Beyond the Divine States

Chapter 66 The First Lesson in the Sword Hall

"What do you want to say?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ning Xiaoling stared at him seriously, saying, "Changjiu, are you a bit nervous now?"

Ning Changjiu was slightly bewildered and then composed himself soon, saying with a smile, "How so? Xiaoling, don't keep me guessing."

Puckering her lips, Ning Xiaoling hesitated for a while and then faltered, "Changjiu... Recently I've seemed able to feel how you feel."

Ning Changjiu was dazed and then understood what she meant quickly. Since he borrowed the four words--Yong Jie Tong Xin as the anchor to connect the two of them, their mentality and emotions had been interlinked, which would affect each other subtly.

Nevertheless, somehow, his emotion was always relatively calm, which Ning Xiaoling could perceive; on the contrary, she was relatively out-going, so it was rather difficult for him to perceive her emotion clearly.

Of course, he wouldn't admit it for sure. If he did, he would be under the delusion that he didn't wear any clothes. Moreover, the marriage letter was Zhao Xiang'er's and she had yet to know that he used the words on it...

Ning Changjiu asked then, "You can feel how I feel? What do you mean?"

Ning Xiaoling thought for a while and then said, "For example, after I woke up that day, you asked me where Master's money was kept. When I gave the reply, I could sincerely feel your delight... When you were having a tiff with Xiang'er, you seemed to be quite happy. When you two parted, you also seemed to feel very glad. Yet, when you climbed onto Tianku Peak and watched the clouds, it seemed that you were a bit sad but when you were pointing out to Jiajia what was wrong with the rules of the sect, you seemed to be elated again..."

The more he heard, Ning Changjiu felt even more astounded. However, upon thinking that she could perceive his emotion, he quickly pacified his emotion with heart-cleansing spells. Utterly calm, he said sincerely and earnestly with a smile, "Of course this is impossible. Zhao Xiang'er and I are opponents of a three-year agreement. When I quarreled with her, I was quite perturbed. How could I feel happy? Xiaoling, is your mind still bewitched by the evil fox? So, it is still in a mess?"

With a frown, Ning Xiaoling clenched the back of the chair with both hands, her body also slightly curled up. She thought for a while and then said, "But I can really feel it. Didn't you have any feeling?"

Ning Changjiu asked with a smile, "Then tell me, how do I feel now?"

Ning Xiaoling stared at him and tried to perceive for a while. Eventually, she shook her head and said, "I don't know."

Ning Changjiu sneered in his heart, "I've cultivated my mental strength for more than 20 years. How can I lose to a little girl?"

"Look. Maybe it is your delusion. Don't think too much. Just focus on cultivation."

When Ning Xiaoling officially started cultivating, he would spend less and less time with her. Thus, the impact of the four words "Yong Jie Tong Xin" would weaken as time passed by!

Ning Xiaoling's eyes suddenly glistened and her neck moved like a sparrow. She said, "Changjiu, are you very delighted now?"

Ning Changjiu's body got slightly tense. His facial expression was almost out of control. He immediately pacified his emotion and said with a straight face, "What am I delighted at? Xiaoling, go back to your room for a rest and work hard on cultivation. Don't waste your time. If you have difficulties in cultivating, you can turn to me for help. Anyway, don't let me worry about you."

Ning Xiaoling puffed out her cheeks and gazed at him doubtfully. Her soft hair which scattered on her side face was slightly swinging in the night wind. Still unreconciled, she asked, "Changjiu! Can't you really feel anything?"

Ning Changjiu said calmly, "Go back now. If you are found by the other fellow disciples, you will make things difficult for Miss Lu."

Ning Xiaoling looked at him skeptically, asking, "Changjiu, are you somewhat afraid, angry and resigned now?"

Ning Changjiu was finally at the end of his patience. He raised his hand and said with a frown, "Do you want a s******g?"

Ning Xiaoling immediately shut up and got out of the room sulkily.

Ning Changjiu slowly put down his hand, his sleeve swinging lightly.

"The cold wind blows so heavily that I even feel a headache. I've told her not to pick a room facing the southeast. What a silly girl!" He complained, which rarely happened. He reached out his hand to close the window and staggered to the bed. Lying on the bed, he sighed and moaned.

...

...

In the early morning, when Ning Changjiu opened the window again, the landscape outside had been covered with a thin layer of white snow.

It snowed quietly last night.

He sat quietly by the window to regulate his breath for a while. If one's spiritual meridians were compared to countless streams, his meridians were rather narrow; the sea of Qi in his Zifu was like a big heart that supplied blood, which would carry the spiritual power to different parts of the body via the spiritual meridians. The number and width of spiritual meridians would directly lead to the efficiency of the aura flow.

As to the issue of the congenital constitution, diligent cultivation could make up for the deficiency but the effect was still limited.

At the moment, Ning Changjiu's body was more problematic. A lot of his spiritual meridians were not only narrow but also very messy. They were intertwined and clogged. Rushing about in the imperial city for several days and getting injured to different degrees even aggravated his body condition.

If an ordinary man had such a body, he would rejoice that he could cultivate at first and then feel sad for being unable to reach Taoism.

However, Ning Changjiu wouldn't think so.

Because he was certain that his body was the same as the one he used in his last life.

He was sure that it was the exquisite jadeite that was contained inside the weathered stone but he couldn't find the knife that could cut off the stone.

How did he make it in Bu Ke Temple in his last life?

He couldn't think of the key.

Ning Changjiu regulated his breath for a while and felt slightly swayed. Then, there was a knock on the door. Ning Changjiu turned around and looked at the door only to see Ning Xiaoling dressed in the new sword outfit was waving at him.

"Changjiu, this is my new outfit. It is much more comfortable than the Taoist robe we wore before."

Ning Changjiu laughed and said, "You are getting more and more beautiful. I suppose there will be another sword immortal on Tianku Peak in a few years."

"You are talking nonsense again," Ning Xiaoling slightly blushed and waved her hand, saying, "Changjiu, I'll go to class now!"

Ning Changjiu waved his hand at her.

Ning Xiaoling closed the door and happened to see a few doors opened on the corridor. A few inner disciples walked out of the rooms and looked at Ning Xiaoling coincidentally. Then, they glanced at the room next to her and felt slightly astonished.

Ning Xiaoling was not used to being stared at by so many strangers. She almost directly opened the door and hid in there but when she reached out her hand, she still withdrew it. Pretending not to notice others' gaze, she turned around and walked away.

...

On the peak, the gravel could be hardly seen. Mostly, the rooms and interlayers were made of wood. The people within the peak would only think that they were in the wing room of the mansion of a common affluent family. They could never think that they were inside a towering peak.

Ning Xiaoling walked up along the stairs on tenterhooks. With no companion, she felt a lack of something somehow.

At the end of the staircase, light shone on her face. She clenched her fists and walked into the sunlight of Tianku Peak.

As the winter wind blew, the snow reflected the morning twilight. The immortal peak seemed to be covered with golden light, glittering and dazzling.

Outside the sword hall, the old man who was responsible for the disciples' name tablets was sweeping the snow with a broom. In the sword hall, Lu Jiajia was sitting there, wearing the cap and hairpin decently. Her black hair was as smooth as the waterfall and her new sword clothes outlined her curvy body perfectly. The morning twilight shone through the latticed wooden window, which was split into thousands of streaks and landed on her clothes. Ning Xiaoling arrived outside the hall early and happened to see the scene. Lu Jiajia's stunningly beautiful appearance seemed to surpass the snowy scenery of Tianku Peak in the early winter.

It was a pity that Ning Changjiu didn't see this.

She thought so regretfully.

Today, Ning Xiaoling was the first one to arrive. Hinted by Lu Jiajia, she sat aside. The table was made of fine material with beautiful wood grain, which looked soft and pretty. There were several books of different thicknesses on the desk.

Every book was a treasure that couldn't be seen in the secular world.

The other disciples also entered the sword hall continuously. They all greeted Lu Jiajia respectfully and then sat down. Lu Jiajia only nodded coldly, who had a majestic temperament as the master of a sect branch.

Ning Xiaoling looked around the sword hall cautiously.

She had never gone to the private school but somehow, she found this place didn't seem to be different from the common private school in the secular world, except for being more spacious.

Before Lu Jiajia was a black desk, on which a straight wooden ruler was decently placed.

Behind Lu Jiajia, there were three big screens, which were covered with a layer of light black gauze. Behind the light gauze, there were three demon-slaying paintings. The first one was about a vulgar man riding an elephant to slay the snake demon; the second one was about a group of immortals going into the sea to hunt a monster with a human face and a dragon's body, and the third one was about ten thousand swords rising together to kill a demon with nine heads and its mouth spurting icy fire.

The three screens were ethereally and majestically drawn with ink. The figures were exquisitely outlined, which were so unforgettable only by one glance. The sword Qi painted with the golden sand also carried the overwhelming splendor, appearing both true and illusory.

Ning Xiaoling had a vague feeling that the figures in the three screens seemed to contain some sword moves but now, she could only feel the moves roughly.

She couldn't see clearly what was behind the screens but she could vaguely catch sight of an annular area of bookshelves. There were countless ancient bamboo slips on them.

She looked around stealthily and wanted to distract her attention by observing the surroundings but she still felt restless. This was the irresistible air of fluster and fear for being in a strange place.

Clank!

There was a sword chirp.

Ning Xiaoling was astounded.

Lu Jiajia flicked the wooden ruler with her fingers, surprisingly causing a sound as clear as a sword chirp.

Meanwhile, the copper bells hung at the four corners of the sword hall also shook together. The ringing sound reverberated through the summit of Tianku Peak.

It turned out that this wooden ruler was used to carry sounds...

While Ning Xiaoling was thinking so, she saw a little girl run inside out of breath through the side door. As she heard the bell, her face was a bit pale.

Ning Xiaoling finally recalled that this fellow disciple was...Lerou?

Lu Jiajia took a cold glance at her. The girl called Lerou walked to the desk reluctantly and reached out her hand.

Lu Jiajia picked up the wooden ruler and hit her hand five times. The girl's soft and rosy palm became red instantly.

"The penalty will be doubled if you are late again," Lu Jiajia said sternly.

Lerou rubbed her hand, nodded obediently and then returned to her desk.

Ning Xiaoling immediately turned her gaze away from the ruler.

It turned out that Jiajia was so fierce...

After a moment of silence, Lu Jiajia said coldly, "Open your sword classics to start reading."

Then, all the disciples were sitting up sternly. They fetched the first book on the desk, opened it and started reading.

Ning Xiaoling's heart skipped a beat. Following their example, she also fetched the sword classic and unfolded it before her.

The disciples next to her saw her flustered face and thought that she must have a lot of school work to catch up on as she joined the class in the middle. However, since the master took her as the inner disciple, she must be exceptionally talented enough to catch up with them.

Lu Jiajia also noticed her flustered facial expression so she comforted the latter smilingly, "No worries. I will teach you about the sword classics so that you can catch up with your senior fellow disciples."

Ning Xiaoling raised her head and said with a long face, "Master, I... I can't read."