Rain curtain and heavenly pool

The next day, torrential rain washed the heavens.

Raindrops pattered against the window as Jiang Yang woke from his deep sleep.

"Mm... hiss."

Jiang Yang opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but the movement tugged at some muscle or bone, making him bare his teeth and hiss repeatedly in pain.

After a night's sleep, his entire body felt as though someone had beaten him black and blue. Every inch of him ached, especially his right arm. When he pressed it against the bed to push himself up, it barely felt like his own.

He summoned his spirit sense and examined himself inwardly.

Fortunately... apart from weakness and soreness in my limbs, nothing serious is wrong.

Jiang Yang paid little heed to the aches in his limbs. As long as his Qi Sea and meridians were unharmed, all was well.

Although he had exhausted his magic power yesterday, after a night's rest, his body had passively absorbed the scattered Spirit Vigor, quietly restoring the magic power in his Qi Sea to seventy percent.

Even so, this was the most exhausted Jiang Yang had been since advancing beyond fetal breathing.

Once cultivators entered qi refining, magic power circulated ceaselessly throughout their bodies. Having reached the mortal realm, they rarely experienced physical fatigue, which showed just how thoroughly he had pushed himself to his limits last night.

After circulating his magic power through his body several times, he felt much better. He rolled out of bed, formed a hand seal to cleanse his clothes, and cast a spell to wash his face.

At some point, the habit of tending to his appearance had seeped into his very bones.

Once he had tidied himself up, something suddenly occurred to him, and he thought:

Wait... didn't I collapse outside last night? How did I end up sleeping comfortably in bed?

He could not have climbed into bed himself, and there was no outsider in the Cave Abode, so the truth was not difficult to guess. Jiang Yang could not help looking back, his gaze settling on the slender, rusted sword beside the bed.

"Senior Bai?"

Jiang Yang raised his brows and called out.

"I'm here."

"About last night... thank you, Senior."

"It was nothing. Go practice your swordsmanship."

Bai Tang's voice was as soothing and low as ever. Hearing it brought an inexplicable sense of steadfast reassurance.

Jiang Yang perked up and quickly replied:

"Understood!"

With that, he eagerly picked up the sword and headed outside.

He had always been interested in the sword, and with Bai Tang's help last night, he had caught a faint glimpse of the wonders of Sword Qi as soon as he began. Naturally, his enthusiasm was still running high.

Unlike before, a rare, pouring rain fell over Morning Rain Peak today, striking through the woods and leaves and soaking the mountain rocks.

Despite his physical exhaustion, Jiang Yang's enthusiasm remained undiminished. Sword in hand, he stood in the rain with his eyes closed, recalling yesterday's insights.

Raindrops like strings of pearls struck him head-on, pattering onto his shoulders only to bounce away immediately. After gathering himself for a long while, Jiang Yang abruptly opened his eyes and thrust his sword.

Clang!

The keen blade pierced the curtain of rain. Blazing white Sword Qi lit up at its tip, and the surrounding raindrops burst apart and vanished as though boiled, exploding into a cloud of white mist in midair.

Standing amid the swirling mist, Jiang Yang beamed and quietly sought praise:

"Senior Bai, look! I did it!"

Bai Tang offered her assessment within Jiang Yang's mind:

"Passable, but you mustn't grow complacent. You still have a long way to go...

"Once the sword strikes, there can be no regret. Not only must your strike be swift, your heart must hold not the slightest hesitation. If your heart slows, your hand slows with it. Again."

Hearing this, Jiang Yang nodded humbly.

"You're right, Senior Bai. I understand."

He then withdrew his sword and gathered himself again, striving to grasp that glimmer of inspiration in his heart.

The realm of Sword Qi had stymied countless cultivators. Even the greatest genius could not master it in a mere two or three days. Only with the Sword Spirit Bai Tang helping him gain insight had Jiang Yang managed to unleash Sword Qi so soon after beginning.

Even so, his technique was like Duan Yu's Six Meridians Divine Sword: sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not.

Forget fighting an enemy—with swordsmanship this clumsy, even if someone stood motionless before him and let him thrust, it might not work.

This was not something that could be accomplished overnight. If he wanted to send Sword Qi sweeping freely in every direction, he would still have to practice diligently.

And so, with one teaching and the other learning, Jiang Yang's footsteps and moving figure left their traces all across the small clearing before the Cave Abode.

Bai Tang offered timely reminders, praising Jiang Yang when he did well and correcting him when he did not.

For Jiang Yang, pain and pleasure went hand in hand. With yesterday's accumulated fatigue piled on top, it was undoubtedly harder to endure than before, but the welcome part was that his strength was improving before his very eyes.

Now he clearly understood just how important a good teacher was.

The rain kept falling. Far from showing any sign of stopping, it seemed to be growing heavier.

During a pause to regulate his breathing, Jiang Yang looked up at the sky. Dense black clouds filled the distance, like ink staining a clear pool, soaking half the heavens.

Doubts stirred in his heart, and he pondered:

That doesn't look quite right...

From Shang Qingzheng's explanation, he knew this curtain of rain was produced by a True Person's divine powers. Yet since joining the sect, he had never seen rain this heavy or this prolonged.

All the peaks of Xiang Mountain were covered by a great formation. The rain here did not fall at random; every shower had its prescribed measure.

Otherwise, never mind a True Person—even a minor cultivator like Jiang Yang could govern the rainfall in an area by using the Small Cloud-Rain Art.

This strange weather and the torrential rain overhead left Jiang Yang faintly apprehensive.

Boom!

Suddenly, an immense crash shook the heavens. The Spirit Vigor within the Three Peaks surged and rippled like a tide, and Jiang Yang hurriedly leaned on his sword and peered into the distance.

"What's going on?"

Jiang Yang was not the only one puzzled. The violent fluctuations in Spirit Vigor startled many disciples on the mountain. Those who could ride the wind all leaped into the air, while those unable to fly stood before their Cave Abodes and looked out.

The upheaval continued. The moment after the Spirit Vigor spread, a pale blue-green radiance shot skyward, illusory as mist and thick as a pillar, piercing straight into the sky.

In an instant, the entire sky was covered in rich blue-green, illusory light, like a heavenly pool reflecting emerald hues, painted in thick, vivid strokes.

Many disciples with low cultivation could no longer sustain their magic wind and descended to the ground one after another. Only a few remained swaying in the air, still holding on.

The blue-green, illusory radiance met the cloudy vapors in the sky and transformed into an azure heavenly pool. At once, the rain grew fiercer. The entire sky seemed like a celestial river pouring down, accompanied by rumbling crashes.

"Someone must have failed to break through to the violet palace and perished..."

At that moment, Bai Tang, who had remained silent all this while, suddenly spoke.

Jiang Yang had been watching this apocalyptic scene with a pounding heart. Hearing her speak immediately reassured him.

A moment ago, he had thought someone was attacking the sect's gates. Now it seemed a senior within the sect had been attempting a breakthrough. Sadly... all their effort had come to nothing at the final hurdle.

He had never expected such an immense disturbance. This was merely the spectacle of a failed breakthrough. Had it succeeded... as he considered this, his yearning for the realm of a violet palace True Person deepened further.

Then Jiang Yang realized something and immediately asked:

"Senior Bai, have you recovered your memories?"

"No. The signs in the heavens are plain. One glance is enough to understand them. What is difficult about that?"

Bai Tang continued unhurriedly:

"The illusory radiance of the divine powers within it is pale blue-green. Judging by that, it should be an immortal foundation of the Gui Water path. The phenomenon formed after its collapse clashed with the Cloud Qi in the sky. Yin water meeting resting clouds becomes branch-washing rain..."

As though confirming Bai Tang's words, once the phenomenon passed, the rain grew heavier still, turning into a violent downpour in moments.

Even Jiang Yang's Water-Splitting Spell was no longer working properly. With no other choice, he formed another hand seal to add a second layer. Only half understanding what he had heard, he could merely marvel:

"You can tell all that from a single glance? How come I can't see anything?"

Bai Tang gave a soft laugh at that and said lightly:

"When your cultivation deepens, the characteristics of the various Dao Lineages will naturally become clear in your heart, understood without a word."