The sun dipped down the horizon as the night finally claimed the sky
"It hurts..." Xiaomaō whined as she dragged herself to her room
"Elder Lin is really strict..." Li Hua complained as she limped
They had just finished a grueling sword training session under Elder Lin. Hours had been spent practicing basic stances, footwork, and repetitive sword swings. Muffled groans and grumbles followed the tired group towards the residence building.
"My arms feel like they'll fall off," Chen Lili muttered, flexing her fingers stiffly.
"My legs won't stop shaking," Liu Juan grimaced " She made us do that same swinging drill for three hours straight!"
Serene old man offered a small, knowing smile. His voice was calm.
"Indeed," he replied. He looked at their tired faces. "I have recently gained insight into the mysteries of cultivation, a path to understanding the Dao.Do you… wish to hear it?"
His offer was unexpected,
Insight into cultivation mysteries? For us? What? Why?
It was Xiaomaō who found her voice first. The offer of cultivation insight was too valuable to refuse. "Yes, Senior! We do!" she answered eagerly, Song Fen and Zhang Ziyan nodding quickly behind her.
A flicker of something unreadable crossed the old man's face. He simply nodded.
And then, without a sound, the serene old man with the horsewhip simply vanished. One moment he was there, the next he was not. He was simply gone.
Disciples stared at the empty space where he had stood, then at each other. Confusion showed on their faces.
"What... just happened now?" Li Hua whispered.
"Who was he?" Liu Juan asked, her voice hushed.
"Was he... a spirit?" Chen Xue'er suggested nervously.
"Whatever that was weird " Song Fen brushed it off and left
XXXX-XXXX
Later at night
XXXX-XXXX
"Haaa", Xiaomaō sank onto her mat, her muscles aching. Her eyes settled on the manual near her mat.
It had started just like any other day she had gone into the woods to gather herbs and snakes, and there had met three kidnappers and got kidnapped rather forcibly
Three days later she ended up in this sect as a disciple somehow... it was all so strange even so her mind felt restless.
Spirit herb she has access to spirit herbs those rare unique herbs that can be used to make potent miraculous medicines
Her old man had a few in their store but being a mortal he lacked the means to refine them so they usually ended up getting sold
'I wonder if father is eating well... maybe I should ask sect master permission to go see him but first-'
She picked up one of the manuals detailing the Spiritual Rain technique.
'I need to learn this properly and cultivate that radish well !!!'
For a seventeen-year-old girl, she had farsighted thinking, but she still had one thing she couldn't hold back. Curiosity. Thirst for knowledge especially for Poisons, herbs, medicine and alchemy
To her this opportunity was like a gold mine she could learn more about these mysterious spirit herbs,how to process them and even about the various poisons you can extract and make
But as her gaze settled on the first page, something unexpected happened. The characters seemed to shimmer, lifting off the page.
"Huh ? What is happening ?"
then the knowledge flowed directly into her mind. It was a flood of understanding, bypassing the usual process of reading.
Her mind absorbed it, comprehending it thoroughly, grasping and understanding the concept easily
She gasped, the manual almost falling from her fingers. She sat up, her mind buzzing with an overwhelming, innate understanding. It was as if the technique, the Spiritual Rain technique, had been learnt and practiced a hundred times
"..." Xiaomaō blinked then with a very cat like grin the picked up the other two books
"sneak ,sneak" Xiaomaō quietly sneaked out of her room and made her way to the inner yard of their residence building, a small space with grass growing in it
Her hands moved, forming the handsign she knew for the earth Sculpting technique
First plough the earth
She felt the Earth Qi respond. The patch of earth she targeted subtly shifted and turned under her will.
Then water the plant
Above the patch of earth, a small cloud gathered, and a gentle rain fell onto the dry soil.
Finally make it grow
She neared a cluster of grass and used the technique. She felt the Wood Qi within her connect. Energy flowed from her palm into the grass. The grass visibly perked up, their leaves darkening as they grew a bit taller in the moonlight
'It worked yes now I just need to find a pot for this radish '
Leaving the inner yard, Xiaomaō walked down a long hall, heading towards the part of the residence building that housed storage areas. The building was quiet.
As she walked, approaching that section of the hall, she passed a door to a room nearby. From within, a faint sound reached her ears. A strange, scraping, scratching noise, followed by a low growling. It was unsettling.
'What is that? It doesn't sound like any animal I know. Is someone hurt? '
The sounds seemed to come from that nearby room. Curiosity overcame her sensibility
'I should take a look '
XXXX-XXXX
"A spirit ship?! Wow! It's so big!" Xiù Feng clapped her hands together, peering at the vessel with bright, eager star eyes.
Chu Xingchen had returned in the evening after a short visit to some friends and bought back a spirit ship
For all her acting as a mysterious ancient cultivator Xiù Feng immediately turned into a kid as soon as she saw the ship
The said spiritual ship hovered in the air. in the air. It was sleek, crafted from spirit wood and metal alloys, its hull lined with glowing energy patterns. It floated effortlessly.
'I have a ship! a real ship!! now I just need a goat figure head and a jolly roger and I will sail the seas to become the King of pirates !' She dreamed happily flying around the ship
"Where did you find this ship daoist Chu?" Lin Hua asked looking at the ship
"A group of master shipbuilders owed me a favor from… a past incident. They insisted I take this as repayment." Chu Xingchen lied
[Generosity Recognized!]
[You have generously donated a spirit ship to the sect]
[Feedback 20X !
Obtained Cloudstrider Spirit Warship
Features: Emerald Tortoise Shell Protective Array, Luxurious Quarters, High-Efficiency Wind Protection Array, Nine Heavens Lightning Striking Offensive Array ]
'Another ship? The System's rewarding my generosity for giving them my ship? This warship is definitely superior to the previous one'
"And actually," Chu Xingchen added, turning back to Sect Leader Xiù Feng and Elder Lin, "This is just a token, the shipbuilders are making another grander vessel as a gift. It's high-grade, so it will take them a while longer. We can expect it… eventually."
"Really !?" Xiù Feng exclaimed 'not just Merry I am getting Sunny too ?'
"Sect leader !" suddenly, a figure appeared running across the courtyard from the direction of the residence building.
"Sect Leader! Elders! It's… it's Song Fen! She's possessed! By a demon! And… and Xiaomaō… Xiaomaō is still in the room with her!" Liu Juan arrived shouting
"What !?" Xiù Feng half dropped off the master
She just started a sect and the demons are already attacking it !?
"Hisss" A cold fury settled in Xiù Feng's gut. "How dare they ! Those bastards are courting death! "