As noon approached, Zhou Xuchen reluctantly ended the morning lecture on Feng Xuanyi's 'early class' and escorted him to the door. A maid was already waiting there. If it weren't for Feng Xuanyi having other classes, he probably could have kept talking with Zhou Xuchen until nightfall.
Just like that, as Feng Xueyi stepped out from Zhou Xuchen's place, he hadn't even caught his breath before being led by the maid toward a palace.
Entering the palace, one could see that it was filled with densely packed talisman papers. Adorning the colossal circular dome above were intricate carvings depicting various constellations, while on the ground below was a gigantic Bagua Diagram. Surrounding the hall were various models of the human body, each intricately inscribed with the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
At the moment, Luo Yuqian and an elderly Daoist were already waiting inside the Hall. The Daoist was none other than Feng Xuanyi's second martial brother, Daoist Xuanqing.
Seeing this, Feng Xuanyi hurried forward and greeted with a bow, " Xuan Yi pays respects to Senior Brother and Sister."
Daoist Xuanqing nodded gently, without any delay, and began the instruction.
As a Daoist Sect, disciples of the Wen Tian Sect naturally need to understand the celestial stars and constellations and grasp some basic array formations and talismans. Not only were these traditional required courses, but they also ensured the disciples would have versatile means to navigate dangers when venturing out on training journeys.
To accommodate Feng Xuanyi, Daoist Xuanqing deliberately slowed down, though Feng was no novice and had studied this before.
Whereas in the past, Feng Xuanyi found these topics profoundly perplexing, now with his expanded horizons, he found them quite intriguing. He occasionally raised questions, to which Daoist Xuanqing provided explanations, and the two enjoyed a harmonious exchange.
On the side, Luo Yuqian was originally about to doze off, but upon seeing this, she forced herself to stay awake, unwilling to fall behind Feng Xuanyi, much to Xuan Qing's surprise.
After leaving Xuan Qing's place, Luo Yuqian reluctantly headed to another palace for the Fourth Senior Sister's practical combat training. Though quite friendly with Luo Yuqian, the Fourth Senior Sister never pulled punches during instruction.
Every combat class made Luo Yuqian suffer to the point of being unbearable, so she was quite unwilling. Even when she reached the entrance hall, still hesitated to move forward.
Feng Xuanyi, no stranger to such torturous combat class, couldn't help but snicker a tad at Luo Yuqian's hangdog look.
Catching his smirk, Luo Yuqian glared, puffing out, "What's so funny? Just wait till you get thrashed, we'll see who's laughing then!" She went in resigned to her fate after speaking, Feng Xuanyi following behind, and soon their agonized howls echoed from within.
After the painfully long period of an hour, Feng Xuanyi and Luo Yuqian limped out, eyes brimming with tears from the beating.
"Goodness, Fourth Senior Sis, you just delight in pummeling us juniors, don't you?" Luo Yuqian complained as they walked out, grimacing in pain.
After leaving the combat class, they hurried back to their own courtyards.
In the LunarGlow courtyard, Yueer, as instructed by He Xinyi, had already prepared a herbal bath.
Feeling utterly sore, Feng Xuanyi wasted no time sending Yueer out once inside. Shedding his clothes, he sank into the steaming wooden tub, channeling the Celestial Nine Scrolls and the Stellar Revelation to absorb the herb essence fully.
When it came to body tempering, the cultivators of demonic arts excelled, for though the process was extraordinarily painful, it remained the most efficacious means of forging their bodies.
It was only because the sparse talent disciples in the Infinite Hall, combined with He Xinyi's fondness for them, allowed for such treatment. After all, the most crucial herbal baths for body tempering incur considerable expenses.
During lunchtime, they both dragged their weary bodies to the dining hall, exchanging a glance filled with lingering fear.
Although He Xinyi felt pained seeing the two suffer through the arduous body forging, seeing them have each other's company and get along quite harmoniously brought her some gratified.
After lunch, they rested briefly before continuing with the afternoon classes. They proceeded to an alchemy room, where they learned about various herbs, meridians, and alchemical knowledge under the guidance of the elderly alchemist Qingmu Daoist.
Lastly, they returned to Xuan Qing's for their final lesson of the day on history, the cultivation realm's background, esoteric artifact, spirit beasts and more to broaden their perspectives. After a thorough brainwashing session by Xuan Qing, Feng Xuanyi was left feeling dizzy and overwhelmed, as his weakened soul struggled to process the information.
The two of them walked out of the hall with vacant stares, relieved that the day's lessons were finally over. Feng Xuanyi was about to make a hasty retreat, but Luo Yuqian suddenly grabbed him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Xiaofeng, I'll take you to a good place. Follow me."
Saying that, she grabbed Feng Xuanyi's hand and ran off, as she had another class to attend, but which had nothing to do with Feng Xuanyi. These were private lessons arranged by He Xinyi specifically for Luo Yuqian, focusing on music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Being from the Hua Yun Pavilion, He Xinyi was naturally proficient in these arts. Her intention was to cultivate her daughter in the ways of literary knowledge, reasoning skills, and various etiquettes.
While that may be true, how could Luo Yuqian let Feng Xuanyi enjoy a leisurely time alone?
It could only be seen that Luo Yuqian hurriedly dragged Feng Xuanyi into a pavilion.
At this moment, He Xinyi was dressed in palace attire, sitting at the lake's heart playing the zither, with the faint zither melodies putting one's mind at ease.
Seeing Luo Yuqian dragging Feng Xuanyi over with a mischievous grin, He Xinyi gazed at her puzzledly.
"Mother, Xiao Feng said he's also very interested in this. So I brought him here to learn together," Luo Yuqian said shamelessly.
He Xinyi couldn't help but smile and ask, "Xiao Feng, is that really the case?"
Under Luo Yuqian's glaring eyes and clenched fists, Feng Xuanyi, bracing himself, replied, "Yes, Mistress". He was caught off guard when Luo Yuqian dragged him over, and he dared not offend her now.
He Xinyi was exceptionally intelligent. Moreover, who knew a daughter better than her mother? She saw right through Luo Yuqian's mischievous idea. But, after some thought, she reckoned it wouldn't be bad for Feng Xuanyi to learn more, and it would give Qian'er a companion. And, she had always harbored a lingering regret; now, looking at Feng Xuanyi and Luo Yuqian, she couldn't help but feel a bit absentminded.
She smiled and nodded, instructing the maid outside to arrange an extra desk and chair. Seeing this, Luo Yuqian couldn't help but wink triumphantly at Feng Xuanyi.
He Xinyi had Feng Xuanyi and Luo Yuqian sit down, then began instructing them in the zither arts.
Luo Yuqian originally wanted to see Feng Xuanyi's joke, but unexpectedly he learned with proper form, leaving her a bit discouraged for a moment. This guy, is there nothing he can't learn?
He Xinyi also greatly appreciated Feng Xuanyi's talent. Seeing that Luo Yuqian didn't perfunctorily go through the motions as usual, but was focused intently instead, she couldn't help but smile faintly. Knowing this was due to Feng Xuanyi arousing Luo Yuqian's competitive spirit, He Xinyi couldn't help but have her fondness for Feng Xuanyi increase somewhat.
Only Feng Xuanyi knew his own ability; his skills in cultural arts like zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were learned from following Xue Yanshuang's teachings. Moreover, despite being forced by Xue Yanshuang to study for so many years, he had only reached this level of proficiency.
However, seeing his Mistress and little Senior Sister so pleased, he could only studiously devote himself to learning wholeheartedly. He owed too much to his Master and Mistress in previous life, if this could bring them a little joy, he would die a thousand deaths without regret.
After their lessons in the cultural arts, it was free activity time. Feng Xuanyi dragged his weary body back to his room. Although he didn't feel tired mentally and even enjoyed it, his body couldn't handle it..
In his previous life, he never received such treatment - as the lowest menial disciple, he struggled at the bottom for many years. The privilege of being a true inner disciple was something he could only dream of before.
Back in the courtyard, seeing his haggard state, Xiao Yue couldn't help but envy him greatly. As a maidservant like herself, she could never enjoy the cultivation resources and systematic instruction that Feng Xuanyi did.
Feng Xuanyi understood just how rare it was to receive such systematic teachings too. Most sects didn't have a training system as well-developed as th Wen Tian Sect, which covered techniques, talismans, literature, and more.
What's more, the Infinite Hall where Feng Xuanyi resided used to be the Main Hall of Wen Tian Sect, and additionally possessive part of the heritage from He Xinyi's Hua Yun Pavilion lineage.
Feng Xuanyi instructed Xiaoyue to call him during dinner, then slowly climbed upstairs to continue his cultivation.