Martial arts club

The moment Shangguan Xue stepped onto the third floor, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Junior Sister, you’re here!” The very disciple who had pitched the club to her earlier that day reappeared.

Since the other girl had addressed her as ‘Junior Sister,’ Shangguan Xue reciprocated, playing along. “Greetings, Senior Sister.”

Simultaneously, a thought grumbled in her mind: ‘If those four found out I was calling someone else ‘sister,’ they’d probably beat me senseless.’

“Mhm, great!” The girl beamed, introducing herself. “My name is Dugu Ling.”

‘It’s you…’ Shangguan Xue froze for a moment, then quickly introduced herself. “My name is Shangguan Xue.”

She recalled Dugu Ling being Ziyan’s student, one who had perished alongside the enemy during the fall of the Central Continent.

“Senior Sister, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Me? I’m fourteen, almost fifteen.”

“What cultivation realm are you currently in, Senior Sister?” Shangguan Xue inquired, subtly trying to build rapport, despite having already sensed Dugu Ling was in the Carefree Realm.

“The Carefree Realm.”

“And Senior Sister… how long did it take you to reach that realm?”

“A year and a half,” Dugu Ling declared, a note of pride in her voice.

‘That’s quite good. Achieving the Carefree Realm in a year and a half means there’s a high probability of reaching the Nirvana Realm. As for progressing further, that will depend on fortune.’

‘Generally, reaching the Carefree Realm within three years is considered normal, allowing for continued advancement. Failing to reach it within three years, however, usually means one’s progress will halt there for life.’

‘Reaching the Carefree Realm in two years or even a year and a half indicates immense potential.’

‘The fastest to ascend to the Carefree Realm was probably Shi Ledong. Sister Dong only took a year.’

‘However, Sister Dong’s innate spiritual energy was already at the Consciousness Condensation Realm, making her cultivation speed an unreliable benchmark.’

Trailing behind Dugu Ling, Shangguan Xue voiced a question that had been lingering in her mind.

“I noticed, Senior Sister, that you’ve been inviting many people to join the Martial Arts Club…”

“Well, the previous president, along with many of our senior sisters and brothers, graduated,” Dugu Ling explained. “So now, I’m the president.”

Dugu Ling puffed out her chest with pride, completely oblivious to Shangguan Xue’s peculiar gaze, which silently critiqued, ‘The president herself is out doing sales?’

“That’s why we need to recruit more people, otherwise this place will simply be deserted.”

As she spoke, Dugu Ling pushed open a door, revealing the Martial Arts Club’s activity hall.

The floor was paved with pale silver flagstones, which Shangguan Xue immediately recognized as Starflame Stone, capable of withstanding the full force of a Life Comprehension Realm practitioner’s attack.

Along the shelves lining both sides of the room, an array of weapons lay displayed for selection: sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks, crescent-moon spears, staffs, lances, rods, whips, maces, hammers, claws, crutches, and even meteor hammers.

Armored wooden dummies were scattered throughout the room, evidently serving as training targets.

“This is the sparring hall,” Dugu Ling announced. She then pushed open another door, revealing a desk laden with brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. “And this is the study.”

Gazes into the study, Shangguan Xue exerted every ounce of her self-control to keep her composure from crumbling.

For there, she saw a painting depicting none other than the Martial Saint, standing resolute with a saber, a nine-tailed fox companion at her side.

Beneath the portrait stood a small statue—also of the Martial Saint herself.

‘I know you’re my fan club, but I’m still alive; there’s no need to enshrine me like this!’

‘And what’s with that painting? Only me and Jia Nan? You’re a subordinate academy of the Ink Pavilion! Isn’t this a massive slap in the face to the Lord of the Pavilion?’

The Martial Saint, in her youthful guise, let out a silent, internal roar.

“Is something wrong?” Dugu Ling asked, noticing Shangguan Xue’s prolonged silence.

“Nothing at all,” Shangguan Xue replied, taking a deep breath and rubbing her stiff cheeks. “What about that room over there?” She gestured towards the last room on the third floor.

“The storeroom.”

‘Alright, a student club actually has a storeroom…’ Shangguan Xue’s lips twitched slightly as she turned to Dugu Ling.

“Senior Sister, if one wishes to enter the treasure vault, what kind of assessment is required?”

“It’s simple,” Dugu Ling declared with a dismissive wave of her hand. “One must withstand three moves from the president—which is me, currently.”

Shangguan Xue nearly stared with the blank, dead eyes of a fish.

While she could undoubtedly withstand Dugu Ling’s three moves, that didn’t mean she found the assessment itself reasonable.

‘Girl, you’re in the Carefree Realm…’

‘Do you even know why the Carefree, Nirvana, and Creation Realms are hailed as the Three Great Realms? It’s because, compared to the preceding realms, they represent a qualitative leap!’

‘Without a trump card that transcends their current power, a Consciousness Condensation Realm practitioner couldn’t even withstand a single move from someone in the Carefree Realm.’

‘In other words, those capable of passing this assessment are, in all likelihood, already in the Carefree Realm. And those in the Carefree Realm are already permitted to enter the treasure vault!’

Shangguan Xue struggled to suppress her urge to openly mock the absurdity.

“I know, it’s a bit harsh,” Dugu Ling conceded, much to Shangguan Xue’s surprise. “But the Dean said that anyone who can enter the treasure vault, even if not quite in the Carefree Realm, should be very close.”

‘The Dean said? I’m going to report this to the Main Pavilion! I’m going to tell the Lord of the Pavilion!’

The Martial Saint roared internally, then, after a brief moment of silence, posed a new question.

“Has anyone actually completed this assessment before?”

“Yes, quite a few, actually,” Dugu Ling replied with a smile. “You can borrow a few spirit treasures from the storeroom.” She paused, then added, “Just remember to return them after the assessment.”

‘Borrow spirit treasures? A student club like yours would at most have seventh-grade ones, wouldn’t it?’

‘However, spirit treasures are indeed incredibly useful. And it sounds like there’s no limit on the quantity… If a Consciousness Condensation Realm practitioner wields three or four, their own strength would be significantly bolstered, potentially allowing them to withstand three moves from a Carefree Realm expert.’

While Shangguan Xue was mentally calculating, Dugu Ling’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.

“If you want to enter the treasure vault, you can wait until next year, once you’ve advanced to the Consciousness Condensation Realm.”

‘By the time I reach the Consciousness Condensation Realm, Luo Jin will probably have already claimed the fortuitous encounter.’

‘But now that Taiming is gone, can he still get in?’

‘He probably can; his luck is still strong.’

‘Still, there’s no need to rush too much… The treasure vault won’t open until the end of the year anyway. I can sort out the assessment then.’

Though these thoughts swirled within her, Shangguan Xue merely nodded outwardly, indicating, “I understand.” She then shifted the conversation.

“Senior Sister, how many members does our Martial Arts Club currently have?”

“Hmm…” Dugu Ling began to count on her fingers. “Including you and another new student, we have four people now.”

‘Four people, and you’re still counting? What’s there to count? Did you dump all your skill points into cultivation and none into mathematics?’

Shangguan Xue felt a surge of exasperation, like a mouthful of old blood constricting her chest. Had she not been so frugal, unwilling to waste even a drop, she would have surely spat it out by now.

“Oh, she’s here,” Dugu Ling remarked, waving a hand behind Shangguan Xue. “Junior Sister, over here!”

Shangguan Xue turned her head, her gaze falling upon the girl from her class who had acquired the Saint-grade spirit art.

“Greetings, Senior Sister,” the girl said as she approached. “My name is Qin Yueyan.”

‘Another one?’ Shangguan Xue sighed internally. She also recognized this name: Shi Ledong’s student, who had perished in a mutual destruction with three powerful Nightmare race experts.

Shangguan Xue began to wonder whether these people admired her actual strength or her self-sacrificing spirit.