Still Practicing Sword

The silly apprentice gave Li Shiyin such a big hug that he almost squeezed the soul out of her. He should have taken this chance to get Li Shiyin to decide on a cultivation technique, but he hemmed and hawed for a long time and just could not get the words out. He had no choice but to hurriedly take his leave...flee the scene.

For the entire afternoon after that, he did not show up again. He shut himself in the research building, doing who knows what.

It was not until after dinner, when he had cleared up the bowls and chopsticks and came out of the kitchen, that he finally remembered the important matter when he saw the girl playing with a cat on the sofa.

She had already built her foundation, so choosing a cultivation technique could be delayed no further.

He gave a little cough to get Li Shiyin's attention. When the girl picked up the cat and looked over, he gazed out the window and began to speak:

"Before you built your foundation, in order to give you more options and plant better karmic seeds, I had you cultivate the most basic Foundation Technique, to give you enough time to consider whether you wanted to practice the sword or alchemy.

"Now that you have built your foundation, continuing to use the Foundation Technique to cultivate will greatly hinder your progress. So you must make a final decision now."

"I..." Li Shiyin glanced at Qin Ran, then lowered her head to look at the Mystic Underworld Spirit Tiger in her arms, hesitating for a long time before finally responding, "I don't know."

Qin Ran withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at Li Shiyin. The silly apprentice was obviously a rash and reckless straightforward fellow, otherwise he would not have stubbornly taken him as master. But now, she was hesitating, unable to determine her path of cultivation.

He gave a sigh, and gently asked, "Why did you want to concoct pills?"

"At the beginning of the year..." Li Shiyin's hand stroked the furry body of the cat as she softly replied, "Grandpa passed away."

She did not directly answer why she insisted on alchemy, but the reason for her desire to concoct pills was very clear. Qin Ran's expression also softened as he looked at her without saying anything.

"Grandpa was the founding general of the North Chu Country. He led the North Chu's southern and northern expeditions, expanding its territory, and established magnificent military achievements. He was the great hero that everyone looked up to." Li Shiyin, usually so brash and carefree, suddenly spoke gently as she reminisced,

"Grandpa was very tall and powerful, his arms were thicker than my waist. Last year he killed an assassin who came to our house with one punch. He had a very handsome horse lance. During the first snowfall of winter, he twirled his lance in the snow. He said that when the weather warmed up in the new year, he would go back to the battlefield."

As she spoke, tears began to uncontrollably flow down her face. She wiped away some tears, glanced at Qin Ran with a smile, and continued, "Teacher, you must think Grandpa was fierce, but he wasn't. Grandpa was very gentle, he treated me very well. When he returned from court, he would buy me candied haws. At home, he would make toys for me, carving me wooden swords, and he would protect me from being bullied by my older brother..."

"But...but..." she sobbed, "after spinning his lance that time, Grandpa said his knees hurt..."

She became increasingly distressed, sobbing so much that she could not continue.

Qin Ran walked over and grabbed some tissues from the table, handing them to her.

"I thought Grandpa was invincible in the world. I never thought Grandpa was immortal, but I never imagined Grandpa would get old, become haggard, and whither into skin and bones. I thought Grandpa's white hair was natural white hair, and Grandpa's wrinkles were natural wrinkles..." Li Shiyin cried for a while, then wiped her tears and continued,

"But Grandpa did die, suddenly dead. In the blink of an eye, it was as if Li Konghe had never existed in this world."

She looked at Qin Ran with red eyes, pitifully, "So I started to become afraid - afraid my brother would suddenly die, father would suddenly die, mother would suddenly die. No, not afraid. Whenever I think about how people will inevitably die, I know they will definitely die..."

Qin Ran looked at her calmly.

"But I don't want them to die. The older they get, the more panicked I feel..." said Li Shiyin, "I know that people inevitably die, but immortal cultivators exist in this world, along with elixirs of immortality that preserve youth and prolong life..."

"Teacher..." She suddenly became resolute, saying to Qin Ran, "I want to concoct pills!"

"What a silly apprentice...she is completely oblivious to what embarking on the path of cultivation truly means," Qin Ran sighed inwardly. He raised his head and gazed into the darkness in the distance through the window. "Cultivation means loneliness, just like when Sun Wukong put on the golden headband. Although the cultivation world and mortal world exist in the same plane, they are like two parallel timelines."

But he did not intend to lecture at this time. He thought for a moment, then said, "Have you ever considered that immortality pills and potions don't necessarily need to be personally concocted..."

Li Shiyin was taken aback, then realized what he meant. Her eyes slowly lit up as she stared at Qin Ran.

Qin Ran then said, "You can improve your cultivation by robbing others...the law of the jungle rules the cultivation world anyway."

The light in Li Shiyin's eyes instantly disappeared. She shook her head, "Rob others? Forget about it!"

"You can also ask others to concoct them for you..." Qin Ran withdrew his gaze with a laugh, no longer teasing her, "Since you have taken me as your master, whatever pills you want, I can help you concoct them."

Li Shiyin had been waiting to hear these words for a long time. She looked at Qin Ran, "Teacher, you really mean it?"

"I do." Qin Ran nodded.

Li Shiyin immediately cheered up and bounced to her feet. The dazed Chase Feng she had been holding was suddenly flung into the air. He quickly transformed to land safely on the ground. Li Shiyin continued bounding forward, wanting to hug Qin Ran again.

Fortunately, Qin Ran noticed her intentions early and timely stretched out his hand, pressing it on her forehead to stop her "rude behavior".

"So, alchemy or the sword?" Qin Ran asked, his hand still on Li Shiyin's head.

"The sword!" Li Shiyin said definitively. She was a tigress born to a military family, naturally suited for martial pursuits. Having her engage in literary pursuits would truly be asking too much.

"Then choose a cultivation technique!" Qin Ran gave Li Shiyin a push, then waved his hand. Five books appeared - he had unlocked another jade slip these past few days, obtaining a new basic sword technique. "Great Evolution Sword Scripture, Heavenly Sword, Blue Cloud Sword Art, Metal Element Flying Sword Skill, and Nine Revolutions Star Sword."

"Which one do you think suits me, Teacher?" Li Shiyin did not choose, asking Qin Ran's opinion first.

"Metal Element Flying Sword Skill..." Qin Ran tossed the Metal Element Flying Sword Skill to her, explaining, "This is not only a sword technique, but also a metal-element skill."

Li Shiyin flipped through the pages, looking at the recorded techniques, and grumbled, "Flying swords?"

She sounded rather dissatisfied. Qin Ran frowned, "What's wrong with flying swords?"

"Flying swords are boring..." said Li Shiyin.

"How are flying swords boring?" Qin Ran did not understand.

Li Shiyin did not explain. She thought for a moment, looked at the other techniques, and asked again, "These are all the techniques for me to choose from?"

"That's right."

"Then give them all to me!" Li Shiyin reached out her hand.

"You want to practice them all?" Qin Ran was displeased.

"No..." Li Shiyin shook her head, "I'll take a look at all of them first before deciding which one to practice."

Qin Ran thought that made sense. He handed over the other four techniques as well, but warned again, "Don't bite off more than you can chew. You're only allowed to choose one! Understand?"

Li Shiyin nodded repeatedly, looking at the techniques and absent-mindedly said, "I know, I know."

Seeing her attitude, Qin Ran was even more worried. He added, "It's best to only practice one foundational technique to keep your power pure. If you cultivate too many, your power will become muddled and easily conflict."

"I know!" Li Shiyin sat back down on the sofa, looking at the Great Evolution Sword Scripture without even lifting her head, clearly somewhat impatient now.

Qin Ran shook his head and said no more, turning around and heading upstairs.