After spending four days in this retreat, Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui have spent an equivalent of three weeks training inside my Inner World. No one would suspect, looking at them or measuring the depth of their cultivation, that they have spent such a long time in training.

Perhaps, back at Star City, those aware of their brief retreat might think that it is simply a luxury visit, instead of something that could provide real, measurable gains. This would be a mistake.

For a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, spending a month or two training would be a great boon. At this early stage of development, every hour spent improving one’s foundation or core skills is a tremendous advantage. Not only training, but medicinal interventions are also highly effective, but also dangerous.

Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui did not only spend three weeks in ordinary, high-intensity training, because the quality of the training is by far more advanced than what would normally be available. That is without including the unexpected enlightenment they have received from the Ancient Sword Graveyard.

In terms of effect, I’d closer rate their training time to be around four to five months' worth of progress. Their foundation might not reflect this, but their swordsmanship is approaching the peak where diminishing returns are becoming a serious consideration in how one should go about further improvements.

Without a teacher, or enlightening inspiration, they have both reached the limit of what they can accomplish on their own in the Foundation Establishment realm.

On this last day, rather than going through their sparring session as they usually do, they spend the evening in the garden, staring up at the stars and drinking tea.

The next stage of the Martial Meeting will begin in a couple of days and they both know that it won’t concern them. Wu Yulan, having achieved an unprecedented result, will most likely not need to compete in the tournament to enter the Galaxy Sword sect. Lan Xiaohui, on the other hand, having achieved a terrible result will most likely not even be invited to compete in the event for her spot in the sect.

“Soon, we will join the Galaxy Sword sect together,” Wu Yulan says, smiling.

This declaration of certainty is not something my owner casually determines to be true, although I now no longer feel disappointment in her heart. Perhaps she is aware of the fact that this will not be her only opportunity to kill Yu Shun — albeit, it would be the easiest one.

Meeting Yu Shun on the street and cutting him down might not be possible; even if he wasn’t protected by the sect’s elders, killing him in this manner would no doubt also spell the end of Lan Xiaohui’s life. However, the world is vast and a cultivator’s life can be very long, though I doubt Lan Xiaohui sees it that way.

Ultimately, I don’t understand why Lan Xiaohui feels so peaceful in her heart. Does she actually believe that Wu Yulan will have enough sway to guarantee her a spot in the Martial Meeting tournament? And not just any spot — but one in the main tournament where Yu Shun will also make an appearance?

Wu Yulan looks at her silent companion and smiles. “And if we don’t join it together, there are other sects we could join. Does it really have to be the Galaxy Sword sect?”

Here, Lan Xiaohui returns her friend’s smile and nods. “It does,” she responds to Wu Yulan’s rhetorical question which surprises the white-haired girl.

“Why?” Wu Yulan asks.

Lan Xiaohui draws in a deep breath and glances toward the stars. I feel a rising note of embarrassment in her heart, which was not present when she explained her reason to strangers and potential future masters.

“Before we met, my name was Lan Xiaohui,” she says, folding her hands together in her lap. “I was betrothed to the Seven Killing Swords sect heir, Yu Shun — they call him the Black Tiger.”

Wu Yulan’s eyebrows rise in surprise and she tilts her head to listen carefully to my owner.

“He betrayed me. He used me, humiliated me, and then broke my cultivation and left me to die,” Lan Xiaohui continues. “It is difficult to explain, but I feel it in my heart. If I don’t kill him, it will forever remain a flaw in my heart and prevent me from reaching the pinnacle.”

Wu Yulan’s expression darkens at those words, and she nods slightly. “Even if you cross paths with him at the Martial Meeting, killing the heir of a sect…” Wu Yulan trails off here, but her meaning is crystal clear.

“If I cannot trust in the righteousness of the sword and do what I must do, but instead let cowardice and consequence lead me down an easier road, then I never had a chance at reaching the pinnacle to begin with,” Lan Xiaohui says, her tone filled with conviction. “I already have little left to lose; if killing him makes my life difficult, it won’t be much different than how my life is now.”

Wu Yulan’s fingers curl into fists and she chews on her bottom lip at Lan Xiaohui’s words. After a moment, she nods.

“So, that is why you should not risk your place in the Galaxy Sword sect for me. I will just make your life difficult too,” Lan Xiaohui says.

Immediately, Wu Yulan raises her head. “No,” she declares. “I will go where you go.”

Lan Xiaohui smiles and the sting of guilt she feels in her heart is also reflected in her expression.

“I’ve said this before, but since I met you, my life has also changed,” Wu Yulan says. “The same way you know that if you don’t sever your past you won’t reach the pinnacle, I also know that without you, I won’t reach the apex either. If this Yu Shun must die, then I wish for nothing more than for this to happen.”

Wu Yulan reaches over and takes my owner’s hand into hers. “Sister Xuelian, there are many sects in this world, and the Galaxy Sword sect is neither the best nor the most prestigious. The Seven Killing Swords sect is also just a small sect in this vast world, and it doesn’t have influence everywhere. If this is how it must be, then even when you kill Yu Shun, we can leave this kingdom and its affairs behind. Our future is wide open.”

The way that Wu Yulan speaks of this kingdom is indicative that she also has negative opinions toward it. Likely because she too has experienced the yoke of her background, and the politics attached to it.

Lan Xiaohui squeezes Wu Yulan’s hand and her smile grows bigger. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better sister,” she says. “To risk your bright future for me, when we only just met…”

“If there is one thing I will regret, it is that we were not born to the same parents, or that we did not meet sooner,” Wu Yulan interjects. “To think that I only see the road ahead now, and how much time I wasted, it makes me deeply ashamed!”

Lan Xiaohui chuckles at those words and nods. She, too, knows very well what it is like to be in Wu Yulan’s shoes. She has also wasted a lot of her time, following blind alleys instead of the one path she was always meant for.

My owner sighs and looks at the stars again. She must feel like she found a good friend — a companion.

I, also, think she has found a good companion. Wu Yulan generates a lot of Inner World Energy, so I cannot complain.

“Tomorrow, we will go to the sect, and I will make sure you get to compete in the tournament,” Wu Yulan says.