Moonlight Shadow

The Patriarch contacted Shin Sumi for a matter of which she was already partially aware.

"I am a 'ghost' after all, Yan Yan needs to keep a low profile in the Cloud Formation Pavilion."

Thankfully the Patriarch wasn't reprimanding her on the way she had addressed him. Of course he had no way of knowing that.

She was also glad that it had nothing to do with the incident at the Divine Beast Pavilion.

"It seems like Nuan eating every single one of the most powerful eggs still hasn't been discovered. If I'm lucky they will never be able to trace it back to me."

Shin Sumi looked at the Lion Bat, currently jumping around on the ground, chasing a butterfly playfully.

"Had Nuan eaten another egg last, would she have taken the appearance of that egg?"

She considered herself lucky to have ended up with a Lion Bat as a pet instead of a reptilian creature or something huge like a Stone Leaf Tortoise.

Talking with some disciples she met randomly at the Star Arenas, she knew that the Divine Beasts Pavilion would only start their teachings in a month or so, which left her with more time than ever to train in other kinds of magical arts.

Because the techniques of the other two branches she was in weren't necessarily difficult, at least in the beginning, she concentrated almost all of her time on the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow cultivation technique.

After a month of being in the Liquid Realm, she had only recently succeeded in completing the cycle of Shinsoo Apertures necessary to circulate her energy. But it wasn't anything like a breakthrough, a single cycle almost meaningless in cultivating.

"I need to be able to circulate constantly, even when I'm asleep."

It was a dreadful task, the control needed for one cycle being so exhausting that she would almost empty her dantian in the process. Her current ability was only of maybe two or three cycles at maximum power, really far from the thousands of cycle she was supposed to do in a day.

"At which point do I get to materialize a shadow?" she wondered, referring to the first step of the Moon Severing Ethereal Shadow. Shin Sumi already had a sliver of response though, having peered through a few books from the upper valley library.

"It makes sense that to make a shadow, one needs a light. This technique of course refers to the moon, but in here..." she looked up at the neverending clouds obscuring the sky day and night.

"Is that why the technique is considered a low grade cultivation technique in the sect records? Because it's impossible to harness its full power in the Dark Sky Starry Sect?"

It seemed like there was no easy answer to her problem and she even considered leaving the technique altogether for another one, but Shin Sumi was not one to give up that easily.

She had already discovered that cultivating the Moon Severing Ethereal Shadow technique was easier at night, due to it's Yin attribute. Now she only needed a way to access the moonlight, which in theory would enhance the Yin properties and maybe allow her to materialize a shadow.

"Going to the dark chasm can help with the Yin Shinsoo but it still wouldn't be enough. I can feel it."

Postponing the problem for now, Shin Sumi relaxed for a bit, letting her mind drift away with thoughts of shadows constantly crossing the full moon.

Shin Sumi woke up a while later, a tiny furry creature jumping on her face relentlessly.

"Hey Nuan, what are you- Ouch!"

In between two jumps, the Lion Bat had turned into a heavy book covered with tree bark.

Shin Sumi jumped out of the water, rubbing her painful nose, her brows furrowed at the floating book.

"Oh, now you're levitating, uh? What is it?"

Without any wind, the pages of the book turned, stopping at one of the latest pages. That was new, the Lion Bat had the ability to turn into a book by itself and still move and act through its pages?

Shin Sumi traced a finger on the indicated page, tapping gently against the symbol etched at the top. She knew that symbol by heart, having seen it on her own blood-stained insignia and more recently in dreams.

"The white scroll from the Ghost Pavilion!"

There was no mistaking it, the Lion Bat had finally finished refining the first of the three scrolls given to her by the Patriarch. For some reason it had taken a few weeks for the nut to do instead of the usual couple hours. It was not too surprising though as a simple sliver of divine sense had revealed the intense protection magic covering the entire scroll.

Even after unlocking the scroll with her insignia, linked to her by blood, Shin Sumi could read it but the nut was not 'authorized' to do so.

"White Claw Dusk Cleaver" was the name of the technique from the white scroll. No description of the technique was provided but the name alone proved to be quite awe-inspiring.

Immediately concentrating Shinsoo within her, Shin Sumi tried her hand at the new technique. The quantity of Shinsoo needed was relatively high which was no problem for somebody with as much reserve power as she had, but what was really interesting was that the Shinsoo Apertures that needed to be connected were almost the same as the ones for the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow.

"It seems I've made the right choice to pursue this type of cultivation technique. The skills from the Ghost Pavilion flow quite well with it."

Forcefully stopping her attempt at the White Claw Dusk Cleaver technique, Shin Sumi sat down to think about it.

"I won't be able to complete anything unless I reach the second step of the Liquid Realm, at least. And by the churning of Shinsoo in my dantian and my Shinsoo Sea, I know that the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow is the right way."

Looking at the sky above the sect, Shin Sumi breathed out slowly. Her eyes were peering through the heavy clouds, as if she was looking at the moon despite not seeing it.

"The Patriarch should have my back, right Nuan? Am I about to do something really stupid?"

Perched on her forearm, the Lion Bat was silent, her beady eyes turned to Shin Sumi while licking her paws and flailing her tail.

"Let's go."

In the cover of darkness from the night, Shin Sumi exited her patch of forest. At any hour of day or night, the Dark Sky Starry Sect was always a bit busy, making her walk across the Star Arenas completely inconspicuous.

Following the same trail she had taken the day of her acceptance in the secret Sixth Pavilion, Shin Sumi progressively left the flat upper valley for the slopes of the northern mountains.

"We've passed the House of the Sky... I've never been this far up before. Now is the time to be careful."

Careful or not, according to her calculations she had only a few hours before dawn. And if she wanted to cultivate on top of a mountain above the clouds for a while, then the faster the better for her.

Avoiding certain parts of the trail where she would be left in the open for too long, Shin Sumi ran and climbed, relieved that there were not many buildings this high up.

Expecting to stumble upon an Elder of the sect at any time, she was holding a few spirit stones in one hand, ready to draw a hiding formation pattern in case it was needed. But the night remained silent.

Alone with her shadow and little Nuan, Shin Sumi soon reached the middle of the clouds.

The constant humidity and fogginess was also tainted with a strong Shinsoo, an almost unnatural one, that clouded her divine sense.

"As expected, the constant cover of clouds above the sect is not a natural occurrence... Rather it's some sort of spell. Was it performed by the sect to hide from others? Or the other way round the sect has been cursed..."

The stories of the Sky Sect splitting up and forming the Dark Sky Starry Sect and the Sky Earth Sect came to her mind. Surely decades of resentment could have built up and caused something like this.

Blindly advancing where her divine sense was obstructed, Shin Sumi continued her ascent, until the dark grey world around her turned a bluish hue.

"The sky!"

Perched on her shoulder, Nuan was looking at the night sky for the first time in her life. For Shin Sumi too it had been a long time.

"A full moon, and even stars" she sighed, taking in the sight for a moment.

A yellow dot out of the corner of her eyes attracted her attention for a split second, prompting her to fall to the ground a moment later.

"Oh crap there's a building there on the other mountain!"

How could Shin Sumi have failed to see the Patriarch's very own mountain top?! Even though she knew he was the number one expert in the sect and was sure to be frighteningly strong, she didn't know if the old man's divine sense could reach all the way to where she was standing.

"His eyes will, though. I better hide behind this rock if I want to cultivate. I've gone so far that it would be a waste to give up now anyway."

Gathering all her willpower to not run away, Shin Sumi sat down cross legged behind a small rock formation tall just enough to shield her from the Patriarch's building. The mountain top she had arbitrarily chosen thankfully was not occupied. Cold sweat dripped down her back at the thought of what would have happened, had she ran into the Patriarch in his own quarters.

Inhaling a high grade spirit stone just to calm down, Shin Sumi slowed her heartbeats before conjuring up the method to cultivate the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow in her mind.

"Yin Moon, please make me stronger" she quickly bowed to the astral body.

One cycle, two cycles,... Shin Sumi was right. The effects of the moon Shinsoo on her cultivation was better than anything she had tried previously.

Before she knew it, Shin Sumi had completed a dozen cycles of Shinsoo through her passageways and the dawn was still hours away.

Immersed in cultivation and oblivious to the invisible shadow in the cloud right below where she was, Shin Sumi ignored that she was being observed.

"Ephemeral Shadow... What audacity..." spoke the shadow being, the voice indecipherable. Whoever it was though, it was clear that the observer was impressed and a bit annoyed at the same time, "She reminds me of First Brother a lot. If she wants the moon, let's get her the moon. And not allow her back up here again while I'm at it."

At the same time as the shadow reached their conclusion, Patriarch Sen was sitting inside his chambers, having just finished a meditation session.

His smile ruptured the serenity of the moment, his thoughts unreadable as his divine sense peered through the clouds around Shin Sumi.

At the same time, the shadow disappeared from the blanket of clouds, not to return until long after dawn, when Shin Sumi was already gone for a while.

***

"I'm on the verge of the second step, Nuan! Can you believe it? To think that for a whole month everything I did was pointless. All I needed was one good look at the moon and look at the progress I've made! It's insane!"

Shin Sumi was overjoyed. Her Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow technique had undergone such a change of difficulty. If before Shin Sumi could compare the experience of cultivating with eating two loaves of dry bread at the same time, using the moon's Yin Shinsoo was like having a jar of water to make the food go down smoothly.

"If today's Sword Pavilion training isn't too hard, we will go back up the mountain tonight, alright?" she asked the Lion Bat while hiding her inside her wrist. It was time to join Xiao Yue, as Bai Fulong, and pursue the way of the sword.

Shin Sumi was disappointed to find Xiao Yue missing from the training session, but it made sense when she saw who the instructor for the day was.

"Ugh, it's Wan Jishun. No wonder Yue went training on her own. Maybe I should leave as well before-"

"Bai Fulong! I see you are late by sixty seconds. You know what happens to the late comers. And don't make a sound."

The eyes of the assembled disciples, all seated and turned to the instructor were showing a mix of pity, compassion and amusement. It seemed like all of them knew Bai Fulong was not late at all, rather they had all come early, or simply Wan Jishun was picking on him.

Joining her hands, Shin Sumi nodded low, to show her respect and acknowledge the order that was given to her, before turning towards the corner of the training hall.

From a rack of hundreds of wooden swords, she picked one that seemed not too bad.

Concentrating Shinsoo on the tip of her foot, Shin Sumi discretely traced a short pattern on the floor under her.

"It's a low level sound suppression barrier that I learned a few days ago. It's easy enough that I can complete it with my feet and closed eyes. Compared to the other formations it's not even worth mentioning but I guess it has some value too."

For some reason whenever Wan Jishun was the instructor for the first step Liquid Realm disciples, Bai Fulong always ended up receiving some sort of punishment.

Whether it was for being late, not listening, having a bad form, Shin Sumi always ended up in the corner of the hall, swinging a wooden sword. Sixty seconds late meant six hundred swings of the training weapon.

For a cultivator, six hundred swings was not a hard task, although it still took quite some time to do. What had pained Shin Sumi the most during her previous punishment was that Wan Jishun had taken on a new habit. For every groan or hard breathing coming from Bai Fulong's throat, the instructor would add ten more swings.

"At least with the formation I don't have to worry about keeping it quiet" thought Shin Sumi out loud, taking advantage of the sound barrier.

But despite how Wan Jishun seemed to intentionally pick on Bai Fulong, the latter always listened attentively. Wan Jishun was in the top three Star-Sword practitioners, and his technique was said to be flawless. The Sword Master had even praised him many times, according to Xiao Yue, saying that he only lacked a bit of raw strength to place higher in the ranking.

With his scholarly approach to sword fighting and discipline, Wan Jishun often taught about fighting strategies and theoretical fighting.

"... and it is the reason you should cultivate a sure-kill technique as well as a quick-activation strike" Wan Jishun had finished his lecture at the same time as Bai Fulong was putting down his wooden sword.

"Now onto fighting training. Only quick strikes, no heavy blows today, you'll be using real swords."

That was the sign Wan Jishun was leaving the training hall. He was never interested in fighting training, leaving the disciples to fend for themselves.

"Brother Bai, do you mind if we pair up today?" a soft voice came from behind Shin Sumi.

"Sister Mei?" Shin Sumi turned around to face the girl in vibrant lilac robes. Her long black hair was tied in a complicated knot, the ribbon perfectly matching the color of her dress.

She had a fair skin with pink cheeks, giving the cute impression of always blushing. If Shin Sumi didn't know better, she could have thought Mei Yunei was a frail innocent girl.

But after having paired up with her on a few occasions, she knew that reality often didn't match appearances.

"Let's have a good fight" Bai Fulong continued, taking out the Sky Deception sword with a smile.

Smiling too, Mei Yunei summoned her sword, a light blue blade so pointy and thin calling it a needle was more accurate.

Bai Fulong steadied his posture, suddenly alert and ready to fight. Both the girl and her sword didn't look too scary, but in Mei Yunei's hand, the Ocean Needle sword was more than terrifying.

After having been in the Star-Sword Pavilion for a few months, Shin Sumi had found that Xiao Yue, Mei Yunei and a limited few others were the only people that forced her to fight at more than eighty percent power.

The training session passed quickly, neither fighter managing more than bruising the other lightly. It was the Star-Sword Pavilion's policy to allow fighters to hurt each other, and no one would bat an eyelid if somebody came to lose a hand in combat.

It was all up to the disciples to find an appropriate sparring partner to avoid such a thing happening.

"Reality is sometimes cruel and you can't always avoid trouble", such was a motto in the Immortal World.

Shin Sumi was sitting cross legged on the floor with all the other disciples, replenishing their Shinsoo levels after the fight. Under her half closed eyelids, she was looking at her hand, slowly opening and closing.

"My strength has gone up" she thought, "I can feel it in my veins, the sword reacted faster than before and my blows were more precise and powerful."

There could be only one explanation, the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow. After the long period without any progress with the technique, she had cultivated with the Yin type Shinsoo of the moon, finally bridging the gap she had found herself stuck in front of.

Still in a bit of a daze, Shin Sumi returned to her courtyard. She put up all the protective barriers she had placed around her home, one by one.

It was time to take out her real sword and try the Void Sword with a hundred percent power.

Spreading her divine sense around the entire place to make sure her spirit formations were working, Shin Sumi was about to start her individual training when a very familiar Shinsoo arose in her perception range.

"This Shinsoo, there's no mistaking it... It's the moon!"