Fusang Sword Heart Diagram

"I originally wanted to go to the dining hall, but after looking around, I couldn't find it anywhere, so I ended up here by accident." Guan Zhuyin looked up and said, "This is the Hall of Propagation. It's really magnificent."

"However, why doesn't the Southern Star Sword Sect have a dining hall? Do you all practice abstaining from grains?"

What about disciples with low cultivation levels who cannot abstain from grains? Does the sect provide fasting pills? But practicing swordsmanship is very physically demanding. Fasting pills can only keep you from being hungry, but the body still needs other medicinal and dietary nutrition.

Demonic beasts nourish themselves with food to increase their cultivation. Although human cultivators mainly cultivate spiritual energy, they also draw on the essence of demonic cultivation through food, using some spiritual food to strengthen their muscles and bones and temper their bodies.

"There is no dining hall for the inner sect, only for the outer sect. Go to Chaoyang Peak, find any disciple and ask them to give you directions, and you will find it."

Ning Fusang pointed him in the direction of Chaoyang Peak.

"Thank you." Guan Zhuyin's voice was clear and bright. She clasped her hands in a salute and strode towards Chaoyang Peak.

"No wonder I couldn't find the dining hall. It's not here. Chaoyang Peak, didn't I see it when my senior brother and I entered the mountain?" Guan Zhuyin muttered to herself.

When he arrived at Chaoyang Peak Square, he saw a group of disciples dressed in matching blue jackets and white robes practicing swordsmanship.

The old man in the rocking chair, dressed in a snow-white robe embroidered with cranes and lotus flowers, with white hair and beard, was dozing off with his eyes closed, and the tea beside him had frozen.

Wen Baoxi looked dejected, and the sword he swung out lacked any power; the tip of the sword was teetering on the verge of falling.

Ever since his cousin Wen Xin died in the Twin Heavens Spirit Realm, Wen Baoxi's status plummeted and he could no longer be arrogant.

Wen Baoxi's two lackeys immediately changed their tune. Although they didn't do anything openly, they bullied people quite a bit behind the scenes. Tasks like bringing lunch and copying books all fell to him.

The instructor, Zhou Yaoqi, was another one who only knew how to smooth things over. For the first time, Wen Baoxi realized that a teacher's overly good temper wasn't necessarily a good thing. If it were Teacher Yu teaching, he would definitely punish those two scoundrels severely!

"Young friend, you're not holding that sword steady enough."

Suddenly, a clear and gentle voice rang in her ears. Wen Baoxi turned her head and saw a young man in blue with an unfamiliar face staring at her wrist.

"The sword is the essence of qi, the tool of the heart, the organ of intention, the abode of spirit, and the manifestation of form. If your heart is not in the sword, young friend, how can you wield it well?"

"The Southern Star Sword Technique should not be so soft and weak."

Guan Zhuyin had seen the sharp and powerful Nanxing Sword in Mirror Flower Water Moon, so when she saw Wen Baoxi's terrible swordsmanship, she couldn't help but say a few more words.

Wen Baoxi was completely bewildered. He couldn't remember any of the terms "essence," "qi," or "spirit and form." It just sounded somewhat mysterious, similar to the tedious texts that Master Zhou used in his classes. However, the other person could speak about these things so fluently, making him seem like a highly accomplished person.

In Wen Baoxi's eyes, Guan Zhuyin's image suddenly became much taller, until he heard the other party ask him, "Little fellow Daoist, do you know how to get to the dining hall?"

"..."

He pointed over there.

Guan Zhuyin smiled and said, "Thank you."

The young man, dressed in a blue gauze robe, vanished from the plaza in the blink of an eye, using the profound Taoist technique of shrinking the distance between people.

After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to fly around on a flying sword within someone else's sect, would it?
Wen Baoxi rubbed her eyes, her feelings about the unfamiliar young man changing again and again.

Zhou Yaoqi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, yawned, opened them, picked up the teacup beside him, and took a sip. The tea was still steaming when he put it down.

Zhou Yaoqi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the group of disciples. Everyone stopped practicing their swordsmanship and stood at attention.

"This is your third year in the sect. As you all know, there will be a graduation assessment before the outer sect competition. It is tentatively scheduled for early summer, which is more than two months away. After that, you should all pay more attention and make the most of your cultivation." The courses for new disciples are not intensive at all. They practice swordsmanship during the day, which ends at dusk. The rest of the time is entirely up to them.

Some people, after returning home, took advantage of the active spiritual energy at night to cultivate their techniques, while others either slept or found other ways to relax. It's no wonder their cultivation couldn't keep up.

Zhou Yaoqi only cared about their cultivation during class; he didn't concern himself with their after-class activities. However, this group of disciples had slightly lower aptitude, so Zhou Yaoqi had to offer them some pointers.

Whether they can understand or not is beyond Zhou Yaoqi's control.

He has made his point clear enough.

However, it was clear that no one understood that the questions asked were unrelated to cultivation.

"Master Zhou, when does the graduation assessment begin in early summer? Is there a time limit?"

"What if I don't complete the graduation assessment? Does that mean I really can't participate in the outer sect competition?"

"I haven't been down the mountain for two years. It's great that I can leave the sect after the graduation assessment. I'm so bored that I'm going to get moldy from practicing swordsmanship on the mountain all day."

"I don't know where the mission is located. Could you perhaps go back to your hometown on the way? I'll bring you some local specialties from my hometown."

"Master Zhou, do you like Eight Treasure Cake? My mother's Eight Treasure Cake is delicious!"

"..."

Zhou Yaoqi watched everyone discussing animatedly, and his temples throbbed involuntarily. He shouldn't have told them about the graduation assessment so early.

Wen Baoxi didn't participate in the discussion, but his eyes also sparkled with anticipation. He hadn't been home for a long time. Ever since his only relative in the sect, his cousin Wenxin, passed away, there had been periods when he felt incredibly lonely and homesick.

If I could go back and take one last look when I come down the mountain this time, that would be wonderful.

"Alright, everyone quiet down." Zhou Yaoqi stopped everyone from continuing the discussion. "No one is allowed to eat until they finish practicing their swordsmanship today."

"Ah...Master Zhou, isn't this punishment a bit too harsh?"

"Yes, I also wanted to go to the canteen to buy roasted chestnuts, but they'll be gone if I go too late."

Zhou Yaoqi glanced at the two people who were speaking, "You two stay here later."

Seeing that Master Zhou was serious this time, the others grabbed their swords and began practicing sword techniques.

If Ning Fusang were here, she would definitely think that Zhou Yaoqi's training methods were too gentle.

Not to mention Master Yu, even Gu Pingsheng was several times stricter when he taught. Everyone was often so tired that they would just lie down on the ground, their minds completely blank.

Not to mention negotiating with the teacher.

Ning Fusang added some spiritual herbs to the pool to cleanse her marrow and strengthen her physique. She had previously exchanged for a body-strengthening technique in the Scripture Pavilion, and the latter half of the technique required the medicinal bath to be more effective.

Under the stimulation of the Crimson Sun Divine Jade, the medicine worked quickly, penetrating into every part of Ning Fusang's body. Waves of pain came, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Ning Fusang's forehead, falling down one by one.

At the same time, Ning Fusang also felt the smooth and comfortable feeling of her meridians. She circulated the Five Elements Dao Scripture, and the flow of spiritual energy in the eight extraordinary meridians was significantly smoother.

(End of this chapter)