Hearing it was a gift from her Master, Xue Ru accepted it at once, then carefully opened it. One jade box held a talisman brush, the other a carving knife.
Yue Liang sat cross-legged on a cushion and motioned for Xue Ru to sit as well before explaining."This hollow-carved green bamboo talisman brush is second rank. The shaft is refined from Green Jade Bamboo, and the tip is made from the fur of a second-rank Snow Mink. It suits a beginner like you. See the hollowed sections on the shaft?"
"Mm, I see them." Xue Ru liked the brush a lot. She rolled it in her fingers, studying it closely.
"When you channel spiritual power to draw talismans, the hollows show whether your power is even and continuous the moment the brush touches the paper. Uneven flow is normal at the start. This helps you control your output."
"Master thinks of everything." Beaming, Xue Ru stored the brush and picked up the silver carving knife, about a handspan long, turning it over and over.
"This knife is also for beginners. It is for carving array disks, refined from the bone of a second-rank Silver Python beast."
"Thank you for explaining, Senior Yue Liang. I want to thank Master in person."
After stowing both gifts in the storage pouch her elder brother had given her, Xue Ru made the suggestion.
"Mm. We have added enough for now. Let us return together."
"What about your two Senior Brothers? Not going to see them?"
"They are probably swinging their swords under the waterfall right now. No time for me."
Yue Liang's dark eyes narrowed in a pleased smile. Looked like Zūnshàng had already increased their training load.
Hand in hand, the two of them left East Peak to see Jian Dan.
Jian Dan was mulling over how best to use Bi Shu to break the current deadlock when Yue Liang and Xue Ru came back, fingers interlaced.
"Greetings, Master."
Spotting Jian Dan, Yue Liang bounded forward, flipped once in midair, then returned to her raccoon-beast form and landed lightly on Jian Dan's shoulder.
"Everything arranged?" With a thread of spiritual power, Jian Dan lifted Xue Ru gently and asked with a smile.
"Disciple came to thank Master. I love the talisman brush and carving knife you bestowed. I will practice diligently."
"Good. Cultivation is not achieved in a day. I am having you learn this for two reasons. First, in the four arts of cultivation you should master at least one. Second, it will help you control your spiritual power and temper your sea of consciousness. I hope you understand."
"I do. Everything Master arranges is for my sake. I will listen." Xue Ru's bright eyes looked up at Jian Dan, full of devoted admiration.
"This is something your elder brother found for you. You will contract it today." As she spoke, a sealed jade box appeared on Jian Dan's round fan. It was the "wind spirit" Wei Zhengrong had purchased from the Hua family with a mountain of spirit stones.
Xue Ru accepted the box without opening it rashly, looking instead to her Master for guidance.
Satisfied, Jian Dan nodded. A steady temperament. She explained, "This is a wind spirit that has birthed spiritual awareness. With the right environment, in ten thousand years it can take human form. Its dwelling place was ruined, which is why it was captured. Your spiritual root is a perfect match. If you contract it, you will benefit each other. It is a good outcome."
"Mm. I understand."
Jian Dan cast a trapping formation and said, "Enter the array, unseal the box, and release the wind spirit. Do not try to force the contract. You have a supreme wind spiritual root. That is a great lure to a wind spirit. Simply run your art and let it grow close to you. The life-bond will form naturally."
She laid out the steps in detail, then opened the formation.
"Disciple understands." Xue Ru's expression turned solemn. Contracting the wind spirit would be a great boon to her path. Her elder brother had clearly spent no small effort to get this chance for her. She could not waste Master's and her brother's care.
Holding the jade box, Xue Ru saluted Jian Dan, drew a steady breath, stepped into the array, and sat cross-legged at the array's heart. She gave Jian Dan a firm nod.
Jian Dan smiled in encouragement and sealed the formation. The rest was up to Xue Ru.
"Zūnshàng, I think Xue Ru is on the verge of breaking through to fifth level of Qi Refining."
"Mm. If she contracts the wind spirit now, her cultivation will likely climb even higher."
"Zūnshàng is raising Xue Ru like a daughter. I wonder which lucky male cultivator will profit someday."
"That is far off, but you have reminded me. I should lay the groundwork early so she is not swayed by a few sweet words or a dramatic rescue. Cultivation and ascension are the true path. The Immortal Realm has more promising youths than she could ever meet here."
At the thought that her carefully nurtured little cabbage, gilded at the edges, might be rooted up by some pig, Jian Dan's mood soured at once.
Yue Liang's fur shook with laughter. She did not understand romance, but she had watched her Zūnshàng walk alone in grace for years, living quite happily. Besides, the constant missions and fights likely scared off those so-called promising youths of the cultivation world.
Inside the formation, after the array fell, Wei Xue Ru first circulated one full cycle of her art, filling herself with spiritual power and calming her thoughts. Only then did she carefully remove the sealing talisman on the jade box and lift the lid.
The instant it opened, a white ball of air the size of a ping-pong ball shot at her face. Xue Ru tilted her head and let it whistle past.
Before she could react, it abandoned her and darted toward the edge. The array stopped it cold.
The wind spirit was not discouraged. It kept ramming the barrier, even stirring the wind itself to batter the formation with it.
Xue Ru set everything else aside, closed her eyes, and began to circulate her art. Wind-aligned spiritual power formed a ring around her, then spread outward.
The wind spirit halted by instinct and drifted within the wind, circling Xue Ru again and again without daring to come close.
Remembering Master's instructions, Xue Ru did not rush the contract. She kept running her art, calling more wind spiritual power to gather at her side. As the green wind energy thickened, her mind settled and slipped into cultivation.
She had already been pressing against the barrier to fifth level of Qi Refining. Now, with a wind spirit nearby, the green wind motes were purer and more abundant. They seeped through her skin into her meridians, cycled along her art's path, and finally flowed into her dantian.
Pop. The wall to fifth level broke. Wind energy surged in. Among it, curiosity riding the current, the wind spirit slipped in to see where all its companions were rushing.
Xue Ru had been waiting for this moment. When the spirit entered her meridians, she did nothing, continuing to circulate and stabilize. Only when it followed the flow into her dantian did she brand the center of the glowing orb with her Primordial Soul imprint.
"Eh?"
A puzzled note from the wind spirit. Then it reached her spiritual root and saw the crystal-clear green wind root. Pleased beyond measure, it curled up there. This was a place it liked.
As spirit and root melded, Xue Ru's wind root thickened visibly, its hue turning even more translucent. The wind spirit swam up and down the pillar of her root.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Three soft sounds in a row. Barriers gave way. Xue Ru's cultivation shot straight to eighth level of Qi Refining.
===
Just a quick personal note about After Killing Dao Partner, the Villainess Becomes the Demon Ancestor (✧ω✧)
I've translated all the chapters so far, and honestly? I'm really impressed. This novel is not your typical xianxia—schemes and plots are at the heart of the story. From the early chapters, you'll see layers upon layers of intrigue, and even beyond chapter 100, the scheming stays intense. You can't just skip to the fight scenes—the story lives in the tension, the planning, the clever maneuvers. It's almost like Gōngdòu (宫斗) but in a xianxia world, which is super rare and exciting to see.
Yun Qingyue, the protagonist, is sharp, ruthless, and not a saint. Watching her navigate the schemes, outwit her enemies, and crush anyone in her way is strangely satisfying. And when the fights do happen? They're well-written and complement the intrigue rather than overshadow it.
Personally, I also really enjoy the author's distinctive style. Translating it gave me this unique feeling that I haven't experienced in other novels—it's clever, tense, and full of character.
So yeah… if you want a xianxia that's more than just cultivation and fights, one that's full of clever schemes, morally gray characters, and surprises, I'd definitely recommend giving this a shot. It's one of those novels that keeps you thinking and entertained at the same time (≧▽≦)