Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

In this life, she has become a hidden expert, but Senior Sister Hongmiao's first impression of her has actually worsened. Why?

...However, there shouldn't be any problems. As we get to know each other better, our relationship should improve, right?

"So, what's your name?" the elder changed the subject.

"Zhao Xiheng, just call me Xiheng." The girl smiled.

"Yes, the lady in front of you is Hong Miao, who is in charge of the Sword Academy. She entered the Dark Force realm three years ago, while you are new to the Dark Force realm. You can call her Senior Sister."

"Senior Sister." Xi Heng nodded and addressed her gently.

But Senior Sister Hongmiao didn't seem to appreciate it, and just coldly said "oh".

In her previous lives, when she called her "Senior Sister," the other person would always smile gently and call her by her name...

Xi Heng felt a little uncomfortable.

"Hongmiao, arrange a room and a place in the courtyard for her. I'll head back now."

"Alright." She was quite obedient to the elder's words: "Please take good care of yourself and rest well, Elder."

Elder Jian simply hummed in agreement, then turned and left.

Below the main hall, only Xi Heng and Senior Sister Hong Miao remained.

"Come with me." Hong Miao didn't say much and began to act in a businesslike manner.

"Oh..." Xi Heng pouted as she followed behind. She still preferred her senior sister's gentle and kind demeanor.

Next, Senior Sister Hongmiao led her to get her meal card and then took her to a two-story attic in the courtyard. The furniture and materials there were complete and tidy, and the living environment was much better than her room in her previous life.

"Since the elder says you are a distinguished guest, this pavilion will be entrusted to you." Senior Sister placed the key in Xi Heng's hand.

"I thought this was a room specifically for martial artists with internal strength..." Xi Heng remarked.

Senior Sister Hongmiao ignored her and asked seriously, "Tell me, what is the purpose of your visit?"

"Ok?"

"With your strength, you can go anywhere in the world. Why do you have to come to our small Red Thread Sword Academy?" Hong Miao asked.

"Do you really have to give a reason why..." Xi Heng pressed her temples; she had rarely been questioned like this before.

Seeing that her senior sister's expression remained unchanged, she quickly made up an excuse:

"I also learn the Bloodline Sword technique myself. When I practice the Dark Force moves later, I hope to ask my senior sister or elders for guidance here as well."

“No, it’s not just that.” Hong Miao had already figured something out along the way: “You must have another purpose.”

“Then…” Xi Heng said again, “I came here to seek martial arts techniques at the Transcendent Realm.”

Hong Miao shook her head upon hearing this: "The Red Thread Sword only reaches the level of Dark Force at most."

“I understand, so I plan to switch to other suitable martial arts, or further develop the Red Thread Sword Technique into a Transformation Realm… This requires finding various Transformation Realm martial arts as references.” Xi Heng turned to look towards the direction outside the courtyard:

"Although the Red Thread Sword Academy doesn't have it, Jinshi City might have the Transformation Realm martial arts."

When the old swordsman known in the martial arts world as the 'Surging Wave Sword' arrives in Jinshi City, she can try to obtain something from him.

"Continue to deduce the power of the Transformation Realm?" Hong Miao chuckled softly, her gaze towards Xi Heng now showing more interest, no longer as indifferent as before:

"What grand words! Someone as lazy as you has such lofty goals, do you really think you can pull it off?"

"Laziness is only temporary."

Xi Heng was only a little relaxed because he had been under constant mental strain as the emperor and had used the Deadly Technique seven times in his next life. Now that he was in the Red Thread Sword Academy, which felt like a safe house, he was finally able to relax.

In reality, she is quite capable of taking action—at least that's what Xi Heng thinks.

"Deducing martial arts skills is extremely difficult, let alone mastering the transformation of internal energy." Hong Miao seemed to have no expectations for Xi Heng.

However, after hearing Xi Heng's goals, her attitude softened a bit:

"You must be tired from your journey. Please rest here today. Feel free to use anything in the attic. There is some tea in the cabinet, and the bed is already made."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Xi Heng nodded.

Senior Sister Hongmiao's temperament is indeed gentle; as long as you say a few words, you can naturally build a good relationship with her.

"As for the method of transforming internal energy that you want, I do have some clues..." Senior Sister Hongmiao was speaking when she suddenly put her index finger to her lips, stopping her voice.

"Does Senior Sister have any leads?" Xi Heng gestured for the other person to continue.

"Forget it, it's pointless to talk about this now. Let's discuss it another time." Hong Miao waved her hand, then turned and walked out of the pavilion, leaving behind only the words: "Breakfast at 7:00 AM tomorrow."

Xi Heng blinked, feeling puzzled and curious.

Why did my senior sister stop halfway through her story? Is this what they call a riddle teller?

"Tsk." After shaking her head, she looked back at the attic room behind her.

This is just a small two-story attic, not very big overall, at least much smaller than the emperor's bedroom where Xi Heng lived in the previous life.

The first thing you see behind the door is a slightly folding screen painted with green mountains and clear waters. Behind it is a round table that can seat four or five people, with two long wooden chairs next to it. Above the table hang two hexagonal lanterns with thin red threads hanging from them. The floor is covered with wooden planks, and the walls are decorated with two calligraphy works and landscape paintings as simple decorations.

On the tables on either side of the long wooden bench were two vases, one planted with orchids and the other with tiny pink flowers of unknown origin. Beside them were porcelain items such as teacups, bowls, and chopsticks, as well as an exquisite pottery pot and a small stove carved with strange animal patterns.

Xi Heng walked up the wooden stairs. Upstairs were two rooms separated by a screen and a latticed wooden door. In front was a study with piles of Xuan paper, writing brushes, ink, and inkstones, and in the back was a neatly arranged bedroom.

Through the wooden-framed paper window on the second floor, you can see peach trees with pink blossoms and the training ground in the distance. You can also faintly hear the shouts of the junior sisters practicing their swords and the clanging of their swords.

"Let's start practicing the moves tomorrow... I have plenty of qi and blood in my body, so I can practice the moves two more times a day than ordinary internal energy practitioners, and I'll become familiar with the moves faster..." Xi Heng looked out the window at the beautiful scenery and muttered to himself.

"Once I've mastered the moves, or when a master of internal energy arrives, I won't need to stay in the Sword Academy any longer..."

As Xi Heng pondered, a thought suddenly came to mind:

"I'm already at the Dark Force level. When the Tianliang Army comes to attack Jinshi City two years from now, my strength will definitely be much greater than it is now. Will I then go with my senior sister to help her avenge her?"

She was unsure whether to take it or not.

"Let's wait until the Tianliang army attacks before we talk about it."

Xi Heng changed his mind, went downstairs and took out the tea leaves according to his senior sister's previous instructions, and heated up a pot of tea for himself.

……

The next morning, Xi Heng changed into a martial arts outfit suitable for sword practice. After washing up, he combed his hair and appearance in front of the mirror in his bedroom, picked up a steel sword, and was the first to arrive at the sword practice area.

It was unclear whether it was three or four in the morning. The darkness had not yet faded, and countless stars twinkled in the clear night sky. A crescent moon hung high in the distant sky, pitifully small.

The longsword was slowly drawn from its sheath, its mirror-like blade reflecting starlight.

Xi Heng closed his eyes, his mind focused on the movement of the sword and his body, controlling the flow of qi and blood within his body, and concentrating his strength in his palm and the blade.

The blade sliced ​​through the air, producing a sharp, piercing sound.

The blood and qi flowed along the sword blade, leaving a fleeting red mark in the air.

He pulled back with his foot, raised his longsword, and the folds of his tight-fitting clothes rippled.

Then Xi Heng turned his wrist and withdrew, but his foot suddenly lunged forward, and the sharp blade, like a white snake spitting its tongue, pointed straight forward, pausing in the air for half a second, the slight tremor of the blade like the sound of a string.

Xi Heng pressed down with his wrist, stomped his ankle on the ground, and then turned his whole body, the blade pointing in another direction with a whooshing sound.

She hadn't practiced swordsmanship so naturally and easily for over ten days. After resuming her training, she experienced a different kind of comfort, as if the sword in her hand had become one with her, and she could wield it as easily as using her own arm.

Sweeping, pressing down, flipping and slamming, forward and backward thrusting...

She only stopped wielding her sword slowly after she had practiced all the basic sword moves of the Red Thread Sword.

At this moment, several junior sisters also arrived at the scene, but they did not start practicing swordsmanship themselves. Instead, they gathered to the side and watched Xi Heng practice his moves. They did not even dare to get too close, for fear of disturbing him.

Xi Heng glanced over and saw Yan Hongji, the young lady with a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

Now it seems that the other party has very little in common with Yan Hongji, whom I later met in Qin Xie Alley, whether in terms of temperament or habits.

She easily twirled her sword and sheathed it, then headed towards Yan Hongji.

Seeing this expert from the Sword Academy approach, the apprentices and Yan Hongji tensed up and even took a half step back.

"Senior Sister?"

"What's your name?" Xi Heng asked knowingly.

At this moment, a faint white light had already appeared in the east, and she could use the light from the horizon to see Yan Hongji's exquisite face, which was almost flawless.

“…My name is Hongji, and my surname is Yan,” Yan Hongji said, pursing her lips.

For some reason, although this unfamiliar senior sister was kind, her keen intuition always sensed something strange, even though she had no idea what that strangeness was...

"Hmm." Xi Heng casually twirled his left hand in the air, as if by magic, conjuring up a square wooden box about the size of a teacup, wrapped in red silk, and pushed it towards the other person:

"This is for you."

Yan Hongji was stunned for a moment, then opened her hand, unsure whether she should accept it.

Seeing her hesitant expression again, Xi Heng reminded her:

"From now on, you shouldn't hesitate like you did today, otherwise it will be difficult to make progress in martial arts."

That was how it was in the first lifetime when he first met Yan Hongji.

The opponent hesitated, and while he tried his best in sword practice, he didn't put his heart into it, resulting in a very mediocre performance. In the end, he could only leave in disappointment.

Yan Hongji lowered her head and quietly answered, "Yes."

Xi Heng placed the wooden box in the other person's hand and explained:

"The item in the box is called the Turbidity-Clearing Pill. It can alleviate your symptoms and extend your life by seven days when you are on the verge of death. However, I suggest using it at the end of your martial arts training, when you are fighting to the death to see if you can master the internal energy."

"The Turbidity-Clearing Pill?" Yan Hongji was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "How did Senior Sister know about my illness, and why did she give me this...?"

"I don't know." Xi Heng also wanted to ask why Yan Hongji gave her this pill when they first met, but after a moment, he simply gave a flippant answer:

"It's probably just because you're pretty."

"Beautiful? Huh?"

……

Chapter 50, Sword Qi Cultivation and Understanding

Looking at Yan Hongji's blank expression, Xi Heng felt that she would not succeed in this life either.

However, she doesn't plan to spend too much time deliberately teaching her in this life. At most, she will just go over and give her a pointer or two when she has free time from practicing swordsmanship.

Leaving Yan Hongji, who had accepted the precious pill, behind, Xi Heng continued practicing his internal energy sword techniques.

The difference between the hidden force sword technique and the visible force sword technique is truly great. The first three levels of visible force techniques are just some special power generation and attack techniques, using qi and blood to draw red lines to extend the killing distance of the sword blade.

Even though the moves are varied and the targets are different, they are all close-quarters combat techniques, with at most a few moves involving sword strikes.

The hidden force greatly increases the attack range, to the point that it can slash out the red line of qi and blood as if it were a legendary sword qi.

However, the distance of the strike also depends on the density and total amount of Qi and blood.

Xi Heng slowly walked to the rarely used sword-training stone, looked at the countless sword marks of varying depths on it, and took a small step back, keeping a distance of three meters.

Recalling the sword techniques and internal energy circulation methods of the hidden force, she took a step forward, raised her longsword, and suddenly tapped her left toe, causing the blade to thrust forward with hidden force—

With a surge of internal energy, hidden force erupted, and as the right arm plunged into the sword, it thrust forward again.

Suddenly, a crimson glint appeared at the tip of the longsword.

The next instant, the crimson nail landed on the sword-forging stone like a flying nail, making a bang as if a bullet had hit its mark, and a nail hole appeared on the surface of the boulder.

“Not bad, the first attempt has already yielded some results…” Xi Heng gradually approached, touching the punctured hole with his smooth fingertips.

The nail hole is two centimeters deep, and the penetrating power of a single shot is comparable to that of an ordinary bullet, but the effective killing range is only three to five meters.

Even so, it is still much more useful than some of the spells in the Blood Sea Great Art—even the Blood Arrow spell is not this powerful.

"It is indeed as the Black Blade Master said back then, that unorthodox methods like magic are not as effective as martial arts techniques when facing experts..."

Xi Heng clicked his tongue, then tried to defend the spells he had learned:

"However, the Red Thread Sword Technique is almost only used for single-target damage, unlike the Blood Sea Technique which is more comprehensive."

"Keep practicing."

Xi Heng stepped forward again, raised his sword, and thrust forward as before.

Through continuous practice, sword after sword, she quickly mastered the move 'Soaring Blood Nail'.

Since he opened up all the tendons and bones in his body with internal energy, he can now perform many movements that were once difficult to do, and his martial arts talent seems to have increased as a result.

One obvious difference is that she is more likely to memorize moves and make them second nature.