The ladies' stunned faces sent a ripple of unease through Xuefeng. "What? Did I say something wrong?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"Are you telling us," Wuying said, her tone careful and deliberate, "that you've already learned to split your mind and multitask? To refine Spirit Essence while doing other things?"
"Is… is that bad?" Xuefeng stammered, his gut tightening. Is it really that hard to split your mind?
For most cultivators? Nearly impossible at your stage, Ling chimed in. They lack the proper support. Lucky for you, you have me. I'm handling all your refining right now—you're essentially borrowing my abilities. Without me, you'd be flailing like a toddler with a sword.
Princess Shan and Wuying exchanged looks that Xuefeng couldn't quite read—part amazement, part suspicion. They were well aware of how extraordinary this claim was. Splitting one's mind, a basic skill at the Spirit Gathering stage, allowed cultivators to enter their Spirit and refine Qi. But refining while walking, talking, and keeping awareness of the physical world? That required an almost supernatural level of mental flexibility.
To confirm his words, Wuying's eyes gleamed as she activated her Spirit Eyes Art. Her pupils glowed faintly, revealing the normally invisible threads of Spirit Essence in the air. She saw them coiling toward Xuefeng like iron filings to a magnet, disappearing into his body without effort.
"He wasn't lying…" she murmured, her voice tinged with disbelief. Deactivating her Spirit Eyes, she turned to him, her expression sharp. "How did you manage to learn this much in just one day?"
Xuefeng hesitated, his mind scrambling for an answer. "I don't know… it just kind of came naturally," he lied, feigning a shy shrug.
"Just… naturally," Wuying repeated, her tone skeptical.
"Really?" Princess Shan interjected, her jealousy poorly concealed behind a sweet smile. "We've been training for years and can't multitask like that, but you manage it in a day? Amazing." Her words dripped with mock cheerfulness.
Xuefeng chuckled nervously, eager to change the subject before they pressed him further. "How about we grab some food before starting training? I'm starving."
"I've already arranged for dinner to be delivered," Wuying said, though her eyes lingered on him, clearly still pondering his abilities. "But before we eat, let's visit the Spirit Arts Tower. There are things you need to learn."
"Can Princess Shan come with us?" Xuefeng asked, glancing at her. He wasn't sure leaving her behind was a good idea.
"She can't. That's why we stopped by the courtyard first," Wuying said lightly, though her tone carried an edge.
"I don't mind," Princess Shan added, waving dismissively as she headed to her room. "I need to change anyway. My dress is ruined. You two go ahead."
"Okay, we'll be back soon," Xuefeng said, though the tension in the air was palpable as Princess Shan disappeared inside.
"Let's go," Wuying said briskly, taking his hand and leading the way.
"How many Spirit Arts can I learn at once?" Xuefeng asked, letting her guide him, though her firm grip was becoming increasingly possessive.
"There's usually a limit to how many floors you can access, but as the Young Master, you have special privileges. You can access them all," Wuying explained, her pace quickening.
"All of them?" Xuefeng asked, intrigued. "How many floors are there?"
"Five," Wuying replied. "Each floor corresponds to a Spirit Art rank, from Rank 1 on the ground floor to Rank 5 at the top. The fifth floor is only accessible with the Clan Leader's permission."
As they walked, Xuefeng caught the eyes of several passersby, who stared openly at the pair. Wuying also noticed the attention, but she refused to let go of his hand, keeping her gaze forward.
Her grip tightened slightly. She wasn't going to lose him—not to Princess Shan, not to anyone.
Xuefeng noticed her resolve and wisely decided to keep quiet. He could imagine the frustration she must feel. If the roles were reversed and someone was trying to charm Tianshi away, he'd probably react the same way.
Before long, the Spirit Arts Tower loomed into view. It was an imposing structure, its five stories standing like a sentinel over the surrounding courtyards. Made entirely of shimmering blue limestone, its polished surface caught the light, making it seem almost alive.
"What's it made of?" Xuefeng asked, captivated by its sheer presence.
"Blue Fire Stone," Wuying explained. "The entire tower is reinforced with formations, so even if you used that crazy black flame sword of yours, you wouldn't leave a scratch."
"That's reassuring," Xuefeng said dryly, remembering the chaos he'd caused earlier.
As they reached the entrance, Wuying released his hand, and he found himself missing the warmth of her touch. The entrance was guarded by two cultivators in full armor, their auras steady and unyielding. Each member of the Liu Clan was required to present their token to enter the tower—no exceptions.
Xuefeng fished out the token he'd received years ago. Though worn from disuse, it still pulsed faintly with Spirit Qi, confirming his identity. The guards inspected it and stepped aside, allowing him through with respectful nods.
Wuying followed without hesitation, her own token flashing briefly as she passed.
The entrance to the Spirit Arts Tower was far from ordinary. Beyond the token check, another layer of security awaited—a barrier that scanned the intent of anyone entering. Harbor even the slightest thought of destruction, and the tower would immediately deny you entry. It was a clear testament to how fiercely the Liu Clan guarded their treasures.
As Xuefeng stepped inside, he was struck by how ordinary the interior seemed. Rows of bookcases stretched in every direction, their shelves brimming with manuals and Spirit Arts books. The air carried a faint, almost reverent hum, as if the ancient knowledge itself was alive.
Is this really just a library? Xuefeng wondered, stepping up to the nearest shelf and picking up a book at random. The title read: Rank 1: Tiger Fist.
Intrigued, he flipped it open, only to find blank pages staring back at him. His brow furrowed. "Uh, is there something wrong with this book?" he asked Wuying, who had been silently watching him from behind.
"Just pour a bit of Spirit Qi into it," she advised with a knowing smile.
Following her instructions, Xuefeng infused a small amount of Spirit Qi into the manual. His vision blurred immediately. In his mind's eye, a shadowy figure appeared, gathering Spirit Qi into its fist. The figure then unleashed a devastating punch that split a tree in half. The vision ended, and as his consciousness returned to the present, text began appearing on the previously blank pages, detailing the technique step by step.
"Whoa, that's amazing!" Xuefeng exclaimed, his voice loud enough to draw a few curious glances from others on the floor.
A few cultivators smirked knowingly before turning back to their reading.
He's excited like it's his first time seeing this… Isn't he supposed to be the Young Master? they thought, bemused. Still, they kept their opinions to themselves. Most of the people on the first floor were Spirit Masters with average talent, unfit to question someone of Xuefeng's standing.
"You're still looking at Rank 1 manuals?" Wuying teased gently, already heading toward the stairs. "Let's go. Those are beginner-level Spirit Arts. You can do better."
Setting the manual back on the shelf, Xuefeng hurried to catch up. The lingering cultivators watched them leave with a mixture of awe and resignation.
Beginner-level? For most of us, those 'beginner' manuals are all we'll ever need… they lamented inwardly.
They bypassed the second and third floors entirely, ascending straight to the fourth. Here, the atmosphere was entirely different. The shelves were fewer and more spaced out, housing only about a hundred manuals in total. The four cultivators present glanced up briefly as Xuefeng and Wuying entered but quickly returned to their reading. Unlike Xuefeng, their access to the tower was strictly limited, and they couldn't afford to waste a moment.
"Take your time," Wuying said, gesturing to the shelves. "Find a manual that resonates with you. Some Spirit Arts will align with your Spirit Qi, while others won't. If you can't see anything when you pour in your Spirit Qi, that means it's not compatible."
Xuefeng nodded, watching as she picked up a manual titled Rank 4: Blood Daggers and began reading. The intense focus on her face reminded him that she wasn't just his teacher—she was a cultivator of considerable skill herself.
Deciding against daggers, he turned to the nearest shelf, intent on finding something that suited his style. His gaze landed on a manual titled Rank 4: Shadow Clone. Intrigued, he picked it up and infused it with Spirit Qi.
Unlike the beginner manual, this one demanded significantly more Qi. By the time a vision materialized, he had used nearly a tenth of his reserves. In his mind's eye, he saw a shadowy figure being pursued through a dense forest. Just as the pursuer closed in, the figure emitted a surge of Spirit Qi, and its shadow morphed into an identical clone. The two split off in different directions, and the pursuer, mistaking the clone for the original, gave chase.
When the vision ended, text appeared on the pages, outlining the intricate steps to perform the technique.
"That's… incredible," Xuefeng murmured, already imagining the uses for such a skill. He flipped through the manual, only to groan in frustration. The instructions spanned nearly fifty densely packed pages.
"Can I take this back to the courtyard?" he whispered to Wuying, glancing up from the book. "It'll take me forever to read this here."
"No," she replied flatly, not even looking up from her manual. "You're not allowed to remove manuals from the tower. If everyone did that, there'd be nothing left for future generations."
Xuefeng frowned. This is going to take forever...
Then, an idea struck him. Ling, can you copy the contents for me? he asked hopefully.