Chapter 75 Preparations for First Publication on Jinjiang
Yao Sisi and the others found an inn, then ate something and went out to scout out the situation. The four of them split into four groups and exchanged communication talismans so they could contact each other at any time.
The group returned that evening, relaying their respective messages, with a focus on matters concerning the Xuan Yun Sect.
After everyone tallied it up, they discovered something: apart from Ning Xiu, all of them were over the sect's basic recruitment standards.
The sect recruits in three ways: those under seven years old are directly assessed on their spiritual root talent; as long as they meet this standard, they can directly join the outer sect; if their talent is exceptionally good, they may directly join the inner sect.
Between the ages of seven and fifteen, in addition to verifying one's spiritual root, one also needs to participate in the sect's assessment, which involves climbing the Heavenly Ladder and crossing the Heavenly Bridge. Passing the first two tests allows one to enter the outer sect, while passing the second test allows one to directly enter the inner sect.
The remaining age group is between fifteen and twenty-five years old. This is a policy of major sects for disciples in remote areas. In addition to all the above tests, the Monster Valley test is added.
Yao Sisi probably has the nature of an examiner; she always seems to have a bit of the examiner's mindset when faced with a situation. Why do older people get more tests? It's probably because older people have more experience than younger people, and it would be unfair to the children not to test them. Besides, she's an adult and wouldn't bother testing elementary school students.
"So why add the Demon Beast Canyon test instead of something else?" She glanced at the group and said, "Ning Xiu doesn't need to worry about the Demon Beast Canyon test. I reckon the reason for adding the canyon test is to test our combat skills and teamwork. After all, there are so many cultivators participating, and they can't all be combat-oriented. There must be some who specialize in auxiliary skills, such as alchemy, weapon crafting, and formations. These are all essential skills for sects and are quite popular in immortal sects, but their combat power is generally a little lower. The sects can't just not want them, can they?"
Qi Mu nodded: "What Miss Sisi said makes sense. Then we can't hold back when we participate in the Demon Beast Canyon Trial. I just don't know what the situation will be like inside. Will we still be together, or will we team up with others?"
Yao Sisi was also unsure: "The situation changes every year, so we'll just have to adapt to the circumstances!"
Qi Mu said worriedly, "No matter what's going on inside, we need to go out and practice now so we can get familiar with the characteristics of the cultivators' techniques here."
Yao Sisi: "The Foundation Establishment stage is different from the Qi Refining stage. Before that, cultivation was mainly focused on self-cultivation, and the differences in techniques were all in the foundation. The combat power was generally not much different. However, starting from the Foundation Establishment stage, there are technique bonuses, as well as other secret techniques and spells. You are a sword cultivator, so you should have matching sword techniques and moves. I'll look through them for you in a bit and see if there are any powerful sword moves."
Qi Mu was afraid that she would be anxious about her own affairs, so he made up an excuse to tell her that he still had enough sword moves. It would be good if he could find them, but it wouldn't matter if he couldn't.
"The sword manual that Sisi gave me before was quite powerful, and I can still use it to a great extent. I might not be able to perform as well as this one if I temporarily practice other ones. Besides, I can refine pills, so I can just join the sect as an alchemist if necessary."
Yao Sisi frowned and said, "There are many dangers in the canyon, and alchemy requires a safe environment, which is not good for you. Although we have some skills, we must at least keep our lives alive before we can use them. I have heard that there is a risk of death in every trial. Although the chance is not high, I do not want that chance to fall on any of us. Not only you, Liu Yuan also needs to practice his life-saving spells recently."
The group discussed the matter around the table for a while, mainly focusing on the direction of development for the next few days. After they finished discussing, they all went back to their rooms to rest, trying not to think too much and get a good night's sleep to ease the discomfort of living on the ship and the fatigue of the day's journey.
After returning to her room, Yao Sisi immediately slipped into her spatial dimension. The air inside was quite dry, and despite the mild climate outside, it couldn't be retained at all. It was like a large square pot where the soil would easily dry out if no one took care of it or watered it.
After she entered, she went straight to the cabin and rummaged through the shelves, finding several practical spellbooks, such as the Concealing Breath Technique, which, as the name suggests, is a spell to hide one's body. It can be practiced by those in the Foundation Establishment stage and is suitable for her and Qi Mu, but Liu Yuan cannot practice it.
The Ethereal Steps is a movement technique that is very flexible in combat and also convenient for escaping. However, it is somewhat difficult to practice and cannot be mastered overnight. This technique has no cultivation level or technique restrictions, so anyone can practice it.
Yao Sisi put the two into her bosom. As for the others, she thought it was pointless to try to do too much at once. Then she flipped through them and found the middle volume of Qi Mu Sword Manual—Yun Qing Sword Manual.
This time, the sword manual was no longer in the form of a book, but in the form of a jade slip. She glanced at it and saw that the middle volume could be practiced to the late Golden Core stage. However, sword cultivators do not only practice one sword manual. In addition to their own cultivation methods, they also have a variety of sword manuals to adapt to various combat scenarios. But ordinary cultivators are lucky to have a decent sword manual. How can they have the opportunity to possess too many?
She simply took it with her and then excitedly knocked on his door. It was already late, and an ordinary man and woman would not knock on the door at this time, but Yao Sisi and Qi Mu were so close that they used to be together day and night. She didn't realize anything was wrong and just knocked on the door with the joy of having something good to share.
Qi Mu was getting ready to sleep in her room when she heard her voice, so she put on a coat and opened the door for her.
As soon as the door opened, she suppressed her excitement and looked around, whispering to him, "I've come to give you a big treasure!"
Qi Mu straightened his clothes. In fact, he wasn't wearing much, which was a bit impolite, but opening the door like that depended on who he was talking to. Unfortunately, the person in front of him didn't look down at all, but stared at his face, waiting for him to ask a curious question.
He would naturally oblige her, "What good stuff?"
Yao Sisi was happy, then turned around and closed the door. As for his clothes...
She really didn't care, because what the ancients called "wearing little clothing" is actually seen as wearing a lot by modern people. He wasn't showing any skin, so there was no difference from usual.
At least that's how Yao Sisi saw it. She took out a jade slip from her sleeve and handed it to her, saying, "Take a look!"
Qi Mu was no longer a novice in cultivation. He pressed the jade slip to his forehead and probed it with his divine sense, discovering that it was actually the middle volume of his cultivation technique. At this moment, he couldn't care less about ambiguous thoughts, nor would he inquire about its origin. He simply praised, "What Sisi gave me is indeed a good thing!"
Yao Sisi: "Right, right! I was shocked when I found it too. I even found two useful little spells. Take a look and see which one you like. We need to practice them before we participate."
She took out the Concealed Breath Technique and the Ethereal Steps, and in the end, Qi Mu chose to practice the Ethereal Steps.
After Yao Sisi saw that he had made his selection, she said, "Okay, but I don't plan to go out tomorrow. Go out and buy a few blank jade slips and make a copy of the Misty Steps. As for the sword manual, you can use it for now and give it back to me when you no longer need it."
Qi Mu nodded, unable to resist excitedly examining the sword technique, but as he looked at it, he frowned. "Miss Sisi, the sword technique is a one-time inherited sword move. It will shatter after you finish learning it."
Yao Sisi exclaimed, "Ah! I didn't notice before!" She took the sword manual and examined it, discovering that it really was a one-time use item. When she looked at Qi Mu again, she found that he was also troubled.
Actually, if he hadn't told her, she wouldn't have known. Now that he has, isn't he worried that she will take back her sword moves and not let him use them anymore?
She said, "It's fine if it's just once. You can just copy a new one for me after you've mastered it. Anyway, I don't practice sword techniques. It'll just gather dust here. I can't bear to give it to someone else. I wouldn't even sell such a good sword technique..."
Qi Mu looked at her and realized that she was really good to him. She was reluctant to sell herself to others, but she was willing to give herself to him for free. All the hardships he had suffered in his life were for the sake of experiencing sweetness after meeting her!
"I will definitely study hard and then copy it back for Miss Sisi."
Seeing that the matter was settled, Yao Sisi prepared to leave. She stood up, looked outside, and instructed, "Hide well. Be careful, the inn is full of all sorts of people."
Then she patted her forehead: "I should have found a safer place for you, but unfortunately we haven't found a safe place to stay yet. I was too happy. Sigh, I shouldn't have been in such a hurry!"
Qi Mu thought: You came over in the middle of the night, which is already quite discreet. Besides, people's first reaction wouldn't be to deliver a spell, but rather to assume...
He pursed his lips, not thinking about it anymore: "It's okay, there are soundproof arrays in the room, no one will know what we discussed."
Yao Sisi whispered, "Of course I know there's a formation, but my constant coming and going will inevitably arouse suspicion. They'll definitely think we're plotting something."
Qi Mu paused, then said something he hadn't expected at all, and was stunned after speaking, "Then... how about Miss Sisi stay here with me tonight and not leave yet?"
Yao Sisi said with disdain, "How can that be? Your bed is so small. I've had enough of small beds. The bed on the ship was so tight that it was hard to even turn over. I don't want to squeeze into a single bed with you. I'm leaving now. Sweet dreams."
She crept to the door, and when she heard no sound outside and saw no suspicious gazes behind her, she carefully opened the door, slipped out, and gently closed it behind her.
Inside the room, Qi Mu walked to the door and locked it from the inside, but he couldn't fall asleep at all. He sighed softly, seemingly lost in thought, and then sat down at the table to study sword techniques.
In the days that followed, everyone worked hard to cultivate. Yao Sisi even hid in her space and activated the formation. Unlike the others who had limited time and valued quality over quantity in their studies, she had more choices. As long as she wanted to learn, she had plenty of time.
Yao Sisi divided her days into several segments: times when she practiced the Blazing Blade Technique, times when she practiced the Refining Spirit Technique, times when she practiced the Concealing Breath Technique, and times when she practiced other techniques she liked.
She stayed in the space for three months until she had almost finished all the fasting pills and food before going out to buy more and see if there were any good materials, as she wanted to reforge her weapon.
When she returned from shopping, Qi Mu returned the Misty Step Jade Slip to her and made an appointment to go hunting in the wild in a while to participate in actual combat and hone her skills.
Yao Sisi readily agreed, saying that once she finished refining the weapon, she would also go out and test the blade.
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