Chapter 62

Bored, Lin Fan returned to the Zhengyi Sect and devoted himself to practicing the Heavenly Edge Heart Method. Strictly speaking, the Heavenly Edge Heart Method is not a heart method, but a technique for controlling a sword. Lin Fan was very smart, and because of his intelligence, he sometimes had doubts. Generally, one would first obtain a divine weapon, then merge with the sword, and finally gradually understand the technique of controlling the sword to maximize its power and function. But San San Zhenren did it the other way around, practicing the technique of controlling the sword first. San San Zhenren was too lazy to explain and replied, "Practice! Stop talking nonsense."

Trusting San San Zhenren, Lin Fan was quite focused. His dexterity and skill were evident from his ability to draw talismans. Once he put his heart into the Heavenly Edge Heart Method, he quickly got the hang of it and grasped its key points. Lin Fan could skillfully command six embroidery needles, but unfortunately, even at their maximum power, the needles were still quite ordinary.

San San Zhenren increased the difficulty by having the Qingyuan Sect set up an array. The head of the Qingyuan Sect, using the opportunity to settle personal scores, sent the most ruthless person. Once the array was formed, it would randomly attack those inside with flying stones. Lin Fan had to multitask, not only defending against the flying stones but also controlling the embroidery needles while keeping his feet moving. Later, the main controller of the array took over, making it even more dangerous.

Once Lin Fan adapted to this array, it was changed to a pine needle array, with thousands of pine needles flying around inside. Lin Fan's first priority was not to control the embroidery needles but to avoid being hit by the pine needles. Unexpectedly, although he could hardly control the embroidery needles in the pine needle array, he developed an incredibly strange flying technique.

Watching from outside the array, San San Zhenren saw that Lin Fan, while riding the bamboo sword southward at incredible speed, could suddenly turn and dive downward without slowing down. With pine needles coming from all directions, Lin Fan could use the time it took for the needles to reach him to move gracefully through the rain of pine needles.

Apart from the Demon Sect, Daoist sects rarely had such targeted training for dodging and flight control. In chaotic battles, it was impossible to always use protective talismans or weapons to withstand attacks; dodging became a crucial skill. Lin Fan had a very high aptitude for skills and could change his position and flight path to the maximum extent without slowing down. San San Zhenren was both amused and exasperated. Originally, he just wanted to see if Lin Fan could control the embroidery needles in actual combat, but he unexpectedly developed dodging skills.

Attacks come in two types: one is uncertain, like throwing a handful of earth bombs in a fixed direction, which can be dodged. The other is a pursuit attack, where the earth bombs are controlled to surround and intercept the target. This is more like a sparring match between people, using blind spots to dodge, illusions to evade, and strange flight paths to avoid.

Now, there was only one problem: Lin Fan wasn't fast enough. The bamboo sword was just an ordinary weapon, but such things can't be rushed. Lin Fan hadn't even reached the threshold of the Golden Core stage, so it was unreasonable to expect him to do what a Yuan婴 (Yuan Ying) cultivator could do. San San Zhenren had the Qingyuan Sect dismantle the array and then told Lin Fan that he would throw ten earth bombs at him every day, making him stay alert. In return, Lin Fan could throw embroidery needles at San San Zhenren ten times a day. San San Zhenren agreed, saying that if Lin Fan hit him once, he would give him a day off.

The head of the Zhengyi Sect and his disciples began a three-month game of cat and mouse.

At night, just as Lin Fan was about to meditate and go to sleep, an earth bomb was thrown into his room. Reacting instinctively, Lin Fan rushed out of the window. The earth bomb exploded inside, and Lin Fan laughed triumphantly, thinking he wouldn't be hit by the same trick again, as he had been bombed while sleeping the previous night. But just as he was feeling smug, he was bombed again. It turned out that an earth bomb had been waiting by his feet, activated by San San Zhenren.

"Focused on the front but not the back, you deserve it." San San Zhenren's voice came from all directions, though he remained hidden.

Lin Fan thought for a moment, and six embroidery needles flew into his room. San San Zhenren dodged by darting out of the room. Lin Fan made a sword gesture, and the six embroidery needles buried in the soil at the door shot up and hit San San Zhenren's buttocks. Lin Fan laughed, "Head of the sect, this is called a sword array. I had already set it up at the door." Lin Fan had used a sword array once before in the Cang Mang Absolute Ground against Xiefengzi.

"This is cheating. We only said embroidery needles, not setting up a sword array."

"Whatever, I get a day off tomorrow."

"The head of the sect keeps his word." San San Zhenren left and hid nearby, waiting for Lin Fan to return to his room. He then activated the earth bombs hidden in Lin Fan's room, causing Lin Fan to be burned inside and out. With a blackened face, Lin Fan came out, saying, "You're cheating. You said I get a day off."

"You believe your enemies too easily, you're too naive."

The two continued to play this game of deception and trickery, simulating a battlefield. After three months of training, they often had a conditioned reflex to run away when they met.

...

Time passed quickly, and it was only a month before the Purple Bamboo Grove opened. Various sects began to get busy. The concept of dual cultivation is complex, with records dating back to the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. However, for the sake of harmony, the details won't be elaborated. In simple terms, dual cultivation is like a couple getting married, but for cultivators, it has an additional layer of meaning: the harmonization of yin and yang, mutual support, and mutual benefit, which greatly benefits both parties' cultivation levels.

Some people are graceful and virtuous, sought after by gentlemen. Some want a warm bedmate. Some think about it when they are well-fed and warm. Some see it as a means to enhance their cultivation. Regardless, the younger generation began to get busy, combing their hair and making new clothes, which was a must. Some even bought gold hairpins and jade hair ornaments as tokens of affection. Some disciples even studied a few poems and essays at the last minute.

Inside the Purple Bamboo Grove, young women began to embroider sachets. On that day, if they found someone they liked, they could proactively offer the sachet to express their admiration. Before the Southern Song Dynasty, romantic relationships were more openly discussed, and women had a higher status. Women in the folk would also proactively express their affection to men. However, due to the influence of Zhu Xi's teachings, which were favored by the rulers, it became inappropriate for women to express their affection to men.

In contrast, the Zhengyi Sect was quiet. Because of his seniority, unless San San Zhenren was willing to marry Miejue Zhenren, it had nothing to do with him. Lin Fan himself was very calm. The vague feelings brought by Shangguan Feixue had faded, and he was now engrossed in playing with the embroidery needles, not only skillfully but also very well.

The head of the sect sat on the eaves, watching Lin Fan below. Lin Fan was setting up a sword array with the embroidery needles. San San Zhenren dropped a tile, and Lin Fan, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, dodged to the left, saying, "How old are you, still throwing tiles?"

San San Zhenren said, "The Purple Bamboo Grove will open in less than a month. Aren't you going to prepare?"

"Prepare for what?"

"Go to the market and order a few new sets of clothes. You see the same Daoist robes every day, especially your green one, which is getting boring."

"I don't have many thoughts about it." Lin Fan laughed.

San San Zhenren thought for a moment and asked, "Lin Fan, if you had to name three women from the Yunqing Sect, who would you think of first?"

"Women? The head of the sect, Ye Wushuang... and... " Lin Fan thought for a moment, "Wu'er?"

San San Zhenren drew a sharp breath, "You actually have thoughts about the head of the sect?"

"What?" Lin Fan was puzzled, then realized, "Head of the sect, you're a bachelor, so don't give me advice in this area. You're not qualified at all."

...