Jun Luo's voice was cool, but his expression was gentle. "If you're just starting to learn the sword, you barely need any spirit energy. It mostly places high demands on your physical condition. Since we've been refining our bodies for over a month, starting sword practice shouldn't be a problem."
Gu Ningyun's eyes lit up. "That's perfect. By the way, if I go to the Sword Hall to practice, do I need to bring my own sword?"
"No."
Jun Luo took a wooden sword from his storage bag. "For disciples visiting the Sword Hall for the first time, the hall provides a yellow-rank peak-grade ten-thousand-year peach wood sword."
Yellow-rank peak-grade was the highest tier of artifact a Qi Refining cultivator could use. According to Jun Luo, with his current cultivation, he could only unleash ten or twenty percent of its power.
"Xiaoyao really is wealthy and generous."
Gu Ningyun handed the wooden sword back to him. "I'll head to the Sword Hall this afternoon."
Jun Luo reminded her, "Remember to reserve a cultivation chamber first."
"I will."
Gu Ningyun opened the Sword Hall platform. Room 666 was already taken, so she booked Room 866.
Just as she was about to withdraw her divine sense, she saw a message notification flashing in the chat section.
She clicked on it to find a group chat named "Prosperity and Mutual Support."
Lu Heyun: I've set up a group for our Ruiyu Pavilion to make communication easier.
Yang Churan: What on earth is this group name?
Lu Heyun: You don't like it? Should I change it?
Jiang Yao: Martial Uncles, can I learn alchemy or artifact crafting without a fire spirit root?
Yang Churan: Of course you can; the sect has earth fire. However, if you don't have a fire spirit root, you should consider alchemy carefully.
Jiang Yao: Why is that?
Lu Heyun: Some pills have very high requirements for heat or temperature control, making them hard to manage. Many high-level alchemists use their own core fire or even subdued exotic fires to refine pills.
Jiang Yao: Oh, I see.
Yang Churan: Everyone, work hard this year! If we take first place in the group category for the final assessment, I'll treat you all to a feast at Yaoxian Residence.
Mu Chenze: Is that the Yaoxian Residence with branches across the Five Continents? The one known as the top restaurant in the cultivation world, where the minimum bill is high-grade spirit stones and you need to book a year in advance?
Lu Heyun: That's the one. The two of us are placing an order right now.
Mu Chenze: You're too generous, Martial Uncles!
Jiang Yao: If I don't work hard, I'll be letting my stomach down!
Wen Xuan: Let's crush those weaklings!
It felt a bit like a motivational pep talk. After thinking for a moment, Gu Ningyun added, "Go, go, go!"
It didn't take long for her turn to come at the window.
The person in charge was an outer sect disciple in white robes and a green belt. Gu Ningyun couldn't see through his cultivation, so he was likely several ranks higher than her.
"What do you need to collect, Junior Sister?"
Gu Ningyun handed over her identity jade token. "Spirit herb packs for the muscle refining stage."
"Alright, one moment."
After verifying the information on her token, the disciple brought out sixty packs of spirit herbs for her. "These were prepared by Alchemy Peak. They are body refining spirit herbs for the muscle refining stage, specifically formulated for women. Use one pack per day."
"Understood. Thank you, Senior Brother."
It was almost noon. Gu Ningyun patted her stomach and decided to return to Qixia Peak with Jun Luo to eat at the dining hall.
...
In the afternoon, Gu Ningyun followed the navigation to find cultivation chamber 866 in the Sword Hall.
This chamber wasn't much different from the one in the Technique Hall.
As Gu Ningyun walked to the center of the room, a stone ball the size of a fist floated before her. Immediately after, a sharp voice rang in her ears. "Do not use spirit energy. Lift the stone ball with one hand."
Before Gu Ningyun could react, the stone ball dropped straight down.
She instinctively reached out her right hand to catch it.
It felt heavy in her hand, much like a shot put from the sports meets in her previous life.
While she was holding the ball, wondering what to do next, the stone ball began to grow heavier. Soon, she felt her strength failing.
Her left hand instinctively moved to support her right, but she remembered the voice had said to hold it with one hand, so she held back.
To keep the stone ball up, every muscle in her body strained. Power flowed from her tensed waist to her back, then through her shoulder to her right arm.
Only when she was drenched in sweat and her right hand was trembling did the stone ball slowly become lighter before finally vanishing.
"Physical constitution meets the standard. You are eligible for a yellow-rank peak-grade artifact: a ten-thousand-year peach wood sword."
The wooden sword was similar to the one Jun Luo had. Gu Ningyun gripped it with her right hand.
The voice spoke again. "To walk the path of the sword, one must hone the blade, understand the sword's essence, and comprehend the sword's will. First, cultivate sword qi, then sword intent."
Next, a white jade slip flew in front of her.
"Follow the practice."
Recalling her experience at the Technique Hall, Gu Ningyun sent her divine sense inside to investigate.
Inside the jade slip was a golden silhouette holding a sword. Sensing her divine sense, it began to repeat a cleaving motion.
At first, its movements were very slow. Gu Ningyun could clearly see the exertion of its muscles, the way it held the sword, and the trajectory of the cleave.
Later, the speed of the cleave grew faster and faster. The sword became like an extension of its arm; the moment it raised its hand, the cleave was already finished.
Though it was a simple cleaving motion, Gu Ningyun could feel an unstoppable force from that single strike.
The silhouette only stopped when the speed of the cleave became a blur of afterimages.
Then, several lines of small golden text appeared above its head: "No spirit energy. Cleave thirty thousand times daily."
Gu Ningyun withdrew her divine sense. It seemed that just like with the techniques, she needed to be able to finish thirty thousand cleaves in a single day before she could learn the next move.
She gripped the peach wood sword as the silhouette had instructed. After simulating the silhouette's power distribution and posture in her mind several times, she swung down with a forceful cleave.
The peach wood sword cut through the air with a sharp whoosh.
The path of the sword was correct, but it felt like something was missing.
Gu Ningyun watched the silhouette again and adjusted several details.
After another cleave, it felt much better. She continued to swing again and again, adjusting each time.
By the twenty-sixth swing, her movement finally matched the silhouette perfectly.
Finally, she had it right. She hadn't practiced it wrong.
...
During the time that followed, Gu Ningyun practiced the sword by day, memorized the Almanac of Heavenly Wonders during the first half of the night, and cultivated during the late night.
Three months later, Gu Ningyun completed her final Minor Orbit and left her cultivation chamber.
Over these three months, she had mastered the four basic sword moves: cleave, thrust, slash, and smear. Now, she needed to swing thirty thousand times a day to temper herself and cultivate sword qi.
As for the Almanac of Heavenly Wonders, she had already finished the sections on spirit herbs, ores, demon beasts, rare treasures, and other essential knowledge. Only four parts remained: pill identification, array identification, talisman identification, and artifact identification.
After breaking through to Qi Refining level two, she had tempered another of the twelve primary meridians—the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming—to the same level as her Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin and the Ren and Du Meridians. She then operated her cultivation technique at full power, and her cultivation had now reached the late stage of Qi Refining level two.
She hadn't missed a single day of body refining either. She had already been in the tendon refining stage for a month.
As she walked toward the dining hall, she recalled the group messages she had seen a few days ago.
The final two mandatory courses were set for tomorrow. Today, she needed to go to the Resource Management Department on Governing Peak to collect her tools.
Thinking about the content of those two mandatory courses, Gu Ningyun couldn't help but quicken her pace, her heart filled with anticipation.
Rate on N.U.
