Returning to the shop, Liu Shuyue insisted that Chen Xuan recount the events in a way she could understand.
"Otherwise, if I followed you the whole way and only have a partial understanding, wouldn't I be at a big loss?"
Chen Xuan didn't plan on hiding anything, so he satisfied her request just like a casual chat. As he saw her listening intently, he suddenly asked, "Does the Life and Death Eight Gates Array really take that long to perform? You were ready just when I was trapped; wasn't that intentional?"
Liu Shuyue's gaze shifted slightly, "No way. It takes time to stick all eight talismans... It does take a while. Are you doubting my effort? I can't accept such an accusation!"
Chen Xuan could tell; she rarely lies.
But this was understandable; if it were him, he'd probably want to see what the mysterious shopkeeper was capable of, to see if they could indeed fight. The only way not to show any weakness is to keep a distance from customers and always work alone.
But he wanted to be a shopkeeper, not an idol, and building good relationships with customers seemed more beneficial than harmful.
"Speaking of which, why do you wield the Thousand Thoughts Sword so... awkwardly?" Liu Shuyue awkwardly changed the subject, "With the skills I taught you, you should be able to easily overpower the opponent."
Speaking of this, Chen Xuan took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on his mind, "To what level did you practice the Thousand Thoughts Sword before?"
"Level?" She thought for a moment, "You mean tier... it's clearly written, nine tiers."
But on his side, it showed as LV8.
"What's the full tier?"
"Ten tiers is the Great Perfection stage."
Only one tier away from Great Perfection, yet the level shows LV8. This clearly suggests a conversion factor. Chen Xuan wondered if the level number actually indicated a percentage, and Great Perfection was 20% stronger than the ninth tier? Currently, as a LV2 shopkeeper, his Thousand Thoughts Sword was only at 20% proficiency, which to Liu Shuyue must seem like a beginner.
Of course, all these assumptions are based on the highest level being LV10, as he hadn't seen any abilities above level 10.
"So how do you usually advance your Cultivation Technique tiers?"
Liu Shuyue raised an eyebrow, "That's not something to probe into lightly. Every cultivator has their own cultivation methods and won't easily divulge them to others. Asking casually might even be seen as a provocation."
"I see..."
"But I wouldn't mind giving you some guidance." She shifted the topic, "Simply put, the Thousand Thoughts Sword is a practical sword technique, and the ideal way to improve is through battle. I became a disciple sent out by the Sect by fighting my way through a group of candidates."
Chen Xuan was surprised, "Does that mean you killed someone at a young age?"
"Huh?" Liu Shuyue blinked, then couldn't help but laugh, "I meant normal competition; what are you thinking! The Lotus Cloud Sect isn't some evil cult. What I mean is, though sparring with swords is hazardous, it's also the most controllable cultivation method. Because your opponents are either experienced or at a similar level, every battle lets you make significant progress. If you just use spells to bully the weak or slaughter innocents, you'd be hard-pressed to improve over a lifetime."
I understand that; it's like playing chess with a bad player and only getting worse.
"The guidance you mentioned... does it mean you're willing to spar with me?"
"If you agree to cut down the rent a little, I wouldn't mind sparring with you occasionally." Liu Shuyue finally revealed her intentions.
Seeing her expectant eyes, Chen Xuan replied in a resigned tone, "Well... alright."
I'll just double your rent later!
Does a mere tenant think they can challenge the landlord? Foolish dream!
...
...
Liu Shuyue contentedly returned to her room on the second floor, completely unaware her rent had already doubled.
She only felt that she had greatly progressed, from being rendered speechless by the cunning Chen Xuan at the start, to now being able to hold her ground in exchanges.
Liu Shuyue suddenly had the urge to record today's events.
She hadn't written anything in a long time... the last time was transcribing books in the Sect. From any perspective, these events had nothing to do with her duty as a Sect disciple nor aided her cultivation, and thus seemed unworthy of recording. Yet she felt joy, and recalling it made her smile involuntarily.
This naturally wasn't because she saved a life from the Abyss Sea.
Rather, it was her first time experiencing an "adventure" as a partner with someone else.
She not only won a month's rent but also gained a small favor from the other party.
This was an entirely new feeling.
Everything she'd done before was for the Sect and her duties, yielding her no personal benefit. She never saw a problem with it and expected this would continue.
But this incident, which bore no benefit to the Sect or Great Qi Kingdom, gave her the urge to document it. Liu Shuyue didn't know why, but she decided to follow this natural response that made her happy.
After preparing the ink, Liu Shuyue struggled with giving the shopkeeper a name.
She couldn't use Chen Xuan; whether it was his real name or not, writing it in a travelogue seemed impersonal; she needed a more elegant code name. She thought for a moment and pulled out a stack of shiny paper from her waist pouch—it was instant noodle packaging, with small print indicating its place of production: A certain food processing plant on Lu Mountain. Chen Xuan might not have paid attention, but she had already memorized every detail. This place wasn't recorded among the Six Kingdoms, so it was probably the shop's permanent location.