Underground Cave

**Underground Cavern**

After cleaning the classroom, Su Qing didn’t linger. Grabbing her books, she left. Today, she had morning classes, an afternoon shift at the tea shop, an evening literacy class, and still hadn’t practiced her sword forms or completed her body refinement tasks.

She braced for a late-night study session.

She jogged to the Sword Tomb cliff, counting it as endurance training. It wasn’t enough—she planned to squeeze in more after sword practice if time allowed.

Building on yesterday’s foundation, she picked up the basic sword forms faster. But aiming for precision, with rests, it took five and a half hours.

Her self-imposed standard prioritized accuracy over speed—each set needed a 90% success rate, no less. Her body had to memorize correct movements, not sloppy ones.

Thirsty near the end, she sipped from her water bottle, missing the faintly spiritual tea from the shop. Free was always better.

After finishing, she rested under a plum tree, reciting ten cycles of the *Clear Mind Technique* before leaving.

It was midnight. Fortunately, the dorm had no curfew. Exhausted, she trudged back, the moon trailing her.

Passing the Sword Testing Grove, she felt a chill. Snowflakes landed in her palm, like salt grains or tiny hail.

Quietly, she approached the bamboo grove and saw Tianning practicing.

Watching silently, Su Qing left without disturbing, rubbing her sore shoulders.

Tianning’s swordsmanship far surpassed hers, and she trained even longer. Su Qing rarely saw her at the dorm—only her used toiletries confirmed she returned. If not for that, Su Qing might’ve thought she never came back.

Everyone had their training methods. Tianning’s intensity was beyond Su Qing’s current capacity. Sword and body training alone nearly broke her. Without the *Clear Mind Technique* channeling spiritual qi to nourish her body, she’d collapse daily.

Maybe it was psychological, but she felt her sensitivity to spiritual qi had deepened slightly. Though invisible and intangible, she sensed it faintly.

At this rate, she might achieve inner vision soon.

Inner vision meant seeing one’s spiritual roots and channels. Guiding external qi through them into the body was qi induction, marking official entry into the Qi Refining stage.

Dinner was rushed—a flatbread eaten on the go. She wasn’t satisfied, now starving. A storage artifact for food would be ideal.

Back at the dorm, hungry and exhausted, she washed and collapsed on her bed, nearly fainting. Tianning wasn’t back. Tang Yueling, as usual, meditated with a spirit stone, absorbing qi instead of sleeping.

The sword rack remained empty—Red Rust Sword still missing. With stubborn willpower, Su Qing reviewed her stick-figure sword notes and literacy materials, then slept reciting the *Clear Mind Technique*.

Tomorrow, she’d keep up the grind.

—

No classes today. The Sword Sect’s 60-year first-year cycle allowed a relaxed schedule.

Otherwise, yesterday’s frenzy would’ve left her too drained to function.

She planned to sleep in but was woken by familiar laughter.

Clearly, visitors were at the dorm.

It seemed an outing was planned. Tang Qimei, Xueshan, and Shitao, dressed stunningly, were helping Tang Yueling pick clothes.

“Yueling, let’s all wear flowing immortal skirts! This pomegranate red one suits your skin perfectly.”

“How about a phoenix-tail hairpin? This coral-wrapped pearl one’s gorgeous, or this red jade crabapple—Lingbao Pavilion’s seasonal exclusive. Guan and Qiu clans will be there; we’ve got to outshine them!”

“Shitao, how old are you, still so competitive?”

“Who cares? Yueling loves me like this!”

Su Qing sat up, checking her Lingpass. Seven a.m.—tolerable for visitors. Tianning’s bed was empty, as expected.

Tang Yueling and Tianning’s relationship remained frosty. They didn’t fight but ignored each other, never exchanging words. Tianning’s rare dorm presence kept things from getting too awkward.

Su Qing got along decently with both, managing a sentence or two. But closeness? Unlikely. Tang Yueling had her social circle, and Tianning cared little for relationships. No spark for bonding existed.

Strangers under one roof—that was it.

A Lingpass notification pinged.

One message.

Excited by a possibility, Su Qing quickly approved the contact.

After washing up, the sender replied.

It was Xu Jiuxing, a second-year from Baiyu Pavilion, who’d seen Su Qing’s meal delivery flyers. She asked if Su Qing was free at noon to deliver food for twelve to the Body Sect’s underground cavern.

The cavern required a pass, but hers worked. The distance and tricky location raised the price: five seeds per person, sixty total.

Su Qing hadn’t expected business so soon, especially matching a day’s tea shop pay. With no morning classes, the long trek could double as endurance training, and twelve meals as strength training.

Earning while training—she agreed instantly.

Xu Jiuxing promptly transferred the meal funds, detailing each person’s order.

Su Qing took a monthly qi-replenishing pill. Two days in, no changes—she treated it like a daily vitamin.

Grabbing her Lingpass, literacy book, and bamboo sword, she left the laughter behind. Her day was packed: breakfast, half her sword practice, early lunch, queue for twelve meals, deliver, then tea shop shift. No literacy class tonight, but she’d study to surpass the beasts’ level.

Oh, and prepare a dog-friendly literacy guide for Yuanbao. A rare earning chance—she had to seize it.

—

After half her sword practice, Su Qing dashed to the cafeteria.

Since the semester started, it grew busier daily. Meal times meant long lines; latecomers risked no seats.

Arriving early, she queued quickly, ordering twelve meals per Xu Jiuxing’s list. Body cultivators ate huge portions—her bamboo basket couldn’t hold them. She borrowed two more from the kitchen auntie.

Backpack stuffed, two smaller baskets in hand, she headed to the Body Sect.

Knowing her poor sense of direction, she left early. The heavy load and long route counted as strength and endurance training.

From the main peak’s cafeteria, it took fifty minutes to reach the Body Sect’s mountain.

It was large but unremarkable—no fiery peaks or gruesome training scenes as she’d imagined.

The wind was unusually strong, whipping her hair and tightening her face. Maybe that’s why the grass was short and tough, like stubble on a shaved head, oddly springy.

The cavern entrance was subtle, not an obvious cave. The only hint was a mountain opening, with a bed standing upright a hundred meters ahead.

A standing bed—bizarre.

Who’d seen a bed like that? It wasn’t evolving to walk, was it? Too creepy.

And after all this time, not a soul in sight.

Su Qing carefully set the baskets on a rock, looking around. “Senior Sister? Xu Jiuxing?”

Only the valley’s howling wind answered.

“I’ve got the tea shop this afternoon,” she muttered. “Where is everyone?”

She messaged Xu Jiuxing: [Senior Sister, I’m here. Where are you?]

Three seconds passed.

As if in response, a human-shaped object shot from the cave, crashing into the standing bed with a *bang*.

It bounced off, tumbling far, writhing and crawling.

Su Qing jumped back, startled.

It was a person!

Like a pea from a peashooter, they’d been spat out, hitting the bed a hundred meters away.

So that’s what the bed was for.

The crawling figure grabbed a rock, stood, wiped blood from her face, and grinned. “Yo, Junior Sister, I’m here. Came to find you.”

Su Qing realized: she’d been launched on purpose.

Awkwardly, she said, “Hello, Senior Sister. I brought the food. Check if it’s right.”

“No worries, I trust you. Leave it there.”

Xu Jiuxing flashed white teeth, pulling two spirit stones from a tattered storage bag. “For you—thanks for the effort. Eaten yet? If not, grab food.”

Two stones—200 seeds—far too much.

Su Qing refused. “Thanks, but we agreed on sixty seeds. I stick to my rates. If some pay more, others less, it’s hard to balance.”

Clear accounts were best—set rates prevented exploitation.

If she took extra now, what if someone shorted her later? Accept or not?

Xu Jiuxing laughed. “Fine, as you say. I’ve no seeds—Lingpass transfer okay?”

“Of course.” As she transferred, Su Qing asked curiously, “Is that cave the underground cavern? Is it for body refinement?”

As a fellow disciple, Xu Jiuxing explained freely. “It’s the cavern. Looks like a cave, but it slopes downward. Inside, gale winds—spiritual qi currents—grow fiercer deeper in, enhancing refinement. Seniors say it reaches underground, but I’ve only gone 400 meters. Beyond that, I can’t handle it.”

She clarified: gale winds, though air, were chaotic spiritual qi streams. Refining with them was like hammering qi into the body—excruciating, unbearable for most. But enduring it brought fundamental growth.

Gale wind training was for second- and third-years. Even fourth-years hadn’t reached the cavern’s end to see what lay there.

Confident, she said, “I bet Zhu Xu I’ll get there first. Loser buys meals for a year!”

Seeing Su Qing’s intrigue, she warned, “Gale wind training’s for second-years. Freshmen, don’t rush. You’re already refining on the main peak—its winds, though milder, strip skin over time. Keep taking qi-replenishing pills to avoid breaking down.”

Su Qing hadn’t realized the pills served that purpose. Living on the main peak was passive body refinement.

What a deal!

She nodded, taking it in.

The tea shop was far from the Body Sect. After the transfer, not wanting to delay Xu Jiuxing’s training, Su Qing grabbed her baskets and headed back.

Xu Jiuxing grinned, diving back into the cavern.

Sweating buckets, Su Qing had met her daily refinement goals. Earning spirit stones, gaining insights, and training—a worthwhile trip.

Arriving at the tea shop, she looked disheveled: clothes messy, hair sweat-stuck, feet dusty.

Manager Lin’s face soured.

He yanked her into the kitchen, his mustache quivering as he hissed, “What a mess! Important guests today—don’t come out and embarrass us, tarnishing the shop’s elegance.”

Su Qing ignored his snark. “I’m just peeling potatoes. How’d I embarrass anyone?”

She slipped into her corner, rolled up her sleeves, and started peeling. Barely two potatoes in, another worker dragged her out, frantic. “Come on, Lin’s looking for you. What a day!”

From the cramped kitchen, she was pulled into the bustling serving room.

It was busy but quiet.

Lin was scolding someone.

The young apprentice clutched his stomach, pale, as Lin fumed, “Told you not to drink leftover tea, but you did! Think it’s treasure? Always causing trouble. If not for Master Wang, I’d never have kept you!”

Sweating, the apprentice groaned, “It’s back—my stomach—I can’t hold it—”

Lin glared, covering his nose. “Go deal with it! Your filth ruins our shop’s refinement!”

The apprentice scuttled off. Lin shoved a server’s uniform at Su Qing. “Change, now.”

Stumbling, Su Qing protested, “I can’t—I’m illiterate!”

Still bitter about the “illiterate” jab.

Lin snapped, “Who needs you to take orders? Stand at the hall entrance, count guests, and tally tea sets. Can’t read, but you can count, right?”

That, she could do.

</xaiArtifact>