Today is the day of the Sword Sect's entrance examination, which takes place every six months. Countless cultivators are waiting at the gate, and the line is almost stretching to the horizon. Amidst the throng of people, a carriage drives in from the side.
The people in the team were getting impatient, and when they saw the carriage passing by, they couldn't help but talk:
"Who is this? Why is it so lively today?"
"Looking at the golden grass emblem, could it be that Master Xue from the Southern Realm?"
"There's someone sitting inside. Isn't this Miss Ji from the Body-Building Sect? Why did she rush here today? Shu Jiuwei's carriage in front hasn't gone far yet."
"...If you ask me, why would a demon ride in a carriage... Demons riding demons, horses riding horses? Ha..."
Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu sat in the same carriage, with enough space between them for four Yunxians. They were silent from beginning to end until Xue Lingxiu said, "We're almost to the main hall."
Ji Rongxue looked outside. The Sword Sect was still so particular about pomp and ceremony. The paths for guests and ordinary disciples were separate. The path on the other side was solid, three-layered earth, while the other side was paved with a layer of carved tiles that looked like white jade. These tiles were useless except for their beauty and a nuisance to the horses' hooves.
As a major clan, besides pomp and ceremony, it naturally prioritized prestige. So even when Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu, two people with no connection at all, suddenly announced they were coming to visit, the Lius, unsure of their intentions, still gave them a respectful reception according to the proper protocol.
However, Xiao Wu's choice wasn't quite right. Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu sat together, finding it difficult to find something to talk about.
There was nothing to argue about, but there was also nothing to say about speaking calmly. The general point was that a gentleman's friendship is as pure as water. Ji Rongxue lowered the curtain and said, "That's the martial arts training ground."
The Sword Sect's disciples all wield broadswords, their blade sweeping across the landscape with every movement. This requires a large area, otherwise, you'd chop my beard, I'd chop your leg, which wouldn't be a very pretty sight. The same is true of the Sword Pavilion, but the Sword Sect is incredibly wealthy, and their training ground is nearly as large as the entire hilltop of the Sword Pavilion. Each inner disciple has their own dedicated area, surrounded by meditation and spirit-gathering formations. From the inside, you can't see outside, but from the outside, you can see inside. Practicing here is twice as effective with half the effort.
Xue Lingxiu looked at the group of half-naked men and felt a strong stench of sweat rising to her head. She frowned and said, "There are clearly female cultivators in the training grounds, but why aren't they wearing any clothes?"
He couldn't understand how someone could be so careless as to be naked in public. Aren't they ashamed? Or do they think they look good?
Cultivate the same virtue as the Peacock Buddha.
Before Ji Rongxue could answer, Feng Ye's voice came from under the wheels: "That's right."
Everyone: “…”
Qiao Lingshan and Jimo Shu were in the back of the carriage. The carriage was so small that even though Dao Zong would not check it carefully, it was impossible for Feng Ye to stay in the carriage. It would be difficult to explain if he dressed as a woman, so he could only stay under the wheels.
Ji Rongxue said coldly: "Feng Ye, cough before you speak next time. You have scared Jimo Shu at least three times."
Jimo Shu: "How could I be scared? What nonsense are you talking about!"
Qiao Lingshan: "You were clearly frightened just now..."
In any case, now is the time for the five of them to go their separate ways. Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu will go to inquire about the news from the higher-ups, and the other three will go to observe whether there is anything abnormal in the sword sect's skills. Jimo Shu can also take a look to see if there are any traces of demons in the sword sect.
Xue Lingxiu looked around and saw that there was no one around. He whispered, "Have you brought the sound transmission talisman and the tracking talisman?"
"I've got it." Qiao Lingshan, holding Jimo Shu's hand, tiptoed into the ground and quickly hid in a nearby building. Her voice rang out through a sound transmission note: "Can you hear me? Hello, can you hear me?"
Ji Rongxue said, "I can hear it."
Qiao Lingshan and the other two disappeared in an instant, probably heading to the martial arts training ground.
Today's entrance examination was held, and there were many people talking at once. The Sword Sect managers were exhausted and dizzy. Distinguished guests came one after another, and the elders were very busy. Of course, they had to start speculating on "why they came", "what for", "what the metaphor is", etc. Naturally, they had no time to care about the life and death of these outer disciples.
With the right time, place and people, Xiao Wu chose a good day.
Another voice came from the other end, and the monks from the sect howled loudly, "It's not fair! It's not fair! I've shed sweat and blood for this knife-cut noodle shop! And now you're dismissing me with just a simple 'I don't understand'?!"
"Hey, you can't say that," Liu Liuci said gently, "The original agreement at the knife-cut noodle shop clearly stated that you could get an interview after working for three months. Three months is ninety-three days, and you resigned after only ninety-two. You didn't meet the requirements, so it naturally doesn't count!"
Xue Lingxiu: “…”
Ji Rongxue: “…”
My mind is usually not clear, but at this moment it is too clear.
As they were about to enter the reception hall, Xue Lingxiu picked up the sound transmission talisman and said, "Yun Xian, how are things going over there?"
There was a rustling sound coming from Yun Xian's side, as if someone was changing clothes. After a while, Su Chi's voice rang out from the other end: "It's okay."
It's indeed okay.
Yun Xian knocked the two unlucky disciples unconscious with two slashes of his hand, threw them into the bushes, and stripped off their clothes, regardless of whether they were meat or vegetables, and put them directly on themselves.
The brown robes of the Sword Sect do not distinguish between female and male cultivators, and the way each person wears them is slightly different. Su Chi lowered his eyes to look at the two people, took the clothes from Yun Xian's hand, used a cleansing talisman on them, and then handed them back.
"Big Brother, you're too kind-hearted." Yun Xian said, "You're even doing their laundry? These two people peed everywhere. They definitely don't care about hygiene."
Taipingdao: "You said others don't like to be clean?"
Yun Xian: "At least I won't pee anywhere!"
"Stop it." Su Chi said, looking at Taiping. Taiping flinched, closed his eyes and said nothing. He put on another set of clothes. The clothes were too tight and a little difficult to stretch. He modified his disguise by comparing it with the two unconscious people. "Follow me."
Yun Xian said: "Received!"
In fact, for Su Chi, it was not difficult to sneak into the Sword Sect alone, and he did not need to change his clothes or appearance. But when he saw Yun Xian's excited look, he suddenly remembered that when he sneaked into Liu Liu's room at night before, Yun Xian thought he "didn't understand the atmosphere", so he just went along with it.
Junior sister, do whatever you want, he will take care of it.
It was the break between shifts, but the two people who were scheduled to be there were still no signs of arrival. The people on the previous shift looked into the distance anxiously, and finally saw two familiar figures gradually approaching.
"What were you doing just now?!" The man handed over the spiritual key and complained, "I'm dying of holding it in!"
The shorter one reached out to take it, but just as he handed it over, he noticed something strange and immediately retracted his hand, asking suspiciously, "What's going on? Why do you look a little off today?"
Yun Xian lied with his eyes wide open: "How could that be? What's wrong with that?"
The man exclaimed in horror: "Your face is glowing!"
"Ah, really?"... It turned out that the eldest senior brother had been lying again. Yun Xian gritted his teeth and said, "Maybe it's because I've been eating, drinking, and sleeping well recently. I'm in a good mood because of good things, so my skin is more radiant."
The man sneered and said, "That's nonsense! Do you think I'll believe it?!"
Yun Xian's expression froze. Just as he was about to touch Taiping, he heard this person whisper in a low voice with a smug look on his face, as if to say, "Did you use that popular fairy oil recently? Oh, there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone loves beauty! Where did you buy it? Push me."
Yun Xian: "...We'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later."
Su Chi reached for the spiritual key again, but the man immediately took it back and asked warily, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look a little taller?"
Su Chi remained silent, and Yun Xian said, "He's wearing height-enhancing insoles!"
"What the hell are insoles!" the man yelled angrily. "It increases height so much, how can this be called an insole? It's like stilts! Do you think I'm stupid?!"
In the stagnant atmosphere, Su Chi said, "I'll tell you the secret method tomorrow."
The man smiled happily, threw the spiritual key, patted the two men on the shoulders, and walked away: "Good brothers! You must remember this!"
They both responded: “…”
How did the Sword Sect become the number one in the Northern Realm? With this kind of IQ, it must have been infiltrated like a sieve long ago.
Could it be true, as Yun Xian had said before, that the Dao Sect always practiced inbreeding, inflicting even greater inbreeding on relatives, and thus passed down poor brain genes from generation to generation, which is why it has now become like this...
Regardless, the two successfully obtained the spiritual key and opened the first door.
Inside the door, another ingenious mechanism was slowly operating. It was the color of a pale iron ore, with a cool, cool sheen and exceptionally strong. Even a combined attack from several high-ranking cultivators would be unable to break it. Two guards were still nearby. Upon seeing the two men enter, they looked up and asked, "Are there new things?"
Yun Xian said: "Yes."
"Then hurry in." The two men were not too vigilant, after all, there was a mechanism in place. "Gather them and transport them to the sect together. The elders must be waiting anxiously inside."
The mechanism required a key to unlock it, and several gears turned in turn, totaling eight digits. Given the Dao Sect's cautious nature, this key must have been changed from time to time. Yun Xian had no idea what the password was. He blinked, but continued to walk forward without changing his expression.
What are you afraid of? At worst, you can just knock these two guys out.
Solve the person who finds the problem, and there will be no problem!
The two guards saw that she didn't move for a while and frowned, "What are you doing?"
Before Yun Xian could respond, he saw Su Chi stretch out his hand, and his fingertips touched a corner of the mechanism. A strange wave that did not resemble sword energy penetrated the entire mechanism and went straight into the interior. In an instant, the mechanism opened and there was a bright light inside.
"Hurry up and get in if it's open!" The two men didn't suspect anything and muttered, "It's been quite unsettled out there lately. It's really a troubled time..."
Yun Xian followed Su Chi half a step behind and walked straight towards the small path made of fine iron in front.
Apparently, no one was around. Yun Xian sent a voice message, "Big Brother, how did you know the key?"
Su Chi said, "I don't know."
"I don't know?" Yun Xian raised an eyebrow slightly: "Then how did you open it?"
Su Chi still said the same thing: "If you want to open it, just open it."
Yun Xian: “…” I still remember the last time I asked him how he reached the Spirit Severing Stage, he gave the same answer.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Don't make her angry!!
Su Chi: "What's wrong?"
Yun Xianmu said: "I hate you."
"Don't hate me." Su Chi raised the corner of his lips slightly and said, "It's true."
If he knew, why would he refuse to tell Yun Xian?
"Hello." Xue Lingxiu's voice rang out through the sound transmission talisman, and Yin Yang said, "Please don't talk in front of others. Transmit the sound privately, okay?"
What's "hateful" or "not hateful"? It makes my scalp tingle for no reason and I really want to give it a shot.
Yun Xian then realized that she had been talking on the team's public screen, and everyone except Xue Lingxiu was listening silently. She immediately said, "..."
Su Chi said, "If you don't want to listen, there are many ways. I can teach you."
Xue Lingxiu: "Who are you?!"
Yun Xian pondered over it over and over, but still couldn't figure out what the eldest brother was. A sword cultivator, not human, not demon, not devil, so what exactly was he? Perhaps some kind of demonic spirit, but the answer remained unknown. After all, the Four Realms Continent was so vast, it wouldn't be surprising if there were anything there.
Yun Lang had mentioned before that he was solely focused on finding medicine and had no intention of taking on any apprentices. It was only when he passed by Tu Village and saw this orphan beggar, without a father or mother, grow so strong and slender by eating at other people's houses, that he became suspicious.
...Of course, he later discovered that this was largely due to Su Chi's good looks from childhood. Who doesn't like a beautiful woman? It's not easy to feed her. But Su Chi had already begun to show his extraordinary talent for swordsmanship. He could even chop wood quickly and efficiently for Grandma Wang, who fed him. Yun Lang simply accepted him as his apprentice and brought him back to Jiange.
After all, this child only seems to have a talent for kendo, and is ignorant of other social ways. If he is deliberately seduced by someone, he may easily go astray.
"Forget it, forget it." Yun Xian was about to turn the corner and said, "Anyway, we'll know later."
I don't know if there will be any restrictions on entry to the Tianyuan Martial Arts Tournament, but at least there's no word of it so far. As the eldest brother of Jiange, Su Chi would definitely participate if he could, and who knows, they might even be on the same journey.
The two walked along the fine iron path and finally saw the last door. On the door hung a black iron key, which was dark in color and emitted a cold and dim light.
Behind the door, a voice came from behind, with an unfriendly tone: "Where are the 'new things' you brought?"
Su Chi's fingertips had already touched the black iron. Seeing his calm expression, Yun Xian thought it wouldn't be difficult, so he said, "Open the door first. I'll show you a big treasure."
That person: “?”
Before he could utter the words "Are you sick?", the door flew open with a bang, sword energy filled the air, his vision went black in an instant, and he fell limply to the ground.
Yun Xian quickly closed the door again, the gatekeeper moved away, and he and Su Chi looked up at the scene in front of them.
In the spacious room, pearls are embedded in the walls, as bright as daylight, and the colored glaze covers are smooth and translucent, flashing with colorful light. Each colored glaze cover contains a magical treasure or medicinal plant, and there is a small spirit gathering array. The light on the magic weapon is fluctuating, and it is constantly being nurtured.
In the very center, a whole pool of clear water was drawn out with great care. A stone platform was placed in the pool, and a spiritual sword was placed horizontally on top. There seemed to be water flowing on the sword, echoing with the clear water waves below.
Spiritual treasures need to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; they can't just be left anywhere. Herbs, in particular, are particularly demanding in terms of storage conditions. The Dao Sect took advantage of the opportunity to take over the Qiankun City auction house to acquire so many spiritual treasures at once, and now they're being carefully guarded. Presumably, they're for the martial arts competition.
Naturally, there must be magical weapons stored inside the Sword Sect that are even rarer and more valuable than these, but reaching the internal treasure space is too risky, and it is also inconsistent with Yun Xian’s purpose when he came here.
However, a closer look revealed that the room contained not only magical instruments and spiritual plants, but also a number of manuals. Almost none of these manuals were related to the sword; they were either Buddhist or demonic, with the majority focusing on sword techniques. While there was a connection between swords and blades, the fact that the Sword Sect had collected so many sword techniques without any hesitation clearly indicated ill intentions.
Yun Xian looked at the Jade Water Sword and said, "It seems that this is the spiritual sword that the Sword Sect wants to give to Zhong Changyao."
As they both have water attributes, this sword is really a clever choice. It would be best for Zhong Changyao to take it, but he has to bite the bullet and take it - not having a suitable weapon is his weakness now. Even if he knows that the Sword Sect may do something to the spiritual sword, if he wants to continue cooperating with the Sword Sect, he can only pretend not to know.
Su Chi stretched out his palm, and the Jade Water Sword shot back without resistance. He grasped it in his palm. He lowered his eyes and asked Yun Xian, "Is it destroyed?"
"..." Yun Xian thought carefully and said, "Wait a minute."
She picked up the sound transmission talisman and said, "Saint Lady, Lingshan, how are things going with that guy from the zither workshop?"
Unexpectedly, there was a panting sound coming from the other side, as if a group of people were running. Qiao Lingshan said breathlessly: "We... are being chased by... a group of Sword Sect disciples..."
"What?" Yun Xian asked anxiously, "What's going on?!"
Qiao Lingshan said with her dying breath, "Feng Ye... when he sneaked into the room... he accidentally ran into a sword cultivator changing his pants... Now... all the inner disciples are chasing this bold and lewd thief..."
"I didn't expect that either!!" Feng Ye was running wildly over there, almost crying: "They are all men, what's the big deal if we caught them changing pants?! I haven't asked him to compensate me for my eyes yet! Ahhhhhhh, Lady Saint, save me!!"
Jimo Shu said angrily, "Don't get so close to me! Get away!"
Feng Ye heard the sound and was finally pulled over. But given Jimo Shu's personality, the most she could do was drag him along on the ground.
"We absolutely can't let him get away! Chase him now!" the man behind him shouted in a loud voice, as deep as a bell. "If we let him get away, everyone will know that I was secretly wearing pink underwear!"
Yun Xian: “…”
Su Chi: “…”
You Dao Sect really...
"You guys run first, try to hide, and avoid direct confrontation." Yun Xian made a quick decision and asked, "Miss, Brother Xue, how are things going over there?"
On the other end, Xue Lingxiu did not speak, but a male voice was faintly heard from the reception hall.
He is gentle, elegant, and modest, like a mountain stream or spring, which makes people feel good about him.
It turned out to be Zhong Changyao!
Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu happened to meet Zhong Changyao!
“…”
On this side, Ji Rongxue and Xue Lingxiu were sitting on chairs, and their expressions had never been so consistent.
It is complex, extremely complex, and it is so complex that it is hard to describe.
Liu Changzheng sat at the main seat, his expression surprisingly complex. Rather, aside from Zhong Changyao and Shu Jiuwei, no one in the room had a complex expression.
"Jiuwei, what are you doing?" Zhong Changyao smiled apologetically, then quickly said solemnly, "You said you wanted to visit, so I brought you here. How disgraceful are you being now?"
Shu Jiuwei was still like that today, full of twists and turns. Perhaps she had gotten used to it, always putting on an act that would make others like her. The "others" here didn't usually refer to people of the same sex. Or perhaps, even if someone of the same sex showed dislike for her, her father would simply tell her it was out of jealousy.
Although Shu Jiuwei was still sad because of the dislike from her own sex, she felt much better after hearing what her father said.
"Brother Yao, what's wrong with me?" Shu Jiuwei slumped down on the wooden chair in a bizarre posture, his face looking very innocent: "I'll listen to you and sit still."
Zhong Changyao asked, "Could you sit up straighter?"
Shu Jiuwei was scolded for no reason and sat up straight with a wronged look on his face.
Zhong Changyao couldn't help but frown when he saw that she couldn't hide her gentle and charming look even when she sat up straight.
...Shu Jiuwei may be beautiful, but her demeanor is hardly suitable for a refined audience. Originally, her personalities complemented those of Tang Ling County Princess Tang Wuke, but now... forget it.
"My dear Zhongchang, it's all right. It's all right." Liu Chang said with a forced smile, "The Fox Princess has come to the Sword Sect, so there's no need to be so particular. Hehe, hehe... serve tea, serve tea to the guests."
He hadn't expected that the Sword Sect's manager was just there for nothing, to actually bring these two groups together?! Wasn't this just a deliberate attempt to cause trouble?
Liu Chang looked at Ji Rongxue again, smiled, and asked tentatively: "Miss, Master Xue, are you here for the matter of Qiankun City? Okay, okay, how is Mr. Liu? Is he in good health these days? If we have anything to do, we can..."
Before Ji Rongxue could even open her mouth, a delicate cry rang out from the other end, followed by the sound of a teacup shattering as it hit the ground, splattering the scalding tea. Shu Jiuwei, seemingly having accidentally burned his hand, subconsciously let go of the cup, but as everyone watched, he made countless movements within three seconds:
She first pinched her cold earlobe, then frowned and looked at her outstretched red fingertips, as if frightened, and immediately covered her mouth.
"Brother Yao!" She truly felt wronged and in pain, and said with a delicate frown, "Look! I've got blisters!"
Zhong Changyao: "..."
Xue Lingxiu: “…”
Ji Rongxue: “…”
Even Ji Rongxue's face, which was as cold as his, couldn't help but show a crack.
Maybe it was because of her martial arts skills, but before that, she felt a little bit sorry for the fox demon that Miss Liu bought. She wondered if it violated the demon animal protection law. Is this really a good thing?
But now, her mind has completely changed.
At this moment, everyone is talking about Miss Liu, and everyone is Miss Liu.
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