Crafted by Spirits and Gods

From then on, as the group traveled west, cultivation became part of their daily routine.

Hu Cheng was the most diligent, utterly absorbed in arduous cultivation and unwilling to slack off even a little.

By day, the road stretched endlessly ahead, and the wild mountain trails were rugged and difficult.

While everyone else concentrated on the journey, he traveled with his wooden sword in hand, practicing all manner of sword moves.

His steps shifted and crossed, his moves never ceasing.

Even the jolting mountain paths failed to interrupt him.

Once night fell and they found sheltered rocks to camp beside, he would seek out a level clearing alone and practice with his wooden sword, one move after another.

The first few days were the hardest.

After completing more than a thousand sword strokes each day, his entire arm grew sore and numb. At night, his muscles and bones ached faintly, leaving him tossing and turning in bed.

Yet at the first glimmer of dawn the next day, he still rose on time, picked up his sword, and practiced without skipping a single stroke.

Even Shen Hui could not help seeing him in a new light, so steadfast was his resolve to pursue the Dao.

Unlike Hu Cheng's grueling practice, Lu Huan's cultivation of the Water Gathering and Ice Condensation Art was quite another story.

The young girl had excellent spiritual roots and a clever, gifted mind, and she progressed remarkably quickly.

At first, she could only draw on the moisture around her to form a wisp of icy mist in her palm, which scattered at the slightest breeze.

But after just one day, she could already form smooth, translucent beads of ice.

Later, she needed only to bend down and scoop a handful of clear water from a mountain stream