Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

"More than good!" Qiu Chuji laughed heartily. "This child has excellent aptitude and a fine temperament. He gets up before dawn every day to practice horse stance, and his swordsmanship is quite impressive!"

Hao Datong stroked his beard and nodded, his face full of approval: "Not bad, a good prospect. He can settle down and endure hardship, much better than the apprentices we took in back then."

Hearing his seniors' praise, Shen Mo smiled silently.

Innate qualities? Temperament?

He knew in his heart that what these senior students saw was ultimately what they wanted to see: a template that matched their imagination of a "genius."

They had no idea that the most precious thing about this child was his purity, which had not yet been tainted by this bloody and chaotic world.

That purity reminded Shen Mo of certain fragments from his past life. In those blurred yet still warm scenes, there seemed to be a pair of clear eyes that had once looked at him with such trust.

"I'll go see her," Shen Mo said calmly, interrupting his senior brothers' increasingly excited state.

The moment he finished speaking, he didn't even realize that the pronunciation of the word "she" had a subtle softness that was more pronounced than usual.

"Of course, of course," Ma Yu quickly waved his hand. "Junior brother has just returned to the mountain; he should go and see his disciple."

Shen Mo nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to walk out of the Chongyang Hall.

The sunlight outside the hall shone on his blue Taoist robe, making him look somewhat unreal.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen watched his departing figure, their faces filled with joy and excitement that lingered for a long time.

"Returning to simplicity and authenticity, not being attached to material things—this is the demeanor of a master of innate wisdom!" Liu Chuxuan exclaimed with deep emotion.

Qiu Chuji let out a heavy breath, feeling a surge of heroic spirit welling up within him: "Our Quanzhen Sect shall flourish!"

……

Shen Mo walked slowly along the bluestone path leading to the training ground on the back mountain.

After advancing to the twelfth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, his five senses became incredibly acute.

He could clearly hear the faint sound of a pine needle being blown down by the mountain wind and rubbing against the air, a hundred feet away.

You can feel the slight tremors of an earthworm turning over the soil dozens of feet below your feet.

This sense of control over the surrounding environment, which is so precise and detailed, is far more sophisticated and domineering than simply releasing one's inner energy.

The training ground on the back mountain.

There was a small figure there, earnestly wielding a sword.

Shen Mo's pace quickened slightly without him even realizing it.

He himself did not realize that in that short period of time, the image of that little girl had already occupied a special place in his heart.

It was an emotion he had never experienced before.

It's not as simple as the relationship between a master and his student.

It's more like... the longing for family deep in the memories of a past life.

Soon, a spacious training ground on the back mountain came into view.

Dozens of newly initiated gray-robed young Taoist disciples were practicing the Quanzhen Sect's basic sword techniques under the supervision of a Taoist master.

Shen Mo's gaze instantly locked onto a small figure in the corner.

It was a little girl of about eight or nine years old, wearing a gray Taoist robe that had been washed until it was a bit faded. Because she was so thin, it looked rather large.

She held a wooden sword about half her height in her hand, her small face was tense, and her lips were pursed into a stubborn line.

Every movement she made was meticulous: the initial strike, the wrist rotation, the forward thrust, and the defensive return.

Although his movements appeared somewhat immature and clumsy due to his young age and lack of strength, his focus and seriousness far surpassed that of any other young disciple in the arena.

Every move was precise and methodical, as if they were accomplishing the most important task in the world.

When the last sword-drawing move was completed, the little girl let out a long breath, her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

She raised her sleeve, wiped her face haphazardly, and prepared to start practicing again from the beginning.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of that familiar blue figure at the entrance to the training ground.

In an instant.

All the seriousness and stubbornness on that focused little face melted away instantly.

Instead, there was a surprise so brilliant that it eclipsed even the sunlight.

"Master!"

The clear and loud shouts were filled with undisguised joy.

That one word, "Master," seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly softening Shen Mo's heart, which was as hard as iron.

With a clang, the wooden sword she treasured was carelessly tossed to the ground.

The small figure took a few steps and ran towards Shen Mo, the wide sleeves of her Taoist robe fluttering in the wind like a clumsy but happy butterfly.

She ran up to Shen Mo in one breath, but stopped abruptly a step away from him. She looked up at him with her sweaty little face, her big, bright eyes filled with affection and joy.

Looking at the pure and innocent smiling face before him, Shen Mo felt as if a corner of his heart, hardened and cold from slaughter, had been melted by the sunlight.

Just like the younger sister in his past life, the one he needed to protect and who he cared about...

This may be the significance of his choice to stop killing with killing.

Use the most drastic measures to protect this simplest of beauties.

Shen Mo reached out, his movements somewhat clumsy, but he gently patted the girl's head.

"How's the training going?"

His voice remained calm, but there was a hint of concern in his tone.

"Mo Chou tried very hard!" Li Mo Chou puffed out her little chest and answered proudly, then her little face fell with some distress, "Uncle Ma and Uncle Qiu both praised me, but... but I always feel like I can't use any power in some of my moves, they're all weak and feeble."

Seeing her serious yet troubled expression, Shen Mo smiled.

He's made up his mind!

We must make Li Mochou stronger!

We will no longer let her suffer heartbreak and be hunted down by the martial arts world, just like in the original story.

He wanted Li Mochou to be strong enough to protect herself, strong enough not to be harmed by this bloody and chaotic world.

She was strong enough that even if he were gone one day, she could face the cruelty of this world on her own!