Chương 116: 1.112 In which Ning comes out clean~

Ning took another mouthful of Frozen Breath Wine. The familiar chill spread down his throat and settled into his stomach, but compared to the batches he had brewed months ago, the difference was obvious. The original recipe had mostly relied on Frozen Breath Grain, producing wine rich in cold spiritual energy. This batch contained several ice-attributed spiritual fruits and herbs Ning had gradually added. While his invoice was delayed, his reward was delivered the very next day.

For his body-refining resource reward, he chose quite a few ice-attributed materials. The improvement was immediately obvious. The amount of cold spiritual energy contained within the wine had increased considerably. Ning placed the ceramic bottle beside him and slowly moved into the first form of Jade Skin and Icy Meridians. His feet spread apart, his waist lowered, and his arms moved through a familiar sequence as he deliberately tightened and relaxed different groups of muscles.

Ning transitioned through the next few movements with precision. With the improvements to Know Thyself, he could understand the flow of energy between each movement even more clearly. The cold energy from the wine flowed with him. It had been quite some time since Frozen Breath Grain had been sufficient for his body cultivation on its own. Back when he first started cultivating Jade Skin and Icy Meridians, he had chosen this specific grain for this property.

Now that he had reached Marrow Refining, however, the amount of cold energy needed to make meaningful progress had risen considerably. It was strange to think about how much had changed since then. Frozen Breath Grain had once been one of his most valuable crops. And speaking of his good old days, his mind went to a specific figure. Ning's movements slowed slightly. He hadn't seen the old farmer in a while. The last Ning remembered, Old Zhou had still been stuck at the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation.

He had remained there for years, and with his age and spiritual root, breaking through on his own was becoming increasingly unlikely. Ning glanced toward Ling Xin, who was sitting nearby with Ling Yinran. Maybe I can ask Master about getting him a Barrier-Breaking Pill. It would be a good way to repay the favor. Old Zhou had helped him quite a bit when he first entered Sector Three, and Ning hadn't forgotten it. Besides, having a reputation for remembering favors certainly wouldn't hurt either.

Ning continued into the next form, as he swiftly gathered his thoughts. Through his newly awakened spiritual sense, he could perceive the Jade Frost Gu resting inside his body. The little creature had become active shortly after he drank the wine, and thin streams of cold spiritual energy were now being drawn toward it. Ning watched curiously. The Gu consumed a portion of the energy, and after a few moments, something seemed to flow back out. The energy released was still cold, but it no longer felt quite the same.

The somewhat unruly chill of the Frozen Breath Wine had become remarkably smooth, almost as though someone had already completed the troublesome first stages of refining it for him. Ning guided the energy through Jade Skin and Icy Meridians. It flowed without resistance. His muscles tightened as he moved into another form, his bones and meridians absorbing the refined energy much more readily than before. Even the familiar discomfort of cold qi penetrating into his marrow was reduced.

"How interesting..." Ning deliberately accelerated the circulation. The Jade Frost Gu responded immediately, drawing in more of the wine's energy and refining it before releasing it back into his body. Ning continued shifting through the forms, observing the Gu's behavior as he gradually figured out more details. The Jade Frost Gu was converting the cold qi he had accumulated into a form extraordinarily compatible with Jade Skin and Icy Meridians. This feature alone would improve his efficiency in body refining.

Cultivation resources could only do so much. A cultivator's body couldn't absorb everything they contained, and taking more didn't necessarily mean gaining more. Past a certain point, the excess would simply go to waste or place unnecessary strain on the body. The Jade Frost Gu reduced those problems considerably. Ning completed another sequence of movements and felt the refined chill seep deep into his bones. His panel appeared with a thought.

[Marrow Refining: 360/600] Ning wasn't surprised by the improvement itself. What mattered was how easily those points had come compared to his recent progress. He stared at the number for several seconds, then he slowly lowered his gaze toward his stomach.

"So this is your true power..." Ning placed a hand over his stomach with newfound respect.

"Very well, Worm Overlord. I acknowledge you." Yes, he had named the Jade Frost Gu the Worm Overlord. The reason? Well, he wanted the little worm to become an overlord someday. More importantly, it sounded cool. Sometimes, that was reason enough.

"Yes, yes, you've discovered a fraction of its true power." Ling Xin waved a hand impatiently.

"Now, how about that spar? I'm getting bored just watching you."

"Aunt," Ling Yinran kindly reminded her, "you do realize Junior Brother already rejected you once, right?"

"But the more someone tells me no, the more excited I get!" Ning's movements paused for the briefest moment, but then he continued acting as if he had not just heard that. Now that he knew what to look for, the Gu's work became much easier to follow. It gradually adapted to the circulation of Jade Skin and Icy Meridians, becoming more responsive whenever Ning changed forms or redirected his qi.

His spiritual sense allowed him to observe the process directly, while Know Thyself gave him an even clearer picture of how the refined energy affected his body. Ning was really starting to appreciate his recent upgrades. Before awakening spiritual sense, much of this would have been guesswork. Now, he could directly perceive the Jade Frost Gu working inside him while simultaneously observing the changes to his body through Know Thyself.

It was almost like looking at the same problem from two different perspectives, and sometimes a different perspective was all it took to notice something that had previously been invisible. Ning finished the final form and then asked, "Master, you said the Jade Frost Gu's refinement would improve depending on what I feed it, right?" Ling Xin was naturally disappointed that her invitation to spar had once again been ignored, but her duties as a master came first.

"That's right. The Jade Frost Gu isn't particularly picky, but it does have preferences." Ling Xin thought for a moment.

"Frost Moon Grass, Cold Marrow Rice, Snowthread Barley, and other yin-aligned spiritual grains are all good choices. They're mild enough to feed it regularly." She raised another finger.

"If you want something stronger, there's Hundred-Year Ice Ginseng, Frostscale Serpent blood, Coldsteel Essence, or even Iceheart Jade. Those contain much denser cold energy, though feeding them to the Gu too often would be a waste at its current stage." Ning nodded thoughtfully.

"So spiritual grains for regular feeding and stronger materials when I actually want to push its growth."

"More or less." Ling Xin smiled.

"How it evolves is all up to your choice." Hearing that, Ning knew it was probably time to hit the books and learn everything he could about the Jade Frost Gu and its evolution pathways. He was still considering the possibilities when Ling Xin, who had been watching from nearby, finally seemed to reach the limits of her patience.

"As I was saying before, you are still not using the Gu to its fullest effect." Ling Xin pointed toward his stomach.

"Jade Frost Refinement isn't the only thing it can do. Its second ability is much easier to understand when your body is actually under pressure. Your circulation changes when you accelerate, take an impact, suddenly change direction, or release your strength all at once. Moving through your forms like this won't trigger it properly." Ning had to admit that the explanation was entirely reasonable, which only made him more suspicious.

"So you need to hit me."

"Exactly!"

"I don't like how you agreed to it so quickly." Ning narrowed his eyes.

"I speak the truth, nothing but the truth." Ling Xin grinned, apparently seeing nothing wrong with her enthusiasm. Ning picked up the bottle of Frozen Breath Wine beside him and took another mouthful before giving his answer.

"No." Her grin disappeared. Then, before Ning's eyes, Ling Xin's entire expression changed. Her shoulders lowered slightly, and her eyes widened. Ning slowly lowered the bottle.

"... Master, what are you doing?" Ling Xin said nothing. She simply looked at him with wide, pitiful eyes, her earlier excitement replaced by an expression so genuinely wounded that anyone walking into the courtyard might have assumed Ning had just committed some terrible offense against his master. Ning stared at her.

"Those are puppy eyes."

"I don't know what you mean," Ling Xin replied, somehow managing to look even more miserable.

"You absolutely know what I mean." Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Ning turned toward Ling Yinran for assistance.

"Senior Sister, master is using psychological warfare." Ling Yinran calmly took another sip of tea.

"Don't involve me. This is between the two of you." Ning looked back at his master and realized, with some regret, that this was probably his own fault. Somewhere along the way, just as he had gradually learned the Dao of Smug from Ling Xin, she had apparently stolen his habit of shamelessly using puppy eyes whenever convenient. Worse, Ling Xin had a cute enough face that this technique was truly lethal. Ning managed to endure another five seconds before finally looking away.

"Fine. We can spar." Ling Xin's entire face brightened instantly, all traces of misery disappearing quickly.

"However, there are restrictions," he continued before she could celebrate.

"Hand-to-hand only. Master, please suppress your cultivation to the Seventh Stage, and even then, keep your physical strength somewhere around what my body can reasonably handle."

"That's a lot of restrictions." Ling Xin blinked.

"You're my genius master. I'm fairly certain your unrestricted version of hand-to-hand combat ends with me embedded in a wall at minimum." She tilted her head and actually considered the possibility for a moment before nodding.

"Probably. So, okay, physical strength and martial skill only. I'll suppress everything else." Ning wasn't foolish enough to rely solely on that promise. He immediately turned toward Ling Yinran and pointed at her.

"Senior Sister, you heard that. You're officially the witness." That finally made Ling Yinran lower her cup.

"Why am I being dragged into this?"

"Because I don't trust either of us once this starts." Her eyes moved from him to Ling Xin, then settled on the bottle of Frozen Breath Wine Ning had been steadily drinking throughout his practice. After a moment, she sighed and placed her cup down.

"That may be the most sensible thing you've said today." Ning chose to ignore the implication and stepped into the clearing. For the first time, he found himself genuinely curious about what fighting his master would actually feel like. He had seen Ling Xin practice before, but watching someone from the side and actually fighting them were entirely different experiences. Even with her cultivation suppressed to his level, the difference in experience between them would be enormous.

More importantly, Ling Xin's explanation about the Gu made sense. If its second ability only revealed itself when his body was placed under genuine pressure, then a controlled spar against someone powerful enough to push him without seriously injuring him was probably the safest way to test it. The upgraded Frozen Breath Wine he'd been drinking might also have had something to do with his willingness to accept that logic.

The pleasant warmth now sitting behind his eyes made the whole idea sound considerably more entertaining than it probably should have. Ning picked up the bottle one last time and took another mouthful.

"For the Gu." Ling Yinran gave him a long look but wisely chose not to comment. Across from him, Ling Xin was already bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Ready?" Ning felt the Jade Frost Gu eagerly begin refining the fresh surge of cold spiritual energy from the wine. He placed the bottle aside, rolled his shoulders, and raised his hands.

"Yes." Ling Xin moved immediately. Her first fist came straight toward his face, yet Ning's Pure Eyes caught the rotation of her shoulder clearly enough for him to slip aside. A second palm followed almost at once, but his spiritual sense detected it before it entered his vision, allowing him to twist away while raising his leg just in time to avoid the sweep aimed at his ankles. Ling Xin stopped after the third miss and looked at him with pleasant surprise.

"Oh? You've gotten rather slippery." Ning grinned.

"This is the result of my training."

"I will be the judge of that." Ling Xin's smile widened, and then she moved. There was something distinctly strange about the way his master fought. Ning had expected the direct, explosive style her personality suggested, yet her first step was almost leisurely, her body swaying slightly as she shifted from one foot to the other. Then her pace suddenly changed, and she crossed the remaining distance in an instant. Her fist appeared before his face.

Ning twisted aside just as it passed his cheek and struck the ground behind him. Boom! Stone cracked outward beneath Ling Xin's knuckles, leaving a shallow crater where there had been perfectly good courtyard a moment earlier. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Master had this much physical strength at this stage? He barely had time to register the damage before Ling Xin continued.

She didn't recover from the missed punch so much as let it carry her into the next attack, twisting with the momentum as her elbow swept toward his temple. Ning ducked, only for her to suddenly shift her movement into a downward palm strike. With no room to straighten, he pushed off with one foot and twisted sideways, the palm grazing past his shoulder before crashing into the stone where he'd been crouching. The impact sent cracks racing across the courtyard, but Ling Xin was already following him.

Her palm rebounded from the ground, her body turning with it as she rose into another strike, forcing Ning to weave around her instead of simply retreating. There was no real pause between any of it. Every time Ning thought one attack had ended, Ling Xin simply flowed into another one naturally. Watching her, Ning finally understood why her movements felt strangely familiar. Ling Xin fought like fire.

Her movements constantly shifted without ever truly stopping, flowing wherever there was space and changing direction the moment something stood in her way. Sometimes she crept forward almost lazily, drawing him into a rhythm, only to suddenly flare with explosive speed. Even a failed attack never seemed entirely wasted; it simply fed into the next one, the same way one tongue of flame would die only for another to rise beside it. Fortunately, Ning had quite a few advantages of his own.

Pure Eyes tracked the smallest shifts of Ling Xin's muscles, spiritual sense covered what his vision missed, and his spatial sensitivity kept him aware of her position. Once the four seasonal rings of the Season-Reading Eye began revolving within his luminous blue eyes, even the timing of her attacks became easier to read. A palm shot toward his chest. Ning slipped aside. A fist followed, and he ducked beneath it before weaving around the elbow that came immediately after.

Ling Xin's brow rose slightly as she sped up. A low kick swept toward his legs. Ning stepped over it, twisted past her shoulder, then leaned aside as a palm flashed past his face and struck the ground hard enough to crack the stone. Ling Xin accelerated again, her fist flowing into an elbow and then a palm without giving Ning a chance to settle. Ning weaved between them, his body shifting from one opening to the next as Ling Xin's attacks flowed together.

One passed over his shoulder, another brushed his sleeve, and a sweeping kick missed his legs by inches. Ling Xin accelerated again. Ning continued weaving through her attacks, his body drifting between fists and palms like a feather caught in the wind, always seeming to move just before the next strike could reach him. After several more exchanges, Ling Xin's surprise finally showed.

"Wow... your perception has gotten really good." Ning grinned.

"Behold, Master. The strongest defensive ability in existence: not being there when you get hit." His fight against Mei Long had already taught him what happened when an opponent was simply faster than he was. Ning couldn't magically make his body fast enough to match someone like that, but this offered another solution. If he could perceive an attack early enough, he didn't need to be faster than his opponent. All he needed to do was start moving first.

"Interesting. It seems I'll have to increase the tempo a little further." Ling Xin's smile turned dangerous. Fire and alchemy might have been the foundations of her cultivation, but Ling Xin had never neglected physical combat. If anything, she had always found a particular kind of amusement in beating cultivators twice her size with her bare hands. Just as she said, the rhythm of the fight changed. The gaps Ning had been using disappeared as Ling Xin pressed him harder.

Ning barely recovered before another fist forced him aside. So this is what actual experience looks like. He could perceive Ling Xin's movements, but that didn't mean he could read her intentions. She feinted and used his own reactions to lead him where she wanted. Another exchange pushed Ning backward until Ling Xin slipped inside his guard. With no room left to dodge, he abandoned elegance and slammed his shoulder into her. Caught off guard by the sudden move, Ling Xin slid back a step. Ning grinned.

"One step. I'll take it."

"This is fun." Ling Xin's grin mirrored his. This time, Ning met her more aggressively, only to notice something strange the moment their arms collided. The Jade Frost Gu was moving. It had been stirring throughout the spar, reacting whenever Ning accelerated, twisted, or took a blow, but now its movements had become far more deliberate. As Ling Xin's next fist approached, Ning shifted to evade, and the Gu seemed to respond alongside him.

Jade Frost Essence flowed toward his legs, reinforcing them as he pushed off the ground. Ning's eyes lit up. So this is the second ability. The Gu could sense the strain and intent running through his body and direct Jade Frost Essence wherever it was needed. When he moved, it strengthened the muscles and meridians bearing the strain; when he blocked, the essence gathered around the point of impact. It was following Ning's own reactions and supporting his body almost instinctively.

That explained why Ling Xin had insisted on a spar. Repeating forms could only produce predictable movements. The Gu needed actual combat to learn how his body responded when he was forced to attack, evade, and defend without warning. Another palm came toward him. Ning raised his forearm. The Jade Frost Gu reacted almost immediately, sending essence surging into his arm just before the two collided. Bang! Ning slid back half a step, but the impact felt noticeably lighter than before.

His eyes brightened as he looked toward Ling Xin.

"Master, you really gave me a spectacular gift." Ling Xin gave a satisfied nod.

"Finally noticed?" Ning didn't answer. He was already moving again, considerably more interested in testing Worm Overlord's new trick. The difference became clearer with every exchange. Jade Frost Essence shifted through his body almost as quickly as he did, reinforcing his legs when he moved and gathering around his arms whenever he blocked. It wasn't enough to bridge the gap between him and Ling Xin, but it certainly made getting hit less unpleasant.

Which was fortunate, because he was getting hit considerably more often now that he'd started fighting back. Another palm sent him stumbling several steps. Ning steadied himself, rubbed his chest, then walked over to the Frozen Breath Wine and took several generous mouthfuls. Ling Xin raised an eyebrow.

"Running low on cold energy," Ning explained, giving the bottle a small shake.

"Can't let Worm Overlord go hungry." Fresh cold energy spread through him, and Worm Overlord eagerly went to work. The spar resumed with much less caution on Ning's part. He weaved through Ling Xin's attacks, retaliated whenever an opening appeared, and gradually began using the Gu's reinforcement more naturally. Frost accumulated across Ling Xin's sleeves whenever they made contact, while cracks and shallow craters continued appearing wherever her restrained strikes missed him.

Somewhere along the way, Ning also stopped keeping track of how much wine he was drinking. During one exchange, he slipped past a fist, knocked aside the palm that followed, and planted his hand against Ling Xin's shoulder. Jade Frost Essence surged, coating her sleeve in white frost. Ning immediately grinned.

"I win." Ling Xin stared at him.

"I've hit you at least ten times."

"Those were previous exchanges. So, completely unrelated." Ling Xin opened her mouth to argue, then glanced at the frost spreading across her sleeve. Her expression changed.

"You've been using ice this whole time," she said.

"Then it's only fair if I use fire." Orange-red flames sprang to life around her fists. Ning considered that for a moment before nodding.

"Fair."

"Aunt," Ling Yinran warned from the side.

"What?" Ling Xin glanced at her innocently.

"I'm still suppressing my cultivation." Ning nodded again. That sounded reasonable enough. Soon, pale mist rolled from Ning's body as Worm Overlord refined the fresh cold energy, while flames climbed Ling Xin's arms. She settled into her familiar stance, swaying lightly like a flickering flame before suddenly surging forward. Ning grinned and rushed to meet her, Jade Frost Essence gathering around his fist. As the distance vanished, however, his instincts screamed.

Ling Xin's flames were far more threatening up close. Almost instinctively, Ning circulated another technique. Infinite Circle. Something stirred deep within him. The tips of his dark hair gained the faintest bluish tint as his gathered qi began to move differently, but the change was subtle and disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Infinite Circle still had not accumulated enough due to his recent use. Fire and frost rushed toward each other.

"STOP!" Ling Yinran's shout cracked across the courtyard. Both of them froze just before their fists collided. Ling Yinran stared at him.

"Junior Brother... you're drunk."

"What? No, I'm-" Ning paused. Now that she mentioned it, his face did feel unusually warm. He touched his cheek, then glanced at the nearly empty bottle of Frozen Breath Wine.

"... Oh." He immediately sat down, circulated the Pure Qi Sutra, and swallowed a pill to help clear the alcohol from his system. Spiritual qi flowed through his body, and within a few minutes, the warmth faded from his face as his thoughts steadily sharpened. Then Ning remembered what he'd just been doing. He had actually agreed to clash head-on with his Foundation Building master while she used her specialty, enhanced by her spiritual body, simply because he'd decided it was fair. Ning went silent. What the fuck?

I don't play fair. That was exactly why he didn't like drunk Ning. He was a reckless drunk. The spar ended shortly afterward, and Ning was firmly separated from the remaining Frozen Breath Wine before they returned to the courtyard. Ling Xin, however, seemed unusually quiet. Back at the palace, she kept studying Ning with a thoughtful expression.

He initially ignored it, focusing instead on the water Ling Yinran had placed in front of him, but after catching his master staring for the fourth time, he finally lowered his cup.

"Is something the matter, Master? You've been staring at me for a while." Ning asked.

"Mhm." Ling Xin nodded.

"I met with the Sect Master shortly after returning to the sect. My master was there too, and the Sect Master mentioned something about you." A bead of sweat formed on Ning's forehead. She met with the Sect Master? His mind immediately raced through the various things Ge Xuan knew about him. There were several possibilities, some more concerning than others, but one particular thought quickly rose above the rest. Don't tell me he told her about the novels? Ning had long since accepted that his cover was blown.

Being confronted about it by his master and senior sister, however, was an entirely different matter. He glanced at Ling Yinran and felt another bead of sweat forming. Was this how people felt when their parents discovered their smut? No. His situation was worse. He was the one writing it. Completely unaware of the crisis unfolding across the table, Ling Xin continued, "The Sect Master said I'd taught you well.

He also mentioned that your thought process and the way you applied your supernatural power were quite interesting." Ning's shoulders loosened almost imperceptibly. Thank heavens. I am not prepared to cross that bridge yet.

"Is that why you wanted to spar with me, Master?" The pieces suddenly clicked into place for Ning. In hindsight, he should have realized something was strange. Ling Xin had never once asked to spar with him before. Normally, she would have been far more interested in discussing alchemy.

"Mm. A friend once told me that fighting someone is one of the best ways to understand them, so when you agreed, I thought I might notice something." Ning's face scrunched up. Who was corrupting my master with such nonsense? Ling Xin rested her chin on one hand.

"And near the end, I did. That technique you used just before Yinran stopped us... was that your supernatural power?" So she had noticed the Infinite Circle. Ning's eyes narrowed. Before Ning could answer, Ling Yinran set down her cup.

"Aunt, if it's something Junior Brother doesn't want to talk about, don't pressure him. Everyone has things they'd rather keep to themselves." Ling Xin's curiosity remained obvious, but she didn't argue. Ning looked between them and felt some of his tension disappear. There were things he would never tell anyone, with his transmigration sitting comfortably at the top of that list, but most of his other secrets were nowhere near that serious.

He had already decided that Know Thyself wasn't something he needed to guard at all costs, yet somehow he'd never properly told either his master or senior sister. Considering everything Ling Xin had done for him, including giving him a Jade Frost Gu that couldn't possibly have been cheap, keeping it from them now felt rather unnecessary.

"No, Senior Sister. It's fine." Ning set his cup down.

"I do have a supernatural power."

"I knew it." Ling Xin placed a hand against her chest.

"My own disciple had a supernatural power all this time, yet his poor master knew nothing. All those days together, all those meals, all those precious memories... even other people knew before me." Well, when she put it like that, it did make me sound kind of bad.

"And still, you never trusted me." Ling Xin turned away dramatically, her shoulders slumping as though Ning had just confessed to joining an enemy sect. Ling Yinran sighed at her aunt's performance.

"Junior Brother, you don't need to apologize. It's perfectly normal for cultivators to keep a few cards hidden."

"That's true, but I probably should have told you both myself." Ning scratched his cheek.

"Having you hear about it from someone else makes me look rather ungrateful, so... sorry, Master. Senior Sister."

"Apology accepted." Ling Xin's heartbreak vanished so quickly that Ning suspected it had never existed in the first place. She immediately turned back around, curiosity written across her face.

"So, what does it do?"

"It's called Know Thyself. Basically, it lets me understand myself far more precisely than I normally could-my cultivation, my body, the techniques I've learned, and how proficient I am with them. It's become more detailed as I've grown stronger, and after awakening spiritual sense, I can even examine my body from different perspectives and observe how outside influences affect it." Ling Xin's playful expression gradually faded.

"When you say precisely, how precise are we talking?"

"It mostly displays my cultivation and technique proficiency as numbers." Ning thought for a moment before adding, "The Sect Master said he'd encountered a similar supernatural power before, though that person's version was different. Apparently, theirs allowed them to awaken spiritual sense early." Ling Xin slowly nodded as she suddenly understood something that puzzled her long ago.

"So that's why you practice everything so systematically, and why you always seem to know when you're close to improving something." Her eyes narrowed.

"Even that obsession you have with making numbers go up suddenly makes sense."

"I think that last one is just one of Junior Brother's strange quirks," Ling Yinran said with a small smile. Ning considered defending himself, but it was the truth. Ling Xin leaned back, looking almost disappointed.

"Still, it's not quite as extraordinary as I expected. Aside from the numbers and measuring your progress, some of what you're describing isn't that different from what I can already do with my divine sense." Ning raised an eyebrow.

"Master, there are no useless supernatural powers." Ning picked up his cup again.

"Only people who haven't figured out how to use them properly." Ling Xin raised an eyebrow.

"No useless supernatural powers? What if someone's supernatural power only lets them tell sugar from salt?" Ning thought for a moment.

"Blindfold them and have people bet on it."

"That's not using the supernatural power."

"It's making money because of the supernatural power. I think that counts." Ling Yinran laughed softly into her cup.

"I suppose I walked into that one." Ling Xin sighed, only to pause as something occurred to her.

"Wait. If your supernatural power is Know Thyself, then what did I sense near the end of our spar?"

"That was the technique I created back in the tower." Ning scratched his cheek.

"The one that produced that purple-gold color in the Heavenly Origin Tower?" Ling Xin recalled the brief change she had sensed during their clash.

"Your spiritual fluctuations increased drastically for a moment. I suppose that makes sense, considering you created something even the tower had never seen before."

"Yes. I call it the Infinite Circle." Ning brought out the notes he had accumulated while developing the technique and spread them across the table. He explained the basic principle: an internal cycle built within his dantian that continuously circulated, accumulated, and compressed qi, allowing the process to continue even when he wasn't actively cultivating. By the time he finished, Ling Yinran was staring at him as though he had casually confessed to juggling explosives.

"Junior Brother, what in the world were you thinking?" She picked up one of his notes and looked through it again.

"One mistake with something like this and your dantian could rupture. You could have blown yourself to pieces." Ning scratched his chin.

"Well..."

"I believe he actually did explode while creating it in the tower," Ling Xin added casually as she continued reading through his notes. Ling Yinran slowly turned toward her aunt. Ning decided not to elaborate on the fact that he'd actually exploded hundreds of times in the tower.

"If either of you wants it, I can give you the technique," he offered.

"Though I'm not sure you'd be able to practice it as it is."

"I don't need it." Ling Yinran shook her head immediately.

"This thing is practically tailor-made for you." Then she noticed the growing interest on her aunt's face.

"Aunt, please tell me you're not getting any dangerous ideas." Even Ling Yinran doubted her aunt could directly practice something this absurdly specialized. Ling Xin blinked.

"Hm? Oh, no. I'm not going to practice it. Even for me, adapting this technique to suit myself would be far too difficult." Ling Yinran visibly relaxed. It seemed her aunt did have some sense of self-preservation after all.

"I want to make a pill based on it." Ling Yinran paused. Actually, that didn't sound too bad. Ling Xin's eyes were already shining as she looked through the notes again.

"A pill whose medicinal power continuously circulates and accumulates instead of being released all at once... Interesting. What do you think, Ning?" Ning paused. A pill that grows stronger over time?

"If that's what you want, sure. I'd like to see whether it works too." Ling Yinran just sighed at the duo.

"Well, there are two other things I should probably mention while we're at it." Ning put the Infinite Circle notes aside.

"The first is the Soul Ferrying Scripture. I found an incomplete manual in the Scripture Pavilion and managed to complete it. That's probably what Sect Master Ge Xuan was talking about. It deals with souls, merit, and ferrying the dead." He gestured toward his eyes.

"The other is part of the Eternal Severance Art. That's where the Season-Reading Eye came from-the technique I was using to enhance my perception during our spar. This technique is sealed against transmission, though, so I couldn't teach it to either of you even if I wanted to." Ling Yinran stared at him.

"... Junior Brother, you really do keep finding new ways to surprise me." Ling Xin, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm. Wasn't it only natural for her disciple to be this awesome?

"I can give you the Soul Ferrying Scripture if you want," Ning continued.

"It's quite useful."

"Junior Brother, there's really no need for you to do that."

"It's fine. Both of you have helped me plenty, whether with resources, cultivation, or simply looking after me. I don't think there's anything wrong with sharing something useful in return." Ning had never liked relationships where one person constantly gave while the other only received. Even kindness could eventually become a burden when there was no opportunity to return it, and he preferred things to flow both ways whenever possible.

Besides, he was already planning to submit the Soul Ferrying Scripture to the Scripture Pavilion. As for the Infinite Circle, it was still incomplete. Letting two cultivators far more experienced than himself examine it might even give him some ideas for improving it.

"If you're sure, then I'll study the Soul Ferrying Scripture." Ling Yinran glanced toward her aunt, who hadn't looked away from the Infinite Circle notes even once.

"I don't think Aunt is particularly interested."

"Hm?" Ling Xin looked up.

"Did you say something?" Ling Yinran sighed.

"Never mind." Her own interest in the scripture was genuine. As a puppet master, her path inevitably brought her close to questions of consciousness and the soul, particularly at the higher levels of the craft. The Soul Ferrying Scripture wasn't a puppet technique, but its understanding of souls alone could prove extremely valuable. There were even obscure branches of puppetry that involved binding ghosts to puppets, granting them a degree of autonomy.

Perhaps the scripture could offer her some insight into that path. Ling Xin finally tore her attention away from the Infinite Circle notes as she processed the last few interactions.

"Ning, if you keep practicing this monk technique, won't you eventually have to go bald?" she asked, apparently having arrived at the most important question.

"Now that I think about it, you do feel a little more like a monk lately."

"I don't think so?" Ning paused. He actually had no idea what more progress in the Soul Ferrying Scripture would do to him.

"At least, nothing I've learned so far mentions mandatory baldness." Ling Xin studied his hair with sudden concern.

"But if you do go bald, what are we going to do?" Ning instinctively touched his head.

"I suppose I'd have to change weapons."

"Why?" Ling Xin blinked.

"Well, if I'm going to look like a Buddhist monk, I should commit to it properly." Ning considered his options.

"A broom, perhaps." Ling Xin nodded thoughtfully.

"A sweeping monk."

"Exactly. Nobody suspects the sweeping monk until it's too late."

"That actually suits you." Ling Xin imagined her disciple as a sweeping monk and found the image strangely fitting.

"Maybe a staff, though. I remember monks using staffs."

"True, but that's too obvious. The broom has character." Ling Xin seemed convinced.

"Then definitely the broom. Even while sweeping the floor, you'd technically be practicing your weapon path."

"Exactly." Ning nodded.

"And if someone comes looking for trouble, I wouldn't even need to bring out another weapon." Ling Yinran stared at the two of them, speechless. How had the conversation suddenly reached this point? She waited another few breaths as Ling Xin began debating whether Ning would need monk robes to complete the appearance before finally deciding she'd heard enough.

"Junior Brother." Ning looked over.

"Hm?"

"Didn't the Pure Qi Sutra reach its intended end at the Sixth Stage?" Ning's expression froze. Ling Yinran calmly took another sip of tea.

"You're already at the Seventh Stage. Shouldn't you be finding a new cultivation technique instead of planning your future career as a bald sweeping monk?"

"... Yes, that's right." Ning nodded. And just like that, his future career as a sweeping monk was postponed indefinitely.... Thanks for reading~