The cultivation world was never short of genius seedlings, cases like foundation-building at ten or a Golden Core at sixteen numbered more than a score.
But from zero foundation to the ninth layer of foundation-building in a mere half-month—
A cultivation speed this terrifying was, quite simply, unheard of in the cultivation world.
“We meet again, Nephew-disciple Little Yun.” Shuo Yunhuai greeted her with a smiling squint.
Not just Shuo Yunhuai, whom she’d only seen the night before, but also the healer-cultivator Fang Cheng.
One had his eyes closed, taking her pulse to examine her body, the other propped his chin and studied her closely.
And there was Xie Wuwang, sitting to the side watching her, brows faintly knit.
Yun Xiu felt like a giant panda on display. She ducked her head and murmured a greeting to Shuo Yunhuai.
After examining her a good while, Fang Cheng opened his eyes. “Nothing serious. It’s just that her realm rose too fast, so her body may not adapt well and develop spirit-energy overflow syndrome. My advice is not to rush into core-formation, stabilize the cultivation and lay a solid foundation.”
Shuo Yunhuai agreed. “Right, she hasn’t learned a lick of swordplay yet. If she forms her core now, when the heavenly tribulation comes she won’t be able to handle it.”
“Sometimes too fast isn’t a good thing.”
Fang Cheng said this, then turned and scolded Shuo Yunhuai with some annoyance: “You dared feed her some thing of unknown origin. Weren’t you afraid something would go wrong?”
Shuo Yunhuai let out a long, drawn-out “aiya.” “Well, I ate it too.”
He pointed at Xie Wuwang as if passing the blame, blinking innocently. “He ate it too.”
Fang Cheng glared at him. “The two of you and her, is your cultivation anywhere near the same? Lucky it turned out fine. If it hadn’t, let’s see how you’d have explained yourself.”
In short, the group pinned the cause of her overly rapid cultivation increase on those few lotus seeds from the manifestation. They’d set a seal upon her spirit meridians, and only once she’d cultivated to a certain degree could she break through the seal and thereby form her core.
Half a month of doing nothing and she’d gone from zero to the ninth layer of foundation-building. Yun Xiu had the sense that *she* was the real Long Aotian.
She was suddenly filled with confidence, maybe she really could defy the heavens and rewrite her fate in a scant two and a half months!
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west, don’t sneer at a poor young girl!
And so, brimming with self-assurance, Yun Xiu grabbed her little wooden sword and followed Xie Wuwang up to the summit of Luoxue Peak to practice.
Day One.
Yun Xiu climbed the mountain twice, ran ten laps around the spirit lake, swung her sword ten thousand times.
That day she was worn to a limp dog, went back to the little courtyard, and dropped straight into sleep.
Day Two.
Yun Xiu climbed the mountain twice, ran ten laps around the spirit lake, swung her sword ten thousand times.
That day she was worn to a limp dog, fell asleep face-first on the way back, and was retrieved to her nest by Xie Wuwang.
Day Three.
Yun Xiu climbed the mountain twice, ran ten laps around the spirit lake, swung her sword ten thousand times.
That day she was worn to a limp dog, dropped asleep right on the spot, and was retrieved to her nest by Xie Wuwang.
Day Seven…
Yun Xiu stretched a trembling, shaking hand out from her quilt, deployed *that* move, and put on a pitiful voice: “M-master, I’d like to request a few days off. My guǐshuǐ (period) has come, and it’s not really convenient to practice.”
The white-robed young man at her bedside regarded her with a bland gaze. “I’d assumed you’d more or less adapted, and meant to add a training item today. Since you’re unwell, we’ll train another day.”
Yun Xiu: “…”
Did she look anything like someone who’d adapted?
Still, she could finally rest a few days. Yun Xiu hugged her cushion and was about to shrink back into the quilt when she saw the white-robed young man calmly produce a few books.
“Since you can’t practice these few days, and you’ll only be idling in the courtyard, this is the perfect time to study some spell-arts.”
Yun Xiu: !?
Tonic, my foot!
“Start with the blue-covered one, from the most basic, practical spell-arts. Turn to page thirteen and read this chapter.”
Yun Xiu leafed through the book and ventured feebly, “Um, Master… don’t you have business to go out and handle lately?”
Just a few days ago he’d still needed to take sect missions to earn spirit stones, yet this whole week he’d been training her on Luoxue Peak.
The white-robed young man’s tone was placid: “Not lately.”
As he spoke, he suddenly set the book down and walked out the door, returning two minutes later carrying an exquisite delivery food box, which he set on the table.
A dazzling array of dishes, plus fresh fruit that clearly brimmed with spirit energy.
Yun Xiu’s eyes lit up in an instant.
Although she had no idea where he was getting the spirit stones, her meals this week of training had gotten better and better, she was surviving day to day on food alone.
Under Yun Xiu’s blazing gaze fixed on the dishes, the white-robed young man lightly cast a spirit-energy barrier to keep them fresh, then picked up the book and said calmly:
“Finish reading this page before you eat.”
Yun Xiu: “…”
Damn him! How does he know the teacher’s trick too?!
Fortunately Xie Wuwang retained some shred of humanity, considerate of her being on her period, he only had her study half a day before letting her rest properly.
Yun Xiu, face pale, collapsed onto her little bed, not wanting to move so much as a finger, let alone summon the energy for game work.
It was too painful. As Long Aotian, shouldn’t she learn things in one go? How was it that she’d bitten her tongue three times reciting an incantation and still hadn’t got it?
She did genuinely want to slack off and rest, but the period was real too, her belly did ache.
Sleeping in her outer robe was uncomfortable. Yun Xiu peeled it off, wearing only a thin inner garment, hugged her cushion, and curled up on her side.
She’d only just eaten not long ago, yet Yun Xiu felt hungry again, spirits listless.
There was also an indescribable feeling, restless and uneasy. These past days she’d inexplicably wanted more and more to get close to Xie Wuwang, when he’d been teaching her the hand signs just now, she’d nearly failed to stop herself from grabbing his hand.
Yun Xiu held out a while longer, then fished out that box of lotus seeds.
Not many left, only a dozen or so.
Shuo Yunhuai had told her not to eat them for now, they might break through the seal.
But the white lotus seeds before her held an unusually strong pull on her. Just smelling their fragrance, it was as if all the blood in her body churned, urging her to eat them.
After staring at the lotus seeds a long while, Yun Xiu abruptly snapped the box shut.
No. She couldn’t cause Xie Wuwang more trouble.
Yun Xiu shrank back into the bed. Remembering she’d been too busy practicing swordplay these days to log on, she fished out the black glazed mirror, and just looking at his name made her want to go feral.
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【Big bro, whatcha doing?】
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【What have you been so busy with these days? Why haven’t you come to talk to me in so long, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all about me.】
Of course she knew what he’d been busy with these days, busy putting her through devil-training. She just didn’t know what he’d gone off to do this time.
The other party didn’t reply.
Truly a flower on an unreachable peak.
Yun Xiu kept sending.
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【Has big brother found someone else he likes? Is that why he’s ignoring me?】
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【I get it, I understand. I’m Plan B, I’m option (e), I’m a sword-cultivator’s practice dummy, I’m the spare button on a shirt, I’m an unimportant thing that can be tossed aside anytime.】
Ten more minutes passed, and still no reply from the other side.
Aching belly and all, Yun Xiu indignantly hammered out text.
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【If big brother keeps ignoring me I’m going to get angry!】
300-Yr-Old Innocent & Super Gullible: 【When I’m angry I’m capable of anything!】
Xie Wuwang: 【Is something the matter?】
Yun Xiu tapped: 【Can’t I look for you just to chat if nothing’s the matter】
【Big brother, how’s your thinking coming along on that earlier matter?】
Xie Wuwang: 【I’ve never had such an experience before, so…】
Yun Xiu was all understanding: 【No experience is all the more reason to try it! Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll teach you how to be in a relationship.】
【First step: every morning when you get up, we send each other a “good morning,” and before bed, a “good night.”】
Xie Wuwang: 【I don’t sleep.】
Yun Xiu: “…”
Yun Xiu wasn’t discouraged: 【Then I’ll send them to you.】
Yun Xiu: 【Next, every day you tell each other what you did today, any interesting things around you, and share with each other.】
Xie Wuwang: 【For the coming year I’ll be teaching my disciple swordplay, so I won’t have time to share.】
Yun Xiu: “…”
Don’t say something that terrifying in such a breezy tone!
Yun Xiu typed weakly: 【That’s okay, then I’ll share with you.】
She added slyly: 【But big brother, practicing sword every day is too grueling, you have to leave yourself time to rest. Balancing work and rest is the best way to cultivate.】
Xie Wuwang: 【It’s not grueling. I only observe.】
Of course it’s *her* who’s grueling!
Yun Xiu rolled over, propped her chin on the soft cushion, and suddenly grew a little curious about what image she cut in his eyes.
【Big brother, what’s your disciple like? Is she noisy?】
She thought a moment, then sent another line: 【I hear your disciple’s caused you a fair bit of trouble lately, beat up the son of Qianyue Palace’s Palace Master right after joining the sect. Don’t you dislike her?】
Unexpectedly, at these words the other party went silent, and didn’t reply again.
Yun Xiu stared for a while and waited out no message. Drowsiness welled up, and she slowly drifted off.
She slept muddled and heavy.
When she heard movement nearby, her eyelids were too heavy to lift. She barely cracked them open a sliver and saw the white-robed young man part the vines and sit at her bedside.
He called her softly.
“Yun Xiu, get up and drink your medicine.”
Groggy, Yun Xiu caught the scent of medicine, mingled with the cool white-sandalwood fragrance on him, and her restless, agitated mood settled all at once.
She slowly propped herself up to sit and saw the medicinal decoction in the white-jade bowl in his hands.
A little puzzled, she lifted eyes clouded with a blur of mist. “What medicine is this? My allergy’s already better, isn’t it?”
“Four-Substance Decoction.”
Xie Wuwang gently skimmed the spoon over it. “You looked pale, so I asked Fang Cheng. This medicine is for women on their period, it replenishes blood, nourishes qi, and eases the pain.”
Yun Xiu started.
Xie Wuwang paused. “My apologies. I don’t know much about these things, I shouldn’t have forced you to study spell-arts at such a time. Rest well these few days.”
Something complicated stirred in the depths of Yun Xiu’s heart, like a small pebble dropped into a placid lake, sending out a ripple.
She blinked quickly and took the medicine bowl. “It’s, it’s fine, it doesn’t hurt that much.”
Besides, she knew why he was so anxious to have her cultivate.
Her skills couldn’t keep pace with her realm, if one day she suddenly broke through the barrier and formed her core, she wouldn’t even survive her tribulation-crossing.
Watching Yun Xiu finish the medicine, her pallor easing somewhat, Xie Wuwang took the bowl from her. “Sleep. I’ll be in the study, if you feel unwell, call me.”
Yun Xiu gave a small nod. “Mm.”
The study was converted from her room, the chamber on the other side had been fitted with a desk and bookcases. From her angle, through the crane-and-branch screen, she could faintly make out the young man walking over.
Xie Wuwang sat down at the desk, lowered his eyes to the glazed mirror in his hand, a chill glinting in his gaze.
This person had made contact with Yun Xiu before, and now suddenly bringing all this up was plainly ill-intentioned. From her tone, she still seemed to bear hostility toward Yun Xiu, wanting to sow discord in their master-disciple relationship.
Xie Wuwang: 【You may as well speak plainly. What is it you want to do?】
After three to five seconds, a line came through from the other side.
【I want to pin big brother down on the bed and kiss him.】