"Junior Sister, can you still hold on?"
The moment Chen Jinshu stepped off the arena, her boots clicking softly against the jade steps, several Senior Brothers hurried over to check her condition. They surrounded her immediately, their eyes scanning for any hidden wounds she might be concealing.
She had no obvious external injuries, but her aura was chaotic, like a storm-tossed sea struggling to find calm. Her face was pale, nearly translucent under the bright afternoon sky.
"I'm fine. I just realized my Dao heart still has flaws. It's a bit disheartening."
As she spoke, her gaze met her master's eyes. Shui Huanmeng's expression was inscrutable, yet she seemed to see through everything, right down to the lingering shadows left by the monk's illusions.
There was no reproach in that look, only a trace of comfort that eased the tightness in Chen Jinshu's chest.
"That's enough. Your Junior Sister just went through a battle. Let her rest. Focus on preparing for your own matches."
After Shui Huanmeng spoke, the surrounding Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters finally stopped crowding her. They stepped back to grant her space, though their eyes still lingered on her with concern as they made way for her to pass.
Chen Jinshu had wanted to stay and watch their arena matches, but now was clearly not the time. Her breath was still shallow, and her muscles ached from the vibrating strain of the Buddhist Sound Barrier.
Though she had narrowly won that fight, she hadn't come out unscathed. The mental toll of the Diamond Subduing Demon Mantra felt like a lead weight pressing against her temples.
Her opponent had been a cultivator who had formed a Golden Core many years ago, possessing a depth of cultivation she was only beginning to match. The battle had drained her spiritual power almost completely, leaving her meridians feeling dry and brittle.
…
Three quarters of an hour had passed since the arena fight.
Chen Jinshu sat cross-legged in a quiet room of a guest courtyard arranged by the Sacred Sword Sect. The lotus birthmark on her forehead glowed with a faint green light, pulsing in time with her slow, rhythmic breathing.
Her fingers formed a complex seal as the pale golden Buddhist power coiling around her body was slowly forced out. It condensed into fine golden grains that fell like dust around the meditation cushion.
"The Buddhist Annihilating Brahma Sound really is troublesome."
She wiped a thin trail of blood from the corner of her lips and inspected her dantian, where her Golden Core had dimmed slightly, its usual luster clouded.
Although Wu Nian's word-spirit technique had been broken, the lingering Buddhist power was still eroding her meridians, a persistent, stinging sensation that refused to dissipate on its own.
Just then, a light fluttering sound came from outside the window.
Xiao Yin pecked lightly at the lattice. Its blue-red tail feathers brushed against the window paper, casting mottled, shifting light into the dim room.
"Come in." Chen Jinshu raised her hand and lifted the restriction on the window.
The azure luan turned into a streak of light and slipped inside. When it landed on the table, it had shrunk to the size of a palm and affectionately nuzzled her fingertips with its small beak. Three tail feathers were missing, clear proof that breaking the chanting barrier had cost it dearly during the heat of the battle.
She took out a crimson pill from her storage ring and fed it to the azure luan, gently stroking its soft back.
"Today was thanks to you."
Once the pill was swallowed, blue flames surged around Xiao Yin. Its damaged feathers regenerated at a visible speed, the vibrant colors returning to their former glory.
After the Buddhist power was fully expelled from her system, Chen Jinshu let her divine sense sink into her sea of consciousness.
Lightning patterns flickered across the surface of the Genesis Alchemy Furnace, which hummed with a low, resonant energy. Inside, she could vaguely see a newly expanded violet-gold thunder field within the spirit plant space.
A flash of green light passed, and she appeared inside that hidden space.
Twenty mu of spirit herbs breathed in the rich spiritual energy of the environment. Above the central three mu of violet-gold thunder fields, tiny electric serpents slithered through the air with sharp, snapping sounds.
The most eye-catching sight was the Thunder Pattern Tianyan Grass she had taken in, which was currently floating in midair.
Its leaves were sword-shaped and wrapped in intricate violet-gold lightning patterns. The stalk was transparent like crystal, with liquid thunder flowing inside like a molten river.
"Fairy Leng Yan did keep her word."
Chen Jinshu recalled the unresolved duel within the illusion they had shared.
That Sacred Sword Sect female Zhēnrén had only taken seven leaves from the Tianyan Grass, leaving her the main plant. They had an agreement to fight again once they both reached the Nascent Soul stage.
She brought two fingers together like a sword and traced a planting formation in the air, the golden lines of the array glowing brightly.
The moment the Thunder Pattern Tianyan Grass touched the violet-gold thunder field, the entire field erupted with lightning a zhang high. The stalk slid happily into the soil along the lines of the formation, drawing in the concentrated energy. Those thunder-patterned leaves automatically fell off, sprouting new roots the instant they touched the ground.
"Roots the moment it enters the soil. It really seems this violet-gold thunder field is perfect for thunder-attribute spirit plants."
She watched in delight as the Thunder Pattern Tianyan Grass took root, its lightning patterns pulsing in rhythm with the field.
According to the records, this grass matured once every thousand years. With the violet-gold thunder field and the triple time flow of the space, it might be harvestable in under a hundred years.
Just as she was about to examine it more closely, the jade token at her waist suddenly heated up against her skin.
Her master Shui Huanmeng's voice came through the communication array.
"Come see me."
Chen Jinshu knew exactly why she was being summoned.
Earlier that day, she had noticed her master hesitating during their brief encounter. She had already expected a private meeting to discuss the implications of the battle.
She quickly sprinkled a growth-accelerating solution over the fields and left the space, her consciousness returning to her physical body.
…
Moments later, she arrived at the Jade Qiong Courtyard of the Sacred Sword Sect.
The courtyard was several times larger than her current residence, surrounded by fragrant fruit trees and flying spirit birds that chirped in the high branches.
When she arrived, Shui Huanmeng was brewing tea over a small flame.
Snow Bud Silver Needles rose and sank in the boiling water atop the Four Symbols Furnace. The tea fragrance condensed into the shape of white cranes that circled the pot without dispersing.
"Master." Chen Jinshu raised her hand in a respectful greeting.
"Sit. Try the spirit tea gifted by a Sacred Sword Sect elder."
Shui Huanmeng's gaze never left the teacup as she casually poured one for her disciple.
"Thank you, Master."
She took the cup and sipped the hot liquid lightly. The moment the tea entered her mouth, her previously restless state of mind became clear and calm.
"Your performance in the arena was decent. But that hesitation at the end almost let the Buddhist cultivator turn the tables."
The tone was gentle, without any trace of blame, yet it pointed straight to the crux of the battle.
Chen Jinshu's face flushed slightly at the reminder. Her fingers rubbed the rim of the cup as a lingering tension crept back into her posture. Reflected in the tea was her faintly reddened face, looking utterly different from the ruthless figure she had presented on the arena earlier that day.
"I didn't expect Wu Nian to stir up old matters of the Chen clan. It struck deeper than the illusion trial. I was attached to appearances."
She lowered her head slightly. For some reason, the memories of that past incident grew ever clearer in her sea of consciousness.
"Back then, you were outwardly strong, but fear still remained in your heart. That fear was seized upon by the Buddhist cultivator and became a flaw for the heart demon."
Hearing this, she silently admitted it was true.
She had been terrified back then. Even with her mother's protection, if the Patriarch had truly turned murderous in his rage, no one could have saved her from the clan's judgment.
"Master is wise. My mental state is still lacking."
"Before forming your Golden Core, you cut off worldly ties, but you didn't truly sever them."
She recalled how, in the daytime illusion, she had actually hesitated before those fabricated Chen clan elders.
If not for the Shadowpeak Finch waking her from the trance, her Dao heart might have collapsed under the weight of her own guilt.
Although the Buddhist cultivator had amplified that fear, the thought still made her uneasy.
"Please guide me, Master."
"After the Five Continents Alliance ends, you will travel alone for ten years."
Shui Huanmeng casually took out an ancient scroll. When unrolled, it revealed a detailed map of the surrounding regions.
"There's an ancient battlefield in Tianxuan Region, buried with an ancient sound cultivator's inheritance. It will perfectly complete the heart-tempering chapter missing from your Breaking the Formation Melody."
Chen Jinshu stared at the red mark on the map. It was over a million li away from the Xuanming Sect. There would be no sect protection there, and no Senior Brothers or Sisters to rely on when things turned dangerous. Life and death would rest solely on herself. Yet gazing at the Tianxuan Region, her resolve only grew firmer.
"When should I depart?"
"After tomorrow's final match. Once you take the alliance rewards, you may go. I will inform your Senior Brothers and Sisters so they don't worry."
As Shui Huanmeng spoke, she seemed to recall something and suddenly laughed softly.
"That girl Leng Yan took on a similar task. You two are rather fated. But the place she is heading to is even more dangerous, a land of nine deaths and one chance of survival."
"I understand, Master." Chen Jinshu felt no urge to argue or compare her path to another's.
"In recent years, the demonic path has grown more rampant. When you travel alone, you must be extremely careful."
Shui Huanmeng studied her face, trying to find even a hint of hesitation, but she saw only a calm, cold composure. At times, she wished this disciple of hers didn't have to be so steady and cold. Many things would then be far easier for her.
After finishing her tea, Chen Jinshu didn't linger. She took the scroll and left the courtyard.
When she returned to the guest courtyard, several Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters happened to arrive at the gate. Seeing her calm expression, the words they had prepared stuck in their throats.
"Junior Sister. You have really decided?"