Polishing

On the third day after Bamboo Transformation awakened, Lin Qing finally began to truly get used to it.

Passive activation was the first thing he figured out. He discovered that as long as Bamboo Soul detected an intent to attack within its perception range, a bamboo layer would form in advance at the point of impact. It was thin, but enough to block a probing attack.

The difficulty lay in control-sometimes the passive activation was too fast. The bamboo layer had already formed before the opponent struck him, wasting Soul Power;

At other times it was too slow: the enemy struck so quickly that the bamboo layer couldn't keep up. It took him two days to bring the timing of passive activation into a relatively stable range.

Active transformation was more complicated. Covering his entire body consumed too much Soul Power, and he couldn't sustain it for more than forty-five minutes. Partial coverage was flexible, but left blind spots in his defense. He worked out a compromise: in battle, he would cover only his arms and chest, relying on passive activation to fill the gaps elsewhere.

With both arms transformed into bamboo, he could take a Moon Blade slash on Xie Yue's level head-on. Bamboo over his chest could withstand a heavy frontal blow, while his back and waist remained uncovered, with footwork and Bamboo Sea Emergence making up the difference.

On the thirteenth day, Qin Wuj iu arranged a three-person free-for-all.

Lin Qing, Shen Du and Lu Qingya would all be on the field at once, with no fixed opponents. The first to step out of bounds would be eliminated, and the last two remaining on the field would win.

The instant the whistle sounded, Shen Du's short spear was already stabbing toward Lu Qingya. Lu Qingya dodged sideways, his figure splitting into three illusory images that scattered in different directions. Shen Du didn't pursue them. He turned his short spear, its tip pointing straight at Lin Qing.

Lin Qing didn't use Bamboo Sea Emergence. The field was too small; spreading a bamboo forest across it in a three-person free-for-all would only restrict his own side.

He activated Bamboo Transformation at once. Bamboo-node patterns surfaced on both arms as he charged toward the short spear. The spear tip struck his bamboo-transformed arm with a crisp sound and bounced off.

Shen Du's pupils contracted slightly, but he didn't retreat. He pulled back his short spear and swept its butt toward Lin Qing's waist.

Lin Qing didn't block. Passive activation formed a thin bamboo layer at his waist, stopping most of the force. Using the sweep's momentum, he shifted half a step sideways, cold Qi gathering in his right hand as he struck at Shen Du's shoulder.

Shen Du abandoned his short spear and flipped backward. But Lu Qingya's three illusory images had already converged, and his true body flashed out from behind Shen Du, striking him in the back with a palm.

Shen Du staggered forward two steps, nearly going out of bounds. He steadied himself and glanced back at Lu Qingya, then turned toward Lin Qing.

The two moved at once, short spear and bamboo fist striking toward each other almost simultaneously. But Lu Qingya was faster. He cut in from the side, pushing one hand against Lin Qing's shoulder and striking Shen Du's back with the other. Both lost their balance at once and tumbled out of bounds.

Qin Wuj iu's voice came from the edge of the field. "Lu Qingya wins."

Lin Qing got up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

He glanced at Lu Qingya, who had already stopped and moved to the edge of the field. His face was expressionless, as though he had done something entirely ordinary.

Shen Du picked up his short spear and walked silently back to the line. Lin Qing returned as well, looking down at his arm. The bamboo layer was receding, and the consumption was a little lower than it had been a few days ago, probably because he had grown more proficient with partial coverage.

After afternoon training ended, Lin Qing returned to his quarters and opened his training log.

After the page marking his initial success with Bamboo Transformation, he had added several lines recording the timing of passive activation and the consumption figures for partial coverage. He stared at the numbers for a while, then closed the book.

"Ah Zhu."

"Mm."

"When can the fourth Soul Ring be formed?"

"Not for a while yet." Lone Bamboo's voice came from his sea of consciousness. "The fourth bamboo node has only just lit up. The Soul Ring can't be formed until it stabilizes. At the current rate, probably another month."

"A month." Lin Qing made a quick calculation in his head. That was enough time for him to master Bamboo Transformation, and enough time to decide how to "hunt" his fourth Soul Ring.

He got up and went outside. There were few people in the courtyard, and dusk was slowly settling above the walls.

He extended his left arm and let a thin layer of bamboo-node patterns appear on his forearm. Maintaining it, he walked a circuit around the courtyard. The bamboo layer remained stable, his Soul Power was consumed slowly, and Bamboo Breath could keep up.

On his second circuit, something suddenly occurred to him: Lu Qingya had cut in a little faster today than before. If they faced each other again, he would have to use Bamboo Soul to lock onto Lu Qingya's landing point in advance. He couldn't be caught on the back foot like he had been today.

He made a mental note of it, withdrew the bamboo layer and turned back inside. The silver badge lay on the table, with the training log beside it. He sat down and added another line under today's date: "Three-person free-for-all, Lu Qingya wins. Bamboo Transformation proficiency improved; passive activation timing growing stable."

He closed the book and lay down. Outside the window, wind passed through the alley. Deep in his sea of consciousness, the fourth bamboo node glowed steadily, its light a little more solid than it had been a few days ago.

Bamboo Transformation was slowly going from "usable" to "useful." In another month, it should be able to carry him through a complete battle.

By then, it would be time for him to make a trip to the Soul Beast forest.

On the twentieth day after Bamboo Transformation awakened, Qin Wuj iu changed the training arrangements.

That morning, he didn't read out the names for team training. He simply stood at the edge of the field without a book in his hands, his gaze sweeping over the line.

He said, "Starting today, one person will go to the main building for individual training every afternoon." Qin Wuj iu called Lin Qing's name.

Lin Qing stepped out of the line. Qin Wuj iu didn't explain why he had chosen him or say what the training would involve. He merely tilted his head, signaling Lin Qing to follow.

The two crossed the training ground, entered the main building and walked deeper inside along a long corridor.

Old paintings hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor, depicting powerful figures from Spirit Hall's past generations. Some had faded, while the faces in others were still clear. Lin Qing didn't look at them for long. He simply followed behind, walking neither quickly nor slowly.

Qin Wuj iu stopped in front of a wooden door at the end of the corridor, pushed it open and stepped aside.

Lin Qing walked in. The room was small and windowless, with a luminous gemstone set into the ceiling, illuminating the entire space evenly and brightly.

A figure stood in the center of the room with her back to the door, purple hair falling over her shoulders and the hem of her dark clothing hanging still. It was Hu Liena.

Lin Qing still remembered Hu Liena: a Soul Master with excellent talent, yet influenced by Tang San and trapped by love, her cultivation had progressed slowly later on. What a pity...

Qin Wuj iu didn't come in. He merely pulled the door shut.

The sound of the door closing was very soft, as though deliberately muffled.

Hu Liena turned around, her deep purple eyes settling on Lin Qing. Her gaze was calm and direct, like a blade not yet fully drawn, showing you the hilt first and then watching your reaction.

"Xie Yue said that arm of yours can turn into bamboo." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearer than when he had heard her speak at the edge of the training ground. "I've come to take a look."

Lin Qing stood at the door without immediately moving forward. Bamboo Soul turned slowly in his sea of consciousness, confirming that there was no ambush, no formation and no extra presence in the room.

There was only Hu Liena. She hadn't summoned her Martial Soul, and she kept her Soul Power restrained, as though deliberately trying not to put pressure on him.