RHRFS 10

Chapter – 10

Senior Sister’s Dance Moves, Beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal

“Senior Sister’s dance moves are beautiful as a heavenly immortal, a Chang’e in the moon, a gentle moon in dreams… Even the Northern Domain Ice Spirit Sword Immortal cannot compare.”

Taking half a step back, He Qiu politely cupped his fists in praise, his gaze fervent and sincere.

Just yesterday he had encountered a dilemma, and today Senior Sister had come to personally instruct him. What else could this mean?

It meant that Senior Sister was truly a saintess, clairvoyant, having long anticipated the progress of He Qiu’s cultivation!

First, she taught him the basics of the sword technique, and then she imparted the mysteries of the “Sword Spirit”…

Look at that, clear and structured instruction, without any carelessness.

Moreover, with just a single sword dance, she could actually teach him how to forge a Sword Spirit!

This was what He Qiu admired most about An Lingran.

Originally, He Qiu had felt that Senior Sister looked down on him a little, and there was some resentment in his heart.

But today, he was convinced.

At only nineteen, having broken through to the seventh level of the Spirit Realm, the Primordial Saintess with twin-born twin spirit veins—she indeed possessed the capital and talent to teach him. She truly lived up to the renowned title of “Saintly Heavenly Prodigy”!

Thus, when An Lingran asked He Qiu, he slightly cupped his fists and bowed, seriously complimenting his Senior Sister.

Besides, Senior Sister’s dance was genuinely breathtakingly beautiful; He Qiu’s praise was not flattery, but came from the bottom of his heart.

He respected the Saintess, and he respected his teacher.

“…”

Looking at He Qiu’s burning gaze, An Lingran’s face flushed slightly, and she was speechless for a long while.

She had only wanted to ask He Qiu how many sword techniques he had learned from the sword dance.

Not to ask He Qiu whether her dance was beautiful or not.

But her junior apprentice brother kept complimenting her on her beauty—saying she was beautiful as an immortal, surpassing Chang’e, a gentle moon in dreams… His words were sweet and elegant, very articulate.

Not that she disliked it, though.

“Ahem, Junior Apprentice Brother He Qiu, did you learn anything at all?”

Clearing her throat lightly, An Lingran got down to business.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then simply perform a single sword strike for me; I’ll watch right here.”

“Yes.”

He Qiu took two steps back, closed his eyes, and quietly savored the sensation of summoning the Sword Spirit from his palm just moments ago.

Because this was his first breakthrough, he couldn’t replicate that initial success in such a short time. So He Qiu stood there with his eyes closed, trying for a long while, but still no icy sword edge burst forth from his left palm.

He didn’t rush, patiently recalling the feeling.

In cultivation, one must never rush; one must be calm and composed.

Meanwhile, the disciples who had been watching from the edges of the training grounds gradually snapped out of their daze from the Saintess’s sword dance. Seeing the close proximity between He Qiu and An Lingran, they all grew restless.

“Saintess殿下 actually—actually performed a sword dance personally for our junior apprentice brother!?”

“I am blessed beyond measure to have witnessed the Saintess殿下’s sword dance. I—I could die without regret…”

“What regret are you talking about? The Saintess performed that dance specially for the junior apprentice brother. If you put it bluntly, you’re just a pervert peeping!”

“So envious, damn it! My senior sister wouldn’t even show me a sword technique, let alone dance for me—she says I’m nauseating to look at…”

The crowd buzzed with chatter. Countless disciples were envious to the point of tears, yet none wanted to leave. They still wanted to see what the Saintess and He Qiu would do next. Even though they were seething with jealousy, they just couldn’t resist watching!

After all, that was the Primordial Saintess.

That aloof, breathtakingly beautiful number one Saintess of the sect—one might not even get a chance to see her true face in years, let alone watch her perform a sword dance!

And just as the disciples were gossiping, An Lingran took the initiative to speak again.

“Junior Apprentice Brother He Qiu, why aren’t you moving?”

An Lingran didn’t quite understand what He Qiu was waiting for with his eyes closed.

Hadn’t they just agreed that he would [simply perform a single sword strike] so she could see how far he had cultivated?

Did he need to charge up for half an hour just to swing his sword once?

On the other side, He Qiu opened his eyes, his expression somewhat awkward.

This isn’t good…

Why couldn’t he summon that ice sword again?

He was being too slow and had already made Senior Sister lose patience.

At that moment, An Lingran spoke again to comfort him:

“Don’t be too hung up on it. You’ve only been cultivating for six full days—you must avoid overreaching. Mm, just a simple sword strike will do.”

“Don’t feel constrained in front of your senior sister. Be natural, be yourself.”

Her junior apprentice brother was young and hot-blooded, eager to show off in front of his betrothed, hoping each of his sword strikes would look dashing…

There was nothing wrong with that mindset; An Lingran could understand.

After all, when she had been dancing with her sword earlier, she had also pushed her movements and footwork to the extreme, aiming to make her junior apprentice brother utterly awestruck in one go.

When the opposite sexes interacted, such thoughts were perfectly normal.

But still, one couldn’t be too reserved or too nervous, right?

If the junior apprentice brother needed to prepare for half an hour every time he swung his sword, then the cart would be before the horse.

As the Primordial Saintess, An Lingran wasn’t free every day. Coming to instruct swordsmanship meant just that—instructing. Wasting most of her time waiting was somewhat inappropriate; it would be like having practiced with a partner only to achieve nothing.

In any case, they were betrothed and would be spending time together in the future. There should be courtesy between them, but no formality.

Therefore, An Lingran urged He Qiu to be [simple] about it, just swing once so she could see the situation.

—

“Understood, Junior Brother understands.”

He Qiu caught her meaning and drew his wooden sword again.

It seemed that Senior Sister had taken time out of her busy schedule to guide him, yet he had been unable to summon the Sword Spirit for so long. He was probably disappointing her, and she had already run out of patience.

Alas, there was no helping it. He could only blame his own inadequacy.

For now, he would just use the wooden sword to perform a few combo moves…

As he pondered, He Qiu tightened his grip on the wooden sword and, following the footwork of the Fine Snow Sword Art, seriously executed a full set of standard combinations.

*Fwing! Fwing!*

Multiple streaks of silver-white sword qi burst from the wooden sword’s edge, slicing through the air and hacking at a pile of rubble not far away, leaving behind patches of frost and some scattered debris.

This was the limit of He Qiu’s swordsmanship without using the “Sword Spirit.”

The problem was the same as last night—the footwork and techniques were all standard, but the offensive power was weak and soft, truly disappointing.

“If I could successfully replicate the ice sword I just summoned, then even if I still couldn’t scatter snow for ten thousand miles with a single swing, I could at least cover a hundred miles… That way, I wouldn’t fail Senior Sister’s expectations of me.”

Feeling dissatisfied, He Qiu finished the combo set and shook his head helplessly as he sheathed his sword.

There was no helping it; his talent was insufficient. No matter how unwilling, he had to accept it.

With that thought, He Qiu braced himself to meet Senior Sister’s “disappointed” gaze.

But who would have expected—

An Lingran’s azure-blue pupils widened slightly, and she nodded softly:

“Not bad. Your swordsmanship is very standard.”

Her beautiful eyes held satisfaction, even a hint of appreciation for a junior.

Whether it was the footwork, the technique, or the artistic conception contained in each step and strike…

Everything was standard, nearly perfect.

It was just a pity that Junior Apprentice Brother had “waste spirit veins.” He had clearly learned everything properly, yet the sword qi he wielded remained so weak that it couldn’t even shatter a stone. Truly a pity.

For a mortal cultivator like He Qiu to reach this level in just seven days… was already remarkable.

He had really worked hard. He had given it his all. He had reached the absolute peak of what a mortal cultivator could achieve.

This unyielding will, this refusal to submit to fate, deserved respect.

No wonder her father had admired this junior mortal apprentice brother so much. Who could bring themselves to hate a youth who strove so earnestly for his dreams?

Thinking this, An Lingran’s heart softened considerably.

Even if Junior Apprentice Brother’s sword qi was truly weak and light, she admired the unyielding spirit contained within it.

And just as An Lingran nodded approvingly—

“I’m sorry for disappointing you, Senior Sister.”

He Qiu apologized, his voice filled with reluctance.

Moments ago, while mimicking Senior Sister’s sword dance, he had actually managed to summon the Sword Spirit and was on the verge of grasping the true essence of the sword art. But the ice sword had only remained unsheathed for a few seconds before its foundation was too weak to sustain, shattering and fading away.

He had been only one step away from success!

It was like solving the final 20-point question in an exam at the very last second, only to run out of time before you could write the answer on the paper…

Ending up failing the exam and being seen as a “bad student.”

How infuriating!

Who wouldn’t be frustrated in such a situation?

Clenching his right fist, gripping the sword hilt tightly with his left, his brows furrowed in frustration—He Qiu, in all his days since joining the sect, felt such a profound sense of defeat for the first time.

Just as He Qiu was sinking into disappointment—

“Lift your head, Junior Apprentice Brother He Qiu.”

A melodious, pleasant voice drifted into his mind.

Then the next second, He Qiu felt an ice-cold, fair palm touch his face. Slender fingers gently caressed him, as if soothing a deeply wounded child.

Looking up, he saw that the former icy, emotionless Senior Sister Lingran was now displaying a gentle, gratified expression.

This was…?

He Qiu was bewildered.

“Your sword dance was already very handsome and imposing, Junior Apprentice Brother. There’s no need to feel so disappointed.”

Very handsome, very imposing…

Was she referring to that soft, weak, pathetic sword qi just now?

He Qiu was dumbfounded a second time.

Seeing this, An Lingran smiled faintly, secretly sighing that her junior apprentice brother was also a youth with strong self-esteem.

So she continued to comfort him—

“That’s right, Junior Apprentice Brother. Your sword intent—I’m very satisfied with it.”

This time, it wasn’t because of An Daosheng’s request, but An Lingran’s genuine, heartfelt expression.

She wanted to encourage her junior apprentice brother.

She didn’t want to see this young man before her with his head hung low.