Just then, Lin Qingfeng's voice rang out again. "Junior Sister, your recent theory of 'sectual metamorphosis' holds some truth. It is, in fact, one of the core tenets our sect wishes to impart."
Su Ling'er immediately put on an expression of sudden enlightenment. "This... This is only because Senior Brother was here to guide me! It's all thanks to you, Senior Brother, that I could have such a realization!"
But inwardly, she was speechless.
'How did the excuse I just made up on the spot become one of your sect's core tenets? Do you make up your core tenets daily?!'
'Or... has my brain been assimilated by this demonic den? Am I unconsciously starting to follow the logic of you lunatics?'
Lin Qingfeng clasped his hands behind his back, took two paces, and began to speak leisurely. "The cicada sheds its husk in the mire to float beyond the dust. What our Guixi Sect seeks is a path of breaking the old to establish the new, of transcending the mundane. However, the Dao is no smooth road. To transform, one must bear its weight and endure its pain."
"Junior Sister, I know that your spirit must have been shaken upon first seeing the cultivation method of the Sword Refining Skill. But do you know what this technique means to our Guixi Sect?"
Su Ling'er lowered her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes, and could only reply in a low voice, "...Ling'er is slow-witted."
"No, your comprehension is extremely high. You simply haven't yet understood why our sect would resort to such drastic measures, creating a method that seems so... brutal."
"It is only because this world has too many mediocrities, and the Celestial Dao is so terribly unjust."
Lin Qingfeng paused, his gaze like a torch. "Junior Sister, forgive my bluntness, but your innate talent, when compared to all the sects in the world, can only be considered... the worst of the worst. Without a fortuitous encounter, even if you cultivate diligently your entire life, your limit would be Qi Refining Perfection. Foundation Establishment... would be harder than ascending to the heavens."
Although these words were the truth, hearing them from the mouth of this demon still caused Su Ling'er a sharp pang of pain.
"'The Celestial Dao rewards the diligent' is nothing but an empty phrase to comfort the weak."
"If diligence were useful, why are Cultivators with an Innate Dao Body born standing at the finish line we spend our lives striving for?"
"If arduous cultivation were effective, why can a single superior Cultivation Technique equal a hundred years of another's hard work?"
"We Cultivators struggle against the heavens, against the earth, and against other people. But in the end, we are struggling against our own 'fate'!"
"And the Sword Refining Skill is the path our Guixi Sect has found for all disciples who refuse to be ordinary and refuse to believe in destiny... a path to defy the heavens and change one's fate!"
Su Ling'er's heart sank deeper and deeper with her Senior Brother's words.
She didn't dare refute him in the slightest. She had just barely managed to smooth over the matter of "leaving the sect," and she wasn't about to make any rash moves that might put her in danger again.
"Senior Brother's teachings are correct... It's just that, this method is too shocking and unconventional. Ling'er's Dao heart is shallow, and for the moment... I haven't been able to fully comprehend its true meaning. I still need more time to contemplate it quietly."
"Sigh, it's only human."
Lin Qingfeng nodded, as if he had already anticipated her reaction.
'Ideological work has to be done slowly,' he thought. 'I have to let her see with her own eyes just how vast the difference is between the Sword Refining Skill and ordinary Body Refining. That should make her give up any other ideas!'
He quickly decided on his next strategy. "Very well. Since you have these doubts, Junior Sister, empty talk about the Great Dao is useless. Come with me. I'll take you somewhere to have a look."
Without another word, Lin Qingfeng turned and led the way.
Although Su Ling'er was apprehensive, she could only brace herself and follow.
As they walked further away from the Artifact Refining Pavilion, the scorching heat in the air gradually dissipated, and the clamor of voices and hammering slowly faded.
Before long, a stone hall appeared before them.
A plaque hung above the hall, reading "Body Refining Hall."
Unlike the fiery and bustling Artifact Refining Pavilion, this place seemed somewhat deserted. Only a few dozen disciples were scattered throughout the massive hall. There were no soaring furnace fires, no earth-shaking roars, only heavy panting and the dull thuds of fists and feet making impact.
Su Ling'er's gaze swept across the hall.
Someone was lifting a huge stone lock. It rose three inches from the ground before crashing back down with a THUD.
A disciple was punching a wooden training dummy over and over, sending splinters flying.
Another disciple, clad in heavy black armor, was struggling to walk within the confines of a Gravity Array.
This scene finally made Su Ling'er feel a sense of normalcy.
Except for... the few senior brothers playing tug-of-war and even Go inside the Gravity Array, who were a bit strange, most of the people here weren't particularly odd. At least they were down-to-earth, honing themselves with sweat and perseverance.
'This is the true path of cultivation!'
'One step at a time, tempering not just the body, but more importantly, the Dao heart!'
Seeing such an ordinary scene, Su Ling'er actually felt a strange sense of peace in this demonic den.
"Junior Sister, do you see?" Lin Qingfeng's voice sounded in her ear, seemingly heartbroken and indignant.
"See what?"
Su Ling'er was taken aback. 'Isn't this perfectly normal? What are you up to now, Senior Brother?'
Lin Qingfeng pointed at the disciples in the hall who were sweating profusely and said:
"This is the traditional method of Body Refining. It's dull, tedious, and so inefficient! Barely anyone is willing to come here to cultivate. They would rather go forge iron in the Artifact Refining Pavilion or temper their bodies on the Asking Dao Ladder than come here."
"A year of their nonstop training, day and night, probably can't compare to one hour of Shi Gandang being hammered by his fellow disciples on a Forging Platform."
'Wait, the Asking Dao Ladder?'
Su Ling'er felt like she had just heard something incredible.
Was it because she had heard the name of the kind of Asking Dao Ladder that only existed in major Cultivation sects or some ancient mystic realm?
She had never even seen an Asking Dao Ladder; she had only ever heard of them in picture books or from the mouths of Storytellers. And Senior Brother was saying they had one here?
'For real?'
'This... this...'
The mention of such a legendary structure truly stirred the young junior sister's heart, but before she could think on it further, her thoughts were interrupted by her Senior Brother's next words.
"Of course, their aptitude is acceptable. Unlike yours."
"Junior Sister... don't blame me for being harsh. Your aptitude is not outstanding. I'm already putting it mildly. I hope you understand what I mean."
"If you walk this path, I'm afraid you will never achieve anything in this life. You will end up fading into the crowd, reduced to a pile of yellow earth."
"But the Sword Refining Skill is different!"
Lin Qingfeng's voice suddenly rose, carrying an intense, bewitching power.
"It is a heaven-defying path forged for us common folk! It is a tyrannical method that dares to command the sun and moon to trade places!"
"Though it is painful and risky, it can allow you to be reborn in the shortest possible time! It is not constrained by the quality of one's Spirit Root; it relies mainly on the will of the person being forged!"
"It is your future!"
"And although you have a Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root, your Metal Spirit Root can make your body even more resilient after cultivating the Sword Refining Skill. Your other Spirit Roots might even be able to forge a new path for this technique."
"I truly feel that this is... the most suitable path for you!"
'The main attribute for advancing in the Sword Refining Skill is the player's Will stat. For a native of this world, it should be the same.'
"It is a method of forging a 'person' into... a Magical Artifact! For example, a Cultivator treats themselves as if they were a sword."
"If the Sword Refining Skill is cultivated to its ultimate stage, one can become an Immortal Sword! One could even transform their body into a sword!"
"Even if you cannot achieve the fame of a Sword Immortal, you can still become a peerless Immortal Sword!"
At this, Lin Qingfeng turned, his gaze burning as he looked at her, and broke into a brilliant smile:
"And as it so happens!"
"I am a Sword Cultivator!"