Qing Yun waited patiently, keeping his anticipation under control. But as time passed, he gradually noticed a shift in Yun Jin's aura. Something about it felt familiar, deeply so.
Three hours later, the moment came.
He found himself staring at Yun Jin, now calmly using the first stage of the Thousand Veil Perception Technique. Qing Yun was dazed, his thoughts a blank blur.
She had already mastered it?
Yun Jin scratched her head, sensing that this reaction was the same as what she got from Ji Wusi. Just as she was about to say something—
Qing Yun slapped his thigh with a loud crack. His eyes sparkled with restrained delight as he looked at Yun Jin.
There it was.
This disciple, without a doubt, was fated to be his.
Not only was she a natural in alchemy, she also learned his secret technique so quickly. Who else could possibly compete?
His mind shifted gears. He gave a few words of instruction, his tone calm but laced with hidden glee. "Xiao Jin, your progress is... barely passable. But you must continue to work hard. More importantly, keep this speed to yourself. Don't let Ji Wusi or Liu Li find out, in case they start playing dirty tricks."
Yun Jin gave Qing Yun a strange look.
"Why did this feel exactly like what Senior Ji Wusi had said?"
Still, she nodded obediently.
Qing Yun stroked his beard, finally satisfied.
Let them wait. When the ten-day deadline arrived, he'd make sure to give those two a shock.
Fight with him? They were dreaming.
That night, Yun Jin quietly followed Liu Li Zhēnzūn away.
Liu Li summoned a beast mount and brought her to a secluded mountain. When she began setting up a barrier too, Yun Jin was already mentally numb.
"So this was what they meant by 'great minds think alike'."
Liu Li turned to her with a soft smile and spoke gently. "When those two were training you today, did they happen to badmouth each other? Unlike them, I play fair. Even if girls compete, we do so honorably, not with backstabbing whispers. Men, on the other hand, always play games."
Yun Jin looked at her smile and nodded with a complicated expression.
"Come now. Let's begin our training." Liu Li took her hand and sat her down. "Today, I'll teach you a soul cultivation technique of my own creation, called the Soul Control Art. You should know, for cultivators, soul power is one of the most vital strengths. Pills and treasures that enhance cultivation are everywhere, but those that boost the soul are rare to the extreme. That's why, the further one goes in cultivation, the more limited one becomes by their soul strength. For us Beastmasters, soul cultivation is even more important."
Liu Li's voice was calm and steady. "Spiritual power is one application of the soul. When focused and refined, it can achieve many wondrous effects. My Soul Control Art lets you use spiritual power to influence living beings. At first, I developed it to better control spirit beasts, but I later discovered it has surprising effects on humans too. Of course, if used improperly, it can easily stray into demonic territory."
Yun Jin nodded continuously as she listened.
It was true. The ability to control living beings sounded dangerous. In the wrong hands, this technique could cause untold harm.
Liu Li smiled faintly. "In the end, it is only a technique. Whether it is righteous or wicked depends entirely on the one who wields it. I rarely pass this on. I'm trusting you to use it wisely."
Yun Jin's heart tensed. "Senior... do you trust me that much?"
They hadn't had much contact. If she were someone malicious, wouldn't passing on such a technique be a disaster?
Liu Li's smile deepened, her eyes gleaming with quiet meaning. "I have my own ways of knowing."
Yun Jin nodded and didn't press further. Beastmasters were said to have countless methods. Perhaps Liu Li Zhēnzūn had already seen something in her. She wasn't the most virtuous person, but she had no intention of bringing harm to the world. She was confident she could control the Soul Control Art.
Liu Li seemed satisfied with Yun Jin's composure. "Close your eyes. I will transmit the first stage to you."
The moment Yun Jin shut her eyes, she felt a cool touch brush her forehead.
The technique flooded her mind.
[Detected: Soul Control Art, First Stage. A mid-tier Earth-rank technique. On the condition of stronger spiritual power, it allows you to control a target for one second.]
One second sounded short.
But in battle, that second could be the difference between life and death.
This art was no joke.
Yun Jin spent ten advanced simplification attempts before she got a satisfactory version.
[Soul Control Art, First Stage. Entry Requirement: Two hours of focused meditation.]
A little too easy for an Earth-rank secret art.
Yun Jin suspected this had something to do with her soul strength. Though still in the Golden Core realm, her soul was already vast and divine in scale. Most of it was sealed, but even the portion she had refined into a soul-core was incredibly powerful.
With such a strong foundation, she could have cultivated this technique even without the system. It would have just taken longer.
Now that time was short, she was more than willing to trade simplification attempts for faster training.
Two hours passed.
Yun Jin opened her eyes and met Liu Li Zhēnzūn's increasingly gentle gaze.
"You've already entered?" Liu Li asked. "Try using it on me."
Yun Jin nodded and cast the Soul Control Art.
Liu Li wasn't affected, of course, but it was enough to confirm that Yun Jin had truly reached the entry level.
Incredible.
Even Shen Yanye had only reached the third stage, and he never truly grasped its core.
But Yun Jin?
She had only needed two hours. If her cultivation improved in the future, inheriting Liu Li Zhēnzūn's mantle would be the natural course.
Yun Jin noticed Liu Li was about to say something. She hesitated, then asked, "Senior... are we supposed to keep our training progress secret from the others too?"
Liu Li Zhēnzūn's smile bloomed like a flower. "Xiao Jin, you really are clever. Now then, we still have some time. Keep cultivating."
Yun Jin obediently closed her eyes.
After entering the first stage, each session of meditation increased her mastery.
If things went well, she might reach the second stage within ten days.
And so, Yun Jin trained separately under Ji Wusi, Qing Yun, and Liu Li, each taking turns.
These three sly old foxes, every time they met up, would sigh dramatically and act as if nothing was going well.
Privately, each of them smiled more smugly than the last.
Because all three of them shared one thought—
This disciple... was a sure bet.
===
Zhēnzūn (真尊) is the formal, neutral title for a Mahayana-stage cultivator when neither closeness nor affiliation is implied. It's perfect for respectful third-party references, formal registers, or reverent acknowledgment from juniors who admire without belonging.
===
Here's a new novel I'm currently translating! "My Daughter is the Empire's Lucky Charm"
What happens when a modern-day lottery winner gets yeeted into the body of an overlooked princess in a historical novel? For Yun Shu, the answer is simple: Keep calm and keep scrolling.
After her family's sudden windfall, Yun Shu was all set for a life of luxury—until she woke up in the body of the fifth princess of a dynasty she literally read about in a book. Good news? Her mega-mansion came with her as a cheat-like pocket dimension, complete with Wi-Fi (thank heavens for food delivery). Bad news? The original novel did not promise her a happy ending—just a quick exit as a cannon-fodder side character.
But there's a twist: Her new "dad" is the all-powerful Emperor Xuanwu, a man with a mysterious system that predicts the future… and keeps pointing to her as the key to saving the empire.
Yun Shu just wants to nap and binge fried chicken, but fate (and her suddenly very attentive imperial father) has other plans. Between dodging court politics and accidentally becoming the empire's secret lucky charm, can this transmigrated slacker survive—or will she end up crowned empress?
Feel free to give it a try, and if the blurb catches your interest, don't forget to add it to your library~ (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧