The pink and white peach blossoms fluttered down in the wind, covering the ground. The setting sun sank in the west, and the mountains seemed to meander and twist like a brushstroke in ink.

A female cultivator in plain clothes held a long sword deep in the peach grove. With a wave of her hand, she slashed through the air, and countless peach petals were infused with her sword energy, becoming sharp and menacing, creating countless afterimages.

Not far away, slender, fair fingers danced across the strings of a zither, the melodious music blending with the swordplay, sometimes aggressive, sometimes gentle.

Jiang Li cultivates the way of the sword. Although Lu Fuyue is not proficient in this way, she still knows a little about it and is enough to guide Jiang Li, who is currently in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Jiang Li lived up to her expectations. She had a good talent for swordsmanship and was willing to put in the effort. Whenever she had time, she would practice swordsmanship. In addition, she had a top-grade wood spirit root, so her understanding of swordsmanship became more and more refined.

Lu Fuyue was unaware that Jiang Li was working so hard largely because she had secretly made a vow to cut off all obstacles for her with her sword.

Even though Jiang Li knew that her talent was not outstanding and that the road ahead would be difficult, she still wanted to try. What if one day she could stand in front of her senior sister and help her block some obstacles?

Thinking of this, Jiang Li's swordplay became even more ferocious. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the white-clad woman playing the zither, and her resolve grew even stronger.

When the music ended, the sword also stopped.

Lu Fuyue raised her hand and put away the long zither on the table. She then poured a cup of spirit wine from the wine pot beside her, took a small sip, and felt the faint aroma of wine mixed with the fragrance of spirit fruit spread in her mouth. It was not strong, but it had the taste that wine should have.

This pot of wine is her recently brewed Jade Spirit Wine, which is beneficial for cultivation. However, the effect is not very obvious for her now, but it is still effective for Jiang Li.

"Senior sister, what do you think of my swordplay today?" After finishing her sword practice, Jiang Li put away her sword and walked up to Lu Fuyue.

After a moment, Lu Fuyue put down her cup, looked up at the person in front of her with beads of sweat on their forehead, and slowly said, "You have made great progress this time. It seems that you have grasped the key points. However, cultivation cannot be too hasty. You still need to keep up with your mental state."

She only glanced at it before she pointed out the problem Jiang Li was currently facing.

Jiang Li lowered her head in silence. She was naturally aware of the problem, but she couldn't control it.

Isn't she letting down her senior's teachings by doing this?

Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted to her nose. A hand took the long sword from her hand and then leaped into the peach grove. Countless pale pink petals fell to the ground, and the hem of her white dress fluttered in the wind, as if she were about to ascend to immortality at any moment.

Suddenly, sword energy arrived with the force of tearing through the air, and a long sword instantly transformed into three thousand long swords, forming countless flying swords that rushed towards Jiang Li's direction, stirring up gusts of wind.

Jiang Li's pupils suddenly contracted, and her body trembled involuntarily, but she did not take a step back.

She believed her senior sister wouldn't harm her!

Sure enough, just as the sword energy from those flying swords was about to strike her heart, everything suddenly froze, and the flying swords disappeared.

"Your sword energy is sharp, but it lacks the inner driving force to bring it to life." Lu Fuyue walked over slowly, handed the long sword in her hand to Jiang Li, and looked at her.

Jiang Li took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

She understood.

While a sharp sword aura can injure an enemy, only a sharp sword heart can defeat an enemy in one move!

...

A few days later, Lu Fuyue, who was playing the zither, suddenly received news that the cultivation competition had been moved up.

There were five spots available this time, and she was one of them.

The Cultivation Grand Competition, held every two hundred years, is the most prestigious competition in the cultivation world, bar none.

Only talented disciples under 1,000 years old from various sects, at least at the Golden Core stage, are eligible to participate. However, a large number of Nascent Soul cultivators often participate, making it extremely difficult to win first place.

If Lu Fuyue wants to obtain the golden zither string sealed on the ninth floor of the Trial Tower, she must first obtain the qualification to enter the ninth floor of the Trial Tower.

To gain access to the ninth level of the Trial Tower, three conditions must be met.

First, he won first place in the cultivation competition.

Secondly, he openly defeated Lu Zhengming, the sect leader of Tianxuan Sect, on the Tianxuan Sect's challenge platform.

Third, pass the test of the Heavenly Profound Sect's patriarch.

Given Lu Fuyue's current peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, it's actually possible for her to win first place, but it's also possible that some unexpected event might occur.

Just like the cultivation competition two years ago, a disciple from a reclusive family suddenly appeared and easily crushed everyone to become number one.

Lu Fuyue lowered her eyes and sat calmly on the stone bench under the peach tree. She raised her hand and continued to play the zither. The melodious and pleasant music was like a clear spring flowing over stones, wandering in the light sunlight of the mountains and forests.

Logically, there should still be nearly a hundred years until this cultivation competition, but it has been brought forward suddenly, so it seems that something big must have happened behind the scenes.

...

In the main hall of Tianxuan Sect.

When Lu Fuyue arrived, some disciples were already there. Upon seeing her, they all made way for her and respectfully greeted her, "Senior Sister Lu."

In the cultivation world, strength is paramount, and Lu Fuyue's cultivation level has long made her the number one in her generation. Even Yan Nanfei, the only direct disciple of the ancestor and once hailed as the number one genius of the Tianxuan Sect, is not as talented as her.

Lu Fuyue glanced indifferently at the disciples. There were quite a few familiar faces among them, but the ones she knew best were not there, such as Yan Nanfei, her senior brother, and her senior brother Luo.

Wen Shuya, standing in the crowd, spotted Lu Fuyue at a glance and nodded to her.

Wen Shuya is the direct disciple of the Enforcement Elder, with a cultivation level at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

Lu Fuyue's gaze met hers. She nodded slightly to Wen Shuya and then walked to her side. "Senior Sister."

Wen Shuya smiled gently and teased, "I should be calling you senior sister."

"To be able to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage in less than a hundred years, even the most legendary geniuses from reclusive cultivation families are probably no more than this."

Lu Fuyue looked slightly taken aback and shook her head, "Senior Sister, you're exaggerating."

Although the cultivation world values ​​strength, she publicly displayed her cultivation level as Nascent Soul, while her senior sister was at Golden Core. Logically, she should be the senior sister.

But my senior sister is Uncle Law Enforcement's disciple, so wouldn't that mess up the seniority system?

"With you in this cultivation competition, winning first place is not impossible."

"It's just a pity that Junior Brother Luo isn't here, otherwise with his strength, he might have been able to compete for a top-three spot."