Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Still feeling a bit aimless, Ming Yue wasn't sure about where she would go next. In the end, she could only look for someone else's advice. 

And who else would be more willing to do so than Commander Nie Xia?

By now, the various forces that once made of this great army, left the Iron Citadel along with their respective commanders, returning to their stations. 

After meeting with the messenger, the Lord of Azure Souls, or better known as Di Yu, it seemed that the air was tense. But their faces showed no worry or concern. Whatever meeting they had, the news could only be good or bad. Whatever the case, it would not be revealed just yet. 

And Nie Xia himself returned to the towers of the Iron Citadel, recuperating from his injuries. 

After asking around, one of the soldiers led her to where he was, climbing up several flights before letting her in. 

"Excuse me, Commander Nie Xia?"

She entered a large room that had all of the furnishings but none of the lavishness. The decor here included maps and as well as little trinkets from his hometown. 

Nie Xia was seated behind a large table covered with documents but various little toys like pinwheels and puppets. 

There were several bandages wrapped around his arms and most likely his waist too. Although he didn't show it, his battle against Shi Hou had caused injury to his internal organs. His bones were fractured from taking the horned demon's charges head- on. 

When he saw her come in, he smiled and put his papers down. 

"Come in, come in, Ming Yue! I thought you'd be long gone by now, wandering to another place! To think you'd still be here, is there something you need?" he asked. 

She took note of his room, finding that his armor and shields weren't here. Looking at him, she began to explain her conundrum. 

"...now I'm not sure what to make of the situation. I don't know where to go now. I was hoping that you could help me find some sort of connection."

Nie Xia rubbed his chin and furrowed his eyes. 

"Why not just stay here for a while?" he suggested. 

"What? What do you mean?"

Ming Yue was slightly confused. 

"Hah, so young and energetic, you always want to go somewhere. Since you have no destination, why not stay here for the time being? Perhaps take this time to rest and focus on your training. As far as I know, you've been fighting nonstop ever since you came to the Demon Continent. You've probably had only a day of rest at most."

He chuckled before picking up one of the pinwheels from his desk, playing with it. 

Ming Yue thought about it. 

"I really have been fighting constantly. I should take this time to unwind and to cultivate the Lightning Dao."

While she had never stopped training, she never let herself get lost in it. Not when she could be attacked at any moment. After deciding, she cupped her fists and bowed, thanking him for his advice before leaving. 

As he watched her go, Nie Xia went back to his documents with a small smile on his face. 

"Hah, so young... I'm sure she would find this a good time to further her strength."

Meanwhile, Ming Yue went straight back to her room and took out the books relating to the Lightning Dao. 

"There isn't much to use for cultivation here but that's fine. If anything I just need the space..."

She thought carefully, creating a path for herself. 

"Focusing on the Lightning Dao is the highest priority but afterward, I should try to merge it with the Wind Dao. Perhaps use the Stormblade Dance Manual as a basis, try to formulate a few techniques solely for lightning."

Once Ming Yue figured out what she needed to do, she set out to do it, spending her days in something akin to closed- door cultivation. She was mostly out in the training fields alone, letting her power out without having to worry. 

Just as she learned in the baths, there weren't too many resources to use. Much of the things found in the Demon Continent were either sent back or sold to the merchants. Either way, such items needed to be studied for much of it was new to them. Who knows what sort of effects using herbs from here would have? 

Fortunately, they have managed to catalog a majority of the beasts and natural treasures but their effectiveness was questionable. For now, using them was forbidden. 

That also goes for the herbs and such that Ming Yue collected during her travels in the boundless Beast Forest. She handed it all off to the army, asking for it to be sent to the Medicinal Elder in Heaven's Gate. 

Time passed by quickly as she grew more accustomed to the Lightning Dao. It had different principles compared to the Wind Dao, wilder and unruly. It needed a different control than wind, not gentle but firm. 

Soon enough, she could conjure a ball of pure lightning and even maintain it. But Ming Yue wasn't satisfied there, the young cultivator continued and her determination began to spread out. 

"Isn't she always training? Wake up or sleep, she's always on the same field either swinging her sword or practicing her dao! Has the fairy gone mad?"

"Hah, what do you know? And you said she was all talent! Well? Is she?"

"So, she trains... What of it?"

"Are you going to get shown up by her now? Because it looks like she's working harder than you!"

"You want to say that again? Come on, let's spar then!"

She was there every day, from sunrise to sunset, and her display had garnered the attention of the Iron Citadel. Of all the things these soldiers felt, it was a sense of respect above it all. From above, Nie Xia watched her with a bit of a helpless smile. 

"I don't think I can consider this resting but... sure."

He laughed to himself. 

And for Ming Yue, she progressed every day. If not in one thing then it was another, creating and testing new techniques, improving her control, merging the two daos. The more she comprehended and understood, the more ideas came to mind. 

"What about the claws? needles? the lance?"

All three formed in front of her: the Zephyr Claws, the wind needles, and a wind lance. Using a Blasting Gale was a bit too dangerous for her to test just yet.

But with these three she began to experiment. 

With several wind needles floating in front of her, they spun quietly as she looked closely. The Lightning Dao Energy slowly circled through her body as she imbued the needles with it. It crackled and zapped but with this small amount, she still had control. 

"Let's see. How about over there?"

Pointing with her other hand, she shot it straight into a dummy that had armor on it. The needles cracked and flew, striking on the chest before releasing a powerful shock. If it were a person, armor might protect them from the needles but it would not save them from what came next. 

"Then the claws..."

Doing the same to the Zephyr Claws, lightning crackled between the fingertips. As she swung down, it left behind a small trail of lightning. Then she swung out, sending off an arc of wind and lightning, through the air. 

"So it can be used like this? Then the lance?"

At this point, she was feeling a bit excited. This was new and quite frankly, it was very interesting to her. 

Ming Yue looked to the wind lance floating by her and urged some of her energy into the lance. In moments, it took on similar properties, as lightning coursed through its body. Without thinking, she sent it forth crashing down onto the dummy, destroying it with a thunderous boom. 

In its place, was cracked ground that was also burnt from the strike. It was as if a lightning bolt struck down and the commotion had many of the soldiers running to her. 

"What happened?"

"Is something wrong?"

"What was that noise? An enemy attack?"

They had their weapons out only to realize that it was just her. 

"Ah..."

And Ming Yue realized her mistake.