Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

From the age of eighteen to twenty-one, these were the three most stable yet fulfilling years on Li Xiao's path of cultivation.

For the past three years, the morning bells and evening drums of the villa have become the rhythm of his day, and the clash of swords and the surge of spiritual energy have intertwined to form the main theme of his youth.

Every day at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), before dawn, Li Xiao would wake up on time.

He first practiced his swordsmanship for an hour in the morning sun on the training ground paved with bluestone slabs in the courtyard.

His sword had been changed from the original steel sword to a crimson longsword forged by Song Zhituo's weapon-refining hall. This sword was made of red copper as the main material, weighed sixteen catties, and had dark gold patterns on the blade. When magic power was injected into it, it would glow with a golden and red light.

The swordsmanship is no longer simply the Whirlwind Splitting Gold Blade, but incorporates more practical combat variations.

He disassembled and recombined the moves and secrets of the Splitting Gold Blade Technique, and combined them with the moves of the Gale Blade Technique to create new moves. Every slash secretly followed the energy flow of the Golden Yuan Technique. The blade roared like a dragon when it was drawn and howled like a tiger when it was sheathed.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), he would return to his quiet room, sit cross-legged on a futon, and begin to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Three years of arduous training have made his control over the dual spiritual roots of metal and fire increasingly proficient.

He discovered that the golden spiritual energy was most active in the early morning, sharp as a sword, while the fire spiritual energy was most violent at noon, as hot as lava.

Therefore, he divided his cultivation time into two periods: from Chenshi (7-9 AM) to Sishi (9-11 AM) he focused on absorbing metal spiritual energy, and from Wushi (11 AM-1 PM) to Weishi (1-3 PM) he guided fire spiritual energy to temper his meridians.

The liquid mana in the dantian gradually increased from one drop to three, five, and seven drops. Each drop required a massive amount of spiritual energy to condense, accompanied by excruciating pain.

The sharp nature of the golden spiritual energy caused his meridians to be in a constant cycle of being torn apart and repaired. The pain was unbearable for ordinary people, but Li Xiao found it enjoyable.

He often recalled his master's words from his previous life: "Sword skills must be practiced to the bone, and spiritual energy must be infused into the flesh and blood."

Shen Shi (3-5 PM) was the time to guide Song Yu in his spiritual practice.

The little girl's advantage of having a Heavenly Spiritual Root has been fully demonstrated in these three years. Her speed in cultivating the "Ruoshui Divine Scripture" is astonishing. Often, after Li Xiao explains the key points of the cultivation once, she can immediately understand them and even apply them to other situations.

Li Xiao taught her how to sense the flow of water spiritual energy, but she was able to teach Li Xiao in return how to use the neutralizing properties of water spiritual energy to reconcile the conflict between the metal and fire spiritual roots.

Over time, their relationship became more like that of fellow practitioners who mutually support each other, rather than simply that of senior and junior brothers and sisters.

When Song Yu was ten years old, he was already able to use the Water Shield Technique to create a three-zhang-high water wall in the courtyard. The wall not only reflected human figures but also the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

From the hour of You (5-7 PM) to the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) is the time for studying miscellane

Song Zhi collected a large number of classic books for him, from "Detailed Explanation of Basic Formations" to "Experiences in Refining First-Order Pills", from "Outline of Spirit Beast Taming" to "Gazetteer of Southern China".

Li Xiao absorbed this knowledge with great eagerness, knowing that cultivating immortality was not only about improving one's cultivation level, but also about accumulating knowledge in all aspects.

He incorporated knowledge of battle formations into his swordsmanship, discovering that certain formations could be arranged using the blade as a flag, temporarily immobilizing the enemy.

He used the fire control techniques from alchemy to control his fire elemental root, making the originally violent fire elemental energy as docile as a lamb.

Over the past three years, Song Zhi saw that Li Xiao had made rapid progress, so she made an exception and taught him a technique to conceal his breath.

"This Qi Concealing Technique was obtained by me during a secret realm exploration years ago. Although it cannot withstand the detection of a Core Formation stage cultivator, it is very practical."

When Song Zhi handed him a cyan jade slip, her expression was exceptionally serious. "The cultivation world is treacherous; you never know who will stab you in the back. It's always good to have a backup plan. Especially since you have both metal and fire spiritual roots, your brilliance is too dazzling and easily attracts jealousy."

Li Xiao probed the jade slip with his divine sense and discovered that this Breath Concealment Technique could not only hide one's cultivation level, but also simulate the fluctuations of spiritual energy of other attributes.

He treasured it like a precious gem, and every night after his regular cultivation, he would set aside half an hour specifically to practice this technique.

At first, he could only suppress his aura to the first level, but after half a year, he was able to completely hide his true cultivation level, revealing only the eighth level of Qi Refining to the outside world.

He can even simulate the aura of the three spiritual energies of wood, water, and earth. Unless a Core Formation cultivator forcibly probes with their divine sense, it is very difficult to detect.

Li Xiao's cultivation at the tenth level of Qi Refining was completely stabilized over the past three years.

The liquid mana within his dantian slowly and laboriously increased from one drop at the time of the breakthrough to nine drops.

Each drop of condensation requires a massive amount of spiritual energy, and is accompanied by excruciating pain.

The sharpness of the metal elemental energy is like countless fine needles, constantly piercing the inner walls of the meridians, while the burning sensation of the fire elemental energy is like flowing magma.

Li Xiao needs to take a pill every day to relieve his pain. Each pill costs ten low-grade spirit stones, and his monthly expenses amount to one hundred spirit stones, almost exhausting all the monthly allowance given to him by Song Zhi.

However, the effect was also remarkable. Nine drops of liquid magic power were suspended in the dantian, arranged in a ring. Each drop was solid, and the sharp energy it emitted almost pierced the dantian.

According to the Golden Origin Manual, at most, a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining can condense nine drops of liquid spiritual power. This is the limit, and also the perfection. It is rare for an ordinary cultivator to condense five drops. Li Xiao's achievement of nine drops is entirely due to his five years of tireless cultivation and the accumulation of massive resources.

On the first day of each month, Li Xiao would descend the mountain once to spar with Wang Meng at the Yunlai Martial Arts School in Linyuan City.

Wang Meng had already reached the level of a grandmaster in ordinary martial arts, and his external martial arts skills had reached the pinnacle. His fists could shatter stones and his feet could split the ground.

But against Li Xiao, they couldn't last more than three moves.

In his first move, Li Xiao deliberately suppressed his strength, did not use his cultivation, and only used the eight basic sword techniques, fighting back and forth with Wang Meng, allowing the old master to fully display his skills.

His second move was the Gale Blade Technique, where the blade flashed like a curtain, forcing Wang Meng to defend.

With his third move, he no longer held back, unleashing the full power of his dual spiritual roots of gold and fire. The blade's edge, three inches from his body, tore apart Wang Meng's protective true energy like paper, and the blade tip stopped an inch in front of his throat.

The old curator would often exclaim, "Young Li, is a cultivator's sword really that powerful?"

Li Xiao always smiled without saying a word.

He knew in his heart that the path of martial arts and the path of immortality were inherently interconnected.

He completely integrated the Gale Blade Technique with the Gold-Splitting Blade Art, creating his own unique Gale Gold-Splitting Blade.

This sword technique combines the continuous, impenetrable force of the Gale Sword Technique.

It possesses the sharpness and armor-piercing power of the Splitting Gold Blade Technique, and is invincible, while also incorporating the Geng metal energy of the Golden Origin Technique.

The sword technique is divided into nine levels, each corresponding to the third level of Qi Refining stage cultivation.

Li Xiao had already cultivated it to the fourth level. With a single slash, the twelve blade beams could merge into one, forming a three-foot-long golden-red blade aura that was almost unstoppable by anyone in the Qi Refining stage.

Song Yu's growth was even more astonishing.

The cultivation speed of the Heavenly Spiritual Root is as easy as drinking water. In five years, she grew from an ignorant child into a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining, matching Li Xiao's ten years of arduous cultivation.

This speed ranks among the top ten even in the history of the Luoyun Sect.

She has cultivated the "Ruoshui Divine Scripture" to the sixth level, and can cast several powerful spells such as Ruoshui Body Protection, Water Dragon Roar, and Ice Soul Divine Needle.

Especially the Ice Soul Needle, a killing move she figured out herself, condenses her magic power into 360 fine water needles that can instantly penetrate the protective aura of cultivators of the same level, making it impossible to defend against.

"Senior brother, I've broken through!" The little girl excitedly rushed into Li Xiao's meditation room, only to find him enveloped in a ball of golden flames.

That was Li Xiao trying to integrate the fire elemental root more deeply into his swordsmanship.

The advantage of having both metal and fire spiritual roots lies in its ability to both attack and defend; metal represents sharpness, while fire represents explosiveness.

If the two can be perfectly combined, the power will be multiplied.

He had read in books that in ancient times, some cultivators had cultivated their dual spiritual roots to the point of spiritual root resonance, where the two types of magical power could amplify each other and unleash even greater power.

At this moment, Li Xiao was simultaneously burning the nine drops of liquid mana in his dantian, with the golden and red mana colliding wildly in his meridians.

He attempted to compress the explosive properties of fire elemental energy into the sharpness of metal elemental energy, so that each slash would be accompanied by the burst of flames and the cutting power of a golden blade.

But this was tantamount to detonating nine bombs in his meridians at the same time. The violent fire spirit power instantly went out of control, and golden flames gushed out from the pores of his body, burning the futon and table in the meditation room to ashes.

"Don't come any closer!"

Li Xiao hissed, his voice hoarse, "The magic is out of control!"

Song Yu, however, was not afraid at all; she knew her senior brother too well.

Having spent ten years together, she knew how stubborn Li Xiao was at heart.

With a wave of her hand, a blue water curtain appeared out of thin air. It was a move from the Ruoshui Divine Scripture, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stages.

The water curtain completely enveloped the golden flames, the water and fire complementing each other, emitting a hissing sound, and steam filled the entire quiet room.

Song Yu further channeled his magical power, injecting water-attribute magic into Li Xiao's body to counteract fire and quell the chaos in his meridians.

Half an hour later, the flames finally went out. Li Xiao opened his eyes, covered in sweat. His white clothes were burned and riddled with holes, and his exposed skin had charred marks.

He smiled wryly and said, "Thank you, junior sister. I'm sorry to have troubled you again."

"Senior brother is taking too much of a risk..."

Song Yu frowned, her tone reproachful, "Fire elemental power is violent; a slight mistake can burn your meridians. You were lucky this time, with me by your side. If I hadn't been there, you would be dead!"

"I know!" Li Xiao's eyes were firm, showing no sign of backing down. "But if I don't take risks, how can I break through to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining as quickly as possible? Junior Sister, your Heavenly Spiritual Root is exceptionally gifted, making Foundation Establishment and Core Formation a smooth path for you. But with my dual spiritual roots, if I follow the usual path, even Core Formation will be difficult in this lifetime. The blood feud of the Li family remains unavenged. If I don't become stronger, how will I face Xie the Demon of the Heavenly Fiend Sect in the future?"

Song Yu remained silent for a moment, then looked into his senior brother's eyes, which were filled with unwavering determination, and his heart softened.

She said softly, "Then... when you go on adventures in the future, I will protect you. I am most skilled in healing and harmonizing, and with me here, I can at least guarantee that you won't die."

From that day on, Song Yu truly became Li Xiao's protector.

Whenever he tried to integrate a new technique, she would stand by his side and use her water-attribute magic to harmonize it for him.

This combination of metal, fire, and water has created a wonderful balance.

When Li Xiao was cultivating, Song Yu's water-attribute magic power acted like a safety lock, immediately suppressing the fire spiritual power if it got out of control.

Li Xiao's violent golden fire spiritual energy, in turn, stimulated Song Yu's control over water-attribute spiritual energy, making her understanding of the Ruoshui Divine Scripture even deeper.

The two complemented each other, and their cultivation progressed at a significantly faster pace.