At first, Ling Xue’s spiritual energy still carried a bit of unruliness. It collided erratically in her meridians, especially at the key points where fine cracks had been left during the breakthrough; those places throbbed faintly with pain.
Chen Ping’s spiritual energy was extremely patient, like an experienced herdsman. It soothed those restless energies bit by bit, guiding them to flow slowly along the course of the meridians.
“Here, use three parts force to hold it.”
When the spiritual energy reached the “Qu Chi acupoint” on her left arm, Chen Ping suddenly spoke. His voice was steady as a bell. “Imagine the spiritual energy as a jade pestle with warmth, slowly grinding over the meridian walls.”
Ling Xue did as instructed, but as soon as she applied force, a stab of pain came from the meridian. Cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
That spot was exactly where, last time in the pagoda, she had forcibly accommodated the dragon power passed from Chen Ping, stretching it to form fine cracks.
“Don’t rush; take it slowly.”
Chen Ping noticed her hesitation. The spiritual energy from his palm became even gentler, like a warm ointment, seeping bit by bit into that damaged meridian. “Empty your mind; feel the sensation of the spiritual energy flowing through, just like… like the feeling of stream water overflowing green stones when snow melts in spring.”
His voice carried a strange soothing power. Ling Xue took a deep breath and tried hard to imagine the scene he described.
Gradually, she felt the stabbing pain in her meridians ease a lot. Chen Ping’s spiritual energy was like a flow of water with warmth; it not only nourished the damaged areas but also combed through her originally somewhat impure spiritual energy bit by bit, making it increasingly pure.
The sunlight gradually rose higher, filtering through the branches of the ancient pines around the martial arts field. It cast dappled spots of light on the jade array. The halo of the Sinking Water Jade in the array flowed, enveloping the two in a gentle vortex of spiritual energy.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xue suddenly felt a fierce heat in her dantian. A surge of spiritual energy, far more condensed and robust than before, gushed out. After circulating through her meridians once, it surprisingly condensed into a crystal-clear drop of spiritual energy liquid at her fingertip.
The moment the droplet fell to the ground, it emitted a crisp jade-like sound. Upon landing, it scattered, turning into specks of spiritual light.
“It’s done.”
Chen Ping withdrew his palms; a gratified smile appeared on his face. “Your spiritual energy can now condense into ‘spiritual liquid’; this means the foundation is stable.”
Ling Xue opened her eyes; she felt refreshed all over. Her originally somewhat restless mind had become completely clear.
She tried swinging her sword; the spiritual energy attached to the sword body was even more condensed than before. The sword qi also became more restrained and profound.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.” She stood up and gave Chen Ping a deep bow; her eyes were full of gratitude.
Chen Ping waved his hand with a smile. “This is just the beginning. After the foundation is stable, you still need to hone your swordsmanship. Your ‘Flowing Frost Sword Technique’ is agile, but it lacks the profundity that the Earth Immortal Realm should have. Let us go to the ‘Sword Testing Cliff’ at the back mountain; I’ll teach you a set of ‘Rock Sword Moves’.”
The Sword Testing Cliff was covered with sword marks left by Sword Sect disciples. The wind at the cliff’s edge carried a biting chill; it was most suitable for tempering the sword heart.
Chen Ping held a tree branch and demonstrated on the green stone at the cliff’s edge. “The Rock Sword Moves seem fierce, but they actually conceal resilience, just like the rocks on this cliff. No matter the wind and rain, they have the steadiness of a sea-calming needle.”
He lightly flicked his wrist; the branch swept over the stone, leaving a shallow mark. Strangely, that trace looked ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could discover a concealed force in the pattern, as if it could erupt with astonishing power at any moment.
“You try it; use the newly stabilized spiritual energy to drive the sword move. Remember, make the spiritual energy like Sinking Water Jade: both profound and without losing gentleness.”
Ling Xue gripped her long sword tightly and took a deep breath. Recalling the feeling from the spirit gathering array just now, she slowly infused spiritual energy into the sword body.
She thrust out with one sword; the sword qi broke through the air. But upon touching the cliff wall, it suddenly restrained itself, leaving only a sword hole of just the right depth: neither too fierce to cause sword qi to leak out, nor so restrained as to appear weak.
