Chapter 10: My senior sister’s dance moves are as beautiful as a fairy

“Senior Sister’s dance is as beautiful as a celestial maiden, like the goddess Chang’e in the moon, or a graceful moon in a dream… even the Ice Spirit Sword Immortal of the Northern Region cannot compare.”

Stepping back half a pace, He Qiu cupped his fists in a polite gesture of praise, his eyes burning with sincerity.

He had just encountered a bottleneck last night, and today, his Senior Sister came to personally instruct him.

What else could this mean?

It meant that his Senior Sister was truly a Saintess who predicted things like a god; she had already anticipated the progress of He Qiu’s cultivation!

First, she taught the basics of the Sword Manual, and now, she was teaching the profound meaning of the “Sword Spirit”

…

Look at that; the teaching priorities were clear, not sloppy in the slightest.

Furthermore, with just a single sword dance, she could actually teach him how to forge a Sword Spirit!

This was what He Qiu admired most about An Lingran.

Originally, He Qiu felt that his Senior Sister looked down on him slightly, and he was somewhat indignant.

But today, he was convinced.

At only 19 years old, she had reached Level 7 of the Spirit Realm.

As the Primordial Saintess with twin Spirit Veins, she indeed possessed the capital and talent to teach him.

She truly lived up to her reputation as the “Heavens’ Gifted Daughter!”

Therefore, when An Lingran questioned He Qiu, he bowed slightly with cupped fists and earnestly praised her.

Besides, his Senior Sister’s dance was indeed breathtakingly beautiful.

He Qiu’s words weren’t mere flattery; they truly came from the heart.

He respected the Saintess, and he respected his teacher.

“…”

Looking at He Qiu’s fervent gaze, An Lingran’s face flushed slightly, and she remained speechless for a long time.

She only wanted to ask He Qiu how many techniques of the Sword Art he had learned from the dance.

She hadn’t asked him if her dance was beautiful.

Yet, this Junior Brother of hers kept praising her beauty, comparing her to a celestial maiden, the goddess Chang’e, and a moon in a dream… his mouth was both sweet and elegant, quite the smooth talker.

Not that she hated it, though.

“Ahem, Junior Brother He Qiu, have you learned anything at all?”

With a light cough, An Lingran moved on to the main business.

“I have.”

“Good. Perform a simple sword move. I will watch from here.”

“Yes.”

He Qiu took two steps back and closed his eyes, quietly savoring the sensation of summoning the Sword Spirit in his palm just moments ago.

Because it was his first time breaking through, he couldn’t replicate that initial success in a short amount of time.

He stood there with his eyes closed, trying for a long while, but the sharp edge of an ice sword still failed to emerge from his left palm.

He didn’t panic, patiently reminiscing.

When it came to cultivation, one must never be impatient; one had to maintain a calm mind and spirit.

At the same time, the disciples who had been watching in the center of the training field gradually snapped out of the trance induced by the Saintess’s sword dance.

Seeing the intimate proximity between He Qiu and An Lingran, they could no longer remain still.

“Her Highness the Saintess actually… actually performed a sword dance personally for that Junior Brother!?”

“To be fortunate enough to witness the Saintess’s dance in this lifetime… I, I can die with no regrets…”

“No regrets, my foot! The Saintess danced specifically for the Junior Brother. To put it bluntly, you’re just a damn peeping tom!”

“I’m so jealous, damn it! Forget dancing for me, my Senior Sister finds it disgusting if I even look at her while she’s practicing sword techniques…”

The crowd was abuzz with discussion.

Countless disciples were moved to tears of envy, yet they didn’t want to leave.

They wanted to see what the Saintess and He Qiu would do next.

Even though they were bitter, they couldn’t help but watch!

After all, that was the Primordial Saintess.

That cold and peerless top Saintess of the Sect—one might not even get a chance to see her true face for several years, let alone see her dance?

While the disciples were gossiping, An Lingran spoke up again.

“Junior Brother He Qiu, why aren’t you moving?”

An Lingran didn’t quite understand what He Qiu was waiting for with his eyes closed.

Didn’t they just agree to perform a simple sword move so she could see how far he had progressed in his cultivation?

Does a single sword move require thirty minutes of charging up?

On the other side, He Qiu opened his eyes, his expression somewhat subtle.

‘This isn’t good… why can’t I summon that ice sword anymore? I’m being too slow. Even Senior Sister is losing her patience.’

At this moment, An Lingran spoke again to comfort him.

“There is no need to be too conflicted. You have only been cultivating for six days. Avoid reaching for what is beyond your grasp… Mm, just a simple sword move will do. Don’t be constrained in front of me. Just follow your heart and be natural.”

‘Junior Brother is young and high-spirited,’ she thought. ‘He naturally wants to show off in front of his fiancée, hoping that every one of his sword strikes is handsome…’

There was nothing wrong with that thought; An Lingran could understand.

After all, when she was dancing just now, she also did her best to show off her movements to the limit, striving to make her Junior Brother admire her completely in one go.

When members of the opposite sex interact, these thoughts are normal.

But still, he shouldn’t be too constrained or nervous, right?

If her Junior Brother had to prepare for half an hour every time he swung his sword, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

As the Primordial Saintess, An Lingran wasn’t exactly idle every day.

She came here to instruct him in swordplay.

Spending most of her time waiting was somewhat inappropriate; it was like sparring with nothing but silence.

Since they had a Marriage Engagement, they would have plenty of time to get along in the future.

They should be polite yet not treat each other like strangers.

Therefore, An Lingran urged He Qiu to keep it simple and just swing the sword once to see the situation.

“Yes, I understand.”

Understanding her intent, He Qiu drew his wooden sword once more.

It seemed Senior Sister had also taken time out of her busy schedule to teach him, but he had failed to summon the Sword Spirit for a long time.

He must have disappointed her, and she had run out of patience.

Sigh, there was no choice.

He could only blame himself for being so useless.

He would just use the wooden sword to perform a few combo sets for now…

As these thoughts drifted, He Qiu had already gripped the wooden sword tightly.

Following the footwork of the Fine Snow Sword Manual, he earnestly performed a standard set of combos.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Several arcs of silver-white Sword Qi were unleashed from the wooden sword’s edge, slashing through the air and striking a pile of rocks not far away, leaving frost marks and a bit of rubble on the ground.

This was the limit of the sword art He Qiu could achieve without using the “Sword Spirit.”

It was the same problem as last night.

The sword movements and footwork were all standard, but the killing power was soft and weak.

It was truly a letdown.

‘If only I could successfully replicate the ice sword I summoned just now. Then, even if that strike couldn’t make snow fly for ten thousand miles, it could at least make it fly for a hundred… If that were the case, I wouldn’t let Senior Sister down.’

Feeling unwilling, He Qiu finished his combo.

He sheathed his sword helplessly and shook his head.

There was no other way.

His talent was insufficient.

No matter how unwilling he was, he had to accept it.

Thinking of this, He Qiu prepared himself to face his Senior Sister’s disappointed gaze.

But to his surprise—

An Lingran’s azure eyes widened slightly as she nodded softly.

“Not bad. Your swordplay is very standard.”

The Senior Sister’s beautiful eyes showed satisfaction, even a hint of appreciation for a junior.

Whether it was the footwork, the sword techniques, or the Sword Intent contained within every step… everything was standard and perfect.

It was just a pity about her Junior Brother’s “Wasted Spirit Vein.”

He clearly learned the movements perfectly, but the Sword Qi he unleashed was still so weak that it couldn’t even shatter a rock.

It was truly a shame.

For a Mortal Cultivator like Junior Brother He Qiu to reach this level within seven days… he was already very impressive.

He was really working hard.

He had done his best and reached the absolute limit of a Mortal Cultivator’s realm.

This tenacious will that refused to submit to fate deserved respect.

No wonder her father had appreciated this Mortal Cultivator Junior Brother so much before.

Who could have the heart to dislike a youth who struggled so hard for his dreams?

Thinking of this, An Lingran’s heart softened significantly.

Even if his Sword Qi was truly weak and light, she appreciated the backbone contained within it.

Just as An Lingran was nodding in satisfaction—

“I am sorry for disappointing you, Senior Sister.”

He Qiu apologized, still feeling unreconciled.

He had just imitated his Senior Sister’s dance and clearly summoned the Sword Spirit.

He was about to grasp the true essence of the Sword Manual, but that ice sword hadn’t even stayed out of its sheath for a few seconds before it shattered and vanished because his Spirit Vein’s foundation was too weak.

He was only one step away from success!

It was like the final second of an exam.

He had clearly solved the final twenty-point question, but because time ran out, he couldn’t write the answer on the paper…

In the end, he failed and was seen as a “bad student.”

He wasn’t satisfied!

Who would be satisfied in such a situation?

Clenching his right hand and gripping the sword hilt tightly with his left, He Qiu furrowed his handsome brows.

For the first time since joining the Sect, he felt such a sense of frustration.

In the midst of his dejection—

“Look up, Junior Brother He Qiu.”

A soft, pleasant voice drifted into his mind.

A second later, He Qiu felt a cool, fair hand touch his face.

Her slender jade fingers gently caressed him, as if comforting a child who had suffered a blow.

Looking up, he saw that his Senior Sister Ling Ran, who used to be like an emotionless iceberg, was now showing a gentle and gratified expression.

‘This is…?’

He Qiu was stunned.

“Your sword dance was already very handsome and full of spirit. There is absolutely no need to be so dejected.”

‘Very handsome, very spirited… Is she referring to that soft, weak Sword Qi just now?’

He Qiu was doubly stunned.

Seeing this, An Lingran smiled slightly, sighing inwardly that her Junior Brother was a youth with strong self-esteem.

Thus, she continued to comfort him.

“That’s right. I am very satisfied with your Sword Intent.”

This time, it wasn’t because of An Daosheng’s request.

It was a sincere expression from the bottom of An Lingran’s heart.

She wanted to encourage her Junior Brother.

She didn’t want to see the youth before her hanging his head in discouragement.