Fishing Words from the Lake, Inviting Them to Take Their Seats!

[A ferocious ghostly face split into a grin and burst into laughter as it slowly emerged from the gently rippling lake.]

[Your eye sockets stung, and it felt as though cicadas chirped and ghosts wailed in your mind, weaving together into an inexplicable wave of nausea and dry heaving.]

[Just as you were nearly unable to remain standing, a tranquil breath suddenly surged from within your chest, instantly spreading out and sweeping away all the disturbance. Your mind cleared with it.]

[(Hint: "Calmness in the Heart" had taken effect.)]

[You looked at the water again, and your heart was utterly calm.]

[At this moment!]

[Deep beneath the lake, something ink-black seemed to stir, like a painted scroll unfurling underwater. Several written characters quietly revealed sword intent, like flood dragons breaking from the water and weaving among lotus leaves, stirring ripples across the surface.]

[In an instant, the hideous ghost face shattered and scattered like ashes, releasing a frightened whimper that echoed beneath the lake.]

[You stood at the bow, your gaze fixed beneath the lake's surface. The ink-wash characters swam through the water, gradually gathering into three words.]

["Grand"]

["Vista"]

["Courtyard"]

[The three words sometimes transformed into dragons soaring beneath the water, then scattered back into written characters. They felt familiar, yet left you shocked.]

[What shocked you was that the three words were so miraculous, like three black flood dragons rolling beneath the boat and raising waves.]

[What kind of marvel was this!]

[In truth, it was not much better than water ghosts, but you had long known that cultivation existed in this world.]

[What felt familiar was that, for some reason, those three words gave you a sense of closeness.]

[These characters seemed to share the same subtle beauty as the copybook Dong Shao had given you, which