“You should first comprehend it on your own and note down whatever you do not understand. Once A-Yuan returns, she will guide you further.” She paused slightly, her expression growing a bit cooler. “In any case, it is not as if you lack Earth-grade sword moves!”
Shen Qingci was momentarily choked up by these words and said anxiously, “Master! I...”
Jinglian raised her hand, not letting her youngest disciple continue.
“Very well.”
“I am not angry with you.”
She knew very well that the one she blamed was not A-Ci.
She was vexed with herself.
Her cultivation had been stuck in place for a hundred years. When her youngest disciple underwent her tribulation, she could only hover in midair and watch helplessly.
This feeling of powerlessness had been weighing on her chest for several days.
“However, when you break through to the next realm, A-Ci, it is best to make preparations in advance.” Jinglian's tone softened, stripping away all her majesty, leaving only a gentle warning. “A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.”
“The phenomenon of your Foundation Establishment has caused a sensation throughout the entire Azure Cloud Sect, and the matter of the twelve tribulation lightning bolts cannot be hidden. For the next few months, keep a low profile, lay low, and solidify your cultivation.”
“If you leave the sect in the coming days, you must tread carefully and prioritize caution above all else.” Once she finished speaking, before Shen Qingci could respond, Jinglian's figure vanished from the quiet room.
The quiet room fell silent. An evening breeze swept through, carrying the damp chill of the mountain drizzle.
Standing in the room, Shen Qingci instantly understood her master's thoughts.
Her master was not blaming her for being reckless.
Rather, her master was vexed at her own weakness.
Having suffered damage to her Dao foundation back then, she had remained stagnant at the mid Soul Transformation stage. Now, she even had to be constantly anxious when her youngest disciple underwent a Foundation Establishment tribulation, terrified that she wouldn't be able to protect her.
On the day of the tribulation, high above Yunqi Cave, Jinglei had actively blocked her master's path.
But what if Jinglei hadn't stopped her?
Her master truly intended to use her Soul Transformation body to withstand the backlash of the Heavenly Dao.
Shen Qingci buried her face in her hands and rubbed it vigorously. When she raised her head again, all her emotions had been completely reined in.
With a flip of her hand, she retrieved the Gold Card “Nine Heavens Cloud Realm” stored in her system space.
The mountains and rivers depicted on the card were even clearer than before, with several faint golden lines running through the miniature peaks, resembling newly formed branches of spiritual veins.
She projected her divine sense into it for a brief moment before withdrawing it.
Its territory had indeed expanded to a circumference of a hundred and ten thousand miles, extending outward by a full ten thousand miles. The change had occurred exactly at the moment she broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Her gaze fell upon the words “Heaven-grade Mid-rank,” lingering on them for a few seconds.
She had heard of the existing Heaven-grade artifacts in the cultivation world, but those items were not even on the same level compared to the Nine Heavens Cloud Realm.
It was a self-contained minor world, complete with its own spiritual veins, mountains, and rivers. Its newly awakened consciousness had automatically recognized her as its master, and it could grow alongside her.
This could hardly be considered a mere artifact; it was clearly an independent world that had not yet fully formed.
She could not help but feel that this grade classification was just something System Mom had casually filled in to humor her.
On second thought, she put the Gold Card away. Since the system was deliberately refusing to reveal everything, asking further would be futile.
The actual functions of the item itself were more than enough.
Shen Qingci called out softly, “Shadow One.”
Shadow One emerged from the darkness, bowing her head as she awaited orders.
“My cave dwelling was destroyed this time. Since Hanzhou's quarters were right next to Yunqi Cave, separated by only a stone wall, she must have been affected as well.”
“Peak Master Shi is currently arranging the reconstruction of the cave dwelling. Go and deliver a message to Hanzhou, letting her choose the style of her residence. Since she will be staying here long-term, she might as well live comfortably.”
“Eldest Young Lady,” Shadow One said. “Hanzhou does not lack a place to stay.”
Shen Qingci: “???”
“Ever since she began comprehending sword intent under Peak Master Jinglian, Hanzhou has benefited immensely. Out of gratitude, she volunteered to remain on Wanjian Peak as a sword dao instructor.”
“She has a cold temperament, teaching only sword moves without any idle chatter, which has actually made her highly popular among the female cultivators on the peak.”
“After her cave dwelling was reduced to ruins, over a hundred female cultivators sparred with one another just to compete for the chance to have Hanzhou stay with them,” Shadow One said, sharing the subsequent details.
“Before I came to report, there were still several rounds of sparring that had not yet reached a conclusion.”
Hearing this, Shen Qingci could not help but picture over a hundred senior sisters of Wanjian Peak clashing in battle, all just to compete for “who gets to let Hanzhou stay in their cave dwelling”!!!
She recalled the indifferent, emotionless face Hanzhou had when they first met, and contrasted it with these sword-obsessed senior sisters of Wanjian Peak.
She suddenly felt that this instructor job was not bad at all. At least, compared to her former role as an Enshrined Guardian, Hanzhou seemed much more lively now.
“Let her make her own decision. She can stay with whoever she feels comfortable with. If none of them suit her, she can buy a private residence in the market city, and the expenses will all be billed to my name.”
“Understood.”
Shen Qingci brushed aside her stray thoughts and projected her divine sense into her dantian.
Her early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation had already stabilized. Her master was right; the next few months were best spent keeping a low profile and lying low.
She could use this time to ponder the Seven Styles of Awakening and plan her arrangements for attending the Gu family's birthday celebration.
...
Shen Qingci stayed in the west wing's quiet room until the third day.
On the first day, she had blasted a hole in the wall, which a miscellaneous disciple came to repair once. On the second day, she tried to guide lightning arcs through her meridians and ended up scorching a mark onto the stone couch.
When the miscellaneous disciple returned, his face was entirely devoid of surprise. He simply asked if Senior Sister Shen wanted to switch to a quiet room that could withstand the sword qi of a Golden Core cultivator.
Shen Qingci readily agreed and moved to the innermost room of the west wing.
The four walls had a pale green tint, and the stone was infused with thousand-year meteoric iron ore, sounding dull and heavy when tapped.
The miscellaneous disciple mentioned that this room was originally prepared for Golden Core disciples to go into seclusion. The Eldest Senior Sister had used it for a while after forming her core, and it had been left vacant ever since.
“Thank you, this one will do.”
The miscellaneous disciple bowed and withdrew.
Shen Qingci sat cross-legged on the couch and took out the recording stone her master had given her.
Injecting her spiritual energy, a phantom projection unfolded within her sea of consciousness.
Her master used her finger as a sword, breaking down her Seven Styles of Awakening move by move, starting from the opening stance...
The first style, “Golden Dawn Breaking Through Clouds,” drew upon the intent of rising metal sharpness. The sword blade swept upward from below, its edge as brilliant as the break of dawn.
The second style, “Thousand Blades Tearing the Vault,” was a horizontal sweep, where Metal-attribute spiritual energy transformed into thousands of sharp blades that tore through the sky...
The third style, “Sun-Piercing Firmament Slash,” was a downward strike from the air, concentrating all the sharpness into a single point to pierce through any surface.
Shen Qingci was completely absorbed, her right hand unconsciously mimicking the movements.
Her master's sword intent followed an upright and grand path, broad and powerful. Every single move carried the majestic aura of a Soul Transformation Metal-attribute sword cultivator.
However, she possessed a Lightning Spiritual Root, and lightning spiritual energy was naturally several times more violent than other attributes. Blindly copying her master's style might not be suitable.
She put away the recording stone, closed her eyes, and focused her mind.
The purple cyclone in her dantian spun slowly, sending streams of lightning spiritual energy through her meridians and into Jinglei through her fingertips.
The sword blade vibrated violently, and the lightning patterns lit up.
Opening stance, upward sweep.
Jinglei spun half a turn in her palm, its edge tracing an arc. A purple light flashed on the blade, and then the spiritual energy cut off!!!
Again!
Opening stance, upward sweep.
The spiritual energy reconnected, but the arc went crooked.
The hundred and eighth opening stance, upward sweep... The arc was straight, the purple light condensed without discharging, but the sword momentum dissipated halfway through...
Shen Qingci remained patient.
The Seven Styles of Awakening was an Earth-grade Mid-rank technique. It was already extremely difficult for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to comprehend the very first move.
She practiced over and over again, stopping to adjust her breathing after every ten repetitions. She broke down and pondered her mistakes, continuing to practice only after she had figured them out.
Rate on N.U.
