After class, Zanxing packed up her bundle, picked up the oil-paper umbrella from the entrance, and was about to leave.
Tian Fangfang called from behind: “Junior Sister, aren’t you going to eat?”
“You go ahead, I’ll go later.” Zanxing held up her umbrella and rushed into the rain curtain.
When she reached Rainbow Platform, there was rain today, and it was currently noon, so most of the sect’s disciples had gone to eat lunch. Zanxing found a place to sit down, not caring whether her clothes would get wet from the rain, and reopened “Qing E Nian Hua Gun” with her spiritual consciousness.
Today’s debate with Yueguang Daoren about “truth and illusion” in class had just been her random fabrication. But at the last moment, blessed with sudden insight, she thought of the bottleneck in her staff technique.
For five days, she had practiced hard every night, wielding the staff technique decently, but never matching the grace of the woman on her spiritual platform. She had repeatedly studied the woman’s staff technique, but thinking about it now, this flashy cultivation method was called “Qing E Nian Hua” (Azure Maiden Picking Flowers).
She had the staff, but no flowers.
Without flowers, this staff technique would be no different from other staff techniques outside. But precisely because of the two characters “Nian Hua” (Picking Flowers), it took on some feminine coloring. This was a staff technique, but the truly fierce aspect lay in the “falling flowers” stirred up by the staff. Those flowers, carried by air currents, could accurately break through an opponent’s defenses, becoming the most powerful weapons.
Picking flowers wasn’t for show – it was for better offense.
So that was it.
Zanxing gripped the iron staff with both hands again, closed her eyes. Near Rainbow Platform, osmanthus trees were everywhere, and being autumn, the osmanthus trees were fragrant. Zanxing circulated the surrounding Yuanli and struck horizontally downward. The fragrant wind stirred up by the staff was soft and aromatic, yet within this fragrance was hidden a barely perceptible killing intent. Zanxing could see that from the falling flowers stirred up by the staff, there was a straight air current, like the afterimage of another staff.
And this afterimage rippled like a water surface, layer upon layer. She could even see the fine ripples within, the traces of each flower blooming. At this moment, the Xiaoyuan Pearl at her chest spun wildly, and all the surrounding spiritual energy poured into Zanxing’s body. Zanxing felt the staff in her hands seemed to have infinite power. And in the mirror image of the rippling afterimage, a straight line appeared.
Without hesitation, she struck down toward that line.
“Qing E Nian Hua Gun First Level – Jing Hua Shui Yue!”
The rain curtain seemed to stop in that instant.
The ripples in the air suddenly gave birth to countless flower shadows. These flower shadows clustered layer upon layer, like clouds and seas, fiercely flying toward the boulder ahead.
Also flying with them was the iron staff in the woman’s hands.
“Bang—” came a sound.
The boulder turned to powder. The osmanthus fragrance was rich. Looking up, the flower shadows and water surface all dispersed, leaving only a gray-robed woman holding a long staff standing in the rain curtain between heaven and earth, her long hair already soaked by rainwater.
A mountain sparrow called out once, flapping its wings as it flew to another tree, seemingly startled by the commotion.
Zanxing looked down at her hands.
She seemed to have just broken through.
…
In the following days, Zanxing continued her routine of leaving early and returning late, studying diligently.
Fellow disciples also realized the sect assessment was imminent and began working hard. For a time, the entire Rainbow Platform was overcrowded, comparable to a university library during finals – if you went late, there weren’t even any spots left.
The one most pleased to see this was probably Sixth Martial Uncle Xuan Lingzi of the Taiyan Sect. Tomorrow was the day of the sect assessment. Xuan Lingzi sat in the hall, checking disciples’ names while gnawing on roasted chicken that someone had secretly bought from down the mountain.
The ingredients on the mountain were abundant with spiritual energy, and the kitchen made clean and refreshing food – it was good, but not as flavorful as what was down the mountain. Moreover, Sect Master Shaoyang Zhenren had recently felt he had become quite corpulent, damaging the sect’s image, and ordered him to practice grain avoidance. Xuan Lingzi had been hungry for over ten days and finally couldn’t help but explode on this night.
When Zi Luo entered, Xuan Lingzi was hastily hiding the roasted chicken under his bottom. Zi Luo said helplessly, “Stop hiding it, Sixth Martial Uncle, I already saw it.”
Xuan Lingzi coughed lightly: “Zi Luo, among all these disciples, you’re my favorite… You absolutely cannot tell the sect master.”
Zi Luo pretended not to hear this sentence and changed the subject: “Martial Uncle, everything for tomorrow’s assessment is prepared. Master Sect Leader said this sect assessment is specifically to recruit new disciples for you, so you should at least put some effort into it.”
Among Shaoyang Zhenren’s seven disciples, except for the young Seventh Martial Uncle, only Sixth Martial Uncle Xuan Lingzi still had no personal disciples. He was also careless in his actions, usually having no ambitions other than loving to eat and sleep. This time, Shaoyang Zhenren had spoken – those who passed the sect assessment would all be inner disciples, and the top three in the subsequent inner disciple assessment would be Xuan Lingzi’s disciples. He needed to find something for Xuan Lingzi to do.
Xuan Lingzi waved his hand dismissively: “The sect master is quite biased. My senior brothers’ disciples were all geniuses they spotted early on, but I have to search among ordinary cultivators. Zi Luo, didn’t you say there was nothing eye-catching among this batch of newly enrolled disciples?”
Sects like theirs usually selected personal disciples by going early to clans and families to find geniuses with extraordinary spiritual roots, cultivating them from childhood. Those found among scattered cultivators from all over were either mediocre in aptitude or too old, having missed the optimal cultivation period – in any case, not the best.
“It’s not entirely like that. In this disciple’s opinion, Hua Yue in this sect assessment is quite good – he’s the only one among the new disciples who has formed his Golden Core. Even in our sect, he could be called excellent.” Zi Luo comforted him.
“Forming a Golden Core isn’t that remarkable. Oh right,” Xuan Lingzi remembered something, “what about that young man who chose the incomplete scroll last time, and that girl who found ‘Qing E Nian Hua Gun’?”
Zi Luo answered: “This disciple has secretly observed them. Neither has shown anything particularly special, though they are quite diligent. Among all those who cultivate the longest daily at Rainbow Platform, it’s those two. It’s just that both ranked average in the previous Lianshan flower competition, and their cultivation has no advantages either. In this sect assessment, they may not necessarily make it into the top thirty.”
Xuan Lingzi thought for a while before saying, “Never mind, at least their Dao hearts are firm, and they don’t fear hardship. What progress they’ve made in these past half-month, we’ll know tomorrow.”
“Let’s just see tomorrow.”
…
That night, Zanxing didn’t sleep very peacefully either. Tomorrow was the sect assessment. If she couldn’t enter the inner sect, she would have to live with this scar on her face forever.
Saying she didn’t care about her face would be false, but more importantly, once a person starts working hard, they always hope for some reward. Once competitive spirit is aroused, one cannot remain neither sad nor happy about results, without desires or demands.
Besides, people need something to look forward to while living.
Zanxing turned over, her hand touching the position of the Xiaoyuan Pearl at her chest.
At least, she hoped she wouldn’t lose too badly.