The Demon Lord and I: Frenemies - Chapter 23

Chu Zaishuang gazed at her father’s hand. For a moment, it was as if she truly saw the Twin Swords, and she asked in confusion, “But where is my Wuwo Sword?”

She stretched out her left arm to try, wanting to cleave the surface of the lake, but nothing happened.

“Don’t worry, it’s hidden here.” Su Tingyun raised his fingertip and pointed at her chest through the air. “I’ll teach you the incantation now.”

Clouds and mist churned over Tingyun Lake, and there was a clearing by the shore. Occasionally, birds chirped in the pine forest, but otherwise, all was silent. Father and daughter formally began their sword training.

“Transcend the roots of dust, let the spiritual light shine alone; all dharmas are empty-thus, the Way is seen.”

Su Tingyun had already withdrawn the Youwo Sword. He raised his left hand, and after reciting the incantation, he closed his fist as if gripping a sword. White mist billowed, and within sight, his left hand still held nothing. Yet spiritual energy drifted and scattered, suddenly blowing away the surrounding clouds and smoke, as if he were holding hundreds of strands of transparent silk, stirring the vast sea of clouds atop the mountain.

Chu Zaishuang was stunned. The spiritual energy used in techniques matched the color of one’s Primordial Spirit Flower. Chu Bingxiao’s Golden Lotus Condensing Emerald was green, Fei Wanghuai’s Wangchuan Rosa Multiflora was blue, Su Tingyun’s spiritual energy was purple. But now, though he clearly held spiritual energy in his hand, she saw no color at all.

If not for the clouds and mist shrouding Tingyun Lake, Su Tingyun’s left hand possessed a mysterious power that could scatter the freely flowing cloud energy. Otherwise, with the naked eye alone, one could not perceive any spiritual energy.

“Shuang’er, imagine you have a sword in your hand, but it’s not an ordinary solid sword. Instead, it flows like clouds and mist. You can make it lengthen, bend, even grip it tightly or not at all-it will naturally coil around your hand.”

Chu Zaishuang listened in confusion. She blinked and imitated, “Transcend the roots of dust, let the spiritual light shine alone; all dharmas are empty-thus, the Way is seen.”

As the incantation sounded, something seemed to respond in her Sea of Consciousness, but her left hand still felt nothing.

Xiao Shi also held its breath, seemingly quite curious about the Wuwo Sword, but after waiting a long time, it saw nothing.

Su Tingyun’s left hand only pretended to be empty; Chu Zaishuang’s left hand truly was empty.

“Father, did you forget to teach something?” Chu Zaishuang was bewildered and reminded him, “I don’t have a Primordial Spirit Flower. Even if I recite the incantation, it shouldn’t work, right?”

Su Tingyun pondered briefly. “No, the Wuwo Sword isn’t a technique. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t require a Primordial Spirit Flower. As long as you can do Qi Gathering and your state of mind is right, you should be able to forge it.”

She was puzzled. “What do you mean by ‘state of mind is right’?”

“You need to imagine merging with heaven and earth. You are still yourself, yet not yourself-transcending all beings and things. What you hold is not your own spiritual energy, but the external energy drifting around you. Only then can you freely extend the sword blade.”

Chu Zaishuang listened and tried to calm her mind, once again sensing the light currents around her, attempting to merge with the lake and the pines. In the long silence, her vision was filled with swirling clouds and mist. Her hearing grew sharper, her nose caught the fresh scent of grass and trees, and cool cloud energy brushed past her neck, bringing a gentle chill.

For a moment, she felt as if she were a drifting cloud, merging into the vast void.

She involuntarily raised her hand, but as her fingers slowly closed, she still touched nothing.

“That’s not right. Your state of mind should be fine,” Su Tingyun muttered in confusion. “Why hasn’t the sword formed?”

“Father, is our sword technique really this simple, with no specific method?” Chu Zaishuang said helplessly. “Honestly, this sounds less reliable than my desk mate’s lessons.”

Fei Wanghuai never talked about states of mind when teaching techniques. If the Rippling Water Technique didn’t work, he’d switch to the Golden Lightning Technique-simple and straightforward, nothing mysterious about it.

Su Tingyun patiently explained, “Shuang’er, this is an experience of state of mind. You need to stay in the sea of clouds and comprehend it. The sword will naturally form.”

“…”

Chu Zaishuang forced herself to be patient. This time, she even silently recited the Golden Lightning Technique, hoping that combining the two incantations might work a miracle.

However, using the Golden Lightning Technique and Rippling Water Technique together was effective, but it did nothing to help with the Wuwo Sword technique.

“Why is that? What exactly is the reason?” Su Tingyun paced in place. At this moment, he was no longer the patient mentor, but even more anxious than Chu Zaishuang. “Where is the problem? You’ve always had a good imagination. It shouldn’t be like this!”

“Is it possible that sword technique doesn’t rely on imagination?” Chu Zaishuang calmly countered. “Father, may I ask, when you teach others the Wuwo Sword, how long does it usually take to succeed?”

She wanted a reference-was she truly incompetent, or was there another reason?

“Xiao’er once managed to condense spiritual energy. It took him two or three months, but that couldn’t really be called a sword-more like a short dagger. Other than that, there are no other examples,” Su Tingyun mused. “He later refused to keep learning.”

Chu Bingxiao was a prodigy, exposed to cultivation early. He had briefly studied the Twin Sword Technique with his father, but he never figured out the Wuwo Sword, and eventually switched to his mother’s tutelage in frustration.

Su Tingyun had other disciples, but some quickly changed teachers, and those who stayed mostly learned techniques, not swordsmanship from him.

Su Tingyun said, “But it doesn’t matter. Your talent is higher than your brother’s. You will definitely be able to condense the Wuwo Sword. I have great confidence in you!”
“?”

Chu Zaishuang hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping: “Honestly, this kind of blind confidence is exactly the same as my deskmate.”

Fei Wanghuai insisted she was the Supreme Immortal Realm Sovereign, Su Tingyun firmly claimed she was more talented than her elder brother, and both of them ought to be packed off to Thousand-Gold Peak to have Medicine Elder give them a couple of doses of medicinal decoction.

What is a genius?

A genius is someone who possesses talent, not swayed by the level of their teachers. But even geniuses like Chu Bingxiao haven’t mastered this sword technique, so there must be some issues with it.

Chu Zaishuang was silent for a long time before she spoke: “Now I finally understand why Mother said you can’t teach. Mainly, you just pick the wrong places to teach.”

“Really?” Su Tingyun looked around. “Tingyun Lake is quite beautiful. Isn’t it suitable for teaching?”

Chu Zaishuang nodded. “Right, it’s not suitable. If you teach here, no matter what kind of disciple, they’ll end up completely confused.”

“???”

This was truly a failed master-disciple lesson.

At first, Su Tingyun demonstrated the Wuwo Sword, and his words were inspiring. But when it came to actually teaching the sword technique, his flaws were exposed-he simply couldn’t explain its mysteries. He couldn’t clarify the principles of the Wuwo Sword, nor could he explain the techniques for using it. It all depended on personal comprehension, with no universal method.

After all, he figured it out on his own, and by accident reached the Nine Leaves Mid Stage, becoming one of the top three experts in the Immortal Sect. He came from humble origins, with neither family background nor resources, yet still became a high-level cultivator.

Is this someone ordinary cultivators can emulate?

“Forget it, I expected this. Since I chose Father, I knew I’d have to learn on my own.” Chu Zaishuang sighed. “I didn’t have high hopes to begin with.”

She only wanted the ability to protect herself, not to become a peerless cultivator. She would just take things one step at a time.

“No, you have to believe me. Try hard to imagine the Wuwo Sword. You really are a talented child!”

“Ah, yes, yes, all my talent depends on Father’s imagination.”

“…”

*

In the days that followed, Chu Zaishuang would sometimes go to Tingyun Lake to condense her sword, sometimes flip through books in the Library Pavilion, and sometimes play chess by the pond. Life was simple and monotonous. Since her father couldn’t explain the Wuwo Sword, she searched through books herself, determined to find some logic to it.

Under the tree, various cultivation texts were spread out, but they didn’t record profound techniques, only the history of the birth of Immortal Qi.

Xiao Shi: [Actually, if we want to get stronger, we can just learn some random arts. If we don’t study the Wuwo Sword, we could be like the other disciples and just learn the Five Elements Arts, right?]

Su Tingyun was at least a high-level cultivator; he knew all the basic arts, which was enough for Chu Zaishuang to use.

As she flipped through the books, Chu Zaishuang replied, “I just want to learn a bit for self-preservation, but since I’m not leaving the mountain anytime soon, there’s no rush. I’ll just study for now.”

If she stayed on Lotus Peak Mountain forever, honestly, she’d never be in danger. But the incident with the Wind Howl Giant Beast had shaken her deeply, pushing her to give it a try, as if subconsciously trying to make up for something.

Unable to think of a way to repay him for saving her life, she could only ease her guilt from that moment through this approach.

He had gone against his own logic and done something inexplicable.

So she would go against her own logic and try something she never had before.

But now, seeing the Wuwo Sword, she was genuinely interested and wanted to explore its origins and workings.

“Immortal Qi has spirit, rising and falling, yin and yang blending,” she mused. “Casting arts uses the Primordial Spirit Flower to control Immortal Qi. This is an internal-to-external process: using the Dao Heart to manipulate the Qi within, then forcefully releasing it. But the Wuwo Sword uses external Qi. If you imagine yourself merging with heaven and earth, perhaps you treat your whole being as the Dao Heart, and all external Immortal Qi as your own, using it all as you wish, naturally without end.”

“Thinking about it this way, the principle of the Wuwo Sword is sound. Maybe the problem lies with us.”

[What problem?]

“There’s too much external Immortal Qi, and we’re too weak to mobilize it. It’s like before, when my Dao Heart was unstable, it was hard to cast arts.” Chu Zaishuang analyzed. “We need a solid foundation in Qi Gathering before we can hope to condense the Wuwo Sword.”

[But your brother’s foundation is solid, right? And he only managed to condense a little. How long would it take to build such a foundation for the sword? Ordinary cultivators don’t have that much time.]

With that kind of effort, you could just learn something else, and maybe progress faster than with the Wuwo Sword.

“That’s why I say my father isn’t suited to teaching. He has so much Immortal Qi it’s monstrous, so of course he thinks as long as your state of mind is right, it’s enough. But that’s not the case for most people.”

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, disturbing the reader.

Chu Zaishuang glanced at the sky, tossed the books into a basket, stood up and patted the dust from her robes, exclaiming, “Oh no, I promised to go out today. I got so caught up in reading, I almost forgot.”

Today was the day to meet up. Chu Zaishuang dared not delay and hurried off in that direction.

Once the entry disciples finished their master-acknowledgment, they became official disciples and gained more freedom. While they were in the Lecture Hall, there was always a senior brother watching over them, and they couldn’t wander around the sect at will. Now, however, they could go to other places within the sect, no longer restricted in their activities.
Li Jingjie suggested that the group take a stroll through Floating Street in the Lotus Flower Sect, the place where disciples traded goods. Because the use of magical artifacts was limited by cultivation level, low-level cultivators couldn’t use high-level treasures, and high-level cultivators would also update their own equipment. As a result, many senior brothers and sisters sold their old items here, and sometimes one could find treasures beneficial for new disciples’ cultivation.

*

Floating Street was bustling with voices, lined with small shops, and some cultivators lounged atop flying swords, spreading out a piece of burlap on the ground to sell Spirit Beast materials obtained from missions.

The Alchemists of Thousand-Gold Peak would sell Elixirs at roadside stalls, which were cheaper than exchanging them directly from the sect. Since these were the disciples’ own products, the quality varied, and there was always a risk of getting sick from them. As soon as someone entered Floating Street, the vendors would shout loudly, trying to attract the attention of passersby.

“Come and see, come and see! Top-grade Elixirs from Thousand-Gold Peak’s high-level cultivators, exactly the same as the sect’s special supply-just a few available! Don’t miss out if you’re passing by!”

“Hey, junior brothers and sisters, interested in magical artifacts suitable for new cultivators? I see you’ve only just become disciples!”

“Material hunting, Elixir collection, artifact refining-guaranteed satisfaction!”

The group met at the entrance to Floating Street. Chu Zaishuang thought she would be the last to arrive, but when she got there, she saw Fei Wanghuai and Su Hongli; surprisingly, it was Li Jingjie who was late. Fei Wanghuai still held his Silver Fan, now with the white silk wrapping removed, looking just as he did before.

Su Hongli had changed a little; she now wore a yellow gourd at her waist, its plump skin tinged with a hint of rosy light-a standard Alchemist’s accessory. She whispered, “He asked us to come, but he’s the one who’s late.”

Fei Wanghuai smiled, “Dragon Tiger Peak is far away; it can’t be helped.”

Chu Zaishuang tilted her head and pointed not far off, “Isn’t that him?”

A streak of brown and yellow lightning darted down the street, followed closely by a sweating Li Jingjie. He was chasing something, shouting all the way, nearly knocking into other people.

“Hey, wait, come back here-”

As they got closer, the brown figure turned out to be a weasel-like Spirit Beast, with a sleek, elongated body, darting nimbly through the street so fast it was hard to see, heading straight for the group.

Li Jingjie spotted his companions, “Quick, help me stop it!”

Su Hongli asked in confusion, “What is that?”

Fei Wanghuai replied, “A Spirit Beast from Dragon Tiger Peak. They study beast-taming techniques there, but he doesn’t seem very skilled yet.”

Chu Zaishuang commented, “He should have chosen a cat-like Spirit Beast. His name gives him an advantage-it might work out better.” After all, Jingjie is also called catnip.

Li Jingjie wailed, “Friends, stop chatting and help me!”

A piece of osmanthus candy was tossed into the air. The weasel’s small round eyes blinked, and it leapt up nimbly, its soft fur gleaming in the sunlight. It excitedly sprang into the air, clutching the candy with both paws, finally stopping its mad dash.

Fei Wanghuai glanced at Chu Zaishuang, who had thrown the candy, raising his eyebrows and hesitating, “Why do you carry so many mortal snacks?”

After becoming disciples, everyone else had new cultivation tools, but she just seemed to have more snacks.

The osmanthus candy worked well. Li Jingjie seized the distracted Spirit Beast and finally joined his classmates. He said, awkward but polite, “Sorry for the spectacle. I just wanted to show off my new Spirit Beast-it’s not that I haven’t mastered beast-taming.”

Li Jingjie had apprenticed at Dragon Tiger Peak, mainly to command various Spirit Beasts. Of course, the ones chosen by beginners weren’t very strong.

Having not seen each other for several days, everyone had changed a little and began to share updates.

Li Jingjie had a new Spirit Beast; Su Hongli had refined some Elixirs and shared them with the others; Fei Wanghuai said he had learned some new techniques. In short, everyone had gained something different from their time in the sect.

“What have you been up to lately? You must have attended some lectures?” Fei Wanghuai circled around before turning the topic to Chu Zaishuang, asking with a gentle smile, “By rights, Su Sect Leader’s cultivation is profound-you must have learned a lot.”

Li Jingjie added, “Yeah, I’ve never known what Su Sect Leader teaches. Over at Wangyue Marsh, they study arts, but few talk about Tingyun Lake. I hear Su Sect Leader rarely takes disciples!”

Is it that few are accepted? Or is it that few succeed?

Chu Zaishuang looked at her three expectant companions. She slowly extended her left hand, showing them her palm. “I learned this.”

Fei Wanghuai saw her palm facing up and, recalling she didn’t have a Primordial Spirit Flower, asked, “Is this the stance for Gathering Qi and Condensing Essence?”

Su Hongli guessed, “Five fingers-Five Elements Arts?”

Li Jingjie wondered, “Is it telekinesis?”

Chu Zaishuang shook her head, waving her left hand and instructing, “Look carefully, be patient, use your imagination. As long as you reflect more in your cultivation state, you’ll see what I’ve learned.”

The three looked confused, unable to make sense of it, and finally couldn’t help but ask,

“What are we supposed to see?”

“Look-at the air.”

“…”