Jiang Zhu's Debut, Jiang Zhu Joins Seven Treasure

Jiang Zhu's Debut, Jiang Zhu Joins Seven Treasure

The morning mist over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had yet to disperse when the thin frost on the white jade steps began to glimmer faintly beneath the rising sun. The welcoming pine by the mountain gate still bore unmelted snow from the night before, while glazed lamps among its branches glowed warm yellow, stretching the passing disciples' shadows long and thin. Today was the sect's monthly day for "outside-appointed elders to bring their relatives into the sect." Elder Jiang Yun of the Medicine Hall was bringing his granddaughter to settle here, and the news had long spread throughout the inner sect.

Lin Che had just left the West Courtyard with an Iron Sword on his back when he heard faint footsteps from below the stone steps. He looked toward the sound and saw two figures slowly making their way up. In front was a white-haired old man dressed in the blue-gray robes unique to Medicine Hall elders, a jade plaque engraved with the character for "medicine" hanging from his waist. He was Elder Jiang Yun, a senior elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Medicine Hall. Behind him followed a little girl of around six, her hair tied into twin buns and dressed in a pale pink padded skirt. She clutched the old man's sleeve cuff tightly in one hand, her almond-shaped eyes curiously sizing up the surroundings, her cheeks slightly flushed from climbing the mountain. Most striking of all was the Soul Power entwined around her fingertips. Unlike the gentle Soul Power of ordinary Healing System martial souls, hers carried a trace of woody heaviness, like tender branches just beginning to sprout, brimming with vigorous life.

"That must be Elder Jiang Yun's granddaughter, right? I heard she has a rare Healing System martial soul, not one of the usual flower or herb types."

"A Healing System martial soul can take other forms? The Medicine Hall disciples in our sect all have flower petals or spirit herb martial souls. Could it be a Weapon Martial Soul?"

Two disciples sweeping nearby murmured among themselves, their eyes falling on the little girl. Lin Che stopped as well, unconsciously rubbing the hilt of his Iron Sword with his fingertips. He had just finished practicing Azure Edge Slash, and Sword Qi still lingered in his palm. Yet now, he could clearly sense the Soul Power Fluctuation from the girl's body. It was not scattered, but circulated through some sort of "vessel," as if something hidden beneath her palm was connected to her breath.

Elder Jiang Yun had clearly heard the disciples' discussion, but he paid it no mind. He merely lowered his head and said gently to the little girl behind him, "Jiang Zhu, don't be nervous. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Medicine Hall is much bigger than the herb garden at home, and you'll have plenty of room to practice your martial soul here. When you meet the Sect Master later, if he asks you to show your strength, just do as you practiced at home. All you need to do is hold it."

The little girl called Jiang Zhu nodded softly, her voice weak but clear. "Grandfather, I understand. It's just... I'm afraid I won't be able to hold it steady. Last time I practiced, the light at its tip hurt my eyes." As she spoke, she quietly raised her right hand. Against her palm rested the phantom of a palm-sized wooden staff. It was a pale brown scepter, its body wrapped in fine vine patterns, with a translucent crystal set at its tip. At the moment, it glowed with such a faint pink light that one would not notice it without looking closely.

Watching this, Lin Che suddenly recalled how he had been unable to control the suction force of the Universe Cauldron when it had first awakened. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Just as he was about to turn and head back to the courtyard, a disturbance broke out ahead, accompanied by a disciple's pained cry. "Ah! My arm!"

Everyone gathered around at the sound. A youth in outer sect disciple robes was clutching his right arm. A wound half an inch deep ran along his forearm, blood streaming through his fingers as his face turned pale as paper. His companion spun around anxiously beside him. "How could you be so careless? You failed to control your Sword Qi while practicing and injured yourself! The Medicine Hall is still halfway up the mountain. What are we supposed to do?"

The youth gritted his teeth and tried to operate his Soul Power to stop the bleeding, but the Soul Power around the wound was in complete chaos, making the blood flow even faster. Several of the surrounding disciples had Weapon Martial Souls and wanted to help, but they feared worsening the wound. Those with beast martial souls were all Assault System and knew nothing about healing. They could only watch helplessly as the youth's complexion worsened.

"Make way, make way!" Elder Jiang Yun pushed through the crowd and strode to the youth's side. He placed a hand over his pulse, his brows slightly furrowed. "The Sword Qi injured his meridians. The disorder in his Soul Power is making it difficult to stop the bleeding. If we delay any longer, there will be lasting effects." He turned toward Jiang Zhu, his eyes filled with expectation. "Jiang Zhu, want to give it a try? Use the Light Guiding Technique I taught you. Hold your Healing Scepter."

Jiang Zhu's heart tightened, and the fingers clutching her sleeve cuff turned white. Though she had practiced healing countless times at home, she had never displayed her strength before so many people. Especially not in a major sect like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where the surrounding disciples' gazes fell on her like searchlights, drawing sweat to the tip of her nose. But when she saw the youth's pained expression, she still took a deep breath and slowly raised her right hand. "All right, Grandfather."

With her movement, the wooden staff phantom in her palm instantly solidified. It was a Healing Scepter two feet long, its body the warm color of sandalwood, its vine patterns clearly visible beneath the sunlight. The crystal at its tip suddenly lit up, spreading a ring of pink radiance. Unlike the outward release of beast martial souls, the Soul Power of this scepter was extraordinarily restrained. All its healing energy gathered through the scepter's body at the crystal, like a beating pink heart that emitted reassuring warmth.

"This is... a Weapon Martial Soul? A Healing System scepter?" Someone in the crowd suddenly cried out. "I've only ever seen Assault System Weapon Martial Souls. This is my first time seeing a Healing System Weapon Martial Soul! The Soul Power in that scepter is so pure!"

Jiang Zhu ignored the astonishment around her and focused completely on gripping the scepter. She pointed the crystal at its tip toward the youth's wound and softly invoked her soul skill. "First Soul Skill—Healing Mist." The moment her words fell, a cloud of pink mist poured from the crystal, wrapping around the youth's arm like a veil of gauze. The bleeding wound immediately stopped, and the pain on the youth's face eased considerably. He could even move his fingers slightly.

"It worked! It really worked!" the youth shouted in delight. "The Soul Power in my meridians doesn't hurt anymore, and the wound feels all tingly, like tiny insects are licking it. It's so warm!"

Jiang Zhu let out a breath of relief and was just about to withdraw her Soul Power when she suddenly noticed an extremely faint flash of gold along the scepter's vine patterns. The color vanished in an instant, so quickly that she thought she might have imagined it. Instinctively, she increased her Soul Power output, wanting to take a closer look, but the Golden Patterns did not appear again. Only the pink Healing Mist grew denser, thoroughly smoothing out the meridians in the youth's arm. By the time the mist dispersed, the youth could stand and move his arm. Aside from the bloodstains on his clothes, there was no trace of injury left.

"That's incredible! That healing speed is even faster than the Medicine Hall elders'!"

"Junior Sister Jiang Zhu's scepter martial soul is far too special! If anyone gets hurt in the future, she'll be the one to find!"

Praise rose one after another. Jiang Zhu's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly put away her scepter, failing to notice that Elder Jiang Yun's expression had changed. He stared fixedly at the hand with which his granddaughter had held the scepter, then looked at the lingering pink motes of light on the ground. His brows drew together slightly, as if deep in thought.

"Good, very good!" Elder Jiang Yun quickly regained his composure and reached out to pat Jiang Zhu's head. "You didn't disgrace our Jiang Clan." He turned to the gathered disciples, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "This is my granddaughter, Jiang Zhu. Her martial soul is the Healing Scepter. Her Innate Soul Power is rank seven, and her First Soul Skill is Healing Mist. She will remain in the Medicine Hall to help from now on. I hope all of you, her senior brothers and sisters, will look after her." As he spoke, he secretly touched Jiang Zhu's wrist with his Soul Power and asked in a low voice, "Did you see the scepter's patterns just now?"

Jiang Zhu froze for a moment, then nodded faintly. "I did. They were golden, but they disappeared after a flash."

"Don't mention it." Elder Jiang Yun lowered his voice further. "The Jiang Clan's Healing Scepter is said to be the embryonic form of an ancient healing martial soul. If it encounters the right opportunity, perhaps it could..." Before he could finish, a burst of brisk footsteps interrupted him.

"Grandpa Gu! I heard Elder Jiang from the Medicine Hall arrived and brought a little junior sister with a special martial soul?" Ning Rongrong came running over, lifting her skirt as two maidservants followed behind her. The moment she saw Jiang Zhu, her eyes lit up. "You're Junior Sister Jiang Zhu, right? I'm Ning Rongrong, the Sect Master's daughter! Your Healing Scepter is so beautiful. That pink mist just now looked like..."

Jiang Zhu did not expect to meet the Sect Master's daughter. She quickly saluted. "Greetings, Senior Sister Rongrong."

"Don't call me Senior Sister. Just call me Rongrong!" Ning Rongrong took Jiang Zhu's hand, her tone warm and enthusiastic. "Come on, I'll take you to the Medicine Hall! There are lots of rare herbs there, and rooms specially for practicing martial souls. If your scepter needs herbs to nourish it, I'll have the Medicine Hall disciples save the best ones for you!"

Elder Jiang Yun smiled and nodded. "Go on. Take a walk with Miss Rongrong and familiarize yourself with the surroundings." Only after Jiang Zhu had gone far away with Ning Rongrong did he converge his smile. He took a yellowed ancient book from his robes and turned to a certain page. On it was drawn a scepter similar to Jiang Zhu's, except its vine patterns were covered in Golden Patterns, and the crystal at its tip had become seven-colored. Beside it was a line of small text: "Mutated form of the Healing Scepter: Seven-Colored Sacred Staff. Can cure a hundred poisons and revive the dead. Requires immortal-grade spirit plants and extreme Soul Power for catalysis."

Lin Che stood not far away, taking in the entire scene. Though he had not heard Elder Jiang Yun's quiet words clearly, he could sense that when Jiang Zhu had used her martial soul, aside from the pink Soul Power, she had also emitted a trace of an extremely faint, unusual Soul Power. That power was weak, yet it possessed a similar "growth potential" to the Universe Cauldron, like a seed waiting to sprout. So long as it found suitable soil, it could erupt with astonishing strength.

He tightened his grip on the Iron Sword in his hand, and the Sword Qi in his palm seemed steadier than before. Watching Jiang Zhu use her Healing Scepter to mend the wound, he suddenly understood that the path of a soul master held not only fierce attacks, but warm protection as well. And this little girl who held the Healing Scepter, whose body concealed Golden Patterns, might not only become his companion on the road ahead. The martial soul in her hands also hid a tremendous secret that even she herself did not know.

The sun gradually rose higher, and the mist dispersed. The glazed lamps of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect glowed with seven-colored light beneath the sun. Lin Che turned and headed back to the West Courtyard, his footsteps lighter than when he had come. He wanted to practice Azure Edge Slash some more. Jiang Zhu's Healing Scepter had just given him a new understanding of "Soul Power vessels." In the direction of the Medicine Hall, Jiang Zhu followed Ning Rongrong into the herb garden. She lowered her head to look at the Healing Scepter in her palm, gently tracing the vine patterns along its body with her fingertips. She could not shake the feeling that the fleeting flash of gold from before was like a gentle promise, waiting for her to uncover it.

The green bamboo in the corner of the courtyard swayed gently in the wind, as though offering silent blessings for the meeting of these two young souls. And a story surrounding talent, protection, and martial soul mutation quietly planted new foreshadowing beneath the warm morning light.