It was the fifth watch, and dawn had yet to break. The Ninth Princess was already practicing with her flying sword, displaying a diligence she had never shown before.
Over the past several months, her spiritual consciousness seemed to have grown again. But without Li Ling's ability to temper his soul by feeding on incense, she had made only slight progress. This was the norm for ordinary cultivators.
After a while, she refined a cloud beneath her feet, condensing a mass of rainbow-like mist. She stepped onto it, and it lifted her into the air.
Light shimmered around her, her robes fluttering, and her lovely face bore a seriousness he had never seen before.
The Ninth Princess guided the cloud up and down, apparently familiarizing herself with the control of Cloud Escape. The cloud condensed from Cloud-Producing Incense was remarkably solid and reliable. Other Spirit Materials seemed to have contributed as well, allowing her to reach this level far sooner than Li Ling had expected.
Yet what surprised Li Lin even more was the attitude the Ninth Princess was displaying.
The Ninth Princess had always been lazy and lax, her heart set entirely on worldly romance. After marrying him, she had all but abandoned cultivation and scarcely made any effort to improve.
With her aptitude, her chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were uncertain anyway. Routine cultivation was of little use; she depended more on opportunity and luck.
Li Ling had always thought his wife was a salted fish, content to idle her life away. He had never imagined that she would work hard in secret.
What had spurred her on?
After thinking it over, the only possible reason he could find was the Pine Daoist's visit yesterday.
*Could Qing Si have known about the Fiefdom Establishment all along, only keeping