Han Yu climbed out of the pool, frustrated, and scratched his head.
He hadn't noticed that Chen Xin and Gu Rong had appeared beside the pool at some point, watching him with interest.
"I told you, Han Yu's sharp. It didn't take him long to find a direction." Gu Rong chuckled, draping an arm over Chen Xin's shoulder.
Chen Xin looked a little surprised. He curiously studied the wooden sword in Han Yu's hand, his gaze shifting between the waterfall and the sword. His eyes brightened, and he nodded without thinking.
Every sword technique had to start with the basics. Ten years to hone a sword, one sword to defeat ten thousand foes.
Practicing sword moves over and over, day and night, was unavoidable. It was a process no swordsman could skip. Back then, he had gritted his teeth and spent more than a decade mastering every move. Yet Han Yu had thought of practicing beneath a waterfall with a wooden sword, using the force of the water to add resistance and sharpen his swordsmanship. It would let him master the moves far faster than normal practice.
Chen Xin's eyes were full of approval. He reached out and swatted Gu Rong's arm away, then pulled Han Yu out of the pool and used his Soul Power to dry him off.
"Your disciple pays his respects to both teachers." Han Yu hurriedly bowed, then raised his head, embarrassed.
"Han Yu, I've made the decision for you. From now on, you only need to spend half a day here with the old fossil. The rest of the time, come find me." Gu Rong spoke cheerfully and vigorously ruffled Han Yu's hair.
Han Yu looked at Chen Xin.
Chen Xin smiled and nodded.
"What? You can't bear to leave the old fossil? Sigh, it's only been half a month, and you've already forgotten your teacher." Gu Rong deliberately put on an angry face and folded his arms across his chest.
"This disciple wouldn't dare. Teacher, you're learned in all things and possess boundless wisdom. I've been eager for this for a long time." Han Yu kept a straight face as he showered him with praise.
"Hahaha! Old fossil, did you hear that?" Gu Rong raised an eyebrow, then took out several books. "Boy, take these texts. You can read them on your own this afternoon."
Gu Rong had broad interests. Unlike Chen Xin, who focused solely on swordsmanship, he had studied Soul Beasts, medicine, minerals, and many other subjects. He wasn't an expert in each, but he could still help Han Yu learn about them.
For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, when there was no threat to life and death, Gu Rong's overall contribution was greater than Chen Xin's. After all, a Soul Master's progress wasn't just about cultivation and strength. A sound foundation mattered just as much, and it was important to learn how to understand all kinds of things independently.
"By the way, take Rongrong with you," Gu Rong said.
The words struck like a bolt from the blue.
Han Yu's pupils widened slightly as he stared at Gu Rong in disbelief.
Gu Rong reacted swiftly, turning his head away.
"Yes, Teacher," Han Yu replied helplessly.
Afternoon.
Han Yu finished practicing swordsmanship and returned to his lodgings.
Ning Rongrong followed behind him, looking rather excited. She kept tapping her toes against the ground and hopping around beside the path.
Her hair was styled into two carefully pinned little buns. She wore a flowing, pale green dress.
Han Yu sat at the long table where he usually studied formation diagrams, spread out the books, then glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was still picking flowers in the courtyard. He cleared his throat.
Ning Rongrong froze. She looked at the flower in her hand, glanced around, then blinked and tucked it into her hair. She hurried over to Han Yu and placed both hands on the table.
Her playful manner made Han Yu laugh.
Ning Rongrong immediately stuck out her tongue at him, huffed, then turned her head and raised her fair chin.
Han Yu pulled out one of the medicinal texts and set it in front of himself, signaling for Ning Rongrong to choose one too.
"I want to read that one as well." Ning Rongrong glanced at the book on the table and pouted.
"Here."
"Hmph, I'll read this one." Seeing no way around it, Ning Rongrong picked up a text about Soul Beasts and started reading. Every so often, she sneaked a glance at Han Yu beside her.
Han Yu refocused and studied the medicinal text in his hands.
It began with an index, dividing the contents into several broad sections based on the properties of the medicines.
Each type of medicine was then described in detail: how to identify its appearance, what it could do, and even examples of Soul Masters using it. Each category was further divided into subcategories, and there were a great many of them.
Han Yu's forehead grew damp with sweat, and he swallowed unconsciously.
He might have overestimated himself. How was this any different from the miserable humanities classes he'd had in his previous life? If he'd been able to endure this kind of hardship, would he have needed to go up a mountain and become a Daoist?
In the end, Han Yu gritted his teeth and kept turning the pages, one after another.
Then a passage about a rumor caught his attention. It said that a Soul Master had once loudly proclaimed that he had found a fairyland. There was a spring there, its waters alternating between blue and red, with countless rare treasures growing all around it. But the Soul Master had lacked the strength to withstand the scorching heat and bitter cold, and could only leave a marker and search for help.
When the Soul Master returned to the marker with others, however, they found nothing but a patch of withered grass. They assumed he had lost his mind and was spouting nonsense.
Han Yu smiled, and a passage he'd studied in school popped into his mind.
He knew that Soul Master wasn't crazy. He had simply stumbled into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, known as the Immortal Herb Secret Realm. In the original story, the Shrek Seven Devils had taken the Immortal Herbs growing there, greatly improved their aptitudes, and eventually all ascended to godhood.
"When I'm stronger, I'll go pick some." A flash of fervor crossed Han Yu's eyes. The tedium eased, and he continued reading.
"You're smiling so happily. Is it really that interesting?" Ning Rongrong looked at Han Yu with a puzzled expression, tilting her head. She tried to settle down and read again.
In this way, the two of them quietly finished their studies for the day.
In the sect's inner grounds, Han Yu smiled helplessly as he watched Ning Rongrong, her eyes heavy with sleep, return home. Then he headed for his lodgings.
On the way, he stretched his arms vigorously. The full day had left him a little tired too.
Just as he was planning out the sword techniques he would practice the next day, his steps suddenly halted.
Golden light flared in his eyes. He drove power into his calves and waist, throwing himself sideways and bending nearly ninety degrees in midair.
Several stone spikes shot past, grazing his hair.
Han Yu steadied himself and stared in the direction the spikes had come from. His hands blurred as he instantly set up several formations.
A solid white shield rose before him.
He pointed the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords straight ahead, his gaze sharp.
"First Soul Skill, Blade Breaking Slash." A muscular man in black appeared.
A purple blade of light shot out. As it neared Han Yu, it suddenly curved upward, swept around the white shield, and attacked from directly above.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Flash."
The golden light at the corners of Han Yu's eyes faded. The instant the purple blade changed direction, he unleashed his first Soul Skill.
His body became a golden arc of light, leaving an afterimage where he stood as he shot toward the man in black like lightning.
The arc of light wavered from side to side, vanishing now and then only to appear somewhere else. Its path was impossible to predict.
The man in black turned pale with shock and scrambled to react.
The outermost yellow Soul Ring at his feet flashed, and a rock-carved shield of armor appeared out of thin air in front of him.
Bang—
The armored shield shattered, and the golden arc flashed past.