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Elder Huomei smiled in satisfaction upon hearing that.
"Fufu—I see there's someone quick-witted in this class." Elder Huomei's figure gradually reappeared in the students' vision. "Just as Student Xuanling said—cultivators' spells resemble constellations, while meridians are like stars."
"The same applies to all techniques cultivators employ." Elder Huomei gestured gently, connecting several floating points in the air with her finger. "This is humanity's talent: imitating the Dao's secrets through a language closely aligned with the heavens—constellations."
Her fingers formed a strange, seemingly meaningless shape in the air—but upon completion, a small fireball emerged from nothingness.
"In truth, what I teach today stems from my own understanding, refined over decades. I may be mistaken. So rather than treating this as absolute truth, consider it a reference to form your own insights."
Elder Huomei smiled mischievously after speaking.
"But since this is my class—for now, we'll treat this as truth."
The students chuckled softly, gazing at Qing Huomei with admiration. The notion that spells originated from constellations felt both surreal and plausible. Though young, each was a prodigy in their own right. Having learned dozens of techniques, they now recognized how cultivators methods seemed to trace shapes within the body.
Of course, those "shapes" were merely fragmented, senseless lines. The only reason they believed that cultivation techniques traced shapes within their bodies was because of Elder Huomei's words.
In truth, none yet possessed the capacity to craft anything resembling a constellation through their meridians.
Elder Huomei, however, was genuinely perplexed. She couldn't fathom how Qing Xuanling had arrived at "constellations." Though she'd provided a starry-night-like visual cue, it shouldn't have sufficed for such a leap.
She sighed inwardly and continued the lesson.
Qing Xuanling's state of absolute concentration dissipated shortly afterwards. She took a deep breath, sweat trickling down her back—her mind overheated from intense thought.
Secretly, she thrilled at her discovery. It stemmed from her deep familiarity with the Iron Cutting Sword technique—the sole battle art she'd wielded for over a year and a half.
She had grasped that basic technique so well that when she learned the technique of the Wandering sword, she felt as though she was now learning the complete picture of something.
That connection between two techniques that were completely different in degree and essence gave her the inspiration to arrive at the conclusion of the constellations, along with the starry sky created by Elder Huomei.
That feeling of seeing something "complete" was not a coincidence—it arose from converging factors.
First, the Iron-Cutting Sword was among the world's most fundamental sword techniques. Nearly all sword arts shared faint similarities with it. Usually, these similarities were negligible.
But beneath exceptional talent, the insignificant becomes transcendent.
Thanks to her unparalleled sword affinity, Qing Xuanling sensed those faint echoes between techniques. Under absolute focus and Qing Huomei's subtle cues, that familiarity ignited.
Fueled primarily by Qing Xuanling's monstrous comprehension, she reached a conclusion far beyond her cultivation level—a breakthrough whose benefits she'd uncover much later.
Qing Huomei's lesson continued, simply explaining spell progression across grades and how each would manifest within the artificial night sky she'd conjured.
Nearly all—perhaps all—spells she displayed in the false sky held not even a hint of form: chaotic, meaningless lines. Only a few examples she offered hinted at structure.
Still, the class proved deeply illuminating—especially the second half, where Qing Huomei taught practical tricks to refine spell control.
But in Qing Xuanling's opinion, the best part of the class was that Qing Huomei was going to teach them five different spells.
"The university exists primarily to strengthen you. Naturally, each class offers unique advantages." Qing Huomei smiled, producing five stacks of books. "My class's advantage? It's imple, learning five elemental spells."
"Some may complain their attack methods don't rely on the Five Elements. YHowever, until I learn the strengths of each of you, elemental spells remain the optimal foundation. Moreover—these spells are quite powerful."
Qing Huomei's smile deepened at the last remark. Privately, she doubted any brat would complain about the spells' strength.
"The first spell you may learn is Fire Eagle, Yellow-rank high-grade… The second is Piercing Mist, Yellow-rank high-grade… The third is Sharp Vines, Yellow-rank high-grade…"
Her voice remained soft and calm while explaining each spell's function, rank, and grade. Most importantly—she demonstrated them. As each spell manifested, every student's eyes lit with awe.
She smiled upon finishing and dismissed the class.
"Take whichever spell suits you. Next class, I'll evaluate your progress and personally guide you through difficulties. Study well—we'll only learn these spells for three more weeks. The fourth week brings the monthly evaluation; afterward, I'll teach another spell."
Everyone's eyes sharpened at this. Students rose, grabbed their books, and filed out.
But Qing Xuanling remained seated long after the room emptied.
Qing Huomei regarded her curiously. "Why not take the spell that interests you, Little Nine?"
Qing Xuanling's lips tightened. "So it's true—all the elders call me that…?"
Qing Huomei's eyes flickered with momentary perplexity before she laughed. "Is that your concern? I thought that the little head that came to the conclusion about constellations and meridians would have bigger worries."
Qing Xuanling smiled wryly. "To me, it is a big concern… Sigh. But yes—I do have something else on my mind."
Qing Huomei watched her with genuine curiosity. She truly wondered what troubled such a sharp young mind.
Noticing the elder's interest, Qing Xuanling felt secretly proud. "Actually—I was thinking: if meridians are like constellations, wouldn't keeping a stellar map or record be useful? The problem is… I doubt I own paper large enough to make one…"
Qing Huomei was mildly surprised—but not shocked. She simply smiled and shook her head.
"An interesting idea—but not unique. Though the constellation concept is my personal understanding, it's actually a popular school of thought among cultivators. We simply don't discuss it with those who haven't reached the conclusion themselves. An unwritten rule to monopolize knowledge."
"Thus, mapping minor meridians within the body has been attempted repeatedly—but never completed." Qing Huomei smiled mysteriously. "Can you guess why~?"
Qing Xuanling pondered a moment before answering hesitantly. "…Because everyone's minor meridians lie in different places?"
"Bingo!" Qing Huomei's gaze softened toward Qing Xuanling. "Though knowing a minor meridian's name and approximate location suffices to practice a technique—thanks to our spiritual roots guiding us unconsciously toward them when sought—the same doesn't apply to meridian maps."
"Although useful, a meridian map only slightly speeds up the process of finding meridians that we have already found. Great powers won't support such a project. Nor is it truly useful. We need only be aware of unknown meridians for our roots to guide us—so why map them?"
"Above all, those who have tried have not gained any benefit from creating something like this."
Though spoken gently, Qing Huomei's words shattered Qing Xuanling's fanciful dreams of becoming the first to unveil humanity's constellation secret…
Qing Xuanling forced a smile. "I-I see… It's more useless than I thought."
She couldn't help but laugh. Her so-called millennium-defining idea wasn't so original after all. Yet her stubborn streak flared.
"But I'll keep doing it." Qing Xuanling smiled—this time sincerely. "Mapping my body's meridians sounds fascinating. Though where to do it… that's the problem."
Qing Huomei's eyelid twitched. 'Brat—didn't I just say this is utterly useless?!'
She nearly yanked Qing Xuanling's ears—but recalling the Young Master's advice to let the younger generation develop freely, she merely sighed.
She watched Qing Xuanling's excited planning, her earnest eyes tugging at Qing Huomei's heart like a kitten clawing to climb into her lap… Finally, Qing Huomei closed her eyes and retrieved something from her spatial ring.
A small box with a crystal eye at its center.
She tossed it to Qing Xuanling, who caught it with wide eyes.
"It's an artifact I found in a ruin decades ago. Not very useful—so I never used it, despite its uniqueness." Qing Huomei sighed while standing. "Little Yeng called it a kind of interactive slate or something. I think it's more like an infinite sketchbook. Might help with your… unusual idea."
Qing Xuanling's eyes sparkled brighter than ever. She immediately rose and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Elder Huomei! I'll remember this forever!"
Qing Huomei laughed sweetly. "Call me older Sister when we're alone. Sister Wangu will tease me endlessly if you call me 'Elder' but her 'Sister'."
"Of course, older Sister!" Qing Xuanling smiled genuinely. "Oh—and may I take more than one spell, older Sister? As you know, my spiritual roots aren't ideal… I'd like to see which spell suits me best."
Qing Huomei's heart melted at Qing Xuanling's sincere smile. She waved dismissively. "Do I look that strict? Take all five! You can learn them gradually later—just master one well enough for next week!"
"Jaja—of course, older Sister! I won't disappoint you!" Qing Xuanling happily snatched all five books and stored them. "I'm off now, Elder Sister! The others are waiting outside—we planned to chat afterward!"
"It's good you get along with those brats. They'll surely become your most reliable companions. Enjoy~" Qing Huomei vanished after speaking.
Qing Xuanling gazed at the empty space and smiled. Warmth filled her heart. She sensed that though older Sister didn't fully endorse her actions, she permitted them out of care.
Qing Xuanling clenched her fists, vowing to prove she wasn't wrong.
But first, she would spend a pleasant time with her teammates.
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Qing Xuanling returned to her room with Qing Wentian. He'd left slightly earlier that morning, so they hadn't walked to the university together.
They parted ways and entered her room.
Surprisingly, Qing Xuanling's room was tidy.
She was momentarily bewildered—then smiled faintly.
"Ahhh… it's so lonely without Xuan Dan making a mess!" She shook her head, sat on her bed, and placed the box Elder Sister Huomei had given her beside her. "Time to get to work while I'm alone…"
Qing Xuanling took a deep breath and infused Qi into the box. A beam of light shot from the crystal eye, transforming into a table-sized screen floating before her.
Her eyes lit up at the pitch-black display. She extended a finger and touched it—a bright dot appeared where she pressed. Qing Xuanling's lips curved upward, as if discovering a new toy.
She quickly experimented with the box. Within ten minutes, she'd uncovered all its functions—only two, really. (Nine of those minutes were spent fruitlessly hunting for a third…)
Since she failed, Qing Xuanling settled for the two she found: writing on the black screen, and resizing it to view details up close or step back.
"This is exactly what I needed!"
Qing Xuanling grinned happily and began sketching a human figure on the black screen—making it as large as possible. Once the body was drawn, she divided it into six sections: head, torso, and the four limbs.
"Head will be Zone A, torso Zone B, right arm Zone C…" Qing Xuanling noted details in a leather-bound journal she'd acquired earlier. "Alright—with this ready, I can begin…"
She closed her eyes and circulated the Iron Cutting Sword technique—but stopped short when Qi reached the first minor meridian. She sat silently for a long time, deeply sensing her interior.
A minute later, she opened her eyes and created a bright dot on the torso zone of the black screen. Simultaneously, she wrote in her notebook:
"Meridian B1—first meridian of the Iron Cutting Sword technique…" She murmured while writing, noting the meridian seemed to have a certain inclination towards the metal element.
After recording everything, she resumed the technique—halting upon reaching the second meridian used…
The process repeated until Qing Xuanling had logged every meridian in the Iron Cutting Sword technique.
She smiled in satisfaction at the human figure on the screen—dozens of bright dots scattered across one section. They occupied less than 1% of the figure's space, yet Qing Xuanling felt deeply content with her progress.
"Juju—I can't keep calling you 'black screen'…" Qing Xuanling gazed at the crystal-eyed box projecting the display and smiled. "From now on—you'll be called Stellar Map!"
She beamed at the newly begun Stellar Map. Though seemingly useless now, Qing Xuanling trusted she'd one day reap its rewards.