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The Young Master stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. His eyes reflected hesitation, but he couldn't refuse Qing Xuanling's gaze—filled with helplessness and sorrow.
"I'll explain what happened today to these three," the Young Master said to the other elders, offering them a faint smile. "You may go ahead first. We still need to prepare the funeral arrangements for Elder Meipon and the clan members who gave their lives this time."
The other elders nodded. None were surprised by the mention of Qing Meipon's death—they had already noticed it. After all, her life lamp had gone out long ago.
Still, none showed much sadness—or rather, they simply didn't have time for it. There were too many things to do. Not to mention this wasn't the first time they'd lost a close friend or family member.
This kind of loss was everyday reality for cultivators. They couldn't afford to sink into despair every time someone dear to them died—not when they bore the responsibility of leading the clan.
The Young Master watched as all the elders left, then sat back down, looking at Qing Xuanling and the other two youths with a weary expression. "I won't drag this out—the story isn't long."
"First of all, we don't know why that demonic cultivator organization attacked us. We have some suspicions, but none are verified, so I won't mention them." The Young Master's words were firm.
Qing Tanwei nodded—she'd expected as much. She hesitated slightly, then voiced a doubt of her own. Though she hadn't stepped forward like Qing Xuanling to demand answers about what happened today, she was deeply curious too.
"Did the clan really have no idea it would be attacked today?" Qing Tanwei asked hesitantly. "I heard from some friends in the clan that the elders and Foundation Establishment cultivators reacted almost instantly when the attack began—almost as if they'd been expecting it…"
The Young Master's expression darkened—not with anger, but with frustration, even a hint of shame.
"To be honest," he said with self-reproach, "the clan didn't know for sure whether we'd be attacked or not—but I suspected something like this might happen. Although it's not widely known within the clan, we've been fending off attacks—small and large—for several years now."
"I only realized it might be connected to forces beyond Ziyu City after everything that happened with the Ink Sword Sect and the Mo clan. So, based on that, I assumed the tournament would be the perfect opportunity for them to strike—and made some preparations. However… the situation turned out far graver than I imagined…"
The Young Master clenched his teeth, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
Everything that unfolded during the tournament had spiraled beyond his plans—especially the Spectral Madness Domain. It was the first time the clan had ever encountered anything like it.
Without that mysterious domain, he was certain Elder Meipon wouldn't have needed to die. With her, along with the other two elders, they could have held out long enough to wait for reinforcements.
After all, they were still in the city—and he had ordered all Foundation Establishment cultivators to return over the past month. He had believed his plans infallible.
Even the Ink Sword Sect's betrayal had been accounted for in his calculations.
But reality had dealt him a harsh blow—one that cost the lives of dozens of Qing clan members.
Qing Xuanling looked at the Young Master's expression and didn't know what to say. Her own face was grim.
Knowing that today's deaths weren't due to incompetence or lack of preparation—but rather a lack of knowledge—left a bitter taste in her mouth. The thought that everything could have turned out completely differently if only the clan had known about domains earlier gnawed at her sanity.
The Young Master's expression softened slightly when he saw the torment on Qing Xuanling's and the other two's faces.
"Stop dwelling on this. It has nothing to do with you. Instead, focus on what you'll do in the coming months. You won't have the freedom to do as you please anymore, like before." He waved his hands, gently ushering them out of the meeting hall.
He rambled a bit about the responsibilities they would now shoulder as he pushed them out of the Green Heaven Palace.
Outside, after the Young Master had left them, the three youths exchanged silent glances.
Each had much to ponder. After a brief farewell, they went their separate ways.
Qing Xuanling wandered without direction. She simply wasn't in the mood to think. She finally looked up and realized it was already night. The moon hung high in the sky, softly illuminating her face.
Her gaze grew hazy as she walked, as if trying to follow the moon.
She ended up in front of a small lake that reflected the moon's elegant silhouette. Qing Xuanling's eyes regained clarity as she took in the beautiful sight, surprised such a place existed within the clan.
Although it wasn't impossible to stumble upon spots like this—given how vast the clan territory was—it still required quite a bit of luck to find one.
She approached the lakeshore and washed her face. The cold water cleared her confused mind. She looked at her reflection: a girl with dark circles under her eyes and a shadowed expression. Though her deep black eyes and hair were quite striking, the gloom on her face diminished her appearance.
"Tch… What am I doing? Walking around with this dark look, doing nothing—just wasting time." Qing Xuanling's eyes regained their spark.
She sat cross-legged and began to practice. She started forming hand seals. A cloud of mist began to gather around her. Though it seemed ordinary at first glance, anyone who rashly entered it would quickly find themselves covered in tiny cuts.
Qing Xuanling didn't stop and continued making hand seals. Suddenly, thorny vines appeared; other times, a tiger's claw materialized before her. There were also earth spikes erupting from the ground and fiery eagles exploding violently.
These were the five spells Qing Xuanling had mastered best. Although Qing Huomei had taught many more spells in her classes, Qing Xuanling had decided to focus solely on these five—so her command over the others hadn't even reached beginner level.
She kept practicing the five spells until her Qi ran dry. But even then, she didn't rest. She took out her Star Map and began noting down the missing meridians for the five spells.
Strangely, Qing Xuanling's mind was unusually sharp tonight, allowing her to finish mapping the meridians and pathways for all five spells within the next two hours.
She studied her figure on the Star Map and traced the pathway required for the Fire Eagle spell. She brought a hand to her chin.
"It uses only twenty percent of the meridians needed for the Celestial Flower's Pink Flame—much less than I expected… And the technique pathways are completely different."
A small sigh escaped her lips. Once again, she hadn't gained anything useful from the Star Map. She was beginning to doubt just how helpful this truly was.
"Perhaps whatever I can get from the star map is something a foundation establishment cultivator can easily do..."
Doubt stirred in Qing Xuanling's heart—but she quickly suppressed it. She was pioneering this path herself, so it was natural not to see results right away. Otherwise, the usefulness of the Star Map would have been proven long ago.
She calmed herself and continued practicing the rest of the techniques she knew. First, she practiced the Wandering Sword Art. She currently knew four movements:
- First Movement: Invisible Cut
- Second Movement: Nine Changes
- Third Movement: Double Thrust
- Fourth Movement: Six Waves
She still needed to learn the fifth through eighth movements, as well as fundamental art of sword technique.
She began swinging her sword, attempting the Fifth Movement: Hundred-Foot Slash. This move was completely different from the previous ones, which focused on close-quarters combat.
As its name suggested, the Hundred-Foot Slash was a long-range technique that created a crescent-shaped blade capable of flying great distances.
It was entirely unlike any sword technique she had used so far.
But that unfamiliarity excited her a little.
Her movements grew agile as she tried to grasp the essence of the fifth movement. Despite its strangeness, her progress was oddly rapid.
Qing Xuanling's heart still remembered that strange state she'd entered earlier—when she seemed to connect with Memory. Combined with her unusually sharp mind, she managed to master the movement just three hours later.
But she didn't stop.
Her sweaty, exhausted body kept swinging her sword as she began training the Sixth Movement: Soft Block. She was determined to strike while the iron was hot.
Normally, defensive moves required a sparring partner—but Qing Xuanling had none, and she didn't want to pause to find one.
So she narrowed her eyes intensely—and slowly, a blurry figure began to appear before her. It was one of the people she'd fought today: Luo Zhi, the elder from the Ink Sword Sect.
The hazy image of Luo Zhi moved and attacked Qing Xuanling, who responded by blocking the strike.
She was using Shadow Combat—a visualization technique where one imagines facing a past opponent.
Yet the intensity with which Qing Xuanling fought made it seem as if she were truly battling someone real. This was only possible thanks to the faint state of enlightenment she had entered. Soon, she finished mastering the sixth movement.
By that time, the sun had already begun to rise.