Lesser Realm (II)

Wu Qianyu recovered from her breakthrough and rejoined her fellow sisters. Many congratulations were given and accepted. Everyone was happy about it celebrated for two days straight. Of course, Chen Wentian felt like he didn't get the credit he deserved. He was such a hardworking master; he deserved a little reward too!

Aside from the breakthrough, the lesser realm of Spiritual Growth also presented an opportunity. It was a period of rapid advancement and growth if she could take advantage of it. The next year or two at most would be a critical period for her to continue her progress and reach the next lesser realm of Spiritual Formation.

It was important to grow her powers related to pain. The way she described it during her dreams, Wu Qianyu had unlocked a way to project the pain inside her into her sword and use it as an attack. This ability to create spiritual energy with the attribute of pain was a great sign and a potential path to continue growing.

The upcoming Convocation of Swords in six months would be a great learning opportunity. She already had an affinity for the way of the sword and she intended for the Dao of pain to have a sword component. The meeting of all the brightest sword cultivators in the subcontinent would be a great chance to hone her powers.

But before then, she had to use the inspirations from the dream array and her recent experience to develop a rudimentary sword art utilizing the spiritual energy of pain.

---

Wu Qianyu emerged from the teleportation array and a cold blast of air hit her face. It knocked away her fur hood and swept stray strands of hair about. She chided herself for being unprepared and summoned the razor-sharp spiritual energy of Dugu's 10th Sword. The cold went away and she was protected by a thin layer of spiritual energy.

Ever since her breakthrough, her spiritual energy capacity had increased and so had her endurance. One of the important parts of her new training was to expend as much spiritual energy as possible to expand her spiritual sea.

She hoped that one day, this energy would radiate with pain, a product of her own unique Dao. She hoped that time would come sooner rather and later, before she got too old and lost her mortal beauty.

"Halt!" Several guards wearing black armor approached her.

She lifted her hand and nestled in her palm was her sect badge, a water lily on white jade. It perfectly complemented her outfit, which consisted of her usual white battle robe along with white fur cloak.

"Stand down! Welcome to Black Rock City, Mistress Wu!"

The squad of ten guards all saluted and took up protective positions around her. They escorted her to a side building where a horse carriage was waiting.

Wu Qianyu looked around as she walked, taking in the nostalgic sights. This was her first time coming back to Cloudy Mountain Province and Black Rock City. She had spent the better part of a year here during the Monster Fighting Competition. Those had been wonderful times, with her master a constant presence by her side. Now, she was a cultivator on the immortal path and there were certain things she had to experience for herself in order to truly grow.

Black Rock City had not changed much. It was still a scene of black and white, knobbly black buildings covered by tall snowdrifts that lined winding streets. The buildings were somewhat taller now and the streets were narrower. The city was bursting at the seams. It was already beyond overcrowded but cliffs and mountains nearby meant that it was difficult to expand.

Wu Qianyu rode the carriage a short while and arrived at the governor's castle. It was another familiar sight, where she had often stayed. Its tall spires that were built into the cliffs were now home to the new governor.

"Welcome to Black Rock City! Mistress Wu!" A tall, handsome young man said as she entered the main entrance, "My name is Zhou Guanyu, newly appointed governor of the city. Please!"

He waved his hands towards an arched doorway that led to the great hall.

"What happened to Zhou Lai?" She asked.

Zhou Lai was the venerable granduncle of Zhou Ziyun. He had managed affairs in Black Rock City from the beginning. He had been pleasant to work with and a reliable person.

"Ah, Elder Zhou Lai is my grandfather. Mistress Zhou recalled him back to the clan's headquarters to handle an important project so I was assigned here."

"Fine, lead the way."

Wu Qianyu followed after him, noticing his rich and elaborate attire. His headdress seemed to be made out of pure gold and adorned with jewels and pearls. His robe consisted of intricate embroidered patterns. His belt was a gaudy mess with too many golden buckles.

He seemed so out of place like Black Rock City, a gritty city where there was still plenty of problems with poverty and crime. She wondered what the Zhou Clan was doing these days to have some like him in charge of a whole city.

Zhou Guanyu gave a brief overview of the state of the city and then asked, "Mistress Wu! Are you tired? Perhaps hungry from your trip? Anything you desire, I can have my chefs make them in only a few moments."

His tone was way too eager and the movement of his eyes was bordering on vulgar.

She didn't react and merely waved her hand. "I won't be needing those."

He looked quite disappointed.

"But, I will need a place to stay. Give me the penthouse of the southern tower." She commanded.

"Y… yes! Mistress Wu! But the room is currently occupied, I will need some time to get it ready." Zhou Guanyu said with even more disappointment.

She didn't really care. It felt satisfying to throw her weight around. She was the disciple of the immortal. She was the mistress and he was the servant. He wasn't in any position to disobey.

"You have two hours. I will be taking care of some business." She said and promptly turned to leave.

She smiled to herself, surprised by her own moxie. She felt something had changed within her. She was more confident, more assertive, more willing to use her power.

This was perhaps related to the changes her master had mentioned. The path to immortality was one paved with hardships as well as dead bodies. She would have to tread on countless people, defeat countless foes, and surpass her mortal limits. Immortality was a complete transformation of the body, mind, and spirit and she was already taking the first steps.

Wu Qianyu stepped out of the castle and summoned Tortoise Can Fly. She flew a short distance and landed in front of a familiar building, the crime and punishment headquarters. It was three times the size as before, a sign of the times. Black Rock City was struggling under its own weight and riddled with crime. The original residents competed with newcomers. There were loose cultivators, bounty hunters, fortune seekers, and even entire clans and sects that had moved here, all seeking opportunity under the umbrella of safety and opportunity offered by Ten Thousand Flower Valley.

"Mistress Wu! Mistress Wu!" A man wearing the red robes of the crime and punishment division rushed and knelt before her.

"San Huming, it's been a while." She said.

"Indeed! Welcome back, I was so happy to hear that you needed to use our facilities again. Ever since that time, I always knew you would return!"

His excitement was genuine and she didn't mind it. San Huming was an honest and righteous man. He and the entire department admired her for helping them greatly with interrogating criminals the last time. She was here to do so again, this time to also train her Dao of pain, so she needed their cooperation.

Wu Qianyu let out a soft laugh, "Uncle San, my matters should be kept confidential."

"Of course, absolutely, my apologies."

"Don't worry. Please rise."

San Huming got up, wiped his brow, and gestured her towards the entrance, "Are you tired from your journey. May I get you anything? I had the department prepare a feast just in case."

She smiled, "Actually, that sounds good. You can catch me up on some of your most difficult cases in the meantime."

"Yes, understood!"

Together, they walked up the steps and entered the building.

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