Three days later.
Outside the mountain gate of the Yunxiao Sect, Gu Yanqing stowed his flying sword and walked back along the familiar mountain path.
This excursion had gone considerably smoother than he had anticipated.
The Scarlet Flame Crystal Marrow was in his hands, and Shen Wanwan and Fang Shouyi had smoothly reached the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range as well.
As for where they went afterward, that had nothing to do with him.
Before returning to the sect, he had paused for a brief while in the market at the foot of the mountain.
He had restocked some pills needed for cultivation.
He just hadn’t expected to run into an acquaintance in the market.
When that figure walked past through the crowd, Gu Yanqing didn’t even recognize her at first.
Only when she stopped in front of him, tilting her head and studying him for a good while, did he become certain.
It was that amnesiac girl. Compared to their last meeting, she had changed quite a bit.
She had changed out of her original tattered clothes.
Now she wore a light green wide-sleeved dress. Though still simple, it was at least clean and tidy, making her look no different from an ordinary cultivator.
The expression on her face was no longer as lost as before.
Though she still seemed somewhat naive, she could at least interact with people normally now.
She stared at Gu Yanqing for a moment, then suddenly reached out.
Smack.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
?
The girl just looked at him like that.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
...
Gu Yanqing looked down at the hand resting on his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
The girl blinked.
“Greeting you.”
“Who taught you that?”
“Others.”
She thought about it for a moment, then added:
“I saw that when they meet, they pat each other on the shoulder.”
Gu Yanqing fell silent.
It seemed she had begun to gradually learn how to interact with people.
“How have you been lately?”
The girl nodded. “Not bad.”
“Changed your clothes too?”
“Mm.” She looked down at her dress. “The old ones were too ragged; people kept staring at me.”
“Not with this one.”
Gu Yanqing gave a slight nod.
“That’s good.”
The girl looked into his eyes.
“What about you?”
“I just returned from outside.”
“Oh.”
Quiet settled between them once more.
Gu Yanqing hadn’t known what to say to her in the first place, and seeing that she didn’t seem to have anything going on, he prepared to take his leave.
“Then I’ll be going.”
Yet the girl suddenly asked:
“Will you come back?”
Gu Yanqing paused and turned back to look at her.
The girl seemed to realize her question was a bit strange. She lowered her head, thought about it for a long time, and finally said, “Never mind.”
He didn’t think much of it and merely smiled.
“Of course I will.”
...
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking at the door pulled Gu Yanqing back from his memories.
By this time, he had already returned to his courtyard.
He stood up and opened the door.
A familiar figure stood outside.
The woman wore a red dress, a hint of a smile gracing her features, while her aura was far deeper than before.
Gu Yanqing could tell at a single glance.
Mid Golden Core.
It seemed Jiang Yinglan truly hadn’t slacked off during this time.
“Yo?” Jiang Yinglan eyed him up and down. “Junior Brother Gu is back?”
“Not long ago.” Gu Yanqing stepped aside. “Does Senior Sister Jiang need something?”
Jiang Yinglan waved her hand. “Nothing major.”
“Just came to let you know that the sect is preparing to hold a disciple tournament.”
“A tournament?” Gu Yanqing raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Mm,” Jiang Yinglan nodded. “It’s a sect tradition, held basically every few years.”
“Eligible disciples are entered by default. Of course, if there are extenuating circumstances, one can apply in advance for an exemption.”
She held up two fingers.
“This time, it’s mainly divided into two arenas.”
“The Foundation Establishment arena and the Golden Core arena.”
“As for Qi Refining disciples, there will also be a smaller arena, though not nearly as grand—mostly just for newly inducted disciples to practice.”
Gu Yanqing nodded. “And the rewards?”
Jiang Yinglan immediately broke into a smile. “I knew you’d ask that.”
“The top three in the Foundation Establishment arena will be rewarded with a Rank 3 spirit pill, high-grade spirit stones, and a Rank 3 artifact, respectively.”
“The Golden Core arena is even more generous.”
“First place gets a Rank 4 Realm-Breaking Pill, as well as an opportunity to enter the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion to select a cultivation manual.”
Gu Yanqing’s eyes flickered slightly.
A Rank 4 Realm-Breaking Pill.
Such an item was quite a fine reward for Golden Core cultivators.
Especially the opportunity to enter the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
As for the Yunxiao Sect’s Scripture Pavilion, he had only ever been to the first and second floors; the third floor had strict restrictions on ordinary disciples.
Jiang Yinglan continued, “It’s scheduled for two months from now.”
“This will give you just enough time to prepare.”
Gu Yanqing pondered for a moment.
Two months wasn’t particularly short.
Still, he didn’t harbor any particular ambitions right now.
If he participated, so be it. He would go as far as he could.
“Understood. Is there anything else, Senior Sister?”
“Nope.”
Jiang Yinglan turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps.
“Oh, right.”
She looked back at Gu Yanqing.
“This tournament isn’t just about the rewards.”
“Quite a few elders within the sect will be watching.”
“Especially the Golden Core arena. I heard several senior brothers who have been in seclusion for years are planning to come out this time.”
Gu Yanqing nodded. “Understood.”
Only then did Jiang Yinglan nod in satisfaction. “Then I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Mm.”
The door shut once more.
Standing inside the room, Gu Yanqing thought for a moment before temporarily pushing the matter to the back of his mind.
There were still two months left.
Let nature take its course.
He would cultivate however he needed to cultivate.
As for how far he could ultimately go...
He would simply do his best.
...
Cold Water Valley.
Snow had fallen throughout the night.
The following morning, the entire valley was unnervingly quiet.
Heavy snow blanketed the cliff walls and valley floor, while a distant frozen waterfall solidified into a colossal, silvery-white curtain.
Wind swept through the depths of the gorge, stirring fine flakes of snow to swirl in midair.
Beside the cold spring.
Lin Zhixue sat cross-legged. She had been sitting there for a very long time.
A thin layer of frost and snow had gathered upon her shoulders, the tips of her hair, and even her eyelashes.
The Guilan Sword rested horizontally across her knees.
The spiritual energy within her body circulated slowly.
She didn’t deliberately circulate her cultivation method, simply allowing the spiritual energy of Cold Water Valley to enter her meridians bit by bit, to be slowly refined by her own spiritual energy.
Her aura was now far steadier than when she had first arrived.
Mid Foundation Establishment.
Several days had passed since her breakthrough.
Yet she was in no hurry to leave.
Because she knew well that opportunities like this to settle her mind and temper herself were rare.
What’s more...
She still had one unfinished task.
Lin Zhixue slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon the cold spring.
The milky-white spring water continued to flow quietly.
Over these past few days, she had been continuously adjusting her condition, all to make another attempt at absorbing the power within it.
Right then, faint footsteps approached from a distance.
Lin Zhixue looked up toward the cliff face not far away.
There was no one there.
Yet she knew someone was there.
Sure enough, a moment later, a tall figure emerged from the shadows behind the cliff wall.
It was Su Qinglian.
She was still dressed in a simple, dark-colored dress, her ink-black hair cascading to her waist.
The two locked eyes across the snow.
Lin Zhixue withdrew her gaze, her tone calm. “You seem to watch me from over there quite often lately.”
Su Qinglian gently ground the snow beneath her toes.
Lin Zhixue continued, “Is something the matter?”
Su Qinglian fell silent for a moment. “Nothing.”
She looked up at the snow-filled sky. “I just don’t have much to do every day, so I came to check on you.”
Lin Zhixue’s fingertips stroked the scabbard of the Guilan Sword at her waist, a hint of surprise welling up within her.
She clearly hadn’t expected such an answer.
After a moment of silence, she looked down at the Guilan Sword in her hand.
...
She hesitated briefly. “Could you spar with me for a bit?”
Su Qinglian looked at her.
“I want to see whether my current swordsmanship can actually be used in real combat.”
Su Qinglian did not refuse. She gave a slight nod. “All right.”
The two walked over to a relatively open patch of snow.
Lin Zhixue drew her sword first.
An aqua-blue sword light illuminated the snowy veil.
First form.
Second form.
This time, there was no longer the distinct hesitation between the two forms.
Her sword momentum flowed continuously, like water cascading down a cliff face.
The sword in Su Qinglian’s hand was drawn as well.
Two sword lights intersected.
Clang!
Blade clashed against blade.
The snow beneath Lin Zhixue’s feet was blasted away in a circle.
Instead of retreating, she seized the momentum to spin and deliver a horizontal slash.
Su Qinglian stepped aside to evade.
The blade skimmed past her sleeve.
She riposted with a backhand strike, and Lin Zhixue raised her sword to parry.
In just a few breaths, the two exchanged several moves.
Neither mobilized much spiritual energy.
It was more of a probe between sword techniques.
Lin Zhixue gradually realized that Su Qinglian’s sword was very unique.
Though they were clearly the simplest of moves, every strike landed in just the right position.
It was as if she already knew where the next strike would come from.
After several more exchanges, Lin Zhixue suddenly withdrew her sword. “Wait.”
Su Qinglian stopped as well.
Lin Zhixue looked at her. “Are you injured?”
Su Qinglian was silent for a moment. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Two months.”
Lin Zhixue furrowed her brows slightly. “That long?”
“It’s much better now.”
Lin Zhixue looked at her for a moment before sheathing the Guilan Sword. “Then let’s not practice.”
Su Qinglian did not speak. She simply stood in place, looked at Lin Zhixue for a moment, and then sheathed her sword.
“All right.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the shadows beneath the cliff wall.
Lin Zhixue silently watched her retreating figure.
Only when that silhouette completely vanished did she look down at the Guilan Sword in her hand.
Although the exchange just now had been brief, it was already enough.
She could feel that her cultivation over these past few days had not been in vain.
Especially before a true sword cultivator like Su Qinglian, she truly realized that her current swordsmanship, compared to several days ago, was completely different.
Rate on N.U.
