Love, Cultivation, and the Art of Persistence.

In Mu Lin's bedroom within the courtyard of the disciple lodging sector, she was gracefully seated behind her writing desk.

Her slender hand held a calligraphy brush dipped in black ink, leaving polished characters on the thick paper.

Lost in her thoughts, she delicately crafted her work.

Son of a bitch... Ancestors, why did I let my competitive spirit drag me into this mess? I thought I could outshine Senior Sister Lingxi in everything, but it's been only failure so far. I schemed to steal that common dog's attention, and what do I get? Sweet words and tender touches that turned my plans against me...

Suddenly, an exclamation against her better judgment abruptly interrupted the peaceful quietness of the room.

"That bastard!" her voice lashed out.

As a result, the graceful brush trailed across the paper, signifying a sudden, raw stroke that marred her penmanship.

Annoyed at her lapse in concentration, she gritted her teeth, then coaxed herself with an inward admonition, "Don't let him get on your nerves."

Squeezing the half-complete sheet, she threw it to the corner of the room where it landed amidst a heap of crumpled papers.

Mu Lin swiftly brought out another new, clean sheet and reached for the calligraphy brush, ready to start anew.

As she began to paint, the place was calm and everything progressed smoothly.

Sure, I might come off as all mature and composed, but don't be fooled – matters of the heart? Total chaos. That arrogant dog has the audacity to get all touchy-feely and shoot me these stares with that nose-picking face of his. Now, every time I run into Senior Sister, I feel like I've lost – seriously, what's she even seeing in him? He's not even strong, just a total weakling! And yet... he managed to make me look like a stumbling idiot in the whole seduction game. Is this some sort of heavenly joke? I should be the one pulling the strings, not ending up as the blushing, flustered player.

She chastised herself inwardly, "He must think I'm a child," the realization of her potential strength showing her grip on the brush that suddenly shattered it.

The pride wounded, ego bruised Mu Lin could already imagine Yang Wei chuckling at her while he unintelligibly picked his nose like an ape.

Letting out a sigh, she resolved, "I need a break from this today."

Pushing herself up, she made her way to the bed, her low-canopy bed adorned with intricately patterned silk drapes. Mu Lin collapsed upon it and enjoyed its comfort.

Grabbing the plush silk pillow beside her, she wrapped her arms around it, hugging it tightly as she murmured, "I just want to kill him and be done with it." Yet, after a pause, she confessed, "But there's just something so interesting about him." Her voice softened as her musings continued, "The way he smells perfectly and the look in his eyes when he cornered me that day... I don't know why I hesitated."

The seemingly contradictory emotions left her feeling conflicted. "I'm a strong woman. I shouldn't be letting men dominate me like that," she said.

She buried her face in the silk pillow, whispering, "But it was actually fun..." However, her resolve was short-lived as she suddenly disputed herself, "No, it wasn't!"

In a fit of frustration, she unintentionally tossed her pillow away.

...

Yang Wei had just returned home after a long day of talking at the Disciple Pavilion of the Spirit Harmony Peak.

He had already removed his uniform and folded it neatly before storing it in his wooden container.

As he reached the gate of his courtyard, he was surprised to see someone there.

It was Huo Zhenwei, a cohort of the Young Master of the Azure Lotus Sect, Jin Tianyu.

Huo Zhenwei was different from the other cohorts of Jin Tianyu, as he had his own identity and stood out even in the presence of the Young Master. He was also quite talented and had already reached the 6th level of the Mortal Realm—Mortal Disciple.

Yang Wei was familiar with the other associates of Jin Tianyu, but this was the first time he was meeting Huo Zhenwei.

"Uh, who are you?" Yang Wei asked as he approached the gate.

Huo Zhenwei, adjusting his glasses, stood up and closed his ointment bottle.

The ointment from the bottle was what he applied on the deep cut and nasty bruises he had on his face; simply because he defied the words of the Young Master.

He greeted Yang Wei, "Good evening fellow disciple."

Curious, Yang Wei inquired, "What do you need?"

Bowing his head and clenching his fist in the palm of his other hand, Huo Zhenwei replied, "Please, I've come to apologize on behalf of the Young Master, I heard what happened..."

Yang Wei raised an eyebrow and muttered, "So, you're associated with that slow-witted, arrogant, mannerless brat?"

Although he knew the Young Master was at fault, one thing he couldn't allow was for anyone to speak poorly of the Young Master. "Please, I'll advise you refrain from using such words to refer to the Young Master," he cautioned, purely out of instinct.

Not one to take nonsense, Yang Wei warned him, " I'll also give you a piece of advice— choose your words carefully or they might just be your last..." He had no plans for anyone who was associated with scum like Jin Tianyu determine what he could and couldn't say.

"I'm sorry, I suppose I was out of line," Huo Zhenwei immediately apologized. Then, slid his ointment bottle into his storage pouch.

"Whatever."

Dismissing the issue, Yang Wei walked past Huo Zhenwei, pushing open the wooden gate that led to his courtyard.

"May I join you inside to talk?" Huo Zhenwei asked.

"I have nothing to say to you," said Yang Wei with clear reluctance.

He stepped into his courtyard, leaving Huo Zhenwei outside.

...

Upon arriving in his courtyard, Yang Wei carefully removed his neatly folded uniform from the wooden box and placed it on a small table beside him.

He arranged the herbs to ensure they received sufficient air. He wanted to avoid any possibility of rot or loss of potency.

After settling in, he looked over to the gate of his courtyard and noticed Huo Zhenwei still lingering outside.

Yang Wei sighed and muttered to himself, "He should be gone by tomorrow morning."

He then walked into his room and retrieved his Foundation Manual of Vital Qi, heading to his backyard to begin the third stage— Four Pillars Stance.

As Yang Wei opened the instruction manual and started reviewing the stances, he mused to himself, "It doesn't seem so hard; I should reach the fourth stage in two days."

With his feet shoulder-width apart and his knees slightly bent, he raised his arms to shoulder level, focusing on grounding and stability, connecting with the earth's Qi. The sensation of his Qi resonating with the earth was unmistakable, hinting at an imminent breakthrough to the next stage.

Whoa, I've never felt Qi sync up so smoothly before. It's like my Qi and the Earth's are getting liquified to become this harmonious blend. It's like two cups of water pouring into one, no matter how rough the pour, they eventually match currents and become this single, flowing body of water. Yep, that's the vibe.

The next morning...

Yang Wei was astounded to realize he had broken through the third stage of Vital Qi practice in less than a day.

Placing his hands on his waist, he marveled, "That wasn't this quick before! The third stage stance is supposed to be harder than four or five of the other stages."

Pondering over the unexpected breakthrough, Yang Wei rubbed his chin, struggling to understand what he did differently.

"Hmm, what did I do this yesterday that I haven't done during the other days? Or was it the Qi-Infused herbal tea? No, no, it couldn't be that... Could it...?"

10 minutes went by and he couldn't find an answer.

"I'll just check out the next stage instead, after that, I need to sweep and take care of Lingxi's garden..."

Yang Wei consulted his instruction manual for guidance on the next stage.

Alright, so onto the fourth stage – the Breath Harmonization Technique. Step one: take a deep breath for a count of four, let that belly expand. Step two: hold that breath for another count of four. Step three: exhale slowly for a count of four, squeeze that belly in. And the grand finale: do it all over again, syncing up the breath with the Qi circulation. It's not as tough as the Four Pillars Stance, but it needs some serious focus. If I can nail the fourth stage quicker than the last one, it's not luck – it's improvement.

When he was done, he snapped the manual shut and casually set it down on the veranda.

He let out a hefty yawn, stretching his arms like a cat waking from a nap. "Well, that was some enlightening reading," he muttered to himself.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he mused, "Surprisingly, not feeling as wiped out or hungry as usual after a cultivation session."

Yang Wei picked up a broomstick, twirling it effortlessly like a staff, and tossed it over one shoulder.

"Time to sweep away the imaginary cobwebs."

Strolling into his courtyard, he headed for the gate, intending to crack it open.

Much to his nonchalant dismay, there sprawled Huo Zhenwei, who seemed to have made the gate his makeshift bed.

Yang Wei's reaction? A resigned sigh.

This guy's still here. Did he actually sleep here?

Using the broomstick more like a push broom, Yang Wei casually nudged Huo Zhenwei out of his sacred space before shutting the gate with an indifferent thud. The resulting dust cloud served as an unexpected wake-up call for the uninvited guest, who sneezed and coughed his way to consciousness.

Outside, the clamor attracted Mu Lin's attention.

Peering from a distance, she shielded her face with a folding fan, grunting in disapproval. "When will this guy be gone? I can't let anyone catch me spying on that common dog," she angrily muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, Huo Zhenwei, now outside the gate, banged on the wooden barrier. "Come on, Yang Wei! Let me in!" he pleaded between knocks.

Yang Wei, still in the zone of sweeping peacefully, responded with a casual yawn. "Definitely not happening, my friend. Enjoy the fresh air out there!"