Bai Ye left me to meditate in the cave chamber undisturbed. I followed the full cycle of illustrations a few times, pausing and slowing down occasionally to allow my body to adapt, and when I finished, the strange feeling of coldness was gone. Power started pulsing in me, but in an utterly unfamiliar way.

I raised a hand and summoned my spiritual power forward. The glow on my fingertips looked the same as always, pale and purple, yet it felt different, as if it was a different force of its own that didn’t want to succumb to my command. The flicker of light seemed to hiss at me, swaying unsteadily, and I had to fight it hard to keep it under control.

Trust Bai Ye, I told myself. It always takes time for one’s body to get accustomed to new cultivation routines. But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t push away the thought that there was something creepy, something wrong about this technique.

The sun was almost at its peak when I left the chamber and resealed the entrance behind me. The sweet scent of jasmine surrounding the hidden corner was delightful, and it brightened my mood.

I considered for a moment and made my way to Xie Lun’s hall.

~ ~

There was something about the open, undisguised cheerfulness of the young men in this group that called to me. Maybe it was Bai Ye’s reclusive lifestyle, or maybe it was his overly perfect image or his too many secrets, but as much as I wanted to be with him, I never felt completely at ease around him. Not as much as I did around these new friends.

“Yun Qing-er!” Qi Lian ran up to me, brandishing his sword in hand. “I just learned a new move today. Come spar with me, I’ll show it to you!”

“You mean you’ll cut me to pieces with it?” I smiled at his excitement.

“Oh, that’s right … have you fully recovered yet?” Qi Lian looked me up and down. “You seem different today.”

I started at his words. “Different how?” Did he notice anything out of the ordinary?

“More lively, I think,” he scratched his head, “or maybe … more spirited? You look like you can’t wait to use a sword again.” He grinned.

I let out a breath and laughed. “All this just to talk me into sparring. Alright, let’s get to it!”

Qi Lian wasted no time coming at me with his sword. I unsheathed Twin Stars, meeting his attack, and our blades started clashing and ringing like bells. I was careful not to call upon Bai Ye’s spiritual power in my moves, but his strength had inevitably fused with mine to some extent, and I could feel the power coming out of me was much stronger than before. I prayed that no one would notice.

The last time when I practiced with Qi Lian, he had to slow down for me to keep up with his moves. This time, I was amazed that I could counter his advances with ease, and I was even able to lunge a few attacks of my own. The sparring session went on for a lot longer than previously. It only ended when he swept a sideways cut, bringing the edge of his blade against my throat, and I met it with a thrust, the tip of my sword pointing at his chest.

“How did you improve so much in just a week?” Qi Lian marveled at the draw. “I didn’t even get a chance to try my new move!”

“Sadly for you, it doesn’t look like Yun Qing-er will be in your league for much longer.” Xie Lun’s voice came from behind me.

I didn’t realize he had been watching us. “Senior Xie,” I turned around and greeted him, somewhat eager to explain my unexpected progress. “It must be the spiritual power my master transferred to me to help me heal.”

But Xie Lun shook his head. “Like I said last time, your grasp of swordsmanship is superb, and it’s only reasonable that you improve quickly. As to your spiritual power though … I think it might be your swords. You said they were new, didn’t you? Mind if I take a closer look at them?”

I didn’t expect that, but I was more than glad to divert the attention away from my spiritual power. “Yes, I got them less than two weeks ago, and I’m still learning how to use them most efficiently.” I handed him Twin Stars carefully.

Xie Lun ran his forefinger over the blade. “I knew this was an artifact when I first saw it,” he said, half to himself and half to us, “but I didn’t know it’s from such ancient times. I haven’t seen swords this powerful before. Not even in our master’s collection.”

Qi Lian’s eyes widened. “No wonder Yun Qing-er can improve so fast! I heard ancient swords can awaken hidden spiritual power in their wielders.”

Xie Lun nodded. “It’s because of the ancient ways of sword making. Old swordsmiths used to forge spiritual power into the blade itself, and some legendary swords can even carry power of their own.” His eyes landed on Twin Stars again. “I’m not sure just how powerful this pair is, but judging from its build and the signs of age, it was most likely forged during the high classical period when swordsmiths went out of their way trying to create the most powerful weapons ever existed. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of their masterpieces.”

I was speechless. I knew from Bai Ye’s warnings that these swords were precious, but I still had never guessed that they would be among the rarest ancient relics. Bai Ye was an avid lover of swords, and I could only imagine how much these must mean to him.

“Master Bai Ye never told you?” Xie Lun glanced at me. “I’m getting jealous, Yun Qing-er. Swordsmen fight over blades like this to keep in their collections, but your master is willing to give it to you for practice and not even mention to you how priceless it is.”

“It’s not fair,” Qi Lian agreed. “Is this his trick to help you improve quickly and take us by surprise at the tournament?”

I blinked. “Tournament?”

“The tournament of swords next month,” Qi Lian stared at me. “You forgot about it?”

Oh. That one.. I smiled sheepishly, too embarrassed to tell them that, since I had always been so terrible at swords, I never participated in the tournament for the past five years and had totally forgotten it existed.