Chapter 7

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Chapter 7: The First in a Hundred Years

Emerging from the life-and-death arena, Ming He did not immediately head to Woodman Lane. Instead, she returned to her small courtyard designated for outer sect disciples.

This life-and-death duel had yielded her significant gains—not just the fine steel long sword and five hundred spirit stones, but also profound insights into her cultivation.

The girl in blue placed a spirit-nurturing pill into her mouth, one she had discovered in Li Si’s storage ring. The bottle contained twenty such pills, each effective for nurturing spiritual energy, usable by cultivators of any level, with their quality determined solely by their grade.

Although the bottle she obtained contained the lowest-grade post-natal spirit herbs, it still required fifteen contribution points—a sum she, as a poor disciple, could not afford.

“Clang—”

Ming He drew her fine steel long sword, now rightfully hers, and began practicing her sword techniques in the small courtyard. The sword light danced, and the sword energy swirled around her as she moved gracefully within the courtyard, her form delicate and ethereal, embodying the only sword technique she had mastered so far—the Basic Liu Yun Sword Technique.

The crisp sound of the sword tip slicing through the air echoed continuously. The Basic Liu Yun Sword Technique consisted of only nine moves, and in a brief moment, Ming He had completed them all.

As she finished her sword dance, the girl in blue sheathed her weapon and quietly gazed at her right hand, recalling the fleeting moment when her finger, thrust like a sword, pierced the air to shatter the wooden stake before her. The technique she had used was Breaking Cloud Fingers, the very move that had struck down Li Si.

That was the feeling! Ming He felt a surge of excitement; it was as if the heavens themselves were aiding her.

On the life-and-death arena, when her long sword had broken, she had instinctively executed the Breaking Cloud Fingers—a move she had never practiced—as if she knew it could take Li Si’s life.

Was this… sword intent? She pondered these two words, feeling her inner spiritual energy stir within her.

In the five realms of Swordsmanship, the first realm is refining sword energy, using inner spiritual energy to form a thread of sword energy at the sword’s tip, enhancing its lethality.

The original owner of this body had practiced for over a decade without reaching this stage, but Ming He had gained insights while adventuring on the outskirts of Liu Yun Mountains, successfully comprehending sword energy amid life-and-death struggles against the beasts guarding the Sword-shaped Herb, which finally allowed her to slay the beast.

Sword intent, the second realm of Swordsmanship, is to perceive the power of the heavens, utilizing that force to unleash sword strikes with unstoppable momentum, like breaking through bamboo, as if aided by the heavens.

Ming He knew that she had likely borrowed from the power of heaven and earth when she killed Li Si in the arena, but she found it difficult to replicate that moment’s understanding again.

The set of Basic Liu Yun Sword Technique she had just practiced had only revealed some minor insights, but it felt like a thin membrane separated her from deeper comprehension—one poke and it could break. Yet she found herself at a loss, unsure how to proceed.

Forget it; she could find a way later. Where there is one, there will eventually be two. She would step into the second realm of Swordsmanship one day.

Ming He reined in her swirling spiritual energy and glanced at the shattered wooden stake before entering her small courtyard. She took out the Sword-shaped Herb from her arms and placed it beside her sword on the bed.

Next, she picked up the jade slip filled with information about the Essentials of Cultivation, sinking her mind into it to seek answers and dispel her doubts.

In the life-and-death arena, when the sword energies clashed, she saw Li Si’s sword energy, sharp and brilliant, far surpassing her in both length and power.

So, sword energy can be further cultivated to grow stronger? Ming He received a confirming answer from the jade slip. Setting it aside, she picked up the Sword-shaped Herb, ready to consume it.

Take it in parts? How should I divide it? Ming He wasn’t very certain. In this world, she had no friends or mentors, so she had to explore on her own.

Thinking about the thin line of life and death in the arena, the upcoming outer sect grand competition, and the vast heavens beyond Liu Yun, the girl in blue made up her mind, pinching off a third of the Sword-shaped Herb and biting it hard before swallowing it down.

That third was not just a random bite.

Though her understanding was limited, she knew the dark green Sword-shaped Herb was equivalent to a post-natal spirit herb. With her current cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, consuming it all at once would only lead to her explosive demise; dividing it into three parts offered a chance to digest its effects.

“Boom—”

Immediately upon swallowing, Ming He felt a powerful surge of sword energy rampaging inside her, causing intense pain in her meridians.

That was sword energy, but it wasn’t the thread of sword energy she had cultivated through day and night practice for three months. These massive yet chaotic sword energies came from the Sword-shaped Herb, crashing and flowing, threatening to overwhelm her tiny yet refined sword energy, aiming to transform it into something similar, ultimately seeking to destroy her meridians and reclaim their freedom.

"Hmph!" Ming He stifled a groan, enduring the pain, biting down hard as blood gradually seeped out. She focused her mind and allowed instinct to guide that thread of sword energy to devour the chaotic sword energies, turning them into one.

A crescent moon rose in the sky, and the moonlight poured through the small window, illuminating the girl in blue, casting her in a clear and distant light, existing alongside the beautiful moonlight in the darkness.

“Whew…”

Ming He exhaled deeply and opened her eyes, startled by the serene moonlight enveloping her surroundings. She had returned to her courtyard at noon, yet now it was deep into the night. Truly, time becomes irrelevant in the pursuit of cultivation.

The girl in blue chuckled softly, pleased with the noticeable increase and refinement of her sword energy. She paid little mind to her injuries or the bloodstains on her clothes once more.

After all, the blue robes of the outer sect disciples were as plentiful as ordinary long swords—freely available without cost, so she felt no loss over them.

She retrieved a spirit-nurturing pill and consumed it to soothe her meridians, which had suffered minor damage from the earlier clash of sword energies. Once the pill’s effects were fully absorbed, she pinched off another piece of Sword-shaped Herb, placed it in her mouth, and closed her eyes to continue honing her sword energy.

Days turned into nights, and before she knew it, seven days had passed.

When Ming He reached for the Sword-shaped Herb again and found none left, she knew her arduous and somewhat risky training session had concluded.

The girl in blue dusted herself off, stood up briskly, and with her fine steel long sword in hand, dashed out of her small house to practice her sword techniques in the courtyard.

She began with the same stance, still employing the Basic Liu Yun Sword Technique. The sword light was as bright as ever, her moves sharp and relentless, flowing naturally. However, compared to seven days prior, the sword energy at her sword’s tip had grown significantly stronger.

That strand of sword energy was now more refined and sharp, almost tangible, exuding a formidable pressure that demanded respect.

Standing with her sword in hand, the girl in blue felt a sense of accomplishment. With twenty-three days remaining, she pondered her next steps.

Ming He recalled her initial plan and felt a renewed sense of purpose.

She organized her gains from the life-and-death arena: one fine steel long sword, a promissory note from Wang Feihu for five hundred spirit stones, two hundred spirit stones from Li Si’s storage ring, and one hundred contribution points from her sect.

Other items, such as spirit-nurturing pills, empty jade slips, and a copy of "Cold Sword," seemed less significant.

Ming He gazed at the pile of gleaming lower-grade spirit stones in her storage ring, her eyes sparkling with joy; she felt she had made substantial gains.

The girl returned to her house, changed into a fresh set of blue clothes, and after storing a few new outer sect disciple outfits in her storage ring, she grabbed her sword and headed towards Woodman Lane.

After paying fifteen contribution points, Ming He entered Woodman Lane to continue her training journey.

Woodman Lane stretched about ten thousand meters, a short distance for cultivators, where wooden figures stood strong against challenges. Typically, one would encounter a wooden figure every hundred meters, hindering one’s progress.

This place was not only excellent for practicing martial skills but also an ideal training ground to test one’s reflexes and combat abilities.

Ming He had spent three months adventuring on the outskirts of Liu Yun Mountains, slaying beasts and even humans, but now she found herself frequently bested by the wooden figures in Woodman Lane, her body often marked with bruises.

The girl in blue gritted her teeth, changed out of her torn clothes, tied a strip of cloth around her right hand to secure her fine steel long sword, and continued to challenge the wooden figures.

She refused to believe she couldn’t conquer Woodman Lane!

With a determined spirit, the girl in blue charged at a wooden figure, only to be slammed hard against the ancient wall beside the path.

“Crash!”

Her blue figure fell from the wall onto the ground, while the dented impression of a person in the wall restored itself instantly.

Ming He stood up, rubbed her waist, and quickly adapted to the pain. She nimbly dodged the ninety-first wooden figure and charged toward the next one, the very one that had slammed her into the wall.

Twenty days later.

“Congratulations, Senior Sister Su, for successfully passing through Woodman Lane and ranking third among the outer sect disciples!” The disciple in charge of Woodman Lane looked at the girl, whose clothes were in tatters, with admiration and a rising tone of praise.

It was flattery, but there was also genuine respect.

Woodman Lane was the creation of a Huang-level smith from Liu Yun Sect. The wooden figures grew stronger against those who challenged them and had their own independent ranking system.

This ranking recorded all the outer sect disciples who had attempted the challenge since Woodman Lane’s establishment, with the top hundred positions historically taken by previous generations of outer sect disciples, and very few current disciples had been able to break into the top hundred.

Ming He was the first in centuries, undoubtedly earning their admiration.

“Third place?” The girl in blue blinked, a bit confused. Upon realizing the weight and rarity of the third-place ranking from the disciple’s words, her eyes lit up, and she asked excitedly, “Is there a reward?"

The disciple replied, “……”

This senior sister was quite—the real deal.

“There isn’t, Senior Sister Su,” the disciple said, watching as the girl’s eyes dimmed, with a complex emotion stirring in his heart. Shouldn’t she be more pleased about her outstanding achievement? It seemed he didn’t understand the world of geniuses.

“Oh, okay.” Ming He felt a bit disappointed and walked away with her sword, feeling sad.

Although she didn’t know what exactly a Huang-level smith was, she could guess it was a realm above acquired and innate.

It sounded impressive, but getting third place without any reward felt quite disappointing!

The girl in blue wandered aimlessly, unfazed by several surprised looks she received, and found a quiet spot to change out of her tattered rags, pulling out the last brand new outfit for outer sect disciples from her storage ring.

After changing clothes, Ming He surveyed her surroundings, found them satisfactory, and leaped up to a strong tree, leaning against its lush branches, and closed her eyes.

After practicing for so long, it was time to relax. Not wanting to return to her small courtyard, she decided to take a nap right there.

After all, this was the outer sect, and usually, no important figures would come here.

As Ming He thought this, she suddenly heard a distinct splashing sound, as if someone was playing in the water.