"Next is the Array Drawing." Cheng Sheng said after Lei Qing successfully woke up her sword spirit.
"Cheng-shidi. We didn't see you draw the array?" Lei Qing asked. Feng Mo was pushed down the ground by the soil hands.
"Array Drawing is like Spell Casting." Cheng Sheng patiently said. "The array can be drawn outright – Explicit, or can be drawn inside the mind – Imagining." He said. "The difference between Array Drawing and Spell Casting is that spells are formed using words, while array is formed using figures." He explained. Then, the arrow poking out of the small array on the tree shot towards Lei Qing.
Lei Qing was shocked. However, the arrow turned and hit her shoulder. What expected of pain, Lei Qing didn't feel. Instead, the arrow disappeared on her shoulder. "W-where did it go?" Lei Qing asked as she checked her shoulder, looking for the arrow.
"I returned it to the Training Hall." Cheng Sheng answered.
The two sharply turned to Cheng Sheng. Training Hall?! Isn't it on the east mountain?! Isn't it too far ne? "Cheng-shidi is too powerful!" Lei Qing whispered to Feng Mo. Feng Mo immediately agreed.
Cheng Sheng acted like he didn't hear them. "Of course, the difference between Voiced Spell Casting and Silent Spell Casting is the power they consume. That goes the same way as in Array Drawing." He explained. "Do you have any questions?" he asked. The two shook their head. "Actually, potions and magic pills can be used as an offense, too." He said and took out a magic pill and a potion bottle. "Do you want to try?" he asked. The two shook their head. He sighed. "I'll enlighten shimei tomorrow." he muttered and kept the bottle and the magic pill. "Now – " he looked at them. " – please attack me using the alchemic methods, Feng-shixiong, shijie." He told them and smiled.
Looking at that seemingly harmless smile, Lei Qing and Feng Mo suddenly wish for Fan Wen to go back.
East Mountain.
Fei Yin looked at Li Tian, Lei Ling and You Rou sprawled on the ground, badly beaten. He just finished testing their strength in blocking a sword. He increased his strength as time passed by. Now, the three felt their whole body became numb. Fei Yin not only tested their arms' strength, but also their shoulder, waist, knees and legs. He also tested their footwork. His reason – to test their reaction to sneak attacks, and also running in case they can't block the attack. After Fei Yin laid to them the foundation of blocking an attack, the four of them played tag around the mountain. The unlucky one who will be caught by Fei Yin – the short-legged Lei Ling, miserably cries. In order to fix this flaw of Lei Ling, Fei Yin made Lei Ling run on the mountaintops, then finally taught him the light feet skill. Fan Wen already taught all the disciples of this skill, but Lei Ling never trained himself of it. He was also inside his residence making talismans every day. One can only say he reaped what he sown.
Fei Yin turned to the south. "Lei-shidi." He suddenly called. Lei Ling got a fright and he almost buried himself on the ground like a mole. "You are forbidden to use your sword to fly back to the north mountain." He told him.
"Da shixiong, you mean – "
"This is all for today. Tomorrow, you have Cheng-shidi to teach you." Fei Yin told them and flew on his sword, going to the direction of south.
Black lines covered the three's face. What 'this is all for today'? Aren't you just missing the one who'll be teaching us tomorrow? They thought. However, they didn't voice it out. "Wuwuwuwu… it's already dark... QAQ" Lei Ling cried. Who knows when will he reach the north mountain with his pace?
Li Tian smiled and patted Lei Ling's shoulder. "I'll accompany you." He told Lei Ling.
"Li-shixiong! You're too kind!" Lei Ling cried, almost hugging Li Tian's leg.
Li Tian just laughed. "I am the second shixiong. I just can't lag behind Feng-shidi and Cheng-shidi?" he said.
"I'll also accompany you!" You Rou suddenly said and rose her hand. Her clothes are filled with dirt, and her arms and face has mud. "I need to strengthen my body to receive an attack from an enemy!" she said.
Li Tian looked at her with a gratified expression. "Then, while Lei-shidi runs, shimei and I will be running with Lei-shidi." He said. "You two should be alert since I will attack you!" he told them.
"Yes, shixiong!" they answered.
"Good." Li Tian said. "Shimei. You can use a Rejuvenating Pill tomorrow. I'll ask Cheng-shidi for you." He told her. Among them seven, she's the weakest.
"Let's go!" Li Tian said and started to run. Lei Ling and You Rou followed behind him like his tail. "Keep up with my pace!" Li Tian told them.
"Yes!" the two nodded and ran faster.
Fei Yin watched them ran down the mountain. His face is expressionless, yet he didn't say anything. He already expected Li Tian to do this – kind as he is. Then, he flew to the south.
South Mountain.
"Ch-Cheng-shidi… no more!" Feng Mo panted as he fell on his hands and knees. Lei Qing was floating on the stream, life and death unknown.
"Water, transform." Cheng Sheng raised his finger and the water in the stream rose, bringing Lei Qing to the ground.
"Did shijie die?!" Feng Mo exclaimed.
"No. She exhausted herself to the point she has no energy to speak." Cheng Sheng said and looked at Lei Qing who stiffened. He took out a Cleaning Talisman and the Cleaning Talisman dried Lei Qing's clothes. "Earth, transform." He said.
Feng Mo cried without tears when the ground beneath him sank and turned to a quagmire. "Shidi! It's a different spell you casted earlier!" he told Cheng Sheng.
"Words are boundless." Cheng Sheng just said as Feng Mo slowly sank in the quagmire.
Fei Yin expressionlessly watched Cheng Sheng bully his senior disciples. "Shidi." He called as he descended on the ground while his sword flew to pick up Feng Mo from the quagmire.
Cheng Sheng heard Fei Yin's voice. He turned. "Da shixiong!" he called. "You're just in time. I'm hungry!" he said.
Fei Yin, Cheng Sheng's walking canteen, walked towards Cheng Sheng and nodded. "Mn." He said and took out his qiankun pouch. The aroma of food assailed Lei Qing and Feng Mo's nose. Their stomach grumbled. However, they cannot complain they are hungry and ask for food since it's already a common sense in their sect Fei Yin's food is only for Cheng Sheng. Cheng Sheng is a pet Fei Yin feeds.
Cheng Sheng received Fei Yin's food and immediately ate it. Fei Yin saw the leaking qi from Cheng Sheng's body, but they don't leave him far. They just floated around him in stagnant motion.
Having eaten his fill, Cheng Sheng threw a Cleaning Talisman towards Feng Mo. "Alright. This is all for today. Tomorrow, da shixiong will teach you." He told Lei Qing and Feng Mo.
Lei Qing and Feng Mo almost cried in joy. Compared to the serious and strict Fei Yin, even if Cheng Sheng looked so carefree, they'd rather train under Fei Yin's hands than be bullied by Cheng Sheng. "Great!" they exclaimed.
"Let's go back. Dinner will be served in an hour." Fei Yin said. He calculated, the other three – Li Tian, You Rou and Feng Mo, would be returning in one hour – just in time for dinner.
"Food!" Cheng Sheng exclaimed and tapped his foot on the ground. With a bunch of foods in his hands, he waved at them. "See you in the dining hall!" he told them and he disappeared along with the array on his feet.
Lei Qing and Feng Mo, who were exhausted, gaped. Fei Yin's face is dark. He went here to fetch Cheng Sheng, yet the other avoided him. Lei Qing and Feng Mo didn't dare speak lest it'll poke their da shixiong's sore spot.
Suddenly, they saw a Voice Transmitting Talisman flew towards them. "Right." It was Cheng Sheng's voice. They heard their fellow disciples' voice. Cheng Sheng has reached the north mountain in just a second using the teleportation array. "Earlier, I installed teleportation arrays all over Xinfaxian. It doesn't need qi to be activated. If one willed, then it can take them anywhere in Xinfaxian." He explained. "You can try looking for our sect's crest and touch it. It's the teleportation array." He said, then chuckled. His voice also disappeared and the Voice Transmitting Talisman burned.
Li Tian, You Rou and Lei Ling who just reached the foot of the east mountain heard what Cheng Sheng said and they were filled with joy. The five exhausted disciples immediately searched all over the mountain while the sixth disciple flew to the north mountain, brokenhearted.