Training (1)

Chapter 40- Training (1)

[Deepest parts of the Black Wind Forest]

"You have improved a lot, Jiao'er." Su Mu commented with a smile, sitting atop a tree branch as he looked at Hu Jiao'er.

"Huff... Huff..." Hu Jiao'er panted, her body drenched in sweat.

"Let's end it here for today." Su Mu said, jumping off the tree branch while looking at Hu Jiao'er.

"I can still fight." Hu Jiao'er said, gripping the sword with both her hands and pointing it towards Su Mu.

"But you've already passed the test." Su Mu said with a smile, showing the strand of hair he was holding in his right hand. "You successfully landed a hit on me. Congratulations."

"But it's just a strand of your hair." Hu Jiao'er grumbled, and unlike what she had previously expected, her passing the test wasn't nearly as satisfying as she had thought.

After she asked Su Mu to teach her the Dao of Sword, Su Mu stated that she must first land a hit on him using a sword. During this time, the only thing Su Mu did was occasionally correct her posture while giving her pointers every now and then.

"If you wish to overpower me with the sheer difference in cultivation, then you must first cultivate till the 4th or 5th Stage of Immortal Ascension Realm first." Looking at her unwilling expression, Su Mu chuckled.

'Honestly, she exceeded my expectations.' At first, Su Mu never expected Hu Jiao'er to pass the test so soon, as it had barely been over a week since they started training together.

'I should start training my new body as well. There is only so much I can do while relying solely on the experience from my past, not to mention that my body isn't capable of keeping up with my mind and battle instinct. It's like expecting a newborn child to move similarly to a grown adult.' Su Mu thought, looking at the strand of hair before letting it go.

"We will start your training tomorrow, so let's go back."

Although Hu Jiao'er wanted to stay, she knew her limits.

"I don't get it, how can my True Qi end faster than your Yuan Qi? Isn't True Qi supposed to be stronger than Yuan Qi?" Hu Jiao'er asked, sheathing her sword and hanging it on her waist.

"It's because I can manage my Yuan Qi far more efficiently. Don't worry, you're very talented when it comes to the Dao of Sword, so don't push yourself too hard." Su Mu replied, grabbing her hand as the two walked away.

"You are amazing, even more than Su Yan, or any person I've met in my entire life." Hu Jiao'er complimented from the bottom of her heart.

"Is that so?" Su Mu chuckled. "I'm sure people would consider you much more amazing. After all, you broke through the 6th Stage of True Element Realm."

"I don't care about what other people think." Hu Jiao'er stated. What she cared about was what Su Mu thought of her, rather than some people she barely knew.

The two walked for around 15 minutes, soon arriving at the front of a small wooden house. The size of the wooden house was a bit bigger than the one used by Su Yan at the Black Wind Trade Area.

"I can't believe we're living in the deepest parts of Black Wind Forest and not a single Monster Beast ever approached us, much less a Human." Hu Jiao'er praised.

"Well, I did place a Concealment Array in place. I'd lose a lot of face if the Array couldn't even conceal this place from some Monster Beasts." Su Mu replied. It would've been annoying if Monster Beasts kept bugging them every other day.

Before Hu Jiao'er could reply, a loud voice came from within the wooden house.

"Su Mu, Big Sis." Hu Mei'er stormed out of the wooden house, curiously looking at the two of them. "Big Sis, did you pass the test?"

At her question, Hu Jiao'er nodded. "I did."

Surprised, Hu Mei'er turned towards Su Mu to confirm whether Hu Jiao'er was telling the truth or not.

'You don't trust your elder sister? And you can tell whether I'm lying or not because of the Sibling's Divine Art.' Hu Jiao'er internally grumbled.

Knowing what Hu Jiao'er was thinking about, a sly smile appeared on Hu Mei'er's face. Her sister was so easy to lead around.

"Don't mess with her." Su Mu said, making Hu Mei'er nod with a small smile.

"I'll go clean up first." Hu Jiao'er said, looking at her clothes. Although the sweat has long since disappeared, her clothes were still dirty.

"Has she always been this stubborn?" Su Mu asked, looking at Hu Mei'er.

"Big Sis has always been like that. Once she sets her mind on something, she won't stop until she's satisfied." Hu Mei'er nodded.

"I see."

"But did she seriously land a hit on you? Are you alright?" Hu Mei'er asked, checking Su Mu from top to bottom while circling around him.

"She sure did." Su Mu replied.

After making sure that he was alright, Hu Mei'er stopped in front of him. "But please don't go too hard on Big Sis, although she acts like this, she is very sensitive."

"I won't do anything that will harm her, so don't worry."

"I trust you." Hu Mei'er smiled. "But I'm worried about her pushing herself too hard."

During the day, Hu Jiao'er would train with Su Mu, while during the night, she would cultivate the Siblings Divine Art with Hu Mei'er. Thanks to that, Hu Mei'er was concerned that Hu Jai'er was pushing herself too much.

Su Mu leaned forward, kissing Hu Mei'er.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Jiao'er can manage this much." Su Mu said, patting her head. "And what you should be concerned about is consolidating your foundation. You broke through the 9th Stage of the Qi Transformation Realm yesterday, didn't you?"

"But I'm already done consolidating my realm." Hu Mei'er replied with a smile, and from her expression, it was easy to tell that she wanted to be praised.

Looking at her, Su Mu smiled. "You will break through to the Separation and Reunion Realm soon, so it's better to be prepared. Tomorrow, I will teach you something amazing."

"Really? What will you teach me? I tried learning the Sword Dao, but..." Hu Mei'er asked, her curiosity rising.

When Hu Jiao'er started learning the Dao of Sword from Su Mu, Hu Mei'er also joined them, but she was soon rejected by Su Mu as she lacked both talent and the will to learn it, to begin with, unlike Hu Jiao'er, who was both talented and willing to learn.

A Sword wasn't something one could learn without resolve, no matter how talented the individual was.

"Sword Dao is but many of the paths a cultivator can walk, so don't belittle yourself just because I said you are not suited to learn the Sword Dao, as there are things that only you can do."

"Then what will I learn?" Hu Mei'er asked, happy by the fact that Su Mu was comforting her.

But little did she know, Su Mu only said what he thought was the truth. After all, even though Hu Mei'er lacked the talent for Swords, that didn't mean she wasn't good at any other Dao. Every person had something they were gifted in.

"You will find out tomorrow." At her question, Su Mu just smiled.

---

"Jiao'er, you remember what I previously told you about Sword Qi, right?"

"I do." Hu Jiao'er nodded.

"Then, do you know what a Sword Heart is?"

"Sword Heart? The Dao Heart which is cultivated by those who pursue the Dao of Sword, and it is different from a normal cultivator's Dao Heart." Hu Jiao'er replied without any delay.

'This world's understanding of Sword Heart is too shallow.' Although Su Mu knew about this, he couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.

"Let me explain the main advantages and disadvantages of a Sword Heart to you."

"Advantages and disadvantages?" Hu Jiao'er looked a bit puzzled, but she politely waited for Su Mu's explanation.

'What a nice disciple to have.' Whenever Su Mu was teaching her, Hu Jiao'er would act politely as if she was in the presence of her Honoured Master, unlike how she treated him casually on normal days, something Su Mu found quite adorable.

"Unlike Dao Heart, those who cultivate a Sword Heart will never encounter Heart Demons or Qi Deviation. The Sword Heart depends on a person's firmness and conviction to uphold what they believe is just, and why they hold their Sword." Su Mu stated, shocking Hu Jiao'er.

Heart Demons were a cultivator's greatest enemies. They were all the personification of regrets that a cultivator had, hindering the cultivator on every breakthrough they experience, killing them in most cases. The only way to get rid of a Heart Demon was to solve the regret that Heart Demon was created from, and it was, by no means, an easy task.

Looking at their shocked faces, Su Mu lightly chuckled. "But if they break an oath, or do something that goes against their code of conduct, their Sword Heart will directly shatter. And unlike Dao Hearts, which can be repaired to a certain extent, there is no cure for a broken Sword Heart."

"I see."

"The person with a broken Sword Heart will never grow when it comes to the Dao of Sword. They are, in a sense, abandoned by the Heavens. That's the reason why Sword Cultivators are regarded so highly everywhere. But even after all this, the advantages a Sword Heart offer are undeniable."

After thinking for a while, Hu Jiao'er asked. "I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Is a Sword Heart necessary for someone to cultivate Sword Qi?"

"No." Su Mu shook his head. "Anyone with a bit of understanding can refine their Qi into Sword Qi, and depending on their understanding, the Sword Qi can have various properties." Su Mu explained.

"I see." Hu Jiao'er nodded.

"Why do you wish to learn the Dao of Sword, Jiao'er?"

"To be of help to you, and to protect Mei'er." Hu Jiao'er replied with a resolute expression as she answered instinctively, surprising Su Mu a bit.

'Her reasons to pick a sword are completely opposite to mine. A sword that is used to protect, huh? It is completely different from my sword, a weapon meant solely for killing. But that's good. While hate is a powerful emotion to help one move forward, it leaves the holder empty after it is resolved, like an existence without meaning.' Su Mu thought, smiling a bit.

"Thank you, Jiao'er." Su Mu said.

Realising what she just said, Hu Jiao'er's face slowly turned red as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

The only thing Hu Jiao'er was thankful about was that Hu Mei'er wasn't with them, otherwise, Hu Jiao'er might have passed out from embarrassment.

'I still have around a month to stay here, so should I call Su Yan here as well? It'll be a good for her before she breaks through to the Immortal Ascension Realm. Not to mention, fighting Jiao'er and Su Yan at the same time would be a good exercise for me.' Su Mu thought.

***

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A/N-

I will upload chapters regularly, as I swear upon my Sword Heart.

A short chapter (1900 words?) as I divided it into three parts before Su Mu leaves to get the Soul Warming Lotus. Giggidy.

Anyway, the reason I didn't upload was that I randomly picked a novel and it got me hooked, so I couldn't just stop midway.

After reading about so many evil Mcs on webnovel, it was quite refreshing to read a main character with active morals and who was genuinely a hero without suffering from a hero complex.