Gongsun Zhixue's Breakthrough

Su Qing hadn't been idle during this time; she had spent a long time preparing the auxiliary materials for refining her new clone. She just hadn't started the actual process yet, primarily because her focus had been on practicing her spells.

Spell cultivation required absolute concentration, leaving her with little mental energy to spare for refining a clone. Since both tasks demanded her undivided attention, they naturally couldn't be performed simultaneously.

Thus, Su Qing had delayed the refinement until now, only ready to begin once the spells were fully mastered and internalized.

Fortunately, because she had spent this time gathering all the auxiliary materials and clearing out a suitable space—and since the primary materials had long been ready—she could start whenever she pleased.

"If I start refining the clone now, the one in Linzhou City will have to be controlled via the Mind-Splitting Method. Although the spell hasn't reached the stage of grand completion yet, it should be sufficient..."

Su Qing stroked her chin, looking out the window as she pondered.

"Mhm, it'll be a good way to practice the spell. But just to be safe, I should inform Ao Yiyi and Hu Lin'er. I'll just have to keep a close eye on that unreliable Jin Xin."

Ao Yiyi, Hu Lin'er, and Jin Xin were the three who knew that the Su Qing in Linzhou was not her true body but a clone. Therefore, she could naturally tell them and ask them to watch for any potential mishaps.

The only one who truly worried Su Qing was Jin Xin—that unreliable girl whose head was filled with nothing but wild antics and outrageous stunts.

Su Qing wasn't sure what Jin Xin might do to her clone if it happened to "fall offline."

However, they were the only ones she could turn to, so she had no other choice. Of course, she would have to ask Ao Yiyi and Hu Lin'er to keep a close watch on Jin Xin.

Just in case!

With that thought, Su Qing stood up and went out into the courtyard. Looking at the vast expanse of white covering the mountains, she simply stretched.

She had seen the snowscapes of Changbai Mountain so many times that she had long grown tired of them.

She had come out simply to settle matters on this end so she could refine her clone in peace.

Meanwhile, in Linzhou City.

Su Qing opened her eyes inside the medical clinic. She scanned the room and, seeing Ao Yiyi and Li Yichou, called them over.

"Immortal Su? / Miss?" the two called out in unison.

They were clearly confused, unsure why Su Qing was summoning them.

Su Qing said, "Li Yichou, go and call Lin'er and Jin Xin over. Once they're here, you can go and help me buy some things."

Li Yichou found this a bit strange and didn't quite understand Su Qing's purpose, but she didn't ask questions. She simply nodded and left.

Su Qing often did things that seemed inexplicable; Li Yichou had long since grown accustomed to it. There was no point in asking too much; it was better to just follow orders.

Before long, Li Yichou returned with Hu Lin'er and Jin Xin. Once everyone was gathered, Su Qing explained the situation.

"So you're saying that from now on, Miss might... mhm, in your words, 'fall offline' at any moment?" Hu Lin'er asked, tilting her head.

Hu Lin'er had never heard the term "falling offline" before, but she gathered the general meaning from Su Qing's context.

Su Qing nodded and said, "That's the gist of it, though it's only a possibility. If it does happen, don't be too surprised. Also, help me find excuses to keep Su Qingyu and Li Yichou calm. Since they're mortals and don't know about my situation, it's best to keep it a secret for now."

Su Qing hadn't revealed her identity as an immortal to Li Yichou or Su Qingyu. She would eventually have to leave them, so it was better to maintain the secret.

Hu Lin'er nodded slightly and didn't say more, simply stating she would do her best.

As for Jin Xin, she curled the corners of her mouth into a smirk, wearing an expression as if she were watching a play. She already seemed to be planning something quite troublesome.

Su Qing hoped she was just overthinking it.

After a moment of silence, Ao Yiyi spoke up. "So, does this mean you'll have another clone soon, Sister Su?"

Ao Yiyi's question was unexpected, but it wasn't a secret. Su Qing nodded and said, "Yes! I'll have two clones after this."

"And... what do you plan to do with it?"

"Many things, but most likely I'll split my forces again to find ways to collect more Incense Power," Su Qing replied after a moment's thought.

Collecting Incense Power was the most important objective. Refining a new clone was not just to help the main body handle inconveniences, but primarily to facilitate the collection of more incense.

"I see..." Ao Yiyi nodded and stopped asking.

However, while Ao Yiyi was finished, Su Qing still had something to say to her. "Alright, now that I've told everyone, you can all go back to your business."

After she finished speaking, Su Qing used Sound Transmission to tell Ao Yiyi to stay behind, as she had another favor to ask. The favor, naturally, concerned Jin Xin.

That girl made Su Qing exceptionally uneasy. Although she might not necessarily disconnect, and Jin Xin might not necessarily take advantage of the situation, it was better to be prepared. It was better than regretting a lack of preparation later.

Upon hearing Su Qing's request, Ao Yiyi did not refuse. She certainly didn't want anyone 'taking advantage' of Su Qing either. Moreover, she didn't want Su Qing's purity to be defiled by Jin Xin. She wasn't entirely sure of her own reasons—she just felt a bit unpleasant at the thought. She didn't dwell on her motives, treating it simply as doing Su Qing a favor.

Once everything was arranged, Su Qing focused her main body on refining the new clone.

The refinement of a clone was a very long process. Much like refining elixirs or artifacts, the higher the grade of the object, the more time and energy it required. Thus, the days passed one by one.

Su Qing remained soaked in the refinement room, never emerging. In a sense, she had entered a period of secluded cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, spring arrived.

Su Qing's clone was more than half-finished; it would be ready to emerge in just a few more days. It was then that Su Qing, deep within the refinement room, suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation in spiritual energy.

Her brow twitched slightly. With a thought, she transmitted the information to her clone, instructing the clone in Linzhou City to return to Changbai Mountain to investigate.

She couldn't leave her current task, so she could only delegate it to her clone.

Fortunately, although she hadn't been very confident in her mastery of the Mind-Splitting Method, it had remained functional even after all this time. The connection with her clone had not been broken.

The clone in Linzhou City, upon receiving the instructions, gave a brief explanation to Ao Yiyi and the others before leaving the clinic and heading to Changbai Mountain.

However, as soon as Su Qing returned to Changbai Mountain, she saw the Ginkgo tree in the courtyard had somehow grown dozens of meters taller.

This Ginkgo tree was, of course, Gongsun Zhixue. Seeing this, Su Qing couldn't help but be surprised. Gongsun Zhixue had been in seclusion for a long time, during which her height hadn't changed at all. Even before that, her height had remained largely static.

Yet, during the time Su Qing had been refining her clone, she had suddenly grown dozens of meters. Anyone would be shocked by such a sight.

Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid Qi and landed in the courtyard. Once there, she realized others were already present.

Chen Nianxin was there as well, staring intently at Su Qing. She felt this person looked familiar, yet she had never seen someone with this specific appearance before.

"Stop staring. It's me, Su Qing."

"?" Chen Nianxin froze for a moment. "Aren't you in seclusion?"

At that moment, Ao Ying explained from the side, "This is Su Qing's clone, but it carries Su Qing's consciousness, so in a sense, it really is her. Only the appearance and strength are different..."

Chen Nianxin looked at Su Qing's clone with surprise, then retreated to the side thoughtfully. If this person was indeed Su Qing, it was better to keep her distance.

Su Qing was momentarily speechless as she watched Chen Nianxin retreat. However, she didn't say much, simply turning to Ao Ying. "What's going on here?"

"I came out after sensing a strange spiritual energy fluctuation in the courtyard... and then I found that Gongsun Zhixue had grown this tall," Ao Ying said, shaking her head. "So I don't know exactly what happened. More importantly, why are you back?"

Su Qing didn't hide anything and told Ao Ying the reason. Ao Ying looked at her and said, "I thought you were so deep in seclusion that you wouldn't know anything about the outside world!"

"My seclusion isn't like Gongsun Zhixue's; I still have some awareness of external events. Besides, I can't just dump everything on you all, can I?" Su Qing smiled. "After all, I am the head of the household! If there's any danger, I have to rush back immediately!"

"Hmph... fine, I won't tease you," Ao Ying said with a roll of her eyes.

Su Qing smirked and changed the subject. "By the way, you said Gongsun Zhixue grew this tall after the spiritual energy fluctuation?"

Ao Ying nodded. "Yes. She was very quiet for a long time before this, with no special changes. I don't know what happened, but she suddenly shot up like this."

Hearing this, Su Qing looked up at the towering Ginkgo tree and stroked her chin. She said, "Perhaps she broke through a bottleneck, and now her strength is advancing by leaps and bounds? After all, she's been in seclusion all this time."

Su Qing hadn't forgotten the item Guihua had given her. Guihua had said it could help Gongsun Zhixue break through her bottleneck; after all this time, it was finally taking effect. Thus, it wasn't strange that her strength had surged and her form had changed after the breakthrough.

"I just wonder if she can come out of seclusion now that she's broken through," Su Qing thought to herself. "Also, has she reached the Earthly Immortal realm yet?"

Su Qing was very curious about Gongsun Zhixue's status. If her main body were here to perceive it, she could likely figure out the exact situation. Unfortunately, only her clone had returned, and its strength and divine sense were far inferior to her main body's.

Seeing Su Qing staring at the Ginkgo tree, Ao Ying asked, "So, what should we do?"

"Nothing. We'll just wait and see... then we'll adapt to the situation," Su Qing said with a shrug. "Cultivation is Gongsun Zhixue's own business; we can't help her. At most, we can provide a safety net."

Ao Ying didn't argue further, simply nodding. "In that case, Leng Xiang and I will go prepare dinner. Yudie, Ying'er, you two stay with the clone and don't wander off."

"Okay~" The two girls sounded a bit dissatisfied, but they didn't dare refuse.

Su Qing's side had become much quieter lately, as Chao Yan had been taken back by Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Red Boy had returned to Water Cloud Cave to manage her little demons. As for Liu Jingyue, she had returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain.

However, it wasn't as if they would never return. Once they were free, they would surely visit Changbai Mountain again.

"You two don't actually have to stay with me... go play with Chen Nianxin!" Su Qing knew these two couldn't sit still, so she gave them an out. Upon hearing this, the two girls beamed, gave Su Qing a tight hug, and then scurried off to find Chen Nianxin.

Watching someone break through a realm was interesting enough, but the waiting period was dull for them. Su Qing, however, was quite patient; she had long grown used to waiting. This little bit of time was nothing to her.

She sat in a chair and waited quietly. She didn't need to worry about Linzhou City, as Ao Yiyi and the others would handle things there.

By evening, Su Qing suddenly felt that the clouds in the sky seemed off. She opened her eyes and looked up.

A Lightning Tribulation was coming. However, the target wasn't Su Qing, but Gongsun Zhixue.

"It looks like she's about to break through to the Earthly Immortal realm. This girl's talent is truly impressive, reaching the Earthly Immortal realm so quickly," Su Qing remarked with a sigh.

Of course, Gongsun Zhixue's rapid progress was due to both her talent and her environment. Changbai Mountain was, after all, a branch of the Ancestral Vein. For a tree demon, cultivating here was incredibly advantageous. Furthermore, now that the Bodhi Tree was no longer competing with her for nutrients, it was only natural for her cultivation to advance so rapidly.