Song Miaozhu hadn't taken the artisan master qualification exam, nor did she plan to teach any introductory courses.
While other certified masters were busy drafting their enrollment pages, Song Miaozhu quietly listed her spiritual paper kite on her SEIU profile's shop window.
After being surrounded by a crowd the day before, she figured that many spirit merchants on the Contribution Marketplace were probably desperate for fast, remote delivery.
And she was right. The moment she put her paper kites on sale, orders flooded in like snow. Following the release pattern of Yu Lichuan's Spirit-Nurturing Jade Orbs, she carefully set the kite's stock and dispatch frequency—and made a tidy profit.
By the next afternoon, the SEIU app had fully opened its download link to the public. With real-name registration through their ID cards, anyone in the nation could now log in. Even the previously released spiritual energy research reports from the SEIU headquarters were enough to keep curious newcomers busy for a while.
The magical items in the Contribution Marketplace more than satisfied their curiosity. Locals could now find certified artisan masters through the app—those already accepting students for foundational courses. For anyone eager to ride the cultivation wave, this became the perfect gateway.
And now that real names were attached to accounts, people weren't as bold with their words anymore. Of course, it also became clear at a glance who had already unlocked their spiritual platform and developed spiritual power.
Today, Song Miaozhu's WeChat group chat was especially lively.
[Smooth as Yuanyuan]:My girl is amazing! She actually raised a spiritual item already! ヽ(★ω★)ノ
[Miaow Zhu]: I actually have another type, one that supports cultivation. It's a key item, though—only available from the Key Items Vault. (•̀ᴗ•́)و
[Miaow Zhu]: Once you've developed spiritual power, I'll gift you one. (´･ω･)ﾉ"
[Smooth as Yuanyuan]: A key item? That must be super rare! No need to gift me anything. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
[Smooth as Yuanyuan]: I'm the pride of my family now! I'm the only one who picked up a craft early enough to draw in spiritual energy. That makes me an official cultivator! (＾▽＾)／
[Smooth as Yuanyuan]: As soon as the SEIU app launched today, my parents put a million yuan into my account! （￣︶￣）↗ I'm loaded now! [screenshot]
In the screenshot, Chen Yuanyuan had 10,000 contribution points.
The SEIU app had just launched a new function that allowed users to convert RMB into contribution points, making it easier for people to book courses.
Messages from other WeChat friends poured in as well: Cheng Ziyang, Boss Wu, Wu Zhuxiang, Dai Xiaojia, Lin Jiaojiao, and Xu Xiaodan all chimed in.
[Master Cheng of the Eerie]:Master Song, thanks again for the heads-up earlier!(ᵔᴥᵔ)ﾉ
[Wu Lao'er General Merchandise Wholesale]:Master Song, what kind of craft would suit someone my age? (´-ω-｀)?
[Grandmaster Wu's Granddaughter]:Master Song, help! I couldn't grab a paper kite! o(╥﹏╥)o
[Dreamlike Days]:Master Song, the new batch of spirit paper is done. Should I send it with a paper kite or use express delivery? (￣ω￣;)ゞ
[Soft But Not Weak]:Master! You're a real master! Worshipping you~ (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
[Whispers of Spring]:Master! Why don't you take disciples?
[Whispers of Spring]: I want to learn paper crafting too! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
While replying to them, a notification popped up on her phone.
"The whole world is tagging their governments asking if Huaguo has lost its mind!"
Chinese had been the first to publicly confirm the spiritual revival. Other nations may have discovered it too, but they'd chosen to cover it up and stay silent. Now that Chinese had announced it, the secret would eventually spread.
Sure enough, it wasn't just domestic citizens talking—some foreigners had already heard about the return of spiritual energy. Views for the SEIU app's introductory craft courses skyrocketed. Once offline classes by certified masters went live, they were immediately packed. Handcrafts had become the hottest trend across the nation—and even globally.
True large-scale public cultivation had officially begun.
Although most people were only just getting started with crafts, that didn't stop Song Miaozhu from feeling a sudden surge of urgency. She had worked so hard to maintain her lead. She couldn't let the newcomers catch up so soon. She handed off chat replies to her little paper servant and threw herself back into paper crafting and cultivation.
Inside her spiritual platform space, spiritual energy gradually condensed into crimson spirit crystals as she worked.
One, two, three... when the eighth crystal finally formed, the final gap on the ninth layer of the crimson crystal board was filled.
In that instant, she felt her spiritual platform tremble slightly, and the entire space expanded.
She tried drawing spiritual power from a spirit stone into the platform—and sure enough, it wasn't just her imagination.
Where before she could only channel in a small thread from a top-grade spirit stone, now she could draw in a full, complete strand.
She kept crafting, but the newly absorbed energy didn't condense into crimson spirit crystals on the original board.
Instead, it gathered in the upper-right of the crystal board. The colorful spiritual power gradually shifted into a cool blue, forming a faint and hazy azure spirit crystal.
Song Miaozhu: "???"
Why did the spirit crystal change color?
Though it hadn't completely formed yet, its hue was clearly different from the crimson ones.
Just as she puzzled over it, her little paper servant showed a camera feed of her forehead—the red spiritual glow between her brows had turned azure, exactly like the crystal forming above the board. Song Miaozhu had no idea what was happening. But since she felt no discomfort, she put the thought aside and continued her cultivation.
Soon, she began to notice the differences.
Her spiritual platform had grown larger, and it could now absorb more energy. Yet despite the increase, she processed and refined it even faster.
Still, no matter how much she cultivated, the azure spirit crystal took forever to take shape.
Compared to crimson crystals, it clearly needed far more spiritual energy.
She crafted several grade-four paper garments, even got halfway through a Yin Paper Horse, just to gather enough energy to finish condensing a single azure crystal. If this had been crimson, she could have made at least ten by now.
Staring at the lonely little azure crystal hovering just above the scarlet board, Song Miaozhu realized something about its position looked oddly familiar.
She glanced up at the seven-colored light gate suspended in the sky of her spiritual platform. Then she looked back at the crimson board and the azure crystal.
If azure spirit crystals also formed layer by layer, then combined with the crimson ones, they would resemble a staircase.
One step, two steps... stretching upward, straight toward the light gate.
Could that seven-colored gate be the final destination of cultivation?
Song Miaozhu stared at it for a long time.
Though it was part of her own spiritual platform, she always had to look up to see it. No matter how long she gazed, she felt it just out of reach.
She couldn't get a clearer view, no matter how hard she tried.
Yet the crimson crystal board and the newly-formed azure crystal stood right in front of her—clear, solid, and within arm's reach.
Being ahead of the curve in cultivation wasn't without its downsides. Right now, she had no idea what the appearance of the azure crystal meant.
And she had no one to ask.