Chapter 7

Breaking through from the third to the fourth level was a minor but significant leap, and even a prodigy with a single spiritual root like Li Mengze took two whole months, enduring much hardship along the way.

On this day, Li Mengze sensed that the spiritual energy within her body had reached a critical point and was about to break through to the fourth layer. She stopped restraining her absorption speed, letting her mind go completely, allowing the spiritual energy from outside to surge into her body. It was as if she were overeating, stuffing herself even when already full, to the point where her body felt as if it would burst.

A greasy, brownish substance gradually coated her clothes, and a pungent odor filled the cultivation chamber. Every small breakthrough cleanses and refines the body, expelling impurities through the pores. Admittedly, this doesn’t happen every time; once the Golden Core is formed, the body no longer holds such waste.

The pain was excruciating, as though she was about to split open. Her small teeth bit deeply into her lower lip, leaving a faint trace of blood. Cultivation may sound dreamlike, but in truth, it is harsh and unforgiving—far more than mere survival of the fittest on the path to the great Dao.

Time ticked by slowly. She guided the chaotic spiritual energy within her into the inner space, then reabsorbed the purified energy into her dantian, compressing and blending it until the spiritual energy in her core became one and the same. Only then did she withdraw her inner sight, satisfied.

The moment she opened her eyes, Li Mengze leaped up from her meditation cushion, cast a cleansing spell on herself, and rushed out of the cultivation chamber. The smell was simply unbearable—most people would find it intolerable.

After reaching the fourth level of Qi Refinement, the differences were obvious. Her Fireball Technique became much more adept, the flames brighter and purer. Being naturally attuned to fire, fire spells came easily to her, and the fireballs she could now conjure were comparable to those produced by someone at the sixth level.

After reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, Li Mengze had to begin practicing swordsmanship. Although the various peaks of Kunlun boasted many spell and pill cultivators, sword cultivation was paramount. Swordsmen were not only formidable in combat and steadfast in spirit, but also often advanced farther on the path of immortality. Unfortunately, not everyone possessed the talent for sword cultivation.

Li Mengze's father, uncle, and even elders she had never met were all said to be sword cultivators. Thus, the Li family took for granted that she would have no trouble following the same path.

As time would prove, their assumptions were correct, but for now, as a five-year-old child, she faced significant challenges. Chief among them was the fact that she couldn’t find a suitable sword. Not a single sentient magical or spiritual weapon was willing to bond with a child whose height didn’t even reach the length of their blade.

The importance of a sword to a sword cultivator was self-evident. In a lifetime, a swordsman has only two swords: one used during the early stages, both as a weapon and temporary companion, and another forged after forming a Golden Core—their true life-bound weapon, never to be replaced. As the saying goes, “When the sword lives, the man lives; when the sword dies, so does the man.” This describes the bond between a sword cultivator and their life-bound blade.

Therefore, Li Yunzhan refused to be careless with Li Mengze’s first sword. Even if a suitable one couldn’t be found immediately, he would not settle for less. For now, Li Mengze was left to practice in the courtyard with a bamboo sword, swinging it repeatedly.

This was her daily task until she achieved Foundation Establishment: a thousand sword swings every day. As a well-bred, privileged child who had always enjoyed smooth sailing, even the betrayal of a scoundrel in her first life hadn’t left a lasting scar. After all, who hasn’t met a few scoundrels in their youth? Before she could be truly hurt, she found herself reincarnated into the body of an extraordinarily talented cultivator’s child. Now, at five years old, she had yet to face any real hardship.

But this thousand swings a day nearly defeated her. Luckily, her tenacity wasn’t merely a relic of her past life. Even if she had to grit her teeth, and ended each session drenched as if fished out of water, she never once slacked off. This diligence pleased Li Yunzhan, who occasionally observed his little niece with his spiritual sense.

The challenge wasn’t just the monotony. After a thousand swings, her arms felt numb and alien, and all she wanted was to collapse onto her bed and sleep forever.

For a five-year-old to complete this every day, without supervision, was truly remarkable.

Li Mengze had no idea she was being watched. After diligently practicing for a month, she checked on her inner space again. The water flow there was meager, so there was no risk of stagnation, but the plantation, now shielded by a formation, had improved noticeably. At the very least, the land was no longer lifeless and had begun to gather spiritual energy—enough, perhaps, to plant some spirit rice.

Though she hadn’t formally cultivated for a month, Li Mengze noticed that her sword practice was causing her cultivation to grow slowly but steadily. She was now at the peak of the fourth level, ready to break through at any moment. It was worth noting that she had been in the sect for less than a year—her progress was astonishing.

One day, she prepared to visit the Hall of Myriad Arts again. She wanted to buy some spirit rice seeds and a few low-grade spiritual plants to grow in her space. She also hoped to find some jade slips about spiritual plants; after all, she couldn’t remain ignorant about everything she grew. Her secondary path would certainly be alchemy, and since there was earth fire under her current residence, she could already try refining some basic, ungraded pills—like Blood-Stopping or Barrier-Breaking Pills. She could sell them at the market to pad her little treasury. After all, aside from Spirit-Gathering and Spirit-Replenishing Pills, these were the most commonly used by cultivators.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Li Yunzhan’s voice calling her to the main hall of Sword-Hidden Peak.

The halls were close enough that she could reach them with a brief use of the Light Body Technique, without needing a flying weapon.

The two young disciples guarding the entrance signaled that the True Lord was inside, then returned to their duties without another word.

Li Mengze didn’t mind; she wasn’t familiar with them anyway. People performing their tasks without seeking further contact was normal—who knew what strange quirks these descendants of cultivators might possess?

She skipped into the main hall, where her uncle sat imposingly on the main seat, clad in a light purple robe with gold trim.

His usually stern face softened at the sight of the lively little girl, his eyes even crinkling with laughter. “So, all this training hasn’t tired you out?” he teased, implying that she seemed as energetic as ever.

Li Mengze wasn’t bothered by his sarcasm, knowing well that her uncle doted on her no less than her parents did.

She dashed over, climbed into his lap without asking, and found herself a comfortable spot, pulling his large hand around her.

A human cushion was far more comfortable than a meditation mat.

Li Yunzhan wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or not, but the way his eyes and brows lifted uncontrollably made it clear he was delighted. His little niece’s affection was the best thing in the world.

He asked her in detail about her cultivation. Even though her stable spiritual energy showed she was doing well, elders always worried, wishing they could keep their child safe forever.

Upon hearing that she wanted jade slips on spiritual plants, he immediately took one from his storage pouch, along with an alchemy furnace and a bundle of spiritual plants, stuffing them all into her pouch.

“These are from your father and me,” he said. “As for the jade slips, your mother is an alchemist—she’s already prepared all this for you. There's no need to seek those cheap things outside.”

“These spiritual plants are for you to practice with. If you need more, just come to your uncle—I’ll have whatever you lack prepared for you.”

Ah, such extravagance! Li Mengze clutched her pouch, grinning from ear to ear, thrilled at her good fortune as the niece of a wealthy family.

It was obvious to anyone how much she loved treasure. Her little body trembled with laughter. The Li family really hadn’t shortchanged her at all. If such trifles made her so happy, her uncle would have to ask his brother and sister-in-law what it took to satisfy this child—she was truly easy to please.

“This time, I called you here because I’ve found a cultivation method suitable for you,” Li Yunzhan said. Although the Fire God Technique matched her spiritual root and was worth cultivating, every sword cultivator had their own unique sword technique. It could be a sect-issued method or an inherited one—no one interfered. Recently, he’d been busy searching for a sword technique that suited Li Mengze.

Though the Flame Dragon technique he practiced was a top-tier sword art, it was far too forceful and domineering for a girl. The other techniques had their own flaws. Until recently, he hadn’t found anything suitable.

His master finally solved the problem. When his master was young, he had acquired a sword art inheritance in a secret realm—a technique that could be cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage. Unfortunately, it wasn’t suitable for men and required a high-grade spiritual root, so it had never found an heir. As soon as he learned that his grand-disciple had a single fire spiritual root, he thought of this technique. His disciple found him at just the right time, and so he passed the art on.

"Willow Leaf Floating Blossom"—despite its gentle name, it was a technique that trained the body before the sword, with extremely demanding requirements. Yet once mastered, the body’s strength would rival that of a mid-grade magical weapon.

After he finished, Li Mengze stared at him, mouth agape, looking utterly horrified rather than excited. Was it because she was too young to appreciate the value of this technique?

“Uncle, does that mean I’ll become a she-hulk in the future?” she wailed. Though she was young, her beauty was already budding. The thought of possessing a delicate, lovely face and the body of a bodybuilder was terrifying.

Li Mengze couldn’t help but recall the original novel. Had she lost to that less privileged, less talented white lotus because she’d trained with this technique?

Li Yunzhan didn’t quite understand what “she-hulk” meant, but he could guess from context. This child was truly a handful—already vain at five!

“That won’t happen. Just listen to the name—this technique was designed for beauties. How could it make you masculine?” He borrowed her own words and, as he thought of those female disciples who’d practiced unsuitable techniques, he had to admit her description was apt.

“This method is meant to temper your body, not change its shape. You have nothing to worry about.”

With her uncle’s reassurance, Li Mengze finally believed him and tucked the jade slip into her pouch.

Watching her, Li Yunzhan was certain that if this technique would have turned her into a woman with a man’s body, his little niece would have abandoned it without hesitation. Clearly, one should never underestimate a woman’s love for beauty, no matter how young she may be.