Miejue had put it bluntly, but upon thinking it over, Gu Shao'an realized it was indeed true.
Perseverance had never been an easy thing.
Even Gu Shao'an, without the proficiency panel making his cultivation progress visible, could never have trained as obsessively as he had over the past month or so.
A restless mind and wandering thoughts were only human nature. Those who could restrain their restless minds and tame their wandering thoughts were few indeed.
"If one were truly exceptionally gifted, that would be one thing. But among the countless martial artists in the world, most possessed only ordinary talent."
"Even if they occasionally gained some insight, it was merely a stroke of luck. Perseverance was the proper path."
"In the short term, there might not seem to be any difference. Their cultivation progress might even improve because they skipped the steps of nurturing their inner force, thus avoiding depletion of its source."
"But they did not realize that today's cause would bear tomorrow's fruit."
"Once enough time had accumulated, at best their meridians would become rigid and the speed of their internal cultivation would plummet. At worst, their meridians would be damaged, and their martial path would come to an end."
"In the martial world, quite a few who had passed fifty yet remained stuck at the third-rate level had suffered because of their youthful greed for quick results and laxity."
At this point, Miejue seemed to recall something. Shaking her head, she said, "Even your master was the same back then. I cast my master's instructions to the wind, greedily rushed ahead, and grew lax in nurturing my meridians."
"Otherwise, my cultivation would not have remained stagnant for the past decade or so."
After a brief pause, Miejue suddenly looked at Zhou Zhiruo.
"Zhiruo, you may appear gentle on the outside, but you are strong within. You have always carried out your master's instructions very well."
"In cultivation, you must also learn from your junior brother. Never allow yourself to grow lax. Otherwise, you will end up like your Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister. Even by the age of thirty, it will be difficult for you to Return to Innate and transform your inner force into true qi."
Miejue was proud by nature. The fact that she had used herself as a negative example before Gu Shao'an and confessed the mistakes she had made in her youth showed just how highly she regarded Gu Shao'an and Zhou Zhiruo.
Zhou Zhiruo nodded, her face solemn. "Zhiruo understands. Please rest assured, Master."
Gu Shao'an responded with an equally serious expression.
Looking at her two disciples, Miejue felt deeply gratified.
Perhaps because she was in high spirits, Miejue suddenly asked whether they had any difficulties in their cultivation.
After Miejue finished guiding Zhou Zhiruo, Gu Shao'an also spoke up and asked about several problems he had encountered during cultivation.
The proficiency panel and the Sudden Enlightenment trait merely allowed Gu Shao'an to clearly track his cultivation progress. They did not mean he could learn everything without a teacher.
Quite the opposite.
Because the several martial arts Gu Shao'an practiced were all among the three finest martial arts currently within Emei, he still encountered problems and conjectures in cultivation that needed to be verified by Miejue.
And the result did not disappoint Gu Shao'an.
Whenever Gu Shao'an raised one of his doubts or conjectures, Miejue needed only a moment's thought before giving him an answer.
Moreover, she explained everything with great clarity, leaving him suddenly enlightened.
Noon.
Beside a dense forest.
While the horses rested, several disciples cut fresh grass from the meadow to feed them.
At the elders' instruction, the disciples chose only healthy, lush grass and were forbidden from damaging the roots, lest they affect later growth.
This alone revealed the caliber of the Emei Sect.
After simply eating some dry provisions, Gu Shao'an went aside, drew the longsword at his waist, and began practicing swordplay.
As they watched Gu Shao'an swing his sword, its wind humming and the beginnings of sword intent emerging, Abbot Juechen and several other Emei elders revealed looks of surprise.
On Miejue's side, Abbot Juechen gazed at Gu Shao'an in the distance and said in amazement, "I never expected that in just one short month, Shao'an would attain such mastery of Sunset Swordplay."
Hearing Abbot Juechen's words, Miejue replied, "Though Shao'an's Bone Structure is merely excellent, his comprehension is the greatest I have ever seen. It is enough to compare with those Heavenly Prides of the martial world."
"What is rarer still is Shao'an's temperament. He is steady and diligent. He will surely achieve great things in the future."
Juechen smiled. "Then congratulations are in order, Senior Sister. Our Emei has produced a Heavenly Pride too."
Miejue replied, "I should instead thank you, Junior Sister, for bringing me such an exceptional disciple."
The two spoke happily. Whenever their gazes fell upon Gu Shao'an, their hearts were filled with hope.
With a disciple like him, the Emei Sect's future was promising.
Everyone had initially thought Gu Shao'an was merely taking advantage of the break to practice for a little while. Unexpectedly, he continued for a full hour.
This diligence gradually changed the looks in the eyes of the Emei disciples who had initially only been watching for amusement.
Especially after hearing from several elders about Gu Shao'an's daily bitter training in the back mountain as Miejue's personal disciple, the Emei disciples could not help feeling greater admiration for this little junior brother.
Since they were already within the Emei Sect's sphere of influence, Jade Mountain City in Jiading Prefecture was naturally not too far from Emei.
In only five days, the group reached Huai Mountain County, less than fifty li from Jade Mountain City.
At the eastern gate, Zhou Zhiruo and Gu Shao'an followed behind Miejue.
Glancing at Miejue ahead of them, Zhou Zhiruo lowered her voice and asked, "Junior Brother, it is still early. Why are we entering Huai Mountain County instead of heading directly to Jade Mountain City?"
Though Zhou Zhiruo's voice was extremely low, to Miejue it was no different from speaking beside her ear.
Yet Miejue did not stop Zhou Zhiruo from asking. Instead, she too waited for Gu Shao'an's answer.
Hearing this, Gu Shao'an said, "Mountain Bandits have the best sources of information."
"If we head directly to Jade Mountain City, we may alert the enemy. Should those Mountain Bandits flee and hide, finding them afterward will be troublesome."
"I believe Master's intention is for us to first establish ourselves in Huai Mountain County, gather information, and only head to Jade Mountain City once we have confirmed the situation."
Zhou Zhiruo asked again, "Then why did Master have everyone split up and disguise themselves before entering the city?"
After thinking for a moment, Gu Shao'an said, "There are only a hundred of us on this journey, but aside from me, everyone is a woman. If we entered together, we would draw far too much attention."
"And Mountain Bandits are cunning. If the bandits in Jade Mountain City have spies in Huai Mountain County as well, they would learn of our whereabouts in advance."
Hearing Gu Shao'an's response, the smile on Miejue's face as she walked ahead deepened.
She turned around and looked at Gu Shao'an approvingly. "Shao'an's analysis is correct! Zhiruo, remember this: when traveling the martial world, you cannot rely on hot blood alone. Otherwise, no matter how strong you are, you will merely be a reckless brute. In this regard, learn more from Shao'an."
Zhou Zhiruo nodded. "This disciple understands."
Cloud Arrive Inn, second floor.
After the waiter who had delivered the tea and pastries left, Gu Shao'an poured a cup of hot tea but did not immediately hand it to Miejue.
Instead, he took out a packet of powder from his robes, pinched out a small amount, added it to the tea, and quietly observed it.
Seeing Gu Shao'an suddenly add medicinal powder to the teacup, both Miejue and Zhou Zhiruo wore puzzled expressions.
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