Located some distance away from Wu Tan City, an old manor stood behind a nearly collapsed wall fence.
The main building inside had been destroyed, leaving ruins and debris scattered about.
Amidst the destruction, a small wooden table stood where El had organised the 90 pieces of poetry he had collected.
El sat quietly on a rickety chair, in the shadow of the ruins. The fading twilight shone softly, illuminating her serene face beneath the veil.
Attentively, El examined the poem sheets one by one, reading them, while trying to cultivate the Path of Poem, a cultivation method of the Frozen Flower Sect, Yuri and El's sect.
Around his, Yuri in spirit ghost form floated freely, her spiritual aura glowing softly. She watched her disciple with a meaningful smile, sometimes drifting closer just to tease.
"My student, you are truly a charming... and frightening woman," Yuri commented lightly, her tone of voice playful. "Truly cold and cruel!"
El stopped his reading for a moment, took a deep breath, then replied in a flat tone, "Master, please stop teasing me. I'm tired enough already." His voice was calm, but there was a hint of complaint there. "If only it wasn't in a crowd, that guy would already be dead in my hands."
Yuri gave a small chuckle, drifting over to sit on El's shoulder casually. "Geez... your heart is really cold. But student, do you realize who he is?"
El closed the poetry sheet in his hand, his gaze fixed in the distance, as if remembering something. "Liu Xi," she replied in a cold yet neutral tone. "Tier 1 alchemist, 6-star Dou Zhe realm, and Xiao Yan's enemy, right? If he stirs up trouble again, I'll kill him."
Yuri nodded lightly, a wide smile gracing his radiant face. "That's right, and you destroyed it with just one simple move. My student, you are truly phenomenal," she said proudly.
Chuckling, Yuri extended a tiny finger, poking El's cheek gently. "Oh, my beautiful student, did you know? Xiao Yan has been watching you since you started dancing."
"It seems like he wants to put you into the hare-" Yuri paused, her voice changing to a joking tone, "Without knowing you're actually a boy."
El closed his eyes for a moment, let out a long breath, as if trying to reduce his frustration. "Master, please let me focus. I want to continue my cultivation and become stronger. After all, this disguise only lasts one year."
"Oh? I see..." Yuri floated away from El's shoulder with a light movement, her facial expression looking satisfied.
Yuri spun once in the air before stopping, looking at El with a sly look. "By the way, my student, tomorrow you will be working at the theater bar in town. You will dance twice a week."
El opened his eyes, staring at Yuri with a flat gaze, yet harboring deep resentment. "What does Master mean!?"
But before El could voice his thoughts, Yuri already continued, "But don't worry, that's enough. Because on other days, I will train you with other methods. So be prepared," he said excitedly.
Yuri flew higher, looking up at the twilight sky that was slowly turning dark, before smiling slyly once more. "I assure you, with this method, your cultivation realm will increase even faster!"
El simply sighed again, accepting his fate with a calm demeanor. Wordlessly, he returned to staring at the poems before his, letting the night slowly envelop the abandoned manor.
***
A bright morning enveloped the riverbank, the sunlight reflecting gently on the surface of the water. On a boulder, Yuri's petite body lay on his stomach reading a book with a sweet smile.
His legs were raised, swinging casually, kicking the air in an irregular rhythm, creating an adorable contrast.
Nearby, the river flowed quietly, but within it was a striking sight.
The gurgling water mixed with the sharp sound of each swing of El's sword, who was practicing her sword dance under the pressure of the river's current.
El's body moved with incredible fluidity, each swing of his sword carving patterns in the water. Despite the pressure of the river trying to hold his back, his sword movements remained fast, strong, and consistent.
Purple-colored Dou Qi mixed with the flames of the Zixuan Spirit Flame enveloped his body, gently radiating yet carrying an electrifying aura.
The heat from the flame seeped into the core of his muscles and bones, increasing his physical strength while honing his control with precision.
Each movement was a manifestation of El's full concentration and perfect direction, showing his dedication as a cultivator.
With one powerful twisting motion, El created a huge whirlpool that surrounded her body. The river's current swirled wildly, as if submitting to the dominating rhythm of her sword dance.
Then, with one powerful stomp of his foot, El shot into the air, bringing with him the whirlpool that encircled his body.
The purple flames of the Zixuan Spirit Flame merged with the whirlpool, forming a small, glowing storm that exuded a majestic aura.
The fire light and water splashes bounced around, creating an effect like a rainbow glowing in the morning sun.
El hovered in the air for a moment, looking like a master of the elements, before landing gracefully on the surface of the river.
His feet treaded as if the water were solid footing, creating a perfect harmony of strength and balance.
The water droplets thrown into the air slowly fell back down, forming a light rain that framed his figure in an almost illusory natural beauty.
Not far away, Yuri waved her right finger casually, creating a protective field of Yin Qi to keep herself dry.
"Hmm... My student is very hardworking, but did he forget I was here?" she muttered as she saved her book from the splashing water.
El, undisturbed by the surroundings, dived back into the river, repeating the same exercises with unwavering dedication until the sun crawled to the top of the sky.
After a grueling morning of practice, El went ashore, changed his clothes, and sat under a shady tree, consuming Qi Gathering Powder and cultivating.
El utilized the resting time to cultivate using the Path of Poem, contemplating the meaning of the poems he had received, improving his realm.
In the late afternoon, El headed to the theater bar to work as a dancer. There, she performed a mesmerizing dance, combining graceful movements with the hidden power of Dou Qi.
The audience and his coworkers are mesmerized by his performance, giving him compliments and new poems. El received 20 different poems on this day.
These poems are useful for improving his realm, although his handwriting is still poor. Thus, the effectiveness of the training is still slower than contemplating the poems.
However, nighttime is the time for El to go about his other activities. With information he obtained from a customer at a bandit bar who unwittingly revealed the location of his lair, El infiltrated the forest.
In the silence of the night, El prepares himself quietly "Rob the robbers," is how he calls his action, using his powers to take them out one by one.
After making sure there was no threat left, he inspected their booty. They were not only the proceeds of crime, but also a source of income to fill his rapidly dwindling pockets.
El's large expenses, especially to buy elixirs, even though they were low-level but very expensive, made him have to work hard as an independent practitioner.
Even so, the effect of the elixir could be enhanced thanks to Sky Pearl Poison, so its use remained efficient, with no side effects.
Tonight, the results were quite satisfactory. From the raid on the bandits' den, El obtained 1,000 gold coins, 5,000 silver coins and several sharp weapons.
El stood in the middle of a pile of bandits' corpses, with the air around his still filled with the scent of blood and battle dust.