Volume One, Chapter 48: The Little White Hatches, Soaring on a Sword

After Gu Mingxi’s divine sense finished surveying Xiaoyao Peak, she finally stopped.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a pure white kitten with a small “king” mark on its forehead. Its round, sparkling blue eyes blinked adorably.

The little white cat had one paw resting on Gu Mingxi’s sleeve, while its other paw pressed down on a Thunder Spirit Pearl. Seeing Gu Mingxi awake and looking at it, the kitten softly mewed, “Ying~”

“Sister, I’ve hatched and come into the world!”

Gu Mingxi recognized the little white cat—it was the divine beast White Tiger she had longed for. It was simply too cute.

Though it didn’t resemble the fearsome, majestic White Tiger from legends, the tiny creature looked just like a little kitten, irresistibly adorable.

The little White Tiger noticed Gu Mingxi’s strange gaze and thought she might be displeased by its small size. Quickly, it sent her a telepathic message: “Sister, I was just born. When I enter my growth phase, I will gradually grow bigger. Right now, I’m still in the infant stage, just a cub.”

Gu Mingxi reached out to hold the little White Tiger, smoothing its fur gently. “Little White, can you speak now?”

The kitten obediently allowed her to stroke its fur. “Sister, since we had already formed a contract before, I can communicate with you mentally. But because I’m still a cub, I can’t speak aloud yet. When I enter the growth phase, I’ll be able to talk. Then, if you have a battle, I can help you fight.”

Gu Mingxi smiled softly. “Great, Little White, then you can fight alongside me when the time comes.”

The kitten nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes!”

Thinking of her master Yuchen, who was protecting her outside in the bamboo grove, Gu Mingxi carried Little White outside.

Yuchen immediately fixed his gaze on Gu Mingxi as she appeared.

He scrutinized her from head to toe, and Gu Mingxi sensed nothing amiss, so everything must have gone smoothly.

Then Yuchen’s eyes settled on the little white cat in her arms.

Hmm?

No, wait—the “king” mark on its head and the intense aura of Thunder Spirit energy around it were not those of an ordinary kitten.

Could it be... a White Tiger?

Gu Mingxi noticed Yuchen’s gaze lingering on Little White and took the initiative to introduce: “Master, this is Little White, a divine beast White Tiger I had contracted with before.”

Yuchen nodded knowingly. “So it is a White Tiger. Excellent—it will complement you well.”

“Now that you’ve established your foundation, you can begin learning sword control. Haven’t you always wanted to learn how to control a sword in flight?”

Gu Mingxi’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Can we start now?”

Seeing her eager expression, Yuchen smiled. “If you want to, why not?”

Together, Gu Mingxi and Yuchen ascended to the summit of Xiaoyao Peak. Grasping the Morning-Evening Sword, Gu Mingxi began her practice, hoping to master sword flight today.

Flying on a sword—that had been her dream for a long time!

The wind atop the peak was strong, but Gu Mingxi felt nothing but warmth in her heart.

Though the summit was truly high and looking down was daunting, Gu Mingxi had no fear—only a little nervousness mixed with immense excitement.

Standing on the Morning-Evening Sword, she silently recited the sword control techniques she had memorized and awkwardly took off.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining stage cannot learn sword flight; only those in the Foundation Establishment stage can. This is because Qi and divine sense in the Qi Refining stage cannot support the energy consumption required for sword flight.

The amount of Qi determines whether one can take off on a sword, while the strength of divine sense governs the flight’s duration, direction, and speed.

Gu Mingxi’s divine sense had already broken through to the early Golden Core stage, so sword flight shouldn’t be a problem.

Indeed, as she expected, Gu Mingxi learned to fly on the sword with just one attempt.

Though still somewhat clumsy and occasionally struggling to control direction, she was flying! She truly was flying on a sword!

Yuchen stood beside her, watching with satisfaction as Gu Mingxi gradually moved from awkwardness to proficiency.

His eyes were filled with pride and a touch of nostalgia, perhaps recalling his own youthful days learning sword flight.

In just one afternoon, Gu Mingxi went from unsteady attempts to graceful control.

She stood on the Morning-Evening Sword, guiding it with her divine sense—up when she wished to ascend, down when she wished to descend.

Flying upward, she could almost touch the cranes soaring beside her; looking down, she saw the shimmering lake below.

Gu Mingxi relished the freedom of sword flight.

The wind swept past her, tousling her hair and fluttering her sleeves.

Her only feeling about sword flight was exhilaration!

It was truly exhilarating—this sense of freedom was exactly what she had always pursued!

Unable to contain her excitement, Gu Mingxi circled around Xiaoyao Peak’s skies again and again.

Yuchen did not stop her childish behavior; after all, he knew well what he had been like at her age and fully understood her enthusiasm.

Finally, Gu Mingxi even lifted Little White into her arms and flew on the sword together.

Little White nestled in her arms, feeling the wind ruffle its fur, and gently squinted its eyes—a truly liberating sensation.

When it reached its growth phase, it would be able to fly on its own, no longer needing Gu Mingxi to carry it.

Thus, Gu Mingxi flew circles upon circles until dusk began to fall. Reluctantly, she sheathed the Morning-Evening Sword and returned to Xiaoyao Peak’s main hall with Yuchen.

On their way back, Gu Mingxi clung to Yuchen’s sleeve, chattering excitedly about her flying experience.

“Master, sword flight is really amazing! It’s like having the whole world under my control—it feels so refreshing!”

Yuchen nodded, letting her enthusiasm run free.

“It still feels a bit limited flying just above Xiaoyao Peak. I wonder when I’ll be able to leave the sect and explore the outside world!”

“Once you return from the Purple Cloud Secret Realm, you can take a mission from the task hall and venture beyond the sect to complete it.”

“Okay!”

Beneath the sunset, the figures of Gu Mingxi, Yuchen, and Little White gradually faded from the peak’s summit, leaving only their faint conversation lingering in the air.