Enticed by the reward, Shen Muqing became more studious. Whenever Yun Ruoyue went to visit her, she was always cultivating.
"Great job, Shen Xiaoqing. Your hard work makes me feel a bit threatened."
Then came Yun Ruoyue's complaint, "Let me tell you, there are people even dumber than you. No matter how I teach that idiot Luo Yi, he just can't learn. It's driving me crazy."
Shen Muqing closed his eyes solemnly, concentrating on his cultivation, uttering a few cold words.
You're bothering me.
"Okay, okay, I won't bother you anymore, I'm leaving."
Seeing Shen Muqing cultivating so diligently was a rare sight, so Yun Ruoyue decided not to disturb her any longer. Besides, the sect would be holding a new disciple competition in a month, and Xuan Yan's acceptance of Shen Muqing as a disciple had already drawn envy from many. If she didn't improve her strength now, she would probably be bullied badly later.
She was pleased to see Shen Muqing working so hard, but what worried her most was Luo Yi.
She was curious about how Luo Yi managed to cultivate so diligently every day, yet with so little progress.
On Ruoyue Peak, Luo Yi was frowning and scratching his head while looking at the booklet. Yun Ruoyue, who had just returned, couldn't help but laugh when she saw him. This person was both clumsy and diligent, and she couldn't bear to scold him harshly.
"What don't you understand?"
Yun Ruoyue stepped forward and appeared behind him, her gaze fixed on the problem troubling him in the booklet.
"Master! You're back." Luo Yi's eyes lit up, his light-colored pupils filled with joy.
"Where don't you feel it?"
"I clearly followed the method, so why is the power I used so weak?"
"Come and show me your sword skills."
So Luo Yi mobilized all his spiritual power, recalling the steps in the booklet in his mind, his eyes filled with seriousness. Anyone who didn't know the situation would really be frightened by him.
"Azure Moon Slash".
A sword aura was unleashed, heading straight for the large tree in the courtyard, resulting in a loud boom and a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, the tree was completely unharmed, with only a few leaves slowly drifting down.
Luo Yi hung his head in frustration; it still didn't work.
"Master, am I too stupid? I've been studying for so long and I still haven't learned the first move of the Azure Moon Slash."
His self-reproachful expression made Yun Ruoyue's lips twitch. Before she could even speak, she had already started belittling herself.
"No, you do have some talent." Yun Ruoyue comforted him, adhering to the principle of not undermining his confidence. It's just the beginning; things should get better later.
"real?"
"More real than real gold." She recalled that Luo Yi's sword moves were correct, so the problem lay in her understanding.
The most important thing in learning swordsmanship is understanding. First, you understand it, then you feel it, and finally it becomes the swordsmanship itself.
She pointed out Luo Yi's mistakes, and the afternoon passed in the blink of an eye. Yun Ruoyue was exhausted and her mouth was dry.
On her 108th demonstration for Luo Yi, she lightly swung her sword, and a tree not far away fell down in response.
"Wow, Master is amazing."
Luo Yi once again showed his support without getting tired of it.
"Have you learned it?"
"I've learned it."
"Then try again."
Yun Ruoyue had destroyed most of the trees on Ruoyue Peak. She looked at the mess on the ground with a headache, wondering how there could be such a stupid person in the world.
Unsurprisingly, it didn't work again. "Never mind, I'll try again tomorrow."
Yun Ruoyue compromised with his stupidity, and teaching him was more difficult than killing a fourth-level demon beast.
"All right."
Luo Yi watched Yun Ruoyue leave, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure. A strange, incongruous smile crept onto his innocent face. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring them.
It seems much more interesting than he thought, Master? Master.
On Canghua Mountain, Shen Muqing cultivated tirelessly, not daring to slack off for a moment. She actually made a name for herself in her cultivation, raising her cultivation level by one level. She smiled happily.
Xuan Yan left early and returned late, so Shen Muqing rarely saw him. When she did see him, she would only give a hurried greeting before Xuan Yan rushed back to his room, not knowing what he was doing.
Until the night before the sect competition, Xuan Yan took the initiative to find Shen Muqing and handed her a crystal-clear, cyan sword. Shen Muqing fell in love with it at first sight.
"I promised you."
Shen Muqing held this light and delicate sword, as if it were tailor-made for her; it was clearly no ordinary item.
"Thank you, Master!" She was overjoyed, holding the sword with obvious delight. A smile unconsciously appeared in Xuan Yan's eyes, and the fatigue he had been feeling lately vanished at this moment.
"It doesn't have a name yet, why don't you give it one?"
Shen Muqing was conflicted. What name should be given to such a beautiful sword?
"How about we call it Bishui (碧水)?"
The sword was the color of a clear, bright emerald lake.
"Okay, whatever you like."
"Master, where did you find this sword? I love it so much."
Xuan Yan pressed a burn mark on his finger and replied nonchalantly, "It was made by your master."
"Master, you can also forge weapons?"
Shen Muqing subconsciously thought that Xuan Yan was a sword cultivator, so how could he also refine weapons? He was too amazing, unlike her, who even had to learn the simplest sword techniques for half a month.
I know a little bit about it.
"Will it be difficult to forge this sword? Won't it be too much trouble for Master?"
“Not difficult.” Xuan Yan didn’t mention at all that there was only one sword in the world, and the materials were even more difficult to find. It took Xuan Yan a month to gather them all, not to mention that some materials were nowhere to be found.
"Master, can you teach me?"
Shen Muqing was eager to learn. Once she learned how, she could forge her own sword and give one to Yueyue.
"You should practice swordsmanship first." Xuan Yan pointed to her forehead, indicating that her comprehension in weapon crafting might be somewhat lacking.
"Okay." She wasn't discouraged and started admiring the clear water again, liking it more and more as she looked at it; it really suited her temperament perfectly.
With the blessing of Bishui, Shen Muqing felt that his swordsmanship had improved significantly. Ever since Xuan Yan gave him Bishui, he had been sitting under the peach tree every day to supervise Shen Muqing's training.
Whenever Shen Muqing was tired, she would look at Xuan Yan in a coquettish manner and ask, "Master, can you rest?"
Xuan Yan could never do anything about her. He would refill her tea and hand her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. Shen Muqing took the handkerchief and casually wiped her face, leaving a pleasant, faint peach blossom scent.
She thought the fragrance wasn't really suitable for Xuan Yan, but it inexplicably suited him when it appeared on him.
Shen Muqing smiled at Xuan Yan, "Master, you're so kind." Then she finished her tea and handed him the empty cup, "Master."
"Um."
"I want more."
Xuan Yan poured the water for her, saying, "If you're tired, that's enough for today. You can continue cultivating tomorrow."
"No, the sect competition is in a few days, I can't let you down."
Shen Muqing was aware of this; she didn't want to be beaten on the ground by others—it would be too embarrassing.
"Alright, I'll accompany you."
"Thank you, Master."
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