Ling Yue did not release his sleeve immediately after class.
"Come," she said lightly. "We're going somewhere important."
"Where?" Yue Chen asked.
"To save your eyes."
She pulled him toward the eastern courtyard of the Sixth Branch, where a quiet building stood beneath old medicinal trees. The scent of herbs filled the air.
Above the wooden doorway hung a plaque carved with two words:
Spring Spirit Pavilion.
"This is our branch clinic," Ling Yue said proudly. "And inside lives the most annoying fox in the Sixth Branch."
Yue Chen raised a brow slightly.
The door creaked open before they knocked.
An older man with narrow eyes and long sleeves stepped out, holding a wooden tray of herbs.
"Annoying fox?" he repeated lazily. "Young miss, if you insult your physician, next time I might prescribe you poison instead of medicine."
Ling Yue crossed her arms. "Physician Gu, stop pretending to be offended. You only care about payment."
Physician Gu stroked his beard. "Naturally. Even immortals need to eat."
She pointed at Yue Chen. "Check him. Heal his eyes."
Physician Gu circled Yue Chen slowly.
"Blind, weak cultivation, unfamiliar aura…" He squinted. "This one is trouble."
Ling Yue slapped a pouch of spirit stones onto the table.
"Enough for you?"
The physician weighed it in his palm.
"…Continue speaking."
She leaned toward Yue Chen and whispered, "He's greedy, but he's the best. If he asks for anything strange, tell me. I'll handle him."
"I understand," Yue Chen replied.
Ling Yue straightened. "I have training. I'll return later."
Before leaving, she glanced at Yue Chen once more.
Then she left.
The room grew quiet.
Physician Gu guided Yue Chen to sit.
"Remove the bandage."
Yue Chen did so calmly.
The physician leaned closer, channeling a thread of spiritual energy into his eyes.
After several breaths, he leaned back.
"Your vision is nearly restored. Two days at most."
"Thank you," Yue Chen said.
Physician Gu did not respond immediately.
Instead, he studied Yue Chen carefully.
"There is something strange about you."
Yue Chen remained silent.
"Your meridians are shattered. Your spiritual sea is in ruins. By all logic, you should not even be able to circulate qi."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Yet there is something… deeper. A faint power. Dormant."
Yue Chen said nothing.
The physician reached into a cabinet and withdrew a thin jade scroll.
"This is a minor art," he said. "Temporary Meridian Ignition."
He handed it over.
"Though your cultivation is destroyed, there is still residual energy within you. If you learn this method, you can temporarily amplify it."
"And the cost?" Yue Chen asked.
The physician smirked.
"It will hurt."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"If used incorrectly, it will worsen your injuries. Your meridians may collapse further."
"Why give this to me?" Yue Chen asked calmly.
Physician Gu snorted.
"I am not helping you."
He paused.
"I am helping her."
Yue Chen remained silent.
"She stole a precious pill from her father for you," the physician said casually. "First time in her life she dared defy him."
Yue Chen's fingers tightened slightly.
"She said her heart told her to save you," the physician continued. "I don't know who you are. But I know she rarely trusts people."
He turned away.
"She comes here often. Plays chess with me. Brings wine. Laughs loudly. The branch would be dull without her."
He glanced back at Yue Chen.
"If you bring her trouble… I will poison you."
Yue Chen inclined his head slightly.
"I understand."
"Good." Physician Gu waved a hand dismissively. "Now leave before I charge you consultation fees twice."
Yue Chen returned to class quietly.
That afternoon, he attended Body Refinement and Mind Cultivation sessions.
He listened silently.
Observed carefully.
Learned quickly.
That night, inside his dormitory, he unrolled the jade scroll.
Temporary Meridian Ignition.
To others, it was complex.
To him, it was simple.
He closed his eyes.
His spiritual sea was shattered — fragments of former glory floating in darkness.
But deep within, faint embers still burned.
He guided those embers carefully.
The moment he activated the technique—
Pain erupted.
His meridians trembled violently.
Sweat beaded across his forehead.
But his qi surged briefly.
From Qi Gathering First Stage…
To Early Nascent Soul Realm.
His aura sharpened.
Then faded.
He exhaled slowly.
"It works."
But it damaged him further.
He would need precision.
He considered the coming Sixth Branch Martial Selection.
If he entered the top six…
He would gain access to higher-tier resources.
Including the main branch library.
There, he might find methods to restore his spiritual sea.
Becoming top disciple would take time.
But he had never lacked patience.
His dormitory door opened.
His roommate — Shen Liang, Sixth Branch top disciple — entered lazily, sweat-soaked from training.
He flopped onto his bed.
"You're still awake?" Shen Liang asked.
"Yes."
"You attend classes quietly. You don't complain. Interesting."
Yue Chen remained calm.
"I lost my memory," he said evenly. "So everything is new."
Shen Liang chuckled.
"Memory or not, strength decides everything."
He rolled onto his side.
"Sleep. Tomorrow is sword training."
The next morning, the sky was heavy with dark clouds.
Sword Training Field.
Elder Qian stood before a line of massive stone slabs.
"Today's lesson," he said, "is precision and force."
He demonstrated a simple sword strike.
The stone split cleanly in half.
"Break your assigned stone."
Disciples stepped forward eagerly.
One by one—
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Stones split.
Yue Chen stepped forward last.
He held his sword calmly.
He knew countless sword arts.
But at Qi Gathering First Stage…
He could only display ordinary technique.
He struck.
The stone trembled.
But did not break.
Laughter rose.
"Too weak."
"Even basic strike cannot break it."
Elder Qian frowned but said nothing.
Yue Chen struck again.
And again.
The stone remained intact.
Rain began to fall.
One by one, disciples retreated.
Only Yue Chen remained.
He continued striking.
Steady.
Persistent.
Footsteps approached.
An umbrella appeared above him.
Ling Yue stood beside him in white robes, holding the umbrella over his head.
"You're stubborn," she said softly.
"The teacher already left."
He did not stop.
"If you can't break it today, break it tomorrow," she continued playfully. "The rock isn't going anywhere."
He paused.
"One last strike," he said.
She smiled faintly.
"Fine. But if you collapse, I'm not carrying you again."
He inhaled slowly.
For a brief moment—
But his sword trembled with something deeper.
Not merely qi.
But faint death intent.
He suppressed it carefully.
Then—
He struck.
The stone did not merely split.
It exploded.
The blade energy extended beyond—
Cutting into the stone wall behind.
Rain froze for a breath.
Ling Yue stared.
The umbrella tilted slightly.
Yue Chen stood still.
His breathing steady.
The rain fell harder.
Water traced down his dark hair.
Ling Yue looked at him.
Not as a weak junior.
But as something else.
Their eyes met.
For a moment—
The world was silent.
Rain fell around them like silver threads.
And beneath the storm—
Something unspoken deepened.
End of Chapter 8...