Jiang Huai slowly stirred awake, the sun already high overhead.
He propped himself up, feeling the bed beside him cool and neatly made, devoid of any warmth—clearly, Wu Zhaohua hadn’t returned last night.
A plain slip of paper lay quietly on the bedside table.
Jiang Huai leaned over to pick it up, familiar handwriting immediately catching his eye: ‘Stay at home, I’ll be back later.’
‘I don’t know how to cook; the food’s in the kitchen.’
Jiang Huai pinched the note between his fingers, unconsciously rubbing the paper’s surface as he muttered softly:
“Why does this sound so familiar?”
Back when the tavern was bustling, or when he went out to earn some spare silver, he often left similar notes for Wu Zhaohua, who was bedridden:
‘Stay at home, I’ll be back later.’
‘Money’s in the cabinet, food’s on the table.’
Later, as her illness grew more severe, she couldn’t even get out of bed without medicine.
He gave up the idea of traveling far, no matter how busy he was, always returning home at midday to take care of her.
Jiang Huai gently placed the note on the desk, stretched his limbs, picked up the long sword resting by the bed, and slowly walked into the courtyard.
Time to practice swordsmanship.
Reach Qi Refining Ninth Layer as soon as possible and knock on the door of Foundation Establishment.
Pushing open the wooden door, the morning breeze, crisp with the mountain’s distinct freshness, softly brushed his slightly tousled temples.
In the courtyard, two tall figures stood silently like pines.
One was sharp and efficient, with eyebrows full of edge; the other radiated heroic grace, her gaze calm and composed.
Xiao Yue, seeing him, straightened her robes and bowed with a proper junior disciple’s courtesy.
No matter what, this person was the Honored Master’s Dao Companion; etiquette must not be neglected.
Bai Lei merely nodded slightly, her voice cold and clear like fractured jade:
“Young Lord Jiang, the Sect Leader has left the sect on urgent matters. Please do not wander about casually.”
She wore a sleek black battle suit, her raven hair tied high, exuding an aura of deadly solemnity that warned strangers to keep their distance.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m just practicing swordsmanship in this small courtyard, not going anywhere.” Jiang Huai replied casually, uninterested in getting entangled with this cold-faced enforcer.
The mountains are high and the roads treacherous; he had nowhere else to go anyway.
Bai Lei shook her head slightly: “Young Lord Jiang, have you forgotten what was said the day before yesterday?”
“What?”
“You mentioned that you wish to join our sect as a Qi Refining stage disciple.” She said flatly.
“This is the Disciples’ Robe, the Spirit Stones, and the standard Iron Sword for outer sect disciples.”
“Please follow me to participate in the entrance test.”
Jiang Huai looked at the pale blue disciple robe handed to him, the rather heavy bag of Spirit Stones, and the standardized iron sword with a faint start.
He did say that, but he hadn’t expected Elder Bai to be so swift and resolute, arriving this very morning right after Wu Zhaohua had just left.
“Now?”
Jiang Huai rubbed his forehead, the grogginess of just waking still clinging.
“Elder Bai, isn’t this a bit too sudden? I haven’t even had breakfast.”
“A cultivator must seize every moment,” Bai Lei said flatly, leaving no room for argument, her eyes scanning the long sword in Jiang Huai’s hand.
“Besides, Young Lord Jiang, you were just about to practice swordsmanship, weren’t you? The entrance test is also sword practice.”
She clearly saw him pick up the sword as he headed out.
Xiao Yue stood silently nearby, her expression calm but inwardly amused by Elder Bai’s “concern” for their Honored Master’s Dao Companion.
The Honored Master just left, and Elder Bai is already so eager to ‘teach’?
“No matter what you say, I have to eat breakfast first.” Jiang Huai shrugged indifferently and turned back inside, leaving Bai Lei standing there.
No matter what, a proper meal.
Bai Lei’s expression didn’t change; she wasn’t deliberately making things difficult but was simply enforcing the rules.
She could wait an entire meal’s time.
A moment later, Jiang Huai reappeared, now clad in the pale blue disciple robe.
The fitted garment made him look even more refined and handsome.
His usual long sword was carefully put away, replaced in his hand by the light, standardized iron sword.
“Let’s go.” Bai Lei turned and walked swiftly, as light as the wind.
Xiao Yue followed closely behind, and Jiang Huai weighed the light iron sword in his hand—it felt flimsy compared to his usual weapon but he didn’t mind and followed along.
Wenxuan Sect, Outer Sect Trial Grounds.
By early morning, some disciples were already active in the trial grounds.
Seeing Elder Bai personally leading a stranger here, they cast curious glances.
Bai Lei strode directly to a black Testing Spirit Stone Monument, about one and a half times a person’s height, standing at the center of the field.
“Jiang Huai, I know you are at Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Place your hand on it.”
“I want to see what kind of Qi Refining you practice.” Bai Lei commanded.
Checking new disciples’ abilities was necessary to allocate appropriate resources and treatment.
This step could have been skipped, but Bai Lei focused carefully and still couldn’t discern the essence of Jiang Huai’s spiritual power flow.
From the Honored Master’s feelings toward him, he most likely spent great effort reaching Jade Liquid Qi Refining.
Following her instructions, Jiang Huai stepped forward and pressed his palm flat against the cold surface of the monument.
He subtly moved his mind, allowing the spiritual power inside him—reshaped by the Yin-Yang Primordial Source and far more robust than others at his level—to flow slowly into the monument.
Buzz!
The monument first lit a faint white glow, indicating Qi Refining Stage.
However, instead of stabilizing and showing the specific layer, the white light fluctuated violently like boiling water, flickering uncontrollably.
The entire monument emitted a strained creaking sound as the inscriptions on its surface faded and reappeared erratically.
Finally, with a soft “pop,” all the light extinguished, leaving wisps of pale blue smoke rising from the monument’s top.
“Huh? Elder Bai, did the machine freeze?” Jiang Huai asked in confusion, turning to Bai Lei.
“Crash,” she answered.
The disciple assigned to watch over the monument was dumbfounded—never before had he seen such a bizarre scene.
A Qi Refining test causing the Testing Spirit Stone Monument to crash?
He had seen geniuses before, but this was just Qi Refining Stage.
Bai Lei frowned deeply, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes.
If the layer couldn’t be measured accurately, either the cultivator possessed some rare treasure or secret technique shielding him, or his spiritual power’s nature had already exceeded the scope of the monument’s “Qi Refining” definition.
Xiao Yue covered her mouth with slender fingers, watching the scene in astonishment.
Honored Master is really strange.
“The Testing Spirit Stone Monument seems to have malfunctioned.” Bai Lei kept her composure, offering a reasonable explanation for the anomaly.
“If that’s the case, real combat is the best test. Jiang Huai, since you said you want to start as a disciple, let me see what you’ve got.”
She raised her hand and casually pointed at three outer sect disciples standing in the trial grounds:
“You three, step forward in turn and spar with Jiang Huai.”
Only by sparring could she discern what kind of Qi Refining he truly possessed.
“Keep it to a minimum.”
Jiang Huai didn’t mind at all, weighing the light iron sword in his hand before stepping into the center of the arena.
“Please instruct me.”
He casually spun his sword in a basic flourish, the motion textbook-perfect yet lacking any imposing aura.
“I am Mei Qi, Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Please instruct me.”
The first to step forward was the weakest—a Turbid Qi Refining Seventh Layer disciple who could barely hold his own in the Outer Sect.
“Please instruct me.” Jiang Huai cupped his hands.
Mei Qi let out a fierce shout, her heavy sword slicing down with a dull, wind-breaking sound, like splitting a mountain.
She relied on brute force, infusing Turbid Qi, her sword stance overwhelmingly heavy.
Jiang Huai’s gaze remained calm.
Facing this crushing strike, he didn’t retreat but stepped forward, his body swaying lightly like willow catkins, just brushing past the edge of her heavy sword.
At the same time, the iron sword in his hand executed the simplest, most unadorned “thrust” technique; his wrist flicked.
The sword tip darted out like a snake’s tongue, striking precisely on her heavy sword.
Ding!
A clear metallic clash rang out.
Mei Qi felt a piercing force, condensed to its utmost, instantly penetrating her Turbid Qi defense and flowing down her sword to her wrist.
Her tiger’s mouth trembled fiercely as her heavy sword uncontrollably rose high, opening a wide gap at her center guard.
Jiang Huai’s iron sword smoothly retracted as if it had never moved.
One move, one defeat.
Bai Lei furrowed her brow slightly, a faint doubt appearing on her delicate face.
She still couldn’t tell what kind of Qi Refining he had.
Xiao Yue raised an eyebrow, a subtle ripple stirring within her heart.
So the Honored Master’s Dao Companion isn’t the weakling she imagined—he really has some skill.
Bai Lei pointed to another female disciple and called out, “Your turn.”
The female disciple stepped into the arena and bowed:
“I am Chu Wei, Qi Refining Eighth Layer. Please instruct me.”
Her Clear Spiritual Qi Refining suggested a slightly better background, a higher starting point than most.
“Please instruct me.” Jiang Huai cupped his hands politely.