In the center of the Inner Sect’s Martial House, Jun Li stood inside the Puppet Array, performing Qi Circulations to shake off the accumulated fatigue of a long day of practice.

  After a moment, she reached out, forming a glinting light from her Spatial Ring, a thin Treasure Sword instantly filling her grasp, leaving its sheath behind in the space it emerged from.

  Aligning her posture, breath, and Qi with the basic principles of the Drifting Ghost Blade, Jun Li’s disheveled hair stood on end as a subtle, baleful aura flowed from her sword.

  Infusing the floor beneath her feet with a small portion of Qi, the Puppet Array activated, and a bronze puppet clumsily staggered from a recess in the wall.

  As it slowly stepped forward, the puppet’s movements became more refined, progressing from an eerily stuttering gait to an almost humanlike stride within moments.

  Closing in on Jun Li, the puppet hoisted the heavy saber in its hands with surprising poise and control. Paying no attention to the approaching puppet, Jun Li pondered the manual of the Drifting Ghost Blade.

  It was quite unlike any technique she had practiced up until now. Compared to something like the Glass Cloud Art or Sparking Thorn, it had a depth to its concepts that words couldn’t truly describe. The more Jun Li studied, the more she realized she didn’t understand.

  Thrilled by the depth of the Drifting Ghost Blade, Jun Li trained tirelessly to learn the true essence of the technique.

  As the puppet before her jolted forward, Jun Li focused her mind on a singular aspect of the Drifting Ghost Blade. ‘Yield to thunder and pass through flesh…’

  Watching the puppet’s heavy saber fall towards her with the momentum of an avalanche, Jun Li leaned forward and swept her sword towards the puppet in a wide arc, as if she intended on clashing strength-for-strength with her thin sword.

  As the two weapons met, the gloom surrounding Jun Li’s sword deepened, and it seemed as if the blades passed intangibly through each other, Jun Li’s sword meeting the puppet’s body faster than its saber could fall. The sword, infused with pale Qi, effortlessly severed the puppet’s arms before passing through its torso in the same motion.

  The falling saber, robbed of its force, cut impotently into Jun Li’s shoulder, barely cutting into her robe before it fell to the floor.

  Letting out a deep sigh, Jun Li was satisfied. “Finally, that one felt right.” Jun Li had experimented for most of the day, all in the effort to perform a single act of swordsmanship that ‘felt like part of the Drifting Ghost Blade.’

  Deactivating the Puppet Array and gathering the severed puppet parts, Jun Li thought about the two Jade Slips in her Spatial Ring.

  The Drifting Ghost Blade, though layered with profound concepts, wasn’t completely impermeable.

  The Ice Lotus Scripture, on the other hand, wasn’t something Jun Li could even begin practicing as she was.

  The very first step in learning the Ice Lotus Scripture was to use one's Qi to form ice crystals in their palm, and then shape them into the form of a lotus.

  But this required more than just finesse and training. For a Cultivator of the Crimson Palace stage to manifest such phenomena, they would typically use a Cultivation Method designed to accumulate Internal Qi with a suitable affinity.

  If a Cultivator wanted to perform Sorcery in the domain of manifesting ice, they would accumulate some sort of Frost or Water Qi to supplement and enable their spells.

  The same naturally applies to those who study spells of other domains, such as fire or wood. In later stages of Cultivation, one would acquire far more robust control over Qi, and these requirements would then be lessened somewhat, but for the Crimson Palace stage, taking shortcuts wasn’t an option.

  For Jun Li, the only Cultivation Method she had followed in the past was a generic method contained in the Glass Cloud Manual that was given to her when she first entered the Sect.

  As it lacked detailed instructions regarding the Crimson Palace stage, it was of little use to her now.

  In the Sect Repository, the higher floors restricted to Inner Sect disciples did contain proper Cultivation Methods of the Crimson Palace stage, yet Jun Li hadn’t selected any for her own use.

  The reason for this was frustratingly simple: Jun Li wasn’t impressed by any of the Sect’s Cultivation Methods.

  In truth, she somewhat expected that she might be let down by their quality. When she first entered the Sect, the Cultivation Method in the Glass Cloud Manual seemed so amateurishly written that she had to adjust it for her own use by using her inherited memories.

  And now, those Cultivation Methods for the Crimson Palace stage at her disposal didn’t seem so impressive either. Over the last few days, she had been reading through manual after manual in hopes of finding something outstanding, but at this point, she felt resigned to her fate. ‘I guess I’ll just have to find something good enough and adjust it for myself…’

  If the author of one of these ‘good enough’ Cultivation Methods were to hear Jun Li speak of ‘adjusting it for herself,’ they would surely vomit blood in anger.

  The very concept of a seventeen-year-old child ‘adjusting’ Cultivation Methods that took decades, if not centuries of iteration to create, was an absurdity most experienced Cultivators wouldn’t be able to overlook.

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  As Jun Li finished recovering the remains of the puppets she destroyed while training, someone silently made their way down the stairs leading into the array.

  “That was an interesting Sword Technique. Quite impressive given your inexperience.” Slightly startled, Jun Li looked to see a man looking towards her.

  With long hair and a scholarly appearance, the man before Jun Li seemed older than her other peers in the Inner Sect, but still rather youthful.

  Most of all, what caught her eye was his Cultivation, although she couldn’t quite pin down his level, she knew that he was strong, perhaps stronger than any other disciple she had seen.

  Feeling she was overly on guard, Jun Li quickly gave a short bow. “So, you were watching that… Thank you for your compliments, Senior Brother.”

  “Ah, but where are my manners?” The man smiled upon seeing Jun Li’s polite manner. “My name is Zhao Shun, I’ve been a disciple of the Inner Sect for some time, and…” Zhao Shun narrowed his eyes. “…I’ve been hearing a lot about you from a friend.” Before Jun Li could guess as to that friend’s identity, she caught sight of another man making his way down the stairs behind Zhao Shun.

  Sighing as he came into view, Ren Liwei looked down at Jun Li with undisguised revulsion. “So, you really did enter the Inner Sect…” Seeing Jun Li visibly tense upon seeing him, Ren Liwei sneered. “I hear you fought Yang Chen in a duel back in the Outer Sect. He may have been a lazy idiot, but even so, you’ve overstepped by winning against him.”

  Smiling, Ren Liwei quietly pulled a spear off his back, holding it at his side.

  Sensing Jun Li’s growing tension, Little Yun slithered over to her side, taking a defensive posture against Ren Liwei.

  “I’m going to ask a few questions, and I expect you to answer properly.” One-sidedly taking Jun Li’s momentary silence as an affirmation, Ren Liwei continued. “What exactly did you come to the Inner Sect for?”

  Jun Li didn’t think that Ren Liwei would be able to get away with outright attacking her here, considering a Sect Elder was within the same building; regardless, she simply took a breath and played along. “I came to the Inner Sect to provide for my family by taking missions, and to practice Cultivation for my own sake by earning the Sect’s resources.”

  Ren Liwei scoffed at Jun Li’s answer. “Do you seriously think you have the right to the Sect’s support? Just because you’re… what, talented? Because you’re willing to do the trivial work of the Inner Sect missions? Do you think the Glass Cloud Sect was founded around the idea of fostering trash like you?”

  “Becoming a disciple of the Glass Cloud Sect is a privilege and reward, bestowed only to the families that bring prosperity to our nation, so that their children may better protect and uphold their dignity and status!” Ren Liwei spoke with such sincerity that Jun Li felt a moment of confusion.

  “If that’s the case, then why am I here? If the sect only supports disciples to strengthen their influential families, then what do they have to gain by accepting me?”

  Being questioned, Ren Liwei’s expression turned ugly. “If you can’t even recognize pity when you’re receiving it, then you should just keep your mouth shut. Elder Guo accepting you into the sect was an act of charity you didn't deserve! You should be grateful that you’ve received so much support… and know when you’re overstaying your welcome.”

  As Ren Liwei continued to speak, Jun Li felt the fear that caused her to avoid him slowly disappear, replaced by a growing annoyance. “Why are you so convinced that the Glass Cloud Sect holds the nation in such high esteem anyway? Why exactly should they recruit the children of influential noble and merchant families over others?”

  “Hah! I forgot, you’re a truly uneducated, destitute idiot, aren’t you?” Ren Liwei sneered as he realized the extent of Jun Li’s ignorance. “The founder and Patriarch of the Glass Cloud Sect is the living ancestor of the royal family, having elevated the Zhao Clan to the status of royalty over three hundred years ago.” He scoffed. “It’s obvious that Patriarch Zhao is invested in the prosperity of the kingdom and his descendants, even an idiot should understand that.”

  Jun Li was surprised to learn that the leader of the sect was part of the royal family and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed to not have known, somewhat regretting not having had the formal education to speak on equal footing with her peers. “I see… In that case, if Patriarch Zhao thinks I’m not worth the sect’s support, he can go ahead and expel me himself. Until then, you can stop bothering me.”

  “You…!” His face turning red, Ren Liwei pointed his spear at Jun Li. “There’s a limit to how arrogant you can be! As if Patriarch Zhao himself would spare even a moment dealing with the likes of you!”

  Getting an idea, Ren Liwei cleared his throat and held his head high. “I again challenge you to a duel! If I win, you have to leave the sect! Go ahead and demand whatever conditions you want if you win, not that you stand a chance.”

  Feeling a strong headache coming on, Jun Li raised a hand to her head. “Just shut up already…”

  Ignoring Ren Liwei’s incredulous expression, Jun Li spoke quietly. “I’m not going to duel you. I don’t care about any money or treasures you could give me, so just forget it. Honestly… I can’t believe I was so intimidated by an idiot like you for so long…”

  Ren Liwei immediately launched into a tirade, continuously shouting at Jun Li, but she simply didn’t hear it anymore. Internally, Jun Li was repeating mantras taught by her master to suppress her Killing Intent and maintain her composure. ‘I’m losing my mind listening to this guy’s nonsense…’

  By following Zhu Enlai’s instructions, Jun Li was able to calm herself somewhat, but with so little experience, her efforts up until now were paper-thin, weakening at the slightest stress.

  Oblivious to the slight but dense slivers of Killing Intent that seeped from Jun Li, Ren Liwei continued to berate her. Behind him, however, Zhao Shun’s eyes lit up with interest.

  Stepping over to Ren Liwei’s side, Zhao Shun put a hand on his shoulder. “Now now, Junior Brother Ren, I think you’ve done as much as you could to try and help our friend here see the error of her ways, perhaps it’s best to let her realize her own mistakes naturally now, hmm?”

  Surprised by Zhao Shun’s sudden intervention, Ren Liwei quickly put his spear away and politely bowed. “Yes, Senior Brother Zhao. I’m sorry if I acted in an unbecoming way in front of you…”

  To the side, Jun Li quietly scoffed as she watched Ren Liwei suddenly acting polite. ‘Zhao Shun, huh? Judging by the way Ren Liwei is treating him, I suppose he must be one of Senior Sister Xiaoli’s brothers…’

  Guiding Ren Liwei to leave the Martial House before he caught up, Zhao Shun turned to Jun Li. “Junior Sister Jun, I’m sorry if my friend has caused you any grief today, he’s an exceptionally… loyal child, if you understand my meaning.”

  Zhao Shun narrowed his eyes, a thin smile on his face. “If things get any worse between you two, please do seek me out. I’d be happy to smooth things over between you two in exchange for a favor.”

  Jun Li appreciated how Zhao Shun de-escalated the situation and found she could breathe a bit more calmly. “It’s fine, I doubt he can do anything worse than badmouth me at this point...”

  Pausing in thought for a moment, Zhao Shun gave a polite bow and spoke one last time before he turned to leave. “If things ever get out of hand, and you change your mind, my offer stands.”

  Walking away from the Puppet Array, Zhao Shun looked over his shoulder towards Jun Li. ‘Such an interesting player has found its way onto the scene… How best to manage her…?’