Chapter 16 Test (Part 7) Are you going into seclusion?

The shielding array on the stage instantly dissipated, and the noisy sounds returned to Qingxing's ears.

Guda leaped onto Qingxing's shoulder with a "whoosh" and reached out to infuse her with pale blue spiritual energy.

"Honestly, what bad luck! It's Xie Yuzhou right off the bat." It muttered to itself. "But at least you broke through to the Golden Core stage, so it wasn't a wasted trip."

"As for the ranking, you can slowly climb up later. Those people are like cabbages to you now, you can cut them down in a flash!"

Guda's spiritual energy was cool, which slightly relieved the heat in Qingxing's body. She took a deep breath, endured the pain, stood up, walked to the center of the martial arts stage, and bowed to Xie Yuzhou.

As soon as she left the Book Spirit, Qingxing felt as if her internal organs had just been reborn from the ashes, burning with fever. She frowned slightly, not wanting to linger any longer, only hoping to rush back and soak in cool water.

She thought it was over and started to walk downhill, but Xie Yuzhou called her back:

"You're very good. I look forward to playing against you again."

Qingxing was a little stunned. She thought that she had used the tickling array on Xie Yuzhou, which made him lose face, and that he was angry because he had slashed so hard just now.

"Thank you, you too."

She turned her head slightly in response.

Encountering a worthy opponent is a blessing in life, especially since Xie Yuzhou, in a way, helped her break through to the Golden Core stage.

Seeing that Qingxing was seriously injured, the disciples all made way for her to pass.

The lingering effects of the Azure Spirit Array were still present; a gentle breeze brushed against the wound, causing it to itch.

Qingxing lowered her head, pondering carefully. She wondered how many herbs her master would need to replenish her strength this time. Remembering Jiuquchen's special instruction to take it easy, and the burning sensation in her wounds—practically proof that she had ignored his words—she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"Junior Sister Qingxing, congratulations!" Wenren Xi appeared out of nowhere and walked to Qingxing's side. "How does it feel to have just reached the Golden Core stage?"

The path that the crowd had made to clear was already narrow, and his presence made it even more crowded, significantly slowing down Qingxing's pace.

"Not good." Qingxing looked listless. "If Senior Brother doesn't move aside, I'm afraid I'll faint again."

"Exactly! Don't you have any sense of propriety? My master is covered in blood!"

Gudako chimed in.

Wenren Xi seemed to realize she was blocking the way, and exclaimed "Oh dear!" before quickly stepping aside: "I'm sorry, junior sister, I was in such a hurry to congratulate you that I forgot about your injury."

Gudako chuckled coldly upon hearing this, and said sarcastically, "You have a really good memory."

Qingxing didn't speak, because after Wenrenxi stepped aside, the path in front, which had been blocked by his shoulder, became wider. As she could see the crowds on both sides, she also saw Jiuquchen, dressed in white, standing at the end.

"Good heavens!" From a distance, it wasn't so bad, but now that they were closer, Qingxing looked like she'd just been pulled out of a giant red dye vat. She was terrifying no matter how you looked at her. Jiuquchen was clearly startled. He frowned and ran towards Qingxing in a few strides. "I told you not to go head-to-head with those crazy girls, but you wouldn't listen... Sigh, whatever, let's go, let's get out of here!"

Qingxing had too many wounds, so he couldn't help her up. He simply waved his hand and summoned a wooden rattan chair, placing it in front of Qingxing.

"What are you still standing there for?" Seeing Qingxing's puzzled expression, Jiuquchen pointed to the rattan chair. "Sit down!"

Qingxing:......

She glanced at the crowd that had not yet dispersed behind her, and sat down expressionlessly.

Gudako tried hard to suppress her laughter and flew to the armrest of the rattan chair.

Seeing that the two of them were settled, Jiu Quchen used his spiritual power to lift the rattan chairs, and like flying a kite, he used a spiritual power string to guide them, ignoring the eyes of the other disciples, and headed towards Biyueyunju.

The two left gracefully, leaving behind two blurry silhouettes.

Wenren Xi gently waved her paper fan and chuckled softly: This master and disciple duo, plus the book spirit Guda, are quite amusing.

"I don't know how to use teleportation arrays, so I'll have to make do with this for my disciple."

Jiuquchen walked ahead and spoke leisurely.

Qingxing gazed quietly at the sky: "I'm not wronged. Thank you, Master."

It's just a little undignified.

Biyue Yunju was not far from the martial arts arena. Jiuquchen placed Qingxing on the stone seat in the lotus pond, went back to his room to get a bunch of medicinal herbs, and put them opposite her with a "bang", which made the stone seat shake three times.

“My disciple is a rag doll,” Jiu Qu Chen picked up a white pill, pinched it gently between two fingers, and the pill instantly turned into powder. He pushed it lightly with his right hand, and blue spiritual power wrapped around the powder rushed towards Qing Xing’s wound. “You need your master to stitch it up.”

Her arms felt cool and refreshing, and her body gradually cooled down. Qingxing looked at the pile of strange medicine pots on the ground and didn't directly respond to his words, but simply said, "I've broken through to the Golden Core stage."

Jiu Qu Chen took out another type of yellow pill: "I saw it."

He took a moment to place his right hand in front of Qingxing and gave her a thumbs up: "My disciple is truly amazing!"

"Of course, Qingxing is my master!"

Guda leaned against Qingxing's head and said smugly.

"Hey, what's it to you? You're just bragging." Jiuquchen lifted its arm and tossed it onto another stone seat. "Get out of the way, don't press down on your master."

Gudako rolled her eyes, turned her back, and decided not to pay any more attention to him.

Although everyone says Xie Yuzhou fights recklessly, he still has some sense of restraint and won't really go all out. In addition, Qingxing broke through her cultivation realm in time, and her spiritual network expanded while healing many internal injuries. She only looks like she has lost too much blood, and there are no other major problems.

"Use this Jade Face Cream once in the morning and once at night for three days, and I guarantee you won't have any scars on your face!"

Jiu Qu Chen handed a small turquoise bottle to Qing Xing. Gu Da, who was standing nearby, glanced at his smooth cheek and said coolly, "This isn't for your own use, is it?"

He looks like he'd be focused on taking care of his skin.

"Nonsense!" Jiu Qu Chen retorted, "Why would I give my disciple something I've used? This bottle is new!"

Gudako: ...

That means you know how to use it yourself.

Qingxing silently accepted the bottle: "Thank you, Master."

Jiu Qu Chen waved his hand: "Between master and disciple, there's no need for so many 'thank yous'!"

He applied the last bit of medicine powder to Qingxing and pushed all the bottles and jars in front of her: "By the way, my disciple, I will be going into seclusion soon. Keep these medicines for now. If you get injured again in the martial arts competition, feel free to use them."

Previously, Qingxing had cultivated so diligently that, with his master guiding her, she had gradually grasped some of the secrets and vaguely grasped the shadow of the late Nascent Soul stage. Since his disciple was working so hard, Jiuquchen felt embarrassed to remain a slacker. However, cultivation after reaching the Nascent Soul stage was extremely difficult, so he could only choose to go into seclusion, shielding himself from all external interference.

However, Qingxing has been injured too frequently recently, and as her master, he is still a little worried. Even though he knows that Qingxing will ignore him, he still adds a word of advice: "Now that you have reached the Golden Core stage, the competitions in the future should not be too difficult. But if you encounter an opponent who is much stronger than you, remember four words: Do not be reckless."

Qingxing didn't react much to his decision to go into seclusion; she simply nodded and said, "Disciple understands."

"Good to know, good to know." Jiu Qu Chen stretched and walked into the house. "Your injury is not serious, so you can participate in the competition with peace of mind. When I come out of seclusion, I will give you a big gift!"

As he spoke, he turned back and smiled, "Just wait and see my strength greatly increase!"

Qingxing nodded to him from afar: "Okay."

For some reason, she still trusted her master quite a bit.

Gudako scoffed dismissively, "I wonder who's bragging."

It was getting late, and the medicine bottles on the ground gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Qingxing carefully collected them all and put them into her cloth bag.

Guda returned to the Heavenly Book, and Qingxing lit a Soul-Contemplating Lamp and meditated to regulate her breathing in the cool air of the lotus pond.

She remained in meditation for a long time, and when she opened her eyes again, the sky was already turning a pale white.

Before Jiuquchen had even gotten up, Qingxing, carrying a cloth bag, left Biyueyunju directly.

Perhaps because the spiritual network had expanded, Qingxing felt her muscles and bones relax, and even walking became much lighter, as if she were walking on clouds.

Yesterday's competition had eliminated half of the disciples. She went to the martial arts arena to take a look and, after confirming that it was not her turn to compete for the time being, she left and planned to visit the Scripture Pavilion.

The last itchy array worked well, so she wants to find some more array books and learn more similar ones.

A few days after arriving at the library, Qingxing stepped into the building and, before even putting the key away, sensed something was amiss—the usually quiet study was now incredibly noisy. She could hear a cacophony of voices inside, as if dozens of people were talking, even through the door.

Remembering that evil book, Qingxing dared not relax. She held a ball of spiritual energy in her right hand and carefully pushed open the door.

Squeak—

The room suddenly fell silent. Qingxing looked up and met the gazes of dozens of strangely-looking book spirits.

They blinked in unison, and a fireball-shaped book spirit was the first to come in front of her, circling her twice as if to examine her: "Wow, it's been a few days, and you've even leveled up!"

Another small, spiky ball scoffed, "Only a Golden Core cultivator? You've read so many books."

"Alright, alright, don't scare them," a white-bearded book spirit said, his demeanor quite mature. "We are scroll book spirits from the bookstore. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please give us your guidance."

"Okay, my name is Qingxing." Qingxing extinguished the spiritual energy in her hand, looked around, and asked in confusion, "Why have I never seen you before?"

"Hmph, we are high-level book spirits, how can ordinary people meet us?" The hedgehog-like book spirit glanced at her, "You weren't even at the Golden Core stage before, we don't want to see you."

"Xiao Li, watch your mouth!"

The white-bearded book spirit was clearly their leader; as soon as it spoke a warning, Xiao Li immediately fell silent.

It then turned to Qingxing: "My name is Nanshan. We now acknowledge you. If you need anything when you come to this bookstore again, just call us."

"Okay, thank you." Qingxing nodded, then, thinking of that strange and evil book, she asked, "I wonder if you have ever seen a scroll called 'Demon Subduing Formation'?"

Nanshan hesitated, as if recalling something: "This..."

"No."

Qingxing then asked, "In the ten days before me, did anyone else come to the study?"

The library is protected by a nine-dynasty-level restriction, making all teleportation arrays unusable. To place this book inside the library, one must personally enter the library.

Nanshan looked at the book spirits around him, but they still shook their heads.

"Sorry, we haven't seen anyone come here."

Qingxing: "Okay, thank you for letting me know."

If that's the case, then the situation is truly in grave danger.

These book spirits should have always been here and never left. Even if they had never seen the person who placed the evil book, Qingxing had opened the "Demon-Subduing Formation" in the bookstore. Even if the book spirits did not recognize Qingxing at that time and were unwilling to show themselves, they should still have some impression of her.

Can't they see the evil books?

But since they are both book spirits, why can Gudako see them?

A heavy weight of doubts weighed on Qingxing's mind. Feeling somewhat melancholy, she packed up her things after reading only a few scrolls and slowly left the library.

As soon as Qingxing stepped out the door, she felt something was wrong. She felt sticky all over, as if countless eyes were staring at her from the shadows, and the air around her seemed to have stopped. She felt as if she had entered another small and cramped space.

She frowned slightly, glanced at the azure sky, and then summoned the Endless Wood. The feeling vanished instantly, as if she was wary of something.

"Why would you send out the Inexhaustible Wood if there's nothing wrong with it? To blow up the Sutra Repository?"

Guda woke up and, still sleepy, leaned on Qingxing's shoulder.

Fearing it was just her imagination, Qingxing silently kept her feelings to herself. She tugged at the strap of her cloth bag and said to Guda, "I saw your family."

Gudako: ?

It was somewhat bewildered: "I am the spirit of the wordless heavenly book, where would I get family?"

It doesn't need to be born of a father or raised by a mother.

Qingxing thought for a moment: That makes sense, then they should be considered members of the clan?

Just as she was about to answer, a blue and white figure suddenly flashed in front of her, accompanied by the tinkling of silver bells, interrupting her thoughts.

Qingxing looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Senior Sister Qingxing, right?" Shen Wan looked at her with a smile, holding her sword horizontally in front of her. "Let's duel!"

A note from the author:

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