An Extra Villain in Cultivation World-Chapter 73: Senior Sister’s Challenge

Xuanyan nodded slowly, but many questions still lingered in his mind. In most of the xianxia stories he had read, cultivators advanced primarily through inner cultivation.

They strengthened themselves from within. By absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they refined it inside the dantian and circulated it through their meridians, gradually tempering both body and soul.

As cultivation deepened, their qi became denser and purer. Their bodies grew stronger, their spiritual senses expanded, and their control over techniques improved. When a cultivator finally stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, their internal spiritual foundation stabilized, allowing them to wield far greater power than before.

This path focused entirely on strengthening the cultivator themselves. Their power came from their own body, their own qi, and the stability of the spiritual foundation they built through years of cultivation.

Gu cultivation, however, followed a completely different philosophy.

Instead of relying solely on internal strength, a cultivator nurtured special lifeforms known as Gu worms. Each Gu possessed its own ability. Some manipulated fire, some refined poison, some tracked enemies, while others assisted with crafting, formations, or alchemy.

Individually, most Gu were not powerful enough to rival a higher-realm cultivator. A Foundation Establishment expert could easily destroy a low-rank Gu with nothing more than overwhelming spiritual force.

"Master," Xuanyan asked while looking at Mei Lingyao, "its ability seems rather weak if we ignore its refinement benefits. Why would cultivators rely on Gu worms like this in the first place?"

Mei Lingyao did not answer immediately. Xuanyan already knew the answer. In the original story, Ye Qingfeng had relied heavily on Gu worms. Even seemingly weak ones could become decisive in the right situation.

In this world, once a cultivator advanced to the Foundation Establishment Realm, their cultivation gradually aligned with a specific path. Some followed the fire path, others the sword path, poison path, or countless other directions.

Once that choice was made, their techniques, spiritual energy, and combat methods would naturally revolve around that path. But this also created a serious limitation.

When two cultivators fought, if one path naturally countered the other, the disadvantaged side would struggle to respond effectively. A fire-path cultivator might find themselves suppressed by water techniques, while a sword cultivator could easily be hindered by illusion or poison paths.

Because of this weakness, cultivators relied on Gu worms.

These Gu were not always meant to provide overwhelming strength. Many existed simply to compensate for the natural limitations of a cultivator’s chosen path—offering small utilities, survival abilities, or subtle advantages that could shift the outcome of a battle.

Even a seemingly weak Gu could become extremely valuable in the right situation.

Mei Lingyao finally spoke, her voice calm but firm. "You don’t need to worry about those matters yet. Such things will only concern you once your cultivation advances further." Her eyes moved briefly toward the prepared materials on the table before returning to Xuanyan. "For now, your task is simple—remember everything I teach you.

Every material used in the refinement, when it should be added, how to maintain the rhythm of your spiritual flame, and how to stabilize the reaction between different ingredients. In alchemy and Gu refinement, even the smallest mistake can ruin the entire process. So focus on learning the fundamentals first. Everything else can wait."

Mei Lingyao finished speaking and turned toward the furnace, the formation lines faintly glowing in her eyes. "Xuanyan," she said calmly, "Yanmei will take this test with you too. Consider it a contest between a senior sister and a junior disciple." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Yanmei’s hand paused for a brief moment while arranging the materials on the table. She quickly resumed her movements, but the slight tightening of her fingers revealed that Mei Lingyao’s sudden decision had clearly caught her off guard.

After some time, Xuanyan and Yanmei stood facing each other across the alchemy chamber. Two refinement platforms had been prepared opposite one another, each covered with identical sets of materials. Several trays of ingredients lay neatly arranged before them, enough to attempt refining the Ember Breathing Gu three separate times.

Yanmei had never refined this specific Gu before, but she was far from inexperienced. Over the years she had already practiced refining several other types of Gu and had studied numerous refinement techniques under Mei Lingyao’s guidance. Even if the Gu itself was unfamiliar, those techniques would still give her a clear advantage in controlling the refinement process.

For her, this test was not simply practice. It was a competition.

Mei Lingyao stepped back from the platforms, leaving the center of the chamber completely open. From a short distance away she observed the two of them quietly, a faint trace of interest visible in her eyes.

She had watched Yanmei refine pills and practice Gu refinement countless times before. Her skill, discipline, and familiarity with alchemy were already proven, so under normal circumstances the outcome of this contest should have been obvious.

Yanmei should win.

But Mei Lingyao’s gaze slowly shifted toward Xuanyan. She remembered everything Yanmei had said about him earlier—the detailed explanation of his first pill refinement, the unusual stability of his spiritual flame, and the rare control he had displayed despite having almost no formal training.

Yanmei was not someone who praised others easily. In fact, Mei Lingyao had rarely ever heard her speak so highly of another disciple because of that, Mei Lingyao was curious.

Even if Xuanyan performed poorly, she would not be disappointed. She had waited many years searching for a truly suitable disciple in alchemy and had never been completely satisfied with anyone she encountered. Yanmei had always been the most likely candidate to inherit her teachings.

But now...

Xuanyan appeared as well. And for the first time in many years, Mei Lingyao found herself genuinely interested in watching an alchemy test.

Yanmei crossed her arms lightly and looked across the platform at Xuanyan, a faint competitive spark appearing in her eyes.

"Junior brother Xuanyan, since Mother asked us to compete, we might as well make it interesting. How about adding a wager? Otherwise this duel would be rather meaningless."