Cultivating Together!

Time passed second by second. Huo Yuhao had already begun to adapt to the pressure brought by the greatsword and could at least use a few basic moves. Wei Qing watched his movements from the side and nodded.

An ambitious lord was the kind of lord he wished to follow.

His gaze shifted to Zhu Lu, who was meditating nearby. As a guardian spirit, he could easily see the sealed emotions within her soul.

"Calm your breath and focus your mind! Absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Don't rush to draw it into your meridians. Refine and purify it in your dantian first, then circulate it through your meridians. Don't force it in!"

Wei Qing's voice rang in Zhu Lu's mind. She found it strange, but she recognized the voice as belonging to the uncle they had met on the way here. Relaxing, she began cultivating according to his guidance.

As the spiritual energy of heaven and earth entered her body, she refined it, cleansed it, guided it through her body, and completed a Heavenly Cycle. The first step of the Nine Turns to Unity Technique was complete.

Feeling the gentle spiritual power within her, Zhu Lu felt for the first time that cultivation could be so comfortable. Her previous meditation had felt like being pricked by needles, unbearably itchy and painful.

As she absorbed spiritual power, Zhu Lu's Soul Power further increased, reaching level fourteen! Seeing her improvement, Huo Yuhao's lips curved upward slightly.

He continued practicing with the greatsword in his hand. He needed to grow accustomed to its weight within the next few days, and then there was the cultivation of the Human Emperor Sword.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

Looking at the reddened sky, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and slowly set down the greatsword. He turned to look at Zhu Lu, who was still meditating nearby, then walked over with some concern.

"Uncle Wei Qing, is this girl all right?"

Wei Qing shook his head, signaling that there was no problem. She was currently getting used to the flow of spiritual power through a Heavenly Cycle and should wake up soon.

Sure enough, two minutes later, Zhu Lu opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Huo Yuhao standing before her, looking at her with a curious expression.

"Mm! Y-you, why did you come over?" Zhu Lu lowered her head shyly. It was her first time being stared at so closely by a boy.

"Ah? Sorry. I was just curious because you also cultivated the Nine Turns to Unity Technique. Also, take a look at your Martial Soul. It should have changed!"

Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Zhu Lu became interested. She immediately summoned her Martial Soul. A cat tail appeared behind her, a pair of cat ears emerged atop her head, and sharp claws extended from her fingers.

"My Soul Power has increased, and the consumption is lower too! Wow! What an amazing cultivation technique!" Zhu Lu leaped up with delight, her face filled with surprise.

Huo Yuhao smiled at the cheerful girl and did not interrupt her. Zhu Lu quickly calmed down after her brief excitement. Seeing Huo Yuhao watching her, she felt a little embarrassed.

"Let me introduce myself again! My name is Huo Yuhao! My Martial Soul is Spirit Eyes! I'm a level-ten Soul Scholar!"

As he spoke, he extended his hand and smiled at Zhu Lu. Hearing the change in Huo Yuhao's tone, she knew that he already regarded her as a friend, which made her very happy.

"My name is Zhu Lu! My Martial Soul is the Netherworld Spirit Cat! I'm a level-fourteen Soul Master!" Holding Huo Yuhao's outstretched hand, the two formed a small friendship.

"Hahaha! That little girl from the Zhu Family would make quite a fine match!" The old steward came to Wei Qing's side. Looking at the two children before him, an idea arose in his heart.

"A pure-hearted lord and an innocent young girl. They are a fine match," Wei Qing commented, watching the two with a faint smile.

Over the following days,

Zhu Lu kept coming to cultivate with Huo Yuhao, and the bond between the two children continued to deepen. They practiced swordsmanship, meditated, and trained their control over Soul Power together.

During their training, Wei Qing discovered that Zhu Lu was not suited to using a longsword. He therefore asked the old steward to bring over several other weapons for her to choose from.

A pair of weapons resembling chains caught her attention. Seeing what Zhu Lu had chosen, Wei Qing froze for a moment. He had not expected her to choose those weapons.

"Uncle Wei Qing! What kind of weapon is that? Chains? But there are blade-like edges at the front!" Huo Yuhao asked curiously as he looked at the strange weapon.

"This pair of weapons is called Chain Blades! They combine the qualities of whips and daggers. Their strengths lie in frontal attacks, assassinations, and unpredictable techniques."

Zhu Lu's eyes lit up at Wei Qing's introduction. She immediately declared that she liked the weapon.

"Fine! Since you like this weapon, I'll teach you a few simple moves. After all, I'm not particularly skilled with this type of weapon!"

After saying that, Wei Qing picked up the Chain Blades and began demonstrating before the two children.

He began with close combat, controlling the Chain Blades' reach by wrapping their chains around his arms. He slashed at the tree before him as though wielding daggers. Like ghostly blades, chops, thrusts, and stabs flowed from Wei Qing's hands.

After demonstrating close combat, Wei Qing shook his arms. The chains wrapped around them instantly loosened, and the Chain Blades began whirling around him like whips.

Blade marks appeared one after another on the tree trunk, leaving the two children exclaiming in amazement. Even the old steward stared at Wei Qing in shock. This fellow truly excelled at all eighteen martial arts!

Once the blade marks were nearly enough, Wei Qing drew back the Chain Blades he had flung out and spun with the momentum. As they reached his feet, he raised a foot and kicked the chains.

The Chain Blades shot fiercely toward the tree trunk and pierced straight through it. Perhaps Wei Qing had used too much force, because the tree snapped apart. Just as it was about to fall, he smoothly wrapped the Chain Blades around the trunk.

With a powerful tug, he flung it into the air. In the next instant, Wei Qing rapidly swung the Chain Blades. Though there were only two, they formed a domain like an impenetrable barrier.

The tree trunk fell into the Chain Blades' attack range and was instantly chopped into wood chips by the rapidly whirling blades. Looking at the wood chips swirling around Wei Qing, the two children stood with their mouths wide open, their faces full of disbelief.

Zhu Lu's eyes shone even more brightly, filled with a sparkling desire to learn.

"Uncle Wei Qing, I want to learn! I want to learn!" Zhu Lu stood up excitedly. Wei Qing also drew back the Chain Blades. After that demonstration, he felt refreshed. He had not exercised in a long time, and this had been quite a workout.

"Good! However, Chain Blade training generally requires excellent control. Once you can wield the Chain Blades as naturally as your own arms, you can be considered to have learned them."

"As for the techniques afterward, you will need to develop them yourself. Only things you cultivate yourself truly belong to you. You cannot reach greater heights by relying solely on other people's moves, understand?"

The two children nodded repeatedly. They had been taught this principle before and had long since taken it to heart. Seeing how serious they were, Wei Qing nodded.