Chapter 26: Ximen Qing

Qing lived apart.

She is Ximen Surin's direct disciple, but not a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect.

Because of her ridiculously bizarre position as the Supreme Elder's outer disciple, she couldn't enter Flower Pond Hall[^Hwadam-dong (花潭洞), literally means "Flower Pool Cave/Pond Village/District,"], where the other disciples lived.

This was because she was considered too senior

Ximen Surin, a master who has achieved rejuvenation, is a figure from the previous generation.

She had already passed on the position of clan leader to her eldest disciple, so A-Qing's generation was that of the youngest of the clan leader's disciples.

However, there was a culture among sects where they considered each other as family.

They roughly shared and respected seniority.

When referring to large sects, excluding the Shaolin and Emei sects from the Nine Sects, the influence of the Nine Sects was synonymous with the Orthodox Murim.

In the end, this seniority meant authority recognized by all sects classified as Orthodox.

At first, Qing didn't know about this strange system of seniority.

It turned out to be a kind of rank.

It was the rank that the military, especially those focused on landing operations, were obsessed with.

They ranked seniority based on the order of entry, which was no different from modern times, but there were occasional exceptions.

This was because the higher-ups would pick out talented newcomers, thinking, "This kid's got potential."

If you became a direct disciple, you were immediately placed under your master's seniority.

For this reason, Qing was equal to the highest-ranking elders in the Divine Maiden Sect, except for Ximen Surin!

So, this happened:

"Oh, it's... Grand Martial Junior!" [^In the world of the Murim, seniority is paramount, and titles like Grand-Martial Elder carry significant weight. They represent not just age but also wisdom, experience, and influence within the sect. Qing's position as Ximen Surin's disciple bypasses the usual path to this rank, placing her among the highest-ranking members despite her youth. The speaker's misnaming her "Junior" is a comedic reminder of this unusual circumstance, highlighting the often-rigid and sometimes-absurd nature of the Murim's social structure.]

"Grand-Martial Junior! Hello!"

"Grand-Martial Junior! Did you have a delicious lunch?"

Qing was surrounded by a flock of Divine Maiden Sect disciples.

Ximen Surin had casually declared to the disciples that Qing was the next "Greatest Under Heaven."

This provided the sect with a way to justify accepting Qing as a direct disciple, given the issues of seniority.

But Qing wasn't arrogant or annoying; she had a knack for treating elders with respect and friendliness.

The lower-ranking disciples were the same.

Qing wasn't a difficult person, and strictly speaking, she was an outsider, so there was no need for excessive formality.

The young disciples, who have grown up within the sect and maintained a girlish innocence, are curious about the outside world. A-Qing indulged their curiosity a few times, this was the result.

For that reason, Qing was very popular.

"Busy. Move aside."

Just then, Jin Jangmyeong blocked the disciples as if guarding Qing.

"Little Junior Master is here..."

"Ugh, we're doomed."

"We'll be going, Grand Martial Junior!"

"See you later, Little Junior Master!"

The Divine Maiden Sect disciples left with disappointed looks.

Qing was easygoing.

She instinctively knew that they were strangely wary of her.

But it was a different story if her Little Junior Master was next to her.

Usually, Little Junior Master was gentle, quiet, and cute.

But when she was next to Grand Martial Junior, she was wary and growled like a beast.

Of course, Jin Jangmyeong was doing well too.

Qing saw the Divine Maiden Sect disciples carrying around their small and petite youngest Junior Master around like a doll several times a day.

It was understandable.

The little one was always sulking with a grumpy expression as she waddled around.

She was cute.

Qing always just watched because she couldn't dare touch her without permission.

"Alright, shortie, work hard today."

"You too, unni."

Qing parted ways with Jin Jangmyeong in front of the Divine Maiden Hall.

And she headed to Ximen Surin's Moonwater Pavilion.

The main gate of Moonwater Pavilion was always wide open.

But hardly any disciples dared to enter.

Not only was it difficult to privately visit the Supreme Elder's residence, but Ximen Surin was also notoriously fiery and scary within the Divine Maiden Sect.

But Qing felt a little sorry for her.

The reason for leaving the main gate wide open was obvious.

It probably meant that anyone was welcome to enter.

But with the Divine Maiden Sect disciples freezing up like mice in front of a snake whenever they see Ximen Surin, who would dare to visit?

That didn't mean the disciples were to blame.

In modern terms, it was like barging into the CEO's office because the CEO seemed lonely.

The only person capable of such an act would be a unconnected, executive director who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

And sure enough, that was exactly what Qing was.

"Masterrr, I'm hereeee."

"Ha! How can a proper martial artist act coquettishly and whine? Disciple, always remember that you are a representative of female martial artists, and therefore must maintain proper conduct and..."

"I don't know about that. I only know martial arts. Teach me martial arts. I'm getting dizzy."

"Ugh... You're not even listening anymore."

Ximen Surin grumbled, but she couldn't completely erase the faint smile on her face.

Qing clenched her fist.

If she succeeded with acting cute, the noogies would be downgraded from a tactical nuke to something less powerful.

The training with Ximen Surin now consisted solely of continuous sparring.

Qing, who had deeply realized that the more internal energy, the better, had raised the "Heavenly Love's Heart Technique" to the 10th realm in one go.

Naturally, Ximen Surin marveled at the sight of her disciple, who had been walking until yesterday, suddenly flying around.

At this point, Ximen Surin was contemplating whether to pass on the sect's divine technique to her disciple, who is technically an outer disciple.

But seeing her achieve mastery of a simple technique overnight, she thought, "As expected of the next Best Under Heaven," and passed on the "Nourishing True Soul Sutra[^주양세심경 (Juyangsesimgyeong), translates to. "Scripture on Nurturing the Mind," where ju means nourishing, yang nurturing, se world/generation/age, sim mind/heart, and gyeong scripture/classic.

T/N I dunno, I spent too long on this part.]."

The "Nourishing True Soul Sutra."

It is said to be a divine technique created by Flame Emperor Yan, Shennong, for his daughter, Yaoji.

Qing, delighted with the purple-bordered martial art, poured all her training points into it.

That night, a phoenix soared from her humble residence.

"Nourishing True Soul Sutra," 12th realm. Grand Star.

Qing's internal energy swelled terrifyingly.

But that was all.

Ximen Surin's worries began.

The amount of internal energy was enormous.

Despite Qing’s small dantian, it somehow dispersed throughout her body, flowing through her meridians in an incomprehensible manner.

In terms of quantity alone, it was already comparable to that of a mid-stage Transcendent expert.

But why couldn't she break through the wall of the Transcendent realm?

However, a master was a master for a reason.

Ximen Surin eventually figured out why.

"Disciple, all your moves come from your head."

"Then where should they come from?"

"Well, it's only natural for them to come from your heart. My goodness, you're too smart for your own good. As they say, too much is as bad as too little."

The more advanced the martial art, the more vague it was.

In terms of swordsmanship, the instruction to raise the sword high and strike down quickly would be written like this:

Strike down from the towering mountain to the hill, and its momentum is like a storm...

This was how it was.

The problem was that martial arts weren't just about the movement and form of internal energy, but also about the imagery that accompanied them.

Usually, a martial artist reached their peak when they fully understood the meaning of the phrases and entered a state of enlightenment.

Furthermore, the act of completing their own interpretation was the imagery.

In this way, when a martial artist fully adapted even one move to themselves, they entered a state of enlightenment and reached the Transcendent realm.

"Imagery..."

"Since you only understand swordsmanship with your head, it's only natural that you can't reach the next realm."

It was only natural.

This was because Qing's way of learning martial arts was to forcibly cram it into her head.

"Then what should I do?"

"Well, you have no choice but to swing your sword until the imagery comes to mind and is established."

So, it was sparring, sparring, and more sparring.

Honestly, it was incredibly difficult.

Because—

Whack!

“Your stance is sloppy. Fix it. You clumsy disciple.”

Whack!

“There were six openings, yet you failed to see even one? A true martial artist carries themselves with elegance, as I’ve repeatedly told you.”

Whack!

“Your robe is coming undone! A lady must always maintain her dignity, even in battle!”

Qing clutched her head with a tearful face.

“Ugh… At this rate, my noggin's is going to crack…”

“Noggin? Honestly, what am I going to do with that unruly tongue of yours…”

When Qing pretended to be dying, Ximen Surin would sometimes stroke her head like this with a somewhat softened attitude.

Ximen Surin looked at Qing while moving her hand.

When Qing had first entered the Divine Maiden Sect, she had been… well, not ugly, but certainly not attractive.

The "Heavenly Love's Heart Technique" was excellent for a woman's beauty.

The "Nourishing True Soul Sutra," the "Divine Maiden Sword Art", and the "Divine Maiden Moon Steps" were also Daoist fairy arts, so as one became accustomed to them, they enhanced one's beauty.

As a result, her features gradually began to take shape, leading to her current appearance.

Now, she was at a level where she could be called a beauty no matter where she went.

Very few still remembered the scrappy, disheveled girl she had once been.

At this point, there was no need to hold her back any longer.

Ximen Surin, having made up her mind, said,

"You can go out into the world now."

“…Wait, seriously?”

“Yes. Even if I keep you here, the Transcendent Realm will remain out of reach. What you need is no longer controlled sparring—but real battle. I have nothing more to teach you. Staying any longer would be pointless.”

"...Ah"

Qing had seen the Prelude Quest before.

And if there was a prelude, that meant there had to be a Main Quest following it.

Qing had to confirm it.

She was satisfied with her life in the Divine Maiden Sect.

But she couldn't just stay there, laughing and having fun without knowing anything.

Somehow, she had to settle things with this status window once and for all.

Only after reaching the conclusion—

Only then could she truly exist.

Whether that meant returning to reality or remaining a person of Murim forever.

"Although you are an outer disciple, none of the disciples think of you as an outsider."

"I know that."

"Yes. I'm glad you know. That's all that matters"

Ximen Surin stroked Qing's hair and said,

“This home of yours will always be here. No matter where you go, come back and rest whenever you need.”

"Um... Is that okay?"

“Of course. Why would you even ask?”

Ximen Surin smiled kindly.

It was a motherly smile.

"This is your home. Where in the world do people need permission to come and go from their own home?"