Chapter 27: The Picky Apprentice

“Well, Rongrong, have you already learned the preliminary section of the *Divine Mechanism Hundred Severances*?”

Inside the room, the white-haired, white-robed maiden and the pink-haired girl sat cross-legged on the bed, facing each other. Seeing the girl put down the azure-blue booklet in her hands, Yun Xueshang asked softly.

“Mm! I’ve memorized it all!”

Hua Xiangrong nodded her small head vigorously, her tone brimming with excitement.

“Rongrong is truly clever.”

The corners of Yun Xueshang’s lips curved slightly as she reached out to gently ruffle the girl’s hair.

Cultivation techniques in the immortal world were often divided into preliminary, intermediate, and advanced sections, based on cultivation realms.

This allowed cultivators to progress gradually in their understanding and mastery. As Hua Xiangrong was still in the Qi Condensation stage, she was naturally studying the most fundamental preliminary section.

“From now on, this will be Rongrong’s primary cultivation technique. You must cultivate it diligently.”

“Mm, I know, Mommy.”

The girl’s eyes narrowed comfortably from the petting, her small cheeks puffed out, making her look like a lazy kitten.

‘So adorable…’

Watching the soft little girl before her, Yun Xueshang found herself reluctant to stop stroking her hair.

“Oh, Mommy, I want to learn swordplay from you. Can I?”

Hua Xiangrong, whose head had been stroked for quite some time, suddenly opened her narrowed eyes, sparkling as she looked at Yun Xueshang.

“This… of course you can.”

Yun Xueshang paused her movements, slightly surprised, then asked gently,

“But Rongrong, can you tell Mommy why you want to learn swordplay?”

The Dao of Divination was not inherently adept at offense. Those who cultivated it often supplemented their practice with spells or other skills for self-protection.

In fact, it wasn’t just divination cultivators; many in the immortal world cultivated multiple disciplines.

However, in cultivation, the greatest taboo was to be greedy and spread oneself too thin. Ordinary cultivators would dedicate a lifetime’s effort to mastering just one or two disciplines.

“Mommy thought… you would choose to learn some spells from your mother as a secondary cultivation.”

After all, paths like sword cultivation or body cultivation always demanded considerable hardship.

Most women who embarked on the path of cultivation chose the path of spell cultivation—it was both elegant and aesthetically pleasing, and it didn’t require constant, strenuous physical training.

“I am going to learn spells from Mother, but I also want to learn swordplay.”

Hua Xiangrong blinked her pink eyes, her voice full of yearning:

“Swords are so cool! Just like Mommy, you can dispatch bad guys with a few *ka-ka* moves! Spells are also powerful, so I want to learn both!”

“But learning swordplay requires enduring hardship,” Yun Xueshang patiently explained. “If Rongrong truly wants to learn, you’ll have to start from standing stance training, practicing step by step.”

“Then… are there no quick sword moves? Like simple ones you can learn easily?”

“There are none.”

Yun Xueshang gently shook her head.

[Host, I told you earlier, being a sword cultivator isn’t that easy! You didn’t believe me, even saying, ‘Yun Xueshang is the protagonist, maybe she has a way.’ Now you know, right? Just honestly learn slowly!]

099’s voice echoed in Hua Xiangrong’s mind, carrying a hint of schadenfreude.

Hua Xiangrong tilted her head, then said crisply,

“Alright then, I won’t learn swordplay. I’ll just stick to learning spells from Mother.”

[Host, where is your ambition?!]

‘What’s ambition worth anyway?’ Hua Xiangrong rolled her eyes mentally. ‘I could barely keep up with daily horse stance training before, and now I have to start with standing stance? Forget it.’

[Host, if you’re so lazy, how are we going to save the world?!]

‘I already said saving the world doesn’t depend on me!’

Yun Xueshang, naturally, couldn’t hear the bickering between the girl and the system in her mind. She simply assumed Hua Xiangrong, being a child, had given up due to the difficulty of swordplay. She nodded gently.

“Good, since Rongrong doesn’t want to learn, then learning some spells from your mother is fine.”

“Mm!”

***

“You mean, you don’t want to learn swordplay from *this one*, but instead want to learn some spells from me as a secondary cultivation?”

Hua Yan lay languidly on the couch, casually setting down the storybook in her hand. She looked up at the two figures, one white, one pink, before her.

“Mm!”

Hua Xiangrong nodded vigorously.

“Mm… not bad.”

A smile instantly bloomed on Hua Yan’s lips.

‘I never thought! I’d assumed once Yun Xueshang arrived, this girl would be clamoring to learn swordplay. Who would have thought she’d actively seek me out to learn spells?’

‘It seems that compared to that expressionless blockhead Yun Xueshang, the girl is ultimately fonder of me. My pampering her recently wasn’t for nothing!’

The red-haired maiden, with a severely misjudged estimation of her parenting skills, smiled even more smugly.

“Good, then I shall impart the art of spells to you.”

Hua Yan sat upright, her expression serious.

“Although I taught you some basic Five Element spells a few days ago, those were merely entry-level. With your physique, you can learn anything. And I—”

She lifted her chin slightly, her tone brimming with unconcealed pride:

“Not to mention Five Element techniques, I can teach you anything you wish to learn.”

“Tell me, girl, what do you want to learn?”

“Mother, can you give me some examples? Like, what kinds are there?”

Hua Xiangrong tilted her small head, blinking her pink eyes as she asked.

‘Heh, quite clever, indeed worthy of being my daughter.’

Hua Yan glanced at her, satisfied.

“Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—the five elements each have their strengths, complementing and countering one another. Would you like to learn them?”

“Too ordinary, no, no,” Hua Xiangrong shook her head.

‘Oh? Quite picky? Unwilling to be ordinary? Indeed worthy of being my daughter.’

“Then what about Wind, Lightning, Ice? These are all variant attributes, different from the basic five elements. Would you like to learn them?”

“They feel too reckless, no, no,” Hua Xiangrong shook her head again.

‘Hmm, cautious and not impulsive, indeed worthy of being my daughter.’

“What about array formations, talismans, alchemy, or artifact refining? All can trap enemies, heal injuries, or kill, with infinite wondrous uses. Would you like to learn them?”

“They don’t feel powerful enough when fighting alone, no, no,” Hua Xiangrong still shook her head.

‘…She has a lone hero complex! Such spirit, indeed, indeed worthy of being Hua Yan’s daughter!’

“Then what about sound or mental spells? They can directly attack one’s divine soul, making them impossible to guard against. Would you like to learn them?”

“They’d be useless against someone with a strong divine soul, no, no,” Hua Xiangrong still shook her head.

“You don’t want to learn this, you don’t want to learn that, what *exactly* do you want to learn?!”

Hua Yan finally lost her patience, springing to her feet with a *tseng* and yelling at her, hands on her hips.

“Um… Mother, can I… learn *all* of those things you just mentioned?”

Hua Xiangrong fluttered her large eyes, looking at her with a face full of anticipation.

“No.”

Hua Yan flatly refused.

“Although you possess the Heavens-Favored Dao Body, this physique only allows you to cultivate a little faster than others.

It’s far from enough to support you in cultivating numerous spells. Just choose one or two to master, otherwise, you’ll be greedy and spread yourself too thin!”

[Exactly, exactly! I told you this a long time ago, Host, but you just wouldn’t believe me!]

099’s voice also echoed in Hua Xiangrong’s mind.

“Then why can Mother learn so many spells?”

Hua Xiangrong remained unconvinced.

“Me?”

Hua Yan extended a slender finger, pointing to her own nose, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

“Your mother here has a naturally special constitution, just like your Dao Body. It’s something others cannot learn. Give up on that idea early.”

“Quickly, tell me, what do you want to learn?”

She urged impatiently again.

“Oh… then I’ll just learn the simplest one.”

“Ow!”

Before the words were out, the girl received a light but firm rap on the head from her mother.

“That’s for being lazy!”

Hua Yan glared at her in exasperation.

“Then it’s still the Five Elements!”