The Spear Moved Faster Than You

The next morning, Lu Yuan arrived at the Elder Hall on time.

The Golden-Robe Deacon leading the way did not take him to the main hall where his spear had been tested previously, but instead bypassed the front hall and entered a quiet side parlor. The room was sparsely furnished with a long table, two chairs, and a half-man-high Soul-Testing Crystal standing against the wall.

Qian Daoliu was already waiting inside.

When Lu Yuan stepped through the door, he was looking down and flipping through a report.

"Fought three matches in the north yesterday?"

"Yes."

"How many did you win?"

"None."

Qian Daoliu raised his eyes to look at him.

"You sound quite righteous about it."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment.

"They were both two-ringers to begin with."

Qian Daoliu let out a soft laugh and placed the records back on the table.

"You forced Xu Heng to use his Second Soul Skill in the first match, and you didn't hold up too poorly in the next two either. Shao Ping's evaluation of you was that the spear is too dangerous, and the person wielding it still has a long way to go."

Lu Yuan looked toward the piece of paper.

"Did he really write that?"

"I added the second half myself."

Lu Yuan instantly had nothing to say.

Qian Daoliu gestured slightly toward the wall.

"Test your Soul Power first."

Lu Yuan walked over to the crystal and pressed his palm against it.

Soul Power flowed slowly through his palm, and the dim crystal quickly lit up with a soft white glow. The light climbed upward little by little, finally stopping at a position close to Level 12.

Qian Daoliu watched for a moment.

"Still Level 11."

"Yeah."

"Not far from Level 12."

"Just a little bit off."

Qian Daoliu turned around, walked back to the table, and unfolded another sheet of paper.

There were no tasks on it, nor any mention of rewards; it only recorded a few daily routines: morning cultivation and basic training, afternoon live combat in the north, self-operation of Soul Power at night, and half a day of rest every five days.

After reading it, Lu Yuan looked up and asked, "For me?"

"Follow this from now on."

"Are we still going to the East Training Area?"

"Yes."

Qian Daoliu answered without hesitation.

"You are only six years old. Entering the two-ring combat zone doesn't mean you can throw away everything you learned before. Basics like footwork, reflexes, and spear thrusts will still be practiced as usual, but Yan Tuo will cut down some of the repetitive parts, and the time freed up will be used for Soul Power cultivation."

Lu Yuan pulled the paper a bit closer to himself.

"Why the sudden change?"

Qian Daoliu's gaze fell upon the Piercing Spear.

"Because your spear moves faster than you do."

Lu Yuan lowered his head and glanced down as well.

"Xu Heng is Level 21. Yesterday, you managed to force him to use his Second Soul Skill not because the gap in Soul Power between you two was small."

Qian Daoliu tapped the tabletop lightly with his knuckles.

"It's because this spear is already enough to make a two-ringer wary, and coupled with Piercing Edge, you got the chance to deliver the spear right in front of him. But your Soul Power is only at Level 11, and your body is only six years old. The spear can pierce through, but that doesn't mean you can keep up with it every single time."

Lu Yuan recalled the final two matches of yesterday.

Once the opponent truly suppressed the distance, he could use the Piercing Spear to force them back, but he couldn't sustain it for long. Especially after using Piercing Edge consecutively a few times, the aching numbness in his arms and shoulders was far more noticeable than before.

"So the priority now is to supplement my Soul Power?"

"Soul Power, the body, and the spear."

Qian Daoliu pushed the paper toward him.

"You can't afford to lack a single one."

As he spoke, he pointed again to the afternoon section.

"Shao Ping will record how many matches you fight every day, how many times you use Piercing Edge, and the extent of your injuries. Stop when you're supposed to stop, and don't keep plunging into the ring when your arms can't even lift."

Lu Yuan asked, "What if I'm actually hurt?"

"Rest."

Qian Daoliu glanced at him.

"Live combat is to teach you how to fight, not to see who can take a beating better."

Lu Yuan nodded and folded the schedule away.

After the Piercing Spear's first evolution, its weight, sharpness, and Soul Power conduction had all changed. Things he had practiced and mastered before were still usable, but many details had to be re-adapted.

He casually asked, "What about the medicinal baths from before?"

"As before."

"The outer archives?"

"As before."

"The Blade-Testing Arena?"

Qian Daoliu finally raised his eyes.

"Are you afraid I'll take it back?"

"I'm just making sure."

"Those were given to you after Qingshi Valley, and they aren't part of this adjustment."

Only then did Lu Yuan feel relieved.

Qian Daoliu retrieved a small wooden box from under the table and pushed it toward him.

Inside the box lay three deep-colored pills.

"Used for healing injuries. There's plenty of live combat in the north, and you won't be getting beaten any less from now on. The medicinal baths will stay at the same frequency, but keep these for when you're heavily injured. Report to Shao Ping after you take them."

Lu Yuan tucked the wooden box into his tunic.

"Understood."

Qian Daoliu looked at him.

"Don't go ingesting them randomly on your own."

"I'm not stupid."

"A lot of people think that when they are six."

Lu Yuan decided not to respond to that remark.

Qian Daoliu picked up the records on the table once more.

"First, get past Level 12."

Lu Yuan nodded.

"In half a year, I'll review your progress again. By then, you should be at least Level 14."

"Level 14?"

"Given your innate Soul Power, coupled with your current cultivation conditions, half a year is not particularly tight."

Qian Daoliu paused.

"If you can't even reach Level 14 by then, it would only prove that something has gone wrong with your cultivation."

Lu Yuan calculated it in his mind.

He was already only a sliver away from Level 12, and advancing another two levels in half a year was indeed not an exaggeration.

"And after reaching Level 14?"

"Keep training."

"Nothing else?"

"What else could you possibly want?"

Lu Yuan lowered his head and glanced at the Piercing Spear.

"That spear behind the Black Gate."

Qian Daoliu fell silent for a brief moment.

"You really keep thinking about it, don't you?"

"Isn't it accessible at Level 30?"

"Yes."

"Then I have to reach Level 14 first."

The corners of Qian Daoliu's mouth twitched slightly.

"That statement is indeed correct."

He closed the records.

"However, before Level 30, you still have to clear Level 20 first. How to choose your Second Spirit Ring will be discussed when you get closer to that time. No matter how meticulously you pick it now, it might not suit you by then."

Lu Yuan did not ask further.

Level 20 was still a long way off; he would deal with it when he got there.

Qian Daoliu watched him for a while, then suddenly spoke, "How did your spars with Xiaoxue go over the past couple of days?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"Didn't Instructor Yan tell you?"

"He did."

Qian Daoliu's tone was entirely ordinary.

"On the first day, she didn't intend to use her Martial Soul, but she was still forced out by you in the end. On the second day, she fought you with her Martial Soul active and even used her First Soul Skill."

"I'm asking what you think of your own performance."

Lu Yuan thought for a bit.

"Still can't beat her."

"Where is the gap?"

"Soul Power, speed, and strength are all lacking."

"Anything else?"

Lu Yuan paused for a moment.

"After she closes in, it's very hard for me to fully extend the spear."

Qian Daoliu nodded.

"As long as you can see it, that's enough."

He closed the records in his hand.

"Take the opportunity to spar with her a few more times while you can."

Lu Yuan caught the hidden implication in those words.

"Why?"

"In a few days, she might not have this much time to accompany you in training anymore."

Lu Yuan's hand, which had just picked up the wooden box, froze.

"She's leaving?"

Qian Daoliu did not answer immediately.

After a moment, he spoke.

"After Xiaoxue turns nine, she will leave Spirit City for a very long period."

This sentence was not unfamiliar to Lu Yuan.

The Eye of Destiny had long since allowed him to catch glimpses of fragmented information.

Nine years old.

Leaving Spirit City.

Tiangou.

Xue Qinghe.

Yet those words had always hung suspended in the future, and no one had truly brought them up until now.

Lu Yuan raised his head.

"Where to?"

"Tiangou."

His gaze narrowed slightly.

"What for?"

Qian Daoliu did not answer, only looking at him.

"It is not yet time for you to know about this matter."

Lu Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked, "When is she leaving?"

"Not yet decided."

Qian Daoliu paused.

"At least, not right now."

Lu Yuan nodded and did not continue to press the issue.

He put away the wooden box and the training schedule, then turned and walked out.

As he reached the doorway, Qian Daoliu called out to him from behind.

"Lu Yuan."

He turned his head.

"Train to level twelve first."

Lu Yuan gave a low hum.

"Understood."

The palace doors closed slowly behind him.

The corridor was very quiet.

Lu Yuan walked forward a few steps, but his mind still lingered on those two words from just now.

Tiangou.

Yet the Eye of Destiny had once given another name.

Xue Qinghe.

Those things that originally only existed within the Gray Text were finally beginning to fall into reality.