Before long, sure enough, a disciple came out to help Ji Zhaoxi carry her luggage.
Wen Shubai introduced the Celestial Severance Sect to Ji Zhaoxi, always walking half a step ahead of her to the side, his pace unhurried.
After passing through the mountain gate, there was a deep green lake, and suspended above the center of the lake were thousands of swords.
“This is the Sword-Washing Pool. I heard from the Second Elder that you, Junior Sister, have studied swordsmanship since you were young and are highly skilled. Feel free to come to the Sword-Washing Pool often,” Wen Shubai said softly.
Ji Zhaoxi gave a dry, brittle laugh. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
This Second Elder was quite a character. Her parents bragged about her, sure, but he was bragging about her too.
Ji Zhaoxi could no longer count how many cows she had piled on her back.
Liuli, upon hearing Wen Shubai’s words, felt very proud. Of course her miss would be visiting often in the future.
Wen Shubai was indeed a very kind person. Every place he introduced, he would praise her a little. If what he said was true, then Ji Zhaoxi would naturally be delighted.
But all of it was fabricated. The more Ji Zhaoxi heard Wen Shubai’s compliments, the more guilt crept into her heart.
She looked at him with hesitation, as if about to speak. Had the Second Elder not told Senior Brother that she was just here to coast by?
Wen Shubai noticed her intense gaze and said gently, “Junior Sister, is there anything you’d like to ask?”
Ji Zhaoxi asked tactfully, “Senior Brother, did the Second Elder say anything special to you about me?”
Like, oh, some shameless deal that shouldn’t be spoken of.
Wen Shubai nodded, a trace of sympathy flickering in his eyes. “Your path of cultivation has been truly difficult, Junior Sister. But now that you’ve entered the Celestial Severance Sect, everyone will help you.”
Ji Zhaoxi met his sympathetic gaze and squeezed out a smile.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
After Wen Shubai finished showing her around the sect, he brought her to her courtyard. His own courtyard was very close to hers.
“If you ever need help with anything, Junior Sister, feel free to come find me anytime. Rest early tonight; tomorrow I’ll take you to training.”
Wen Shubai smiled at her politely.
Ji Zhaoxi wilted completely.
But Liuli, on the other hand, was quite optimistic. Tomorrow her miss would definitely make this Senior Brother’s jaw drop.
All the luggage was set in place, including that oversized bathtub of hers.
The next morning at the crack of dawn, Ji Zhaoxi was roused from sleep. She had never woken this early in her life.
She groggily followed Wen Shubai to have her spiritual root tested, with a white-bearded old man trailing alongside.
Only when they arrived inside the Hall of Spiritual Root Testing did Ji Zhaoxi realize that the old man was the Second Elder, and she suddenly snapped awake.
She stared at him with piercing eyes. What was going on? Had the Second Elder not told Senior Brother the truth about her?
The Second Elder caught Ji Zhaoxi’s gaze, felt a twinge of guilt, and gave her a nod.
Though he wasn’t sure why he was nodding at her, calming her down was the right move!
“Junior Sister, just place your hand on the testing stone,” Wen Shubai said softly.
Ji Zhaoxi silently glanced over at the Second Elder, who grinned, showing his teeth, and nodded.
Go on then. Press it.
Liuli watched with eager anticipation. Her miss had dual spiritual roots!
Ji Zhaoxi took a deep breath and pressed her hand onto the testing stone.
All four of them stared at the results with intense concentration.
Ji Zhaoxi didn’t understand why the Second Elder was staring so hard. Didn’t he already know whether she had spiritual roots?!
One second… two seconds… three seconds…
A full minute passed.
The testing stone showed no reaction at all. Not even a wisp of mist came out.
The atmosphere went quiet, and the disciples below also fell silent.
The Second Elder sucked in a sharp breath and exclaimed, “A genius! A genius!”
Everyone else stared at him in utter confusion.
“Although the spiritual root hasn’t lit up, Miss Ji’s spiritual root is none other than the rarely seen hidden spiritual root, which appears only once in a thousand years!”
Ji Zhaoxi stared at the Second Elder in silence.
Boss, does anyone actually buy this act of playing the fool out loud?
“As the saying goes, the greatest sound is silent, and the greatest form has no shape. Miss Ji has reached the highest level of simplicity itself!” The Second Elder’s speech grew more and more impassioned.
Liuli was listening nearby, her face flushing with excitement. “Miss!”
Her miss was too amazing!
Wen Shubai listened quietly the whole time, saying nothing.
After the Second Elder hurriedly left, Wen Shubai took Ji Zhaoxi off to training. She was terrified he would see she had no spiritual power at all, scared half to death.
But to her surprise, Wen Shubai first took her to practice holding a horse stance.
“Junior Sister, to cultivate the Dao, the first step is to learn to breathe with heaven and earth.”
He demonstrated the stance for her. “Knees not past the toes, back straight as if hanging from a beam.”
Ji Zhaoxi imitated his posture and began to hold the horse stance seriously. But before long, her legs started trembling.
Damn legs, hold on!
But her legs were utterly spineless, and they only shook more…
Seeing this, Wen Shubai lightly tapped her lower back with a bamboo branch to encourage her. “Junior Sister, don’t give up. Once you get used to it, it’ll come naturally.”
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him with pleading eyes. “Senior Brother, when can I rest?”
Wen Shubai smiled. He said nothing.
Quite a while passed, and Ji Zhaoxi was so exhausted she felt on the verge of breathing her last. She started faking illness. “Senior Brother, I feel unwell. Could I…”
Wen Shubai said gently, “Junior Sister, hold on a little longer. The time will pass soon.”
Hearing that, Ji Zhaoxi held her breath and gritted her teeth.
It’s fine. Even without spiritual roots, she could still do a horse stance, right?!
At least she’d get some exercise out of it.
All around were ancient trees, and the air was thick with the subtle fragrance of grass and wood. Ji Zhaoxi felt her forehead soaked with sweat, her face turning pale.
She watched the shadow of the great tree grow shorter and shorter as the sun grew hotter. Then she started fake-crying. “Senior Brother, I think…”
Wen Shubai’s eyes were full of encouragement. “Just as the Second Elder said, Junior Sister, you are truly gifted. Very few disciples can hold a horse stance this long.”
Ji Zhaoxi froze for a moment, then asked sheepishly, “Really, Senior Brother?”
Wen Shubai nodded seriously.
Ji Zhaoxi suddenly regained her confidence. Who knew she was so good at holding a horse stance? In that case, she could hold it a bit longer.
It wasn’t until Ji Zhaoxi was about to collapse forward from sheer exhaustion that Wen Shubai lightly supported her elbow to steady her. Once she was standing firm, he politely withdrew his hand.
“Great work today, Junior Sister. There’s just one last training item left. After that, you can go rest,” Wen Shubai said with a smile.
At this point, Ji Zhaoxi couldn’t even force a smile anymore.
She was too tired even to muster up her polite social grin.
Her soul had left her body…
Seeing how exhausted she was, Wen Shubai hesitated for a moment. “Junior Sister, would you prefer to practice swordsmanship or sitting meditation now?”
“Sitting meditation!” Ji Zhaoxi answered without a moment’s hesitation.
Sitting meditation would give her a bit of rest, at least. Practicing swordsmanship would definitely be the death of her.
Wen Shubai smiled and nodded. “Then let’s go practice sitting meditation.”
