Sword Art and Worth

Considering that Su Fuxi had yet to cultivate the Netherworld Sect's technique herself and did not know whether it had any other flaws, and that Lin Sui would not be able to learn it all if she gave him too much, she decided to wait until he reached the Late Qi Refining Stage before teaching it to him.

"Place the jade slip against your forehead and use your spiritual power to examine it. Destroy it as soon as you've finished reading it." As Su Fuxi spoke, she took out a second jade slip.

"This one contains a sword art called the Remnant Star Sword Art. Some of it is a little difficult to understand, so take your time studying it. Also, I've spoken to Steward Wang Yuan. Starting tomorrow, Wang Xiaohu will take you to him for lessons in academic subjects, one shichen every day."

The jade slip floated over and landed in Lin Sui's hand. Without looking back, Su Fuxi said, "I'll demonstrate the Remnant Star Sword Art for you today. Watch carefully. You'll practice it on your own from now on."

She had found the Remnant Star Sword Art in the storage pouch of a Golden Core cultivator whose lifespan was nearly exhausted. The sword art also seemed incomplete, but someone had modified it, making it remarkably concise.

A minor mastery of it was enough to cultivate sword intent. If it were complete, it could lead straight to the sword dao. Presumably, it was a technique from some high-level sword sect.

Su Fuxi held nothing back. She recited the incantation as she demonstrated the sword moves, neither too quickly nor too slowly, her movements smooth and flowing. Though she wielded only a bamboo sword that had clearly just been whittled, it did nothing to stop her sword qi from pulverizing the stones scattered across the ground and destroying the weeds.

A beauty danced with her sword, her sleeves fluttering, her slender waist swaying and bending low. Yet she was also bold and sharp, a sight of rare grace.

Sensing the flow of qi on the cliff, the cultivators in seclusion swept their spiritual senses over it briefly, then all refrained from disturbing her.

Someone sighed. "It's rare indeed to see someone in the Azure Cloud Sect teach a disciple as diligently as Elder Su."

Su Fuxi noticed the other spiritual senses but paid them no mind, her movements unaffected in the slightest. Li Yuanqing was meditating in a Spirit Gathering Array in the secret chamber behind the main hall. Seeing how much care she was taking, he could not help nodding with relief.

Lin Sui, however, had clearly not caught on. He kept his master's instructions firmly in mind, watching her every move without blinking and committing them deeply to memory.

That night, he even dreamed of her practicing the sword.

After Su Fuxi finished the sword moves, she received a voice transmission from Sect Master Li Yuanqing. "Bring your disciple to watch the spiritual-root testing assembly in nine days. This boy has extraordinary talent. You have a good eye!"

Su Fuxi's heart tightened slightly, afraid he might try to take her disciple. She replied with her spiritual sense, "Sect Master Li, Lin Sui will always be my disciple. I'll be sure to bring him to have his aptitude tested."

Li Yuanqing said, "Don't worry. He's also a core disciple of our sect, so naturally you'll teach him. No one else has the energy for it anyway."

"Thank you for your consideration, Sect Master." Fuxi's mind was put at ease.

"I need to enter seclusion for three days. Cultivate on your own for now." Leaving Lin Sui to cultivate alone on the Quiet Contemplation Terrace, she rode her flying sword back to her secret chamber.

Lin Sui watched her disappear at the far end, then sat cross-legged and began studying the Remnant Star Sword Art while it was still fresh in his mind.

The youth had an excellent memory. Only after using the incantation to roughly sort out her sword moves did he take out the jade slip she had instructed him to destroy after reading.

"God-Slaying Finger?" After reading it, Lin Sui memorized the hand seals and obediently destroyed the jade slip.

With his Qi Refinement Second Layer cultivation, he squeezed it in his hand. The jade slip cracked, and the spiritual power it contained dissipated completely. The information within, including the technique's instructions, vanished in the blink of an eye. Another squeeze reduced it to dust.

"Master was right. This is cultivation." Lin Sui looked at his palm, now imbued with spiritual power. Not a single mark remained on it, and the rough, thick calluses it once bore were gone. His skin had become smooth. Ever since refining qi and cleansing his marrow, his body seemed much lighter, and he was full of strength.

He was overcome with emotion for a moment. The course of his life seemed to have changed completely, and in so short a time, everything from before had become so very distant.

"Whew, no wonder the Netherworld Sect became such a major sect."

Su Fuxi had spent two days deciphering the Soul Refining Art, and even that was only because someone had annotated the technique, making it easier to understand.

After all, only the inner sect of the Netherworld Sect possessed the truly profound Soul Refining Art. With this technique, one could at most produce a Five-Thousand-Soul Banner, and it could have only ten main souls, also known as Soul Marshals, each of which could gather and command five hundred ferocious souls.

If she entered the Netherworld Sect's inner sect or obtained its core technique and refined a Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner, wouldn't its power rival that of a Spirit Transformation expert?

However, refining a Soul Marshal had demanding requirements. At the very least, ordinary people's souls would not do. For a Thousand-Soul Banner, she would probably need Foundation Establishment-level souls.

After studying it, Su Fuxi's blood was boiling with excitement, but she had no souls to refine. She couldn't just go around slaughtering innocent people, could she?

And, looking at it this way...

"Damn, the Spectral Soul Sect might be a whole bunch of killing gods. I can't afford to provoke them, can't afford to provoke them. Better to play it safe and not use the soul banner lightly in the future."

Calculating it this way, Su Fuxi finally understood why the Netherworld Sect was a major power in a superior kingdom. If every one of their core disciples possessed a Thousand-Soul Banner or a Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner, then their patriarch had to be at least above Spirit Transformation, at the Soul Leaving Stage-the highest realm in this Human Realm, according to rumor.

In the course of her cultivation, Su Fuxi had naturally read paid texts that introduced the basics of cultivation as well as secrets not made public.

This realm was the Human Realm, also called the Middle Realm, and was divided into ten continents. Each continent was vast, and the ten were connected by the Sea of Laws. To cross the sea, one needed at least Nascent Soul Stage strength and a realm-crossing treasure.

The highest cultivation in the Human Realm was the Soul Leaving Stage. After that, one had to find a passage across the void and be guided to the upper realm-the Mystic Realm.

"Alas, why am I, an ant of a cultivator who even failed to form a nascent soul, thinking about these things? In a hundred years, I'll probably be dust to dust, earth to earth..."

She suddenly sighed and cast these idle thoughts aside.

In any case, it seemed a Thousand-Soul Banner would not be easy to refine, so she set the matter aside for now. Su Fuxi put away the jade slip. In any case, with her acting as the cultivation vessel's protector, he would not be in danger for the time being.

Ah, the greatest danger was probably herself.

On the final day, Su Fuxi successfully added a second golden seal and a seventh spiritual-sense whip to her sea of consciousness.

Three days had passed, and today it was time to prepare the second blood bath. She took a step, and the next moment she was outside the pavilion, where she saw Lin Sui waiting obediently.

Su Fuxi swept him with her spiritual sense and immediately drew a sharp breath in secret. In just three days, this boy had broken straight through to the third layer!

He had fucking trampled underfoot every genius in the Azure Cloud Sect, and even the entire Tianshui Kingdom.

Harboring ulterior motives, Su Fuxi had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she secretly envied and resented him; on the other, she could not help feeling excited-with such aptitude, wouldn't she have hope of attaining the Great Dao after seizing his body?

"Master, you're out!" Lin Sui had no idea what she was thinking. Seeing her silently looking at him, he spoke up. "I've mastered all the incantations, and I've reached the introductory level of the Remnant Star Sword."

Good! Very good! Not only was his talent exceptional, he was hardworking too. Su Fuxi took a long moment to calm herself before nodding. "Oh, you've reached the introductory level... which layer?"

"The first layer." Lin Sui scratched his head sheepishly. "I spent a whole night practicing the sword, so my cultivation was a little slow. I always feel like there isn't enough time..."

Su Fuxi gently sent a pulse of spiritual power into him to smooth out his meridians, then patted him on the shoulder and praised him warmly. "It's all right. You reached the Early Qi Refining Stage in only four days. You've already surpassed most cultivators. Even I can't compare to you.

"Lin Sui, your aptitude is excellent. Now you're a true cultivator."

Lin Sui had no concept of talent or aptitude.

Lately, he had stayed behind closed doors, not leaving Cloud-Capped Peak even once. Wang Xiaohu arranged his daily life for him; he scarcely had to lift a hand to dress or open his mouth to be fed. His cultivation progress had utterly shocked Wang Xiaohu and the others.

He often heard Wang Xiaohu marvel that he was a genius the Azure Cloud Sect saw only once in a thousand years, but he had felt nothing about it. Only now, hearing Su Fuxi say that he truly was talented, did he feel happy.

This way, he was finally worthy of being her disciple.

He finally had worth!

That was wonderful.

Wasn't it? Looking at the hand that once again held him protectively in her arms, Lin Sui silently asked himself. The embrace against his back carried a warm fragrance, shielding him from the fierce winds of flying at great heights.

-Yes.