Yue Qingqian stood behind the cottage her master had prepared for her, holding the cool-to-the-touch "Spirit-Working Shovel." The clearing was small, covered in green weeds, with a few unknown butterflies fluttering among the flowers. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene. But her mood was a tumultuous sea, far from the tranquility of the scenery before her.
In her mind, two completely different scenes were fiercely clashing.
One scene was the world of cultivation described by the storyteller at her village entrance before she left home. In that world, a chosen one would join an immortal sect and on the very first day, trigger celestial phenomena and be bestowed with supreme teachings. An immortal fairy would descend, and with a gentle wave of her sleeve, sword qi would stretch for thirty thousand miles. It was a magnificent and captivating world. She had fantasized countless times that she too could one day wield a sword, live freely, and become a radiant protagonist like in the stories.
The other scene was the harsh reality. She, Yue Qingqian, blessed with the once-in-a-millennium "Innate Sword Heart," had become a disciple under the Sky Profound Sect Master's first disciple, and then... was given a shovel and the task of digging a hole.
The gap between the two was simply too vast, so vast that she was starting to question her own life.
"Is Senior Brother... really not playing a trick on me?" She held up the small shovel. The sunlight glinted off its new surface, reflecting a cold and realistic light. No matter how she looked at it, this shovel was just a well-made, ordinary tool, having nothing to do with the words "divine weapon."
However, when she recalled the serious, expectant look in Senior Brother Lin Fan's eyes as he gave her the task, her wavering heart couldn't help but settle down. That kind of gaze was definitely not one of mockery, but one of genuine hope that she would understand the deeper meaning.
"No, I can't think like this!" Yue Qingqian shook her head forcefully, trying to cast out the negative thoughts. "Who is Senior Brother? According to the legends, when he joined the sect, all nine peaks of the sect resonated, and auspicious clouds filled the sky for miles! A person like him, his every action must hold a profound meaning that I cannot comprehend!"
The more she thought, the more it made sense. Her thoughts suddenly became clear.
"That's it! This must be a test! On the path of cultivation, the Dao heart is paramount! If I can't even persevere through this small, seemingly mundane test and instead harbor resentment, then how can I talk about comprehending the Great Dao and achieving eternal life in the future? Senior Brother has put so much thought into this. He is using this method to temper my character!"
Having figured out this key point, Yue Qingqian felt as if the world before her had changed. The shovel in her hand no longer felt cold but had a certain weighty significance, as if it carried her senior brother's earnest expectations. The clearing before her was no longer just an ordinary patch of weeds, but the ground that would witness the trial of her Dao heart.
"Hoo—" She let out a long breath, her eyes becoming unprecedentedly firm.
"Senior Brother, I will not disappoint you!"
She gripped the shovel, assumed what she thought was the most standard power stance, and began to circulate the "Azure Origin Art" her master had just taught her. A faint but pure stream of spiritual energy, like a newborn creek, flowed through her meridians and into her arms. She could feel her strength being gently amplified by this energy.
"Dig!"
With a soft shout, she forcefully plunged the shovel into the ground.
However, the expected resistance of iron hitting dirt and rock never came.
The moment the shovel touched the ground, Yue Qingqian felt something gently stir the "Innate Sword Heart" in her chest. It began to beat slightly, of its own accord.
An invisible but incomparably sharp aura instantly surged from the Sword Heart, spread through her entire body in a flash, and finally converged in her hands gripping the shovel. It then traveled down the handle to the blade.
Pfft.
A very faint sound, like a hot knife slicing through butter, was heard.
Yue Qingqian felt a lightness in her hands as the shovel sank deep into the ground without any resistance. She paused for a moment, then instinctively lifted it up.
The hard ground, like a giant block of tofu, was easily cut open, creating a huge gash several feet deep and about three feet long. The upturned earth and rocks didn't scatter messily but fell neatly to the side. The edges of the gash were as smooth as a mirror, as if meticulously cut by an invisible, peerless divine weapon.
Yue Qingqian herself was utterly stunned.
She looked down in disbelief at the deep, neat hole, then at her own unharmed hands and the still-ordinary-looking shovel. Her cherry-like mouth was slightly agape, and she couldn't close it for a long time.
"This... this..." Her mind went blank, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.
She just wanted to dig a hole! How did it produce such an exaggerated effect?
After a moment of daze, a thought struck her like a bolt of lightning, clearing the fog in her mind.
"That's it! It's Senior Brother! This must all be part of Senior Brother's plan!" A storm raged in her heart as a perfect logical loop formed in her mind.
"Senior Brother saw through my 'Innate Sword Heart' physique from the very beginning. He knew I had the talent but didn't know how to use it. That's why he deliberately gave me this seemingly ordinary task and this seemingly ordinary shovel! This shovel must be some incredible magical treasure that can guide the power of my Sword Heart!"
"He's not making me dig a hole; he's using this most simple and unadorned method to enlighten me, to teach me how to apply my talent to the most basic and subtle actions like cleaving, chopping, piercing, and lifting! Every dig is a practice of a sword move! This isn't ordinary digging; this is cultivating a supreme sword Dao!"
At this moment, Lin Fan's image in her heart instantly elevated from a "somewhat strange senior brother" to that of a peerless master who could perceive heavenly secrets, had returned to simplicity, and was playing a game in the mortal world.
Having figured this out, Yue Qingqian felt a rush of hot blood to her head, and her body filled with boundless energy. Her gaze towards the deep pit was no longer one of confusion but was filled with a fervent desire for knowledge.
Without hesitation, she once again wielded the shovel, throwing herself wholeheartedly into this peculiar "cultivation."
A scoop, a lift, a raise, a release.
Her movements went from clumsy to smooth, then to fluid and graceful. She gradually became immersed, using her heart to feel the trajectory of the sharp qi flowing within her with each swing of the shovel. To her delight, she discovered that her control over the "Innate Sword Heart" was actually increasing at an incredible speed through this simple, repetitive labor.
An hour later, Lin Fan, figuring enough time had passed, pushed open his door, intending to check if his junior sister was slacking off due to the boring task. But when he walked into the courtyard and saw the scene behind Yue Qingqian's cottage, he was so shocked his eyebrows shot up, almost thinking he had come to the wrong place.
In the small clearing, a deep abyss, as if casually cleaved open by some sword immortal, was starkly visible. Beside the abyss was a small mountain taller than the cottage, formed by countless neatly cut blocks of earth and rock.
And the creator of all this, Yue Qingqian, was excitedly peeking out from the abyss. Her face was covered in sweat and dirt, like a little kitten, but her eyes were frighteningly bright, sparkling with a fanatical and enlightened glow.
Seeing Lin Fan approach, she immediately climbed out of the abyss with great excitement and reported as if presenting a treasure:
"Senior Brother! I've finished digging! Following your guidance, I feel... I feel like I've comprehended a trace of the legendary 'Heavy Earth Sword Intent'! It turns out that sword intent lies not only in sharpness but also in weight and substance! Senior Brother, you are truly amazing!"
Lin Fan: "..."
He silently looked at the huge, sword-scarred abyss, then at his exceptionally talented junior sister who had managed to come up with her own theory. A sharp pain shot through his heart, as if he could hear the sound of his stable future shattering.
"It's over, I'm screwed. It seems I've really taken in a top-tier troublemaker," he thought. Beneath his expressionless face, his inner world was a field of wails.
"How is this digging a hole? She's clearly digging her own grave—no, my grave! With such terrifying talent, it's impossible to keep a low profile. There will be endless trouble in the future! No, my moral education on the 'Dao of Stability' must be intensified, redoubled!"