Chapter 1353 - 739
After several days of heavy snow, the deep night no longer felt cold and harsh. The chandelier hanging at the door cast a warm glow. Lu Ying spent her days building a lodgings in Sword Town, neither too fast nor too slow, but with an overwhelming sense of tranquility.
Her days were nothing more than sword practice, scripture reading, and meditative cultivation.
At this moment, she sat under the veranda, flipping through an aged paper scroll of ancient Sword Scripture under the dim lantern light at the corner of the eaves. The distant sound of iron forging carried by the night wind only accentuated the surrounding silence.
Soft footsteps approached, from afar to near.
Lu Ying did not lift her head, her gaze remained fixed on the Scripture Scroll, as if she already knew who it was.
Yin Tingxue walked over, holding a small wind lamp. The shade was plain white silk, the soft light made her face appear even more luminous, dispelling a bit of the darkness under the veranda.
She looked at Lu Ying reading in the dim light, her brow slightly furrowed, showing evident concern, and softly said:
"Senior Sister, reading at night with dim light will hurt your eyes. Why not rest for a while?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ying did not even lift her eyelids, merely turned another page of the book indifferently, a faint sound of paper rubbing.
Her voice carried the faint chill of the night as she said:
"No worries."
She paused, finally lifting her gaze from the Scripture Scroll, meeting the concerned look of Yin Tingxue, her eyes calm and unmoving, as though stating a fact irrelevant to herself.
"In a few years, it will be your time for the crown and Imperial Sword ceremony." Lu Ying said calmly.
Yin Tingxue was slightly taken aback, showing familiarity yet slight unfamiliarity with the term. The crown and Imperial Sword ceremony was a significant milestone in a disciple’s cultivation journey at Yin Sword Mountain.
She recalled that Chen Yi had mentioned before that after Zhou Yitang’s crown and Imperial Sword ceremony, he opened the Cangwu peak, becoming the youngest Peak Master in the history of Yin Sword Mountain.
Seeing her expression, Lu Ying knew she was not very familiar, and continued:
"The crown and Imperial Sword ceremony at Yin Sword Mountain is akin to the crowning ceremony for mundane men, generally held when the disciples turn twenty."
Her gaze returned to the Scripture Scroll,
"Tying the hair and putting on the crown signifies the formal assumption of responsibility for Yin Sword Mountain disciples. The Imperial Sword ceremony is when the mentor blesses and enlightens the disciple’s sword with Secret Technique, making the connection with the Sword Master clearer, marking an important step for us Sword Cultivators truly starting on the path of Sword Dao."
The fire under the veranda flickered for a moment, casting dancing shadows on her cold side profile.
"However," Lu Ying’s tone subtly shifted, "rules are rigid. If one encounters a disciple with exceptional talents and rapid progress, acknowledged by mentors, they can also... partake in an early crown and Imperial Sword ceremony."
Her words stopped here, without explicitly stating whether Yin Tingxue belonged to the latter.
Yin Tingxue also didn’t know whether she truly counted as exceptionally talented, although her cultivation progressed quickly, she thought to herself it was due to her Heavenly Ear Technique. What if one day she lost the Heavenly Ear Technique? Not to say whether her cultivation progress could be the same as before, even maintaining her realm would be uncertain.
Perhaps due to frequent loss, the girl was always afraid of losing.
Yin Tingxue raised her eyes. Under the light, her Senior Sister’s Lingyun Crown shone with snowy brilliance, beautiful, highlighting Lu Ying’s clear aura, during this time, more than ever embodying the essence of the Sword Armor First Disciple, reticent and existing independently, seeming truly capable of attaining the Dao.
Not like Sister Weiyang...
Yin Tingxue thought to herself, but shook her head slightly,
Rather than saying so, it’s better to say, Sister Weiyang met Chen Yi, before then she too was profound and unfathomable.
Considering how Chen Yi had such a negative influence, Yin Tingxue felt somewhat embarrassed.
Yin Tingxue thought to herself, but shook her head slightly, rather than saying so, it’s better to say, Sister Weiyang met Chen Yi, before then she too was profound and unfathomable. Considering how Chen Yi had such a negative influence, Yin Tingxue felt somewhat embarrassed, her cheeks slightly warmed.
Lu Ying observed her subtle expression thoroughly, yet did not point it out, merely flipping another page of the Sword Scripture in her hand, seemingly asking casually:
"How is the sword you forged now?"
Mentioning her sword, Yin Tingxue’s eyes shone slightly, that bit of embarrassment was instantly replaced by a faint sense of accomplishment.
She did not retrieve it from the Square Land, but with a slight mental shift, softly calling:
"Qing Jing."
As her voice fell, a three-foot long sword with a body pure white like jade and a blade faintly showing flowing ice patterns appeared silently by her side, floating lightly. The sword’s tip slightly bobbed up and down, emanating gentle glacial aura and dynamic intent.
It was like an unrestrained spirited sparrow, circling around its master.
Looking at this Magic Sword synchronized with her mind, a gentle smile appeared in Yin Tingxue’s eyes.
She suddenly remembered something, Chen Yi... he had said before he would give her a good sword, although this Qing Jing was forged in Sword Town through heart and spirit tempering, invoking former life’s spiritual resonance, but if not for Chen Yi’s prior influence, perhaps this outcome would not have happened.
Thinking of it this way, this sword could indeed be considered given by Chen Yi.
Lu Ying’s gaze rested on the Flying Sword named Qing Jing, quietly watching for a long while.
The lantern light under the veranda reflected off the sword surface, casting a snowy brilliance.
After a while, she withdrew her gaze, looking back at Yin Tingxue, speaking two words in a calm tone:
"Very good."
Paused, as if feeling it was insufficient, added the same two words:
"Very good."
Though the tone remained unchanged, given Lu Ying’s current disposition, uttering two "very good" in succession was already exceptionally high praise.