*Huff, huff, huff* 

My body felt like it falling apart from the exhaustion and fatigue I'd accumulated. Asking Mu Qinayu to help me train my sword was a good idea, she has been a great help, but it is nonetheless exhausting. She is many times better than I in the sword, not to mention her endurance is also much higher due to her superior cultivation, but I must overcome such a small setback as exhaustion. If I can't take this little difficulty, am I truly ready for the martial path?

It's been over eleven months since I met Mu Qianyu. She's friendly and adventurous, and she loosened up after our initial interactions. The two of us are more focused on the martial path than on interpersonal relationships, so having someone to discuss the arts with and not worry about judgement is a blessing. 

Both Master and Mu Qianyu supported taking my time to build a strong foundation in both my cultivation and martial arts, though my fellow disciple did comment I'm more suitable to ice techniques than to fire. I went to Master to confirm that, and she agreed. That day I claimed the Blue Luan blood essence.

Now, for some context, the blood essence of either type is extremely valuable to the sect. A single blood essence drop is enough to birth a Revolving-Core rank cultivator, who will likely go on to being an elder and defending the sect. In the main novel, Lin Ming was heavily criticized when he used a drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence on Qin Xingxuan after she burned her own blood essence in desperation, almost dying in the process. 

Master likely has her own supply, but she’d likely have to reason with elders and maybe even the Grand Ancestor. The sect does not have enough blood essence that they’d even think of giving it to a Viscera Training junior like I was. At most, they’d allow normal blood to be given, as they can collect that from their beasts and mounts at the cost of medicines. 

With the Blue Luan blood essence infusing my bloodline, and liberally using the Purple Card to absorb medicinal energy from herbs, I’ve imbued every part of my body equally, from my skin and hair follicles to the deepest part of my bone marrow and, most importantly, my brain. Such an equal distribution of essence is unheard of at this stage of cultivation. No, most don’t obtain such until they finish all nine stages of Life Destruction, which is over four stages from now!

When others look at me, I’m sitting somewhere between Viscera Training and Bone Forging. If we consider my cultivation based on my true essence alone, then I’d be somewhere between Pulse Condensation and Houtian, but in just terms of body transformation, I’m maybe somewhere around early Bone Forging. The next stage is to begin absorbing essence on my own, without the help of the Purple Card, using my meridians and pores. I’d then route that essence through my body, before finally settling it in my meridian. I will also be routing all true essence I absorb through the Purple Card as it seems to filter it into the purest it can be. 

Enough of cultivation though, time to talk about martial arts! With Mu Qianyu guiding me with sword arts, I’m proud to say I’ve reached a small success, where I can handle her full might for about a minute, as long as she does not use true essence techniques, including reinforcement. Soon I’ll go back to the library and take a proper sword manual, like the “Seven Ice Lotus” Manual. It emphasizes defence and parrying, aligning with my sword's primary purpose. A battle is not won through destructive force alone, after all.

Speaking of destructive power, I’ve outgrown my bow. My growth spurt came a mere month after acquiring it, so it quickly lost its effectiveness. I went back to the weapon hall to choose another, this time a bit longer than comfortable, with more draw weight than I need right now, but I will grow into it. Currently, I’m able to pierce through the hay targets I was using previously with a mere half draw, which says a lot about the increased weight. I moved to proper wood targets after that. 

My accuracy has also improved significantly. Now I can hit the bullseye from nearly two-hundred metres away while moving! When I reach about two-hundred-and-fifty metres, I’ll consider the foundational manual comprehended, and search for true bow manuals. One of the manuals that caught my eye was the “Nine Arrows for Nine Suns” manual, which sounds extremely arrogant, I know. 

Supposedly, the peak of the "Nine Arrows for Nine Suns" manual can pierce the heavens and take down suns with every arrow shot, once mastered. The techniques within the manual are well-crafted and account for efficiency before flashiness. Each layer of the manual supports the next one, building each technique upon the previous, increasing power, culminating together into a technique that can bring down suns. 

Unfortunately, the manual is incomplete, missing the eighth and ninth layers. Thankfully, those two layers are techniques that can only be used by a cultivator at the World King realm, and I’ll hopefully have joined the Ice Phoenix Palace long before then, giving me access to much greater techniques and manuals. That does bring forth the question of how the manual came to be on this little rock. Did Empyrean Primordius bring it back, or did it simply come out of the Divine Phoenix Island Mystic Land?

In other news, I’ve been attempting to grasp laws in my free time. I’ve barely tapped into a single law, and it is a branch of the Space law, Gravity. I was a physics major in college, though I was only able to go through three semesters of physics before my life expectancy was reduced to nothing.

The teacher who somehow taught all three of those classes, I guess he rotates classes so he can teach the same students over their entire career, was fascinated with gravity and other interactions of the fundamental laws. He would just not stop droning about it, and eventually, a part of it gets stuck in your head. He was a good teacher despite that though.

The gravity in Xianxia novels is weird, as one can imagine with some planets being larger than stars, but the basic laws are relatively equivalent. 

I only have enough comprehension of the law of Gravity to attract small objects to myself and reduce my weight a little. This does sometimes have the benefit of destabilising my opponents if I pull at their knees during a fight, but the pull is usually inconsequential. Soon I’ll be able to decrease the weight of my weapons, which will bring a layer of surprise to my melee attacks.

The other laws I’ve been trying to comprehend are the laws of Absorption, Expulsion, Water and Ice, Fire, and Darkness and Light. It’s a lot of laws, I know, but all of them are useful and powerful, even if not at the level of Space-Time. For example, the law of Absorption can be used to speed up true essence gathering speed a lot, and integration speed as well. Expulsion is not as useful, but it is the direct opposite, and coupling laws is an important aspect of progress. There’s a reason laws are cultivated in pairs, and it’s because one plus one equals three. 

Water and Ice I’m trying to comprehend because they’ve become a core part of my bloodline through the Blue Luan blood essence. Fire, on the other hand, is their opposite and also the main element of the sect, so many of the techniques are using it. Later, these two laws can be used to comprehend Yin and Yang laws, but that is a goal way into the future. 

Light and Darkness are not as useful, but there’s a big aspect that I want: stealth, and more powerfully, Black Hole. It’s true! In the base novel, the black hole art was in the law of darkness for some reason. Unfortunately, it differs from Senior Divine Seal’s sealing art. I'm unsure what I can get from Light, maybe I can use it alongside Fire to comprehend Yang laws, but it'll be useful eventually.

Again, over the past eleven months I’ve been improving, nothing major has happened to the sect. There seems to have been a celebration of some kind, and a small speculative rumour of who I am to be taken in by the Sect Master, but it has otherwise been quiet. 

When I reach Houtian, though I'm not sure when that will happen, I will go on a long journey around the South Horizon Region and experience the outside world. I'll also make a stop at the Sorcerer's Pagoda and attempt to attain the Samsara Martial Intent. But cultivation takes time, and such plans will have to come after.

LazyFlesh

Over my writing and editing process, I have ChatGTP check it out and suggest some edits to my draft, and I don’t know what exactly happened this time, but it went ham on that emulation of Xianxia writing. Here it is for anyone that’d like to read its rendition of this chapter. You can see some of the parts where I integrated some of its writing, but they're not that major.

Spoiler

Huff, huff, huff

Exhaustion was gnawing at my body, a result of intense training in sword arts alongside Mu Qianyu. Despite her accelerated progress, I found myself struggling to match her speed and precision. Yet, it's a challenge I must overcome. If I falter in the face of this fatigue, am I truly prepared for the path of martial cultivation?

Over a month has passed since my encounter with Mu Qianyu. She's proven to be friendly and adventurous, her demeanour gradually relaxing after our initial interactions. With our shared focus on the martial journey, having a like-minded companion for discussing the arts is a true blessing.

While she encouraged me to develop a solid foundation in both cultivation and martial skills at my own pace, Mu Qianyu did mention that I'm better suited for ice techniques rather than fire. I sought confirmation from Master, who agreed. It was on that day that I claimed the Blue Luan blood essence.

To provide some context, the blood essence of either type is a treasured asset to the sect. A mere drop could spawn a Revolving-Core rank cultivator, destined to become an elder and safeguard the sect. In the primary narrative, Lin Ming faced criticism for offering a drop of Vermillion Bird blood essence to Qin Xingxuan when she resorted to using her own essence in desperation.

Master likely possesses her own reservoir, though securing it would require negotiations with elders and possibly even Grand Ancestors. The sect's blood essence supply is insufficient to consider allocating it to a Viscera Training junior like me. At most, they might permit a small quantity of standard blood, collectable from the sect's beasts and mounts through the use of medicinal methods.

Empowered by the infusion of Blue Luan blood essence into my lineage and leveraging the Purple Card's ability to absorb medicinal energy from herbs, I have distributed this essence throughout my body – from skin and hair follicles to the marrow within my bones and, most crucially, my mind. This equitable dispersion of essence at this stage of cultivation is unprecedented. It's something most attain only after completing all nine stages of Life Destruction, a threshold I'm four stages away from achieving!

If we relate my cultivation to the Sky Spill continent, I'd stand somewhere between Houtian and Pulse Condensation. However, if we consider it solely in terms of body transformation, it may be equivalent to the bone forging stage. The subsequent step involves independently absorbing essence without the aid of the Purple Card, utilizing my meridians and pores as conduits. This essence would then traverse my body before settling within my meridians. I intend to channel all absorbed essence through the Purple Card, as it appears to refine true essence into its purest form.

But let's set aside cultivation for now and delve into martial arts. Thanks to Mu Qianyu's guidance, I'm pleased to report a modest achievement: I can now endure her full force for about a minute, assuming she refrains from employing true essence techniques, including reinforcement. Soon, I'll be prepared to revisit the library and acquire a proper sword manual, such as the "Nine Ice Lotus" Manual. This manual emphasizes defence, which aligns with my sword's primary purpose. Victory in battle hinges not solely on brute power but also on strategy.

Transitioning to brute power, I've outgrown my current bow. A growth spurt ensued merely a month after acquiring it, rendering it rapidly less effective. I returned to the armoury to select a replacement – this time, a slightly longer bow with greater draw weight than my current capabilities warrant. Nevertheless, I'll grow into it. Presently, I'm capable of penetrating the hay targets that I previously used, prompting me to upgrade to proper wooden targets.

My accuracy has also notably improved. I can consistently strike the bullseye while in motion, even from distances of nearly two hundred meters. Upon reaching around two hundred and fifty meters, I'll consider the foundational manual accomplished, paving the way for mastery of genuine bow techniques. One manual that captured my attention is "Nine Arrows for Nine Suns," though its title admittedly sounds presumptuous.

Supposedly, the "Nine Arrows for Nine Suns" can pierce the heavens and topple suns with each arrow fired, once mastered. The techniques within are well-crafted, emphasizing efficiency over flashiness. Each layer of the manual complements the next, enabling sequential enhancements until the pinnacle technique is capable of extinguishing suns.

Regrettably, the manual is incomplete, lacking its eighth and ninth layers. Thankfully, these two layers pertain solely to techniques, and by then, I hope to have joined the Ice Phoenix Palace, granting me access to superior techniques and manuals.

Shifting focus, I've also been dedicating spare moments to grasping the fundamental laws. My grasp remains rudimentary, limited to a facet of the Space law – Gravity. As a former physics major, I was acquainted with gravity and other fundamental interactions before my life's trajectory was altered.

The instructor, who seemingly managed to instruct all three semesters of my physics courses, likely through a rotation to guide the same group of students throughout their academic journey, held an unwavering fascination with gravity and its interplay with other core laws. His ceaseless discourse on the subject left an indelible mark.

While planetary gravity in Xianxia novels diverges from reality due to the colossal size of some planets – even surpassing stars – the foundational principles remain relatively consistent. My comprehension of the law of Gravity has extended to manipulating minor objects and marginally reducing my own weight. Occasionally, this manipulation destabilizes my adversaries by tugging at their knees during combat, though the effect is often negligible.

I'm also working on grasping other laws, including Absorption, Expulsion, Water and Ice, Fire, and Darkness and Light. Admittedly, it's an extensive list, but each law bears practical potency, albeit not on the scale of Space-Time laws. For instance, the law of Absorption can greatly accelerate true essence accumulation and integration. Expulsion, while less impactful, serves as its direct counterpart, and the synergy between these laws is pivotal. Laws are cultivated in pairs for a reason – the synergy between opposites yields more than the sum of its parts.

Water and Ice laws intrigue me due to their integration into my bloodline via the Blue Luan blood essence. Conversely, Fire – the sect's predominant element – and its opposition are vital for various techniques. These laws can ultimately lead to comprehension of Yin and Yang laws, though that's a distant pursuit.

Light and Darkness laws may lack practicality, but I'm particularly interested in their stealth applications, particularly the potent Black Hole technique. In the original narrative, this art belonged to the law of darkness, distinct from Senior Divine Seal's sealing art.

Over these past eleven months, progress continues without significant disruptions to the sect. Occasional celebrations transpire, and whispers suggest my potential adoption by the Sect Master, yet tranquillity prevails.

Soon, I shall attain Houtian, and Master's prohibition on venturing into the valleys will cease. That day eagerly awaits me.

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