dull

Compared to the turbulent days of the past, the cultivation life of the Jingyin Sect seemed much more uneventful.

The morning light paints the eastern mountain ridges red, while the waning moon still hangs in the western sky—this is the view Lin Yun always passes by on his way to the cultivation tower every morning.

She had to arrive an hour earlier than her classmates, hoping to catch up on the lessons she had missed as soon as possible through hard work.

Unexpectedly, when I opened the door today, Dao Zhuqing's figure was already standing in front of the desk.

"Manager Dai," Lin Yun bowed respectfully.

He casually waved his right hand, gesturing for her to do as she pleased, while his left hand gripped the book tightly, his gaze never leaving it. Dai Shuchun, the head of the library and an outer sect instructor, was most notable for his constant presence with a book in his hand.

Lin Yun glanced at the book out of the corner of her eye and saw the title "Refining Weapons." Even though his thumb covered the author's name, she could still pronounce it.

Yu Pinglan.

Whenever you turn the pages of a history of cultivation, the opening chapter is invariably about that exceptionally talented predecessor.

As a prodigy among the first generation of Awakened Ones, Yu Pinglan was most renowned for her unparalleled skill in both weapon crafting and swordsmanship. Legend has it that all the divine weapons in the world were forged by her. However, fate was cruel to this talented individual, and she perished at the young age of twenty-eight. On her deathbed, she dissipated her spiritual power, which transformed into the spiritual veins that still nourish the cultivation world and the human world to this day.

Lin Yun was used to Dai's bookish appearance, but was curious as to why Steward Dai was reading books on weapon crafting.

Although she only stayed in the Jingyin Sect for more than ten days, she had already learned the general situation: although the disciples of the Jingyin Sect also used talismans and spells, it was only as a secondary practice, and they mainly focused on sword cultivation.

On the day of the roundup of the heretical cultivators, Senior Brother Sang Zhao used talismans and spells extensively. Such practices might be common in other sects, but they were considered an anomaly within the Jingyin Sect.

The girl walked confidently to her usual spot.

She ran her hands over the table, so old that its age was impossible to discern; the wood grain had long been worn smooth and shiny, as if it had been specially coated with the finest wax.

It's hard to imagine that the Jingyin Sect was established only a few decades ago.

Lin Yunwang was immersed in "The Sea of ​​History". Although the words were difficult and obscure and mostly historical, it enabled her to establish a clear understanding of the cultivation world.

She had already defined this classic as a useful book, so she read it with even greater care.

With a soft sound, Dai Shuchun gently placed "Refining Weapons" on the table, a gesture that also pulled her out of the book.

The usually serious Master Dai was quite gentle at this moment, saying, "Diligence is certainly a good thing, but cultivation must be done step by step. Besides, you are still young and have a long road ahead of you, so don't rush it."

"If there's anything you don't understand, just come and ask me," he added.

This wasn't the first time he'd offered this advice, and Lin Yunwang accepted it with the same good intentions as before.

But he didn't give himself any time to relax.

Dai Shuchun's words today were not because of Lin Yunwang's status as a direct disciple, but because he cherished talent.

Although Yunwang missed some lessons compared to the other disciples, she made up for them in just three days.

Now, she can apply what she learns to other situations during her daily morning lessons. Even in practical training sessions, all the outer disciples who spar with her suffer crushing defeats.

Keep in mind, she had only been studying systematically for a week. While the outer disciple courses were somewhat simpler than the inner disciple courses, most of the outer disciples in the Jingyin Sect came from families with a foundation in cultivation. In other words, she had caught up with the progress that an ordinary person would make in ten or more years of cultivation in just a few days.

Therefore, Dai Shuchun was even more worried about Lin Yunwang, fearing that she would force her growth, make her foundation unstable, and have an unstable mind.

Lin Yun once said that she had some basic swordsmanship, but after all, it was just a small village, and how many resources could it have to teach her?

Whether it was Dai Shuchun or anyone else, they all took her words as a genius's self-deprecation.

He was about to say something when he was interrupted by the wind blowing in from outside the door. The person who came in was Xie Chunshui, Lin Yunwang's classmate and friend.

"Wow, Yunwang, you're famous now! It feels like everyone's talking about you no matter where you go." Xie Chunshui pounced on Lin Yunwang's desk like a sparrow, her tone excited.

After saying this, she realized that a gaze was staring at her from behind. She stiffened and turned around. When she saw that it was Dai Shuchun, her tongue immediately tied in knots. "This disciple greets Manager Dai!"

Dai Shuchun coughed lightly, "Making noise indoors, write a self-criticism and hand it in to me tomorrow." After saying that, she left, leaving the two of them alone.

Xie Chunshui was like a wilted eggplant, but after he walked away, she regained her cheerful appearance and didn't care at all about the self-criticism she had to write. After all, she had written that kind of thing hundreds of times.

She ran to Lin Yunwang's side and shook her arm, "It's really prestigious to be friends with you."

Lin Yun rubbed his throbbing temples and smiled bitterly.

Xie Chunshui was her deskmate, and perhaps for this reason, the two quickly became acquainted and friends.

Only after spending time with him did she realize why he was alone even though classes had been going on for over three months.

She talks too much, even during class she doesn't stop talking.

She could have used methods that the person in charge wouldn't have noticed, such as telepathy, but she insisted on speaking.

Dai Shuchun arranged for Xie Chunshui to be Lin Yunwang's deskmate, naturally hoping that Xie Chunshui's lively personality would help Lin Yunwang adapt to the Jingyin Sect's cultivation life as soon as possible.

It's clear that Lin Yunwang has been in a stable state lately, and he can adapt quickly even without his deskmate. What's really troubling Dai Shuchun now is whether or not to change their seats. Although Lin Yunwang hasn't been affected yet, if things are left to their own devices, he might become distracted once the two get to know each other better.

The tricky part is finding a legitimate reason. The previously carefree Xie Chunshui seems to have been influenced by Lin Yun, no longer being late or leaving early.

In the end, Dai Shuchun decided to observe for a while longer before making a decision.

Xie Chunshui was completely unaware that her long-awaited deskmate had almost been moved away from her. She casually picked up a book from the desk and started reading. This unprecedented act was not due to her being influenced by it, but rather because she had overheard Venerable Yichen's conversation with Steward Dai and learned that Lin Yun would be returning to the inner sect to attend classes at the beginning of next month.

Yes, she was a direct disciple and should be studying the inner disciple's curriculum. When she overheard this news, she thought it was only natural, after all, her light purple direct disciple robes stood out among a group of outer disciples.

But what if there was a classmate there, someone she would go to and from every day with? The thought made her teeth ache.

She thought that she should work harder to become an inner disciple or even a personal disciple, so that she could continue to sit next to her.

It was almost time for class when Dai Shuchun returned.

Change is the idea, implementation is what he says.

During class, Xie Chunshui was still restless. He nudged Lin Yunwang and whispered, "What kind of morning class is this? It takes up the whole morning every time."

Lin Yun did not respond to her verbally, but instead found a blank piece of paper and wrote two words: Indeed.

After replying, he looked up again and listened attentively to Manager Dai's lecture.

Xie Tingshui twirled her pen listlessly until she met Dai Shuchun's piercing gaze, at which point she straightened her posture.

When the lunch bell rang, the two of them went to the cafeteria together as usual. Along the way, people kept glancing at them. Xie Tingshui nudged Lin Yunwang and said, "Yunwang, they're all looking at you."

"Let them see what they want." Lin Yun focused intently on today's menu, pondering what to eat.

Xie Chunshui leaned over and glanced at it, "Huh, why are all these foods I don't like to eat?"

The dining hall of the Jingyin Sect offers a wide variety of food, with no two dishes being served the same each week.

“It seems like you don’t have any dishes you don’t like.” Xie Tingshui looked at the difference between the dishes in the two bowls. There were only three or four pieces of pastry in her bowl, while the other person’s bowl had a combination of meat and vegetables, and a steaming bowl of rice soup on the side.

"If you can swallow it, then it means you can eat it."

At the beginning of her transmigration, she couldn't get used to the food in this world. At that time, her family was quite well-off, and the kitchen prepared different dishes every day. Occasionally, her father and mother would bring her some hard-to-make dishes from restaurants.

Later, his parents died at the hands of the rebels, and they also took away his family's property. He wandered around, eating and sleeping in the open, and he was no longer picky about food, as long as he could fill his stomach.

Seeing her reluctantly stuffing pastries into her mouth, Lin Yun reminded her, "There's a sword competition this afternoon, you should eat more."

Xie Tingshui wailed, "That's exactly why they forced this on me!"

The afternoon's sword debate wouldn't disappear because of Xie Tingshui's displeasure; on the contrary, it seemed to be coming even sooner.

Xie Tingshui shuffled along the mountain path, as if she could slow down the passage of time.

More and more disciples surpassed the two.

"We're going to be late."

Hearing this, she finally mustered her strength and caught up with Lin Yunwang, who had already walked ahead, calling out, "Wait for me!"

Rounding the stone steps, the martial arts arena came into view. A giant stele stood in the way, inscribed with eight deep red characters: "With a clear sword mind, one can break through the laws with the sword." Although it wasn't his first time here, Lin Yunwang was still awestruck by the solemn atmosphere of the martial arts arena.

She couldn't help but look at the sword at her waist.

She chose this sword at the Sword Pavilion before her first sword-fighting class. At that time, she didn't have much experience and just picked one randomly based on its weight.

Although it was a random choice, it seems to have been the right one in retrospect, since it's very convenient to use.

Manager Dai explained the new moves and then let them practice on their own.

Lin Yun's undefeated record has likely made her famous, and more and more people are coming to challenge her.

Lin Yun twirled his sword and flexed his wrist; his fellow disciples opposite him were already bowing with their swords in greeting.

She accepts all comers.

Even those who studied under the same master possess different styles when wielding their swords. Some use fast swords, while others use heavy swords; some swordsmen are as nimble as a snake, while others are as powerful and imposing as a mountain.

Fighting different people and having her swords clash with them all bring her sudden insights.

Xie Tingshui slacked off by blending into the crowd of onlookers, but her gaze was drawn to Lin Yunwang, who was competing.

"Free and unrestrained"—these were the only four words that came to her mind.

She sincerely believed that Lin Yunwang was a swordsmanship genius, as if he was born to wield a sword. Every time she praised Lin Yunwang like this, she would always explain in a serious tone that she had learned how to use a sword at her grandfather's friend's martial arts school when she was young, and had some basic knowledge of it.

Xie Tingshui couldn't help but wonder what kind of achievements this person would have attained if he had joined the Jingyin Sect earlier.

Will they be able to conquer the world?

No one can answer this question.

Just as Xie Tingshui was pondering, the contest between the two ended, and Lin Yun naturally emerged victorious.

"I appreciate your concession."

At the same time as the two bowed, a commotion broke out on the stone steps leading to the training ground.