for physical conditioning.

Some family scions who failed to awaken their spiritual souls might choose to become martial artists without such souls.

However, their potential was limited; at best, they could only develop raw physical strength.

As Qin Hao gazed upon the Martial Arts Stele, he felt dizzy and disoriented. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. Having not yet cultivated, his divine sense remained dormant, naturally preventing him from grasping its mysteries.

Qin Shu, on the other hand, projected his divine sense outward. Figures materialized on the stone stele, activating the true essence of the Mixuan Fist, which then radiated into his sea of consciousness.

The Cyan Lotus Dao Seed trembled, capturing this true essence, and subsequently, it manifested within Qin Shu’s mind.