That afternoon:
At the main peak of the Heavenly Sword Sect, on the dining area’s stone platform.
The senior brothers convened the 1st Heavenly Sword Sect Seminar: .
Attendees: All disciples currently present in the sect.
Session Chair: Shen Qingchen.
Secretary/Minutes: Gu Chenguang.
Topic of Discussion: Where does the money come from?
As the Chief Disciple, Shen Qingchen spoke first: “The fact that Little Junior Sister possesses a Chaos Spiritual Root must be kept strictly confidential.”
Su Ning raised his hand: “I agree! If other sects outside find out about this, they’ll fight to the death to snatch her away.”
Yan Chuan: “What’s most concerning is that someone might not want such a genius to emerge in our Heavenly Sword Sect and secretly strike from the shadows.”
Murong Zhuo: “So we must stay low-key—low-key, and lower key.”
Gu Chenguang was already writing down in his notebook:
Non-Disclosure Agreement:
Shen Qingchen looked at me: “Starting today, in front of outsiders, you are merely an ordinary Five-Elemental Spiritual Root.”
I nodded: “Understood.”
He then looked at everyone else: “Internally, we must conserve resources as much as possible.”
Su Ning raised his hand: “We can’t afford Origin-Nourishing Pills, what should we do?”
Silence.
Yan Chuan spoke up timidly: “How about… body tempering first?”
Murong Zhuo’s eyes lit up: “Right! Body tempering can also consolidate one’s origin! Although it’s slow, it doesn’t cost money!”
Gu Chenguang jotted it down in his notebook: Body cultivator entry stage, cost = 0.
Shen Qingchen nodded: “Then we shall proceed with that.”
And so…
The 1st “Fu Pin Support” Conference of the Heavenly Sword Sect came to a successful conclusion.
Core Resolution:
No money to buy Origin-Nourishing Pills.
Therefore, rely on body tempering.
…………………………
The next day:
Thus, my tragic body-tempering career officially began.
In the morning at the hour of Mao (5:00 AM–7:00 AM), before the sun had even risen, my senior brothers were already waiting at the platform.
Su Ning handed me a wooden sword: “Use this first.”
I took the sword—it felt very light: “What are we practicing today?”
Murong Zhuo: “Horse stance.”
So I assumed the stance.
After fifteen minutes, my legs began to shake.
After thirty minutes, my legs felt like two strips of noodles.
After forty-five minutes, I suspected my legs no longer belonged to me.
Su Ning cheered from the side: “Hold on! The first step of a sword cultivator is stability!”
Yan Chuan: “If the foundation isn’t solid, the earth shakes and the mountains tremble!”
Murong Zhuo: “Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above the rest!”
Gu Chenguang pulled out his notebook and recorded diligently:
Little Junior Sister’s Horse Stance:
— Duration: Forty-five minutes
Status: Near Death
— Note: Can still hold on for a bit longer
Me: “…I hate you.”
Gu Chenguang didn’t even raise his head: “Train even if you hate me to death!”
……………………
In the afternoon.
Shen Qingchen taught sword moves.
There was only one single movement.
Thrust.
I thrust a hundred times.
My hands were trembling.
My legs were trembling.
My whole body was shaking.
Shen Qingchen said expressionlessly: “Thrust another thousand times.”
Me: “Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Hmm?”
“Did you train like this when you were little too?”
“Hmm.”
“For how many years did you train?”
He thought about it for a moment: “One hundred and ten years.”
My pupils experienced an earthquake: “You started cutthroat grinding right after birth?!”
He nodded: “Clutching a wooden stick at one year old, I started thrusting.”
I shut my mouth.
And continued thrusting.
By the time I finished a thousand thrusts, the sun was setting.
I slumped onto the stone, drained of all my strength.
Yet strangely enough…
Although my body was exhausted,
My mind felt completely grounded and at peace.
………………………
At night.
Taking a medicinal bath.
Gu Chenguang walked in carrying a large wooden tub.
Inside the tub was deep-brown water steaming hot, giving off an indescribable stench.
I covered my nose: “What is this?”
Gu Chenguang introduced it seriously: “Body-tempering medicinal bath. The recipe was conveniently copied by First Elder from the Beast-Taming Sect. Originally meant for strengthening the bones and muscles of spiritual beasts, it’s also effective for Qi Refining stage cultivators—main selling point is cheap and effective.”
I looked at that tub of water in silence.
A few suspicious-looking tendrils were floating in the water.
Along with something that looked suspiciously like a scale.
Gu Chenguang pulled out his little notebook: “Medicinal bath cost: 100 low-grade spirit stones. Remaining inventory balance: 5,000.”
I sighed.
Took off my shoes and stepped in.
And then…
“BLEAH—!”
I clung to the edge of the tub and threw up, tears and snot streaming down together, the stench so overpowering my soul almost left my body.
Su Ning pinched his nose and poked his head into the cave entrance: “First time Little Junior Sister’s soaking, right?”
Yan Chuan: “Yep.”
Murong Zhuo: “You’ll get used to it.”
Shen Qingchen walked past, silently stuffed a piece of candy into my hand, and then walked away briskly without changing his expression.
I soaked in the medicinal potion with tears welling in my eyes.
Is this… the path one must take to become a genius?
This stench—even if a genius came, they’d have to throw up!
Three days later.
I and broke through into the mid-stage of the Qi Refining Stage in one go.
However, as my senior brothers looked at the surrounding spiritual energy that had thinned out, their expressions were complex.
Su Ning exclaimed in awe: “The cultivation speed of the Chaos Spiritual Root… is terrifying indeed.”
Yan Chuan nodded: “Reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining in three days… even Eldest Senior Brother couldn’t achieve this speed back then, right?”
Shen Qingchen said calmly: “I took three months back then.”
Murong Zhuo lamented: “So this is the gap between a genius and the daughter of the Heavenly Dao?”
Gu Chenguang warned anxiously: “But the consumption of spiritual energy is also terrifying. If she continues cultivating like this, we’ll have to set up a Spirit Gathering Array.”
Shen Qingchen became solemn: “Little Junior Sister, you must control your cultivation speed.”
Me: “Why? Isn’t faster better?”
Shen Qingchen: “Fast is great, but if it’s too fast, your foundation won’t be solid, and it’s easy to suffer a qi deviation (fire-devil possession). Moreover, if your cultivation level rises too quickly, it will attract unwanted attention.”
Me: “Oh.”
Shen Qingchen: “Starting today, you can only cultivate for two shichen (four hours) each day. The rest of your time will be spent consolidating your cultivation, tempering your body, and practicing sword techniques.”
Me: “…Alright then.”
A genius’s dilemma: Not being allowed to cultivate too fast.
Sigh.
…………………………
And so, my daily routine became:
Although it was tough, it was very fulfilling.
Besides, my senior brothers treated me really well.
Su Ning combed my hair every day, though it always turned out crooked and he often pulled out a few strands of my hair.
Yan Chuan cooked delicious food for me every day. Even though the staple food was always steamed buns, he would steam them in all kinds of fun shapes: square, round, triangular, and even in the shape of little bunnies.
Murong Zhuo taught me characters every day. His handwriting was as handsome as his looks, which made my handwriting look even more like chicken scratch by comparison.
Gu Chenguang prepared the medicinal baths for me every day. Though the bath stank, he would throw in a few flower petals each time, saying, “This way it smells a bit sweeter.” As a result, it smelled like a mix of stench and fragrance, which was even worse.
Shen Qingchen supervised my cultivation every day with meticulous care, but whenever I was exhausted, he would silently hand me a piece of candy.
It was the cheapest kind bought from the foot of the mountain—hard enough to break a tooth, but very sweet.
I grew to like this place more and more.
I liked this dirt-poor yet warm and welcoming sect.
I liked these senior brothers who, despite wearing shabby patched clothes, had bright and clear eyes.
I even started to feel that living in a mountain cave was pretty nice—warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
The steamed buns were quite fragrant too, and they kept me full.
As for the medicinal bath… well, the bath was still horribly stinky, but after soaking in it, it felt genuinely comfortable and my whole body felt completely relaxed.