Peering through the weave of her hood, Sun Chu took aim at her target and squeezed the trigger of her crossbow, planting a bolt straight into the hind leg of a Liao horse.
The Liao horse reared up, but its wounded leg gave way beneath it, and it crashed heavily to the ground.
Sun Chu immediately charged out from the earthen mound where she had concealed herself, cutting down the dismounted Liao soldier with several swift slashes of her blade. Wiping the blood and mud from her face, she glanced around to see the main Liao cavalry force in full retreat, while cheers erupted across the battle line.
Before she could even catch her breath from the brutal clash, her captain approached, looked her up and down, and asked, "Any wounds?"
"None!"
"Good, you're in luck! Go pack your gear right now and head for Qingming. If you manage to scrounge up a Dao Foundation there, you'll be on equal footing with me once you return."
Even after boarding the flying boat and gazing upon the five thousand comrades traveling alongside her, Sun Chu remained in a daze.
She had only ever been an ordinary Dao soldier of the Palace of Grand Beginning. After years of slaughter on the battlefield, she had finally achieved Body Casting perfection, yet she had never dared dream of reaching the Dao Foundation realm. Years ago, high-ranking cultivators from the Palace of Grand Beginning had examined her innate talent and karmic luck, firmly concluding that she had no hope of a Dao Foundation in this lifetime.
However, she had a father, older brother, and a whole household of relatives to support. As the most gifted among her kin, she had chosen to become a Dao soldier and marched onto the battlefield.
Fighting for the Palace of Grand Beginning not only sustained her entire family, young and old, but could also secure a path of opportunity for future generations. If she were to fall in battle, the death benefit was generous enough that her family would never have to worry about their livelihood again.
Several days later, the flying boat arrived at Qingming. Sun Chu disembarked along with the throng of Dao soldiers and was immediately led straight down into a mine shaft to "temper her Dao heart."
Even as someone shoved tools into her hands, Sun Chu was still somewhat baffled. She could not comprehend how digging in a mine was supposed to temper one's Dao heart, but years of military campaigns had instilled in her an instinct for absolute obedience. She took the tools and threw herself into mining.
As she worked, she began to notice that this mine was different from others.
The shafts here were exceptionally wide, the support structures built with meticulous care, and Dao Foundation cultivators constantly patrolled the tunnels, carefully noting down everything. Once, a Dao Foundation cultivator stood behind Sun Chu for nearly half a shichen, writing nonstop. Sun Chu even suspected he was recording how high she swung her pickaxe and the exact path of each strike.
There was no sun or moon underground. After toiling continuously for five or six shichens, she was exhausted to the point where her thoughts grew sluggish. Just then, a bell rang, and another shift arrived underground to relieve Sun Chu and her fellow Dao soldiers.
During the handover, Sun Chu noticed that these newcomers were dressed in lavish garments, a few of them wearing robes so extravagant that their cost was beyond her wildest imagination. They were clearly either wealthy or noble, perhaps even scions of prominent aristocratic clans.
Why were they coming down into the mine to dig too? Could this shaft truly possess some miraculous property, where prolonged mining could elevate one's state of mind?
Returning to the surface, she found the sky faintly lit—it was already early morning.
The Dao soldiers were guided to the mess hall, where meals had long been prepared. After breakfast, cultivators led Sun Chu and the others to the adjacent barracks to rest. Every day, they were granted a full shichen to sleep.
Inside the barracks were communal platforms arranged in three bunk tiers, with no separation between men and women. Before entering, cultivators cast Cleansing Spells on them before permitting them inside to rest. None of the Dao soldiers complained; they simply lay down in their clothes. Conditions on the battlefield were far harsher than this.
At Qingming, the barracks were at least rich in spiritual energy, and the food consisted entirely of spirit rice and spirit vegetables. Back at the northern mountain gate, they could only enjoy spiritual food once every three to five days, so no one had any cause for complaint.
Utterly exhausted, Sun Chu fell asleep the moment her head hit the bed.
No sooner had she drifted off than she suddenly found herself standing upright, in an entirely different world.
A cultivator approached holding a roster and asked, "Dao soldier Sun Chu?"
"Present."
"Good. Follow me."
Sun Chu was soon brought to a grand hall filled with hundreds of desks and chairs, many of which were already occupied. Everyone was engrossed in their own tasks, and the vast hall was dead silent.
The cultivator led Sun Chu to an empty seat, told her to sit, and set a stack of jade paper in front of her, instructing her to transcribe records.
The materials handed out spanned all sorts of subjects—part history texts, part herbal compendiums, alchemy manuals, property records of materials, and more. Though she understood none of it, for some reason she could not help but ponder the words as she copied them, making the transcription exceptionally draining on her mind.
A full shichen passed, and she had transcribed less than half. Then, with the chime of a bell, she woke up.
Sun Chu opened her eyes to find herself lying in the barracks. Yet what had just transpired in her dream was so vivid, it felt nothing like a dream at all. Spending her entire rest period copying texts left her mentally drained, but her physical body had indeed received enough sleep, restoring her stamina to its peak.
The other Dao soldiers were in much the same state, each brimming with physical vitality while appearing mentally haggard.
After rising, the Dao soldiers descended into the mine once more, digging for another six full shichens until completely worn out. Then came their meal and returning to their quarters to rest. Drained in both body and mind, Sun Chu fell asleep the instant she touched her pillow.
The moment she closed her eyes, she returned to that wondrous world.
Yesterday's cultivator approached with the roster, called on her and several hundred other Dao soldiers, and led them to a stonemason's yard. He then imparted a mental technique and chant. Picking up a stone, he casually rubbed it a few times, shaping it into a guardless flying sword.
"This is your sample. The crafting method and all specifications have been explained to you. Follow the sample precisely. Once you make an acceptable flying sword, place it on the rack over there. Today's session for tempering your character will last one shichen. All right, begin!"
Sun Chu picked up a stone and, following the mental technique, attempted to infuse it with the true intent of the sword before adjusting its shape. The resulting flying sword turned out crooked. She modified it repeatedly until, after the time an incense stick takes to burn, she finally produced her first acceptable flying sword. Her fellow Dao soldiers made similar progress.
At that point, the cultivator ushered in another group, among whom Sun Chu recognized several who looked like the aristocratic scions who mined alongside them. They were similarly taught how to craft flying swords before joining the work.
Sun Chu grew increasingly proficient. By the time the bell chimed, she had finished seven flying swords.
Sun Chu opened her eyes and found herself still lying in bed, yet everything from the dream felt entirely real. Struggling to sit up, she could not suppress a yawn; crafting flying swords in dreams was not the least bit restful.
Qingming cultivators came in to roust everyone, followed by the routine of eating and heading into the mine. Day after day passed in this manner, and before long, a month had slipped by.
Only then were Sun Chu and the others led out of the mine, told to bathe, change their clothes, and prepare to attempt forging their Dao Foundations.
Just like that, they were starting? But she hadn't prepared anything. Sun Chu felt somewhat bewildered.
Upon arriving at the drill grounds, Sun Chu encountered other Dao soldiers who had arrived in the same contingent. In talking with them, she learned that over the past month, they had been tempering their state of mind in the spirit fields, taking in the wonder of all things sprouting and flourishing, while crafting flying swords in that wondrous world whenever they slept.
Once everyone was gathered and the foundation-casting materials were handed out, Sun Chu was stunned to discover that the Dao Foundation she was supposed to forge was the very flying sword she had been crafting every single night!
After familiarizing herself with the instructions, a miraculous power suddenly descended upon her, and Sun Chu actually sensed her own Dao Foundation! Moments later, Ephemeral Multitude subsided, but Sun Chu remained immersed in that wondrous sensation. In that single instant, she had forged six flying swords.
After Ephemeral Multitude was activated twice more in this manner, the foundation-forging officially commenced.
With her experience from the relentless toil of day and night over the past month, Sun Chu had become intimately familiar with this flying sword. In the end, she smoothly forged her Dao Foundation—a set of five flying swords in total.
Having forged their Dao Foundations, it was time to return to the northern mountain gate. Of the five thousand Body Casting cultivators who had arrived, a thousand were now returning as Dao Foundation cultivators.
Although the vast majority had formed only the most common flying swords as their Dao Foundation, after undergoing training in how to wield them, Sun Chu realized that this was a Dao Foundation exceptionally well suited for practical combat, tailor-made for warfare.
The flying boat slowly rose into the sky, bound for the north. Sun Chu stood by the railing, watching the magnificent realm below shrink until it vanished. The past month felt just like a dream.
Yet a doubt lingered deep in her heart, one she dared not voice to anyone. After all, the person overseeing Qingming was the Palace's most brilliant disciple in nearly a century—a peerless genius who had achieved a dharma idol before the age of eighteen. A lowly Dao soldier like her wouldn't dare question him.
Still, the question lingered like a ghost, refusing to leave her mind. She could not help but wonder: Was that month down in the shaft truly spent tempering her state of mind—or was it really just digging in a mine?
Chapter 411