Chapter 16: Jade Beauty

There's an unwritten rule in cultivation novels - when a beautiful female cultivator suddenly takes interest in you, start planning your escape route. Preferably to another continent. Or in my case, another dimension.

I was practicing the Phantom Strike technique in one of the smaller training grounds, trying to perfect the movement pattern Azure had helped optimize, when that prickling sensation of being watched made me pause mid-strike.

"Qi signature detected," Azure reported helpfully. "Power level... oh. Oh my. That's significantly above our weight class. Peak Qi Condensation!"

I turned slowly, already dreading what I'd find. Sure enough, watching me from the edge of the training ground was a young woman in purple robes. Purple robes. The kind worn exclusively by Core Disciples.

During recruitment, disciples were evaluated and sorted into three potential tracks - Outer, Inner, and Core. The original Ke Yin had barely scraped into Outer Disciple potential, which made sense given his... well, my current situation. Core Disciples were the elite, either selected directly for their talent or advancing through sheer determination and skill. Either path commanded respect.

Which made her focused attention on my practice session deeply concerning.

I'd read about jade beauties in cultivation novels, but nothing had prepared me for the reality. She was breathtaking in the most literal sense - I actually found myself forgetting to breathe for a moment. Her features were perfect with an otherworldly quality that made even the most beautiful mortal women seem plain by comparison.

Long black hair fell like silk past her waist, and her eyes held hints of golden light. Her purple robes seemed to flow around her like water, each movement graceful enough to make celestial maidens jealous.

"Your form is quite good," she said, realizing she'd been noticed. "Especially for someone at your cultivation level."

"Analyzing facial features," Azure chimed in. "Calculating probability of this being a cultivation novel cliché... results concerning."

"I'm Wu Lihua. I couldn't help but notice your interesting take on the Phantom Strike technique."

I bowed respectfully, maintaining exactly the right degree of deference for a lower-ranked disciple. "This humble one is Ke Yin. Senior Sister's praise is too generous."

An awkward silence followed as I desperately tried to remember if any cultivation novel protagonists had survived similar situations without getting entangled in deadly politics or love triangles.

"Focus on survival," I reminded myself. "Beautiful core disciples are more dangerous than demon beasts." Though my treacherous mind helpfully pointed out that her smile really was like moonlight on clear water...

No. Stop that. This was exactly how those tragic young master side characters started their downfall.

"You're too modest," Wu Lihua broke the silence, her smile warming slightly. "Your execution of the technique shows remarkable understanding. How long have you been practicing it?"

"About a week, Senior Sister."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Only a week? That's... impressive. The Phantom Strike usually takes months just to grasp the basic movement pattern. You must have a natural affinity for it."

"The technique simply suits my style," I deflected, wondering if there was a polite way to flee. "Though I still have much to improve."

"Azure's optimization protocols at work," Azure commented proudly. "Though I note her qi patterns show increased fluctuation when speaking to you. Interesting!"

Not helping, Azure. Really not helping.

"Have you considered what cultivation method you’d like to specialise in?" she asked, taking a step closer.

I thought carefully about my response. At the Second Stage of Qi Condensation, I was still using just the basic qi gathering technique they taught all new disciples. I'd barely started learning actual combat techniques, and hadn't even touched the kind of qi techniques that extended a few feet beyond the body.

From what Wei Lin had mentioned, we wouldn't even be asked to choose our cultivation methods until after we reached the Third Stage of Qi Condensation.

The choice of cultivation method was a big deal in any cultivation world - I'd read enough novels to know that.

But what made the choice even more complicated was this world's unique approach to cultivation. Unlike some of the cultivation novels I'd read, here the ultimate goal was to create a universe within one's dantian.

Most cultivators started with the basic methods - some gathered natural earth qi to slowly form landscapes within their dantian, others absorbed the essence of plants and minerals to create the foundation of their inner world, and many focused on understanding basic natural laws to establish the rules their universe would follow.

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The common path was to choose a simple aspect of nature - like water, wind, or even something as basic as stone - and use it as the cornerstone of your universe creation. It was slow but stable, and most cultivators were content with eventually forming a small, stable world within themselves.

But Wei Lin had told me about the truly exceptional cultivators, the ones whose names echoed through the millennia. They went for methods that made these basic approaches look like child's play.

Some chose the Primordial Chaos techniques, impossibly difficult to cultivate but offering unlimited potential for universe creation. Others took the Five Elements path, incorporating all five elements until they could create a perfectly balanced miniature cosmos.

Then there were the body cultivation techniques that turned the cultivator's flesh into an indestructible weapon while nurturing a universe born from physical essence. The sword cultivation methods that linked the cultivator's spirit to their blade and created entire sword worlds within their dantian. Some even created universes shaped by artistic principles through music or painting!

But right now, I was just trying to survive day by day without getting crushed by someone ten realms above me who woke up feeling cranky. Maybe once I figured out how to last a week without nearly dying, I'd worry about grander cultivation goals.

"I'm still exploring different paths," I deflected. "There's so much to learn in the sect."

"True, but it's good to recognize your natural talents." She took a single step forward that somehow left three perfect afterimages in her wake, each trailing silver light like moonbeams through water. "The advanced versions of techniques like Phantom Strike can be quite powerful when mastered. Though finding a good teacher is important..."

Was she offering to teach me? That was... concerning. In cultivation novels, accepting teachings from beautiful senior disciples usually came with more strings attached than a puppet master's workshop.

"Senior Sister's insights are valuable," I said diplomatically. "Though I worry my current level is too low for advanced techniques."

She waved off my concern. "Talent matters more than cultivation level for many techniques. Besides..." her smile turned slightly playful.

That's when I noticed the second set of eyes watching us.

Standing near one of the pillars was a young man in white Outer Disciple robes, his face notably paler than usual. Wu Kangming.

I'd seen him around but never paid much attention - he was consistently at the bottom of our class rankings, the kind of disciple people expected to wash out sooner rather than later.

Wu Lihua noticed him too. For just a fraction of a second, her smile faltered. Then she moved even closer to me, her interest becoming almost overwhelming. "Your energy control is particularly fascinating. Have you considered learning some advanced movement techniques? I know several that would suit your talent..."

The situation was starting to feel like watching someone else's cultivation drama unfold in slow motion, with me accidentally cast in a role I definitely didn't want.

Thankfully, I spotted Wei Lin near the equipment racks. "Senior Sister's guidance is deeply appreciated," I said, bowing again. "But I promised my fellow disciple I would assist with his training. Perhaps another time?"

"Of course," she replied, her smile never wavering. "Don't hesitate to seek my advice if you have questions. About anything..."

I retreated as gracefully as possible, noticing the strange tension between Wu Lihua and Wu Kangming as I passed. There was definitely a story there, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it.

"That," Wei Lin declared as we walked back toward the dormitories, "was the most entertainment I've had since the combat evaluations! Did you see how she was looking at you? The humble village boy Ke Yin, capturing the heart of a Core Disciple..."

"Please stop," I groaned. "Who exactly was that? And why do I feel like I just walked into someone else's revenge plot?"

Wei Lin's expression turned unusually serious. "Wu Lihua? Everyone knows about her. She arrived in the same recruitment wave as us, but one of the Grand Elders spotted her talent immediately. Recruited her directly into the Core Disciple program. But that's not the interesting part..."

"The pale guy watching us?" I guessed.

"Wu Kangming," Wei Lin nodded. "Same clan as Wu Lihua. They were actually engaged before joining the sect. A political arrangement - his branch of the family had resources, hers had talent. But then she got selected as a Core Disciple while he... well."

"Barely qualified as an Outer Disciple," I finished.

"And that's being generous. Rumors say his father bribed someone just to get him accepted. The engagement was doomed the moment Wu Lihua's status changed - no Core Disciple would marry an Outer Disciple who might not even pass his evaluations."

I had a sinking feeling. "Speaking of evaluations..."

"Yeah," Wei Lin's voice dropped. "Remember Zhou's combat assessment? Wu Kangming was the one who got crippled this year. His cultivation base was damaged - he might never advance beyond his current level."

Perfect. Just perfect. We had every element of a classic cultivation revenge story - the talented fiancée, the crippled cultivator, the arrogant young master who caused his injury... and now me, apparently cast as the new love interest without auditioning for the role. The only thing missing was his mysterious powerup, which I really didn't want to be around for.

And Zhou... well, Zhou had guaranteed himself a death sentence. There are some things you just don't do in a cultivation world, and crippling a young master's cultivation ranked pretty high on that list. Not that I could explain any of this to Wei Lin - trying to convince someone that their world operated on story logic would probably end badly.

"No more jokes about Wu Lihua," I told Wei Lin firmly.

"What? But it's hilarious! The way she was-"

"I'm serious," I cut him off. "People do crazy things when love and face are involved. Especially cultivators."

Understanding slowly dawned on Wei Lin's face. "You think... but he's just a failed Outer Disciple. Even if his family has some influence..."

"Just promise me you'll stop with the marriage jokes."

"Alright, alright," he held up his hands in surrender. "Though you're probably being paranoid. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't plan on finding out."

As we walked back to our quarters, I thought about how I'd have to be extra careful in training from now on - the last thing I needed was to get dragged into whatever drama was brewing between the Wu clan members.

I just hoped I hadn't already caught Wu Kangming's attention. The only thing worse than being the target of a jade beauty's interest was being seen as her new suitor by her crippled ex-fiancé. That was the kind of plot point that ended with someone getting thrown off a mountain.

"Don't worry too much," Azure tried to reassure me. "Worst case scenario, we can always try dimensional travel again. Though maybe we should work on controlling that better first..."

Right. Because randomly jumping between dimensions was totally a safer option than getting involved in cultivation politics. Though given how these stories usually went...

"Start calculating escape routes," I told Azure mentally. "Just in case."

Maybe I should have reincarnated as a spirit beast instead. Surely nothing dramatic ever happened to them...

Right?