The Ability Core and the intricate patterns of the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram, through a delicate dance of ebb and flow, finally reached a harmonious equilibrium.
Huang Xiu gently activated her ability.
The very next second.
The White Lotus Contemplation Diagram, previously confined to the realms of her mind, materialized out of thin air, hovering beside her Ability Core.
A colossal pillar of water, reminiscent of a dragon drawing from the sea, surged upwards, channeling directly into the White Lotus Contemplation Diagram.
Each individual drop was a tangible condensation of Void Energy.
These droplets were meticulously drawn from the vast ocean of Void Energy by the pillar, then poured from below onto the diagram.
Upon contact, they instantly merged, transforming into a thick, solid white shell that encased the diagram.
As the water pillar continued its ceaseless irrigation, the white shell grew progressively thicker, gradually forming a white disc with the contemplation diagram at its heart.
This white disc was her Chakra.
At this moment.
Both the Ability Core and the Chakra floated together upon the ocean of Void Energy, akin to the sun and moon.
“Teacher said that in ancient times, the Chakra was called a Golden Core. It seems I can now consider myself a Golden Core cultivator.”
Huang Xiu opened her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.
With the completion of her Chakra today, her journey as an Awakened individual had finally begun in earnest.
From now on, once she fully grasped the architecture of the refining arts, she would be able to engrave her own combat system.
Due to the extensive extraction of Void Energy to forge her Chakra, Huang Xiu’s complexion was a little pale, and she occasionally felt a wave of weakness wash over her.
However, this did not deter her from proudly shaking her head and swaying her body.
‘I laugh at the class monitor’s lack of wisdom, and the study committee member’s poor strategy. My progress must undoubtedly be the best in class.’
Tian Rong might have been the first to learn the Forging Method.
However, his Void Energy would certainly not meet the standard for forging a Chakra without two or three more weeks of diligent practice.
As for the others, there was no need to even mention them.
As it turned out, Huang Xiu’s conjecture was not mistaken.
On Monday of the fifth week, no news spread throughout the class of anyone else successfully forging their Chakra.
Her progress had successfully surpassed Tian Rong’s, securing her the top spot in the class.
As a reward, Huang Xiu allowed herself to revel in pride for an entire day.
She also did not keep this a secret, informing her teacher and successfully earning praise from Teacher Wen Zhidie.
This filled her heart with immense joy.
However, by the next day, Tuesday, Huang Xiu had already cast the matter from her mind.
As if nothing had happened, she continued her cultivation diligently, following her routine.
Cultivation was a marathon without an end; one needed to run not only fast but also for a long time.
Now that she was temporarily the front-runner, she ought to persevere even more.
The curriculum for the fifth week did not differ much from the fourth.
Cultivation, theoretical knowledge, and practical training were all still in full swing.
However, as students in the class completed their basic moves one after another, combat class entered a new chapter, moving into advanced techniques and sparring.
It was still the same group of teaching assistants, and Huang Xiu’s opponent remained Senior Female Student Wen Erya.
This time, Huang Xiu wielded a wooden spear, while Wen Erya carried a broad-backed wooden saber.
Huang Xiu extended her right foot, lightly stepping forward, shifting her center of gravity downwards, and planting her left foot firmly.
She held the spear with both hands at her waist.
Across from her, Wen Erya stood lazily, holding the wooden saber in her right hand.
She displayed no discernible saber stance.
Yet, Huang Xiu knew that this meant the senior female student had completely mastered the saber techniques, integrating them into every move.
She no longer needed to adopt a stance to exert power and attack, unlike Huang Xiu herself.
‘To better execute her moves.’
‘I didn’t expect that Senior Female Student would specialize in the saber.’
She narrowed her eyes, observing Senior Female Student Wen Erya, trying to catch any potential openings.
“Though I study the saber, I don’t use it often. My primary means of attack are my fists and feet,” Wen Erya stated, making no effort to conceal her skills.
Her mood today seemed less than ideal.
Though her tone was as gentle as before, there was an underlying impatience, and after only a few sentences, she barked:
“Come on, Junior Female Student, let’s see how much you’ve improved during this time!”
Huang Xiu was somewhat puzzled, only able to guess in her heart that perhaps the senior female student was on her period, which explained her mood.
“Alright!” she responded loudly.
She stepped forward, pushing the butt of the wooden spear with her right hand.
The long spear thrust forward along her waistline.
The speed was extremely fast, and the force was incredibly potent.
Her two weeks of diligent practice on basic moves were fully displayed in this single strike.
Even with a wooden spear, a direct hit from this thrust would cause injury.
Huang Xiu was only daring enough to attack so unreservedly because she knew Senior Female Student Wen Erya’s physique was incredibly strong.
“Excellent!” Senior Female Student Wen Erya’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint brewing within them.
The thrust came incredibly fast.
Yet, to her, it was merely normal speed, and she narrowly dodged by shifting her body to the side.
Huang Xiu, however, aimed for the middle of the spear, intending to break the wooden weapon and give her junior female student a small taste of defeat.
But just then, Huang Xiu tightened her grip on the spear butt with her right hand, and with her left hand gripping the shaft, she swung forcefully.
The long spear seamlessly transitioned from a thrust to a horizontal sweep.
This move was not fully committed, nor was all her strength expended—Huang Xiu always adhered to Teacher Yuan’s teachings, and while this thrust appeared powerful, she had reserved a fraction of strength for a potential change in attack.
The sweeping spear shaft would undoubtedly strike Wen Erya’s waist and send her flying before the saber could descend.
In Huang Xiu’s estimation, the senior female student had only two paths: change her move to block or withdraw to dodge.
Regardless of her choice, Huang Xiu had a follow-up ready.
And sure enough, Wen Erya chose to change her move, immediately blocking the strike with her arm across her waist.
She recoiled backward from the impact.
Huang Xiu, seizing the moment, immediately pulled back the still trembling spear, preparing to launch another attack while her opponent was unsteady.
However, this pull was met with immense resistance.
She focused her gaze, seeing a delicate hand, nails painted red, gripping the front end of the spear shaft tightly.
Her eyes moved upwards to meet Senior Female Student Wen Erya’s smiling lips and red eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes.
Huang Xiu’s heart sank.
The next second, another surge of immense force pulled at her hand.
Still clinging to the idea of holding onto her weapon, she didn’t have time to let go and was pulled forward by an irresistible force.
She stumbled several steps forward, and just as she closed the distance, her feet were swept out from under her, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Her gaze fell upon a lacquered wooden saber descending towards her neck.
She immediately shouted, “I surrender!”
The wooden saber froze above her neck, less than ten centimeters away.
Huang Xiu swallowed hard, looking up, and met Senior Female Student Wen Erya’s merciless eyes, feeling even more panicked.
‘A fake senior female student appeared; how terrifying!’
If she hadn’t known this was just sparring and that the saber wouldn’t actually cut, she might have thought Senior Female Student Wen Erya was going to decapitate her!
“Haha, Senior Female Student is truly strong.” Lying on the ground, Huang Xiu reached out to the still slightly dazed Wen Erya.
Seemingly realizing her expression had lost its composure, Wen Erya’s eyes softened with a hint of apology.
She pulled Huang Xiu up from the ground.
“My apologies, I wasn’t in a good mood, so I might have overexerted myself.”
“It’s fine, it’s just sparring. Injuries are normal,” Huang Xiu said magnanimously, without any hint of anger.
“Junior Female Student, your spear techniques are excellent; you have a great talent. If I hadn’t used a surprise move, I might have truly fallen into your trap,” Wen Erya commented seriously.
She wasn’t praising her against her will out of apology; everything she said was the truth.
If it weren’t for her rich combat experience, seizing the moment when the horizontal spear sweep was at its slowest point of retraction to grab the shaft, this sparring match wouldn’t have ended so quickly.
It might have taken considerable effort to defeat Huang Xiu afterward.
Moreover, that grab was actually a manifestation of her hand-to-hand combat skills, which could be said to have violated the spirit of weapon sparring.
“Really? That’s great!” Huang Xiu rubbed her head, a joyful expression on her face.
She had always considered her talent in spear arts to be quite good.
But if even a senior female student, whom Teacher Yuan had personally invited to be an assistant, praised her, then it must be true.
“The long spear can attack and defend, making it the king of all weapons. Junior Female Student, your talent with the long spear is not low; you can continue practicing it indefinitely.”
After Wen Erya finished speaking, the two continued to spar for a long time, only stopping when Huang Xiu was utterly exhausted.
Throughout these sparring sessions, Huang Xiu never won once.
However, several times she gained an early advantage in the initial exchanges by maintaining excellent control over the spear’s range.
Furthermore, every lesson learned from defeat during sparring was quickly reviewed and absorbed by Huang Xiu, then applied to the next round.
The same move could hardly ever be effective against her a second time.
At this point, even Wen Erya, with her remarkable talent in hand-to-hand combat, could only inwardly sigh, acknowledging that the junior female student indeed possessed extraordinary talent with the long spear.
“Thank you for your guidance today, Senior Female Student!”
Miss Xiu lay panting on the small elevated platform of the training room floor, her white short-sleeved shirt soaked through with sweat.
Fortunately, the pure cotton material was opaque, preventing any accidental exposure.
“It’s my duty,” Wen Erya said with a smile. “And sparring with you, Junior Female Student, has also helped my saber techniques improve a little.”
The two lay side by side, head to head.
Huang Xiu could see the senior female student’s beautiful face with just a turn of her head, and seeing the faint smile on Wen Erya’s face now.
She couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful, long-legged, and kind-hearted the senior female student truly was.
‘Well, except when she’s on her period,’ Huang Xiu secretly added in her mind.
To be honest, if she were still a man, she might genuinely fall for such a senior female student after prolonged contact.
‘I wonder if Senior Female Student has a boyfriend…’
Even if she didn’t, there must be many pursuing her.
“Senior Female Student, are you feeling a little better now?” Huang Xiu asked with a smile, pillowing her head with her hands.
Class was almost over, and she had no more desire to practice, so she simply chatted with the senior female student to pass the time.
“Better, yes, but…” Wen Erya turned her head, looking at Huang Xiu’s profile. “Not completely better.”
Huang Xiu chuckled, “What’s wrong? Did someone make you unhappy, Senior Female Student? Tell me, I’ll beat them up for you.”
“Are you talking about yourself? Are you going to beat yourself up?” Wen Erya joked.
Then, without waiting for Huang Xiu to reply, she added, “Actually, it’s a person. They rejected my invitation, which made me a bit annoyed.”
‘Rejected an invitation…’ Huang Xiu’s gossip radar immediately activated.
“Was it a man or a woman?” she asked curiously.
“A man.” Wen Erya glanced at Huang Xiu. ‘Your little nickname no longer bothers me.’
‘You’re even gossiping about your senior female student.’
Huang Xiu smiled, “So, what’s the relationship? Is it Senior Female Student’s boyfriend?”
“While it’s true many people pursue me, I don’t actually have a boyfriend right now!” Wen Erya sighed.
Huang Xiu’s eyes darted. “Is it someone you like?”
She had been prepared for Senior Female Student Wen Erya not to answer, but the other party smiled calmly and said, “Yes.”
This completely exceeded Huang Xiu’s expectations.
Her gossip spirit immediately ignited like gasoline poured on a fire, burning fiercely and inextinguishably.
“Who is it?” she immediately asked.
Senior Female Student Wen Erya was ranked fourth on the list of enchanting beauties.
She was an existence even Huang Xiu couldn’t shake.
Such an individual actually had a crush, and after actively inviting them, was rejected!
It was said that a man pursuing a woman was like climbing a mountain, but a woman pursuing a man was like tearing a veil!
Who exactly was this mysterious person Senior Female Student Wen Erya liked?
How could they resist Senior Female Student Wen Erya’s active pursuit?
Huang Xiu grew increasingly curious.
“A man.” Wen Erya smiled. “My cute junior female student, you don’t think I’d tell you, do you? You’re far too naive!”
Huang Xiu was speechless.
“Besides, it’s not fair that you’ve been asking all the questions,” Wen Erya said softly. “If you want to hear, you’ll have to trade with your own gossip.”
‘But I… don’t have any gossip to tell you.’
Huang Xiu was as pure as ice and jade; where would she get gossip to tell others?
Asking that was worse than asking about the color of her underwear…
“Forget it.”
Wen Erya waved her hand. “I can tell from your expression. You’ve never been in a relationship, have you?”
As someone who had been single for seventeen years since birth, and remained single despite changing genders twice, Huang Xiu was precisely hit where it hurt.
“You must have had a crush, right?”
“I used to, but not anymore!” Huang Xiu shook her head.
She was telling the truth.
She used to have a crush on Fang Miaoging, but now that she had become a girl and grown closer to Fang Miaoging, after the filter had completely shattered, she truly couldn’t have a crush anymore.
Wen Erya seemed surprised by Huang Xiu’s answer, unsure how to respond.
After a long pause, she continued, “Alright, then it’s no fun. Let’s end the gossip investigation here.”
“Okay…” Huang Xiu felt a pang of reluctance. She still hadn’t found out who the senior female student liked!
They chatted casually for a while longer. Class hadn’t ended yet, but somehow the topic veered towards studies.
“Oh, by the way, I heard you went on a mission a few weekends ago, Junior Female Student?”
“That’s truly remarkable!” she said casually.
“You even knew about that, Senior Female Student?” Huang Xiu, embarrassed by the praise, scratched her head. “It was mainly because of the excellent senior male student leading; otherwise, how would I have the ability to go on missions?”
“Yun Ning is indeed very outstanding.” Wen Erya nodded, then asked as if by chance, “You and Yun Ning are so close and have spent so much time together, do you like Yun Ning?”
“Don’t be shy, Junior Female Student, just tell me the truth. I can help you.” She brushed her hair back with one hand, covering her eyes as she did so. “My relationship with Yun Ning is quite good.”
“Like Yun Ning? How is that possible?!” Huang Xiu’s voice rose slightly. “He and I are just fellow disciples; we’re just friends.”