The Art of the Small Scene

The night, thick as ink, seeped into the small courtyard of the Xuan Nv Sect’s Class B dormitories.

With no evening self-study, the time was entirely for free activities, and laughter occasionally drifted in from outside the windows.

Yet, as the joyful laughter wafted into Lin Mo and Ji Xue’s dormitory, it was immediately crushed by the overwhelming, heavy atmosphere within!

It dropped to the floor with a soft ‘thud,’ utterly pulverized.

It was as if everything beyond their walls belonged to a different world, entirely unrelated to them.

The room remained dim and oppressive, even the pristine moonlight that dared to intrude through the window merely spilled onto the floor, adding only a faint, melancholic glimmer to the gloom.

Lin Mo crouched before Ji Xue’s bed, his voice tinged with a hint of plea, “Your Highness… I was wrong… I truly didn’t mean it. I… I was just… a little too eager, wasn’t I?”

‘It truly wasn’t intentional…’

‘Lin Mo had simply been a little too excited…’

‘Of course, at the time, he hadn’t even known what he was so excited about…’

‘In any case, things had gone awry.’

A brief period of unconsciousness had caused her to lose face entirely! Now, Ji Xue, in a fit of pique, had wrapped herself tightly in her bedding, sulking.

The thick, brocaded quilt had been fashioned into a tight, impenetrable cocoon, from which an occasional slight twitch betrayed the suppressed frustration simmering within.

“Hmph!”

Ji Xue had once again transformed into a small, disgruntled mound.

Lin Mo scratched his head… ‘After all… the whole incident had been my doing.’

‘I had, quite literally, allowed the Imperial Princess to ride upon my shoulders… creating a grand spectacle that only deepened others’ scorn and intensified their disregard for me.’

‘However… I hadn’t anticipated overlooking the combined height of our stacked forms…’

‘While the Imperial Princess had certainly made a grand entrance… alas… it had been a grand, albeit mortifying, display of embarrassment.’

Fortunately, he had fled quickly, and equally fortunate, her skirt had been long enough to prevent it from defying gravity and directly obscuring Ji Xue’s face.

Otherwise…

Nevertheless… it had genuinely surprised Lin Mo to discover that the outwardly formidable Ji Xue was wearing undergarments embroidered with adorable little cat patterns.

‘He had expected a more alluring, mature style.’

“How about… I teach you a few tricks? Aren’t you quite interested in physical combat techniques? I’ve always felt that the way you utilized your spiritual energy during our fight on the first day was incorrect.”

The mound stiffened abruptly.

“…None of your business!” The voice emanating from within the quilt was muffled, as if something was obstructing it, yet Ji Xue still strove to maintain a semblance of sharpness.

‘How dare he…’

‘…even presume to comment on my martial prowess?’

‘What kind of ‘Qi’ state was that even?’

Lin Mo, however, had anticipated this reaction. Unfazed, he continued speaking, addressing himself more than her, “Spiritual energy spread across the entire body—it appears to offer full defense, but what’s the reality?”

“It’s pure waste.”

“It’s like trying to move a steamed bun you can easily pick up with two fingers, but instead, you waste your strength to rearrange the entire table. Am I wrong?”

A faint rustle emanated from within the quilt, suggesting Ji Xue was fiercely clenching her fists inside.

“Silence! How dare a lowly rogue cultivator like you presume to comment on the profound foundations of the Royal Martial Archives!” Her voice rose several pitches.

Despite her words, the small mound subtly shifted, inching closer to him, clearly eager to hear more.

“Indeed…” Lin Mo sighed deliberately, “Since Her Imperial Highness has no desire to listen, I suppose I’ll simply have to talk to myself.” His voice, neither loud nor soft, cut through the quiet room with exceptional clarity.

He subtly shifted, moving closer to the bedside, ensuring his words would more easily penetrate the brocaded ‘cocoon’.

“During our Qi Condensation stage, when the Sea of Qi first opens, that meager spiritual energy is akin to a precious, limited copper coin in the hands of a toddler just learning to walk. Why do the senior disciples in our sect appear so nimble, their movements light, their fists and feet generating gusts of wind? It’s not entirely because their spiritual energy is more abundant than ours; rather, they’ve long since moved past the stage of ‘scattering beans.’” Lin Mo’s voice grew calm, imbued with the certainty of a clear-sighted observer.

“Spiritual energy covering the entire body—it sounds imposing, shimmering golden like an armored divine general. Yet, the meager spiritual energy of the Qi Condensation stage is spread thinner than paper. You try to defend everywhere, but what’s the outcome? It’s like armor made of thin paper; it looks flawless, yet it’s utterly fragile. Even a moderately powerful attack can, with a mere ‘snap,’ pierce straight through you.

Lin Mo gestured with his fingers, illustrating the image of that thin layer of spiritual energy being punctured. “With your strength dispersed, how can you possibly have the power to reinforce the areas you truly need? Fighting, after all, is about who strikes first, and who lands a blow on a vital point, isn’t it? No matter how evenly you distribute your defense, if someone punches you in the solar plexus or taps your Sea of Qi, can that thin layer of spiritual energy across your entire body truly withstand it?”

The ‘bug’ within the quilt seemed to cease its wriggling; even the previously suppressed breathing softened, as if holding its breath to listen intently.

‘Believe what Lin Mo is about to say, for example,’

“Consider this: the thick brocaded quilt on the bed. Your Highness, if you wrap yourself tightly in it, covering yourself from head to toe, do you feel warm?”

“Warm, yes.”

“But if your sole aim is to warm your hands, wouldn’t it be cumbersome and exhausting? Perhaps even making you feel hot and irritable?”

He patted the thick corner of the quilt. “The same principle applies to combat. Spiritual energy is your warmth. You must precisely direct it to the areas that require the most heat, or where it needs to erupt with thermal energy, rather than sparsely wasting it across every inch of your skin. That meager warmth wouldn’t even kill a mosquito. Moreover, it forces you to expend considerable effort controlling the force across your entire body, ultimately hindering your speed.”

“Nonsense!”

A muffled thud finally resonated from within the quilt again, though its sharpness was noticeably weaker than before. “This Imperial Princess follows renowned masters! Since the rise of our dynasty, successive Imperial Princesses have cultivated in this very manner! How could it possibly be wrong? Do you truly believe you understand more than those esteemed masters and great cultivators?”

However, as the last word was uttered, the bulging spot at the top of the quilt subtly deflated, as if the head within had drawn back, more akin to resisting the acknowledgment of a certain allure.

‘You yourself are taught by renowned masters, yet you couldn’t defeat this fellow… so what power do those words truly hold?’

“Great figures possess cultivation methods suited to them, and lesser individuals have methods suited to them.”

“Your Highness, renowned masters naturally understand far more than I do, but one must also consider the practical circumstances, rather than simply adhering to theory.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your Highness. If you had no need to leave the palace, then naturally, you wouldn’t require such minor techniques as mine; following your renowned masters’ instructions would suffice. However, since you have arrived at the Xuan Nv Sect and joined the Hall of Clarity, your opponents are no longer the sparring partners who merely sought to curry favor with you, fearing your injury. Instead, they are… true adversaries.”

“True adversaries?”

“Everyone here fights and competes desperately for better rankings, superior resources, and more esteemed masters. There is no need for flattery here; only full-strength attacks are required.”

“Under such circumstances, your methods must change.”

“It’s like a duel between mortals devoid of spiritual energy: two individuals with identical conditions and physiques, yet different weapons.”

“In our first scenario, let’s imagine a vast outdoor space. One person wields a longsword, while the other possesses merely a palm-sized dagger.”

‘A dagger.’

“Your Highness, do you believe the chances of victory would be greater for the one with the dagger?”

“The longsword, of course! Do you take me for a fool?”

“Now, under the same conditions, let’s change the setting again. In a confined space, where the distance between two people is merely two or three steps, who would emerge victorious?”

“What if we then consider differences in height, build, and weight?”

“What about proficiency with their weapons?”

“I believe Your Highness understands now.”

Lin Mo leaned against Ji Xue’s headboard, recalling the various novels, martial arts films, and combat experiences he had absorbed.

“Adapting to local conditions could also be applied to people. Renowned masters address grand scenarios, while our techniques are suited for smaller, more intimate ones.”

“One cannot be so rigid.”

As he spoke, Lin Mo rose to his feet, stretching his limbs, his bones emitting a series of faint cracks.

“I had intended to demonstrate for Your Highness… but it seems Her Highness is not interested, so I’ll just go to sleep. Rest up for now~”

With that, Lin Mo moved to lie down on his own bed.

The ‘little demon’ struggled for a moment, the last vestiges of her temper and Ji Xue’s pride, which Lin Mo had so thoroughly humiliated, still stubbornly holding out.

However, the yearning to grow stronger, like a suppressed kitten’s paw, scratched at her heart with unbearable intensity.

Finally, she abruptly threw off the quilt.

She sprang out of bed, barefoot, her skirt even caught somewhere, revealing the little cat patterns without her even realizing.

“Stop babbling! Show me!”

Her eyes wide, her cheeks still flushed,

‘How to put it… this undeniable exposure was quite… impactful.’

Lin Mo’s face reddened, and he wasted no more words.

He gently helped her free her skirt, then stood up.

‘However, seeing the cat…’

‘He felt that Ji Xue, this fellow, was quite like a cat herself.’

‘If she had cat ears and a tail, her hands-on-hips stance would make her resemble one even more.’

“Your Highness, if you combine the character for ‘mouth’ (口) with the character for ‘read’ (念)…”

“Meow?”

“Ah~ Your Highness truly is very much like a cat, isn’t she?”

“Insolent wretch!”

Furious, Ji Xue directly slammed a heavy punch onto Lin Mo’s back.

‘This scoundrel dared to tease her!’

‘If only she weren’t currently unable to defeat him, she would surely pin him to the ground and pummel him!’

‘But just wait until she finished learning from him!’