Chapter Two: Instruction

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying with it the unique fragrance of the forest’s grasses and trees.

Seeing that the young woman seemed to be listening, Bai Yujing continued, “From now on, every morning at six, you must arrive at Azure Cloud Sect on time to prepare breakfast and clean the bluestone slabs and steps. The archway must also be polished until it shines—no slacking off, not even a little.”

Liu Shuangling froze at his words. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, filled with disbelief. “Once a spiritual master breaks through to the fourth tier and spiritual energy condenses into spiritual pressure, they no longer require ordinary food or bodily needs. You are a ninth-tier spiritual master—why would you still need breakfast? As for dust, can’t you just clear it away with a scripture?”

“This is part of your cultivation. While doing these tasks, you may not use spiritual pressure,” Bai Yujing explained tersely, then turned to walk indoors. “Come with me. I’ll test your abilities.”

“Very well,” Liu Shuangling replied with a blank face. One must bow their head under the eaves.

The moment she stepped inside, she sensed the surrounding space expanding at a shocking rate. The once ordinary hall now seemed to stretch under some invisible force. In the blink of an eye, it became vast and spacious—like the endless Ordos grassland.

Liu Shuangling’s pupils narrowed. The ability to expand space to this extent could not be achieved with a single high-level scripture; there must be several powerful techniques woven together.

Good. This would be a challenge.

Her gaze sharpened. From her earliest memories, she had always felt like an outlier. Whether in cultivation or study, what others considered insurmountable obstacles were child’s play to her. She could not find peers, nor could she open her heart to those who struggled with simplicity. An intense sense of loneliness had always hovered over her, like a cloud that would not disperse.

But today, at last, she found someone like herself.

According to records online, Bai Yujing entered Azure Cloud Sect on January 1, 2015. Today was October 9, 2025. In other words, it had taken him only ten years to achieve his current strength. Such terrifying talent could rival her own.

If she had another four years of training, she would not be at this disadvantage now.

Liu Shuangling was confident in this.

Bai Yujing turned and said, “Let’s start with a test of incantations. Attack me with your strongest spell.”

“Fall, fractured spine of the Ninefold God! Crown yourself with star-dust, grind black holes to dust! You ants who mock balance, kneel before the heavenward torrent! Spell Ninety: Chaotic Gravitational Maelstrom.”

Even before Bai Yujing finished speaking, Liu Shuangling impatiently began her chant, her fingertip pointing forward.

The surrounding air twisted violently, as if torn by an invisible giant’s hand, shrieking with piercing sound. Dark red fissures of gravity writhed like venomous serpents through the void, weaving a colossal web, slicing space into fragments. The ground trembled, shattered floorboards swept up by invisible force, hovering in midair, as if the entire world were collapsing beneath her incantation.

Yet Bai Yujing stood unmoved, robes billowing, expression calm. The maelstrom, powerful enough to rend space, slid harmlessly off his form, contained by an invisible barrier that repelled every attack.

“Not bad,” Bai Yujing nodded slightly.

Incantations were offensive spiritual arts, requiring chanting to activate; the truly skilled could shorten the chant without sacrificing power. The standard method, as Liu Shuangling had displayed, was full recitation—the more accurate and swift, the greater the force unleashed. For her age, to wield eighty percent of such a high-level spell’s power was impressive.

“Now, show me your mastery of scriptures.”

With a wave of his hand, countless golden characters surged up from the ground, writhing like living things before vanishing. Immediately after, ink, brush, paper, and a simple wooden table appeared out of thin air, placed neatly between them.

Unlike incantations, scriptures were supportive spiritual arts, to be inscribed on special talismans or objects. Like spells, the higher the sequence number, the greater the power.

...

After a series of tests, Bai Yujing gained a clear understanding of Liu Shuangling’s abilities. Her cultivation path mirrored his own—a balanced warrior. Her cultivation method was the advanced Canglang Technique, her footwork the high-level Yu Step, her incantations reached up to Spell Ninety: Chaotic Gravitational Maelstrom, her scripture mastery up to Eighty-eight, and her martial arts specialty was the Tiger-Crane Double Form. She wielded the Glass Dragon Sword, kept the ability of its initial release secret, and was currently studying the Final Release.

Frankly, for someone her age to accomplish such feats, her talent was only a shade below his own—a promising seedling worthy of molding. He would have to teach her well, to correct the hidden darkness in her heart.

Spiritual pressure, to some extent, reflected one’s character.

Bai Yujing beckoned, “Come here. I will impart to you the sect’s supreme cultivation method: the Azure Cloud Formula.”

“Very well,” Liu Shuangling answered, though inwardly she doubted his sincerity.

She had barely taken two steps when Bai Yujing’s sword-like fingers shot forward, pressing sharply against her chest. Her loose black T-shirt was pushed inward, tightening at the sides and outlining a heart-stirring silhouette.

His fingers pressed right at her heart.

Thump-thump—her heart raced. Her brows arched, eyes blazing, she glared at him. “You—”

“Don’t move. I’m transmitting power,” Bai Yujing snapped.

He had no intention of taking advantage, but this was the only way to transmit energy.

Liu Shuangling said no more.

Her skin, pale as snow, now flushed with a faint rosy glow under the impact of spiritual pressure, like cherry blossoms newly bloomed. Her long hair, usually like a waterfall, was now slightly disheveled; a few damp strands clung to her sweat-soaked brow, making her delicate features look all the more poignant.

The anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a complexity she could not name.

She could feel it clearly—the spiritual pressure emanating from Bai Yujing’s fingers, seeping through the thin fabric into her heart, surging through her meridians like a flood. The twelve regular meridians, the eight extraordinary vessels, all three hundred sixty-five acupoints—every pathway was swept by this force.

The speed at which her spiritual pressure now circulated was incomparable to before—like a Ferrari compared to a bicycle.

How exhilarating...

She cried out inwardly, her pearly nails digging so hard into her shoes she nearly tore through her socks. Her body trembled, the movement of her chest growing ever more pronounced.

Bai Yujing focused his mind, and only when the transmission was complete did he suddenly withdraw his hand. Cool air brushed over his warm fingertips, carrying away a faint trace of fragrance, leaving only the slightest stir in its wake.

At that moment, her circulation slowed abruptly, and Liu Shuangling nearly cried out at the sense of loss. She quickly bit her soft lip, cheeks flushed with a cherry-red hue. She was about to say something perfunctory, but then realized the spiritual pressure was still moving on its own.

All the confusion vanished. Eyes full of surprise, she asked, “What is this?”

“The Azure Cloud Formula is the supreme method of our sect. It operates automatically, requiring no special meditation or retreat,” Bai Yujing replied offhandedly.

Liu Shuangling was inwardly shaken. A self-running spiritual technique—she had never even heard of such a thing.

He must have created it himself.

Her gaze grew complicated, and she forced herself to say, “The sect master is truly gifted.”

“Let’s spar,” Bai Yujing cut to the chase, disliking empty words.

He would hold nothing back, teaching Liu Shuangling everything he knew, unafraid that she might one day surpass him.

For now, she could not even glimpse his shadow—and in the future, she would see him even less.