“I am sorry, but I fail to recognise you.” Lu Shimming gently bowed with an apologetic smile, as he looked at the figure in front of him.

Wu Shuang frowned as he carefully observed Lu Shimming. His calm demeanor further made him hesitate. After all, if he got it wrong, he would be kicking the axe, and exposing his own identity.

“I am Wu Shuang, the second eldest of the current line..” Wu Shuang introduced himself. “I just happened to see you coming, and stopped to pay my greetings..”

“I don’t dare to. To be honest, it is still very unreal for me..” Lu Shimming sighed as the two of them walked through the grounds.

“Well, I heard of your situation somewhat. But, it might be a blessing in disguise.” Wu Shuang looked at him, trying to read his expression.

“I hope that is the case..”

“Umn..are your injuries not healed? I know a very good physician. If you don’t mind, I can help you with it.”

“It's healing slowly, and I want to keep it as it is. It will remind me of the fate of the weak..” Lu Shimming let out a smile of someone who had suffered a lot.

“Whoosh!”

Out of nowhere, a hand came aiming straight for the bandage on Lu Shimming eyes.

A fluctuation of Spiritual Qi rose from Lu Shimming as he dodged the hand by a hair's breadth, before backing away from Wu Shuang.

“What is the meaning of this?” He looked at him with a frown on his face. He was ready to scream if this guy really was desperate enough to attack. He could already see some people in the distance.

“I apologize, I was just curious about your ability.” Wu Shuan smiled, but Lu Shimming could only feel something ominous from it.

“Well, then I should be leaving now. Have a good night.” The guy waved his hand with a smile.

‘He is suspicious..damn it..’ Lu Shimming cursed inwardly as he looked at Wu Shuang’s back.

…

Next morning..

As the sun rose up, Lu Shimming too. He spent the entire night cultivating, as he couldn’t sleep anyways. There was one good thing he figured out though, he could control the corrosive nature of his Spiritual Qi, it seems.

But, he had to hone his mastery over it first.

“I hope that Old Monk will give me some techniques that are suitable for Spiritual Qi..” He muttered to himself as he left Wu Estate, and headed for the Monastery of Jade Clouds.

The two places weren’t that far apart, and in twenty minutes, Lu Shimming was there.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Disciple!!” Shi Huizhong’s voice entered Lu Shimming’s ear, and he realized that the old man was standing at the gate of the Monastery waving at him.

“Greetings, Master..” Lu Shimming cupped his fist, and bowed.

Shi Huizhong couldn’t hide his grin, he was really happy for sure.

“Good!” He patted Lu Shimming’s shoulder, but as soon as he did, the smile on his face immediately turned into that of shock.

“3-3rd Layer of Qi Refinement!!”

His voice cracked, and his face changed shapes. It seemed as if he had seen a mythical dragon from the legends.

“I broke through yesterday.” Lu Shimming smiled, looking at the old man. He couldn’t help but feel the man was too emotional for a monk.

“Hahaha!! I was worried that you might have been discovered too late, but at this rate you should be able to cover up the distance in a few years.” Shi Huizhong couldn’t hide his happiness, as he beckoned Lu Shimming to follow him.

The duo reached the abode of the old monk.

This would be Lu Shimming training ground for the time he would be staying in Red City.

“Let's start..” Shi Huizhong’s smile was replaced by a strict face, and the aura around him changed as well.

With that began their first lesson.

He introduced Lu Shimming to the world of Cultivation, and discussed all theories, and concepts. After that, they dwelled in the realm of Spiritual Cultivation.

“Spiritual Cultivation might seem very similar to Qi Cultivation, whether it be the realm or progress. But, we are both fundamentally different. It will become more evident as you progress.”

“Spiritual Cultivation is cultivating one’s own state of being.”

“One’s own state of being?” Lu Shimming muttered, a bit confused.

“Yes, ancient text says that those who reach the peak of this path, can manifest their own state of being into a reality. This is a path of no competition, but a battle within yourself, and truly understanding yourself and the world and aligning the two together.”

Lu Shimming felt half of the stuff going over his head, and his face seemed to make it evident.

“Don’t worry, it's not only you who doesn’t understand. It's the same with me as well.”

“Even you, Master?” Lu Shimming asked in surprise, not realizing he seemed to be genuinely getting cozy with his newfound identity.

“Yes, it is a long path. What I understand is not the entire truth, that's why I am still stuck at the Inner Sea.” He smiled with honesty.

With that, he passed Lu Shimming a couple of books.

“Eight Trigrams Divination”

“Ten Thousand paths”

“This?” Lu Shimming looked at him.

“Eight Trigrams Divination, is a palm art. It is fairly common in the cultivation world. As for the Ten Thousand Paths, I found it in my early days. It's a movement technique that I used for a good while.” Shi Huizhong smiled, reminiscing about the old days.

“Let me show it to you..” He slowly stood up, and walked up to the open space in the courtyard, before taking a stance.

“Whoosh!”

The next instant, he rotated his hands in a circular motion and shot out a dozen of palms in a short span of time. It looked as if he indeed had dozens of palms capable of intercepting the enemy from any direction.

“Next is the Ten Thousand Paths..” His voice sounded out, as his movement turned erratic. It really became hard to predict, as he vanished from one spot and appeared at another.

The movement technique didn’t seem suitable for long distance travel, but was crafted for short use, like close combat.

“It's your turn, shall we see how much you could have grasped?” Shi Huizhong smiled as he looked at Lu Shimming. Intending to tease him, but he was really in for a shock.