Inheritance Among Fellow Disciples

Time held no meaning in the mountains, and cultivators knew not the passing years. Several months flashed by in the blink of an eye.

One day, Su Yu came to find Shen Qingzhou.

She had shed her usual laziness and seemed considerably more serious.

Su Yu looked him up and down, then nodded. Rare praise colored her voice. "Not bad. You've been diligent in your cultivation."

"Your minor competition is coming up soon..."

She paused. "Since you've joined the Kan Water Lineage, you ought to properly meet your fellow disciples. Come on, Junior Brother. I'll take you to meet everyone."

"Alright."

Shen Qingzhou did not refuse. To be honest, he had previously thought Su Yu was the only person in his branch of the sect. He had not expected there to be other senior brothers and sisters.

Thus, Su Yu led him through the bamboo grove to several plainer courtyards behind it.

In the courtyard, a sturdy, honest-looking young man was tending a patch of medicinal herbs. Beside him, a woman in a gray dress was using a small stone mill to grind something.

"Chen Song, Lin Wei, come meet your junior brother, Shen Qingzhou," Su Yu introduced casually.

The young man called Chen Song set down his medicinal hoe and gave Shen Qingzhou a somewhat restrained smile, revealing a set of white teeth. "So you're Junior Brother Shen. You're really handsome."

He was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, his aura solid and vigorous.

Lin Wei, the woman in gray, also stopped what she was doing. She nodded to Shen Qingzhou, then lowered her head and continued with her work. She was at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

These were the only two inner sect disciples of the Kan Water Lineage besides Su Yu.

"Don't mind them. One's a block of wood, the other a sealed gourd. Chen Song has his heart set on fiddling with those lousy formation disks of his, while Lin Wei loves messing around with her bottles and jars. She's gone mad dreaming of getting rich through alchemy."

Chen Song scratched his head and gave a foolish grin, offering no rebuttal.

"Junior Brother, your timing is perfect."

Chen Song rummaged through his storage pouch for a while, then took out two jade slips and handed them over, looking a little embarrassed.

"These are some things I learned years ago. One is the Rippling Step, and the other is a fragment of the Mirror Flower, Water Moon Art. They're considered high-grade among first-rank spells. I heard your comprehension is high, so perhaps they'll be of help to you."

His words were simple and honest, with not the slightest intention of holding anything back.

Lin Wei came over as well and handed Shen Qingzhou a small porcelain bottle. "These are Spirit-Calming Pills I refined. They help settle the mind and focus the spirit. They aren't anything special, but you can use them when drawing talismans or comprehending cultivation arts."

Shen Qingzhou accepted the jade slips and pills, then said solemnly, "Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

Within the Profound Heaven Sect, this was certainly a rare display of care and goodwill.

"Alright, alright, stop putting on this touching show of fellow disciples' affection."

Seeing that her purpose had been achieved, Su Yu impatiently waved them off. "Now that you've taken the things, hurry back and cultivate. Don't expect us to help you on the Sword Trial Platform. If you lose too disgracefully in the minor competition, don't say you're from my Kan Water Lineage."

After nodding to the two in farewell, Shen Qingzhou turned and left.

Upon returning to his small courtyard, he closed the gate and had Ahu stand guard outside, forbidding anyone from entering.

Inside the study, he placed the two jade slips Chen Song had given him on the table.

"How thoughtful..."

"The core of the Rippling Step is not footwork or escape technique, but the imitation of a shifting form.

"What it seeks is not speed, but the use of spiritual energy fluctuations to blur one's existence and make an opponent's lock-on deviate..."

"The essence of the Mirror Flower, Water Moon Art is deception through light and shadow.

"It is incomplete because it only imitates the 'form,' not the 'intent.'

"A true illusion technique disrupts the opponent's five senses and six consciousnesses, not merely their sight..."

The ability of his profession panel activated, and countless deductions unfolded within his mind.

Half an hour later, Shen Qingzhou rose and entered the courtyard.

He sank his qi into his dantian, closed his eyes, and moved through the yard. The steps beneath his feet became elusive.

He was clearly still standing where he was, yet it seemed as though he might emerge from somewhere else at any moment.

His body was like a reflection in water, with no fixed trajectory, only a flowing tendency. After a long while, Shen Qingzhou opened his eyes in satisfaction.

With the great work complete, he named this new movement technique [Abyssal Step].

Next, he brought two fingers together and drew them through the air before him.

Moisture in the surrounding air condensed, while the light around his body twisted and refracted slightly.

"What a marvelous feeling..."

This was an optical change. His figure had not vanished, but had become indistinct, as if separated by a layer of rippling water.

He named this improved illusion technique: Water-Curtain Radiance.

This technique could directly distort visual perception. Used when the enemy least expected it, it would surely have extraordinary effects.

Movement technique, concealment of aura, swordsmanship.

Holding the Ripple-Pattern Sword, Shen Qingzhou began practicing in the courtyard.

Empowered by [Abyssal Step], his figure drifted unpredictably, now in the east, now in the west.

Water-Curtain Radiance made his entire body flicker in and out of view. His sword was no longer as broad and forceful as the original Tidal Sword Canon, but had become more restrained and profound.

Many of the concepts and techniques of the Tidal Sword Canon no longer suited his present self. If he rigidly practiced and followed them, he would only grow more stiff and disconnected. He had now reached a state of complete mastery and integration.

The sword emerged without a sound.

It killed without form.

After completing the sword routine, he stood still in the center of the courtyard, the tip of the Ripple-Pattern Sword angled toward the ground.

Not long after he sheathed his sword, Ahu ran in nervously. "Immortal Master, there are... there are distinguished guests outside the courtyard. They say they're from the Liu Family of Blackwater Peak and wish to see you."

The Liu Family? What could they want?

Shen Qingzhou sheathed his sword, drawing the Sword Qi around him back into his body.

Liu Yinghan was the first person who came to mind.

"Invite them in."

A moment later, a group of three entered the courtyard.

The leader was a middle-aged man in embroidered robes, with cultivation at the late stage of Qi Refining and a courteous smile on his face. Behind him followed two Blackwater Peak disciples, their expressions arrogant.

"Are you Shen Qingzhou, young friend Shen, the outstanding disciple of the Kan Water Lineage from Sword-Coming Peak?"

The middle-aged man in embroidered robes cupped his hands and smiled.

"I am. And you are?"

Shen Qingzhou responded with equal courtesy.

"My name is Liu Chengyuan. I serve as a steward of the Liu Family of Blackwater Peak, and I am also that girl Liu Yinghan's seventh uncle."

Liu Chengyuan came straight to the point. With a wave of his hand, the disciples behind him immediately presented three exquisite wooden boxes.

"I heard that at the Wind-Listening Hall's discourse on the Dao, Fellow Daoist Shen overwhelmed the crowd with your skill. I also heard from my niece of your life-saving grace outside Blackwind Market. The entire Liu Family is deeply grateful. These humble gifts are unworthy of mention, but I hope Fellow Daoist will not refuse them."

Shen Qingzhou did not look at the wooden boxes. "It was merely fellow disciples helping one another. Senior overstates the matter. Steward Liu's visit is likely not only to deliver gifts, is it?"

"Hahaha, Young Friend speaks frankly!"

Liu Chengyuan laughed. "To be honest, I came for two reasons. First, to offer thanks. Second, to form a good bond with Fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist possesses heaven-gifted talent, yet you remain in an incomplete lineage such as Kan Water. What a pity. Though my Liu Family cannot compare to the foremost great clans, we have some foundation within the sect. With the inner sect minor competition approaching, if Fellow Daoist is willing, my Liu Family is prepared to place a wager on you."

"A wager?"

"Precisely." Liu Chengyuan spoke faster.

"If Fellow Daoist can place within the top three in the minor competition, my Liu Family is willing to provide all the pills and spirit stones needed for your cultivation through the late stage of Qi Refining! Furthermore, my Liu Family has a young girl from a collateral branch, sixteen years of age, beautiful in appearance and gentle in temperament. She is willing to become Fellow Daoist's cultivation partner, so that you may have someone to look after one another on the road of cultivation."

From afar, Ahu's heart leaped into his throat.

Resources and a beauty—this was a pie falling from the sky!