Volume 2, Chapter 48 – Jade Spirit

Today was the weekend, and the younger generation of the Bai family came home from school for a meal. As usual, they were showered with affection by the resident disciples.

Bai Maoxu swaggered through the door with a cocky little kick-step, with Ma Yue in sunglasses following behind him.

Today, Ma Yue had driven over in a black suit and shades to pick him up. The moment he opened his mouth it was all “Young Master.” It really let Bai Maoxu puff up hard in front of his classmates.

Bai Maoxu felt this Senior Brother Ma was just too considerate, too good with words.

Who said Senior Brother Ma was stiff and wooden?

This was clearly a heart as clever as a seven-orifice spirit jade!

In reality, Ma Yue had only thought that, among the Bai family’s third generation, Bai Maoxu was the only male heir. Even if he wasn’t the Young Master, he had to be. Add in that Bai Lianzhou and Bai Shengju were both rather old-school, traditional types. Living at the Dao residence day in and day out, he’d been influenced by them; so when he saw Bai Maoxu, the honorific just came out naturally.

The pampering Bai Maoxu received didn’t stop there. After he passed through the main hall, he ran into Chen Shi. This rich young master immediately handed him something.

Bai Maoxu took a look.

Good grief, it was actually a touchscreen phone!

“Play with this in private. Don’t bring it to school,” Chen Shi ruffled his hair and warned him again, “They don’t sell these retail! The controls on them are really strict! I’m just worried some kid at your school will see it and get bad ideas. If something happens, us brothers can’t be with you every day, got it?”

Bai Maoxu bobbed his head nonstop, already overjoyed as he started fiddling with it.

“I wanna be a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old middle schooler getting spoiled too…”

Watching from a distance, Hu Hu sat on the doorstep, chin in hand.

Beside her, Chen Jing was practicing stance-work. Hearing that, she wiped some sweat off and said, “Honestly, Hu Hu, if you didn’t say anything, people really would take you for a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old middle schooler.”

Hm?

Hu Hu froze for a second, then looked down at herself, finally realizing what Chen Jing was hinting at.

“You little Jingjing! Stop right there, don’t run!”

“Stance-work is to stretch your tendons and bones.” In the courtyard next door, Xu Shu was explaining the key points of the Nurture the Spirit stage to Lian Feng and a few other early-arriving disciples. “It’s so you can train skin and flesh more easily.”

“When you practice stance-work, don’t just stand .”

“Tendons and bones are like a bowstring. Pay attention to tension and relaxation, nourish and maintain them, or you’ll overtrain and leave hidden injuries.”

As time went by, Second Senior Brother Xu Shu’s position was firmly established.

On top of that, his temperament was gentle. Whoever came to ask for guidance, he was willing to explain everything in detail, and his own cultivation was extremely diligent. Quite a few disciples had developed a sense of respect toward him and secretly took Xu Shu as their role model.

For this morning’s class, Bai Shengju very unusually came out himself.

“The sword! Is not just a weapon!”

“Demonic power is ferocious, chaotic, and corrodes the heart. Human Principle is clear, self-restrained, and upright!”

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“Since Taizu founded the nation 1,600 years ago, our Great Yu carved out such a magnificent legacy in an age of ravening wolves and rampant demons, all by relying on this blazing Great Dao—using Human Principle to harness demonic power, sealing ‘Demon Pools’ into our swords, so that the strength of mortals can reach the divine!”

“So today, I will test your methods of holding fast to what is right…”

A familiar scene played out once more inside the dojo.

Only this time, everyone in the Bai family could see that Bai Shengju’s complexion had undergone another qualitative change compared to a month ago. Not only was his back completely straight again, those once-murky eyes were now clear and bright. When he looked at people, he inspired awe without anger, and a sharp, cutting aura emanated from him!

Grandpa should be about to break through.

The instant Bai Xiang saw Bai Shengju, she knew he wasn’t far from piercing through to Condensing the Aspect.

His realm had long since been sufficient. The reason he’d dragged it out this long without breaking through was purely that his body had been too weak and had become a drag.

He’d had to rely on Bai Xiang using the Vibration Art to clear out clotted blood and cysts, then use the “Cicada-Sloughing Method” to switch back from the external arts he’d gone out to learn to Shenming Sword Dao. The process in between had been extremely troublesome.

Xiang Xian didn’t join meals or morning class. After Bai Xiang accepted the greetings of the disciples and younger ones, she turned to Bai Leying and asked, “Has anything changed at your school lately?”

Bai Leying was stunned.

She spaced out in class every day; how was she supposed to know about any “changes”?

“I know!” Bai Maoxu, eyes glued to his phone screen, raised his right hand. “Like, just a few days ago, the school taught us a new set of broadcast exercises.”

“Oh, right!” Bai Leying nodded. “That did happen.”

Nearby, a few more disciples whose families had kids in middle and high school chimed in, saying it was true.

It wasn’t just teaching a new set of exercises. Those who performed well could be rewarded by the school with “cultivation pills,” said to strengthen the body if you took them.

“What do the pills look like?” Bai Xiang asked again.

“White, and they smell really good,” Bai Maoxu said.

“And did you eat any?”

“I didn’t! I couldn’t be bothered to go up on stage… so embarrassing.”

“What about you, Leying?”

“No,” Bai Leying also shook her head.

Broadcast exercises, huh.

Every time they did morning calisthenics, she was too lazy to even move her legs from where they were planted.

“Good.” After listening, Bai Xiang nodded, then only spoke again once a few outer disciples had walked off into the distance. “Keep it that way. Even if they give them to you, don’t eat them.”

Huh?

The two juniors thought they’d misheard. Since when was their elder teaching them to slack off?

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“Xiang’er, is there something wrong with the pills?”

Sitting in the main seat, sipping tea, Bai Shengju frowned deeply at that.

“I can’t say for sure,” Bai Xiang shook her head.

“But if you can avoid taking them, then don’t.”

“We’re not lacking in cultivation medicine.”

Hearing this, Bai Leying was baffled, and Bai Maoxu furrowed his brows.

The older inner disciples, however, looked thoughtful and quietly lodged this matter in their hearts.

Later, Chen Shi came over. When he heard about it, he suddenly understood. “You’re talking about ‘Marrow-Washing Pills,’ right?”

“It’s actually a new drug being promoted within the Dao. They say it’s stronger than previous medicines. My dad says it’s a bit like forcing seedlings to grow, and it’s probably meant to pick out those with exceptional physical qualities, then roll out a new advancement system.”

“A new advancement system?” Everyone was curious. “What kind of system?”

“Well— right now there’s Liberal Arts, Science, and Sword Dao, yeah?” Chen Shi spread his hands. “On top of that, they’ll be adding a new ‘Physical Exam.’ Not sure about the exact standards, but as long as your Physical Exam score is high, you can get a guaranteed recommendation.”

That was probably talent scouting for people to use in technology battlesuits.

Bai Shengju and Bai Lianzhou exchanged a look.

Ever since the duel, the Bai family had firmly planted themselves in the traditionalist camp. If a disciple got selected— even just showed interest in the reformist, tech-new-school side— it wouldn’t be a good thing.

Bai Xiang’s warning was the right call.

They could not take that medicine.

Once morning class was completely over, Bai Xiang finally headed back to the courtyard, with Bai Zhuqing trailing behind her.

This silly little sister had actually been tailing her all morning, but since Bai Xiang wasn’t talking to her, she didn’t dare go up and disturb her.

What’s with her suddenly playing the dignified young lady today?

Bai Xiang was curious.

In her impression, Bai Zhuqing was utterly shameless— especially in private. She could call her “Auntie” without the slightest psychological burden.

“Auntie, are you going to learn sword from Aunt Xiang today?”

Seeing Bai Xiang look her way, Bai Zhuqing couldn’t keep pretending to be mute. She showed a faint smile and asked.

Bai Xiang nodded. “That’s right.”

“Then I’ll wait for Auntie outside.”

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Bai Zhuqing stepped back with a little bow, looking very well-bred and proper.

?

A big question mark popped up on Bai Xiang’s forehead.

When something’s out of the ordinary, there’s always a demon behind it.

I don’t have time for this right now.

I’ll deal with you after I’m done learning.

What she didn’t know was that Bai Zhuqing had already decided to “lie low and swallow bitterness.”

Sister Xiang’er, you’re not someone who gives your feelings away, so of course you can’t understand how I feel.

Bai Zhuqing stared at the closed courtyard door, her gaze firm.

She had already decided she would stay by Bai Xiang’s side as much as possible, learn everything Bai Xiang taught her, and even train until she became stronger than Bai Xiang.

By then, however this relationship developed, it definitely wouldn’t be just up to Sister Xiang’er… to decide on her own.

“You’re here.”

Xiang Xian was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. As Bai Xiang approached, she lifted her eyes and asked her a question.

“What do you think a mind Aspect actually is ?”

Bai Xiang paused. “The inner self.”

That was her guess.

She’d inferred it from the differences between her and Bai Zhuqing’s Transforming Qi effects.

She herself had lived two lives and longed to break free of all shackles, cutting down every obstacle with a single sword. So the nature of her qi was cutting and sharp.

Bai Zhuqing’s head was full of dirty thoughts, and she had a mother-complex besides. She held a deep attachment and— to put it bluntly— “possessiveness” toward this elder sister of hers. So after she transformed her qi, its characteristic was ultra-fine control.

And the source of Transforming Qi was the power of heart-flow. The source of heart-flow was the mind Aspect. This was clearly a manifestation of different inner selves.

“Correct,” Xiang Xian nodded.

“Everyone has desires.”

“Desire disturbs our mind Aspect, making us restless, unable to calm down and seek the Dao.”

“Many people want to control their restless monkey mind, but they fail.”

“The deeper your realm, the more obvious this hidden danger becomes. In serious cases, you may not even be able to suppress Demon Pool pollution, and your power will break out of its seals and go berserk.”

So was she telling her all this because “Jade Spirit, Luminous Heart” could solve the problem?

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“Just as you’re thinking, as long as you complete my Yuming wondrous method, I won’t say it completely cures it, but you’ll almost never be troubled by the monkey mind again, and you’ll roughly be able to keep your desires under control.”

Xiang Xian nodded again.

“Next, I say a line, and you repeat it.”

Bai Xiang nodded. “Alright.”

“Human desire is hard to bind.”

“Human desire is hard to bind.”

“Do not shackle the monkey mind.”

“Do not shackle the monkey mind.”

“Jade Spirit petitions for duty.”

“Jade Spirit petitions for duty.”

“Steal Heaven’s mechanism.”

“Steal Heaven’s mechanism.”

……

The incantation was convoluted; there were actually over two hundred lines in total.

As Bai Xiang recited along, she tried to understand the meaning, and a growing sense of absurdity rose in her heart.

No way.

This Jade Spirit, Luminous Heart—

If she wasn’t mistaken, it was about nurturing and simulating a second Aspect in her inner landscape, shaping it into a “Jade Spirit,” and then using it as a tool. All the formulaic processes for forging work and research operations could be engraved into the “Jade Spirit,” letting the “Jade Spirit” take over everything during the process.

For example, calculating the angle when stirring a potion, precise to a few decimal places. A person trying to reproduce that perfectly a second time was basically impossible, but with the “Jade Spirit” assisting, it’d be easy.

Wasn’t this just a built-in AI?

As she chanted, Bai Xiang slowly drifted into deep thought.

She had soul-abilities, and her will and mind were terrifyingly firm. Monkey mind and inner demons didn’t really trouble her.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t need a “Jade Spirit.”

For example, those two problems that branched out from The Fuhu Arhat Scripture.

With a “Jade Spirit,” the computations would definitely be much faster.