After dinner, in the guest room.
"Are the two of you okay?"
"How did it feel to be the center of attention today?" Tian Shi asked Kallen casually.
"Um... can I say that I felt absolutely nothing?"
Kallen's expression was quite subtle.
"I was surprised when that child came to apologize to me"
"I was surprised that I was so far outmatched with the sword"
Eleanor's face showed an expression of embarrassment.
"I think it's better if you don't take it so seriously, Eleanor," Tian Shi reassured her.
"After all, you have only been practicing martial arts for three years at most, while the Seven Swords of Taixu have been training for much longer than you."
The Seven Swords of Taixu still hold considerable value in this era.
There is still a little bit left.
In three years, it might be an exaggeration to say that all members of the Seven Swords of Taixu will be among the top ten in the world, but it is certain that they will be among the top twenty or thirty.
Especially Cheng Lingshuang, who is now only thirteen years old; excluding someone like Kevin who is distanced from mortals, she could already be good enough to be among the top five in the world.
Not even Eleanor, nor even Kallen with Judah by her side, could achieve a fight against Cheng Lingshuang, who had already mastered the Sword God technique.
The others are relatively worse, but... at least the eldest, Lin Zhaoyu, and the fourth are quite good.
The only ones who have not yet matured are the sixth and the seventh.
After all, since Lin Zhaoyu, Hua began to pay more attention to talent when accepting disciples.
"I see."
Eleanor nodded.
She didn't hold a grudge against the other person, but she was a little upset with herself for being so useless.
After all, being surrounded by onlookers without even realizing it was embarrassing enough to make Eleanor feel as though she had disappointed God and her adoptive sister.
Her life was saved by God and her adoptive sister; her current status was granted to her by God and her adoptive sister; and the Abyss Flower was also granted to her by God and her adoptive sister…
However, aside from using the Abyss Flower to heal Otto a few times during their journey, she had achieved nothing else; after all, the Abyss Flower's function is to heal, and Kallen could also use it, so Eleanor felt that it wasn't her achievement at all.
"I think feeling shame and then striving to improve is a good virtue"
Unlike Tian Shi, Otto praised Eleanor.
That's right, only those with this kind of awareness are worthy of being followers of God!
"We calculate that we will stay here for quite a while, Eleanor and Kallen; you can take this opportunity to learn martial arts from the Taixu Sword Sect"
"Eh... is it really okay to come here and ask about such a well-kept secret?" Kallen tilted her head.
"God is the founder of the Taixu Sword Sect; so, by all indications, aren't we practically half-disciples of the Taixu Sword Sect?"
Otto smiled, but there was a hint of distortion in her smile.
So, when I was a child, I didn't have the chance to directly become an apprentice.
Although the title "God" is quite nice, "Master" is even more endearing, isn't it?
"In the terms used in Shenzhou, we are... 'outer disciples'."
"Does such a thing exist?" Kallen had an expression that said: "Although I don't understand it well, Otto is probably right."
"..."
Otto sighed.
No, every time she suddenly sees Kallen's blank expression, it doesn't seem cute at all; she only feels her blood pressure rising.
The most troublesome thing is that Kallen's adorable daze is intermittent.
Most of the time, Kallen has normal intelligence, and it even increases at crucial moments.
But every now and then... when talking about serious matters, she suddenly reveals a blank and adorable expression, as if she doesn't understand anything, wondering: "Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?".
Honestly, if Kallen were always this naive and clueless... well, I mean she would have no brain.
If Kallen had never used her brain, Otto would have gotten used to it, but when she suddenly stopped using it... every time Otto saw this, her blood pressure skyrocketed.
If this person in front of her weren't her childhood friend and her only best friend, Otto felt she would have already sold out this brainless head of the Kaslana family.
My God... why do I always feel like Kallen is gradually becoming the biggest mistake of my life?
…
Training Ground
Although it was already dark, there were still people practicing swordsmanship at the training ground.
"Second Senior Sister, don't you have anything better to do and would like to challenge Junior Sister to a duel?"
After finishing her dance, Cheng Lingshuang sheathed her sword and looked at her second senior sister, Su Mei, sitting on the stone stool next to her with considerable surprise.
Although there aren't five types of hobbies to choose from on Mount Taixu, there aren't many people practicing swordsmanship at this time.
As the end of the day approached, everyone had matters to attend to.
Only Cheng Lingshuang, with her indifferent character and no particular hobbies, came to practice with the sword late at night.
"In our Taixu Sword Sect, besides the Master, who else can rival you, Lingshuang?"
Su Mei changed her posture, from sitting to "half-lying."
"In another ten years, the Taixu Sword Sect will be under your management"
"This job should have been done by Senior Sister, no matter how you look at it"
Cheng Lingshuang's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.
She wasn't interested in that kind of thing.
"Besides our Master, only you, Lingshuang, have mastered the essence of our Taixu Sword Sect; within ten years, Senior Sister will be forty-three; if the Master brings a few more children, Senior Sister will probably be too old to raise them; I'm afraid I'll get tired of teaching them too"
Su Mei's words were not flattery; it seemed that of the seven, only Cheng Lingshuang had taken that step.
Furthermore, it's possible that in the future there will only be one Cheng Lingshuang.
Despite her exceptional talent, Su Mei currently has no clue about the so-called realm of the sword divinity.
Her talent was unsurpassed in the sect, yet she was still among the top three.
After all, she was the type of person who could make the immortal accept her as a disciple.
Lin Zhaoyu served the immortal for twelve years without being accepted as a disciple, until the immortal met Su Mei and felt driven to accept her as a disciple, and then named her Senior Sister.
A few years ago, her skill level surpassed that of the senior sister, so she took over teaching martial arts to the younger brothers and sisters.
She was completely baffled, let alone anyone else.
"Did Senior Sister come here just to say these things to Junior Sister?"
Cheng Lingshuang showed a hint of impatience.
"Junior sister doesn't seem to have any idea who will be in charge of the Taixu Sword Sect in the future; besides, our Grandmaster is still here; Senior Sister is thinking too far into the future"
"I don't have any particular thoughts"
Su Mei laughed softly.
"For me, serving an immortal is enough... However, speaking of our Grandmaster..."
Cheng Lingshuang looked at her second senior sister with a perplexed expression, but also with a sudden realization.
For some inexplicable reason, she had no idea why Su Mei was laughing.
Realization means understanding that the ancestor was the real reason the second senior sister came looking for her.
"Has Second Senior Sister already put on the necklace?"
Cheng Lingshuang looked at it and immediately noticed the gold-inlaid jade necklace around Su Mei's neck.
"I have never seen such a beautiful necklace in my entire life, so naturally, I love it"
Su Mei casually touched the necklace she was wearing around her neck.
"Besides, it was granted by our Grandmaster; how can we, as her disciples, let it gather dust?"
That's true.
Cheng Lingshuang nodded, feeling that Su Mei's words made some sense from the start.
At first she hesitated whether to wear the jade hairpin, as her heart would break if it were accidentally broken.
Now that I've heard what Su Mei said, I don't have as many doubts.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first time that the two of us... no, the seven of us have received a gift from an elder, isn't it?"
Su Mei laughed twice.
"Our Grandmaster and our Master really don't look alike, not even to a surprising degree"
Su Mei spoke of this with a rather complicated tone.
"Aren't we also different from our Master?" Cheng Lingshuang didn't seem to care about Su Mei's tone.
However, hearing Cheng Lingshuang's response, Su Mei seemed somewhat taken aback.
Anyone among the Seven Swords of Taixu can say this, except Cheng Lingshuang.
Of the seven swordswomen, the one who most resembles her master is the fifth one in front of them.
Reaching the peak like her master, possessing the same serene personality.
None of the Seven Swords resembled their master, but among this group of different figures, Cheng Lingshuang was the most similar.
Su Mei gave an ironic smile to her fifth sister, who had absolutely no self-awareness.
"Forget it, forget it, I'm not going to argue with you about this."
Su Mei waved her hand.
"So, Lingshuang, what kind of person do you think our Grandmaster was?"
"A good person?"
Cheng Lingshuang thought for a moment and gave a rather uninformative answer.
"However, it seems that Mount Taixu is more interesting"
"Mmm... more interesting?" Su Mei reflected on the word twice and then flashed a radiant smile.
"What a clever statement, fifth sister; you're right, our Mount Taixu will be lively again"
"?"
Cheng Lingshuang tilted her head, wondering why Su Mei was saying so much tonight.
While it's good to have a considerate Grandmaster, is it really necessary to seek her out specifically to chat at this hour?
Actually, Cheng Lingshuang didn't care much.
At most, it would just mean having one more person to receive her during the week, without any pressure.
"Senior sister ruined the fun for junior sister tonight; if senior sister has the chance to go down the mountain with the Master next time, she will bring you more food and toys when she returns"
Puzzling...
Cheng Lingshuang looked at her senior sister's back with confusion.
However, adhering to the principle of reciprocity, Cheng Lingshuang couldn't help but ask.
"Second Senior Sister, what do you think of the Grandmaster?"
"Me?"
Su Mei paused, apparently surprised that Cheng Lingshuang would ask that question.
However, since it was rare for her distant fifth sister to ask, Su Mei stroked her chin and showed a thoughtful expression.
After a long while, Su Mei finally lowered her hand.
"Hmm... The Grandmaster is a very respectable person... or rather, an immortal"
"Is that all?"
"That's all"
Su Mei smiled.
"Is not a celestial being who is willing to smile at mortals and understand them worthy of respect?"
"..."
Observing the receding figure of Su Mei, Cheng Lingshuang immediately lost interest in continuing her sword practice.
"Since we have nothing else to do, I might as well go back and put on the hairpin"
…
"Wearing simple clothes, one must be firmer when handling a sword"
The next day, Otto took Kallen and Eleanor to the training ground early in the morning.
As it happens, Su Mei is teaching her junior and senior students.
"Greetings, Grandmaster." Su Mei and her younger brothers and sisters bowed.
"Good morning, distinguished guests; Have you had breakfast yet?"
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Su Mei; we have already eaten" Otto nodded.
"Miss Zhaoyu's cooking is truly excellent"
"However, it is still a bit inferior to Hua"
Tian Shi said in a low voice from the side.
"Eh... Does the Master know how to cook?"
Even Su Mei, who usually greets people with a smile, showed a slightly incredulous expression at that moment.
"Surprised?"
Tian Shi looked at Su Mei.
"I am quite surprised." Su Mei looked around and, confirming that her master was not there, a strange curiosity overcame her.
No, it wasn't just her; everyone else was curious now.
Except for the eldest sister, Lin Zhaoyu, the other six swordswomen are all here; Cheng Lingshuang doesn't need anyone to teach her, but her presence here is out of habit.
Now the six of them showed expressions of curiosity.
Su Mei tossed a lock of her wine-colored hair.
"After all, cooking, something so simple, is something the Master would do..."
"Cooking gives a homey and lively air, but eating doesn't?" Tian Shi laughed.
"This..."
I must say that this perspective is quite intriguing.
"The Master has long since stopped eating grains, so this food... perhaps it is to take care of us"
Su Mei's words sounded somewhat unsure of herself.
"Um... but speaking of that, is the Master's food really that good?"
"It's wonderful, but she's not in the mood to cook right now"
Tian Shi nodded, while the six swordswomen in front of him had expressions of amazement.
Although they all felt that their master's ability to cook was definitely a mistake, since their Grandmaster had said it, they had no choice but to believe it.
"So, it seems that among us only the eldest has ever eaten the Master's food?"
Su Mei laughed for no apparent reason.
"I have never heard my senior sister mention this before"
"Speaking of which, leaving the cooking aside for now, Miss Su Mei, would you have time to teach my two friends the true qi techniques of Shenzhou?"
Otto, looking helpless, got the conversation back on track.
"This matter is easy... but learning the true qi method is not as good as directly learning the Taixu sword qi of our sect."
In comparison with the subject of cooking, Su Mei spoke of it much more naturally.
"Is there any difference between the two?"
"Actually we don't cultivate internal energy"
Cheng Lingshuang explained from the side.
"The purpose of Taixu Sword Qi is to train the body to become a channel for true qi; when the heart and the shape of the sword are perfected, true qi can be drawn from the environment and circulate freely through the meridians."
"However, compared to those martial arts masters, we do not have true qi in our dantian."
"This is really a strange use of Honkai energy"
Otto seemed to understand, but not entirely.
"It's okay; some things are learned with just one practice session... I think Miss Kallen and Miss Eleanor are very talented, so it won't take much for them to get started"
Su Mei laughed softly.
Only Su Mei could speak with such ease.
If it were Lin Zhaoyu, she would probably have to ask Hua for permission, even with Tian Shi as her Grandmaster.
"Please, come this way, I will recite the incantation for you... but, please, do not spread it, otherwise, if the Master finds any fault with me, my small body will not be able to withstand the consequences"
Su Mei gestured for them to continue.
"Also, I will trouble our Grandmaster to look after my younger brothers and sisters"