The inner disciples of Tianyan Sword Sect all carry spirit swords forged from cold iron. Shen Qingci alone has spent years holding a section of old wooden sword.
She is slow to learn her letters and slower to learn etiquette. At three hundred and twenty, she is still stuck in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Her master, Perfected Xuanwei, never scolds her. He simply makes her practice the first stance three hundred times more in the wind and snow, three thousand zhang up Tianxuan Peak.
She thought her whole life would be spent guarding the mountain gate and perfecting her swordsmanship.
Until the year of the Nine Sects' spring trials, when Su Wanqiu, the Beast Taming Sect's widely admired chief disciple, stopped before her, covered in snow and accompanied by a white fox.
When others saw her wooden sword, they either advised her to replace it with fine steel or mocked her stubbornness.
Only Su Wanqiu bent down to pick up the sword from the muddy snow. She wiped it clean with her moon-white shawl, then returned it to Shen Qingci with both hands, gently praising how well-worn its hilt was.
Shen Qingci had a poor memory, but she remembered those words for twelve years.
Later, as twilight settled over Plum Blossom Cliff, Su Wanqiu turned back with a smile and asked, "Qingci, are you asking whether the Beast Taming Sect's steward is coming, or whether I'm coming?"
Shen Qingci stood on the stone steps, her gaze unwavering. "I'm asking about you."
That night, snow fell on Tianxuan Peak. For the first time, a line of ink unrelated to swordsmanship appeared in the daily practice journal where, since she was seven, she had recorded only mistakes in her sword forms.
And later still: the snowbound Taihua Sword Pass, the starry sky filled with spirits crossing the realm, the ten thousand li of cloud roads after she left the mountain gate...
The cup of tea left beneath the stone table had, without her noticing, steeped from the winters of Tianxuan Peak into the mountains and seas of the Nine Provinces across a thousand years.
[Reading Guide]
Slow-burn traditional cultivation | Cool-headed, stubborn slow-sword cultivator x gentle, composed prodigy chief disciple | Two strong leads, ensemble cast, 1v1, happy ending
Theme: While the world seeks speed and victory, staying true to one's heart and never wavering can lead you to the mountains and seas, even at a slow pace.
