Jian Yu stood in silence, her gaze fixed on Jian Dan's departing figure. Her thoughts churned in all directions.
This brief meeting today had felt like fencing with shadows. Jian Dan had said nothing wrong, yet somehow turned the tables on her with chilling precision.
No wonder Jian Wan had lost to her. She hadn't spelled it out, but Jian Wan had all but implied that Jian Lu had interfered behind the scenes.
After all, one was in the Divine Transformation stage, the other in the Nascent Soul stage. How could they possibly have clashed openly without conveniently alerting Jian Wan?
Yet no trace was left behind, and the only one who came out ahead was Jian Wan. She finally saw through the family's shifting priorities toward her.
Jian Wan had been stagnant in her cultivation for over eight hundred years. The family feared that the Fu clan's position in the sect might be affected, so they were eager to train fresh blood, hoping someone could take Jian Wan's place.
Fu Yao had been sent by the family to stay by Jian Wan's side. But in Jian Yu's eyes, that girl was all show and no substance. Her mind was full of schemes, none of which were used to improve her cultivation.
Still, after Jian Wan's battle with Jian Lu, even though her life-bound sword had been damaged, her cultivation showed signs of loosening. This retreat might actually yield a breakthrough.
"Jian Yu Zhūnzhǔ, may I ask what brings you here today?"
"This is my Zhūnzhǔ mission token."
Yu Yuanhai accepted the token and gave it a quick sweep with his spiritual sense. After a pause, he completed the necessary formalities and handed over a pale green storage ring.
Tongzi Hall
"Today is the last class I'll be teaching you for a while. If you have questions, now's the time."
A quiet stir rippled through the lecture hall before the room quickly settled down again.
"Zhūnzhǔ, are you not going to teach us anymore?"
"Zhūnzhǔ has a mission. I'll be away from the sect for a while."
"Zhūnzhǔ, we'll miss you!"
The group of little radish-heads shouted in unison, faces lit up with grins so bright that the words barely felt convincing.
Jian Dan chuckled. "I'll miss you too. And since you're all so reluctant to see me go, I've left you some tasks to keep you busy. I'll be checking your progress when I return."
"Aaaah!!"
Wails of despair filled the hall. Jian Dan grinned slyly. These little radish-heads thought they could escape her palm? Far too soon to be that smug.
With a wave of her sleeve, a jade slip appeared on every table in the room.
"These contain the training tasks for while I'm gone. Don't slack on your body refinement, and make sure you keep up with your body-forging decoctions. Also, you must master the forms of the Nine Stances of the Heavenly Sword..."
With each instruction, the children's faces sank further. Having finished her list, Jian Dan smiled brightly and left without another word.
One by one, the twenty little cultivators slumped their shoulders and followed their attendants out of the hall.
"Zhūnzhǔ, weren't those demands a little harsh?" asked Yue Liang, her tail swaying as she padded beside Jian Dan.
"They're still greenhouse flowers. Soft and untested. My job is to make sure that when the storms come, they can survive the downpour."
"Zhūnzhǔ always thinks so far ahead."
"I'll ascend one day. I have to leave something behind. Otherwise, what's the point of all this cultivation?"
"Mm! You're destined to be a great teacher, Zhūnzhǔ!"
"Naturally. And my students will be just as outstanding."
Man and beast chatted as they returned to the cave dwelling.
"Listen to yourself," came a dry voice.
Liu Chuan appeared again, clearly unwilling to be forgotten, pouring cold water on Jian Dan as usual.
He didn't know then that the twenty children Jian Dan had taught would one day rise to fame in the cultivation world, each with formidable strength. They would become the new face of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Can't you compliment me just once?"
"Depends on how you perform."
"How's Mao Dou doing?"
"The kid's alright. Honest temperament, works hard. Just a regular three-spirit root, though. He's at the sixth layer of Qi Refining. His progress is stable. You want to help him?"
"No need. I've already examined his bones. He has a natural sword bone. It'll only manifest at the Foundation Establishment stage. No rush. Let him temper himself a few more years."
"Alright. I'll keep an eye on him for you."
"I've already prepared a body-tempering decoction formula suited to him. Give it to him when there's a chance, but don't make it obvious."
"Didn't you just say not to help him?"
"I'm only giving him the formula. He'll have to find the spirit herbs and prepare it himself."
"Got it."
The next day, Mao Dou discovered a jade slip in his own spirit field.
He had just finished harvesting his pearl spirit rice and was preparing to turn the soil when his hoe struck something. That's when he noticed it.
Mao Dou carefully hid the jade slip in his robe. He didn't dare examine it until he'd returned to his cave dwelling that evening.
Inside was a body-forging decoction formula and a matching set of body-forging fist techniques, perfect for someone in the Qi Refining stage.
Mao Dou clutched it like treasure. He felt it was his destiny. He immediately began gathering the required spirit plants, even trading some of his rice for the rarer ones.
After soaking in the first decoction, his body was covered in a layer of grime, and his cultivation dropped back to the fifth layer.
He panicked at first, but quickly circulated his cultivation technique and found that spiritual energy had become incredibly harmonious. Even without consciously guiding it, the energy flowed naturally into his meridians.
The surrounding spiritual energy was completely absorbed, yet his cultivation art showed no signs of stopping.
Seizing the moment, Mao Dou reluctantly brought out all ten of his low-grade spirit stones.
After a night of focused absorption, his cultivation returned to the sixth layer, and he was now brushing the threshold of the seventh.
He cast a casual Fireball. It was noticeably larger than before, yet the energy consumed was minimal.
Mao Dou knew he had struck gold. Motivated like never before, he threw himself into training. He even rented an extra mu of spirit field to grow herbs and demon plants listed in the formula.
Tianyue Peak
"Xiao Lü, seems your closed-door cultivation paid off."
Lü Se stood tall and spirited before Jian Dan, bowing in greeting.
"Many thanks for your guidance, Zhūnzhǔ. I was lucky enough to reach peak Nascent Soul. The barrier to Divine Transformation is beginning to loosen."
"Well done. Why didn't you push for a full breakthrough?"
At her question, Lü Se straightened his expression and replied seriously.
"Zhūnzhǔ, you're about to leave the sect. As the chief steward, it's my duty to safeguard our grounds. Breaking through can wait."
Jian Dan nodded with satisfaction. Lü Se was always steady. Even now, he put duty before personal gain. His priorities were clear.
"Good. As long as you've planned it well. I can tell you still need time to settle your foundation. Don't rush it. The tribulation for Divine Transformation is no joke."
"Yes. That's exactly what concerns me."
"You've likely heard that I'll be leading a team out of the sect. Just guard our little corner well. If anything comes up, find Jian Sheng. If he can't handle it, go directly to Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ."
"Yes, I understand."
Heavenly Sword Sect Plaza
All one hundred cultivators chosen to represent the sect had gathered. They stood in small groups, exchanging information and checking preparations.
At the third quarter of the midday hour, Sect Leader Jian Chun appeared. He gave a few brief words of encouragement and officially saw them off.
Everyone was used to Jian Chun's short speeches. Jian Dan was even more straightforward. She summoned a disguised warship, enlarging it in midair.
The one hundred disciples boarded the flying vessel by cultivation rank. Each bowed respectfully to Jian Dan before heading into the cabin.
Under Jian Dan's control, the flying ship gradually gained speed, rising through the clouds toward the direction of Yunhai Sect.
Cotton Candy finally had a role to play. The little beast transformed into clouds, blanketing the ship completely.
Jian Dan called him back, half helpless.
"Cotton Candy, what are you doing?"
"Master, someone's watching the ship. I won't let her succeed."
"How do you know someone's watching us?"
"Master, when you lifted the ship into the air, you smiled at an empty patch of sky. It wasn't your usual smile."
Jian Dan rubbed her forehead. Cotton Candy was oddly sharp.
"So this is how you decided to deal with it?"
"Yes, Master. Once we entered the clouds, that female cultivator kept tailing us."