After a brief moment of doubt for relying too much on her divine sense, Shin Sumi approached the unusual source of Shinsoo.

"The moon can't be in my courtyard, that is ridiculous. But the Shinsoo signature is unmistakable."

On Shin Sumi's tea table, a white cloth with a very faint silvery design laid flat, folded into a square. Only a small bump revealed what was hidden inside.

Carefully, Shin Sumi unfurled the linen, squinting at the source of a brilliant white light.

The Copper Bell in her bag of holding immediately rang, toning down the brightness that looked identical to pure moonlight.

"A Moon Stone!" Shin Sumi confirmed her suspicions.

She knew about these precious stones that, according to legends, had fallen straight from the white astral body onto the plane it orbited around.

"I can't believe it! This is a genuine Moon Stone!"

Despite being incredulous and very happy, Shin Sumi's mind had not stopped thinking though. Her eyes wandered rapidly from left to right, thoughts unrelentlessly trying to figure out what had happened.

Still holding the Moon Stone half wrapped in cloth, Shin Sumi fell to her knees, legs tucked under her.

Palms flat on the ground, her forehead pressed hard against the dark wood of the floor.

"Thank you Senior. This humble Seventh Ghost will not disturb you anymore. I am in your debt for this Moon Stone."

Shin Sumi was fairly confident nobody was even remotely close to her house at that time but there was no way for her to ascertain that. It was obviously not with her low cultivation level that she would be able to discern the presence of whoever it was that left the Moon Stone there.

But just in case, she had no choice but to pay respects and acknowledge the precious gift.

The message was simple, "If you want to cultivate using the moon, do it from here, don't go back up the mountain" and as for who had gifted her a Moon Stone, well the choice was limited.

After Shin Sumi put the Moon Stone away in her bag of holding, the room suddenly turned pitch black, as if all light from the world had died the instant the small moon disappeared. Even with the Copper Bell activated, it took a second for her eyes to readjust to the ambient light.

She was still holding the cloth that had previously hidden the Moon Stone's glimmer. The white linen was almost weightless and had been weaved so tightly that it felt like silk on her fingers. The embroidered ghost shadow on its center used silver threads, serving as a signature accompanying the Moon Stone.

"Hmmm... How long should I wait for, just in case the Senior Ghost is still nearby?" Shin Sumi wondered to herself. "Nuan, come out!"

A green flash on her arm later, the Lion Bat appeared, jumping happily all around as soon as she touched the ground.

Gently petting the Lion Bat, Shin Sumi used her divine sense to try and convey a message to Nuan.

"I have something amazing to feed you, little Nuan. For now I have to practice magical techniques so it's playtime for you but don't go too far away okay? You're definitely going to be interested in what I just obtained!"

With a mental promise of good food for Nuan, Shin Sumi let the spirit beast roam free. It had been a few hours since Nuan last came out, and for what she was going to do, she couldn't risk her leaving the leaf pattern on her own.

The Void Sword was a dangerous weapon, one that Shin Sumi was about to use for training. She couldn't even think of what would happen if Nuan came out of her arm as she was striking with all her strength.

With a slap to her bag of holding, Shin Sumi produced the Void Sword. Despite the missing blade, the weight in her hand remained the same, and she almost felt like she was once again complete. The sword had become an extension of her own arm.

Usually Shin Sumi would begin her practice with normal sword strikes. Not everything they taught in the Star-Sword Pavilion was flashy and extravagant. Most of the earlier lessons were about successfully parrying and attacking.

But this day she had already been singled out by Wan Jishun and the normal techniques were still fresh in her hand. Instead she wanted to work on the Star-Sword Canon.

Concentrating Shinsoo in the appropriate Shinsoo Apertures, Shin Sumi lifted her arms.

"Star-Sword Canon first form: Cleaving Meteor!"

In a sudden burst of released Shinsoo, her raised sword accelerated downwards with incredible speed. Even with a missing blade, the tip of the sword condensed with yellow light that disappeared when the Void Sword reached its target.

The large boulder covered with moss that was at the end of Shin Sumi's own training grounds split open with an ear shattering noise.

Even from five meters away, the boulder stood no chance in face of the Star-Sword Canon's first technique. Even the ground itself now possessed a scar going in a straight line from Shin Sumi.

The girl was panting, her eyes closed.

"Ha..Ha.. A regular sword uses so much more Shinsoo" she said to herself, "but it really makes the difference."

It was her first time trying the Star-Sword Canon outside of the Pavilion's regular training sessions. And even then, the form of the sure-kill technique was studied only through wooden weapons. At least for once it felt good to not have the sword splinter and break between her fingers due to the massive pressure endured.

Shin Sumi now also understood why the Star-Sword Canon was forbidden in regular Star Arenas fighting with disciples from other branches.

"Cleaving Meteor is the Star-Sword Canon's first form out of seven, and currently it's my limit at a rate of maybe three per day with a real sword. Improving my cultivation speed with the Moon Severing Ephemeral Shadow will give me more leeway and bring me closer to being able to use the second form."

Shin Sumi felt happy, a fulfilling sentiment which took over her and remained, even as she was scouring the forest trying to find a new boulder to rope and drag back to her courtyard.

"I really need to invest in proper targets. At this rate all the large chunks of rocks in the forest will have turned to dust in a few months."

Upon her return from the forest, Shin Sumi found Nuan sitting on the first step of her house, curiously looking at her with black beads for eyes.

"Cute little Nuan... I'm sure you would have loved to steal the Star-Sword Canon and make it even better, right? I'm sorry but no can do! Unlike the other techniques I have, these seven forms are not passed down on a scroll of parchment. They are only taught from one person to another."

Shin Sumi sighed, "Yes I know it has flaws. The Shinsoo Aperture link to power the Cleaving Meteor doesn't feel perfect, and only you would find a suitable version of it but I have no choice in the matter."

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Without any answer from the Lion Bat, the conversation soon turned a bit too one-sided for Shin Sumi who decided to meditate for a bit. She hesitated to take out the Moon Stone but didn't. During day time the power of the Moon Stone would not be optimal.

After resting enough so that her dantian was not void of Shinsoo, Shin Sumi stood up with determination in her eyes.

"Round two! Star-Sword Canon first form: Cleaving Meteor!!"

***

"Ouch! Nuan do you want to come with me?" Shin Sumi asked.

She had just painfully stripped of her clothes and plopped down in her refreshing bath. Her body was aching all over, training having taken a toll on her.

The Lion Bat happily obliged, splashing Shin Sumi's face and landing on her belly. Soon after, a sweet aroma permeated the air as Shin Sumi's muscles relaxed, her articulations already hurting less.

Even after morphing from a weird nut into a spirit beast, Nuan had still retained her healing powers in water. The strange being that had accompanied Shin Sumi since her very first step into the Immortal World was shrouded in mystery but it wasn't something that bothered Shin Sumi much.

She knew she couldn't comprehend Nuan yet, but as long as the Lion Bat was willing to stay with her, she didn't have to. The creature was refining her resources, enhancing her techniques, healing her, and in turn Shin Sumi was feeding her and giving her all her love.

"You did well, Nuan. I wanted to keep this treat for after I used it tonight, but I don't feel like cultivating for now, so you can have it. Return it soon, okay?"

Reaching above her head to where her bag of holding was, Shin Sumi retrieved the Moon Stone, illuminating the bathing room with a pure white glow.

Nuan was immediately excited. It seemed like she knew what Shin Sumi had just told her and couldn't wait to put her little teeth around the small mesmerizing moon. The bat wings flapped a few times, the lion tail whipping the air, and soon enough the white glow had completely disappeared.

"Good girl, let us both rest now" said Shin Sumi before letting her consciousness drift away into restorative sleep.

***

Shin Sumi was quickly making progress.

After Nuan had refined the Moon Stone, no apparent changes seemed to have occured.

"Maybe the Moon Stone is too high level a resource for little Nuan... After all there should be some limit to her destiny changing abilities."

She had used the stone every night to cultivate peacefully for about a month when, spending some time in the library, she had determined the Moon Stone powers to last only for about a few weeks of use.

"What?! Only a few weeks! I didn't know the Moon Stone only lasted such a short time! Despite being so rare and in limited amounts it only lasts so long. And I was so close to breaking through to the second step."

Shin Sumi was tempted to go back up the mountain once more, just off the chance the senior who gifted her the stone would reiterate.

"It is strange though, the intensity of the Yin Shinsoo from the Moon Stone has not gone down even a little bit."

Unable to do anything about it, Shin Sumi didn't want to think too hard of the matter. Between the three Pavilions she was in, a lot of practice and cultivation was needed anyway.

"Now is not the time to slack of, Sumi," Xiao Yue told her one night, "the rankings will be determined in only a month! A whole year of resources will be based only on your placement among your branch."

Shin Sumi sighed.

"The Star-Sword Pavilion's ranking is almost already done. We all know who the disciples participating in the Cross Branches Arena will be."

"Yes exactly! And you're one of them, Sumi. So everybody is going to want to challenge you to prove their strength."

"You really have it good, Yue, being the Sword Master's direct disciple and all... Nobody will challenge you, that's going to save a lot of hassle."

In a flash, Xiao Yue stood up from the bench both girls were sitting on. She stomped her foot with an angry expression.

"Oh, I have it good?! Sumi, don't devalue yourself like that! Let's not even talk about the Rising Star Tournament, and you're in three Pavilions at the same time! You have three times as many chances as anyone else! Or two, if the Beasts Pavilion doesn't participate."

Shin Sumi looked down. Somehow she had forgotten how incredible her situation was compared to others. But Xiao Yue didn't seem to understand her line of thought. She simply didn't want to participate in any tournament.

Shin Sumi stood up as well, gently embracing her sworn sister, the Black Devil Maiden Xiao Yue that everyone feared in combat, the proud disciple of the number one expert in the Dark Sky Starry Sect. Only with Shin Sumi would she allow her cheeks to turn red and her eyes to close blissfully.

"You are right, Yue, as always. And as long as I make it for the Sword Pavilion, I won't even participate in the other rankings. And I do need to work on my swordsmanship. Because I'm not using the Void Sword but Sky Deception, I can't use my full strength."

This was a thing she had discussed for a long time with her sister before. Despite hiding it from everyone, the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword, now turned into the Void Sword was still her primary weapon. The bond between a sword and its master was no simple matter.

Hiding the Void Sword from the eyes of the world was like fighting with only one arm for a wrestler.

Due to her high talent and her perfect Shinsoo Apertures, Shin Sumi was still among the best in the new Liquid Realm Disciples, but it just wasn't the same without the Void Sword.

"I'm thankful to the Gods that you are not using that sword. Sky Deception is fine, really!" commented Xiao Yue.

Shin Sumi snickered, "Eh, you're only glad I don't wipe the floor with you in the rankings challenge."

Xiao Yue lifted her shoulders, palms to the sky.

"It's fine with me, between you crushing everyone and you stuck below Mei Yunei, I rather prefer the latter."

"Hey she's not better than me" replied Shin Sumi!

Xiao Yue, who had been looking intensely at the pond with a malicious smile, turned back sharply.

"Oh, you haven't heard? She fought Ken Duang earlier at the First Star Arena. It's her fifth win against him, and she only lost four times. You and Ken Duang are at a stalemate, right?"

Shin Sumi didn't need more to understand the implications of Xiao Yue's sentence, but the latter decided to say it out loud anyway.

"That places you below Mei Yunei."

With a hand in front of her mouth, Xiao Yue bid her goodnight. Shin Sumi feigned being angry and training right away, hiding her cristalline laughter.

Back to her courtyard a few minutes later, Shin Sumi sat down with the Moon Stone in one hand, Nuan perched on her shoulder.

"So Mei Yunei really is going to place fourth if this continues."

There were only six places for each branch to participate in the Cross Branch Arena, excluding the Shinsoo-Medicine Pavilion which wasn't concentrated on fighting and the Beasts Pavilion because the new disciples spirit creatures were all too small to fight yet. That was the first rule, the second being that only newly accepted Liquid Realm disciples could participate.

If Shin Sumi disguised as Bai Fulong could hold on to her fifth place, then she would be happy. The Cross Branch Arena results afterwards didn't matter that much, everybody knew that the real fight was between the might of the three direct disciples of each Pavilion Master.

Placing in the top six of a branch was all that mattered for the rewards, the resources given by the sect for a whole year.

"Yue will take first place, then Mua Lin and Mua Jin, her, me and finally Ken Duang. That should be the final six, unless..."

Shin Sumi closed her eyes, thinking back to the final stages of the Rising Star Tournament. Behind her eyelids, an ice cold face was looking back at her.

"Sui Lin... She is the first person that ever crushed me completely, back then. And there's also Tai Bu. These two haven't made a move yet but I'm certain they will try their best to participate in the Cross Branch Arena."

Sui Lin and Tai Bu were two of the Big Three from back in the Shinsoo Gathering Realm. Despite their reputation and their acceptance in the Sword Pavilion, they had kept silent and discrete until now.

"Maybe that is what they were waiting for. With their respective abilities, there is no way they won't make big waves soon. Well... Sui Lin at least."

Shin Sumi's opinion on Tai Bu was kind of low. After all they had only met twice, the first time being when she had stolen his Flaming Whip and the second when she had completely beat him.

But Sui Lin was another matter. She had only crossed paths with her once or twice at the Star-Sword Pavilion, despite attending the same classes and training sessions. The only thing she knew was that the silent girl had never once shown her magical paintbrush there.

Much like herself she had picked up another sword with which to fight. But unlike Shin Sumi there was a good chance Sui Lin was going to use her favorite weapon for the ranking of the Sword Pavilion.

"That is going to be a problem if she comes after me. She was already terrifying when she wasn't in the Liquid Realm yet. Her proficience with magic is very high and combined with the might of the Star Sword Canon she would be really hard to beat."

Shin Sumi's path was similar, in the sense that she could use her teachings from the Cloud-Formation Pavilion and use the magical techniques she had become quite good at, but because of her hidden identities she didn't have the same option as Sui Lin.

"Nuan, it's time for you to rest," Shin Sumi called out. Understanding, the Lion Bat disappeared in the leaf pattern on her wrist.

The Copper Bell rang once, Shin Sumi's traits morphing into Bai Fulong's.

The Star Arenas located all around the upper valley were busy during day and night alike, and that was precisely her destination.

"Ken Duang, it's time for us to settle our score. Third Star Arena now, what do you say?"

Shin Sumi was already on her way when she received a divine sense message back from the young man, agreeing to the rendez-vous.

When Bai Fulong arrived at the meeting place, Ken Duang was already standing on top of a fighting plaftorm, attracting the eyes of a few disciples around.

"Whichever wins will keep their place until the end of the ranking month, alright?"

Nodding with a smile, Bai Fulong didn't waste any time. Sky Deception's dark grey blade fended the air as Shin Sumi leaped to join her opponent.