Chapter 108

The two waited in silence for a while.

Fortunately, Bie Xuening did not appear, nor were they suddenly transported to the Sword Sovereign's Hall.

emm……

Perhaps my master (owner) didn't see it, or didn't care?

A profound silence settled, until Chi Jiuyu finally broke it.

"Let go of me, and I won't report you to Silutang."

"You promise?"

"Why would I lie to you? Call Silutang's people, then let my master take you back—what benefit would that be to me?"

If my master's sword is taken back over this, she'll surely betray me without mercy.

That does sound reasonable…

If I'm taken back by the owner, I definitely won't escape either!

Once she realized this, Yue Ling released the hand she had been pressing down.

Chi Jiuyu scrambled to her feet, then stepped back several paces.

Yue Ling stared at her, her thoughts slightly complicated.

She hadn't expected her first meeting with the owner's disciple to turn out like this—it differed from her expectations.

The two regarded each other across a distance for a while.

"... You're Yue Ling, right?" Chi Jiuyu asked tentatively.

This was the first time she had learned her master's sentient sword's name.

"You must call me Lord Yue Ling!" the little girl emphasized.

But Chi Jiuyu ignored her entirely: "By the way, aren't you supposed to maintain the Xiang Jianzong's battle network? Why did you come looking for me?"

Are you bored? "Because my shift changed—I've been on duty for over a thousand years, so now Sister Yueying is taking over."

Sister Yueying?

Oh! You mean my aunt's sword…

Wait!

Something feels off.

"Aren't you my master's sword? Logically, my aunt's sword should call you sister."

"Because my sentience awakened later."

I see—my aunt's sword is smarter.

After mentally scoffing, Chi Jiuyu remembered something serious.

"Can you read minds?"

"I can," Yue Ling nodded.

This was trivially easy for her.

Chi Jiuyu's expression changed—would she fly into a rage and beat me up?

But Yue Ling's next words put her at ease.

"But I won't abuse this ability."

"Why not?"

"The owner said everyone's inner thoughts are their privacy—never pry without cause."

Who would've thought—this childlike ancestral sword has high moral standards.

"Hmm, my master is right."

"And the owner also said some people say one thing but think another—maybe they praise you to your face while insulting you behind your back; not prying lets you avoid the trouble altogether."

Because she was the owner's disciple, she spoke with sincerity.

Though the owner is a cruel woman, her disciple is innocent—at least for now…

"..."

Who is she talking about?

Definitely not me—I'm the most honest person ever! Chi Jiuyu suddenly found her master's sentient sword quite interesting; no matter what she asked, Yue Ling answered honestly.

She opened a nearby cabinet, took out two cans of drink, and handed one to Yue Ling.

"When did you start following my master?"

"I've always followed."

Always followed?! Chi Jiuyu sat down quickly: "Then you must know a lot about my master and my aunt's past?"

"Not much… I only gained awareness after my owner reached the Golden Core Stage."

"When you became aware, who was stronger—my master or my aunt?"

"My owner was stronger. The Xiang Jianzong didn't catch up until he reached the Nascent Soul Stage."

So my master was stronger? Emm…

Chi Jiuyu suddenly recalled what she'd learned in Xuanjian City, inside her aunt's trial space. "Then who was the first to reach Soul Transformation? My aunt or my master?"

"My owner reached Soul Transformation first, but she wasn't the first person to do so."

"Huh?"

It wasn't either my master or my aunt! "Then who was it?"

"I don't know."

At that time, my sentience was still weak—I only remembered things around me; as for who the first human to reach Soul Transformation was…

Come on, I'm just a sword! All I cared about was how to help my owner kill her enemies—why would I remember something like that?

…………

Meanwhile, within the Illusory Realm.

【Name: Zhang Yunlu】

【Realm: Qi Gathering Ninth Layer · Wu Li】

【Position: None】

【Current Battle Rank: 9 (Qi Gathering)】

Zhang Yunlu stood by the roadside.

Currently, besides her, there were no other Wu Li sword cultivators, so her path to climbing the ranks was incredibly smooth.

Because she had won continuously, her rank quickly rose to ninth.

The numbers beneath the two gold coin icons thus changed to — 11199.

Entering the top hundred on the Qi Gathering rank for the first time grants one thousand contribution points; entering the top ten for the first time grants ten thousand contribution points; and reaching first place for the first time grants one hundred thousand contribution points.

Not bad — the reward for first place is just enough to pay the fine for the Scripture Hall.

Moreover, this is only the first-time ascent reward; there is also a monthly ranking settlement reward, which, though not as large as the first-time bonus, still yields considerable income if maintained consistently.

But Zhang Yunlu was not thinking about this now.

"The sword cultivators of the Xiang Jianzong are truly extraordinary."

Since she was not under the same urgency as during the Xuanjian City trial, she deliberately suppressed her spiritual energy and physical attributes, which had surged due to her Wu Li.

Moreover, before each battle, she would step out and consume three stalks of Tongxuan Grass, the trial's special product, to achieve maximum enhancement.

Zhang Yunlu was well aware of her own weaknesses.

Asking herself honestly, if she were merely an ordinary Qi Gathering cultivator, she could never have defeated the final opponent she encountered in the trial.

Compared to these disciples who entered early or were born into the Xiang Jianzong's resources, she was merely a lucky one who gained a senior's favor and attained Wu Li by chance.

If she allowed herself to become arrogant, she would never catch up to Chi Jiuyu.

Chi Jiuyu's Foundation Establishment insights mentioned such cases.

Several Qi Gathering cultivators who attained Wu Li, due to the massive boost it brought, neglected the accumulation of their foundational cultivation.

The result of doing so was…

They could still outshine other cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage, but this advantage became insignificant in the Golden Core Stage, and in the Nascent Soul Stage, they vanished entirely into the crowd.

Of course, such Wu Li cultivators who became like that were extremely rare.

But this also showed that cultivation demands constant diligence — a momentary Wu Li means nothing.

If she still wished to uncover the truth and see the scenery higher up, she must fight more opponents and solidify her foundations.

"He Dao…"

According to her brother, only after He Dao could she uncover the truth behind her parents' demise.

【Match successful!】

A pale blue translucent panel displayed a line of text.

Zhang Yunlu suppressed her restless thoughts.

【Your opponent is…】

【Name:??】

【Realm: Qi Gathering Ninth Layer】

【Current Battle Rank: 5 (Qi Gathering)】

Another anonymous opponent.

More than half the people on the battle rank list chose anonymity to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Even Zhang Yunlu had chosen anonymity.

But it made little difference — Qi Gathering Ninth Layer cultivators who had attained Wu Li were specially marked, and at this time, she was the only one.

After more than ten seconds, another line of text appeared on the pale blue translucent panel.

【Your opponent has surrendered. Congratulations, you have won this battle automatically!!!】

Huh? Surrendered? First update.

Vacation is over. Wishing everyone smooth studies, successful work, and happy lives!!! (End of chapter)