[Congratulations on surviving the crisis involving three Foundation Establishment realm cultivators.]
[You have received 63 Attribute Points.]
"Oh wow…" Xu Qingxian exhaled sharply, stunned.
His eyes lit up as a genuine smile spread across his lips.
The number of attribute points he received was far beyond his expectations. Silently, he began analyzing the situation in his head.
'Previously, I received ten attribute points from surviving the attack of a first-stage Qi Condensation evil spirit. If my guess is correct, surviving a crisis involving Foundation Establishment realm cultivators grants me twenty points.'
'Since two of the assassins were at the first stage of Foundation Establishment, that's twenty each. The third was at the third stage of Qi Condensation, so that brings in twenty-three. That adds up perfectly.'
Xu Qingxian's eyes gleamed with a calculating light as he came to this conclusion. He felt confident that his reasoning was correct.
At this, a pleasant wave of surprise washed over him.
'How convenient.' It seemed the attribute allocation system had already been thoroughly analyzed and was operating with absolute precision.
Xu Qingxian shifted his focus to the system interface to review his current stats.
[Host: Xu Qingxian]
[Cultivation Techniques: Basic Sword Technique, Starlight Sword Technique; Basic Qi Gathering Technique, Qi Nurturing Technique (Incomplete)]
[Attribute Points: 112]
[Allocate Attribute Points to techniques?]
[Yes / No]
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Just from a single ambush involving three assassins, he had already crossed the 100-point mark. Should he lure in more enemies? But how could he do that?
A dangerous thought began to bloom in Xu Qingxian's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.
After a moment of hesitation, he clicked on "Yes."
His sword technique was already sufficient for now, so he chose to allocate 64 attribute points to the Qi Nurturing Technique.
[Basic Qi Gathering Technique: Qi Nurturing Technique (Incomplete)]
[Do you wish to allocate 128 Attribute Points to evolve the technique further?]
Seeing the large number, Xu Qingxian shook his head and closed the tab. His current attribute points had now decreased to 48.
Suddenly, a vast amount of information surged into his mind. Xu Qingxian's eyes widened slightly as the depth and complexity of the Qi Nurturing Technique began embedding itself into his consciousness.
Although he didn't achieve a massive breakthrough from the upgrade, he had begun to faintly grasp the concept of manipulating his Qi to possess certain elemental properties.
Normally, only those born with an innate elemental core had the potential to manifest such abilities. With that core, their affinity with specific elemental techniques was vastly superior to others.
But now, the Qi Nurturing Technique was subtly introducing these concepts without any requirement for an innate elemental core.
Xu Qingxian was stunned. He turned to glance at his now pitiful 48 attribute points. It was unfortunate and insufficient to grasp the concept fully.
'Given a day or two, I should be able to gather enough attribute points again,' he thought. Rather than feeling discouraged, Xu Qingxian was filled with excitement and anticipation for what lay ahead.
Placing those thoughts aside, he sat cross-legged and resumed his cultivation.
Time passed slowly. The cold stillness of the palace gave way to morning.
After having a light breakfast, his attribute points increased to 58. Then, without wasting time, he returned to cultivation.
His progress had become extraordinarily rapid. With nearly fifty dantians now formed, he was already on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.
'Catching up to that demoness, one step at a time,' Xu Qingxian praised himself silently, but refused to become complacent. He continued to cultivate with focus and determination.
By afternoon, Xu Qingxian slowly opened his eyes. He sensed a different presence approaching the door. This wasn't just Lin Fan. Moreover, the second aura felt strangely familiar.
Xu Qingxian frowned thoughtfully, trying to identify the person.
He didn't have to wait long. Soon, two figures stepped into the cold palace.
"Young Master!" Lin Fan entered first, bowing respectfully before stepping aside, allowing the second person to enter.
Seeing her, a soft smile bloomed on Xu Qingxian's lips.
"Brother!" Xu Jiaojiao cried out joyfully and leapt into his arms.
The scent of dandelions clung to her clothes, subtle yet invigorating. Xu Qingxian embraced her lightly, feeling the warmth radiating from her body.
"Does Sister miss me that much?" he teased with a smile as he gently rubbed her head.
"Brother, you're going to mess up my hair," Xu Jiaojiao grumbled, still clinging to him.
Chuckling, Xu Qingxian ruffled her hair once more.
Xu Jiaojiao laughed brightly and said with genuine joy, "Brother, I missed you so much."
The siblings remained in each other's arms for a moment before Xu Qingxian slowly pulled her away.
"Don't tell me you've already fallen asleep," Xu Qingxian said with a soft chuckle.
Xu Jiaojiao pouted, then asked, "Brother, how are you doing?"
Xu Qingxian paused briefly, his gaze drifting toward the spot where he had burned the three assassins. The wind had scattered their ashes long ago, leaving the place looking sterile, cold, and eerily clean.
"You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself," Xu Qingxian replied with a reassuring smile.
Xu Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes, studying him intently. "Are you sure about that?"
Xu Qingxian nodded without hesitation and shifted the conversation.
"Tell me, where have you been these past few days? You had me worried."
At his question, a cold glint briefly passed through Xu Jiaojiao's eyes, but she quickly masked it with a smile.
"I just went out to hunt some demon beasts. It's nothing serious," she said lightly.
'It can't be that simple,' Xu Qingxian thought to himself. He could sense that something was bothering her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"How's Mother doing?" Xu Qingxian asked, his voice quiet but curious. Since arriving in this world, he hadn't met his mother even once. It struck him as negligent and unfilial not to ask about her sooner.
The moment the words left his lips, he noticed a flicker of worry pass across Xu Jiaojiao's expression.
'Something's wrong…' Xu Qingxian's thoughts churned. This situation was far from normal. Turbulent undercurrents seemed to ripple beneath the surface. Could something have happened to the mother of this body?
He couldn't say exactly what was wrong, but his instincts told him things were far more complicated than they appeared. He sighed inwardly. Being transmigrated into the royal family truly came with its own set of headaches.
Noticing that her brother had grown suspicious, Xu Jiaojiao quickly changed the subject.
"Brother, guess what? The king has decided not to execute you anymore. Aren't you happy?" she asked playfully, a wide grin lighting up her face.
Xu Qingxian's expression froze, his eyes widening. The king had agreed not to execute him?
That couldn't be right.
From what Xu Qingxian knew, the king never went back on his decisions unless there was something significant at stake.
Just what had Xu Jiaojiao done to make the king change his mind?