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Join the ServerThe reason Lian Yueying took on the transcription task was twofold: she genuinely needed spirit stones, and it offered her the opportunity to read extensively.
The cultivation world was vast and boundless; even the Tuoshan Sect, one of the myriad orthodox sects within the Dao Alliance, possessed but a fraction of its knowledge.
If one failed to comprehend even this mere tip of the iceberg, how could they ever hope to establish themselves in the cultivation world?
Consequently, Lian Yueying’s plan remained largely unchanged.
She would continue her transcription work in the afternoons, albeit now reserving some time for practicing her spells.
A single spirit stone for every thirty thousand characters was precisely enough to rent a spot in the Earth Fire Chamber.
Each day, Lian Yueying would depart at sunrise and not return until long after sunset.
In the blink of an eye, three more months passed in this unchanging routine.
****
Within the sect’s Earth Fire Chamber.
Lian Yueying’s right hand formed a sword-finger gesture, and instantly, two formidable wooden shuttles, imbued with boundless wood spiritual energy, materialized and hovered, slowly spinning, beside her hand.
Yet, she sighed, dispelling them.
After a moment of contemplation, she rallied, and a single, rapidly rotating wooden shuttle appeared at her fingertips.
“Still unable to conjure two simultaneously,” she mused. “Is my cultivation insufficient, or am I simply not proficient enough?”
During this period, Lian Yueying had almost completely mastered the Azure Edge Shuttle.
The small wooden shuttle, from the moment of its formation, possessed an extremely high rotational speed, and rather than weakening during flight, it would accelerate further.
Naturally, she had attempted to make the wooden shuttle continuously accelerate, but its rotational speed would stabilize after doubling.
By her calculations, the spell would reach its maximum power after just two breaths of flight.
Lian Yueying had grasped this particular aspect a month prior.
What troubled her was that, much like the Great Momentum Blade, she couldn’t conjure more than one Azure Edge Shuttle simultaneously when casting the spell herself.
Of course, this was merely her own limitation; she had personally witnessed cultivators from the Greenwood Sect unleash three Azure Edge Shuttles at once to pursue her.
“Never mind,” she decided, “I can’t figure it out for now.
Best to focus on the real task at hand.”
After three months of practice, Lian Yueying could wield the Azure Edge Shuttle with effortless precision, its spiritual energy flow as clear to her as her own arm.
It was time to attempt inscribing it onto a talisman.
The three sects each had their own rules, and thus, the methods for acquiring powerful sect spells naturally differed.
The Azure Edge Shuttle’s power lay between that of the Great Momentum Blade and the Thousand Jin Blade, making its conjuration inherently more complex than the Great Momentum Blade.
Lian Yueying concentrated fully, deliberately slowing the conjuration process as she cast the Azure Edge Shuttle.
However, her initial attempt didn’t yield much reduction in speed; she needed to keep the wooden shuttle from dispersing, requiring multiple trials to gradually bring its speed down.
After countless attempts, Lian Yueying finally managed to capture the precise conjuration process of the Azure Edge Shuttle.
The solidified wood spiritual energy first transformed into a wooden thorn, about the thickness of a middle finger and half its length.
Immediately after, the thorn began to spin.
During this rotation, the wood spiritual energy prompted vines of equal thickness to sprout from various points on the thorn, coiling around it in the direction of its spin.
As the thorn accelerated, the vines wrapped ever tighter, eventually adhering completely to its surface, forming a wooden shuttle with a distinct spiral pattern.
The sharp qi contained within the shuttle’s tip was far more acute than that of an ordinary treasure sword.
Once formed, it spun at an exceptionally high speed, further enhancing its penetrative power.
A surge of joy welled within Lian Yueying, yet she dared not relax.
She sat cross-legged on the ground, using her left hand to repeatedly conjure the Azure Edge Shuttle.
With her right, she first retrieved a spirit stone to replenish her spiritual energy, then placed a talisman paper on the ground, beginning to trace the spiritual energy fluctuations of the spell onto it.
This particular step proved the most challenging.
Inspiration often struck in an instant, demanding repeated experimentation for any chance of success, and requiring her to rediscover that spark if interrupted.
However, Lian Yueying had dedicated the most time to the Dao of Talismans, making her relatively proficient in this regard.
Although her initial foray into talismans had been because that old scoundrel wished for Lian Yueying to possess no combat power, tricking her into researching this path, by a strange twist of fate, Lian Yueying had overcome every difficult battle she had encountered thus far by relying on talismans.
Talisman papers were drawn one after another, spiritual energy injected, only for the spell to fail.
Following this repetitive process, Lian Yueying’s internal spiritual energy gradually diminished, and even when her Qi Sea was completely depleted, she still failed to draw a successful spirit talisman.
An ordinary person observing this might dismiss talismans as useless, a mere laughingstock.
Yet, Lian Yueying knew success wouldn’t come easily.
She immediately sat cross-legged to restore her Qi Sea, and after two *kechen* (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of time, equivalent to 15 minutes), she resumed the same process.
This cycle repeated until, during her third spiritual energy recovery, halfway through the process, Lian Yueying’s mind had grown numb, and her hands moved with mechanical precision.
Finally, in a flash of inspiration, she completed the spirit talisman with her right hand, injected spiritual energy, and a rapidly spinning Azure Edge Shuttle instantly appeared beside her, sweeping all remaining talisman papers into the air.
The Azure Edge Shuttle shot out uncontrollably, striking the profound iron wall directly.
It left behind a bean-sized indentation before dissipating.
“It’s done! Hahahaha! It’s done!”
In that moment, Lian Yueying’s sense of accomplishment was a culmination of all her previous failures.
She gazed at the scattered, falling talisman papers, feeling as though they were all celebrating with her.
She exhaled a long breath, smiling as she put away her brush.
Using spiritual energy, she traced the lines onto a talisman paper, and in mere breaths, a true talisman was complete.
Immediately, she injected spiritual energy, and the true talisman transformed into an Azure Edge Shuttle that shot forth, striking the wall and leaving an indentation the size of a fist.
This level of power greatly satisfied Lian Yueying.
She bounced with delight, like a child who had just eaten candied fruit, utterly belying the fact that two lives already lay on her hands.
“My thoughts are clear, so very clear,” she murmured.
Lian Yueying collected her talismans, her joy so profound she couldn’t suppress her cheerful steps.
She promptly exited the Earth Fire Chamber, handed twelve spirit stones to the disciple in charge of management, and floated away.
“Senior Sister! You gave too much!”
“Ten extra for wall repairs!”
Lian Yueying turned back, flashing a radiant, youthful smile.
It was the first time the disciple had seen Senior Sister behave this way, and he stood frozen, unaware that the spirit stones in his hand had fallen.
Stepping outside, the sun had long since set, and a brilliant full moon hung in the sky, accompanied by countless twinkling stars.
Seeing it, Lian Yueying grew even more delighted, skipping and hopping across the deserted plaza.
“The sun has vanished, the moon ascends.
The sky’s moon, a jade-white disc; on earth, Yueying smiles so grand.”
Humming an improvised tune, Lian Yueying approached the mountain path.
Today, she didn’t want to circulate her cultivation art; she wished to test the results of her body tempering over the past half-year.
Affixing a Light Body Talisman to her leg and activating the Wind Alignment Art, Lian Yueying surged down the mountain path, carried by a gust of wind.
Each leap covered hundreds of steps, and she didn’t even hear someone calling her from behind.
After she departed, a man in a Tuoshan Sect uniform approached the path, watching her swiftly descending silhouette.
A faint smile unconsciously curved his lips.
“Is that truly the same Senior Sister Lian who always wore such a sour expression…?”
This individual was none other than Senior Brother Ouyang, who had wanted to stand up for Zhao Qianqian that day.
However, rather than simply defending Zhao Qianqian, his actions were consistent with his words: he genuinely wished to spar with this Junior Sister, who seemed to possess an endless supply of clever tricks.
Ouyang Xiu had just emerged from the meditation chamber when he caught sight of an incredibly lively figure.
Only upon drawing closer did he realize it was Lian Yueying, but he hadn’t managed to speak to her.
“This Junior Sister Lian is quite unique,” he murmured. “The Lake Hall disciples who climb the mountain in the mornings have become an indispensable sight along this path, and it seems to have been this way for half a year now.”
After standing for a moment, Ouyang Xiu shook his head with a smile, preparing to turn and leave.
However, the sound of footsteps touching the ground echoed from behind him.
He looked back to see a figure, borne by a gust of wind, leaping upwards—it was Lian Yueying.
She had wanted to test how quickly she could ascend the mountain using her escape art, and she was pleasantly surprised to find she was more than twice as fast as she had been half a year ago.
This discovery further brightened her mood.
However, this cheerfulness instantly receded upon seeing another person.
“Junior Sister Lian has returned? Could it be you heard me calling out to you?”
Ouyang Xiu bowed with a smile.
Lian Yueying returned the gesture, then offered a practiced smile as she replied, “Indeed, I did not hear Senior Brother call my name just now.”
Lian Yueying’s smile at that moment held a touch of delicate, demure charm, but Ouyang Xiu already knew it was not a genuine, heartfelt expression.
“Junior Sister Lian, do you bear some grudge against me?
If I have done anything amiss, please speak plainly, for I am terrible at guessing people’s thoughts.”
‘[Why is he suddenly saying all this? I haven’t even met him… Wait, he seems to be Senior Brother Ouyang, the one who wanted to stand up for Zhao Qianqian that day.]’
“Heh heh, Senior Brother and I have never met, so how could there be any grudge?”
“Have you forgotten, Junior Sister Lian? Half a year ago, after your match with Junior Sister Zhao, I wanted to spar with you.”
‘[He’s certainly direct. It makes talking to him much simpler.]’
“Oh, so it was Senior Brother Ouyang.
My apologies, my apologies.”
“Haha, no apologies needed, no apologies needed.
I’ve observed Junior Sister Lian’s efforts over the past half-year.
Despite embarking on the path of cultivation, you haven’t forgotten body tempering, so I imagine your foundation must be excellent.
I wonder if you might have some time to spar with me sometime?”
‘[What’s this? We’ve barely exchanged a few words and he wants to fight? Is he still trying to stand up for Zhao Qianqian?]’
Lian Yueying said nothing, but a hint of scrutiny entered her gaze.
Even if Ouyang Xiu was terrible at reading minds, he understood what she was thinking.
“Junior Sister Lian, please don’t overthink it.
I simply wish to spar with you.
Today’s invitation, and that request from before, have nothing to do with Junior Sister Zhao.”
‘[Whether it has anything to do with Zhao Qianqian is irrelevant; the main thing is, I can’t beat you.]’
“Senior Brother Ouyang, you overestimate me.
I am merely at the sixth level of Qi Refinement; sparring with me would likely yield no insights for you.”
Sensing that he was somewhat stubborn, Lian Yueying gave Ouyang Xiu no chance to speak further.
She cupped her hands and added, “It is already late, and I must cultivate.
I bid you farewell.”
With that, Lian Yueying activated her escape art to its fullest, leaping down the mountain path like a fleeting shadow, vanishing from Ouyang Xiu’s sight in mere breaths.
Ouyang Xiu stood dazed for a moment, then slapped his forehead.
‘Ah, it’s truly not appropriate to discuss such matters in the dead of night.
I should invite Junior Sister Lian another day,’ he mused.
Lian Yueying, oblivious to Ouyang Xiu’s thought process, returned to her dwelling.
After inspecting her spirit talismans and confirming no one had entered her room, she happily made her way to the bedroom.
The bedroom’s layout was vastly different from half a year prior.
Lian Yueying had thoroughly renovated the somewhat cramped space.
She discarded the impractical bed, placing a meditation cushion in the center of the room.
A circle of array patterns was carved around it, with nine spirit stones positioned at each of the four corners.
Another change was that the cat, which previously only appeared when it was stuffy or when Lian Yueying had an attack, had practically become a permanent resident since the array’s activation.
Hearing Lian Yueying return, the Tabby Cat opened its eyes, arched its back, and stretched.
It then rubbed lazily against Lian Yueying’s skirt, letting out a clear ‘Meow.’
Lian Yueying smiled, crouched down to pet it, then approached the meditation cushion, sat down, closed her eyes, and began to activate the array by channeling spiritual energy.
Starting from the array eyes where the spirit stones were placed, the array patterns illuminated, surging towards Lian Yueying like flowing water.
The spiritual energy concentration around Lian Yueying instantly increased by more than threefold.
This was a basic Spirit Gathering Array.
After finishing ‘Basic Introduction to Array Formations,’ Lian Yueying had spent over ten evenings finally completing the Spirit Gathering Array, a process that also cost her nearly a hundred spirit stones.
Fortunately, her efforts were worthwhile.
Over the past six months, the time Lian Yueying spent diligently cultivating had been reduced to merely one-sixth of what it once was, yet her cultivation speed hadn’t suffered at all.
Besides the Spirit Gathering Array’s contribution, her body tempering also played a significant role.
Two months ago, Lian Yueying had become capable of simultaneously burying nine streams of qi, maximizing the effect of the Qi Burying and Body Transformation Art.
This allowed her to continuously expel impurities from her body, making her physique more translucent and thus more sensitive to spiritual energy.
Her meridians also grew tougher and wider, significantly accelerating her spiritual energy absorption.
For Lian Yueying, no amount of hardship or exhaustion mattered; she was steadily realizing her aspirations.
Having fully grasped the Azure Edge Shuttle had greatly enhanced Lian Yueying’s combat prowess.
Her pleasant mood made even her breathing and qi circulation feel much lighter.
As she calmed her mind and closed her eyes, she faintly sensed she was on the verge of reaching the seventh level of Qi Refinement.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Jinho's Story is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Jinho's Story
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