"A c... I got brought here by a massive white crane" Shin Sumi realized.

She knew she was next to the last Vein of Hell Fire, the white one. The feeling of the gentle but terrifyingly strong energy source was unmistakable.

Despite being looked down upon by a very large animalistic creature, Shin Sumi didn't react like she would have done otherwise.

Her first instinct had been to try and fight, her survival mentality taking over but she forced herself to remain calm.

The creature hadn't done her any harm and even decided to bring her to her goal. At this point, Shin Sumi was also certain that this white crane was the blur she had seen a few months ago for the first time.

A strong wave of pressure emitted by the Vein of Hell Fire itself prompted Shin Sumi to sit down and meditate, or else she would be unable to physically process the quantity of energy being washed over her.

Nevertheless, she forced herself to stand on her knees, lowering her gaze and bowing to the giant bird.

"Thank you, Senior White Crane" she called softly.

The beak of the crane pushed her head aside and the flap of a white wing with golden lines intermingled with the feathers forced her into a sitting position.

Whatever Shin Sumi felt like doing, the simple pressure that the white crane had conjured with a casual move had forced her into submission.

"It wants me to meditate" was the only thing she could understand from the bird's actions.

A cry that was more akin to a loud chirping was the only answer Shin Sumi had before lapsing into a deep meditative state.

Over her head, the white crane reached a large rock crevice, nesting comfortably. The white head turned soundlessly, the unreadable white eyes gazing at the hilt of the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword protruding from the white source of Shinsoo.

***

"Wudao, can you guess why I have called you here?"

Patriarch Sen was standing away from the white robed young man, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I think Master has some news about the green talented girl, Shin Sumi."

Patriarch Sen turned to face Fen Wudao, his old eyes looking as deep as the sea.

"Old man Crane ensured that she found the fifth Vein of Hell Fire."

Fen Wudao involuntarily took half a step back. He had obviously been shaken by the Patriarch's words.

"You mean... The white crane that is... He..."

"Yes. I don't think there are any worries to be had though. The point is that with Shin Sumi, that makes a total of eleven. The refinement of the golden blade is complete. You did well in choosing that girl."

Fen Wudao was gradually coming back to his senses, bowing deeply to his Master's words of approval.

"Pardon me for being out of place for asking but... does Master intend on taking her as a direct disciple?"

Patriarch Sen looked at his disciple with gentle eyes, the corner of his lips ever so slightly upturned.

***

Shin Sumi woke up peacefully from her meditation.

Although it had been completely subconscious, she had immersed herself deeper than ever before in her cultivation.

Was it the effect of having the white crane in the surroundings, protecting her?

The bird that brought her to the final Vein indeed did not have any bad intentions towards her, that was certain. Or else she would have already died ten thousand times.

The first thing Shin Sumi did after opening her eyes and feeling the presence of the white crane was to turn and bow to the creature a second time.

"This humble one thanks Senior White Crane again for taking me to the Vein of Hell Fire. This disciple owes Senior a great debt."

The crane looked at her with empty eyes and Shin Sumi saw the beak move a little bit. Was it a response? Shin Sumi had no idea.

Whatever or whoever the White Crane was, Shin Sumi knew it was sentient, at least to an extent.

The creature was too strong to evaluate it's cultivation level properly but the feeling that the bird gave off was somewhat similar to that of the Silver Blood Wolf that had bonded with her back at the third Vein of Hell Fire.

But there was also another feeling that Shin Sumi couldn't shake off. Something more... human, even though it looked no different than the many spirit creatures Shin Sumi had met and fought.

Shin Sumi couldn't finish off her thoughts as a white wall suddenly appeared right in front of her eyes.

A stifling pressure assailed her just from the force of the wind due to the approach of the crane.

A second later, Shin Sumi was trapped in the beast's talons, moving faster than what would have been comfortable for her at her cultivation level.

"I didn't have the time to properly assert my strength and the results of cultivating next to the last Vein! And here we are blurring out of space again."

The transportation in the crane's talons only lasted a blink or two. When finally the disorientation and the high speed stopped, the white crane was gone and Shin Sumi was standing in front of a monolith.

Out of reflex, Shin Sumi was about to bow for the third time but a Shinsoo wave forced her thoughts to connect to the monolith, sending her immediately inside.

Shin Sumi stumbled in the arena and touched the ground at the same time as thunder rumbled.

"No, it's not thunder..." she thought, closing her fist and at last inspecting her body with her own divine sense.

"My entire body... My muscles, my bones... They are completely different from before!!"

The rumble Shin Sumi was hearing didn't come from the outside world but from inside her body!

It was like nothing she had ever felt before. And nothing she had ever seen either.

Her entire body had gained a golden hue from the inside. Her bones, her muscles, every fiber of her being radiated a profound light.

That was the effect of opening all Sixty-Four Shinsoo Doors.

Shin Sumi had entered the great circle of the Shinsoo Gathering Stage.

After repeatedly gathering the energy of nature and breaking open each Door in succession, following the circulating path from her dantian to all the apertures, Shin Sumi had broken open the barriers that were thought to have been lost forever.

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A single probe had revealed all of that as well as the fact that she would need a bit of time to adjust.

The crackling thunder inside her body that couldn't be heard from the outside meant that her body was being remodeled, right here and then!

After each breakthrough it was an unavoidable process, fine tuning the newly-found strength and the energy levels of an individual.

Usually it was very gradual and didn't impact the disciple too much, but what was happening to Shin Sumi was very different.

But as fate would have it, Shin Sumi didn't have the luxury to sit down and acclimate to her new state.

"You...!" a female voice had spoken from the other side of the arena.

Shin Sumi gritted her teeth and looked up. Because of what was happening with her body, even spreading her divine sense was difficult and only a second had passed since her arrival in the monolith's arena.

She had been unable to feel the girl's presence!

And in fact there was not one person in there with her but two.

In a single glance, Shin Sumi recognized the two disciples. One of them was wearing an orange robe, the girl, and the boy was dressed in beautiful shining yellow robes.

"Ch-Chu Erlong and Jun Qian !"

There was no mistaking it. Shin Sumi could not forget the two faces that looked at her.

Without waiting for them to come over, Shin Sumi summoned the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword but to no avail.

Her bag of holding vibrated slightly but the sword didn't come out.

The mental link between Shin Sumi and her sword was intact, but she could tell that something was happening to the sword.

An orb of invisible energy was wrapped around the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword. Much like herself, the blade had finally undertook the last refining of the five Veins of Hell Fire.

"What the %$£#??!"

Shin Sumi was looking in pain, cold sweat dripping from her brows.

"Senior Brother Qian, look, Bai Fulong is hurt. What a pity."

Jun Qian snickered.

"You don't even need me to end this trash-eating dog now" he answered, folding his arms over his chest.

Jun Qian was a good looking young man. Even if he hadn't been known as the highest ranked Honorary Disciple of the Dark Sky Starry Sect, dozens of girls would definitely be trying to catch his attention.

His face was thin and perfectly symmetrical, giving off a gentle impression like that of a flower petal on the surface of a pond.

But his eyes were as cold as a bone-chilling blizzard.

"If you think you can trample me, I would love to see you try !"

Even in her state, Shin Sumi defied the odd couple. From their exchange just now she had come to understand that they had not been fighting. It was more likely that Chu Erlong had made an agreement with Jun Qian to get rid of her adversaries.

And two of Shin Sumi's identities were considered as such. Bai Fulong for having almost defeated her and her Blazing Sun spell, taking the side of Bai Xuengen and Lan Hui, and Shin Sumi herself for... well for being her.

It all started when Chu Erlong's follower Liu Qinq had discovered that Shin Sumi was the only green talented disciple in the Lower Valley. Chu Erlong couldn't bear the fact that she would soon become too strong for her to handle and had even tried to assassinate her by placing a deadly trap near her courtyard.

Of course the attempt was unsuccessful and ever since Chu Erlong feared Shin Sumi's revenge. She knew in her heart that if she didn't get to Shin Sumi now, the latter would become much stronger than her in a short time.

Unfortunately for her plans, Chu Erlong had not crossed paths with Shin Sumi during the entire Rising Star Tournament, at first trying to bait her using Lan Hui whom she knew was a friend of her foe.

But Bai Fulong had shown up. Out of nowhere a talented nobody with a red robe had obliterated her plan, not once but twice.

Chu Erlong had ways to deal with Bai Xuengen but Bai Fulong was an enigma that had ruined the show for her. And there was still no trace of the green talented Shin Sumi.

"Oh I won't trample you. I'll torture you. I'll reduce you to dust!"

Now that Chu Erlong had Bai Fulong between her hands, she was turning hysterical. She even had the best disciple, Jun Qian, as her backer just in case.

That simple assurance didn't come with a low price, but Chu Erlong would sacrifice anything for her goals to be accomplished.

Bai Fulong was laying down on the cold and raspy ground, seemingly in pain. And Shin Sumi was in pain.

But what Chu Erlong didn't know when she was done talking and attacked was that each wave of pain in Shin Sumi's fibers also brought forth a stronger wave of raw power.

The golden light erupting from within her radiated an intense might and Shin Sumi felt powerful enough to topple mountains... just not right now while it was still ongoing.

Chu Erlong's long curved blade tore through the air before Shin Sumi could even stand on her knees.

"He's already dead" thought Chu Erlong moments before the strike.

In a last ditch effort, Bai Fulong rolled out of the way, evading the blade by the skin of his teeth.

A few loose hair gently fell where they had been cut, and Bai Fulong's eyes were so close to the sword that Shin Sumi could see the engravings where the hilt connected with the cold metal.

'Sun-Cloud Eater' was the name of the weapon.

A fitting name, considering that the Chu Clan techniques all revolved around these two concepts, like the Blazing Sun technique and the Black Cloud Curse.

It went to show that the sword's quality was better than most found in the sect, having come from her clan.

And here Shin Sumi was on the floor, unable to summon her own weapon, faced with the wrath of Chu Erlong.

In a flash, the orange robed girl saw Bai Fulong unleash a punch with surprising strength. Shin Sumi's aim was the blade in front of her, aiming right where it stuck out of the ground.

The blade vibrated, Chu Erlong's forearm numb instantly. With the recoil of the punch, Shin Sumi was sent back a few steps in the air, landing heavily on her feet.

She was gnashing her teeth and holding her belly. The thunder inside her was rumbling crazily, but the pain almost felt good.

Her entire body was being reborn.

"Ghyaaaa" Chu Erlong launched herself back into attacking !

Chu Erlong was worthy of being one of the top disciples despite being only orange talented. Her background, the support of her clan and the Great Elder of the sect easily made up for what she was lacking in talent, in comparison to the likes of Tai Bu and Sui Lin.

Shin Sumi evaded the blows however she could, ducking and dodging, sometimes even jumping. It was only possible because her adversary was still in the Shinsoo Gathering Realm.

One of the most prominent faculties gained with successfully reaching the Liquid Realm was the control of Shinsoo. By forming Shinsoo Threads, one could even control objects.

Had Chu Erlong been in the Liquid Realm, she wouldn't have had to hold physically her sword, instead using one of many Flying Sword techniques.

In that regard, Shin Sumi's control of the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword was an abnormality. Without that power, as long as Shin Sumi could get out of the way, Chu Erlong couldn't do anything to her.

That was until she underestimated her.

Chu Erlong had strength and speed. When she swung her Sun-Cloud Eater, it was even possible to see a small array of paper talismans glowing inside her sleeves.

Because of all of her magical artefacts she could rival with Shin Sumi's speed!

And now it was too late to dodge. Instead, Shin Sumi gathered what little bit of Shinsoo she could muster in her arm and relied on her physical strength to punch the blade once more.

Metal versus skin. In a second the shock pushed back both fighters, Shin Sumi's heels digging deep into the hard ground.

On the side, Jun Qian's eyebrows lifted, an expression of surprise carved into his face.

Even the invisible white crane suspended in the air above them looked intensely at the scene.

Ziiiing.

The tip of the Sun-Cloud Eater planted itself in the ground a dozen meters away. At the same time Chu Erlong was letting go of the hilt.

"Haa... Haa..." Shin Sumi was breathing hard.

A few of her fingers were broken and a sliver of blood was pouring from between them but she was mostly intact.

And even paying the price of a few finger bones was worth the look on Chu Erlong's face.

The more Shin Sumi waited, the more strength she could feel from her dantian. Being forced to fight in her state had bigger risks of cultivation backlash, not having the time to properly acclimate to the great circle of Shinsoo Gathering but at least it made the refining process faster.

She was telling herself that she could certainly beat Chu Erlong when the latter screamed.

"JUN QIAAAN!"

Bai Fulong was a lot stronger than she expected. Now she realized that after all she needed the help of the number one disciple.

Even if that nobody Bai Fulong had been hiding his strength forever, there was no way he could beat Jun Qian.

The yellow robed man was a monster.

He chuckled while slowly unfolding his arms.

"You can't even beat an already beaten dog? I'm reconsidering our association."

"If you want to dual cultivate with me, we have to kill that guy and the green talented b*tch."

Shin Sumi opened her eyes wide, her thoughts raging all over the place after hearing them talk like she wasn't even there.

"Dual cultivate?! Is that why these two are together?!"

Chu Erlong looked at Jun Qian seductively, even putting her hand gently on her hip in the middle of the fight.

"You wouldn't want to give up the opportunity of getting close to the heir to the Chu Clan, wouldn't you?"

Jun Qian's eyes were now filled with lust, his mind clouded with lecherous thoughts.

"He he he fine, I'll deal with him."

Shin Sumi was shocked. How far was Chu Erlong willing to go to get rid of her enemies?!

Now having the will to fight alongside her, Jun Qian planted his feet on the ground and spread his arms wide.

Without an incantation, the pressure rose around him. An ephemeral candle appeared between him and Shin Sumi.

Shin Sumi gasped once for air due to the pressure before the thunder in her rumbled with double intensity. Her strength was now eighty percent stabilized and most of her body had turned golden on the inside.

"It's not enough. I need all my strength to fight him" she thought, trying once more to summon her weapon to her hand, "and the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword isn't responding!"

Unsure of what to do, Shin Sumi braced herself. She could feel that Jun Qian was about to start something. Something powerful.