The Spiritual Pivot of Mortal Cultivation

After the bone-revealing ceremony in the backyard, Bai Xuanxin's days became quieter than before.

Quiet is not idle.

Between the side hall, the medicine pool, and the back mountain, no one said another word. The medicine that was supposed to be given to him in the inner register was delivered as usual; when it was time for him to go to the back courtyard, someone would come to call him; at other times, it was as if the gatekeepers had temporarily forgotten about him, letting him slowly mellow out the new strength, medicinal effects, and methods that had been imposed on him.

But Bai Xuanxin knew in her heart that this was not forgetting.

This is someone looking through the door.

Let's see how much medicine he's taken in the past few days, how steadily he's progressing in his cultivation path, and whether he's truly taken to heart the point Su Li made about him in the Bone-Illuminating Ceremony in the backyard: "He may only win, but he may not be able to crush others."

He's gotten heavier these days than before.

In the morning, I would first walk through the forest behind the mountain to practice the root method, and then I would start my smoke walk. In the afternoon, I would go to the wooden stakes and slowly dissect the shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. After nightfall, I would go down into the medicinal pool. When I returned, my clothes were often soaked with the medicinal vapors, but I would still gently rub my knuckles on the root method several times, as if I was afraid that I would go astray on the most important part.

If Bai Xuanxin in the past relied on his eyes, hands, and being half a step ahead to carve out a path in the cracks, then today, he can clearly feel that the originally light and sharp strength in his body has begun to slowly sink inward.

Shoulders are no longer just for unloading.

The hip is no longer just for borrowing.

Steps are no longer just for gliding.

These changes might not be clearly visible to others; but to Bai Xuanxin, it was as if bones were being added inch by inch to a piece of paper that originally only had the edge of a knife.

He knew he had chosen the right path.

Because on the other side of Shenshou Valley, no one will wait for someone to slowly grow up.

The medicinal pools, fundamental methods, lineages, and esteemed positions within these schools are, in the end, nothing more than a borrowed ladder. How high one can borrow it, and for how long, ultimately depends on whether one can quickly and firmly establish oneself on this path.

That afternoon, someone finally arrived at the side hall again.

It wasn't a errand boy who came; it was Instructor Li himself.

When he entered, Bai Xuanxin was standing in the room, not moving an inch, only letting his waist, spine, shoulders and back slowly sink together, while the little bit of strength in his hands went down his arm bones to his knuckles like fine threads. The wooden stake that had been modified to include the shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles stood in front of him, its body slanted and dark, directly facing the shoulder socket under his palm, the point where the force should not be borne.

Instructor Li stood by the door, glanced at the scene, and remained silent until Bai Xuanxin finished her practice, then said calmly:

"Come with me."

Bai Xuanxin responded, put on her outer robe, and followed him to the front hall.

This journey is not long.

The wind in the front hall and back courtyard was still the same, carrying sand, old wood, and the smell of medicinal wine, pressing down on the corridor and making one's heart feel heavy. Bai Xuanxin remained silent the whole way, only glancing up slightly ahead when passing through the moon gate.

This time, it didn't stop at the back of the school field.

Instead, they went directly into the inner room of the side hall.

There weren't many people inside.

Deacon Liang was present, as was the sect leader, and the three most senior grandmasters in the sect were also there: Gu Yunshen, Lu Hengchuan, and Su Li, who sat on the old wooden chair by the window with a nearly cold cup of tea beside her, her expression flat and her emotions unreadable.

Bai Xuanxin felt a slight sense of relief.

Today's trip is the real appointment.

He stepped forward and bowed, addressing the woman with more caution than before:

"Disciple Bai Xuanxin greets the Sect Master, the three Grandmaster Uncles, Steward Liang, and Instructor Li."

Wang Juechu sat at the head of the table. When his gaze fell upon Bai Xuanxin, it was not sharp. Instead, he seemed like someone who had been in the position of sect leader for a long time and had seen the rise and fall of his disciples. With just one glance, he weighed Bai Xuanxin's current character, temperament, and heart.

He didn't say whether he would accept it or not beforehand; he just asked casually:

"Have you understood by now these past few days?"

Bai Xuanxin knew that he wasn't asking how many times he had practiced the stances or how many times he had taken medicine.

The question was about the layer of substance Su Li had given him on the day of the bone-revealing ceremony in the backyard.

He answered in a deep voice:

"Previously, I only knew how to attack from the weakest point of a person's body and how to gain an advantage by taking a half-step. Now I realize that without a solid foundation to support you, those techniques, though seemingly sharp, are actually unstable. When you encounter someone who can truly dominate the field, you will most likely be the one who falls apart first."

After hearing this, Wang Juechu neither agreed nor disagreed, but only glanced at Su Li.

Gu Yun Shen smiled first, his voice still extremely calm:

"He listened to that."

Lu Hengchuan remained somber, only saying:

"The blank is good. If it's reworked, it can still be improved."

Neither of these two sentences is repeated.

But in this very moment, it speaks volumes.

Bai Xuanxin understood that the matter of Gu Yunshen and Lu Hengchuan had been resolved.

The final decision was made by Su Li.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The wind rustled through the trees outside the window, casting slanted shadows that cut across the ground. Only then did Su Li finally set down the cold teacup beside her and turn her gaze to Bai Xuanxin.

"How many times have you used the medicinal bath these days?"

Five times.

"What about the fundamental method?"

"I walk every day."

"Has the smoke-walking stopped?"

"It didn't stop."

"What about disassembling the hand?"

"It didn't stop either."

Su Li nodded, no longer asking further questions, and simply said:

"Raise your hand."

Bai Xuanxin felt a chill run down her spine, but without the slightest hesitation, she immediately raised her arm.

Su Li did not get up, but merely touched Bai Xuanxin's wrist from half a step away. The touch was so light that it seemed unintentional, but Bai Xuanxin clearly felt that the other party was not touching his wrist, but rather checking where his strength had gone after being suppressed by the medicine pool, root cultivation method, and internal cultivation for the past few days.

After a moment, Su Li stopped.

"The skeleton is more stable than before," he said, "but it's still not enough."

Bai Xuanxin listened without surprise.

If Su Lizhen really said "enough," then his heart would sink.

Because he himself knows that the current changes are at most just pushing him from "being able to take shortcuts" to "being able to hold his own." To truly hone all of this into the ability to command respect and withstand tough challenges, there is still a long road ahead.

Su Li then looked at Wang Juechu:

"I'll take him in."

The room finally quieted down for a moment.

It wasn't because of an accident, but because once those words were spoken, many things that were previously in the shadows were finally settled.

Wang Juechu nodded slightly.

"Since you've asked, then let's register your name."

There was no burning of incense, nor any lively scene of kneeling and kowtowing. The Seven Mysteries Sect was not a small, insignificant sect, much less a school. When recruiting members, the sect always considered their worth, not their appearance.

Deacon Liang opened the prepared booklet, added a stroke to it, and said calmly:

"From this day forward, Bai Xuanxin will be affiliated with Grandmaster Su and registered under his name. The Medicine Pool, the Nourishing Body, and the Backyard Training Methods will all follow this name."

With just one sentence, the matter was settled.

Bai Xuanxin bowed respectfully.

"Disciple thanks Sect Master and Grandmaster Uncle."

He expressed his gratitude verbally, but he knew better than anyone else that this was not a favor he had received for nothing.

This means the sect has officially placed a much larger bet on him.

Next, Su Li personally placed three items in front of him.

The first item was a thicker manuscript with worn-out pages but perfectly neat edges. It contained not only the rough root method he had used to straighten his shoulders, lock his hips, and close his back a few days ago, but a much more complete set of proper postures.

The second item was a wooden divination stick for the medicinal pool, heavier than the one from the side hall, with a very faint dark pattern on its surface. Bai Xuanxin knew at a glance that this meant the pool he could enter later was no longer just for "bone strengthening," but for "body tempering."

The third item was a tiny ebony box. Inside lay only three pills, their color unremarkable, yet their aroma was extremely deep. It wasn't a fleeting fragrance, nor the pungent spiciness of strong medicine, but rather a medicinal sensation that seemed to press directly into the bones.

Su Li didn't explain any further about these three things, only saying:

"What you learned from me wasn't how to win more skillfully."

"Why don't you train yourself until you break apart?"

This sentence is more direct than any other advice.

Bai Xuanxin bowed her head and accepted.

Because he knew that this was the level he needed to learn most right now.

His strengths in the past lay primarily in speed and ruthlessness, striking from the weakest points. Such methods were naturally sharp and effective against ordinary opponents. But against someone like Mo Juren, speed and ruthlessness were merely superficial skills.

The real challenge is whether you can catch it, hold it down, and then land steadily.

This "formal framework" forms the foundation for everything that follows.

Thinking about this, Bai Xuanxin felt even calmer.

From now on, he would no longer be just blindly stumbling around with his cobbled-together skills. He had finally found a path that could truly lead to advancement.

He knew better than anyone where it would land.

That night, I would fall into the Valley of the Divine Hands.

It will come down to Mo Juren's old tricks.

It will land on the shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles of Qu Hun's puppet.

It will also come down to whether he himself can both break into that deadlock and escape unscathed.

Everything he's doing now, in the end, is about gathering strength and creating a viable path to survival for that night.

After things were settled inside, Wang Juechu did not linger and simply got up and left. Gu Yunshen and Lu Hengchuan also dispersed, and Steward Liang followed them out with the booklet, leaving only Instructor Li and Su Li inside.

Instructor Li stood aside, his expression still calm and indifferent, as if today's events were nothing more than a routine occurrence in the side hall. But Bai Xuanxin knew that with this step, she had truly taken a step forward within the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Su Li sat by the window, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly looked up at him.

"Show me what you've got."

Bai Xuanxin was taken aback, then understood and pressed his palm against the wooden frame in front of him.

The press was neither heavy nor fast; it simply channeled the energy within the body, which had recently become more manageable, through the shoulder and arm. The energy penetrated the wood, yet the sound was extremely soft, like a needle piercing thick paper, making only a muffled sound deep within the wooden frame.

A very faint change finally appeared in Su Li's eyes.

"You're much more discreet about your energy than others."

Bai Xuanxin felt a slight tremor in her heart.

This statement sounds ordinary, but he knew better than anyone that it wasn't praising his diligence or his steadiness.

This is something deeper than the point.

Being meticulous in managing one's finances means that one can do more than just let go.

It also means that one day, perhaps we can really go down the path of "condensation".

But that road, once it leads further up, is no longer something for ordinary martial artists.

Bai Xuanxin raised her eyes, and the somber look that had been suppressed in them finally brightened slightly, but she quickly suppressed it again, simply bowing her head and replying:

"This disciple has remembered."

Su Li didn't say anything more, she just waved her hand.

"Go ahead. Take the food back and cook it first."

Bai Xuanxin bowed and withdrew.

As I stepped out of the side hall, dusk was approaching. The bell at the front of the mountain rang out, its sound waves echoing along the rooftops and the mountain walls. In the distance, the figures of the martial arts training ground, the pharmacy, and the patrolling disciples gradually faded into the twilight.

Bai Xuanxin gathered his sleeves and carefully put away the scroll, the wooden slips for the medicine pool, and the small ebony box. Then he looked up and glanced in the direction of Shenshou Valley.

Despite being separated by mountains, nothing could be seen.

But he felt more at ease than he had been a few days ago.