Chapter 3: Learning and Assessment

On the second day after registration, all the young maids were to begin their training and officially take up their posts.

The morning was devoted to basic cultural lessons, along with some compulsory courses for the higher-ranked maids. In the afternoon, they would be led by teachers of various grades for their lessons.

The teacher in charge of the top-ranked group was an elderly woman known as Granny Sujin.

It was said that this old woman had been the current head’s wet nurse. Not only was her cultivation unfathomably deep, but her skills in managing the inner household were also unparalleled.

Granny Sujin’s main focus was teaching cultivation techniques.

“Our Yan family of Shangyun Prefecture has stood for over a thousand years since the founding of the first patriarch. Our influence here runs deep. Not only do we manage spiritual mines, but we are also involved in alchemy and artifact forging. As maids who will serve the future head of such a vast family, you cannot be compared to the servants of other noble houses. You must know accounting, household management, organize grand banquets, and possess the strength to defend your master. Cultivators are, by their very nature, rebellious against fate, fighting ruthlessly for heaven and earth’s resources. Even if the young master is supremely gifted, he cannot always guard against treachery. Therefore, this course is compulsory for all personal maids.”

Granny Sujin regarded the three girls before her with stern eyes.

“To cultivate capable servants, the Yan family not only offers their treasured martial techniques to all managers of intermediate rank and above but also has a strict rule: anyone who has not reached at least the first level of cultivation may not hold a high position. So, do not think lightly of this class just because you are maids. Among the techniques available for servants, the most renowned are the ‘Spring Renewal Formula’ and the ‘Sea of Clouds Sword Manual.’ Additionally, the family has collected other cultivation methods, albeit of lower grade, but for those of you with average aptitude, some profound-grade manuals are perfectly sufficient.”

With that, the old woman drew four books from her bosom: “Spring Renewal Formula,” “Sea of Clouds Sword Manual,” “Spirit Locking Formula,” and “Maiden’s Core Method.”

“The first two are the Yan family’s own manuals. The Spring Renewal Formula is of earth grade; the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual is of heaven grade. However, I do not recommend you practice them—these manuals demand exceptional talent. Even if you attempt them, you may end up like those mediocre managers in the front court, drifting through life without progress.”

She handed the Spirit Locking Formula and the Maiden’s Core Method to the three girls to look over, then produced a spherical instrument from her storage space.

“The Spirit Locking Formula can be practiced by those with a metal spiritual root. Though only of profound grade, it is quite practical. The Maiden’s Core Method requires no specific spiritual root and is also profound grade. Practicing it enhances beauty and makes the body supple, so that even without dance training, one can easily perform graceful movements. In time, it will prove useful in the boudoir—you will understand when you’re older.”

Su Yue leafed through the Spirit Locking Formula and the Maiden’s Core Method, quietly thinking that Granny Sujin was not as benevolent as she appeared. The Spirit Locking Formula was for manipulating metallic spiritual energy, but it was hardly a true profound-grade method.

Though this world was vastly different from the one Su Yue had come from, the grading of cultivation techniques was similar.

Here, manuals were divided into four grades: heaven, earth, profound, and yellow. The criteria were simple—the more efficiently a manual converted external spiritual energy into one’s own usable power, the higher its grade.

Yellow-grade manuals allowed one to manipulate spiritual energy for attacking, but relied too heavily on external power. When two equally matched cultivators exhausted all the spiritual energy around them, the contest would come down to which had more of their own converted spiritual power stored within. At such a time, practitioners of yellow-grade methods would be easy prey.

The Spirit Locking Formula given by Granny Sujin focused entirely on manipulating external energy. Although it included some basic energy conversion breathing techniques, they were too shallow. Its only claim to profound grade was some cleverness in handling external energy, but anyone knowledgeable would know it was a fake profound-grade technique.

As for the Maiden’s Core Method, Granny Sujin did not mention its grade. In Su Yue’s previous world, it was known as the ‘Furnace Foundation Method’—a technique used only by those destined to be cultivation furnaces. No matter how long the practitioner cultivated, the moment they engaged in intercourse, all their years of effort would be transferred to their partner.

Both methods allowed for quick progress, but advancement stopped at the Foundation Establishment stage, with no hope of further breakthroughs. The most malicious was the Maiden’s Core Method, clearly intended to turn maids into cultivation furnaces for Yan Qitang. If he ever laid hands on a maid practicing this method, her future would be destroyed.

“So, which will you choose? The Spirit Locking Formula and Maiden’s Core Method—effective in the short term but with limited potential—or the Spring Renewal Formula and Sea of Clouds Sword Manual, which are high-grade but nearly impossible for most to master?” Granny Sujin asked as she held the spiritual root testing instrument.

“Granny, why not test our spiritual roots before we choose?” inquired the young maid who had earlier demonstrated her literary prowess.

“We can do that, though you should already know your own roots from previous tests. This is just a formality. I have already heard that all three of you have triple spiritual roots. Your name is Yanran, yes? If I recall, you possess water, earth, and wood roots. That means you cannot practice the Spirit Locking Formula and must choose from the other three.”

Granny Sujin replied, then looked at the quick-calculating maid from registration.

“Your name is Qingran. You have metal, wood, and fire roots. If not for the wood root, you would have been a fine candidate for artifact forging. Still, you do have a metal root, so you may choose the Spirit Locking Formula,” Granny Sujin said with a hint of regret.

“As for you, Su Yue, I shall personally instruct you in the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual. Though you also have triple roots, you were born with the Innate Sword Bone. Perhaps you will achieve something exceptional with this technique,” she said, her eyes full of appreciation.

Su Yue felt awkward—she had just doubted Granny Sujin’s intentions, yet now the old woman seemed intent on promoting her.

“Yes,” Su Yue replied, bowing her head.

Granny Sujin looked at the other two. “Well? Have you decided?”

Qingran glanced at Yanran, who still pressed her lips together in silence, then spoke up first. “Granny, I have decided to practice the Spirit Locking Formula. I lack great talent, so I’d rather be able to contribute early in my life.”

“Knowing when to retreat is wisdom. Good,” Granny Sujin nodded, turning to Yanran.

Yanran lifted her head, determination in her eyes. “To row against the current is to advance or be swept back. Granny, I choose the Spring Renewal Formula.”

Qingran looked at her with understanding, unsurprised by her choice.

Granny Sujin studied Yanran seriously and finally nodded. “To seek difficulty is courage—it may propel you forward or bring you despair. Are you certain?”

“I am sure, and I will not regret it,” Yanran replied firmly.

Granny Sujin nodded once more. “So be it.”

Afterward, the lesson continued. Granny Sujin explained some common knowledge for cultivation, then began to tutor them. Yanran and Qingran were handed over to two younger women, but Su Yue remained under Granny Sujin’s personal instruction.

“Come, let me explain the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual so you have a foundation,” Granny Sujin said, settling onto a meditation cushion with the manual in hand.

“I have practiced this manual for over eighty years and only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet that is further than most in this household ever achieve. The Sea of Clouds Sword Manual does not require any particular spiritual root, but it demands exceptional physical strength and comprehension. The first two chapters of the first level are all about body refinement—a process that is central to the entire manual. Without mastering body refinement, all else is empty talk.”

To illustrate her point, Granny Sujin drew a small knife and stabbed it hard into her own hand. Shockingly, the blade left only a faint white mark on her skin.

“Although it is a rule here that only those who have reached the first level of a manual may hold managerial positions, there is an exception for the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual: as long as you persist in body refinement, you can become a mid-level manager. Do you know why?”

Su Yue guessed it might be due to the difficulty of the process, but could not say for certain and shook her head.

“That is because the body refinement process uses the Furnace Tempering Method: the cultivator is placed alive into a pill furnace, along with medicinal liquors made from various herbs. The furnace is sealed, and spiritual fire is used for forty-nine days. Only then is the process complete—and that is just for the first level. Afterward, your bones will be like steel, your skin like chainmail, impervious to ordinary weapons.”

Now Su Yue was truly startled—was this really done in a pill furnace? Had the original author read too much Journey to the West?

Granny Sujin’s aged eyes gazed into the distance, as if recalling her own painful ordeal.

“The medicinal liquid, burned by spiritual fire, becomes scalding and slowly congeals into a paste that encases the body. Sometimes it is hard even to breathe. Only about ten people in this household have ever endured it. Though special salves are applied beforehand to prevent burns, the heat and pain remain undiminished. Many have been driven to suicide, smashing their heads against the furnace walls.”

At this, Granny Sujin seemed to shudder, as if the memory was still fresh. But seeing Su Yue’s calm expression, she smiled.

“For you, though, this will not be an obstacle. When I learned you had the Innate Sword Bone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Ordinary heat cannot harm the Sword Bone—it is a gift from heaven. Once you complete body refinement, you may begin true cultivation. The reason this manual is called the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual is that you must comprehend your own sword intent to progress. If other techniques train you to convert external energy, this one trains your sword will itself.”

Hearing this, Su Yue’s heart trembled. So this was a heaven-grade manual—something she would never have encountered in her previous life. The focus wasn’t on spiritual power, but on the will of the sword!

“Today, I will teach you the entire first level of the Sea of Clouds Sword Manual. In three days, prepare to enter the furnace.”