The Price of Mastery

Lin Mo found himself pinned firmly against the silken brocade mat. Ji Xue’s slender hand, clamped tightly around his wrist, had fingertips as cold as ice, yet wielded an astonishing, almost crushing strength. It felt like a pair of iron tongs, threatening to embed itself into his very flesh, effectively stifling any motion he might make to struggle or protest. He let out a helpless sigh. “Ignoring the impossibility of sleeping with you sprawled across me, how in the world do you expect me to get any rest with you practically severing my wrist?”

“Silence!” Ji Xue’s voice cut through the air, sharp and decisive, far more lucid than he had anticipated. It carried a focused intensity, like a scholar deciphering an ancient relic. “I’ll increase your daily wages!”

The moment those words left her lips—

Lin Mo instantly displayed an extraordinary capacity for adaptation.

In short order, Lin Mo’s breathing grew shallow, then settled into a steady rhythm, soon punctuated by the gentle rumble of snores.

Beneath her fingertips, Lin Mo’s wrist pulse throbbed steadily.

Ji Xue focused intently, holding her breath. She forced herself to cast aside every distracting thought, sinking her entire consciousness into the subtle sensations beneath her fingertips.

Lacking divine sense, and with no means to awaken it at her current stage, she was left with only the most primal and direct approach: through skin contact. She sought to discern the subtle tremors and energy currents of the spiritual power coursing through him, particularly focusing on the wrist—a crucial meridian hub linking the torso to the hand.

At first, a profound stillness enveloped them. Lin Mo, seemingly complying with her unspoken command, relaxed, his breathing deepening and evening out.

‘He’s truly putting on an act,’ Ji Xue mused inwardly, a hint of skepticism coloring her thoughts. ‘How could such a mentally taxing technique be sustained without cease? It’s more likely that his earlier display utterly depleted his spiritual energy.’

Yet, just as a flicker of disdain began to blossom in her heart, and she prepared to release his wrist to resume her mockery—

Beneath her fingertips, Lin Mo’s wrist skin gave a barely perceptible, ethereal twitch!

This was no mere pulse, but a far subtler, more internalized tremor, akin to a hidden undercurrent flowing silently beneath the bed of a tranquil stream.

An incredibly delicate, yet remarkably resilient force, began to course silently through the meridians of his wrist, maintaining an unwavering, constant rhythm.

A low hum—

A humming sound, so faint it verged on auditory hallucination, seemed to resonate from deep within Lin Mo’s wrist bone. Immediately, another surge followed!

This force was incredibly condensed, as though an invisible thread were being plucked, imbued with an ineffable sense of rhythm. It flowed neither swiftly nor sluggishly, but rather along a predetermined trajectory with unhurried precision.

Ji Xue froze instantly, her breath catching, suspended for a crucial half-beat!

‘He… he’s truly circulating his cultivation technique!’ Ji Xue thought, utterly dumbfounded. ‘And he’s… sleeping?!’

Disbelief washed over Ji Xue.

She channeled every iota of her sensory perception into that single hand, her fingertips seemingly transforming into the most exquisitely precise probes.

In short order, she began to discern even more intricate details:

The spiritual energy within Lin Mo’s body bore no resemblance to that of typical Qi Condensation cultivators, who merely allowed it to slowly recover during periods of rest, either pooling in their Sea of Qi or passively nurturing their meridians.

Instead, it was extraordinarily active! Much like the scattered soldiers Lin Mo had previously described, this energy was being precisely orchestrated by a “general” whose composure was utterly terrifying.

Wisps of faint spiritual energy ceaselessly surged from his Sea of Qi, not meandering without purpose, but flowing with pinpoint accuracy along a network of specific, minute meridians, continuously cleansing and nurturing them.

‘He has truly transformed spiritual energy circulation into a subconscious act,’ she realized, a profound understanding dawning. ‘If this is the case, then in the midst of battle, the mere flow of spiritual energy would be… as effortless and natural as moving one’s own limbs.’

“Hss… hss… hss…”

This time, Ji Xue found herself utterly incapable of masking the profound shock churning within her; an almost inaudible gasp escaped from the depths of the bedding.

‘This sensation… it’s far too uncanny, too utterly astonishing!’

Ji Xue’s heart, like a tranquil lake, felt as though a colossal stone had been hurled into its depths. The ensuing, massive ripples obliterated every trace of her previous doubts and disdain.

‘This fellow… he wasn’t boasting!’ she realized with a jolt. ‘He actually accomplished it! At the Qi Condensation stage, no less, he achieved a level of intricate control that many Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t even dream of!’

A fierce, unyielding spirit suddenly surged through her. Ji Xue carefully retracted the hand that had been gripping Lin Mo’s wrist, though she remained perched atop him, her posture unchanged. Concentrating her intent, she began to mobilize her own spiritual energy.

She, too, yearned to experience this so-called “uninterrupted circulation of cultivation techniques, controlling spiritual energy as subconsciously as breathing”!

Forsaking her usual energy-saving method of “covering the entire body,” Ji Xue attempted to follow Lin Mo’s description. She disregarded external defenses, instead sinking her consciousness inward, trying to “introspect”—a sensation that, though incredibly vague, was more a profound perception than true sight.

She guided a moderately strong wisp of spiritual energy from her Sea of Qi, attempting to coax it along a simple meridian. This, she thought, seemed straightforward enough.

Concurrently, she started to utilize her surplus spiritual energy to safeguard that specific meridian.

Yet, the very instant she initiated the process—it spiraled out of control!

“Ugh!”

A muffled groan of agony almost tore from her throat! Her body convulsed violently. ‘This is impossible! Far too difficult!’

It felt akin to attempting to pick up a flying insect, adorned with a mung bean, using a pair of chopsticks held by another pair of chopsticks!

She needed to sustain the fundamental circulation pathway of her core cultivation technique.

Simultaneously, she had to precisely regulate the speed and direction of this primary wisp of spiritual energy, all while diverting a portion of her focus to safeguard the meridian itself.

In less than three breaths’ time!

Ji Xue felt as though her brain had been instantly impaled by countless red-hot iron nails! A searing, intense pain radiated outward from her brow.

Each and every thought became impossibly heavy, as though she were straining to pull a colossal, thousand-jin burden! The rate at which her mental energy depleted was akin to a river bursting its banks, far surpassing the drain she experienced even during an all-out battle!

Even the simple act of maintaining her core cultivation technique’s operation continued to drain her spirit.

Meanwhile, the spiritual energy flowing through her primary meridian behaved like a mischievous, untamed child; the merest lapse in concentration caused it to veer off its intended path, its speed fluctuating wildly and unpredictably.

Most terrifying of all was the tenuous wisp of spiritual energy meant to “protect” the meridians; it behaved like an invisible tendril of smoke, instantly dissipating the moment her concentration wavered, or, worse yet, attaching itself to an entirely incorrect location!

Simply trying to manage these three minute meridians in her left hand, performing all three tasks simultaneously, left Ji Xue feeling as though her very soul was being ripped asunder!

Sweat instantly drenched her inner garments, clinging to her skin in a cold, clammy embrace.

Her breathing grew ragged and chaotic, her chest heaving violently, and with every desperate intake of air came a searing, fiery pain.

She abruptly retracted all her mental focus, instantly severing the wisps of spiritual energy and abandoning all pretense of introspection or guidance.

Like a drowning person finally breaking the surface, she gasped for air, greedy and desperate. Her entire body felt limp and utterly devoid of strength, as though she had just endured a brutal session of torture!

Her heart hammered relentlessly, thudding against her ribs, refusing to settle for an agonizingly long time.

Pain! Unimaginable, excruciating pain! It was not merely the agony of her spirit being rent asunder, but a profound weariness and utter powerlessness that permeated her very bones!

It felt akin to attempting to drag a ten-thousand-ton boulder with a single strand of silk; each futile attempt utterly drained her of all mental and physical strength.

‘So this… this is his “daily routine”?’ she mused, a fresh wave of shock. ‘Cultivation… as natural as breathing?!’

Ji Xue abruptly pushed herself upright, placing her hands on either side of Lin Mo’s body. Her ragged gasps gradually subsided, yet the tumultuous storm within her heart raged on unabated.

A sliver of moonlight, piercing through a narrow gap, cast a faint glow upon her face, now flushed crimson from exertion. In her eyes, wide and unblinking in the gloom, there was no longer even a hint of arrogance or doubt, only an unyielding, profound shock and a chilling trace of… lingering dread.

Now, with piercing clarity and profound insight, she finally grasped the immense difficulty concealed within Lin Mo’s earlier, seemingly casual remark!

“This initial step involves training your ability to ‘focus’… to direct them precisely where they need to go…”

This very first step was, quite simply, more arduous than ascending to the heavens themselves! This was not a domain that Qi Condensation cultivators should even dare to approach! It demanded a will honed to the sharpest needlepoint, and spiritual energy forged into steel, tempered by a thousand trials!

She lowered her head, her gaze seemingly piercing the veil of darkness to settle upon Lin Mo, pinned beneath her, whose breathing had long since returned to a perfectly even rhythm.

‘This fellow… he can actually sleep?’ she wondered, astounded. ‘While undergoing such inhuman cultivation, he can still maintain such calm, steady breathing?!’

Quietly, almost imperceptibly, she once again rested her fingertips upon Lin Mo’s wrist.

Unlike her previous forceful approach, this gesture was imbued with a caution and a profound focus she herself hadn’t consciously registered.

The long night wore on, the moon slowly descending in the western sky. Within the bedding, the “little chubby bundle” found sleep utterly elusive. Ji Xue maintained her half-pressed posture, her fingertips steadfastly remaining upon Lin Mo’s wrist. Paradoxically, the numbness that followed her extreme mental exhaustion allowed her to perceive with even greater clarity the intricate yet tenacious rhythm of power within Lin Mo’s body.

Had Lin Mo truly fallen asleep? At the very least, his breathing remained long and steady.

Ji Xue, simultaneously battling the overwhelming tide of fatigue that surged through her—a weariness intensified by her earlier, forceful attempt—compelled herself to retain a sliver of lucidity, intent on “learning.”

She began to attempt imitation. Discarding all complex maneuvers, she focused solely on replicating the internal flow that sustained Lin Mo’s fundamental cultivation technique, along with that unyielding, constant willpower.

She ceased her attempts to intricately control multiple strands of spiritual energy, no longer striving for the elusive “protection.” Instead, she simply used her intent to guide the most fundamental current of spiritual energy within her Sea of Qi, allowing it to circulate slowly and at a steady pace along its most basic pathway, diligently striving to maintain this state without interruption.

Even with this simplified approach, the difficulty remained utterly beyond her wildest imagination.

That wisp of spiritual energy proved as elusive as a slippery loach; the slightest lapse in her concentration caused its speed to fluctuate abruptly, or its trajectory to subtly veer off course.

Each deviation demanded an enormous expenditure of mental effort to rectify. The spiritual energy consumed just to maintain a constant speed and stable path was nearly equivalent to an hour of practicing advanced spells in her cultivation cave! It was tedious, burdensome, and utterly maddening!

Gritting her teeth, she failed time and again, yet each time she stubbornly recommitted herself to focusing her intent.

She had never been so utterly absorbed, as if the entire world had shrunk to encompass only the disobedient spiritual energy within her own body and the silent, profound demonstration emanating from Lin Mo’s wrist.

Time trickled by. Outside, the moonlight began to wane.

A faint, ethereal sliver of dawn, like a fish’s belly, began to appear on the horizon.

An hour of continuous effort had pushed Ji Xue’s mental faculties to their absolute limit.

Her concentration began to unravel, making it impossible to even sustain the basic frequency.

Just as she felt her last shred of willpower about to collapse and dissipate—

“Woo…”

An incredibly faint, almost indistinct syllable—a soft whimper—escaped her lips and instantly vanished.

Her other hand suddenly lost its support, and she toppled over completely.

Yet, in her weakened state, she couldn’t control the direction of her fall, and her lips landed, precisely and unexpectedly, on Lin Mo’s cheek!

The subtle touch instantly jolted the dazed Ji Xue awake.

She shot up as if struck by lightning!

In the darkness, Ji Xue’s cheeks flushed crimson. ‘I… I…’

She glanced at Lin Mo. He seemed… not awake?

No, he must have woken up! Or rather, he hadn’t been in a deep sleep at all!

‘He’s been awake all this time? Then he must have—’

A crushing wave of embarrassment and shyness threatened to engulf Ji Xue.

Her cheeks felt hot enough to fry an egg, and her heart pounded even more violently than when her earlier attempt had failed.

She burrowed deeper into the bedding, like a startled snail wishing to seal itself completely within its shell.

An awkward silence stretched between them, broken only by the increasingly clear chirping of birds outside the window, announcing the arrival of dawn.

“Your Highness… still working hard, are we? Haha… I haven’t slept this well in ages.”

This utterly unremarkable remark struck Ji Xue’s heart like a bolt of lightning!

It instantly yanked her free from the mire of shame and indignation!

Lin Mo… he truly seemed to have just woken up!

Ji Xue abruptly lifted a corner of the covers from her head. The sky was faintly lit, and with the fatigue of a sleepless night and unconcealed astonishment, she stared intently at Lin Mo’s calm face beneath her, a face that appeared to have just been roused.

She let out a small sigh of relief.

The morning light dappled Lin Mo’s face.

Lin Mo’s eyelids were half-open, his eyes still bearing a trace of weariness and the slight bewilderment of just waking up.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m… I’m fine!” Ji Xue, as if fleeing in disarray, scrambled back to her own bed and once again formed a small mound under the covers. “Quick… quick, go buy me breakfast! I’m hungry!”

“Yes, yes, Your Highness~” Lin Mo replied in a casual, somewhat lazy tone, then rose, opened the door, and walked out.

Only when his footsteps faded into the distance did Ji Xue’s covers slowly fall, her cheeks burning fiercely.

“Ugh… I’m so embarrassed!”

The young girl once again buried her head under the covers, attempting to escape the mortifying incident.

But wasn’t Lin Mo, outside the wall, feeling the same?

He leaned against the outer wall, his face buried in his arms, his cheeks still flushed crimson even in the slightly cool air.