— You mean moving objects without touching them, right? Telekinesis, that's what you call it? — Ting thought for a moment, taking some time to finish eating the slice of cake she held. After taking the last bite, she placed the utensils in Noah's spatial bag. She swallowed. — I'm not sure, it's something that comes naturally after reaching Qi Foundation, just like when you first flew upon forming your foundation. Try to remember how you felt when you opened your eyes after creating your dantian, maybe that will help you understand.

  — How did I feel? If it's about the Qi Foundation specifically, I didn't have that experience.

  Releasing one arm from her waist, Noah raised his hand trying to recall the supposed "feeling," using as a reference what he felt when his foundation was fully established.

  I can't replicate it... He clenched his fist. Well, it's not really something I could put into words, it just... happened?

  — You didn't? So what happened then? Did you go straight to the Golden Core? — Ting's smile faded and reversed as she noticed Noah seemed to confirm that senseless idea with his silence instead of laughing at her joke. — ...Are you serious...? How?

  — I'm not sure. Maybe it was this body or the massive amount of Qi the half-dragon blood contained, letting me skip the initial stages and jump straight to the higher ones. Personally, I believe it's both.

  — So your ignorance isn't just due to your short time in this world, but also thanks to the rapid progress you experienced? Even so, half-dragon blood... — Resting on his chest, Ting raised her head, looking at him. — You're at too low a stage for someone who absorbed all the blood from such a creature, aren't you? And the way you talk is strange, like this isn't your real body either.

  — Well, my cultivation was actually limited.

  — Limited? — It didn't take long before she reached a conclusion, ending up looking at the interface beside her. — I see...

  — I advanced too quickly and ended up not forming my foundation, even though I was already in the final stages of Foundation Establishment in terms of Qi quantity, so that's why this happened. Now, about the body, — he hugged her, resting his chin on her shoulder, — I wanted to leave everything behind when I came here, so the system let me create a new one. But I guess it didn't change much, I still remember everything after all...

  His hand on her stomach trembled when these last words were spoken, and Ting touched it. She smiled playfully. — So you weren't as handsome as you are now?

  — Actually, I believe you would like my previous looks more, since I didn't have these eyes.

  — No... — She looked at him. — Despite everything, I think they're very beautiful. I’d rather you stay this way.

  After adjusting her position on Noah's lap, Ting closed her eyes. Along with the sound of their joined heartbeats, she kept hearing the noise of lightning surrounding the place as she continued to rest a little longer.

  Meanwhile, Noah picked up one of the copper coins and tossed it to a distant corner from where they were.

  Hmm, telekinesis is interesting, but... maybe it's better to try looking for an alternative first? Something that might also turn out to be more useful than the simple ability to move objects...

  He extended his hand towards the coin.

  Between air and water, if I'm to follow the same formula I used to create the Thunder God, water would be easier to achieve. But maybe it wouldn’t be most useful in dangerous situations. Cutting off a possible opponent’s oxygen would be interesting and, if not possible, surrounding them with as much CO2 as possible would have the same effect. But...

  Qi built up near the reddish coin in such large amounts that Ting opened her eyes to check the situation.

  I think it would be more interesting to have the ability to control gravity. Qi-wise, I wonder how much energy that would take.

  — What are you doing?

  — Trying to replace telekinesis with something different.

  Condensing, the Qi reduced the area it spread to as it became increasingly visible. You no longer needed to be able to sense it, any being could see it interacting with the surrounding environment in a perfectly natural way.

  For a moment, Noah saw the space around the condensing sphere ripple.

  Is it working?

  He clenched his fist more tightly and quickly, wanting to see the result when it was fully closed.

  A crack sounded and the ground near the sphere split. The coin was sucked into the energy mass and disappeared instantly. Rocks floated up.

  — Trying to replace- That’s way too much Qi, you’re going to kill us! — After seeing the bluish glow flicker and start to be replaced by a dark, heavy tint, the void, something pulling the environment toward itself, Ting lowered Noah’s hand, ending the energy combination. She frowned, turning to confront him. — What exactly were you trying to create?

  Avoiding her accusatory glare, he turned her by the waist. — Gravity...? — His voice lacked confidence, even though he was sure Ting wouldn’t know what that meant.

  — Don’t use terms from your world. — She tried to pinch the arm that was around her, but failed. His body was too tough for her fingers to affect.

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  — In short? It's what keeps us walking on the ground, what gathers the waters in the oceans, and what makes things fall when dropped in the air. — Noah looked at the ground ahead, analyzing it. — But, apparently, I overdid the energy...

  — Oh, you think? And what makes you think that, exactly? The broken floor, or perhaps the fact that even the stove was being pulled by that thing?

  Looking to the side, he observed the marks left by the cauldron being dragged. — We almost lost all our herbs. — Ting continued, slipping out of his arms and standing up. She turned to the herbs. — What would you have done if I hadn’t been careful to hold onto them?

  — ...Sorry. — He got up. — I didn't think Qi could be that strong, you know it takes a lot of energy to make a black hole?

  — No, I didn't know. And don’t do that again if there’s anything important nearby.

  — Alright, I-

  — And don’t hug me. Instead, go check the other herbs.

  He froze with his hands reaching toward her. Straightening up: — Right...

  I guess it's better to try with water and air for now... Noah decided.

  [Absolutely.]

  — And stop whispering behind my back!

  [I didn’t do anything.]

  And I did?!

  Noah looked at the interface, then went on to check the other herbs as Ting shot him a frown. She sighed as she saw him avert his gaze.

  Of all the herbs, only three suffered significant damage, those closest to where the incident occurred. They were rendered unusable, having been crushed and twisted. The rest suffered only minor damages, mostly to the leaves and petals, which were only superficially wrinkled.

  Rising, Ting gave the herbs a final glance. — Will they still be enough to make the pill for the girl? — she turned and walked over to Noah.

  — Yes, but... — she opened his arms and sat in his lap, wrapping her own around his waist. — You’re not angry anymore?

  Leaning back against his chest, she crossed her arms. — I wasn’t angry. I just won’t congratulate you for doing stupid things. How could you do something like that without thinking of the consequences?

  — I didn’t think it would work. I thought even if I tried hard, I’d still not have enough energy for any result.

  — Hmm, I hope you learned something from this.

  — Yes, that I can do more than I thought I could... — Raising her face, she looked at him intensely. — And that I need to be more careful from now on, — Noah continued, then kissed her forehead.

  Ting turned forward and started playing with her palm on his stomach, scratching to hear the unique sounds it made. She wanted to get back to alchemy, but her body was still trembling. She needed a bit more time to recover the energy lost.

  Tossing another coin ahead, Noah then extended his hand towards it, making Ting watch alertly. — What are you going to do now? — she promptly asked.

  — Don't worry, nothing dangerous this time... I think... I'm going to try with air now, so even if something goes wrong there shouldn't be major problems.

  — With air... So why don't you create a cultivation technique, since you're going to do something like that? If someone has a greater affinity with Qi of that attribute, you could give them the technique.

  — Qi attributes? But if we focus on that, I'd have to make techniques for the other attributes too... I think I'd rather have them use the lightning technique and make the effort to change the nature of their veins. In the end, the result will be the same.

  — You say that because you didn’t feel the pain that causes. — Ting shuddered remembering the sensation she felt when she tried using the Thunder God's technique while they were creating it. It was like her body was being destroyed by lightning inside her. Her test didn't last more than an instant, and she gave up, leaving Noah to test the technique's efficacy alone. — Even if your crazy idea to turn the nature of veins works just like the technique, if that pain is the consequence, it's too much. I don't think many people could bear it... I don't know if anyone could.

  With her eyes wide open, Ting paid close attention as she saw the coin dance on the floor while some strands of her hair moved with some difficulty.

  Is this... wind?

  A slightly stronger breeze swept around her and the coin jumped from the floor.

  — Well, alright, if that's what you want. But then, what's the nature of your veins?

  — Mine? No, you don't need to worry about that. — Smiling, Ting called for the system and the interface changed, displaying the options at high speed. She stopped, revealing a technique. — I’ve already found a technique I plan to practice.

  — End of Times Flames, a technique that lets you cultivate flames capable of consuming the world. I see, a divine technique. But over forty trillion points...where are we going to get all that?

  The smile faded as Ting looked down at her palm on her belly. — I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet. We’ll figure it out later.

  Kill...

  She still remembered the answer the system gave her when she asked about ways to earn more points while taking a bath. But she refused to truly consider it. She didn’t want to reveal it, fearing Noah would do it.

  Such a low scoring method makes our life seem nothing more than a game. But, indeed...

  Raising her gaze, she watched the coin drifting ever more naturally ahead.

  For a being capable of creating such a system, perhaps that's the truth.

  — I think that's enough for now. — The coin shot into Noah's hand and he stored it. — You're still recovering, right? Can I try once alone while you rest?

  Ting nodded and, moving his arm aside, prepared to stand up. But Noah held her by wrapping his arms around her again. — Where do you think you're going?

  — I'll just get in your way if I stay here, so... You'd rather I stay, I get it. But are you sure you'll be able to focus if I do?

  — No, but I'd rather take the risk.

  — Alright, — she leaned back, sighing, — but there's no need to hold me so tight, I’m not going to run away.

  Darkness lit up his palm and leapt into the cauldron. In the next instant, the herbs followed. Ting recognized the recipe before seeing the result, as those were the same type of herbs she'd chosen before. The feeling during preparation, the aromas, everything was the same. Then, the rest of the liquid jumped out of the flask beside them, shooting into the furnace. With the touch of Noah's palms, heat surged outwards and spread through the environment. The flames extinguished.

  — Did it work?

  In the midst of the smoke, something emerged from the furnace, but it was not a pill. — No, looks like I used way too much water. — It was a liquid substance struggling to hold together. Noah put it into the empty vial.

  [This only changed the appearance of the pill, the properties are the same.]

  — Really? — Noah took Ting’s scarred hand and gently spread some of the warm liquid on her skin. He waited for results and, when they came, said, — Yep, it’s still working...

  He wore a silly smile as he watched the scar slowly shrink in size. When the progress stopped, he kissed Ting's palm. — Now you can store the pill without any trouble.

  Smiling, she nodded, her chest feeling warmer than the spot on her hand where the hot liquid had been applied.