Shou Xin arrived at the cottage in the Baikan Woods swiftly, his speed having increased ten-fold, the difference between those who had attained a Law and those who had not being an insurmountable stretch.
The fence which once ran along the entire cottage looked broken as though beasts had gotten in.
"She's gone." Shou Xin did not need to go any further to know it.
He calmly strolled about the premises, his gaze lingering on every tile until only the cottage itself remained.
"Was it always so small?" Shou Xin said casually as he pushed open the door with a single palm revealing the insides with a hit of nostalgia.
Yet, his complexion darkened as he stood in the doorway.
The inside had been trashed, but it was not by beasts for there were no claw marks, only signs of battle and dried blood on the ground.
He rushed inside but there was no one, not even a corpse or a trail of blood.
As his killing intent rose about to go wild, his eyes caught sight of the edge of a small paper flapping beneath the beds leg.
In an instant he took it, his eyes washing over the few words left on its surface.
"Shudo Province." The message was written in charcoal, but the corner stained with blood, "Wuqing must have known they'd come. It's weeks old…"
He remembered the last time he saw her, and felt his heart wrench with guilt.
"She was right there, looking at me, and I turned my back." Shou Xin's expressions changed over and over until it returned to calm, "I will not look away again."
He knew where Shudo Province is.
The Exiled Court had many hundreds and thousands of struggling provinces and many fold more struggling powers, yet those who call themselves by 'Province', were few and far between.
Only those who had been recognized by the Exiled Court could dare call themselves a province.
Sea Spring Town was within Sea Spring Province, which could only hold that name because of their ancestors, the current Sea Spring was in ruin compared to the past.
Other provinces would not be so.
Shou Xin calmly closed the door after making sure nothing else of importance remained within the cottage.
He drew his Sea Spring Sword and in a brief moment, clashed the sword with a stone he'd thrown up causing sparks to flew and the cottage to be set alight.
----
Morning came swiftly as the ashes still smoldered.
The cottage which once had tranquil air, had turned ruined by Shou Xin's own hands.
"Hm," Vienna tapped the ashes of his favorite windowsill sourly, "Trash disciple, since your so motivated, I am feeling infected. It's disgusting, so you will train. On the road to the Shudo Province or whatever you will do ten thousand Listless Cuts, each and every day. You will also inhale the morning breath and increase your Qi, as well as…"
Vienna stopped as he noticed Shou Xin had begun to run.
He smiled coldly and transformed into a panther rushing after him.
"If I catch you, I will grill you…" Vienna's tone was low yet struck like thunder in Shou Xin's mind as he was reminded of a deeply rooted trauma.
His legs moved ever faster.
---
A week passed slowly, at least, to Shou Xin it did.
Each morning he would awaken at the crack of dawn and begin swinging his sword for ten thousand times and be done at mid-day, then he would breath in the noon air and circulate his Law increasing his familiarity and Qi.
After that, he would go and hunt, absorbing their Primeval Qi in order to strengthen his Primeval Qi Body Art to catch up with his Inner Strength.
A youth with a pale face and sunken eyes, Shou Xin ran like his life depended on it as a huge black panther like one from legends chased as though a cat playing with it's prey.
"Trash, do you know what you are doing? Training Qi Cultivation and Physical Cultivation is very dangerous, you know?" Vienna spoke laughingly, "If your body becomes too strong, your Qi will rampage to escape feeling suffocated and causing you to explode, but if your body is too weak and your Qi Cultivation is too strong, then your body won't be able to contain it!"
"Then how the hell do normal Qi Cultivators no die?!" Shou Xin screamed back as he kicked the earth, cutting a corner.
"Hahaha, normal Qi Cultivators? They aren't so talentless as you! They are held up by their foundations which are far better than yours, they don't need to use their bodies to contain their powers! Unlike you who are so talentless you shouldn't have even broken into Chain Mortal Realm," Vienna's taunting voice had an undertone of laugher, "In all the world, only you need to use both if only to have a small chance at success, does that anger you? Then work harder!"
Shou Xin grit his teeth.
"Don't you get tired of attacking me?!"
"No!" Vienna cornered Shou Xin his face an inch away from his own revealing a long sharp row of teeth ready to devour.
"Wait! I made it!" Shou Xin pointed at the cliff behind him, "Master, you said that if I made it to here, then you wouldn't eat me!"
"I meant to the top." Vienna scoffed playfully, "Now get going! I'll give you a little head start."
Shou Xin did not waste a second and scurried up the wall as his life depended on it like all things did when Vienna was involved.
He briefly looked down and his face paled white as a sheet.
Vienna was not climbing.
He turned into an eagle and was flying up at breakneck speeds aiming his bloodthirst straight at him.
Without second thought, Shou Xin circulated his Sanguine Sword Qi through his body and pushed off the cliff shooting upwards with all his might.
Yet, right behind him Vienna was even faster.
Shou Xin arrived just at the top, holding on exhaustedly to the ledge.
Above him was a shadow.
"You took forever, I was getting tired of waiting for my meal." Vienna raised a single clawed hand.
"I have my hand here! I made it to the top before you, don't lie!" Shou Xin's gaze narrowed as he was grabbed up by Vienna who seemed to be thinking.
"You are only good at words, why can't this talent be for cultivation?" Vienna shook his head, "You should have realized a new method of using your Law, right? Don't waste breath, just nod or shake."
Shou Xin hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"It's a movement skill. You realized it just a moment ago in your extreme desperation." Vienna said casually, "Laws are those things which a cultivator pursues. To say there are no hierarchies between Laws would be a lie, and from that little peek I got at yours, It seems it's a lower level sword law belonging to the evil sects. You must learn to conceal your Law's traces."
He threw Shou Xin who, having caught his breath promptly, still slammed into the ground unable to achieve any level of acrobatics.
"The Law you first learn is not the end. As one progresses and becomes much stronger, one can observe and contain many more Laws, deciphering them and increasing ones own strength, however learning conflicting Laws will cause deviations and kill." Vienna explained off-handedly as he transformed into a youthful human, "In my life, I have learned countless Laws but use only one, do you know which it is?"
Shou Xin shook his head.
"Exactly," Vienna then continued, "When picking Laws, I have chosen to keep only one Law as my focus, and then take only those which could support the pursuit of that one, those who seek power too fast will fall, remain focused and you will rise. However, you may be wondering why I am telling you this? That's because…"
Shou Xin listened carefully.
"...it will never apply to you." Vienna's human form a youth which looked like Shou Xin, but different and older like a sibling cackled, "With such a small soul, you can only contain a single law. That is why I've designed this training for you. Through desperation, you will gain attainment in that law through inspiration near death. Ah, that said, I will actually eat you though I'll drag you back from the Chaos after ward, but I am a being of my word, after all."
Vienna's figure stood straight as though showing off but all Shou Xin could hear was crap.
Just as Shou Xin was about to retort, he turned his head.
"Many presences." Shou Xin said coldly, his temperament changing at the drop of a hat.
"A bunch of trash." Vienna shook his head, "Trash at Second and Third Chain Mortal, they seem to be transporting some useless things."
Shou Xin almost ignored what Vienna said by habit, until he heard of these 'useless things'.
"Useless to you, but to I, it could be an opportunity, they seem to be fighting." Shou Xin said coldly as he approached slowly.
His Sanguine Sword Qi began swirling around the Sanguine Sword Law within his Inner Sea creating a vortex of sorts from which power spewed forth.
(Henceforth, Primeval Qi Body Art will now be Primeval Body Art for the sake of my mental health.)
His body at almost the first level of the Primeval Body Art could deflect weak blows, though weapons could still pierce easily.
The Sanguine Sword Qi and the Primeval Body Art synergized as both had been saturated by his killing intent when he was not yet a Chain Mortal Expert.
"Che," Vienna walked beside Shou Xin looking around at the convoy below, "I lied it seems. Those few trash down there are too sad. They have some talent, but did not work hard enough on their foundations, basically bodies held up by pills! A disgrace. Even you could attempt to defeat one."
Shou Xin's eyes glimmered, he wasn't wholly listening to Vienna, instead he focused on the carriage they were guarding, his instincts screaming that it had to be something good.
He silently vanished back into the woods, night approaching fast.
---
"Su, it's my turn."
"Aye, aye… Ahh…" The guardsmen sighed.
Su had been stationed to guard this tiny convoy by his father despite being a Third Chain Mortal making him bitter and resentful of the job.
"I should be out adventuring and slaying beasts not this… what the hell are we even guarding?" He grumbled as he headed towards the carriage.