Where Are My Pillars?

A burst of force from Jianxin accidentally sent Ling An flying onto the roof.

Seeing this, Jianxin hurriedly bowed in apology. "I didn't mean to!"

Ling An jumped down from the roof and shook the dust off himself. "Well? Did you feel it?"

Jianxin nodded excitedly. "I think I really did feel something."

"Good. Keep going!"

Ling An had learned his lesson this time. He simply stayed several meters away and let Jianxin do her thing.

He served as a speaker.

The powerful music, with its dizzying sense of weightlessness, rang out again. Jianxin closed her eyes and focused on circulating her energy, gathering force between her palms.

The next moment, her eyes snapped open, something new gleaming in her gaze.

She thrust both palms forward and cried in a low voice, "Think you can take me on?"

Boom!

The force surged outward, punching through eight whole pillars before dissipating.

If his padded paws had been able to clap, Ling An would have applauded her.

Jianxin scratched her head with an endearingly bashful air, her eyes shining with delight as she looked at the eight broken pillars. "It really worked! Thank you, Patroller Ling An!"

Ling An shook his head.

There was no need to thank him. He hadn't actually done anything.

Jianxin was simply gifted. He was just a blind cat that had stumbled onto a dead mouse.

With talent like hers, she could probably master the Nine Yin Manual even if she practiced it backward.

Come to think of it, had he just led Jianxin astray?

"Hehe, I changed the line just now. That felt pretty good too."

"Excellent. You're learning on your own. But don't forget, the most important thing is confidence!"

"That's right, confidence!" Jianxin clenched her fists, a bright light gleaming in her eyes.

At that moment, she felt more confident than ever.

She walked solemnly up to Ling An and gave him a perfectly earnest formal bow. "You have my thanks!"

"It was no trouble."

Ling An pressed the switch. Now that Jianxin had grasped the essence of it, his job was done.

He turned away, only to hear Jianxin's voice behind him. "I..."

Ling An looked back at her in puzzlement.

Jianxin cleared her throat twice, looking rather embarrassed.

She asked softly, "I've heard about the Jinzhou Cat-Cat Cult... may I join?"

Before Ling An could react, she hurriedly waved her hands. "Please don't misunderstand! It's certainly not because I heard members can pet you whenever they like. I only wanted to express my thanks..."

Ling An looked at her, a little puzzled.

After all, Jianxin was still wearing her Daoist robes.

But before that, which damned idiot had been spreading rumors?

Joining meant they could pet him? Was he some kind of mascot?

"Wouldn't that go against your teachings?" he asked, pointing at Jianxin's robes.

"My master said that all things can be teachers, and that I shouldn't be bound by appearances. Any decisions I make after leaving the mountain are mine alone. Besides, the Cat-Cat Cult should count as an organization..."

Jianxin's words caught Ling An's attention.

He thought he was beginning to understand why she learned so quickly.

In another novel, this would be an inborn pure crystal heart.

She was pure and kind by nature, knew little of worldly dealings, and possessed extraordinary talent.

Most importantly, what Jianxin had just said perfectly described her path of cultivation-

Everything she did accorded with her own Dao Rhythm.

This girl had a bright future ahead of her!

Ling An couldn't help seeing her in a new light. After a moment's thought, he said, "Ask Chixia."

He wasn't the one to ask. He had only just found out himself.

The Cat-Cat Cult had been founded, yet the cat was the last to know.

Did that make any sense?

"Um, the music..." Jianxin faltered.

Ling An caught on. "Here, I'll send it to your Terminal."

He had nearly forgotten about that. How could this work without powerful music?

Jianxin smiled as she looked at the audio file Ling An had sent her.

It was hard to imagine how she would use that recording in the future.

Ling An felt as though he had planted one hell of a seed.

"Thank you very much!" Jianxin bowed politely once again.

Her courteous manner almost made Ling An too embarrassed to collect his "interest."

Perhaps that rumor about the Cat-Cat Cult was true.

You might not even have to ask. A certain naughty cat would jump into your arms before you knew it.

Of course, for now, that privilege seemed to be limited to one gender.

Having finished thanking Ling An, Jianxin went dutifully back to setting up pillars.

She beamed at the results of her earlier attack, thoroughly delighted.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ling An hadn't left yet.

So she offered, "Patroller Ling An, would you like to try my training method?"

Looking at the newly arranged pillars, Ling An felt a spark of playful interest.

It was his first encounter with a Daoist's training method, and he couldn't help wondering how many pillars he could break.

Seeing his interest, Jianxin quickly stepped aside.

Ling An's exploits in the Flaming Sea had spread throughout Jinzhou. She was curious too: just what sort of power could defeat such mighty Tacet Discords?

"With the space available, I can only set up twelve pillars. The farther you go, the more force you need," Jianxin explained.

Ling An stood at the starting point and looked down the straight line of twelve thick pillars.

Jianxin's best result was the eight she had just broken. How many Ling An could break remained unknown.

"Interesting. Let me try." Ling An's expression slowly grew serious.

He copied Jianxin, holding his breath and calming his mind.

Suddenly, thunderous music erupted beside him. "A thousand cups of wine, and still I'm not drunk..."

Ling An gave Jianxin a resigned look. "I don't need that."

"Oh, all right!" Jianxin hurriedly switched off her Terminal's audio player.

Ling An looked at the pillars, then suddenly wondered whether using Crimson Gold Flowing Flame for this test would be overkill.

They would probably burn up in a second.

He carefully recalled Jianxin's movements.

Force.

It hadn't relied on a physical strike or anything else.

It had been explosive power from within the body.

Ling An slowly extended a paw and rested it against the pillar.

A moment later, he turned to Jianxin with a serious expression. "I have a few secrets. Could I trouble you to close your eyes?"

Jianxin obligingly closed her eyes without asking any further questions.

Reassured, Ling An turned his attention to the pillar. Jianxin's character was absolutely worthy of trust.

He slowly focused his mind. What rested against the pillar was no longer a cat's paw, but an arm covered in menacing armor.

This time, he wouldn't use Crimson Gold Flowing Flame or Anihilation.

Only pure explosive power.

Ling An extended his hand, setting his fingertips against the pillar.

In an instant, he curled his fingers into a fist.

One-inch power, cleave the heavens!

A burst of force swept out like the wind, sending Jianxin's stray tuft of hair fluttering wildly.

Before him, the pillar burst apart from its center.

But the force didn't stop. Without a moment's pause, it howled onward.

The second pillar, the third...

The force smashed through all twelve pillars and struck the wall around the Six Envy Teahouse's back courtyard.

"Done."

Ling An's voice reached Jianxin's ears, though there seemed to be a hint of guilt in it.

She opened her eyes and surveyed the training ground.

A bead of cold sweat quietly slid down her cheek.

Where were the pillars I'd just set up?

Don't tell me they were that pile of fragments on the ground.

And...

Where was my Six Envy Teahouse's back courtyard?

If I remembered correctly, there used to be a wall here...

Right?