Having returned from the Skill Pavilion, Bai Zhen did not go to his quarters; rather, he walked past his door, through the grand hall, and made his way to the training halls.
The last time he was here, he had seen Bai Xueyi for the first time and watched her strike down her opponent in a single blow.
The hall now appeared even more grand than Bai Zhen remembered. Because it was relatively empty, as most were sleeping at this hour, Bai Zhen did not need long to familiarize himself with it, as such was not his nature. He was, after all, very observant, able to make note of such things in an instant.
Bai Zhen walked to the middle of the training hall, to the very spot he had seen Bai Xueyi stand. He swiftly took out the Drift Step manual from his sleeve and went through it once more.
Let's try it out, Bai Zhen murmured to himself as he straightened his back. He channeled qi into the bottoms of his feet.
"I feel lighter." The feeling was instant.
Bai Zhen did not waste time trying out the first step of the manual. Misty Leap! He steadied one foot ahead of the other, concentrating the qi in the sole of his foot. He pushed off with the one behind.
The result was explosive. "THIS!!" Bai Zhen was in the air for just a breath before landing five feet from where he stood. Yet, he had only covered half the distance described in the manual. Upon landing, one thing to him was far more obvious than any other: "My leg is cramped!" And just like that, Bai Zhen realized his comprehension of the manual didn't matter if his body could not handle the explosiveness of his own qi.
For the entire night, Bai Zhen proceeded to practice Drift Step.
The next day, Bai Zhen did not rest; rather, after finishing his duties, he took on an herb-gathering task from the Merit Hall. But today, Bai Zhen's purpose was not merely to gather Mist Dew Grass. No, now Bai Zhen wanted the real moneymaker.
Having made his way to the hills outside the city, he quickly finished gathering the herbs and started to look for what he truly wanted: a Mist Boar. This time, his goal was not only to hunt a Mist Boar, but also to observe the difference in his own strength after his breakthrough. Especially now, having comprehended the first part of Drift Step, Bai Zhen was more confident of his own strength than ever before.
After pondering around for a while, Bai Zhen's eyes finally landed on a lone Mist Boar feeding on some Mist Dew Grass. Bai Zhen did not approach the boar hastily, but instead used one of the moves from Drift Step to blend through the grass and get close while remaining undetected.
It's close enough. Bai Zhen made a leap with sword in hand. The boar flinched at the attack and moved to dodge, but Bai Zhen managed to get a deep strike on its back.
The boar, seething from the pain and now bleeding from its back, did not run and instead charged in a swift attack, making use of its superior speed to aim at Bai Zhen's legs.
"Huh! This again? Not this time." Bai Zhen had done well to remember the previous encounter and was not startled by this.
Bai Zhen stood still until the boar was about a foot away and then… jumped. The boar crossed beneath him, and before it could turn around, Bai Zhen, still in the air, whirled around and, with most of his qi channeled into his arm, decapitated the beast in a single precise strike.
Panting over the body of the boar, Bai Zhen stood shaking due to the exertion of his qi. ..... I didn't get hurt this time. The only thing that mattered to him at that instant was that he did not get hurt.
Bai Zhen instantly lay down in the grass, panting and exhausted.
"If I had gotten hurt, it would have rendered me out of commission for at least a few days."
It was obvious that with his new cultivation and his own so-called sword art, combined with Drift Step, defeating a Mist Boar was no longer difficult. But there was one problem: Bai Zhen's so-called sword art depleted his qi instantly, meaning every time he used it, he was left powerless afterward. Right now, if he were to get attacked, he would not be able to defend himself—a true nightmare.
...
...
...
Having rested for about an hour, Bai Zhen had now regained enough strength to make his way back.
Bai Zhen took the boar's body and the herbs and made his way back to the city. Before going to the mansion, he sold the boar remains right away, getting two spirit stones for them. He then went to the Merit Hall to submit the herbs and made his way straight back to his quarters.
He did not rest; rather, cross-legged on his bed, he proceeded to cultivate with the spirit stones he had earned right away.
For the next month and a half, Bai Zhen continued the same routine: cultivating at night, practicing Drift Step, doing his clan duties, and taking a task from the Merit Hall—gathering herbs and hunting Mist Boars. Even though he now earned about two spirit stones a day, he did not, or rather could not, consume them completely, as that would overwhelm his meridians and could cause irreversible damage. Most importantly, it would lead to a weak and unstable foundation—something Bai Zhen was too intelligent to do. He only consumed a single stone a day. But despite the hefty supply, the progress wasn't something to speak of, as at his stage he only had a four spirit root—something that was starting to frustrate Bai Zhen more than he'd like to admit.
Although, due to hunting Mist Boars daily, his mastery over Drift Step had greatly increased, and his own sword art had become far more efficient, now only consuming half his qi.
During this time period, Bai Zhen had also taken an interest in talismans, something that could aid him in combat situations greatly. But far more importantly, tomorrow was the day for the Azure Ocean Sect trial to happen. All four sects would nominate about three candidates each. In the case of the Bai Clan, Bai Xueyi was the only hope for this trial. Despite her great talent, she was the youngest of the contestants taking part in the trial and had the lowest cultivation.
Bai Zhen did plan on attending it; after all, he wouldn't have many opportunities to witness such a display of power anytime soon.
The next day, Bai Zhen left early in the morning for the grand arena set up for the trial on the western part of the city.
While walking through the city, Bai Zhen couldn't help but notice the change in the atmosphere. It was as if the whole city was holding its breath—and that was to be expected. After all, this trial wouldn't just decide who joined the Azure Ocean Sect, but would also change the dynamics in Azure Mist City greatly.
Having walked for about half an hour, Bai Zhen finally arrived outside the golden entrance of the grand arena set up for the trial.
Stepping inside, Bai Zhen could not help but be mesmerized by the grand scale of the arena, adorned with golden statues of mist dragons. The arena could accommodate nine thousand individuals, but the most impressive part was the platform in the center—massive and surrounded with protective arrays. Bai Zhen, like the other Qi Refining members of the four families, took a seat at the back.