The sky was overcast, veiled by soft gray clouds as Bao Fang gently lowered Yu Bin onto the sword, enlarging its surface with a pulse of spiritual energy. The wind whispered around them, carrying the damp scent of morning mist and the rustle of distant trees. Yu Bin blinked, confused. "Master… are you telling me you could make this sword bigger all along? And I had to ride in your arms like a baby?" Bao Fang chuckled, her voice light and teasing. "Yes." Yu Bin narrowed her eyes. "Why?" "It’s easier," her master replied with a casual shrug. "How is that easier? Carrying someone in your arms is definitely harder than just expanding a sword!" Bao Fang gave her a sly smile. "Making it bigger requires more spiritual energy. Carrying you saves mine." "But you're strong! You wouldn't even feel the difference!" "Yes, and strong people like to conserve energy too," Bao Fang smirked. Yu Bin sighed in defeat and sat down on the blade, limbs heavy. "I'm so sleepy..." Bao Fang’s

The river shimmered in the morning light, a silver ribbon winding through the valley, wild and sacred. To the untrained eye, it was peaceful. But Yu Bin knew better. Beneath its gentle surface pulsed a powerful spirit—alive, ancient, and demanding respect. Each morning, she returned. And each time, the river challenged her. At first, it fought her presence—cold, wild, and unwilling to yield. The currents tugged at her limbs like angry spirits. More than once, the water dragged her under, its icy grip testing her resolve. But Yu Bin was not so easily broken. She pushed back with will and patience, learning to listen instead of resist. And slowly, the river began to listen too. By the end of the first week, something changed. The hostility faded. The water danced around her instead of against her. It flowed into her meridians like a long-lost part of her soul returning home. She became more than a guest. She became its child. Two weeks passed, and the transformation was undeniable.

Dawn broke like a whisper across the horizon, spilling soft gold over the mist-veiled waters of the secluded lake. Birds stirred in the surrounding trees, their songs delicate, easily lost beneath the sharp rhythm of breath drawn by a girl on the cusp of transformation. Yu Bin stood barefoot at the lake’s edge. The cool earth beneath her feet grounded her, but her spirit pulsed with the fire of change. Gone was the spoiled girl of the palace halls. This was someone new—someone becoming. Today would not be about strength. Today was about stillness. Control. Depth. Bao Fang moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior, placing a thick log into the center of the lake. Her eyes, as unreadable as always, settled on Yu Bin with a mixture of steel and subtle pride. “Your task,” she said calmly, “is simple. Stand on this log with one leg.” Yu Bin raised a brow, smirking. “That’s easy.” She leapt lightly onto the log, lifted one leg— —and fell with an unceremonious splash. Bao Fang didn’t

As the morning light gently rippled across the surface of the still lake, the air held an eerie silence—one too quiet to be comforting. The soft rustling of leaves in the distance did little to mask the tension that now wrapped around the clearing like a shroud. Yu Bin and Xian Chen stood by the water's edge, minds still lingering on the recent victories of training and closeness, unaware of the trial that was about to test their very souls. "Ok, now we need to pass the next step of the training. We should go find Master," Xian Chen suggested, his tone calm but curious. "No need," came Bao Fang’s voice from behind, sudden and firm. Both teenagers turned around in surprise, unable to sense her arrival. Xian Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. "When did you get here? I didn’t sense your presence." "Just a moment ago," Bao Fang replied, stepping forward. Her gaze shifted to Yu Bin with quiet intensity. "Yu Bin, you are at the final stage of your cultivation." A heavy stillness settled b

The surface of the lake shimmered faintly beneath the soft glow of morning light, but the stillness was abruptly shattered. A cage of water—cold, fluid, yet unbreakable—twisted into existence, imprisoning both Bao Fang and Xian Chen. From the center stood Yu Bin, her expression blank, her eyes glowing crimson, lost in the madness of resentful energy. "Yu Bin, what are you doing? Wake up already!" Xian Chen gasped, staggering under the tightening grip of the watery noose coiled around his neck. His voice was hoarse, his breath ragged. Pain lanced through him, but it was the sight of her—his beloved Yu Bin—who didn’t recognize him, that hurt most of all. "Yu Bin, wake up right now!" Bao Fang shouted, her voice firm and commanding, but worry clouded her eyes. Her spiritual energy pulsed, but she dared not attack. "Yu... my beloved Yu Bin," Xian Chen rasped, his voice faltering as the air thinned, "wake up... whatever you saw right now... I am here for you. Don’t go far away from me...