Lightning spiritual energy surged from her dantian, slowly pushing along her meridians, bringing a slight numbness with every acupoint it passed.
First major cycle, second, third... Suddenly, a low hum echoed in her dantian. The speed of her spiritual energy flow suddenly accelerated, swirling in her sea of qi before violently smashing through a barrier...
Sixth layer of Qi Refining.
She opened her eyes, exhaling the turbid air in her chest. Closing her eyes again, she guided the lightning spiritual energy to continue circulating through her meridians.
Her newly broken-through cultivation still needed to be stabilized; the remaining two days would be enough to completely solidify her foundation.
Resting on her knees, the Jinglei sword sensed its master's breakthrough. The lightning arcs on the blade crackled, as if in response.
Only when her spiritual energy had completely stabilized and returned to its proper place did she stop her cultivation technique, leaning back to lie lazily on the stone bed.
Her fingertips lightly brushed across her brow, wiping away sweat that didn't actually exist.
In her mind, she reviewed everything that had happened today: the propriety of her posture during the apprenticeship ceremony, her handling of Jinglian's testing, her grace when accepting the rewards, her tone when speaking to her subordinates...
Upon careful calculation, a few of her replies could have been more relaxed, and her expression had occasionally seemed a bit forced. It was far from perfect.
But it didn't matter. For her first time playing the eldest young lady of an reclusive great family, reaching this level was already a passing grade. She would slowly polish it next time.
She curled her lips slightly, plotting in secret.
Once she entered the Dharma Academy in three days, over a hundred new disciples would gather. As her reputation as the “eldest young lady of a reclusive family” spread, Belief Value would naturally pour in continuously.
As for swinging her sword three thousand times a day—in a cultivation world where the strong devoured the weak, what did that even count as?!
...
After cultivating diligently like this for two days, on the morning of the third day, just as dawn broke, Shen Qingci took her sword and went to the sword-practice platform. By the time the sun hung high in the sky, she had already been standing by the platform for a full hour.
Holding the Jinglei sword horizontally in front of her, the blade cut through the morning mist, each strike falling along the exact same path.
Spiritual energy surged from her dantian, pouring through her meridians and into the blade. The lightning arcs on the edge went from initial, fragmented crackles to gradually condensing into a brilliant azure glow.
By the time she reached her fifteen-hundredth swing, beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, clinging to her eyelashes and slightly blurring her vision.
She did not stop.
Her arms were sore and her palms burned, but her grip on the sword remained as steady as ever, without the slightest tremor.
As she counted to her two-thousandth swing, footsteps echoed from behind her.
Qinghe jogged up to the sword-practice platform, stopping five paces away to bow. “Senior Sister, Second Senior Sister has arrived. She is currently waiting in the cave dwelling's front hall.”
Shen Qingci sheathed her sword and raised her hand to cast a Dust-Cleansing Spell. Light green spiritual light swept from her fingertips across her hair, collar, and sleeves, instantly clearing away all dust and sweat, leaving her as refreshed as before.
She hung Jinglei back at her waist, her steps slightly faster than usual.
A moon-white figure stood in the front hall of the cave dwelling. Her tall, slender frame was wrapped in a plain robe, her narrow waist bound by a flowing cloud sash. Her long hair was loosely held up by a single white jade hairpin, with a few stray strands hanging beside her ears.
With her back to the entrance, the woman was looking down at the freshly arranged spiritual fruit platter on the stone table. Hearing the footsteps, she turned around.
Shen Qingci's gaze paused slightly.
【♡~】
The person before her had elegant brow bones, and the outer corners of her phoenix eyes turned up slightly. When her thin lips were pursed, she naturally exuded an aura of aloofness, yet the slight, natural upward curve at the corners of her mouth softened the coldness.
It was not a soft, seductive beauty, but a striking, handsome look born of exceptional bone structure, growing more charming the more one looked.
When Chi Yuan saw her enter, the coldness in her eyes softened slightly. “You must be Junior Sister Qingci?”
Shen Qingci performed a proper greeting for peers. “Qingci greets Second Senior Sister.”
Chi Yuan raised her hand to support her. “No need for such formality,” she said apologetically. “I was away on an external mission recently and only rushed back to the sect last night. As soon as I returned to the peak, I heard that Master had accepted a third personal disciple. I was unable to attend the apprenticeship ceremony, which was very remiss of me.”
Shen Qingci shook her head. “Senior Sister, you are too kind. You have been working hard outside; it should have been me who went to visit you instead.”
Chi Yuan smiled, raising her hand to take out a long, narrow ebony sword box, its surface polished smooth and warm. “A small meeting gift. It is not particularly valuable, but it is practical.”
Shen Qingci took the sword box and opened it. Inside lay two items.
One was a sword tassel. The cord was spun from hundred-year ice silkworm silk, from which hung a thumb-sized lightning-struck wood bead engraved with a spirit-gathering pattern.
The other was a thin booklet with 《A Detailed Explanation of the Basics of Condensing Qi into Astral》 written on the cover in neat, elegant handwriting. It was clearly a handwritten copy.
Chi Yuan tapped the sword tassel. “Ice silkworm silk can nurture sword intent, and the lightning-struck wood matches your Lightning Spiritual Root. Tying it to your sword daily will slowly nourish its spirituality.”
She then looked at the booklet. “This is the sword dao insights I compiled when I was at the Foundation Establishment stage, specifically explaining the basic methods of condensing qi into a sword. It is not very profound, but every step is written in detail, so you won't easily go astray if you follow it.”
Shen Qingci looked up, her gaze meeting Chi Yuan's. The latter's phoenix eyes held a gentle smile—a “thoughtful” concern from a senior sister to her junior sister.
“Thank you, Second Senior Sister.” She closed the sword box and put it into her storage ring. “This gift is exactly what I needed.”
Chi Yuan waved her hand. “Don't be so quick to thank me. There is also one from your Eldest Senior Sister.”
She took out another cloud-brocade pouch, several sizes smaller than the sword box, its opening tied with a red string. “Eldest Senior Sister went to the ancient ruins in the Northern Region for a mission a few days ago, and she won't be back anytime soon.”
“But when she heard that Master had accepted a new disciple, she specially had someone send this back through the sect's teleportation array.”
Shen Qingci received the pouch with both hands and untied the red string.
Inside lay a circular piece about the size of a copper coin. Its surface was polished bright, with a small hole in the center threaded with a durable deerskin cord.
“This is a Sword Intent Talisman,” Chi Yuan said. “Eldest Senior Sister refined it herself, sealing three of her sword qi inside. If you encounter danger, crush the talisman, and the sword qi will automatically protect you. It can repel any cultivator below the late Golden Core stage with a single strike.”
She paused, adding, “Senior Sister said that since our little junior sister is new here, in case you run into any reckless rogue cultivators, you should at least have something to protect your life.”
Shen Qingci hung the talisman around her neck. The deerskin cord rested against her collarbone, and the circular piece fell right over her heart.
Her heart felt warm...
In the original novel, Ji Lanyi was a woman of few words, cold to everyone except Chi Yuan, and had later clashed with the male protagonist, Lu Beichen, many times for Chi Yuan's sake.
Yet this Eldest Senior Sister, whom she had never even met, was actually so thoughtful toward her, the newly arrived junior sister.
“I will remember the kindness of both senior sisters,” she said, pressing the talisman over her heart with a solemn expression.
Chi Yuan leaned back against her chair, her fingertips resting on her knees as her posture relaxed. “Why speak of thanks? As fellow sisters of the same lineage, looking out for each other is only natural.”
“Speaking of which, sword cultivators have always been impoverished. Most of the spirit stones Eldest Senior Sister and I earn are poured into our bound swords. My Frostchill is a Mystic-grade High-rank sword, and the materials to temper it every month alone consume more than half of my monthly allowance.”
“Since we couldn't produce anything truly valuable, we could only send some handmade things and compiled insights. As long as you don't look down on them, Junior Sister.”
Shen Qingci spoke in a respectful tone, “The insights written by Senior Sister's own hand are more precious than any natural treasures. They cannot be bought outside.”
Chi Yuan was taken aback by her words, then burst into laughter. The laughter rolled gently from her throat with a slightly husky undertone, instantly dispelling most of her cold aura.
Rate on N.U.
