Chapter 97: Disciple Conference (Part 9)

Xu Qianyu asked, “How can one enter the ‘Realm’?”
Shen Suwei replied, “You haven’t formed it yet. Only when it’s formed can you enter.”
Xu Qianyu had her senior brother take her back to his pavilion. Seated on a chair, Shen Suwei continued helping her regulate her breathing while explaining some things about the “realm.”

“A cultivator’s ‘Realm’ is a personal space, born from the spirit palace. It can store items, aid in cultivation, and be used in combat. Its specific attributes are related to one’s inner state, endlessly varied, and unique to each individual.”

“If divided, the realm is roughly split into ‘Peace’ and ‘Evil’ types. Peace Realms are more gentle and non-aggressive, typically used for storage and self-nurturing; Evil Realms, on the other hand, are aggressive toward the outside world and are generally used for combat.”

Hearing that she, too, would have a “realm,” Xu Qianyu was thrilled. She asked, “Senior Brother, is your ‘Realm’ a Peace realm or a Evil realm? ”
Shen Suwei answered, “Evil Realm.”
Xu Qianyu said, “Then I also want a Evil realm.”
After all, her senior brother had a Evil Realm, yet could still use it for storage; a Peace Realm, however, couldn’t be used for killing. Evil Realms seemed more practical.

Since they were talking about the “realm,” Shen Suwei casually took out a sugar figure from his own realm and handed it to Xu Qianyu.
She licked it twice but soon lost interest and set it aside.
“Does it still hurt?” Shen Suwei looked at her.

Xu Qianyu touched her lower abdomen, concentrating to sense it, and remained silent for a while. Suddenly, she furrowed her brows and looked up in surprise, her eyes filled with doubt as she gazed at him. “It feels harder. Senior Brother, feel it.”

Seeing her confused expression, Shen Suwei quickly leaned over and felt her abdomen.
Xu Qianyu’s body temperature was naturally higher, and with her robes held close around her, she felt almost scaling to the touch.

Sensing downward slowly, Shen Suwei’s heightened senses as a Yuanying (Nascent Soul) cultivator far surpassed those of ordinary people. A single layer of disciple robes was no barrier to his touch. He lightly pressed on the flat, soft surface of her abdomen, then immediately withdrew his hand.
“It’s fine.”
“Your Realm was formed with the help of a pill, so it condensed quickly. It’s normal for your spirit palace to feel as if it’s burning.”

Fingers curled inside his sleeve, lingering with the sensation of heat. Shen Suwei said no more, taking Xu Qianyu’s hand again to continue assisting her in regulating her breathing.

He had a water-based spiritual root and practiced the Ice and Snow Path, so the spiritual energy he directed into Xu Qianyu’s body could help alleviate some of the pain of her breakthrough.
Xu Qianyu bit off and chewed the head of the sugar figure she held, then clutched her stomach, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment. “Senior Brother, was it like this for you too when you were forming your boundary? Like you were carrying an egg?”

“…” Shen Suwei gently squeezed her hand, unsure how to respond. After a pause, he replied, “I cultivated my boundary slowly over time. I didn’t progress as quickly as you.”

His tone held a hint of reproach. As he spoke, he flicked his fingers, sending a wisp of spiritual energy toward the floating herb on the table, subtly adjusting the direction of the leaves’ ears.

Although there was no one currently in Xu Qianyu’s room, he was always meticulous and took precautions to prevent any passing cultivators or intruders from overhearing their conversation.
Afterward, he advised, “Most cultivators who reach the boundary stage are at least at the Golden Core level. Boundaries require a large amount of spiritual energy, and only high-level cultivators have spiritual pools sufficient to sustain it. Since you’re currently only at the foundation establishment stage, advancing rashly might overtax your resources, so be cautious. Either work diligently to advance soon or refrain from using the boundary for now to avoid exhausting yourself.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qianyu realized why her senior brother wasn’t particularly pleased—her boundary would drain her spiritual energy. For a lower-level cultivator, it would be a burden.
But she wasn’t worried. “Spiritual energy isn’t a problem. Senior Brother, I actually wanted to discuss something with you.”

She then projected her consciousness outward, showing Shen Suwei three new inscriptions that had recently appeared on her “tortoise shell,” and recounted her experiences with gathering spiritual energy and sensing killing intent.

“I read in a book that when cultivators reach a certain level, they gain spiritual powers within their souls. Lin Shuyue mentioned that magic cultivators awaken different innate abilities. Could this be the innate ability of us sword cultivators?”
Shen Suwei looked at her in surprise before observing closely. He cautiously replied, “It is indeed a spiritual power. Due to everyone’s unique fortunes, you could think of it as an ‘innate ability,’ but spiritual powers differ from the innate abilities of magic cultivators; they’re meant to be used as hidden trump cards. Never reveal your spiritual powers or weaknesses to others. Even if someone guesses, don’t admit it.”

“…” Xu Qianyu glanced at him.

So she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.
Well, it was too late—she’d already shown him her trump card.
Shen Suwei didn’t say more. He closed his eyes, and after a moment, his primordial spirit emerged.

Xu Qianyu gazed at the pale golden primordial spirit in front of her, shrouded in a layer of purple-electric shell that crackled with fierce energy, making her face feel warm.

Her senior brother had only subtly added a tail to her consciousness, but she’d added so many layers of locks to hers, making it quite conspicuous.

She wondered what others would think if they saw a lock on her senior brother’s primordial spirit.
As she pondered, three distinct inscriptions emerged more clearly within the golden mist. Xu Qianyu looked at them for a moment, realizing, and then turned her head quickly. “Didn’t you say…”

“You showed me yours,” Shen Suwei said calmly, “so it’s only fair I show you mine.”
Then he gestured for her to look at the inscriptions.
The first inscription resembled two crossed writing brushes.

“What’s this?”
“Judge,” Shen Suwei explained briefly, “If I wish, I can control the opponent’s sword.”

Xu Qianyu felt a bit discontented upon hearing this—why was her senior brother’s spiritual power so enviable? She quickly pointed to the second inscription, which was shaped like a leaf. “What about this one?”

“Resurrection. It can restore damaged objects to their original state according to the trajectory of destruction.”

Xu Qianyu nodded.
No wonder her senior brother would insist on restoring any damaged courtyards or houses after battles during his travels. Just like her practice of drawing spirit-gathering talismans, perhaps he’d awakened this spiritual power through such repeated restoration.

The third inscription was somewhat intricate, resembling a snowflake over a half-collapsed wall. “This one…”
Shen Suwei said, “I just recently awakened it, so I don’t know its name yet. It seems related to my boundary. Most cultivators’ boundaries start very small, but mine can expand without being restricted by cultivation level.”

Xu Qianyu sighed.
Compared to his abilities, her two spiritual powers seemed rather weak, and her third inscription wasn’t yet clear.

“Not all cultivators have spiritual powers; only those who reach a moment of insight with the heavens may awaken them. Many cultivators never achieve such an epiphany in their lives.” Shen Suwei retracted his primordial spirit and looked at her. “You have three; you’re already remarkable.”

He trailed off as he noticed her frown and quickly supported her.
Xu Qianyu’s thoughts scattered as she groaned.
She felt the “egg” in her abdomen crack, and a fiery ocean surged from within, threatening to consume her organs. Half terrified, half in pain, she looked at Shen Suwei for help. “Are there cases where cultivators… don’t survive this?”
Shen Suwei paused, then said, “Sit here.”

He helped her up, placed her on his lap, and pressed his hand against her back, channeling cold spiritual energy directly into her to counter the internal fire.

Xu Qianyu felt the flames doused and let out a sigh of relief.
Beads of sweat trickled down her temples. With the pain easing, sounds, colors, and sensations gradually returned. She caught the faint, fresh scent of her senior brother, noticed the uncomfortable pressure in her leg, and shifted restlessly forward and back.

Shen Suwei steadied her.
Xu Qianyu looked up at his white gauze collar and the pale skin of his neck. She thought, He’s so cool to the touch; it must feel really nice, but breaking this close distance might upset him. After hesitating, she couldn’t resist softly asking, “Can I lean on you?”

Shen Suwei: “Yes.”

Immediately, she nestled into his embrace, finding it indeed comfortable and pleasantly fragrant.
The scent wasn’t strong—just a light pine fragrance on his soft white robes. His embrace wasn’t warm, but the faint temperature beneath the chill felt like resting against freshly prepared bedding, filling her with a deep sense of comfort.

Thinking this, her eyelids grew heavier, and she became somewhat drowsy.
She had intended to come down before falling asleep, but since Shen Suwei hadn’t driven her away, she thought she could linger a bit longer before getting up. With her lashes closed, she slipped directly into dreamland.

“……” Shen Suwei looked down, feeling Xu Qianyu’s breathing grow calm and steady.
Asleep?
Xu Qianyu was lying on him while he sat in the chair, maintaining the same position without daring to move for a long time, only listening to the intertwined sounds of her heartbeat and his own.

After a long while, he gently shifted the chair while holding Xu Qianyu and raised his sleeve to try.
It seemed he could still review the documents this way.
Thinking this, he grasped the pen and quietly flipped through two pages, staring blankly at the files.
His thoughts were chaotic, and he hardly absorbed anything.
After a while, Shen Suwei lowered his head and noticed Xu Qianyu’s hairpin had come loose, so he carefully removed the red ribbon from her hair.
Xu Qianyu’s hair was dark, shiny, and thick, but the ends, slightly singed by some fire, were indeed a pity.
He said nothing, undid her braid, trimmed the burnt ends with his sword energy, and took a comb to smooth her hair little by little.

Half awake and half asleep, Xu Qianyu vaguely felt her senior brother undoing her hair, and his movements were very gentle, so she let him be. Occasionally, it made her a bit itchy, prompting her to impatiently turn her head and ask him to hurry and put her braid behind so he could finish.

Having carefully arranged her hair into soft waves and knowing Xu Qianyu had no competition today and wouldn’t need to meet anyone, Shen Suwei left her long hair down over her shoulders instead of redoing her bun.

The boundary period would last at least three to five days, and it was rare for Xu Qianyu to fall asleep peacefully. Shen Suwei continued to channel his cool spiritual energy into her.
Just then, the floating grass Shenchong suddenly made a sound.
The girl complained, “Yuzhen, did you see my competition today? Xu Qianyu provoked you; did you hear her?”
Shen Suwei paused and drew the pot of floating grass Shenchong closer with his spiritual power.
The boy on the other side said, “What did she say? I didn’t hear anything.”
The girl, irritated, replied, “…… It’s because I lost you, and she also said you’re useless, not even teaching me how to defeat enemies with sword techniques.”
After a moment of silence, a calm voice responded, “She’s not wrong; I really haven’t taught you anything.”
The girl hesitated and asked, “Yuzhen, are you angry with me? I feel like you’re not quite the same as before.”
Shen Suwei pondered for a moment and understood that it was this pot of floating grass Shenchong that had heard what was said in Zhaoyue Palace. The floating grass Shenchong in Zhaoyue Palace had heard the voice of Inner Sect disciple Lu You, who was a disciple of Wuzhen. The boy speaking must be Wuzhen.
Could it be that Xu Qianyu also sent Wuzhen a pot of floating grass Shenchong?
As Shen Suwei thought this, his gaze darkened, his expression remained unchanged, and he pulled out a volume of the affairs record of the Penglai Sect, opening a page to verify.
Indeed, Elder Wuzhen had a real name, recorded in the sect as Xie Wuzhen.
Hundreds of years ago, the fallen Qingheng Daojun was Elder Wuzhen’s only brother, whose real name was Xie Hengjun.
So then, who is “Yuzhen”?