Chapter 13: The Arduous Ascent and a Master’s Judgment

Before her stretched an endless flight of stairs, making it difficult for Lian Yueying to suppress a wave of negativity.

After a few breaths, Lian Yueying pushed past her weariness, taking heavy steps to continue her ascent.

[Five hundred steps, and it’s already like this. This isn’t even the beginning.]

Disciples passing by would glance at Lian Yueying, some recognizing her, but seeing her seemingly engaged in a serious task, they refrained from disturbing her.

[Body tempering is indeed important; all disciples can ascend Pine Mountain without using movement techniques. But is body tempering truly that crucial for me? What if…]

The current ordeal was painful, and with no immediate reward in sight, doubts naturally began to surface.

[No, since body tempering is a path all cultivators must tread, I cannot be an exception. Currently, my body is riddled with too many impurities; merely consuming elixirs has proven ineffective. I must first forge a robust physique to solidify my foundation. Yes! My foundation.]

The thought of growing stronger instantly invigorated Lian Yueying. She realized then that she wasn’t as exhausted as she’d imagined; moreover, the more her muscles ached, the more distinctly she perceived faint tendrils of cool energy circulating within her.

[It’s the embedded spiritual energy.]

The sensation of relief grew increasingly clear, even making the areas it passed through feel somewhat comfortable, yet with only three streams of spiritual energy, the frequency was too low, and she still had to endure the pain.

[One thousand fifty, one thousand fifty-one, one thousand…]

In a blink, she reached the one-thousandth step. Lian Yueying, who had been counting steps to distract herself, suddenly noticed the three streams of spiritual energy vanishing one by one, neither entering her dantian nor leaving her body.

[Presumably, this is part of the body tempering process, though my body doesn’t register any obvious changes.]

Similarly, Lian Yueying had long lost count of how many major and minor circulations she had completed, or how many wisps of spiritual energy she had absorbed to achieve her meager sixth level of Qi Refinement. Just as earth accumulates to form mountains and water gathers to create abysses, cultivation itself was a process of gradual accumulation.

Thus, Lian Yueying redirected the three streams of spiritual energy to circulate her cultivation technique, and after another thousand steps, they vanished once more. She paused for a few breaths, then attempted to draw in four streams, succeeding this time.

[The addition of the fourth stream of spiritual energy quickened the circulation frequency somewhat. However, the aching sensation persisted, suggesting these spiritual energies aren’t solely for relief. I wonder if the person who created this method, mimicking mortal body tempering through embedded spiritual energy, was similar to me?]

Two thousand steps, three thousand steps, four thousand steps… Lian Yueying edged closer and closer to the goal etched in her heart. Finally, upon reaching the stone slab of the five-thousandth step, she immediately turned, sank onto the stairs, and furiously massaged her legs, gritting her teeth.

She dared not look up the mountain now, for this point was not even halfway.

Lifting her head, she saw the sun hanging obliquely in the sky, and her internal estimate revealed that a full two hours had passed.

As a cultivator, Lian Yueying was undoubtedly stronger than any mortal, yet her pace was slower than even some outer sect disciples nearing the completion of their body tempering.

She let out a long breath. Suddenly, a ripple of spiritual energy approached before her. Looking down, she saw Zhao Qianqian, who had just dispelled her movement technique, stop directly in front of her.

“I heard other fellow disciples saw you here, saying you were drenched in sweat just from walking the mountain path. I didn’t believe it then, but now that I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I almost thought I was looking at a mortal.”

Her tone was thick with mockery. Lian Yueying, observing the disdain curling Zhao Qianqian’s lips, scoffed, “I wonder who it was that was just defeated by a mortal yesterday.”

“You…”

“‘You’ what? I don’t have time for your nonsense. Hurry up and gather the money, or I’ll sell your precious jade slip in a month!”

With that, Lian Yueying rose and turned to leave. Zhao Qianqian, panicking, rushed after her, declaring, “You can’t sell it! I’ll gather five hundred spirit stones very soon.”

Lian Yueying offered no reply, which only heightened Zhao Qianqian’s urgency. She darted ahead, blocking Lian Yueying’s path, and cried, “If you dare to sell it, I absolutely won’t let you off!”

Even so, Lian Yueying ignored her, and only after passing her did a single sentence drift back: “In any case, I’ll only wait for you for one month.”

These words infuriated Zhao Qianqian, making her burn with rage and want to strike, but the training grounds (TL Note: ‘Yanwuchang’, a designated area for martial arts practice and duels within a sect.) were the only place within the sect where one could engage in combat. Moreover, even after replaying her duel with Lian Yueying from yesterday, she still couldn’t confidently say she would win a rematch.

Consequently, Zhao Qianqian could only depart, seething with frustration, and Lian Yueying’s ears finally found a measure of peace.

[Thanks to Zhao Qianqian, I managed to endure that initial stretch of resuming the climb.]

Having just rested, Lian Yueying’s legs felt considerably more relaxed. Yet, upon standing again, she distinctly noticed her legs were somewhat weak, and the pain was significantly more intense than before. It was precisely because Zhao Qianqian was present that she had to pretend everything was fine.

[No resting, absolutely no resting midway.]

With one burst of effort, energy wanes, and with a third, it’s exhausted. This time, Lian Yueying only stopped reluctantly after ascending twelve thousand steps in a single push.

It wasn’t unbearable pain or breathlessness that forced her to halt; rather, her legs had momentarily lost all sensation, and by the time feeling returned, she had already collapsed uncontrollably.

[No, if I stop now, I won’t be able to move again!]

Lian Yueying propped herself up with her hands on the steps, tears mingling with sweat as they dripped down. Her entire body was already soaked through, and her shoes even left wet prints when she stepped on the ground. The gazes of passersby held no meaning for her; in her mind, there was only one objective: to reach the summit.

In truth, Lian Yueying had more than once considered using the Wind Harmony Art (TL Note: A movement technique) or a Lightness Talisman (TL Note: A magical charm that grants lightness or agility) to aid herself. However, whenever she recalled the suffering endured during the first five thousand steps, she felt that retreating now would negate all her previous efforts, so she continued to grit her teeth and persevere.

[Twelve thousand four hundred forty-one, twelve thousand…]

The final four thousand steps proved many times more arduous than the preceding twelve thousand. Circulating her cultivation technique had become muscle memory for Lian Yueying; four streams of spiritual energy would enter, and four more would be drawn in. Beyond this, nothing remained but breathing and climbing.

Disciples from all three halls had observed Lian Yueying’s ascent. Within this moderately sized sect, rumors began to spread about a climbing disciple who looked on the verge of collapse. Coupled with the various events of yesterday, different conjectures arose, broadly falling into three categories.

Punishment, cultivation practice, or complete loss of cultivation.

Naturally, many had their own affairs and wouldn’t idly gossip like mortals. Only a small fraction discussed it, some even following close to Lian Yueying to observe her actions.

[I still can’t manage five streams of energy simultaneously. It seems this method isn’t something achieved overnight… And even if I could handle nine streams at once, what then? Master said nine streams only allow for full circulation; the path of body tempering is arduous and long.]

Recalling her purpose, Lian Yueying finally found the courage to lift her gaze and look at the remaining steps.

[Body tempering, expelling impurities, solidifying my foundation… these are all hardships inflicted upon me by that old beast. Although the old beast has perished and his dao (TL Note: ‘dao’ refers to one’s spiritual path or cultivation) vanished, his disciple Qing Yan (TL Note:A character name) still roams free. He is the true culprit who caused my parents to perish in the sea of flames!]

Hatred lingered in Lian Yueying’s heart, yet it never claimed the primary position. As she gazed at the steps before her, it was as if she saw the winding path of her own past struggles.

The sun, having reached its zenith, now slanted towards the west. Lian Yueying had been climbing continuously for over five hours, pausing only to drink water and eat. What sustained her, beyond her cultivation technique, was primarily her sheer willpower. Finally, she reached the mountain’s summit.

Feeling a faint breeze at the summit, Lian Yueying had never known the view from the plaza to be so beautiful. She walked to the side and leaned against a tree, her limbs feeling numb and lifeless. Even if spiritual energy fluctuations appeared before her, she no longer cared to investigate.

“How did you get into such a state?”

The words carried three parts doubt and seven parts reproach. Looking up, Lian Yueying saw none other than Yue Yixuan, clad in white robes.

“Among all the disciples, you are the most troublesome.” With that, Yue Yixuan waved a hand, and Lian Yueying immediately floated upwards, soaring towards the other side of the plaza under the gaze of several disciples—to where the medical hall was situated.

The medical hall of an immortal sect was naturally vastly different from its mortal counterparts, yet one thing remained the same: the heavy scent of medicine. This aroma stirred Lian Yueying’s childhood memories, making her feel as though she lay in her mother’s embrace, undergoing a diagnosis in a medical clinic.

Drinking medicine was commonplace for her, and acupuncture even more so. What she found utterly unbearable, however, was the pressure applied to her acupoints; the muscle pain was excruciating, piercing to her very bones, simply intolerable.

In a haze, Lian Yueying vaguely heard a few words spoken, then found herself led to a quieter area. Someone then removed her robes, which were already drenched with sweat, and with a slight ripple of spiritual energy, she was gently lowered into warm water.

The warmth surrounding her stimulated Lian Yueying’s entire body, and the faint aches, far from being unpleasant, made her feel incredibly comfortable, even eliciting an involuntary groan.

Seeing this, Yue Yixuan rolled her eyes, then turned to the blue-robed woman beside her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a disciple so eager to advance their cultivation,” she remarked. “Yesterday, when she heard her foundation was unstable and she’d struggle to enter the path of immortality, her expression was as if someone had just killed her.”

The blue-robed woman chuckled softly. “Heh heh, weren’t you the same back then? A senior sister once told you your aptitude was mediocre and you’d struggle to achieve the Great Dao (TL Note: ‘Great Dao’ refers to the ultimate truth or principle of the universe, often sought by cultivators), and you dragged her to the training grounds (TL Note: ‘Yanwuchang’, a designated area for martial arts practice and duels within a sect.) and gave her a beating.”

“Hmph, that was over a hundred years ago. Why do you remember it so clearly?”

“How could I not remember? I was helping out at the medical hall then, and I saw you dragging that injured senior sister over. When I asked, it turned out you were the one who beat her, you know.”

“Let’s not talk about it. Anyway, that senior sister who thought her aptitude was superior to mine couldn’t even form a Golden Core (TL Note: A crystalline core formed by cultivators as they advance to a higher stage, symbolizing a significant breakthrough.), and she long ago exhausted her lifespan.”

Yue Yixuan spoke of a topic cultivators considered highly taboo with utter nonchalance. The blue-robed woman glanced at her, said nothing further, then walked to the bathing tub, extended a finger, and lightly touched Lian Yueying’s fair, delicate shoulder, a frown creasing her brow.

“Her muscles are on the verge of collapse, and her qi and blood are stagnant; she should have collapsed long ago.” As she spoke, the blue-robed woman turned back to Yue Yixuan, frowning as she transmitted her voice (TL Note: A method of communication in cultivation where thoughts are sent directly to another’s mind), “Did you give her that evil cultivation technique?”

“Evil cultivation technique? It’s one thing for the old fuddy-duddies of the Dao Alliance to be muddle-headed, but is your century-old medical dao (TL Note: ‘dao’ refers to one’s spiritual path or cultivation) as Yun Meng (TL Note: A character name) fake?”

The two held differing opinions on the matter, and several discussions had failed to reach a consensus. Yun Meng knew this method wasn’t truly an evil cultivation technique; it was simply that the Dao Alliance considered it too dangerous, a sentiment she shared.

“‘Embodying spiritual energy and shedding the mortal form’ sounds easy, but you should be the clearest on how much effort and suffering it demands along the way.”

“I am naturally clear, and furthermore…”

The voice transmission paused. Yue Yixuan shifted her gaze to the groaning Lian Yueying, then spoke aloud, “And what’s more, she’s doing even better than I did.”

Seeing this, Yun Meng understood Yue Yixuan’s meaning and sighed helplessly. “Setting aside the cost of my treatment, shouldn’t I be compensated for the medicinal herbs in that bathing tub?”

“She just came into a windfall yesterday; go ask her for it. It’s not like I made her ascend to the summit in one go.”

Yun Meng and Yue Yixuan had known each other for many years, so it wasn’t difficult for Yun Meng to detect a hint of admiration in Yue Yixuan’s tone, a sense of the student surpassing the master. Seeing Yue Yixuan turn and sweep away, Yun Meng could only offer a wry smile as she looked at Lian Yueying.

“Sigh, I truly don’t know if having a master like this is a good thing or a bad thing for you.”

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