Talent and Cultivation Techniques

Su Fuxi thought to herself, This boy's talent is astonishing. He's probably the greatest genius the Azure Cloud Sect has seen in nearly a thousand years. Last night, he had only just been introduced to the incantation, yet he succeeded in drawing in qi after one hour and broke straight through fourteen spirit apertures in two!

Even those hailed as geniuses generally had no more than eleven or twelve innate spirit apertures at the very most.

Only spirit apertures that were innate but hidden could be forced open later by drawing in qi. Though Su Fuxi did not yet know the specifics of Lin Sui's spirit roots, she understood that his talent was exceptional.

It was enough to make anyone jealous.

As Lin Sui cultivated, the spiritual qi in the surrounding area began to gather in the back courtyard, while the essence and medicinal properties of the blood bath also seeped into his flesh. An hour later, he smoothly entered the Qi Refinement First Layer, and the jealousy in Su Fuxi's heart grew a little stronger.

Back then, it had taken her ten years to draw in qi and break through a single aperture! The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to weep.

The liquid in the tub was also drawn in by the spiritual qi in his body and slowly absorbed. The medicinal herbs dissolved, the blood decreased by a quarter, and its color gradually turned light red, then pink, before growing clearer and clearer. In the end, only half the original volume remained, a transparent liquid mixed with the dark, filthy impurities expelled after marrow cleansing.

Lin Sui clenched his teeth and endured the pain, continuing to breathe in and out, drawing in qi and tempering his body. His face was flushed red, and sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down. At that moment, he felt his body grow hot and his muscles swell and ache all over. Strangely, though, his limbs were neither stiff nor numb.

The youth kept his eyes tightly shut without making a sound.

Only after another cup of tea's time did Su Fuxi mercifully deign to speak. "All right, that's enough for today. Change the water, wash up, and get some good rest. Take a medicinal bath like this once every three days, and cultivate diligently the rest of the time."

As she spoke, she waved a hand, refined a medicinal herb that soothed the muscles and bones, and infused it into the warm water. She then turned her back and waited for Lin Sui to move to the other tub himself. This time, the clear water finally gave off the natural scent of plants.

Su Fuxi suddenly reached out and pressed her index finger to Lin Sui's forehead. After sending spiritual power through a full circuit of his body, she found that his physique had grown considerably stronger. The beast blood was relatively mild and worked gradually; if he kept this up, the results would be extraordinary.

She had never had the means to temper her body this way back then. Aside from the expense, there was nothing wrong with it!

"It's already noon. You may rest for two hours."

Lin Sui got dressed and clumsily tried to fasten his bracers himself, but failed several times. Unable to watch any longer, Su Fuxi stepped in, straightened both his sleeves, and then fastened the leather bracers.

Without waiting for him to speak, she left him with those words and departed.

Su Fuxi returned to the secret chamber and sat cross-legged. She patted her storage bag, and a jade slip flew out and floated before her. It was the Netherworld Sect cultivation technique jade slip she had obtained before.

After pondering for a moment, she took the jade slip and pressed it to her forehead to examine it. "Sure enough, this technique relies on resentment and souls for cultivation. It offends the harmony of heaven, but the soul banner artifact refined with it would have extraordinary power if brought to full mastery."

"I already have my own cultivation technique, so I have no need to practice such a spell. But I could make this artifact and give it to Lin Sui for protection. I'll pass it on to him..."

With that thought, Su Fuxi took out a blank jade slip and placed it against her forehead. Using her mind, she engraved another cultivation technique from her memory onto it, with its incantation slightly altered.

"I've added a Cauldron Mark to this technique. Once he reaches full mastery in the future, he'll be mine to use..."

Su Fuxi put away the jade slip and raised her unseeing eyes to the illuminating crystal set into the top of the secret chamber, which she had looked at for countless years. No one knew what she was thinking.

A moment later, she rose and left the secret chamber, her graceful figure appearing in the hall on the first floor. No one was there. Apparently, Lin Sui had not yet finished his midday rest.

On familiar ground, she could move about freely with her eyes closed, relying solely on her perception of spiritual power. She rarely used her spiritual sense, conserving her mental energy.

Fruit and a tea set had been laid out on the carved square table. Wang Xiaohu had prepared them; he had learned his tea-making skills directly from Deacon Wang, and they were quite good. When she had lived alone, she had naturally possessed none of these furnishings. Her home had stood empty for hundreds of years, yet unexpectedly, after only these few days, it looked a little more lived-in.

Su Fuxi sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. Holding the jade cup in her fair fingers, she brought it to her lips and slowly took a sip. Before she could take a second, a sudden boom came from Lin Sui's room, and the spiritual qi shook violently once more!

She immediately set down her cup and flashed into the room.

"Qi... Qi Refining Second Layer..."

Su Fuxi stared dumbfounded at the bleary-eyed Lin Sui. The boy had actually broken through in his sleep, and the point was, it had been less than a day, yet he was already at the Qi Refinement Second Layer?

"Master... what is it?"

Su Fuxi sent a stream of spiritual power into his body and only stopped after making sure nothing was wrong with him.

"It's nothing."

Forget it. It was a pity the boy had entered the Dao too late. Otherwise, he would certainly have been qualified to join a major power in an upper realm.

"Weren't you resting? How did you cultivate in your dream?"

"I don't know why either. I suddenly felt some kind of barrier in my body break, and then I woke up... Wait, I'm at the Qi Refining Second Layer!"

"That's wonderful, Master! The medicinal bath really did work!"

At that moment, no matter how composed Lin Sui tried to act, he could not help showing his childish side. Excited, he rolled out of bed and looked himself over from side to side.

"..." Su Fuxi's face stiffened, and the corners of her mouth pulled into a faint smile. "Yes. No matter how painful the medicinal baths are from now on, you'll have to endure them."

She drew a breath, the fingers at her side tightening slightly, and turned first. "Come on. I'll take you to the Quiet Contemplation Terrace and teach you a cultivation technique."

The Quiet Contemplation Terrace lay on a cliff on the side of Cloud-Capped Peak. It had a wide view, swirling clouds and mist, and was exceptionally peaceful. Beneath the cliff was another platform where disciples were sent to reflect on their misdeeds as punishment.

The rocks were rough and unadorned, left in their natural state. Aside from a large stone marked with the words "Quiet Contemplation," there was no other trace of order or design. The Azure Cloud Sect had always been stingy about building anything in these out-of-the-way corners.

Master and disciple stood before the great Quiet Contemplation stone, which was ten feet tall.

Su Fuxi first handed him a storage bag. It was the one that had not been lost last time, and the only one she had not sold.

"Take this to store your belongings. There are some spirit stones and low-grade talisman papers inside. Once your aptitude has been tested and you've been entered into the register, you can go to the Sword Pool to claim your own sword. As for your natal artifact, you'll have to refine it yourself after you form your core."

"Thank you for your gift, Master." Lin Sui accepted it respectfully, a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes as he looked at Su Fuxi. Now that he had spiritual power, he could open a storage bag, an essential item for cultivators, and he had long been curious about them.

But Wang Xiaohu had said that storage artifacts varied in quality and were expensive. Even the poorest-quality ones were difficult for most low-level cultivators to obtain. He felt very fortunate. Su Fuxi seemed aloof, yet she had thought of so many little everyday matters for him, sparing him the fear and trepidation of making mistakes.

"Mm." Only then did Su Fuxi take out the jade slip she had engraved and send it flying before Lin Sui. "This is the cultivation technique I practice. It's called the God-Slaying Finger, a killing art. Killing a target with this technique produces Slaughter Qi, which gathers around you. Slaughter Qi can be refined, and if you collect enough, you can gather and refine it into a soul of slaughter. This soul is refined with your own spiritual sense. It can attack or defend, killing enemies without a trace."

Lin Sui was taken aback. "Killing? Do I have to kill... to collect Slaughter Qi?"

Su Fuxi's voice was very cool. "What else?"

She suddenly stepped closer until only a palm's breadth separated them. Towering over Lin Sui, she looked down at him slightly, as though looking into his eyes. In truth, she was not looking at him, nor had she even released her spiritual sense. Only after "looking" at him until he felt embarrassed did she speak.

"Cultivating immortality isn't about living at peace with the world." She raised a slender, slightly cool finger before his eyes and slowly tipped up his chin. "How many people do you think these hands of mine have killed? How many core formation cultivators' cores have they dug out?"

Her tone was plainly cool, without the slightest hint of teasing, yet for some reason, Lin Sui did not dare look at her. His heart was tense, and he struggled to keep his face composed as he shook his head, his ears red. "Your disciple... doesn't know."

Because a silk ribbon covered her eyes, people's gazes were drawn involuntarily to her lovely nose and mouth. To avoid being disrespectful, Lin Sui could only stare blankly at her eyes behind the thin silk. They held no light, yet were very beautiful.

"Hmph. That's what cultivating immortality is."

Su Fuxi gave a cold snort, released him, and stepped back. Turning to face the clouds and mist churning in the distance, she continued:

"This art is somewhat sinister and ruthless, but its power is extraordinary. Once you've cultivated it well, it will be a means of saving your life. After you've familiarized yourself with the incantation, I'll take you down the mountain for training."