"This…" Lian frowned, raising the jade toward the sky. His fingers traced the flowing crane patterns carved into its surface.
"People really like giving me jades, huh?" he muttered.
"The one my mother gave me changed my fate… this one from the old man seems to be some great treasure. And he clearly knew something about my parents as well…"
He paused, closing his eyes as the implications settled in.
"I have to go back to the Xing Family somehow. I need to know what the hell is going on."
Through all of this, there was always that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something very important was missing.
Something he should already know.
He tied the jade to his robes.
"Ha… not to mention the one from the black box. Do I have some kind of affinity for jades or something?"
"Tch, how ridiculous."
He chuckled lightly, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Azure Crane Family…"
Just who was that old man? And why did he give me this jade?
The thoughts swirled endlessly in his mind.
Bo said nothing.
He simply watched Lian.
Now that I look at him closely… he really does resemble him, Bo thought, tapping his gourd lightly against his leg.
"Well… it will all be revealed when we go to the family. For now, the only thing that matters is making sure he grows stronger."
His gaze hardened slightly.
Bo stepped forward and placed a hand on Lian's shoulder.
"Forget about that for now. We came here to make you stronger, right?"
Bo's eyes softened slightly. His hand was warm on Lian's shoulder.
"Huuuu…" Lian exhaled deeply. "Yeah. Overthinking will only distract me from my goal."
He straightened, facing Bo properly.
"That's right."
Bo waved his hand.
In front of Lian, more than a thousand wooden blades materialised, scattering across the ground like fallen leaves.
"Pick one."
His mischievous smile returned.
"What is it now…" Lian muttered, bending to grab one.
It felt unusually light as he swung it through the air.
"Wh—"
His grip trembled slightly.
"Mmm… is it siphoning my Qi?"
"Nice catch," Bo replied calmly. "Though that isn't its only function."
His eyes remained fixed on the wooden blade.
Within seconds, the sword grew heavier in Lian's hands.
"See?" Bo said. "The weight increases."
"Yeah… I can feel it. It's already a few catties heavier than when I picked it up."
"The more Qi it absorbs, the heavier it becomes. Eventually, it'll grow so heavy you won't be able to lift it."
Boom!
A flash of light erupted from Lian's hands as the wooden sword suddenly imploded.
"—And once it reaches a certain threshold, it hits maximum capacity and collapses," Bo continued smoothly. "By the time that happens, your swings should be flawless."
He looked at Lian sharply.
"And you must regulate your Qi so it doesn't get absorbed in the first place."
Lian was blasted backwards, coughing as dust filled the air.
"That crazy bastard… did he just hand me an explosive and say nothing? I could've been seriously hurt!"
His vision slowly cleared.
"You will need ten thousand perfect down swings each day."
"Is that all?" Lain frowned a little.
"Oh… and if you fail to do that…"
Bo's laughter turned low and ominous.
"Hehehehe…"
"Why are you laughing?" Lian snapped. "What happens if I fail?"
"Well…" Bo said casually, already turning away, "Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it."
He began walking off.
"Ahhhh, I almost forgot to tell you something so important, do not bring any outside pills from your spatial pocket into this place."
"What? Why..."
Bo flicked his fingers, producing a medicinal pill. The moment it appeared, it melted into light and drifted upward into the sky.
"That's why. Same with beast meat that doesn't belong here. You'll have to catch your own."
With a lazy wave of his hand, he vanished.
"Wai—!"
Too late.
"That guy just leaves me here after saying all that? I still have questions! What the hell is wrong with him?!" Lian shouted at the empty valley.
High above, stretched lazily across drifting clouds, Bo muttered to himself,
"Well… there's nothing I can do for you now."
Silence returned.
Lian stood still for a long moment.
Then he bent down and picked up another wooden sword.
"It's just ten thousand swings… I can manage that. At least that much."
Swish.
A downward strike.
"One…"
Swish.
"Two…"
Swish.
"Three…"
The blade grew heavier.
He tightened his grip.
"Ten… eleven… twenty…"
Sweat began forming along his brow.
Swish.
"One hundred—"
On the hundredth swing, the sword suddenly glowed with a faint blue light.
"Whoa… what is this?"
Lian frowned mid-swing.
The wooden blade had been glowing red for a while now, yet it wasn't shifting back to blue like before.
"Shit… It's getting heavier again."
His arms trembled.
"I've been limiting the Qi I'm releasing. Why isn't it making a difference?"
He swung again.
At the thousandth strike, the blade suddenly flared blue.
"It happened again, ha," he took a deep breath and continued.
"One thousand and fi—"
Boom!
The sword detonated in his hands.
He was thrown backwards by the massive force, dust erupting around him.
"Shit…"
He staggered to his feet, hands trembling uncontrollably.
The explosion this time had been far greater than before.
High above, reclining lazily among the drifting clouds, Bo spoke as if commenting on the weather.
"You must've realised the explosion was stronger this time."
He waved a hand, gathering nearby clouds and compressing them into the shape of a Wei Qi board.
"Because you managed more solid swings, the detonation was delayed. The absorbed Qi continued compressing internally."
He placed the first piece.
"The longer it compresses… the greater the explosion."
Bo smirked faintly.
"But I'm sure you'll figure that out soon enough. No need for me to explain everything."
Across from him, the clouds swirled and condensed into a vague, fuzzy humanoid outline.
It tilted its head.
"What do you think, older brother? Do you really believe he's Elder Sister Zetian's child?"
Bo's fingers hovered over a piece.
"I'm not sure," he replied calmly, placing it down.
"But we'll find out… once he returns to the family."
The cloudy figure hummed thoughtfully.
"Go on then," Bo said lightly, eyes drifting towards Lian.