“Let’s skip the formalities.”
The Sword Peak Master on the stands could no longer bear to stay, and with a flick of his sleeve, he left decisively.
The disciples gathered around were still reeling from the recent duel, their whispers spreading like a tide.
Some gripped their swords, rubbing them repeatedly, eyes shining with barely restrained excitement; some stared at the white-haired figure standing in the center of the Martial Practice Arena, murmuring, “An eighth-rank beating a seventh-rank… unbelievable.”
New disciples squeezed to the front, trying to catch a clear view of Lin Nan’s sword posture, hoping to glean some insight from what seemed like a casual move.
At that moment, a cold voice came from the east side of the stands, sharp and clear like an ice shard striking a jade chime, instantly drowning out all the noise.
“How Zhao Lei is dealt with is the Sword Peak’s business.”
Lin Nan looked up and saw Shu Ying standing beside Luo Changfeng, her blue-gray Dao robe gently swaying in the wind.
Her gaze settled on the Not-Seeing-Green sword in Lin Nan’s hand, the scabbard still dusted with fragments of blue stone from the duel. Her eyes paused there briefly, flickering with a complicated expression — a mix of relief and worry.
“As for you,” Shu Ying’s gaze finally met Lin Nan’s emerald eyes, her tone calm yet carrying undeniable authority, “Your sword moves are too reckless. Three days’ punishment at Thoughtful Cliff, practicing static cultivation.”
Lin Nan’s heart stirred.
She knew exactly what Shu Ying meant.
Though Zhao Lei was defeated, the Sword Peak’s resentment hadn’t dissipated, and rumors about “Demon Arts triumphing over swordsmanship” were quietly spreading outside the Martial Transmission Hall.
This three-day punishment at Thoughtful Cliff appeared to be a penalty but was actually a chance for her to lie low and also to consolidate the breakthrough she had just made.
“Disciple will obey,” she said, bowing deeply toward the stands, her emerald eyes now softer.
As she turned to leave, Shen Yuer was already skipping through the crowd toward her, the orange-yellow hem of her skirt tracing a lively arc on the blue stone floor, like a sparrow eager to return to its nest.
“Xiao Lin! You’re amazing!” The young girl grabbed Lin Nan’s wrist, her palm radiating surprising warmth. “That Zhao Lei fellow went pale! It was so satisfying to watch!”
Lin Nan’s wrist ached from the vigorous shaking. Just as she was about to reply, a glance from the corner of her eye caught Huo Yuanyao still standing in place.
The purple-robed girl rested her sword casually on her shoulder, her gaze toward Lin Nan less distant than usual, mixed with something hard to define.
The murmurs around the Martial Practice Arena continued, but the tone had already shifted.
Some said,
“Too bad the entrance ceremony’s competition was canceled. Otherwise, we could have witnessed a rising star firsthand.”
Lin Nan obediently practiced static cultivation on Thoughtful Cliff for three days.
Sure enough, every arrangement Shu Ying made was purposeful.
During these three days, Lin Nan sat in meditation, organizing the practical combat insights she had gained recently and integrating them with her breakthrough experiences.
Finally, she fully mastered the new state after the realm breakthrough.
This was probably what Shu Ying meant by “sharpening the sword.”
“Disciple… Lin Nan,”
Shu Ying stood silently behind Lin Nan, watching her cultivation quietly.
Even after all this time, she still couldn’t bring herself to call Lin Nan “my disciple.”
Knowing well that Lin Nan was no longer her student, yet she still couldn’t say the word.
Lin Nan’s Summon Demon Art had already reached the second level, allowing her to break through to the eighth rank. This meant Lin Nan now possessed two layers of demon body.
The first was the Spirit Cat Lin Nan had revealed before. The second… Shu Ying hadn’t seen it directly but had her suspicions.
During the clash with Zhao Lei, tiger stripes had flickered on Lin Nan’s arm. At that moment, her strength surged, and with the power of the eighth rank, she could stand toe-to-toe with Zhao Lei’s “Heavy Thunder.”
Although in the end, it was the accumulated killing power of the Qingyun Heart Sutra, not the Summon Demon Art, that secured victory, Shu Ying sensed that if Lin Nan wished, she could easily win by summoning her demon body.
Therefore, Lin Nan’s second demon body must be…
Tiger Demon.
Crossing her arms, Shu Ying averted her gaze from Lin Nan’s graceful silhouette and looked toward the sky cleft by the cliff wall, sighing.
This was why Shu Ying felt so uneasy.
She was certain that the Lin Nan before her was not the teacher from a thousand years ago.
Because the teacher’s Tiger Demon bloodline had never granted her any increase in strength. All the teacher ever had was eternal youth.
How tragic.
Eternal life, strength, and being a teacher — it seemed only two of the three could be chosen. The teacher had picked the first two and lost the third.
For some reason, tears welled in her eyes.
Clearly,
Clearly the girl before her was so much like her, yet not truly her.
“Teacher, what’s wrong?”
A gentle voice interrupted Shu Ying’s tangled thoughts. She blinked quickly, and the tears at the corners of her eyes dispersed into true energy.
Her voice immediately turned cold. She suppressed the surging emotions and asked, “Why are you up?”
The girl blinked and held out a handkerchief with her right hand. “I finished my static cultivation. Do you want a handkerchief?”
“No…”
Shu Ying hesitated for a long moment. Just as Lin Nan was about to take back the handkerchief and leave, Shu Ying snatched it from her palm like a bandit.
She clenched it at her fingertips, meeting Lin Nan’s puzzled expression, and cleared her throat, “I plan to clean the cave today and need a handkerchief.”
Lin Nan looked a bit odd. “I’ll get you a new one. This one’s been used.”
“It’s fine. Used ones are better.”
“Huh?”
Shu Ying’s eyes reddened slightly. She bit her lip and said, “What I mean is, no need to waste it. The old one is just right for wiping tables and chairs.”
“Oh, oh.”
That made sense, Lin Nan nodded.
She hadn’t expected “no need to waste” to come from Shu Ying’s mouth.
Could it be that a thousand years had truly made this once lavish, indulgent Demon Emperor realize how absurd her former self had been?
Lin Nan nodded suspiciously, then said, “Since that’s the case, my three days of static cultivation are done. I’ll take my leave.”
“All right.” When it came to serious matters, Shu Ying put aside her swirling thoughts and said earnestly, “You must be careful on this trip to Broken Sword Valley.”
Lin Nan looked up, sensing Shu Ying still had more to say.
“According to the rules of the Righteous Six Sects, Qingyun Sect disciples wishing to enter Broken Sword Valley must first visit the Canglan Sword Sect and obtain approval from their Sect Leader.”
“But Canglan Sword Sect has recently undergone a secret incident and is now under lockdown. You will likely encounter difficulties.”
“What kind of difficulties?”
Shu Ying glanced and pointed at Lin Nan’s chest. “The difficulties of the human heart are far more worrying than those of swordsmanship.”
Lin Nan was about to ask more, but Shu Ying had already swept her sleeves and left, casually tossing over a sentence,
“You three still have five hundred points left. Go to the Martial Transmission Hall and exchange them for something useful — consider it insurance.”
Lin Nan pondered for a moment, bowed toward Shu Ying’s direction, then turned and headed up the mountain.
The little girl had been waiting on the mountain for a long time. When she saw Lin Nan arrive, she quickly stood on tiptoe, waving her hands.
As soon as Lin Nan reached Shen Yuer’s side, she was immediately fed a piece of cake. Chewing, she mumbled, “Let’s go. We’ll exchange for some treasures at the Martial Transmission Hall.”
“Let’s go!”
Thud.
The door shut firmly.
Shu Ying leaned against it, sliding down step by step until she sat on the floor.
Her brows lowered as she looked at the handkerchief in her palm, still faintly carrying Lin Nan’s scent.
Her head rested on the door, gazing at the night luminous pearl glowing softly inside the cave. Her pupils turned slightly bloodshot without her noticing.
She clenched her fist tightly.
“Whatever the Canglan Sword Sect is hiding, on this trip to Broken Sword Valley, if anything happens to Lin Nan, I’ll turn the entire valley upside down looking for her.”
“Not even Su Qinghe can stop me.”