◎ Shortest path, immersive teaching, understand them ◎
Clearwater Hall, Outer Sect.
Wooden hut number ninety-nine, although small with only two beds, a long chair, and a wooden table, every corner exuded a warmth that was both impressive and astonishing.
“Thank you, Senior Sister, for preparing dinner for me.”
Suppressing her inner excitement, Zhao Keran blushed and thanked Lin Shuang.
She wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that her senior sister had already plugged her ears, Zhao Keran quickly finished her dinner, washed the dishes with her last bit of strength, soaked her feet, and collapsed onto the creaking wooden bed.
Without delay, she opened “Research Discussion on the Fastest Cultivation Methods.”
[Map Section – The Shortest Routes between Labor points, Dining Hall, Transmission hall, and Accommodation Wooden Huts.]
[Miscellaneous Tasks – Discussion on the Fastest Completion Times for 135 Different Menial Tasks.]
“!!!”
Zhao Keran looked at the miniaturized map of the Outer Sect, and the simplified explanations of different menial tasks, suddenly enlightened.
Outside the hut, the starry river twinkled, and the sound of spiritual frogs echoed.
Sitting on the long chair, Lin Shuang, after finishing the latest 143 chapters of the booklet, finally shifted her gaze to her roommate, who was ‘unconscious’ in the room.
Zhao Keran held a jade slip in her hand and stopped on the shortcut path – Map 83.
Her eyes were completely dark, and she was breathing steadily, soundly asleep.
Lin Shuang approached, put away Xiao Ai, and embedded it in a pile of spirit stones to “recharge,” before slowly returning to her self-made comfortable sofa.
Eighty-five points.
Based on her observations over the past few days, among the 324 new Outer Sect disciples, Zhao Keran had a gentle temperament, spoke little, and was diligent.
She was the type of roommate who was easy to get along with and wouldn’t add unnecessary conflicts to her daily schedule.
After some thought, Lin Shuang turned her head and used a dust-cleansing technique on Zhao Keran, who hadn’t even taken off her outer robe and was sleeping soundly.
The next day, with the morning light shining brightly, Zhao Keran woke up to see her elegant senior sister, dressed in green, sitting at the small square table, writing with her left hand and drawing with her right.
A silver claw floated above her head, the left chair played the news of Clearwater Sect for the day, and the right chair played the song of a music cultivator playing the zither.
She pursed her red lips around a transparent straw and sipped some spiritual tea.
Then she spoke, “You’re awake. Xiao Ai, open the window, heat the breakfast, and record today’s character practice for me.”
The first sentence was directed at Zhao Keran, while the second was directed at the talisman puppet lion-dog.
Zhao Keran: “!”
Her senior sister was doing so many things at the same time, and she even noticed that she had woken up.
“You can do it too,” Lin Shuang replied, still having time to answer her. “It’s the golden 80-20 rule of time management. In your lifetime, 80% of important things can be accomplished in just 20% of the time.”
“?”
“Junior sister, you’re going to be late.”
“Ah!” Zhao Keran jumped up instantly, grabbed two steamed buns, and rushed out the door.
As she stepped out, she took a different route from the other disciples. According to the annotation on Map 32, she could walk southeast through the wheat field and pass by the spiritual spring well to collect water along the way. After that, whether it was watering the spiritual field or feeding the immortal crane, she could do it all without retracing her steps. This saved her at least half an hour.
Senior sister, who exactly are you?
While running, Zhao Keran pondered.
“Today’s news: A male cultivator who had been missing for several days near the Biquan Mountain in the Liuxian Village has been found, already deceased for two days. All disciples must be careful when going out…”
As Lin Shuang watched her junior sister leave, the news from Clearwater Sect played in her ears, causing her pen to pause.
Another disappearance and death.
Over the past few years, she had heard of more than a hundred such cases.
Her gaze fell on a faint scar between the left sleeve of her robe, winding from her left chest to her left arm and pinkie finger.
It was three inches long and had faded somewhat.
Seven years ago, when she transmigrated to this cultivation world, this body had a fatal wound that ran from her left chest to her left arm and pinkie finger.
The original owner of this body died, but after she transmigrated, this damaged body miraculously healed.
After recovering from the injury, she left the place of her demise and joined Clearwater Sect.
Even after seven years of listening to news about the cultivation world, she still hadn’t found any clues about who the enemy was or whether they posed a threat to her.
“Today’s news: In the past seven years, there have been many conflicts between sects over the ownership of the spiritual springs…”
Fortunately, in these seven years, she had transformed from a little girl’s appearance and reverted to her true name, Lin Shuang.
Even if she encountered her enemies, they probably wouldn’t recognize her.
For now, there was no immediate danger.
Lin Shuang shook her head and paused her pen before continuing to write elegantly.
[Methods to Deal with Enemies]
[1. Become the strongest in the world, fear nothing (Current No1: Elder of Jade Balance Sect in seclusion, about to ascend, has been cultivating for 1452 years)]
[2. Create a fifth-order time regression talisman to find the true culprit (Requires cultivation to the God Refining realm)]
[3. Continue searching for other clues (Clues are currently missing)]
After she finished writing, Lin Shuang burned the paper to ashes.
Her eyes flickered.
At the normal pace… it would take a thousand years to become the strongest in the world.
As for the second method of the time regression talisman, it was difficult to obtain and buy.
If she made it herself, the youngest time regression talisman master in the Eastern Region was two hundred and one years old, while she had only been cultivating for seven years.
Lin Shuang shook her head.
Unless she encountered a dozen great opportunities combined, it would be impossible for now.
Forget it.
Putting aside the unattainable goal would be the most efficient approach for now.
Otherwise, she would be dominated by unknown fear and lose sight of her priorities.
After half an incense stick’s worth of time, Lin Shuang put down her pen and sank into the soft cushion of her bed, her eyes lost in thought.
If she had a divine sense in her previous life, coupled with the tomato timer, she wouldn’t have to work overtime every night.
It was still dark, and the immortal cranes had not yet cried.
Zhao Keran opened her eyes and quietly got out of bed, stealing a glance at Lin Shuang, her senior sister, who was still sleeping peacefully with a sweet smile.
After more than ten days of menial labor, she had been trying to follow her senior sister’s fourth article on labor efficiency, working on two tasks simultaneously. For example, while cleaning the table and sweeping the floor, she would also stew breakfast, and she finally found herself getting faster.
However, she still couldn’t manage to do the menial tasks, cultivate, cook for her senior sister, and clean the room all at the same time.
So, seven days ago, she had gritted her teeth and started waking up an hour earlier.
While working, she recited her senior sister’s collection of the fastest cultivation techniques.
“Good morning, Xiao Ai.” Zhao Keran greeted the paper lion-dog talisman on the ground, even though it was not activated and completely unresponsive to her.
She also applied a soundproofing charm to her senior sister’s wooden bed before starting to clean the wooden house.
After finishing all the tasks, Zhao Keran set off ahead of schedule to the outside spiritual field to tend to the Lingzhi grass assigned to her.
Gently closing the wooden door, as she turned around, she didn’t notice that Lin Shuang on the bed inside had already opened her eyes at some point.
With a satisfied look, she watched her leave.
“Junior sister Zhao, I heard that you chose the ‘Haohui Jue’ in the Transmission Hall.” Senior Brother Xu Rui, wearing a Daoist crown and carrying two symmetrically balanced Bagua swords, called out to Zhao Keran after her chores were done.
“Haohui Jue” was a lesser-known technique in the Clearwater Sect.
It was extremely difficult to cultivate in the early stages, and over the years, fewer and fewer disciples chose it.
“Yes,” Zhao Keran nodded.
Her father had said that she needed to build a solid foundation in cultivation.
Although Haohui Jue was difficult in the early stages, once she broke through to the third level, it would become much faster.
She had taken a liking to it at first glance in the transmission hall, and as long as she persevered through the initial stage, she could use it to the inner sect.
Senior Brother Xu Rui’s expression was complicated, as Zhao Keran had no idea what path she had chosen for herself.
“Junior Sister, every thirty days, the transmission master will assess the disciples. If there’s no progress, it will be recorded as a minor failure. After three times, you’ll be advised to leave.”
Zhao Keran: “!”
What!?
“Oh no, Dad, Mom, Big Brother, I’m done for…”
“Resonate the primordial soul and embrace unity… I did it exactly as instructed, converging spiritual energy, entering the dantian, but why is there no response at all?”
Back in her wooden house, the exhausted Zhao Keran dared not sleep anymore.
Normally, she would practice cultivation for two hours but now she was performing intense exercises for four hours!
However, after sitting for a while, not only did Zhao Keran not feel any illumination before her eyes, but instead felt more stuck than ever.
Sure enough, should she have followed other disciples and chosen a different technique?
She had been too eager for faster progress in her cultivation and greatly overestimated herself.
Even the steward, Senior Brother Xu Rui, had chosen the simpler “Water Spirit Technique,” and her considerate Senior Sister Lin Shuang had also mentioned it in her guide to the fastest cultivation techniques.
Sigh.
Not listening to her senior sister’s advice, she truly regretted it.
Zhao Keran gazed at Lin Shuang, her senior sister, who had already finished dinner and was sitting on the bench, looking at picture albums, wearing earplugs, and smiling.
Envy.
She also wanted to be like her senior sister, elegantly cultivating for half an hour every day, and then lying down~
Why was she so stubborn?
“No, I can’t give up like this, I have to continue!”
Zhao Keran continued to wake up early and return late for more than ten days, meditating every night.
“Why is it still not working? No, I can’t give up.”
“Let’s try this…”
Zhao Keran sat cross-legged, her face gradually showing pain, and her tightly closed eyes turned dark circles. Her dry lips had long started to peel.
Over a month later, she scratched her ears and cheeks, and more and more hair fell on the bed and floor.
“Resonate the primordial soul and embrace unity…”
“…able to be without detachment…”
Her eyebrows tightened, her chest felt stuffy, and she almost felt pain.
Just when she felt like she was about to black out and fall, a warm, soft hand gently supported her back.
Who?
Was it Senior Sister Lin?
Impossible, Senior Sister was already asleep during this hour.
To avoid disturbing her, she had even used a soundproofing charm before practicing, so her muttering shouldn’t have woken her up.
Zhao Keran couldn’t even open her eyelids, but she felt a warm palm behind her back, injecting a spring-like warm spiritual energy into her exhausted meridians, flowing towards her dantian.
A faint aroma of oranges enveloped her, refreshing her senses.
Zhao Keran’s dormant dantian spiritual energy suddenly began to circulate.
Not only that, but she also had more mental strength.
A faint orange aroma… It was her senior sister. Before going to sleep, she had been looking at picture albums, pasting seaweed mud, listening to storytelling, and eating two big oranges.
“Don’t lose focus again.”
A gentle call sounded in Zhao Keran’s ear.
“The five internal organs’ energy flows in five directions, merging one by one.”
Zhao Keran suddenly had an epiphany.
So that’s how it works.
Gathering essence to return to one’s origin, she couldn’t find the feeling.
Then she would merge one internal organ at a time.
What a clever method.
And the sound of flipping pages echoed in her ear again. Wait, what was Senior Sister reading?
“It’s white noise, to calm you down.”
White… noise? What was that?
But Zhao Keran listened attentively, and the sound of flipping pages made her breath and heartbeat surprisingly smooth. Her nose seemed to catch the faint fragrance of old ink, reminding her of her always calm and composed father.
Her heart was at peace.
Unify all thoughts, and she could feel it!
Zhao Keran was about to show a grateful smile but hesitated.
Wait, wasn’t Senior Sister cultivating the Water Spirit Technique?
How come she could also do the Haohui Jue?
Zhao Keran struggled to open her eyes, attempting to look behind her, gazing in admiration at her Senior Sister, who was supporting her, now wearing a snow-colored robe…
Senior Sister was too amazing… She knew everything!
Zhao Keran’s last thought lingered for a moment before she quickly closed her eyes and entered a deep state of meditation.
“The early-stage cultivation of Haohui Jue is indeed too slow.”
After seeing her stabilize, Lin Shuang slowly withdrew her hands.
Standing up, she looked at Zhao Keran with a slight sense of relief.
“Today, I gave Zhao Junior Sister some guidance, which should speed up her cultivation, at least by fifty percent.”
“It significantly reduces her distress in cultivating at night.”
With her junior sister’s cultivation accelerated, her mood improved, and the atmosphere in the room became more pleasant.
This way, the efficiency of their work would increase.
Lin Shuang nodded in satisfaction.
She took out today’s schedule.
[ Interact with a roommate and strengthen relationships √]
On the second day, when Zhao Keran woke up, she found herself still in the cross-legged position she was in before entering meditation.
Using her inner vision to inspect her five organs, she joyfully discovered that she had already grasped the first layer of the Haohui Jue.
“Thank you, Senior Sister,” Zhao Keran gratefully looked at Lin Shuang, who had finally woken up early in the morning.
However, to her surprise, her senior sister opened the picture album with her fair hand and replied, “No need to thank me. It’s just part of my daily schedule.”
Zhao Keran’s eyes flickered.
Senior Sister, how can you be so powerful and yet speak so modestly?
What realm of cultivation does Senior Sister possess?
Last night, she could even see through the soundproofing Spell while sound asleep.
Could she be cultivating two techniques simultaneously?
Is she stronger than the steward, Senior Brother Xu Rui?
The more Zhao Keran thought about it, the more she felt that her senior sister was unfathomable.
Unconsciously, she walked to the Outer Gate’s Transmission Hall, where she encountered several disciples seeking guidance from the transmission master.
“Master Li, I heard that a new disciple chose the Haohui Jue. They can’t grasp it within thirty days, right?”
“No disciple from the Outer Gate has cultivated past the third layer in over ten years.”
“No, some disciples have broken through the third layer,” the transmission master said.
Zhao Keran opened her mouth and halted her steps.
He must be talking about Senior Sister Lin Shuang!
The transmission master sighed, “You all should not attempt it lightly. Once you choose it, if you can’t grasp it within thirty days, abandon it as soon as possible. The Haohui Jue emphasizes gathering essence and transforming it into one’s origin. It’s very difficult to achieve. Without talent, it’s a waste of time.”
So that’s how it is, similar to what Senior Sister mentioned.
No, Senior Sister’s explanation was even more vivid and specific.
She even used white noise to guide herself to grasp it.
Even the transmission master finds it challenging and can’t help disciples achieve it. How could Senior Sister do it?
Zhao Keran’s thoughts were in turmoil.
“You guys have come, so it’s perfect. Take these spiritual stones for cultivation below the fifth layer of Qi Refining and distribute them.”
“Yes!”
As Zhao Keran was about to leave, she was stopped by two senior brothers who had just come out of the Transmission Hall.
“Hey, you’re the new one sharing a room with Lin Shuang, right? Here, take these. Two sets of Qi Refining at the third layer, one hundred pieces of low-grade spiritual stones each.”
Huh?
Zhao Keran turned back in astonishment.
“Senior brother, are you mistaken?”
How could Senior Sister Lin Shuang only be at the third layer of Qi Refining?
…
Indeed, she was only at the third layer of Qi Refining.
Three years later, Zhao Keran looked at her senior sister sleeping with a flushed face, her expression full of worry.
She quietly tied the indigo blue embroidered water pattern waistband around her waist; this was proof of her status as an Outer Gate disciple of the Clearwater Sect.
Now, her waistband displayed seven continuous water ripples, indicating that she had already reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
In contrast, her senior sister’s waistband still had only three water ripples, washed so many times that the indigo-blue color had faded, and it had not been replaced.
Zhao Keran sighed lightly, tidied up her attire, quickly poured a basin of face-washing water, preserving its warmth with a warming spell, and personally cooked a pot of shredded pork with preserved vegetables.
Carefully, she approached her senior sister Lin Shuang’s bed.
She gazed at the countdown displayed in the eyes of the paper talisman “Xiao Ai” beside her.
[Estimated time until Lin Shuang wakes up naturally on weekends: Five breaths… Three breaths…]
Before the numbers reached zero, Lin Shuang turned over on the bed, and opened her eyes with a rosy complexion, and the radiant sunlight shone through the window, climbing up her delicate eyebrows.
It was already midday.
The perfect moment to wake up naturally.
Lin Shuang stretched lazily, then happily slid back under the covers.
“…Senior Sister, it’s now noon, which is our daily communication time,” Zhao Keran pondered and said, clenching her teeth.
“Does Senior Sister have time to lend me a hand and protect me as I break through the guardian stage?”
She had reached the peak of the seventh layer of Qi Refining and could advance at any time.
A gentle breeze brushed through the dense forest behind Wooden House No. 99
Inside the house, silence filled the air, as if it was empty.
“…Senior Sister, I know you’re awake.”
“…”
Lin Shuang helplessly pulled down the blanket.
“Little junior sister, turn left for three hundred steps, and you’ll find Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Sister Chen, who are at the eighth layer of Qi Refining.”
Zhao Keran’s mouth twitched.
Did her senior sister calculate the number of steps in advance for her?
“Senior Sister, the Outer Gate elite disciple selection is approaching, and they are all preparing.” Zhao Keran gritted her teeth and moved closer again.
She was about to make a breakthrough. She shouldn’t have mentioned it in front of Senior Sister, nor should she ask Senior Sister to protect her.
But she secretly asked a few masters and learned that when a cultivator observes others advancing, they might have insights and, if lucky, could make a breakthrough overnight.
Senior Sister was strong in theory.
It was just that she lacked practical experience.
“I beg Senior Sister to help me. At a critical moment, ask for help from the elder in the transmission hall.”
Zhao Keran was confident about this breakthrough.
Since she grasped the Haohui Jue, her cultivation had been smooth.
“Snow vegetable and shredded pork noodles for seven days, plus a flowing yellow spirit spring egg.”
Soon, the wooden house filled with the sound of calculating.
The bedding on the small wooden bed moved, “Fifteen days.”
“…”
Zhao Keran took a deep breath: “Deal.”
As the bedding was uncovered, Lin Shuang rubbed the corners of her eyes and sat up slowly. She slid down to the floor from the bed, opened the radio of the cultivation station with the accompaniment of immortal music, and washed her hands in the basin of warm water.
Zhao Keran noticed that Senior Sister was only wearing a single garment, and her feet were bare. She blinked her eyes, “It snowed at Ling Mountain last night.”
As a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, she couldn’t withstand the cold of spiritual snow.
“Senior Sister, take care of yourself!”
She took the outer disciple robe hanging on the bedside and quickly draped it over Lin Shuang’s shoulders.
However, as she was about to pull back her hand, her fingertips accidentally slipped over Lin Shuang’s inner garment.
Surprisingly, her fingertip was shaken away and quickly lost its sensation.
Zhao Keran was startled.
How could this be?
The defensive qi of a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining should be as thin as paper when facing her at the seventh layer.
…
“Carrying the soul and embracing oneness, there can be no separation.” Excerpt from “Tao Te Ching.”
