The scenery of Dahuang Mountain was nothing special; Lin Shuang saw nothing but endless towering peaks stretching into the distance. Fortunately, it had recently snowed heavily, blanketing the land in white and connecting with the azure sky like a sea of clouds, bringing her some joy.
Just after a stick of incense burned down, she awoke to see ZHOU Xuanwu sword-riding forward through the falling snowflakes, fingers forming a seal that scared away fourteen bandits, leaving them scrambling in fear.
He chased, they fled, but escape was impossible.
With the elegance of flowing clouds and water, ZHOU Xuanwu summoned a first-tier binding talisman, tying all fourteen bandits and dragging them behind the merchant caravan.
The martial arts moves were dazzling, the rhythm exhilarating, and the satisfaction of defeating the villains was overwhelming—Hollywood blockbusters might not even match such special effects.
It was beautiful, pleasing to the eye, and deeply satisfying.
Truly worth the trip.
Sitting on her broadsword, Lin Shuang sincerely praised, “Senior Brother is amazing.”
ZHOU Xuanwu stood on his sword, one hand behind his back, the other in front, chest puffed out proudly.
Lin Shuang took out her diary and began recording.
“Today’s originally scheduled three-stick-long entertainment plan was completed early.”
ZHOU Xuanwu: “?”
She muttered to herself, but not quietly enough to escape ZHOU Xuanwu’s sharp hearing.
“Thank you, Senior Brother ZHOU.”
ZHOU Xuanwu: “??”
Lin Shuang happily closed her diary, removed her headphones, and focused on the snowy scenery of Dahuang Mountain.
XIAO Qi, sword-riding beside her, had been silently listening all along. Now, finally curious, he couldn’t help but ask, “Lin junior sister, what is this ‘entertainment schedule’?”
He had never heard of it before.
Earlier, ZHOU Xuanwu had rushed too fast for XIAO Qi to even land a hit on a single enemy.
Normally, he would feel itchy to fight, but now, he was captivated by Lin Shuang’s muttering.
It felt like once he understood, he would step into a whole new realm.
Lin Shuang turned her head slightly, nodding gently toward him.
Communicating with travel companions during group trips was also a great way to relax.
And it was also a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone—enhancing emotional bonds.
“Yes, to maintain optimal energy, besides physical fitness from daily cultivation, we must also take care of our emotions,” Lin Shuang answered seriously.
XIAO Qi froze for a moment, his face reddening, “Emotions…? Do you mean dual cultivation?”
Behind his back, ZHOU Xuanwu’s hand twitched.
But he still quietly perked up his ears.
“If your mood is low or you feel depressed, you can’t fully commit to your cultivation.”
After her rebirth, Lin Shuang had tested this herself.
“We should schedule entertainment regularly, including but not limited to listening to music, reading novels, sightseeing, chatting with friends, shopping…” she listed enthusiastically.
XIAO Qi’s flying sword paused mid-air.
From the beginning of his cultivation, his senior brother had only ever pushed him for morning and evening training, never mentioning that leisure activities could enhance cultivation.
What kind of technique was this?
He couldn’t believe it at first, but then he recalled the day he was pummeled into the ground by her tiny fists, how she drew two talismans effortlessly, and how sharp and precise her spiritual sense was…
“Lin junior sister, is that why you’re so strong?” XIAO Qi exclaimed.
ZHOU Xuanwu turned stiffly, glancing at Lin Shuang’s delicate frame, which wouldn’t last three rounds under his hand.
But soon, his breath caught.
Lin Shuang seemed to sense his gaze, and their eyes met.
In that instant, ZHOU Xuanwu felt a blinding light, as if he saw a massive cocoon formed by nearly a hundred silk threads surrounding Lin Shuang.
With each breath, the cocoon expanded and contracted, growing larger.
What was this?
ZHOU Xuanwu closed his eyes, then opened them again, focusing hard, only to find nothing unusual beside Lin Shuang—perhaps he had imagined it.
But now, her eyes were bright, with a shimmering glow.
It looked like her spiritual sense had increased.
“Yes, thanks to Senior Brother ZHOU’s impressive display just now, I witnessed a thrilling battle. Now I really feel my spiritual sea filled, my mind refreshed, and my spiritual sense strengthened a little.”
Lin Shuang nodded gratefully at him.
ZHOU Xuanwu: “?”
After speaking, Lin Shuang gave XIAO Qi a look of approval, “I’m not strong—I just follow my schedule to become stronger.”
ZHOU Xuanwu: “…?”
You cultivate slowly… by following a plan?
XIAO Qi also looked confused.
At noon, after the merchant caravan rested, they continued following the map through the mountains.
ZHOU Xuanwu sword-rose high into the sky, no longer listening to Lin Shuang’s nonsense, fearing he might lose control and challenge her to a match.
XIAO Qi gave him a complex look before finally turning to Lin Shuang, who was gazing at the snowy mountains with a serene expression, and murmured an apology.
“Lin junior sister, I said the wrong thing in front of Senior Brother ZHOU.”
“You’ve always wanted to hide your strength, and I shouldn’t have said you were strong.”
“No,” Lin Shuang raised a hand, stopping his assumption.
Hiding strength was time-consuming and thankless—she would never do it.
XIAO Qi: “…You’ve already reached the Ningyuan stage.”
They had thought she was weak.
Lin Shuang frowned slightly, covering her abdomen.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“All eighty-seven of my dantian have reached the third level of Qi Transformation.”
“…!”
Wait—eighty-seven now? Hadn’t it been eighty-five before?
XIAO Qi was stunned.
He helplessly shook his head and pulled out a jade slip from his spatial pouch, “Anyway, let’s not talk about that. I followed your advice—I exchanged for《Jingang Jue》from the sect seven days ago and finished the first layer yesterday—Thousand Gold Body.”
As he said this, his temple twitched, recalling the pain in his chest from her punches.
Lin Shuang made an interested sound, looking curiously at his neck exposed from his golden robe.
Seeing the faint golden defensive aura shimmering on his skin as he activated the technique, she nodded with visible excitement.
The strength and durability of a sparring partner directly affected how long it took her to reach her fat-burning heart rate.
The old XIAO Qi had been too fragile.
She had used a third-tier spirit-enhancing talisman just to get him to the point of making her sweat slightly.
Talismans, ink, and paper all cost money.
This fat-burning exercise was burning through her funds.
Thinking about it, Lin Shuang was quite satisfied with XIAO Qi’s progress, “Good, you’ve truly entered the introductory stage of Jingang Jue.”
She almost reached out to test the hardness of his chest muscles, but she held herself back.
Because today was her rest day—no fat-burning plan.
A person must practice restraint to truly enjoy blessings.
“I can now withstand my own sword strike head-on,” XIAO Qi proudly declared.
He was also a prodigy, known for his fast cultivation speed within the sect.
But Lin Shuang frowned, “Ah, only one sword strike?”
XIAO Qi: “…”
Suddenly, he felt a lump in his chest.
Lin Shuang rubbed her temples, looking at him with confusion, “A ninth-layer sword strike of Hua Qi?”
XIAO Qi: “…………”
Lin Shuang shook her head, “Too weak.”
XIAO Qi: “!”
He clutched his chest, nearly falling off his floating sword.
“So, senior junior brother, could it be that I lack the ‘entertainment time’ you mentioned, which is why I’m not strong enough?” XIAO Qi, also a genius, quickly reflected.
But Lin Shuang rested her chin on her right hand, slightly raising an eyebrow, “Is your learning method problematic?”
XIAO Qi: “??Huh?”
After a stick of incense burned down, XIAO Qi received a marked-up《Jingang Jue》manual from Lin Shuang, with annotations in red, blue, and yellow highlighters, along with a suggested cultivation plan.
“Feynman Learning Technique?”
“Learning Pyramid?”
“Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve?”
XIAO Qi recognized each character individually, but together they made no sense.
But soon he read the detailed explanations.
【Learning Pyramid – Learning Efficiency by Method】
Reading – 10%;
Listening – 20%;
…
Explaining and Doing – 90%.
“How did you learn Jingang Jue these seven days?” Lin Shuang asked curiously.
He had read every word carefully.
XIAO Qi was stunned—he immediately found the line: Reading – Learning efficiency 10%.
“…!”
Lin Shuang shook her head with a sigh, “Sigh.”
She pointed to the《Jingang Jue》study guide, “You can find a rock, imagine it’s a disciple, and explain the first layer of Jingang Jue to it. While speaking and listening, you can also demonstrate the movements—learning through three senses at once. Practicing daily, going deep while remaining clear, will accelerate your mastery and understanding.”
“!”
XIAO Qi was shaken, though he still doubted its effectiveness, he continued reading the cultivation suggestions.
“Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve: The rate of forgetting cultivated techniques—”
“40% forgotten after half a stick of incense, 60% after two sticks!”
Lin Shuang narrowed her eyes, “You said you read Jingang Jue daily? What was the interval between your first and second practices?”
Morning and evening training sessions.
Six hours apart.
After all, he also had sword techniques and heart cultivation to practice…
But as XIAO Qi looked down, he saw: “60% forgotten after two sticks of incense”—so if his interval was six hours… didn’t he forget everything every time and start from scratch again?!
“!”
Lin Shuang looked at him, shaking her head with sympathy, “Sigh.”
XIAO Qi: “…”
The shock in his heart was no less than when he first entered the Shanhai Sect and received his first cultivation manual.
So… had he been practicing incorrectly all along?
Did the seniors and elders know?
Did the instructors in the Transmission Hall know?!
“It’s okay, after all, you didn’t go through nine years of compulsory education or the inhuman trials of the Gaokao.”
“…?”
XIAO Qi’s heart trembled.
Was the training in Qingshui Sect really that intense?
The next two days of the escort mission passed peacefully.
ZHOU Xuanwu constantly extended his spiritual sense from high above, occasionally distracted by Lin Shuang’s chatter, gazing at the snowy mountains below, but quickly scolding himself for lacking focus and returning to a calm, concentrated state.
Perhaps due to ZHOU Xuanwu’s presence high in the sky, visible for dozens of miles around, or perhaps because the merchant caravan dragged fourteen captured bandits behind them, no other mountain bandits dared to attack.
But ZHOU Xuanwu’s demeanor grew increasingly tense day by day.
“Junior Brother Xiao, your Jingang Jue… has it improved again?”
On the third morning, as ZHOU Xuanwu landed his sword, he saw XIAO Qi radiant and energetic, his hands and face glowing even more golden.
“Hehe, a little,” XIAO Qi scratched his head.
Then he switched techniques and slashed his sword toward a distant rock ten miles away.
The rock shattered into dust and mist.
ZHOU Xuanwu’s eyes widened, “Your Huàlóng Sword has also improved!”
“Hehe, a little,” XIAO Qi scratched his head again.
How was this possible?
ZHOU Xuanwu was stunned.
He landed three times a day, and almost every time, he saw XIAO Qi visibly breaking through in cultivation, techniques, and sword skills.
This cultivation speed was simply unbelievable.
“Nothing special, just mastering the cultivation method through the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve and the Learning Pyramid.”
“???!”
ZHOU Xuanwu was completely confused, but soon turned his suspicious gaze toward Lin Shuang.
Because lately, XIAO Qi had been looking at her with admiration and awe.
And in XIAO Qi’s reverent gaze under the first morning light—
Lin Shuang stood up.
She finally rose from the two broadswords where she had been lying down.
Her blue robe fluttered, red cords dancing from her sleeves.
She looked at XIAO Qi, her snow-like face carrying a hint of smile and anticipation in her black eyes.
“You’ve entered the second layer of Jingang Jue.”
XIAO Qi’s golden robe billowed as he looked at her, not answering directly, “Today is an even day—it’s your fat-burning day.”
ZHOU Xuanwu: “?”
In an instant, XIAO Qi formed a seal, golden light radiating from his entire body, his handsome face solemn, “Today, I will surely last a full stick of incense!”
Lin Shuang’s red lips curved into a smile as she gently tilted her smooth chin.
She reached out, and her broadsword floated lightly to her arm.
“Come.”
ZHOU Xuanwu: “???!”
*
Above a high mountain near the northern outskirts of Dahuang Mountain, close to a town.
A fierce man with a severed arm, gripping an iron hammer, flew forward rapidly.
Behind him, over a hundred miles away, a half-naked masked man chased relentlessly.
“Hmm, two at the ninth level of Hua Qi, and one at the third level of Hua Qi?”
“Haha, effortless gains! Once I absorb their blood and qi, I’ll recover my vitality, and then I won’t fear pursuit anymore!”
The hammer-wielding man bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and sped toward ZHOU Xuanwu and the merchant caravan.
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