Flower

Long Yao stood up and walked to the lakeside.

On the lake, a drop of Heavy Water rises again. Nine Inches.

"The left side supports 30%."

Shui Yue'er raised her left hand, and a wisp of Soul Power emanated from her palm, landing on Heavy Water's left side.

The Heavy Water veered slightly to the right.

She quickly increased the pressure on her right side.

"Seventy percent on the right, not seventy percent of the force."

"Long Yao said."

"It's about 70% of the way there."

Shui Yue'er paused for a moment.

She withdrew some of the force from the right side, only supporting the Heavy Water slightly to the right below.

The Heavy Water has stopped.

That's it.

"It turns out that primary and secondary importance are not determined by the amount of power."

"Where should I put it?"

Shui Yue'er looked at Heavy Water again. Her left hand supported 30%, and her right hand supported 70%. She wasn't using her full strength on either side, yet Heavy Water was more stable than before.

Thirty breaths passed.

She slowly increased the proportion of her left hand to forty percent.

The Heavy Water sloshed.

She returned 30%.

"Don't rush."

"I'm not in a hurry," Shui Yue'er said through gritted teeth. "I just want to know what 40% looks like."

Knowing what it looks like doesn't mean you can control it.

When will I be able to hold onto it?

"Being able to go from 30% to 40%, and then back from 40%, without making any mistakes along the way."

Shui Yue'er fell silent.

Time passed little by little.

The Heavy Water was suspended Nine Inches above the ground. Three-tenths on the left and seven-tenths on the right. Her breathing had slowed, and the sweat on her forehead had stopped increasing.

Shui Bing'er stood beside the White Jade Stone Platform, watching quietly.

She recalled the days when she was cultivating Ice Crystal on the fifth level.

At first, I couldn't tell the difference between primary and secondary features. Later, I realized that the patterns on the Ice Crystal had to be created step by step, and couldn't be rushed.

Shui Yue'er maintained the flow for half an hour before sending the Heavy Water back into the lake.

This time, she switched hands without stopping.

A drop of water falls back onto the lake's surface, creating only a thin ripple.

"Dean, the handover was not slow this time."

Long Yao at the cultivation records.

"A moment too slow."

"Just one breath?"

"One breath."

Shui Yue'er wiped her hands.

"Then I'll practice that breath again tomorrow."

"Practice 40% tomorrow."

Her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Good."

Bibi Dong picked up her teacup and walked back to the stone table.

On the celestial canvas, the golden light of the Treasure Ranking had yet to fully materialize.

Shui Yue'er looked up at it for a moment, then looked away.

"Bibi Dong, eighth place is Rakshasa Demon Scythe, ninth place is Dragon God Reverse Scale, Tenth Place is Lovesick Heartbreak Red."

"We're going to be ranked seventh now."

"There's too little we can guess," Shui Yue'er, folding the cloth neatly. "Will the ones ahead be even more difficult?"

"The higher the ranking, the more extraordinary the treasure."

"Is the seventh place even more powerful than the Dragon God Reverse Scale?"

Bibi Dong looked towards the top of the list.

"Long Yao's scales are ranked ninth."

What will be the first place winner?

Shui Bing'er also raised her head.

Long Yao sat at the table without answering.

"Could the first place also belong to the Dean?"

"See the evaluation."

Shui Yue'er thought for a moment.

"Dean, can you guess what the first place winner is?"

"Have no idea."

You didn't know that either?

"The Treasure Ranking was not created by me."

Shui Yue'er blinked and turned to look at the lake.

"Then I guess it's Azure Lotus."

Which Azure Lotus?

"The one between the Dean's eyebrows."

Bibi Dong paused, her hand holding the teacup still.

Shui Bing'er looked at Long Yao.

He neither denied nor admitted it.

"I have never seen how the Golden Ranking is ranked."

Shui Yue'er immediately sat up straight.

"That's possible?"

"Practice forty percent first."

Shui Yue'er sighed and got up to walk to the lakeside.

The Heavy Water rose again.

The left side accounts for 30%.

70% on the right.

This time, she didn't ask any more questions.

A lake breeze swept across the platform, causing the bamboo curtain to sway gently. The two wooden beads at the end of the rope touched each other, making a very soft sound.

Bibi Dong served Long Yao more tea.

The golden light on the sky stopped at seventh place.

The list was not immediately published.

Shui Yue'er carried Nine-Inch Heavy Water, with her left hand Bearing three-tenths and her right hand Bearing seven-tenths.

She looked up and the Heavy Water shifted slightly to the left.

"Look at the water."

Long Yao turned a page of his cultivation record.

Shui Yue'er immediately looked away.

"I only glanced at it."

"That one glance made it go astray."

She adjusted the position of her right hand, drawing back the excess force from the Heavy Water.

The water droplets on the lake surface slowly came to a stop.

Bibi Dong stood beside the stone table, her fingertips landing on the second page of the Myriad Laws Returning to the Origin Tome.

The water droplet patterns on the paper then lit up.

A thick line Bearing the right side.

A thin thread supports the left side.

Between the two forces, there is still a gap that has not yet been filled.

She looked towards the lake.

"When you shift your focus, the power will pause here for a moment."

Shui Yue'er did not turn her head.

I was a moment too slow yesterday.

"Yesterday's turnover was too rapid."

Bibi Dong moved her fingertips forward half an inch.

"Today, the support forces failed to connect in time."

Shui Yue'er tried to move the third of her left hand towards the center.

A fine ripple spread across the surface of the Heavy Water.

Instead of increasing her Soul Power, she moved her right hand away from the position it was supporting.

35%.

65%.

The Heavy Water remained at a height of Nine Inches.

Shui Bing'er stood by the railing, holding a Six-Petaled Ice Blossom in her palm.

She thinned one of the petals and then filled in the missing corner of the adjacent petal.

Throughout the entire process, not a single wisp of cold air fell onto the stone platform.

Long Yao at her.

"The third one is too thick."

Shui Bing'er bent down to examine it.

"The part near the center of the flower?"

"Outer side."

She used her Soul Power to brush the edge of the petals.

A layer of fine ice shavings fell into my palm, without scattering around.

Hearing their conversation, Shui Yue'er couldn't help but ask, "Sister, are you also practicing the primary and secondary techniques today?"

"I want to practice shaping each of the six petals individually."

"Doesn't that mean we have to divide it into six parts?"

"First divide it into two portions, then divide it into four portions."

Shui Bing'er handed the repaired Ice Blossom to her younger sister.

"Finish off the last two pieces, following the original pattern."

Shui Yue'er watched for a moment.

Her left hand moved inward again.

Forty percent.

Sixty percent on the right.

The Heavy Water swayed twice but did not sink.

Her eyes lit up.

"Dean, I've reached forty percent."

"Walk back."

Shui Yue'er's joyful expression faltered for a moment.

"Can't we rest for a while first?"

"If you dissipate your power now, you'll have to find a new position next time."

She had no choice but to maintain the Heavy Water and slowly withdraw the force from the left side.

The percentage has decreased from 40% to 35%.

The right side has returned to 65%.

This process is slower than moving forward.

Every inch she moved caused a ripple to appear in the Heavy Water.

Long Yao did not urge him.

He picked up the teapot and poured the hot tea into the cup.

As the tea was poured, the golden light in the sky shone brightly once more.

Shui Yue'er raised her eyelids, her gaze still fixed on Heavy Water.

Is the seventh place about to be announced?

"Not yet."

"Has the Dean seen it?"

"I saw it."

What's on the list?

"Golden light."

Shui Yue'er pursed her lips and asked no more questions.

Bibi Dong picked up another teacup.

After looking at the sky, she placed the teacup next to Long Yao.

The notice is still being drafted.

"Wait for it to reveal itself."

Long Yao looked down at the booklet.

Shui Yue'er finally withdrew her left hand by 30%.

The Heavy Water remains in its original location.

She slowly exhaled.

"This time it didn't break."

"Two breaths too slow."

Yesterday was a breath.

We didn't reach 40% yesterday.

Shui Yue'er thought for a moment, then steadied her hands again.

"Then I'll try again."

Without waiting for Long Yao's instructions, she moved her left hand inward.

This time, the Heavy Water only swayed slightly.

When the force on the left side stopped at 35%, she didn't rush to continue.

She first let the force on the right side rotate half a circle along the bottom of the water droplet, and then handed the half-position to her left hand.

Forty percent have been finalized.

The entire process was completed in three breaths less.

Bibi Dong looked at the Myriad Laws Returning to the Origin Tome.

On the paper, the blank space was filled in by a thin, pale purple-gold line.

"This route can be kept."

She withdrew her divine power.

The fine lines on the pages did not disappear.

Shui Yue'er withdrew 30% of her power before sending the Heavy Water into the lake.

Only two shallow ripples remained on the lake's surface.

She flexed her wrists and quickly walked to the stone table.

Can I take a look?

Bibi Dong turned the Jade Tome towards her.

On the second page, two forces alternately rotate around the bottom of the water droplet.

The thick line gradually becomes thinner.

The thin line gradually becomes thicker.

There was no pause at the point where the two met.

Shui Yue'er used her fingers to indicate the distance.

"Did I just walk that far?"

"The Jade Tome records the path of Soul Power, not the distance on the stone platform."

If I practice like this tomorrow, will I be able to go even faster?

You can only practice according to your own feelings.

Bibi Dong closed the Jade Tome.

"The route on the page is the one you just walked."

Shui Yue'er picked up a cloth and wiped her fingers clean.

That was also the first route I left behind.

"Yesterday's Water Control are still in effect."

"You drew that page yesterday."

"The power is yours."

Bibi Dong put the Myriad Laws Returning to the Origin Tome back on the desktop.

"It wouldn't appear without your Soul Power."

Shui Yue'er then nodded.

She folded the cloth into a square and placed it next to the tea tray.

Shui Bing'er has completed the Ice Blossom in her palm.

The six petals are all the same size, but there is a small gap at the center of the flower.

Long Yao reached out and took the Ice Blossom.

He didn't mend the crack, but simply placed the Ice Blossom into the empty teacup.

Why not combine them?

Shui Bing'er sat down next to her younger sister.

"My last wisp of Soul Power isn't stable enough."

"It's not unstable."

Long Yao pushed the teacup back in front of her.

"If you finish making each of the six petals separately, the flower's center will naturally lack the strength to support it."

She stared at the crack.

Should I keep the heart of the flower first?

"Preserve one main artery first."

Shui Bing'er reassembled her Soul Power.

Tiny icy patterns extend outwards from the center of the flower, connecting the six petals in sequence.

The gap did not close directly.

It is divided into six sections by new ice patterns, each of which connects to a petal.

The Ice Blossom began to swirl gently.

Shui Yue'er leaned closer to take a look.

"It looks better now than before."

"It was able to maintain its shape just now."

"But it couldn't be turned just now."

Shui Bing'er lifted the Ice Blossom from the cup.

The six petals slowly opened and closed along the palm of the hand.

"You can move now because your strength is connected."

Shui Yue'er looked at the lake.

"Should my Heavy Water also retain a main channel?"

Your main meridian is on your right hand.

Bibi Dong picked up the teapot and poured her half a cup of warm water.

"Once you can freely switch between primary and secondary elements, both the left and right sides can become the main veins."

Shui Yue'er picked up the cup and finished drinking.

"How much longer do I need to practice?"

Long Yao closed the cultivation record.

That's all for this morning.

She immediately put down the cup.

"Shall we go get breakfast now?"

"First, tidy up the stone platform."

Shui Yue'er looked at the table.

The teapot, teacups, Jade Tome, and cultivation records were all neatly arranged.

Only the cloth she had just used remained outside the tea tray.

She picked up the cloth and walked around the stone platform again.

A few bamboo leaves, wet from the rain, lay beside the railing.

There is also a small section of broken hemp rope at the bottom of the stone steps.

Shui Yue'er picked up the bamboo leaves and put them into the bamboo basket, then placed the hemp rope next to the old rope left over from yesterday.

Is this still usable?

"You can tie bamboo skewers with it."

Long Yao picked up the bamboo basket.

"Take him to the backyard."

The group walked along the stone path by the lake toward the back of the True Dragon Tower.

The puddles left from early morning have mostly dried up.

Wet mud accumulated in the cracks of the rocks, and a few new grasses sprouted leaves from the edges.

Shui Yue'er walked across a puddle, then turned back.

She crouched down and reached out to pluck a blade of grass.

Shui Bing'er stopped in front.

Why did you pull it out?

It grows in the middle of a stone path.

"If you only pluck the leaves, they will grow back."

Shui Yue'er changed her grip to the grass roots and slowly lifted it upwards.

The wet mud detached from the crack in the rock along with the roots.

She put the grass into the bamboo basket.

"It won't last long this time."

Long Yao at the exposed gap.

"Fill it in with some fine sand."

"Do I need to fill in anything else?"

"If rainwater gets in, the cracks in the stones will continue to loosen."

Shui Yue'er followed him to the backyard.

Next to the low house was a half-sack of fine sand used for repairing the stone path.

She found a wooden spoon, scooped up half a spoonful, and returned to the stone path.

Fine sand fell into the cracks and quickly filled the empty spaces.

She pressed it down twice with the back of the wooden spoon.

Is this okay?

"Water it a little more."

Shui Yue'er raised her hand, and the water in the lake immediately began to gather towards her.

Long Yao handed her a small wooden ladle.

Use this.

She took the wooden ladle and turned to scoop water from the water vat.

A small stream of water was poured onto the fine sand, and a layer of sand sank to the bottom.

Shui Yue'er added another spoonful and pressed it down again.

She stood up and looked at it for a moment.

"Using Soul Power will be faster."

How much water will you take?

One drop is enough.

How much of this ladleful of water can you see?

Shui Yue'er looked down at the wooden ladle.

The water level was about two fingers' width from the edge.

She pondered for a moment, then poured the remaining water back into the tank.

"When I use my Soul Power, I might take a little more."

The excess water will flow into the cracks in the rocks nearby.

"Then sand should be filled in around it."

She hung the wooden ladle back on the edge of the jar.

"I see."

Bibi Dong stood in front of the low house, checking each of the tools that had been returned the day before.

The plane blade has been wiped clean.

The wood saw was hung back in its original place.

A layer of fine ash remained in the bamboo basket that had once held bamboo shavings.

She picked up a small brush and cleaned the bamboo basket.

When Shui Yue'er came in, she saw her sweeping the ashes into the dustpan.

"Didn't we already turn it over yesterday?"

"The bamboo shavings are gone, but the ash remains."

"Next time, we should use bamboo shavings."

"It might contain something else."

Bibi Dong put the bamboo basket back on the shelf.

"Put it away cleanly after use, and it's ready to use next time."

Shui Yue'er looked at Long Yao.

"Is this also a form of cultivation?"

"No."

"Then why did Bibi Dong take it so seriously?"

"Because the bamboo basket was the one she used yesterday."

Shui Yue'er looked down at the wooden spoon in her hand.

The spoon was covered in wet sand.

She walked to the water tank, rinsed the wooden spoon clean, and wiped away the water with a cloth.

The wooden spoon was originally placed on the sandbag.

After putting it back, she felt the spoon handle might roll off, so she found the old hemp rope and tied the wooden spoon to the bag opening.

The two knots, one above the other, perfectly secure the spoon handle.

"Dean, this way we won't need to look for it next time."