Without realizing it, three days had passed.
He Qiu made breakthroughs every day, and his momentum for cultivation grew more fervent.
He had reached a state where he almost forgot to eat or sleep in his thirst for progress.
Truth be told, he had the so-called “progress bar” to thank for this.
It made He Qiu feel as though success was right in front of him, unlike his past life where chasing a woman felt like trying to move a mountain—a pitch-black path where one could never see when the affection meter would finally be full.
Therefore, taking advantage of the “progress bar” in his mind, He Qiu seized every moment and practiced without wasting a single second.
When he finally took a breath, he realized he had already completed most of the sword manual.
Out of seventy-seven pages, he had thoroughly mastered forty-five.
Even he had not expected that practicing this manual would be so simple.
‘It seems this really is just a basic introductory technique…’
‘I was being too sensitive. Senior Sister just gave me a random introductory manual, yet I acted like it was some divine secret scripture. I was far too excited.’
‘How could there be such a free lunch in this world?’
“It seems the Longyin Sect truly is a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. I really need to keep a lower profile from now on. I can’t keep acting like a country bumpkin who just entered the city, making a fuss over everything. It’s embarrassing…”
“Yes, I need to have the perspective and vision of a reincarnated soul.”
Thinking this, He Qiu packed away the manual and gripped his sword to continue his training.
*Swoosh!*
He whirled around and swung.
A silver-white sword qi erupted from the blade, sharply severing a willow branch and leaving a frost mark at the base of the tree.
The chilling Sword Intent lingered for a long time without dissipating.
The *Fine Snow Sword Manual* emphasized that one’s Sword Intent must be as cold as frost and one’s Sword Heart as cold as ice.
Only then could the unleashed sword qi be as sharp as freezing snow, possessing both explosive power and penetration.
However, He Qiu’s “Empty Spirit Vein” lacked foundation and spiritual energy.
Even though he had grasped most of the manual’s essentials, he could not achieve the level described in the book: “With one swing of the sword, snow drifts for 10,000 miles.”
The fundamental issue was that while there was nothing wrong with his understanding of the Sword Intent and Sword Heart, his own physical “hardware” was too poor.
“It seems I’ll have to find a way to improve my spiritual energy foundation in the future…”
*Swoosh!*
He unleashed another strike without warning.
This time, He Qiu aimed his sword qi at a nearby thicket.
His intuition told him that the aura of a spirit beast might be hidden there.
Just as the sharp, silver-white sword qi was about to pierce the bushes, a sudden *Clang!* echoed.
Several falling leaves in the air were transformed into blades, intercepting the strike on the spot.
The sword qi collided with the leaves, and the leaves won a total victory.
As a beginner, He Qiu’s sword qi was completely fragile.
Immediately following that, the indignant voice of a young girl, sounding quite natural and innocent, came from the thicket.
“Hey! You brat, are you trying to assassinate me!”
A young girl with short, sakura-white hair and a sunset-red dress stepped out, looking embarrassed and angry.
In her left hand, she held a half-eaten stick of candied hawthorns.
It appeared she had been hiding in the bushes to sneak a snack, only to be disturbed by the sudden sword qi.
*Hiss…*
Taking a sharp breath, He Qiu felt a sense of dread.
He had originally just wanted to find a spirit beast to use as a target, but who would have thought a girl would be hiding in the grass?
He had been careless.
This was a major misunderstanding.
Furthermore, judging by the technique she used to “turn leaves into blades,” her cultivation was likely quite high.
She was probably another girl of the “Senior Sister” rank.
Thus, He Qiu immediately sheathed his sword and bowed his head in apology.
“My apologies. This disciple was practicing alone and did not realize someone was in the grass.”
“Oh? A disciple? Are you new?”
The girl bit off the last candied hawthorn on her stick, chewed it up quickly with an *om-nom-nom* sound, and swallowed.
She then took out a handkerchief to wipe her pink lips before walking briskly toward He Qiu.
She circled him, observing him closely, and even leaned in occasionally to sniff him.
‘Mm… It’s Senior Sister Ling Ran’s spiritual energy. There’s a frost-like chill from a sword in his spirit veins.’
‘By the way, where did this boy come from? I haven’t seen this face before, yet he seems quite familiar with Senior Sister Ling Ran.’
Putting her thoughts aside, the girl puffed out her modest chest and raised her chin with great confidence.
With a slight curl of her lips and eyes full of pride, she introduced herself.
“You, listen closely!”
“My name is Luo Qianning, a personal disciple of Elder Xueyin’s lineage and a Tier 5 cultivator in the Spirit Realm… What about you? Who are you?”
“Uh, I am also a personal disciple under Elder Xueyin. My name is He Qiu. I only joined the Inner Gate to practice one week ago…”
He Qiu paused, then corrected his address.
“In that case, you are my Senior Sister.”
“Greetings, Senior Sister Qianning.”
Toward a Senior Sister of higher rank, He Qiu maintained his respect for the time being.
After all, he had been the one to offend her first.
“Wait, what did you just call me?”
As if she had heard something incredible, Luo Qianning’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
She poked her cute, innocent face forward and stared intently into the boy’s eyes.
He Qiu frowned slightly.
Feeling that her face was too close, he took two steps back awkwardly.
“I said, I am also of Elder Xueyin’s personal lineage. I just joined a week—”
“Not that sentence. The next one!”
Luo Qianning took a step forward with her left leg.
He Qiu took another step back with his right foot.
“Uh, based on seniority, I should be your Junior Brother.”
“Yes, yes! And then, what should you call me?”
The girl’s eyes shone with anticipation.
Being stared at like this, He Qiu began to lose his confidence.
“…Sen… Senior Sister?”
“Yes, yes, yes! That’s the one! Add my name to it and say it one more time for me!”
“Uh…”
Realizing what was happening, He Qiu’s gaze gradually turned resistant and annoyed.
He felt that if he got tangled up with this “Senior Sister” in front of him, it would be a huge hassle.
“Aya, hurry up, hurry up! My seniority is higher than yours, so you have to listen to your sister, okay?”
“Senior… Senior Sister Qianning.”
“Mm-hmm! Such a good boy~ Junior Brother He Qiu~”
She patted He Qiu’s head with great satisfaction.
The girl’s cute face flushed a cherry-blossom pink, as if she were intoxicated by some incredibly blissful event.
It seemed she desperately craved being called “Senior Sister Qianning.”
Realizing this, He Qiu took another two steps back.
He really did not want to get close to this silly Senior Sister.
Stupidity was contagious.
It was better to escape as soon as possible.
“Um, Senior… Senior Sister Qianning, I still have sword techniques to practice. I won’t disturb you any longer…”
“Humph~ Do you want Senior Sister to teach you how to cultivate?”
The girl placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest with a face full of confidence.
Seeing He Qiu’s reluctant face as he tried to slip away, the girl decisively stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
“Don’t—don’t be in such a hurry to leave!”
“Let me tell you a secret. Don’t be fooled by my cute and gentle appearance; when I get serious, my swordsmanship is also very powerful!”
The boy shook his head, still wanting to leave.
Luo Qianning grabbed his arm again and leaned in close.
“Hey, Junior Brother, do you really not want to spend some time alone with your Senior Sister to discuss… the profound mysteries of swordsmanship?”