Gu Qingxi felt warmth spread through her chest, watching Lu Tianyu's enthusiastic work and listening to his earnest words about beautifying her courtyard.
"Alright! This'll do for now," Lu Tianyu declared, stepping back to admire the sturdy bamboo canopy shading the stone table. His expression turned unusually solemn as he faced her. "Focus on the Body Tempering manual today. Tomorrow dawn, I'll be here to guide your initiation. Prepare for hardship, Little Sister. But understand this: persistence is paramount. You must endure." The gravity in his tone underscored the severity of the path she'd chosen.
"I understand," Gu Qingxi affirmed, her gaze steady.
Lu Tianyu's stern expression softened instantly, replaced by a proud smile. "Ah, our Little Sister truly is the most sensible!" His curiosity then sparked. "What did the Master require? Anything Brother Tianyu can assist with?"
"It was a summons related to Senior Apprentice Uncle Yu of Beast Taming Peak," Gu Qingxi explained, instinctively touching the pouch holding the spirit beast egg. As if in response, the egg gave a faint, almost imperceptible tremor against her fingertips. "He presented the promised three years' worth of beast fare." She indicated the substantial storage pouch secured at her belt.
"Ah, that!" Lu Tianyu chuckled, unable to suppress his amusement. "That spirit beast egg was Senior Uncle Yu's legendary… predicament. They say he nurtured it for a full eight centuries!" His shoulders shook slightly with mirth. "Naturally, the outcome explains why it now rests with you."
Gu Qingxi inwardly sighed. So, the tale of Senior Apprentice Uncle Yu's eight-century fruitless vigil was common knowledge throughout the Azure Essence Sect.
"Honestly, now even I'm burning with curiosity!" Lu Tianyu confessed, leaning in conspiratorially. Like the rest of the sect, he'd written the egg off as inert fossil long ago. His junior sister's success in sparking life within it had ignited a shared anticipation. "Promise you'll show me the hatchling the very moment it emerges?"
"I promise," Gu Qingxi agreed readily.
"Excellent! I'll leave you to your studies then. Remember, if you need anything at all, just summon this Senior Brother." With a cheerful wave, Lu Tianyu departed for his own dwelling.
Alone in the tranquility of her courtyard, Gu Qingxi retrieved the Bone-Forging Foundation Technique jade slip. Her mind focused as she immersed herself in its contents. The recorded method seemed deceptively straightforward: Forty-Nine intricate postures, each demanding precise coordination with specialized breathing techniques and qi circulation. Yet theory promised simplicity; practice screamed tribulation. The manual also mandated immersion in potent medicinal baths and the relentless grind of basic physical conditioning – the unglamorous foundation of swordsmanship: tireless sword forms executed flawlessly, log splitting that strained sinew, grueling runs scaling mountain paths, and sheer endurance hikes.
Gu Qingxi absorbed it all. The sheer intensity outlined caused a flicker of recognition. This… it resonated with the brutal foundational drills ingrained in her long before the world's fall. To survive, the Gu Family heirs endured relentless "devil training," forging bodies capable of upholding their position as the pre-eminent lineage in arcane arts. This sect's Body Tempering path felt like a familiar, albeit harsher, echo of that conditioning. A challenge acknowledged, but not a retreat signalled.
As evening cast long shadows, Gu Qingxi tended to Mao Mao and Da-Da with a shared fish, their contented chirps filling the dusk. Settling inside her modest dwelling, she then turned her attention to another vital skill: Talisman crafting. Her fingers moved with practiced grace over the stark yellow parchment – remnants from her dimensional bracelet, their quantity alarmingly low. Profits from these would be crucial. After the market, she resolved, have Little Senior Brother Lu procure a substantial stock of fresh talisman paper. She crafted a varied array – protective glyphs, minor wards, elemental sparks – but the majority naturally flowed into the calming patterns of Peach Blossom Harmony Talismans and the serene geometries of Mind-Quieting Talismans. Demand dictated economy.
Finally, exhaustion clinging to her bones, she yawned widely. One last task: a gentle stream of her spiritual energy flowed into the spirit beast egg nestled beside her pallet. She felt the faintest thrum of eager absorption before surrendering to deep sleep.
The insistent sound startled her awake well before dawn.
Tap-tap-tap.
Tap-tap-tap.
Through the window lattice, the sky held only the barest hint of impending dawn. The silhouette outside was unmistakable. Da-Da, serving as an avian alarm clock… Gu Qingxi mused wryly as she rose swiftly and performed her ablutions.
Leaving her room, however, another sound snagged her attention: the rhythmic, clear whoosh of a blade slicing air. She turned, surprised. In the neighboring courtyard, barely visible in the twilight, Lu Tianyu was already deep into his sword practice. His form was rigid perfection, face etched with intense focus as he repeated a foundational cut – down, up, twist – over and over and over. Perspiration already glistened on his temples despite the cool pre-dawn air.
"Little Sister? Up so early?" Lu Tianyu heard her movement, halting his disciplined routine to offer a breathless smile.
"Little Senior Brother Lu, good morning," Gu Qingxi greeted. "Off to the Hall of Triple Inquiry early to practice. Here." She handed him the thick stack of carefully folded Talismans she'd crafted the night before.
"Perfect! I'll head to the Hall of Myriad Matters after practice," Lu Tianyu declared, tucking the potent slips safely away. Then, fishing in his own pouch, he produced a rather lopsided, clumsily folded paper crane. "Take this. Channel a wisp of spiritual power into it if you ever need me. Anyone dares give you trouble…" His youthful face hardened into fierce resolve, "Your Little Senior Brother will personally ensure they intimately acquaint themselves with my fist. Thoroughly!"
Gu Qingxi's laugh was warm and genuine. The mangled crane was pure earnest Lu Tianyu. "I will, Little Senior Brother. Time for lessons." She carefully stored the crane.
"Go on, go on!" Lu Tianyu waved, immediately resuming his relentless sword drills with renewed vigor.
Climbing onto Da-Da's broad, feathered back, Gu Qingxi soared towards the Cliff Peak commissary. After a swift breakfast amidst the first stirrings of the sect's day, she arrived at the Hall of Triple Inquiry plaza. As before, she was the first.
Watching Da-Da flap contentedly towards a dewy meadow, Gu Qingxi drew her own sword. Today's focus: the foundational strokes of the Azure Essence Nine Swords. Though the sequence felt ingrained in her muscle memory from another lifetime, she began anew – performing each isolated form with methodical precision: the basic stance, the lunge, the parry. Perfect form. Repetition. Mastery of the core building blocks, regardless of prior familiarity.
When Shan Yinshui arrived later, greeted by the strengthening light of dawn, he paused. A lone figure moved across the plaza – the newest Verdant Peak disciple. He observed as Gu Qingxi, her fair complexion flushed with effort, small beads of sweat tracing paths down her temples, executed a series of thrusts. Her concentration was absolute, eyes sharp and unwavering as she repeated the seemingly simple motions with unflinching discipline. There was no boredom, only determination etched onto her youthful face. The sight recalled her performance within the trial's illusory realm. Shan Yinshui gave an almost imperceptible nod of approval. A Heavenly Sword Bone forged with unwavering resolve. A true Sword Cultivator's spirit, he assessed. A precious seedling. A thought crystallized. With a flick of spiritual sense, he sent a brief message towards a specific spatial token. What reaction will he have, I wonder, upon learning Master Mo claimed a new disciple?
Gu Qingxi sensed his presence, smoothly concluding her current form. She sheathed her blade and offered a respectful salute. "Senior Brother Shan."
"Disregard my presence. Continue your drills," Shan Yinshui gestured expansively, his expression neutral.
Gu Qingxi inclined her head and resumed her training. Shan Yinshui remained on the periphery, intending to offer pointers when her form inevitably wavered. Yet, the longer he watched, the more profound his surprise deepened. Her sword arm! It moved with a precision bordering on unnerving. Each fundamental posture – the lunge, the sweep, the defensive pivot – was rendered not merely correctly, but with a fluid economy of motion, devoid of any extraneous flourish or wasted energy. It felt… practiced. Deeply ingrained. As if these foundational stones had been laid thousands upon thousands of times.
How could this be possible?
She had joined the Azure Essence Sect a mere two days prior! Her first exposure to the Azure Essence Nine Swords had been yesterday! Even if she had forsaken sleep entirely to practice through the night… such profound internalization defied belief.
Could Lady Gu's innate insight truly be… so frighteningly formidable? The thought hung, heavy with astonishment. Yet, it was immediately shadowed by a familiar pang of regret. If only it weren't for the conflict festering within her Spirit Veins… That debilitating clash of dual affinities. His mind wrestled with potential remedies, however extreme: Could one channel be suppressed? Or perhaps… the solution felt cruel, …one affinity forcibly excised?
Unaware of the inner turmoil she was causing Senior Brother Shan, Gu Qingxi remained wholly absorbed in the rhythm of her blade, refining each subtle angle, each shift of balance.
Fang Jingxue arrived at the plaza, her steps eager, expecting to be the first. Her heart promptly sank. Gu Qingxi was already there, deep in disciplined practice. Worse, Senior Brother Shan stood watching. Observing her! Directing her! Jealousy, sharp and biting, coiled within Fang Jingxue. If only I'd arrived moments earlier! I could have been the diligent one under Senior Brother Shan's tutelage! Now she steals the attention… She completely misinterpreted the scene; Shan Yinshui wanted to guide, but found no opening to do so.
"Senior Brother Shan, good morning!" Fang Jingxue stepped forward, forcing brightness into her greeting as she offered her salute.
"Commence your practice," Shan Yinshui replied curtly, his eyes not leaving Gu Qingxi's seamless forms.
Fang Jingxue obeyed, drawing her sword. Yet her concentration fractured instantly, her gaze constantly darting towards Shan Yinshui, silently begging for a glance of recognition, a word of correction – anything that would place her within his sphere of notice.
Shan Yinshui's sharp gaze finally snapped to her. "A Sword Cultivator's mind must be as singular as their blade!" His rebuke was cold water. "Focus! Scattered thoughts during practice yield brittle results!"
Fang Jingxue flinched as if physically struck. Mortification flooded her face, replacing the envy. She stiffened her posture, gripping her sword tighter, and poured all her bruised focus into the drills, striving for the perfection she imagined Gu Qingxi possessed.
As the hour advanced, more disciples trickled onto the plaza, joining the growing symphony of clashing steel and shifting forms. Shan Yinshui moved among them now, his sharp eyes catching errors: "Wrist higher!" "Lunge deeper! Commit!" "Pivot on the heel, not the toe!" His corrections were precise and efficient, restoring order to fledgling techniques.
The morning lessons concluded without incident. Following the midday meal at Cliff Peak, Gu Qingxi returned directly to Verdant Peak and the calm sanctuary of her bamboo-enclosed courtyard.
She hadn't even settled onto the stone bench beneath the new canopy, however, when a voice exploded inside her mind, crackling with manic urgency and deafening volume. It was the Boundless Spirit Ancestor.
"FOUND IT!! I've FOUND where it HIDES!! Verdant Peak's BACK MOUNTAIN, GIRL!! Stop lazing about! FLY! Take me there NOW!! WE MUST EXCAVATE MY TREASURE!!!"