Chapter 55: Mo Daoyan’s Guidance

Ji Yao had been staying in the Sword Tempering Forest on Tianlu Peak for several days, yet she still hadn’t seen Gu Qiu return.

It was only when Mo Daoyan asked Ji Yao to practice the accompanying sword technique of the Fluid Sword in front of him that she learned the truth: Gu Qiu had taken up a task and left the day before she entered Tianlu Peak.

Though she knew the Law Enforcement Hall’s missions were no trifling matter, Ji Yao couldn’t help but feel that Gu Qiu had acted deliberately. After all, aside from Mo Daoyan’s approval, every step that enabled her to enter Tianlu Peak had been arranged by Gu Qiu himself; it was hard not to overthink.

“Does this sword technique have a name? Did you learn it on your own?” Mo Daoyan asked thoughtfully after watching Ji Yao’s moves.

“It didn’t have one originally, so I named it the ‘Heart’s Will Sword Technique.’ I acquired it along with the Fluid Sword of Clear Moon, so I simply followed along and learned it,” Ji Yao replied.

Her words weren’t wrong; the flying sword and its corresponding technique had indeed been given to her by Si Tu Jing the very first time. The sword moves themselves, however, she had comprehended by observing Si Tu Jing’s actions.

Mo Daoyan didn’t question the origins of her flying sword, nor did he mention his expression upon first seeing it. Ji Yao likewise feigned ignorance; both tacitly avoided the matter.

Mo Daoyan’s guidance differed greatly from Si Tu Jing’s. While Si Tu Jing tempered Ji Yao’s sword skills directly through combat, Mo Daoyan focused on the minutiae, correcting unnecessary gestures when wielding the sword. He strove for every move to be efficient and clean, so many of Ji Yao’s self-added flourishes were cut away.

After retraining the sword moves under Mo Daoyan’s guidance, Ji Yao found the technique, which once consumed much effort and spiritual energy, had become much easier, with even the depletion of her spiritual energy greatly reduced.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Ji Yao’s mind—Si Tu Jing’s.

“This Mo Daoyan is quite talented! He’s got a good mind for it! Learn well!”

The shock was so great that Ji Yao nearly lost her grip on her sword; the spiritual energy in her meridians went awry and stirred restlessly. It had been a long time since Si Tu Jing had communicated so directly in her mind, and Ji Yao’s reaction was almost excessive.

Her response drew a frown from Mo Daoyan.

“Master, my spiritual energy has suddenly become unstable. I’d like to return and meditate to calm it,” Ji Yao said.

Mo Daoyan swept her with his spiritual sense and indeed found her spiritual energy in disorder. He said nothing more, nodding in agreement.

Her reaction had clearly been one of fright, yet there were only the two of them here, practicing sword techniques, with no other topics discussed. What could have startled her so?

Mo Daoyan was puzzled, though he showed not the slightest sign. He quietly searched for anything unusual within the range of the bamboo grove with his spiritual sense.

Within the space, Si Tu Jing stood under a great tree in the courtyard, gazing at the pond before the bamboo hut, and sighed inwardly.

Mo Daoyan’s spiritual sense was indeed sharp; a single gesture had led him to a conclusion and made him wary—how interesting! Though Si Tu Jing trusted the power of her Universe Disk and believed none could detect her, there were some born with senses far keener than others. She would have to be careful in the future, lest her presence be discovered.

Time passed like a fleeting horse. After Mo Daoyan had taken special care to correct Ji Yao’s sword moves, he left her to practice on her own.

Occasionally, he would answer Ji Yao’s questions about cultivation, but he never asked about her studies in other arts.

Si Tu Jing became more and more satisfied with Ji Yao’s choice of master. She gradually reduced her appearances in the Sumeru space, preferring to remain within the Universe Disk to nurture her soul, unless Ji Yao summoned her.

Ji Yao’s days settled into a routine: mornings spent practicing swordplay and flute, afternoons devoted to studying formations, evenings and nights to meditation and cultivation. Whenever fatigue struck, she would sleep for two or three hours. Her time passed in an orderly rhythm.

For two whole months, no one came to disturb her. Lu Ming and Gu Qiu, who had gone out on missions, had not returned. Only Mo Daoyan, in his spare time, would come back from the Law Enforcement Hall to his cluster of bamboo huts.

Ji Yao understood that her master, who had not yet formally accepted her as his disciple, cared for her. He worried that a girl who had yet to step into the threshold of cultivation might not be used to prolonged solitude.

After all, Qi Refining stage secluded cultivation was unlike that of high-level cultivators, who could remain isolated for years or more. Qi Refining cultivators still needed food and drink to sustain themselves.

But Ji Yao had already experienced what it was like to live alone, accompanied only by grass and sky. In those days, there had been no Si Tu Jing, no one else—only endless wilderness stretching beyond sight.

Each morning began with travel, each evening with cultivation and sleep in the space. Lacking any spells, she ate wild herbs and drank cool spring water. When despair threatened to overwhelm her, she gave up journeying and sought books in the space’s study.

It was only through reading that she could momentarily forget her predicament. Nearly half a year passed before reaching a village inhabited by people.

During that time, she had often sighed with relief that her soul was that of an adult. If she had truly been a child, she doubted she could have endured to the end.

From then on, Ji Yao felt that only places filled with human presence truly belonged to the world of mortals. Though the mortal world was noisy and full of struggle, at least it proved she was still alive.

Her new master’s care allowed Ji Yao to let go of the last bit of unease in her heart. Over two months, she smoothed out the restlessness brought on by rapid advancement and returned herself to optimal condition for cultivation.

She then went to the Sect Affairs Hall on Tianlu Peak to collect two years’ worth of monthly stipends, and finally returned to the Sword Tempering Forest.

After some thought, Ji Yao left a brief note in Mo Daoyan’s bamboo hut, then activated the restrictions on her own hut and began her planned two-year seclusion.

When Mo Daoyan returned to the Sword Tempering Forest, Ji Yao was already deep in meditation within the Sumeru space, having sealed her senses and become oblivious to the outside world.

Upon entering the bamboo hut, Mo Daoyan found Ji Yao’s note. Holding the message talisman, he couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. The girl had only recently reached the tenth layer of Qi Refining—it was not suitable for her to attempt such a prolonged seclusion.

Yet, reflecting on her performance over the past two months and her previous streak of insight, he felt she had good judgment. He let her be.

He found himself anticipating the outcome of what he’d once said to Ji Yao. If she truly succeeded, she would likely complete Foundation Establishment before the age of twenty. A three-spirit-root cultivator at twenty would be the equal of any prodigy.

Thinking this, Mo Daoyan couldn’t help but rejoice that such a promising talent hadn’t slipped through his fingers.

Time flowed like water. Not quite two years had passed when Ji Yao sensed someone knocking at her door. At that moment, she had just cultivated to the peak of Qi Refining, not yet at the threshold of Foundation Establishment, and was ready to stretch her limbs.

The knocking seemed to have sounded more than once. Ji Yao decisively ended her seclusion; with a thought, she appeared in her bamboo hut in the Sword Tempering Forest.

She waved to deactivate the restriction outside her hut. The knocking talisman hovering outside immediately flew to Ji Yao, and before she could activate it, a familiar voice sounded.

“Sister, if you see this message, reply immediately!”

Ha! Gu Qiu, you’ve finally reappeared.