“You… forget it. I was careless this time. Let’s continue!”
“Mm-hmm~”
Mu Lingxi let out a satisfied hum and pulled Yun Fei onto the sword.
Braving the evening wind, the sky gradually darkened as the two girls watched.
Two moons appeared on opposite sides of the horizon, their translucent moonlight bathing the two figures standing together on the single blade.
After an unknown number of hours, Yun Fei and Mu Lingxi were now each on their own swords.
Mu Lingxi sped ahead while Yun Fei chased from behind, maintaining her balance and form.
“Ha! Mu Lingxi! Do you see this? I’ve done it!”
The fixed distance between them was suddenly shattered by Yun Fei’s burst of speed.
She gradually overtook Mu Lingxi and glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow with a face full of pride.
In contrast, Mu Lingxi’s expression was far from pleasant.
Yun Fei had learned too quickly, which meant she no longer needed instruction.
That meant Mu Lingxi would only receive the 500 Spiritual Yuan originally agreed upon.
That wasn’t even enough to cover the materials for her Life-bound Sword’s maintenance; she would have to find another way.
“My, my~ Sword Kinesis is actually this simple. It only took a few hours. Of course, the Saintess’s teaching wasn’t bad either~”
The two landed by the pond in the courtyard.
Yun Fei was in a magnificent mood.
These few hours of flight had been incredibly exhilarating!
“Eh? Mu Lingxi, why do you look so unhappy? You’ve done a great service assisting this Young Master; it’s a grand honor!”
“I… to be honest, I’m a bit annoyed.”
Mu Lingxi had originally thought that with Yun Fei’s seemingly clumsy start, it would take several days to learn.
That way, she could have pocketed 1,000 or 2,000 Spiritual Yuan.
Yet, in just one day, for only 500 Spiritual Yuan, the girl had mastered it?
What a loss!
If she had known, she would have asked for more!
However, her morals as a Saintess told her that her word was her bond.
She was a woman of her word and couldn’t bring herself to go back on a promise.
But her Life-bound Sword hadn’t received its scheduled maintenance recently, and her temper had been quite short because of it.
This matter was truly weighing on her!
Should she… lower her standards a bit and borrow some money from Yun Fei?
Mu Lingxi looked up at Yun Fei, who was already happily walking back to her room while Mu Lingxi was still drowning in worry.
“Wait! Yun Fei!” Mu Lingxi hurriedly called out.
Yun Fei’s body stiffened at the call.
She instinctively assumed Mu Lingxi was up to no good, but for some reason, she stopped.
She wanted to hear what Mu Lingxi had to say.
“That…”
Mu Lingxi took a deep breath, mustering her courage.
“Can you lend me some Spiritual Yuan? I need to buy maintenance materials. I’ll go through official channels this time… As for the money I owe you… I applied to be a Field Duty Student today. Once I save up enough, I’ll pay you back!”
A look of realization dawned on Yun Fei’s face.
She finally remembered the underlying reason why Mu Lingxi was so desperate for money.
This Saintess was actually quite a pitiful girl.
But… borrowing money? Ha! The Heavenly Way truly worked in cycles! This time, it was Mu Lingxi’s turn!
Though she cheered inwardly, she was willing to help with such a small favor.
After all, she had plenty of money now — it didn’t matter even if she just gave it away.
‘Ah, people really do get confident once they have money! Look at how smug I am!’
“Sure. But what is this ‘Field Duty Student’ you just mentioned?”
“Huh? Your Master didn’t tell you? Any student who reaches the Moon-Seizing Realm can apply for this status. Then, you can take on training missions at the Mission Hall on the Main Peak. You get paid and earn Trial Points. Trial Points were introduced recently; they say reaching a certain score can replace a Third-class Battle Merit as a graduation requirement for future high-level students.”
“Oh… I see.”
Yun Fei’s eyes twitched.
She was thinking that this seemed like a rather important matter, yet Hua Li hadn’t mentioned it.
But she quickly realized that Hua Li and the Vice Principal were likely still in the heat of their relationship.
It was normal for her to forget about her newly acquired disciple.
It was a good thing she asked.
She didn’t want to stay in the Alchemy Room all day and night.
Refining pills wasn’t nearly as interesting as going out for a trial!
She would apply for it tomorrow as well!
Having made her decision, Yun Fei pulled a black gold card from her robes and handed it to Mu Lingxi.
“This card has 1,000,000 Spiritual Yuan in it. I suggest you go to the Demon Capital Commerce Association at the foot of the mountain to buy your materials. If you show them this card, they’ll know whose person you are. They’ll recommend the best items and give you a discount.”
“One… 1,000,000?”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no… nothing. I’ve just never seen so much money in my life. I’m just impressed.”
Mu Lingxi pursed her lips, her fingers tightening slightly around the black gold card.
“Never seen it? You’re the Saintess of the Evergreen Sect. Even if you don’t have it now, didn’t you have it back at your sect? Your sect must be quite poor then.”
“No, it’s just that both my Master and I are Sword Cultivators… Sword Cultivators, especially those who have nourished a Life-bound Sword, never have much money. My sect isn’t poor, but accessing sect assets requires approval. My Master’s and my personal assets are very limited.”
“Forget it, forget it. I get it. Just take it. I’m going back to cultivate.”
Yun Fei didn’t stick around for the rest of Mu Lingxi’s explanation.
Whether the Evergreen Sect was poor or not wasn’t her concern.
Mu Lingxi watched Yun Fei’s retreating back, wanting to say something, but ultimately returned to her own room.
Inside her room, as Yun Fei was about to begin her cultivation, her Spiritual Power rippled slightly.
The source of this ripple was actually the little maid connected to her through the Mind Puppet Pill — Ling.
‘Oh? Ling? There’s been so much going on lately that I almost forgot about her. Let’s see what this is about.’
Yun Fei controlled her Spiritual Power to respond.
Soon, a special communication bridge using her Spiritual Power as a medium was established.
“Ling, calling me of your own accord — do you have something to report?”
“Your Highness, someone from an organization found me through that ornament. The other party seems to be a second-year senior. I ran into him at the Mission Hall today while registering as a Field Duty Student. He wants me to compile everything that has happened to you lately. We are to meet three days from now at night, in the woods on the outskirts of Shuguang City. Your Highness, what should I do?”
Upon hearing this, Yun Fei immediately perked up and sat at her desk.
“They’re losing their patience so soon? I’d like to see exactly who dares to plot against this Young Master… By the way, you said the other party is from an organization. What’s the name?”
“It’s called Pure White Night. It’s very mysterious. When he told me the name, he kept his voice extremely low, as if he were wary of something.”
“Good, I understand. In three days, close to evening, I’ll go to the entrance of District 23 to find you. Hide that ornament inside something and give it to me. I’ll go meet them myself!”
“But… if Your Highness goes alone, won’t it be dangerous? I’m at least at the Star-Plucking Realm; I can help you!”
“No need. I’ll be fine alone. Having you there would only slow me down. Just do your job and increase your strength. As my maid, being only at the 2nd stage of the Star-Plucking Realm at your age is not enough.”
“Yes! Your Highness, I understand! I definitely won’t let you down!”
*Snap!*
Yun Fei cut the Spiritual Power connection.
She looked up at the two full moons outside her window, her eyes deep with thought.
‘Pure White Night… an organization I’ve never heard of. But “Pure White” — that imagery isn’t a good thing.’
Yun Fei took out a piece of paper and began to write.
She wrote about her recent movements, though nothing of importance.
Ling’s perspective was limited, so it was natural that she couldn’t see anything vital.
Those people likely wouldn’t suspect anything.
After finishing, Yun Fei stretched and moved sluggishly to her bed to begin her seated cultivation.
***
The next day, Yun Fei woke to the sound of birds chirping in the early morning.
According to the teaching schedule Hong Niang had sent yesterday, this morning was a unified cultivation guidance course for everyone.
However, for students like her and Mu Lingxi who were brought in through the Prodigy Plan, it was an optional course.
Therefore, this was free time. But this afternoon was Alchemy, and she had to go to Alchemy Peak to refine pills.
Hua Li had chatted with her yesterday via a Spirit Talisman.
Upon learning that Yun Fei was a fourth-grade Alchemist, Hua Li was first surprised, then told her to come by this afternoon to refine a batch of fourth-grade pills.
Hua Li wanted to see if there were any issues to improve.
If not, Yun Fei would simply need to hone her proficiency.
To put it simply, she had to master most of the currently known fourth-grade pills before moving on to fifth-grade knowledge.
It had to be said that being an Alchemist was the most time-consuming form of cultivation.
While raising one’s Spiritual Power realm, one also had to master the refinement of various pills.
It burned time, it burned Spiritual Power, and it burned money.
Without talent and a family fortune, one truly couldn’t endure it.
After tidying her slightly messy clothes, Yun Fei heard voices talking in the courtyard.
‘Who would come at this hour?’
Out of curiosity, Yun Fei pushed the door open and saw Mu Lingxi talking with Jiang Qing.
The sound of the door opening drew their attention, and both women turned to look.
“Eh? Senior Jiang, you’re out of seclusion?”
“Yes. How have you two been lately? No fighting? Is academy life going smoothly?”
A forced smile appeared on Jiang Qing’s weary face, which was full of concern.
“It’s been great. Mu Lingxi and I are getting along well. But Senior, your face doesn’t look right… and… your realm… why has it dropped back to the Star-Plucking Realm? What happened?”
Yun Fei had initially thought she was just exhausted from seclusion, but upon closer inspection, she realized she could actually perceive Jiang Qing’s realm now, and her aura was quite unstable.
“Mu Lingxi, do you know what’s going on?”
Seeing Jiang Qing remain silent, Yun Fei realized she might have touched a sore spot.
She quickly pulled Mu Lingxi aside and whispered her question.
“You’re asking me? I don’t know either. I just got back from the Demon Capital Commerce Association you mentioned with my materials. I haven’t figured out the situation yet… Oh, here’s your card back. I spent a total of 35,000 Spiritual Yuan. I’ll pay you back later.”