"Gold Tyrant Flying Sword??" Shin Sumi answered in a breath as a flash of golden light erupted from Fen Wudao's bag of holding.
When the light from summoning dimmed, he was holding a long dagger with a leather handle. The metal from the sword shone brightly and it seemed that it truly was made of gold.
Shin Sumi was speechless. The edges of the blade were so thin that it looked as if it could cut through anything.
"I obtained this sword as a reward from the sect about a year ago. It is a really good flying sword, very loyal" Fen Wudao said as the sword started hovering gently above his palm.
"Flying sword? Loyal?" thought Shin Sumi still disguised as Yan Yan, "what does that even mean?"
Fen Wudao kept talking, clarifying Shin Sumi's inner questioning.
"Flying swords are the most common weapons used by cultivators. I'm surprised that with the amount of spirit stones that you are making every time you sell plants you still haven't gone to the Myriad Sword Pavilion."
Shin Sumi's eyes lit up as she remembered hearing about it. It was a tall building close to the Cultivation Plaza in the northern side of the lower valley. The tower-like building housed an incredible amount of weapons for disciples to buy.
Shin Sumi never bothered to visit it as she didn't find the use of a weapon necessary. She was only an Honorary Disciple and the only times she left the lower valley were to go to the training grounds, still inside the sect's borders.
And whenever she would find herself on the way to the chasm, the nut's warnings were enough to deal with whatever danger she found herself in.
A brief image of Elder Zhu flashed in her mind.
"There is actually another source of danger. But with my cultivation base, what chance do I have against a sect elder at the great circle of the Liquid Realm?"
Despite her thought process having taken less than a fraction of a second, Shin Sumi found Fen Wudao looking at her with a strange gaze.
Once again it was as if he had been reading her thoughts. She replied "I haven't been there yet, it is true. I don't think I would know what to do with a weapon, Senior Brother Fen."
Fen Wudao laughed a bit, although remaining serious.
"You are still young. I guess after only a few months in the sect, you still don't know a lot about the cultivation world."
His sentence was said in a careless manner, but Shin Sumi felt the hair on her forearm raise as if by a cold wind.
"Does he know who I am? Or is he guessing?"
Shin Sumi didn't fear Fen Wudao. After all the white robed Liquid Realm cultivator had always been gentle. His eyes contained only warmth and care, without an ounce of malevolence.
But Shin Sumi found it very disturbing to not know that her disguise may have been breached.
"This is still your spirit plant so I won't force you to exchange it for my sword. I came here today as a Senior Brother looking after his generation."
Shin Sumi stayed silent once again. It felt as if Fen Wudao still had some things to say although he had already started to turn around.
It didn't fail as he looked back at Yan Yan.
"Sister Yan, with what is coming around, you really should consider a weapon" he said as the golden sword disappeared in his bag. "If you want, I'll leave you a week to decide. Go check out the Myriad Sword Pavilion in the meantime to see if you can find a sword that suits you better. And if you don't want to, the choice is ultimately yours after all."
Shin Sumi felt a prick coming from her right wrist. It was a good thing that the Confusion Pill altered the entire body and not just the face, as the leaf pattern was hidden at all times.
The nut had come out from hiding for a split second, not enough to be seen or felt but plenty of time to bite. It wasn't a strong bite or a capricious one. It really felt... urgent.
"Senior Brother wait!" she called out as the young man was about to fly off on his silver winged arrow.
"Yan Yan would like to exchange her spirit plant. It is just that... I don't know how I can repay you for such favor. Surely this Gold Tyrant Flying Sword is worth more than a Violet Dew Lila" she said in only one breath.
Fen Wudao stopped immediately. Once more the shine of gold resplended in the deserted market area.
"Good. You don't need to think about repaying me. I am simply taking care of my junior. Besides I have other swords and this one doesn't suit me well."
Fen Wudao took the sword to his forehead. With a deep thrumming sound, the sword vibrated for a second. When Fen Wudao reopened his eyes, the sword fell to the floor. Shin Sumi caught it by reflex, carefully avoiding the sharp parts.
It had lost all its luster, looking more like copper than gold. Its edges now looked blunt and almost broken. It was in no way similar to the sword that Fen Wudao had been holding a second before.
"What happened to the sword?!" asked Shin Sumi out loud. "What is this piece of crap?" she asked herself in her head.
"This is one of the greatest tricks to this sword ahaha!" Fen Wudao laughed. Seeing the deeply disappointed face of Yan Yan as she held what looked like scrap metal, he laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.
Flying away on his magical arrow before Shin Sumi could do anything, he said "You will soon understand!" before disappearing, too fast for the eye to follow.
In the deserted market area, Shin Sumi was left alone. She couldn't think of any explanation as to what had happened.
Fen Wudao was usually gentle and open, but Shin Sumi already knew about his mysterious and eccentric side. After all when she had just gone through all three tests for the entrance of the sect, pushing her towards her mental and physical limit, he still had dared to joke about a fourth test.
"He really is not as simple as everybody thinks" she told herself, leaving towards the woods before the Confusion Pill's effects vanished.
As her appearance reverted itself to its usual form, Shin Sumi surprised herself to think that she didn't actually care if he knew who Yan Yan really was.
She waited until she was back in the privacy of her courtyard to take out the sword from her bag. She couldn't have delayed, after sending everybody away from the usually crowded market, even Fen Wudao couldn't expect the Honorary Disciples to wait for too long.
"Gold Tyrant Flying Sword, eh?" she said as a dull yellow light flashed in the open.
The name could only lead up to great expectations. And Shin Sumi had been genuinely impressed when Fen Wudao had pulled out a golden sword with edges as sharp as a tiger's claw.
But no matter how she looked at it, right now it only conveyed one thing to Shin Sumi. Scrap metal.
Not worried, she ran her finger along the edge of the blade, one after the other. Nothing. Not even a tidy indent left in her smooth skin.
"This wouldn't even be able to cut a tree leaf!" she said, frustrated.
It was only then that she thought about bonding with the object. In the cultivation world it was frequent that a magical artefact would only work to a small percentage of its full potential after bonding with a master.
Fen Wudao had said that the sword was 'loyal'. Whatever he meant by that, Shin Sumi had no idea but she had seen him release the sword from his control.
But Fen Wudao was a Liquid Realm cultivator, he could do things with Shinsoo that Honorary Disciples couldn't. Shin Sumi thought about the only thing she knew about bonds.
After all she possessed two great items that were linked to her, both by blood. That was of course the copper bell that she had acquired in the dark chasm and the little nut that lived under her skin.
"But how do I bond with something that is not even capable of drawing blood from my fingertip?!"
Shin Sumi tried biting her tongue, a crimson droplet falling onto the rusty blade but nothing happened. Unlike the other times she didn't feel the slightest connection to the sword.
She was becoming more and more frustrated. Fen Wudao was its last possessor, so how could it be normal? Was all his talk about looking after his junior bullsh*t he made up just to get a spirit plant without paying?
She couldn't believe it. In one last desperate attempt, Shin Sumi brought the sword to her forehead, probing it's cold materials with a wisp of Shinsoo.
As soon as the metal connected to her skin, a shivering sensation propagated along her spine.
In her head, cries of despair, pain but also pride and strength rang. Something within the sword made her feel cold and warmth at the same time. It was akin to the soft touch of the sun in the coldest of winters.
Shin Sumi immediately removed the sword from her forehead and threw it away by reflex.
The sensation of being probed, or rather probing someone else's memory was too much for her to take by surprise.
The sword bounced once on the stone tiles with a 'clang' and rested about two meters away from the bench where she was sitting.
The weapon had the exact same unalluring looks to it but now whenever Shin Sumi looked at it, she couldn't help but fear it a little.
For more than two incense stick of a time she was too afraid to pick it up again. When she actually decided to try again, her breath was ragged.
"Big Brother Fen gave it to me so it should be safe. Just one more try Sumi, one more!"
The whole time she kept an eye on the leaf pattern on her wrist. At any sign of the nut showing up to prevent danger, she would throw the sword away.
She knew the little grey nut let her try the first time but with what she had experienced, she couldn't bring herself to accept that it was safe.
The metal was still as cold as before when it touched her skin. Sending once again divine sense in the sword, she braced and accepted whatever was to come.
Past the first second, the cries that seemed to come from the victims of the sword throughout the ages slowly dried out. Now she realized that they were probably just a test or a measure of protection from the sword itself.
A strange energy wrapped around her flow of Shinsoo. Shin Sumi did nothing against it. It brought her comfort in the middle of the cries. She realized it was a bit of Divine sense left by Fen Wudao just as it started talking.
"Junior Sister, you made the right choice with this sword. The fact is I myself met my limits with this particular weapon and that is the reason I decided to give it away."
Fen Wudao must have left this Divine sense imprint when he renounced his mastership of the flying sword.
"Before you reach the Liquid Realm you will unfortunately be unable to access its full potential but it is still a fantastical weapon that will prove useful in the time to come."
"This sword has been owned by many masters, and in order to make it your own you need to pass the challenges left behind by the last generation. Luckily for you I am the last generation."
Shin Sumi looked calm and composed, the dim rusty sword pressed against her head. She was glad Fen Wudao left some instructions. She could tell by the tone of his voice that it was important.
Fen Wudao had left previously by laughing, happy to have played a good trick on his junior but now Shin Sumi knew he was serious.
A message imprinted itself in Shin Sumi's mind. It wasn't a voice imprint, more like a carving on an ancient plate. The plate seemed to be carved out of a dark golden metal and just like the rusty sword, gave Shin Sumi a sense of deep cold with a hint of warmth.
When Shin Sumi dropped the sword, the Divine sense imprint of Fen Wudao dissipating, the ancient carving stayed in her head.
Although she hadn't claimed ownership of the sword, she had been accepted as a potential owner. Unless she gave up the sword's challenges, she couldn't go back now.
The metallic plate had been carved so many times that the inscriptions were a bit blurry.
"It must have been all the challenges issued by the past owners". Shin Sumi was thoughtful for a long time.
The first line was the only one she could read. Surely the others would become clear once she succeeded the first one.
"Use the sword to carve out a new handle."
Shin Sumi didn't know what to think of it. Was kind of test was that?
She had tried the sword previously but hadn't even been able to cut her finger open. Now she was supposed to carve a handle?
"There is no way I can do that. Why did Big Brother Fen choose such a challenge?!"
The Gold Tyrant Flying Sword was useless in the meantime!
"The sword should prove useful in the time to come... What is he talking about?"
Shin Sumi pondered these questions for a long time but was unable to come up with any answer. The sky was dark when she stood up from the stone bench.
She decided to cultivate for a bit inside her house, hoping for an idea to pop up in the meantime.
For a few days Shin Sumi alternated between cultivation and experimenting with the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword.
She tried it against many different materials but the sword was exceptionally blunt and seemed completely unable to cut.
"How can that be called a sword?! Apart from bludgeoning my opponents, what am I supposed to achieve with this?" she said desperately.
She even tried to have the nut work its magic on the weapon, carefully waiting for any response from the little grey ball.
She couldn't reveal that she possessed such a sword to her friends, Lan Hui and Xiao Yue but she still asked them a lot of questions about bonds and magical items. Although it ended up being useless for her case, Shin Sumi still learned a lot from it.
She even went one day to the Myriad Sword Pavillion.
It was the oldest looking building in the lower valley and also the tallest one. From the outside there were five levels, each with big windows covered by paper screens.
The door was locked when she arrived. Standing on top of the last step of the stone stairs, Shin Sumi looked up at the impressive building.
She felt insignificant in front of the building. In fact usual disciples would feel even worse than she did, but Shin Sumi was a special case.
The Myriad Sword Pavilion was a capricious building, with a spirit automaton comparable to that of the Quests Pavilion. Usually the pressure it would inflict on disciples would be difficult to bear, although anyone with enough determination could enter.
The red robed disciples especially would often have to try multiple times before they could force their way through the invisible wall of pressure.
Shin Sumi approached without knowing anything of all this. She had her green identification medallion on her at all times, and that was enough to make the spirit automaton let her in.
She lifted the heavy knocker on the door. It was shaped like an ox' head and vibrated the door upon contact.
"Why does everything in the Immortal World seem so dramatic all the time?" thought Shin Sumi unimpressed.
Finally the door opened onto a dark room, closing once again right after Shin Sumi walked in.
Outside of the Myriad Sword Pavilion, a red robed boy that appeared twelve or even younger stood with his jaw opened so wide that it almost touched the floor.
The calm manner with which Shin Sumi had approached the building and banged the door was like nothing he had ever seen.
"In one year in the sect I have never managed to get close to the door of the Pavilion. How did she do that?!"
***
Inside, Shin Sumi's eyes fluttered for a second. As soon as the heavy door had closed behind her, shining lights had appeared all around.
Before she even had time to acclimate to the light, a crystalline sound rang in her ears.
She knew what the sound was and also knew that nobody else was hearing it.
In her bag of holding, the little copper bell shook twice, dimming the lights in the room so that Shin Sumi could see perfectly.
When she realized, she forgot to maintain her composure for an instant as she realized that the bell didn't only work in the dark.
"This place... Light, warmth, it is strongly of the Yang type! But the copper bell acted and made it more normal" she thought.
"I understand now! It is all about balance isn't it? From the Yin, the bell brings the Yang. From what is Yang, the bell changes to Yin!!"
Her sudden comprehension made her happy, although she now realized she should have understood that a long time ago.
"Balance..."
The word resonated in her mind. A second wave of comprehension struck her as she stood there unmoving.
She knew what needed to be done with the sword!
She turned back on her feet, preparing to leave to try out her new ideas, when a deep voice boomed behind her.
"Does this young lady need Elder Xi's guidance?"
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Shin Sumi wanted to leave the Myriad Sword Pavilion. She was afraid the idea would leave her mind as fast as it had appeared.
Her respect for the older generations and the general etiquette indicated that she should stay though.
Returning to her original position, she clasped her hands together and bowed.
"Sorry for disturbing you Elder Xi, this junior shall take her leave."
"Ohoho not at all, not at all. It has been a while since a red robed disciple entered this place anyway. In fact I haven't seen a Honorary Disciple in a long time."
Shin Sumi became intrigued. Asking carefully while keeping her bowing position if he was the Elder in charge of the Myriad Sword Pavilion.
"You could say that. Although it is mostly because I like to roam around here. Did you know that this building is one of the oldest in the sect?"
"Disciple Shin ignored that fact. Why is it so?"
"It is the oldest and one of the most valuable. Not because of the weapons but because of the building itself."
Shin Sumi was getting slightly annoyed with this Elder. She wanted to leave but couldn't, so she was listening with only one ear. Seemingly interested, she said:
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Then let me teach you a bit about the history of the sect. Before the Dark Sky Starry Sect, the valleys were occupied by the mighty Sky Sect. The first Patriarch of the Sky Sect built this building itself."
Shin Sumi had always loved hearing and reading stories, and thus decided to listen to the old man.
"He used a special Shinsoo spell that no one else has been able to understand since then on this very building. Did you realize something when you first entered here?"
"No, I didn't... The door closed, it was dark and then I was here."
"Precisely. That is the beauty of it. Since the splitting of the Sky Sect in the Sky Earth Sect and the Dark Sky Starry Sect, not many disciples know of this spell. Where do you think you are?"
"I'm not sure I follow you, Elder Xi."
Now this mysterious Elder Xi had all of Shin Sumi's attention.
"You could say 'on the first floor of the building', which would be right. But if you said 'in the lower valley', then that would be wrong. Nobody but the first Patriarch knows where exactly this place is located."
The Elder had a cunning smile on his wrinkly lips.
"This building exists in the lower valley, the upper valley and even on the highest mountain of the sect. All at the same time. The spatial formation at work is impressive isn't it?"
"So you mean the Liquid Realm Disciples also come in here from the upper valley?"
The elder laughed affirmatively. Shin Sumi was lost in thoughts. When Elder Xi stopped laughing, his eyes contained an intelligent gleam that hadn't been there previously.
"Now young disciple, what did you need in coming here?"
Shin Sumi ignored why the Elder had told her about the Myriad Sword Pavilion's specificity but since she was here, she might as well search for information like she had planned on doing.
"This disciple wanted guidance on swords and sword bonding."
"Ah, I see. If you are looking to find yourself a sword, follow me" the old man said as he started walking away, his hands behind his back in a peaceful manner. "Choosing a sword is like choosing a daoist partner. Compatibility is absolutely required."
"Some swords are very different from others. Usually female disciples tend to choose 'softer' swords. These on the left are easier to control, they don't need much mental effort" he continued, occasionally pointing to the many racks of swords on the dark wooden walls.
"If a sword is too strong and the cultivator too weak, their compatibility will drop. That makes for an unusable weapon. Weaker swords are easier to control for women, but can also turn easily against them. The key is finding balance."
Shin Sumi was alerted by the elder's words.
"Balance?" she thought, once again turning all her attention to Elder Xi's words.
"These swords are a bit more caracterial, but are still soft overall. I would advise you to pick one of them if you can afford it. How many spirit stones can you afford to spend?" he asked while turning to face her.
Shin Sumi was a bit embarrassed to having led him to believe that she was interested in buying. Bowing slightly in apology, she responded:
"Actually I didn't come to buy a sword. I came to know a bit more about certain things."
She hesitated a bit under the elder's deep gaze, but still kept talking. Apart from Elder Zhu, she had no real reason to worry about the Elders of the sect. She didn't remember all their names, but Lan Hui had mostly told her that they could be trusted.
"Have you heard of a Gold Tyrant Flying Sword, Elder Xi?"
A moment of silence followed. Under tired eyelids, a strange flash that Shin Sumi didn't capture illuminated the man's pupils. Gauging her for a long minute, he finally spoke again.
"Do you prefer I call you Green Disciple Shin Sumi or Red Disciple Yan Yan?" he said in a soft voice that was maybe a bit too calm for Shin Sumi to keep her composure.
"You don't have to worry about me knowing. I don't care about how or why you would decide to hide your identity. I understand why you would come to Myriad Sword Pavilion, but you should have realized by now that you will not find the answers you are looking for here."
The elder started walking again, this time at her side instead of in front of her. He showed her the door while making small talk.
"I wish the best to you, feel free to come back whenever you want, but you should focus on your training. Soon you will understand."
"Junior Shin Sumi thanks Elder Xi for his lesson on the sword, she will not forget it" she answered almost mechanically.
When she stepped out of the building, she was still in shock.
"What just happened? How did he know me? He knows about the strangeness of the sword? He said I would understand soon?"
A lot of questions assailed her mind but she didn't feel panicked at all. For some reason her trust in this Elder Xi was still intact. She almost felt happy he knew who she was.
Her visit to the Myriad Sword Pavilion had been full of mysteries. First she had found enlightenment about the copper bell and possibly the flying sword. Then the elder had revealed impressive secrets about the Pavilion itself. Then there was this strange interaction that she still couldn't qualify completely.
She took a forest path back to her courtyard. Meanwhile in the square where the Pavilion was located, a young boy that still hadn't succeeded in getting close to the Myriad Sword Pavilion was talking to a girl wearing a red robe. The girl was Liu Qing and seemed really interested about the person that the boy had seen enter.
Shin Sumi had not paid any attention to the two of them as she had walked past them. People were found anywhere in the sect at any time of day and night. She was deep in the woods when she sent a divine sense message to Lan Hui.
The response didn't wait for long to arrive. Lan Hui was the best disciple she knew when it came to gathering information. Shin Sumi was happy to feel her identification medallion vibrate in her hand.
"What? No Elder Xi in the whole sect?!" she exclaimed with a frown upon hearing the recorded message.
How could Lan Hui not know the old man? Shin Sumi was sure that Lan Hui had gone to the Myriad Sword Pavilion at least once, and besides he surely would know of at least a disciple that had met the old man there. The words 'Elder Xi' had spoken implied that he often spent his time roaming inside the place.
But Lan Hui's words were clear. He was absolutely sure about his fact. He had even added off the top of his head a list of all the Elders of the Dark Sky Starry Sect.
Once again, Shin Sumi felt at a loss. She was sure Lan Hui would have been able to solve her internal mysteries but in the end he didn't.
"But the old man MUST be an Elder. Or else how would he have been able to enter the sect and know that much about the Myriad Sword Pavilion?"
Her mind went back to what she knew about the sect. For some reason she thought that the old man could be much older than he appeared. Maybe it was his apparent great wisdom.
"No it's not right", the history of the sect was fresh in her mind. She never forgot anything she ever read. Her calculations didn't add up.
"The Dark Sky Starry Sect came to be when the Sky Sect dissolved about a thousand years ago, the highest cultivators here are Core Development Elders and Patriarchs. Even their lifespan isn't great enough to still be alive."
Every time Shin Sumi thought back on her interactions with the mysterious old man, a deep sense of reverence birthed in her heart. Whatever mystery was around his existence, Shin Sumi still couldn't believe that it was a bad thing.
The old man had even helped her.
Her line of thinking was simple. If she had no way of making sure of it, as long as it wasn't detrimental to her, why should she obsess over it?
For the time being it was best to leave that on the side and concentrate on what mattered.
She cultivated for the rest of the afternoon, finally purging off the last drops of muddy Shinsoo in her system and getting back to the condition she was in before her breakthrough.
Xiao Yue showed up at night as expected. Shin Sumi had invited her to spend the night at her place.
The girls talked for a while, Xiao Yue not picking up any clues that Shin Sumi had opened her first meridians.
Although it pained her to lie to her big sister in which she could confide about almost everything, she couldn't tell her about her recent progress.
It was a hard thing to do, even more so considering the fact that Xiao Yue knew about Shin Sumi's official talent. She would be expecting her to breakthrough any day. She had been in the sect for already about half a year after all, which was long for a green-robed disciple at this stage of cultivation.
What really kept Shin Sumi from telling her was her own technique provided by the Shinsoo Gathering Manual.
In a world where everybody knew it was possible to open passageways only once, her own way of doing things would be hard to take in, even for Xiao Yue.
Besides, since Xiao Yue was herself close to breaking through to the next level, she couldn't really practice the evolved Shinsoo Gathering Manual's techniques.
Her body had already accepted too much impure Shinsoo to be helped, as far as Shin Sumi knew.
Shin Sumi also couldn't tell her about the gift from Fen Wudao or her meeting with 'Elder Xi'. The first one would reveal Yan Yan's true origin and cause Xiao Yue to realize that she had already lied to her too many times.
The second one would be simply ridiculous. If Lan Hui didn't know of any Elder Xi, Xiao Yue wouldn't either. Besides it was all linked to the sword that she was not supposed to have.
Once again, Shin Sumi stopped thinking too deeply about it and enjoyed the night simply.
Xiao Yue's injuries were completely healed by now and due to the little nut's powers not even a scar could be seen on the delicate skin between her arm and hip bone.
The two girls talked for a long time, laughed for even longer and finally went to sleep.
In her courtyard reserved for green-robed disciples, outside climate didn't matter too much and even at this time of the year the temperature was perfect. Who else in the sect could relax lazily like this at night in a pool of spring water?
Xiao Yue left early in the morning, refreshed and full of energy. She asked Shin Sumi if she wanted to wander around the sect grounds all day with her but she declined.
It was one of the perks of not wearing a red color. If a cultivator had no intention of cultivating for a day or two, nobody would ask anything and the pressure was a lot lower.
Shin Sumi told her that she would gladly do it another day, but she absolutely wanted to cultivate. She even told Xiao Yue that she felt close to the point of breaking through.
Once alone, the guilt and shame of lying to her sister overtook her again.
"I am sorry Yue. I promise one day I will tell you everything."
Cultivating a bit more to get in a better mood, the morning passed quickly.
It was around mid-day when Shin Sumi opened her eyes. Her heart was calm and synchronized with the pulsing of her dantian. Probing her bag of holding with her hand, a golden light with no luster or brilliance appeared.
"Hello again, Gold Tyrant Flying Sword."
Running her hand along the blade, Shin Sumi felt a shiver coursing through her arm.
She forced herself to put the cold metal against her forehead. The voices were gone, but the same feeling as before assailed her.
Shin Sumi knew she was feeling fearful of the blade. Generally to her it was a good thing to be afraid of weapons, but she wasn't the daughter of the mayor from a tiny village anymore.
She was a cultivator. If she wanted to survive in the Immortal world, she had to deal with a lot of things she wouldn't even have considered before.
As of now she knew the blade wasn't adapted to her. It was proud and mighty, and as though she had opened a few meridians in record time and was possibly one of the strongest of her level of cultivation, Shin Sumi herself was not more than a shy girl that had great luck.
"Maybe that is the lesson Senior Brother Fen wanted to teach me."
If she wanted to one day use the sword, she first would have to get on the same page. It was all about balance.
Why would a strong and loyal sword allow someone like her to get ownership of it?
Shin Sumi was looking at the sword intensely. Every few seconds she would bring the blade to her forehead. The shivers were still present but she was learning to get used to them.
"It is still not enough. I need to make it feel like part of my arm."
Shin Sumi knew that it was a flying sword, supposed to be used as a pair with Shinsoo control but that was only possible for Liquid Realm cultivators, thus it was the only thing she could come up with.
She experimented a few moves while holding the piece of metal that was uncomfortably heavy.
Despite the serious look on her face, she felt ridiculous. She even turned around a few time to ensure that nobody was watching her, although it was impossible in her courtyard.
Even the nut, unmoving on the stone bench under the plum tree, seemed to be judging her and making fun of her crazy attitude.
"This is definitely not working. If I have to respect the sword I might as well respect myself."
Shin Sumi thought about contacting Xiao Yue. Surely her sister would have some advice for her regarding weapons.
It really was the easiest way but she ultimately decided against it. Relying on someone else's knowledge would not work, if her speculations about the first challenge of the sword were correct.
Not somebody else's knowledge, her own. Knowledge...
The blue eyes in Shin Sumi's face lit up suddenly. Finally she had come to understand what Xiao Yue had meant that one time long ago when she had just returned to the sect.
The petite orange robed girl had left the sect in search for experience. That was what she had referred to as knowledge.
Without thinking further about it, Shin Sumi left her courtyard. She was so entranced in her new idea that she nearly forgot to pick up the little grey nut that was rolling frantically towards her.
She went directly to the western entrance of the sect, where she suddenly stopped for a second. Inhaling deeply, she concentrated a few seconds.
Some disciples were talking about cultivation in a small group next to the gates and turned to look at her resolute attitude with a sneer.
"She must be new here. Do you remember your first time in the training grounds, brothers?"
"As if it was yesterday ahaha! Look at her so frightened... I'm sure she won't last out there, even though she can't get past the red border."
"How do you know? Hmpf." said a voice filled with contempt.
The group of young men that appeared all to be around their mid-twenties suddenly turned to look at the origin of the voice.
An orange robed teen stood there. He was smaller than all of the men before him, but his simple appearance made them gulp.
"Big Brother Hon... What.. What is it like beyond the red borders?"
The red robed disciple who had spoken was talking about the limitations that were in place in the training grounds to ensure that disciples wouldn't get killed easily.
Because all disciples carried their identification medallion with them at all time, they physically couldn't cross what was called 'the red border'. Obviously the orange disciples had their 'orange border' and so on.
But simply because of that, it showed how talented individuals dominated their peers.
The teen called Hon Zi started talking, himself sizing up the frail looking Shin Sumi concentrating.
"Even though it is not your place to say, you were right. Close to the red border, the difficulty of advancing through the forest is higher. Looking at her she doesn't seem like she had any talent. She must be new, so she has no artefact. She probably hasn't started Shinsoo Gathering yet."
He sighed once before continuing, "she isn't going to survive with this kind of determination. She should know her limits. As her senior I should give her pointers."
Before the eyes full of reverence of the red robed group, the teen advanced towards Shin Sumi with a strange gleam in his eyes.
The closer he was, the better he could see the way her robes hung to her body. Lust lifted the corner of his lips.
"Eh, these idiots think I'm interested in 'giving pointers'. It has been a while and I've never seen her before. She can't outrun me if I make a move in the deep jungle."
He was about to propose to accompany Shin Sumi through the woods to protect her when a whooshing sound blew into his ears.
A second later, Shin Sumi was gone. Far after the gates, a red figure jumping about five meters at a time with incredible speed was disappearing in the dense vegetation.
Sorry this chapter came up a bit later than usual. It's a bit longer though, which should keep the karma constant. Enjoy!
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