Chapter 116: The Woman Who Carries the Banner

“How about it? You saw the mission, right?” A voice sounded beside her.

She turned around and found Chi Jiuyu, who had just been lounging with one leg crossed and staring at the ceiling, now standing beside her.

“You…”

“That’s right, I knew about it in advance, which is why I bought those two invitation tickets.”

“I…”

“This kind of mission isn’t hard—I’ve completed several like it before.”

“This…”

“Although those alien kings and biological weapon cores are comparable to Nascent Soul, they’ll be suppressed to your same realm, so don’t worry.”

“…”

Fine.

She’d already said it all—there was no need for her to ask further.

“Let’s go, let’s go! First, let’s have a big meal, then you spend some time adapting in the Starry Sky Simulation Training Ground before we set out.”

Then Chi Jiuyu pulled Zhang Yunlu away.

Several Void-Refining elders still in the hall fell into thought.

Creation Foundation Establishment, mission assigned.

Could it be that in a short while, another junior ancestral master will appear? Sigh~ A Void-Refining elder with faintly streaked temples, looking middle-aged, let out a soft sigh.

People really can’t be compared—he only hoped his grandson could complete the third stage of the Cai Lian Method, and establish even a natural Dao Foundation.

Yet just then, in the Cai Lian Method cultivation zone.

As one cultivation chamber’s door opened, a stretcher floated out slowly into the air, surrounded by a light membrane that blocked all odors.

The Void-Refining elder froze, then his face darkened sharply.

This useless brat!

Meanwhile.

The two had already stepped outside.

“Hey! Look, you’re on the list—third place!”

Like a list woven from the last rays of sunset, it hung down, each name arranged in order—Zhang Yunlu’s name stood clearly among them.

Third…

“Are the two above you also Creation Foundation Establishment?”

“Yes, both of them!”

Previously, Chi Jiuyu had invited them to join his “Future Sect Master Alliance,” but both had refused.

When her senior sister found out, she mocked her for a long time, saying she was overreaching.

Damn it! Like I couldn’t find anyone—look, I found someone now! “The one ranked first wasn’t born on our Central Continent—he’s from a planet in the Southern Star Region.” Chi Jiuyu continued explaining.

“A few years ago, his homeworld was attacked by biological weapons; by the time the Sword Sect reinforcements arrived, less than one in ten thousand of its people remained.”

“That’s when he realized his Dao.”

An entire planet’s population, less than one in ten thousand left?

Zhang Yunlu didn’t know what to say—everything Chi Jiuyu described was hard for someone raised on the Central Continent to comprehend.

She couldn’t even imagine what such a scene looked like.

“Is the starry sky… that dangerous?”

“Of course it’s dangerous! The starry sky is too vast—even my senior brothers and sisters can’t monitor every planet constantly.”

There’s a saying that fits well.

In the starry sky, you never know whether tomorrow or an accident comes first.

“By the way, my senior brother originally planned to take him as a disciple.”

So it sounds like he didn’t end up taking him?

“Why not?” Zhang Yunlu asked.

“He moved too fast—he directly became a disciple of the Dao-Union elder who came to provide aid. Once my senior brother found out, he gave up.” Chi Jiuyu’s tone carried a hint of melancholy. “...”

“Alright, let’s go.” Chi Jiuyu summoned a blue-gold longsword, then lightly leapt onto its blade. “Try sword-riding—I know you’ve studied object-controlling techniques. I’ll teach you; you can fly while learning.”

It sounds incredibly dangerous…

But Zhang Yunlu didn’t refuse—she pulled out the ice-crystal longsword she’d won during the combat test.

Chi Jiuyu glanced at it: “Find time to replace it or get someone to upgrade it—this sword’s quality is too poor. It’s fine for Qi Refining, but it’ll fall behind once you reach Foundation Establishment.”

After all, it was just a reward from a combat test at the Xuanjian City school—it wasn’t impressive at all.

“Where can I upgrade its rank?”

She liked the sword and didn’t plan to replace it.

“Far away? No—it’s right before your eyes.” Chi Jiuyu grinned and pointed at herself.

“?”

“I’ll send you a sword-nourishing technique later, then use this secret realm from my aunt.” She waved a small red bead she had somehow produced out of thin air. “Just nourish it a little.”

“Let’s go—I’ll explain the details on the way.”

The blue-gold longsword slowly lifted Chi Jiuyu into the air.

Zhang Yunlu carefully stepped onto her ice-crystal sword, channeled her true energy, and rose unsteadily.

“Practice for now. After this mission, go take the sword-riding license exam,” Chi Jiuyu said beside her.

But Zhang Yunlu barely heard her—watching the ground grow farther below, she grew increasingly cautious.

Just then.

A device the size of a palm, shaped like a smartphone, arrived before the two—more precisely, it halted directly before Zhang Yunlu. “Ding! Hello, cultivator, please present your sword-riding license!”

A cold, crisp mechanical voice rang out.

Sword-riding license? Zhang Yunlu froze—her true energy output faltered for an instant, and her body wobbled, about to plummet.

At the critical moment, the Dao platform in her spiritual sea emitted a mysterious vibration—just as when she’d nearly died during Qi Refining—her entire true energy surged, forcibly stabilizing her form.

Chi Jiuyu now moved closer and pulled out a credential.

“I am Chi Jiuyu, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator, former champion of the Sword Sect’s Sword-Riding Race. By regulation, I am qualified to guide cultivators in practicing sword-riding!”

A blue light projected from the device, scanning the credential and Chi Jiuyu.

“Credential verified. Have a pleasant day!” The same cold, crisp mechanical voice echoed.

After saying that, the device turned and flew away.

“That voice is awful. When I become sect master, I’ll replace it,” Chi Jiuyu muttered, then tucked away the credential. “Let’s go.”

Thus, the two gradually flew farther away on their swords.

…………

Meanwhile, beneath the Sword Sect’s Dan Ding Pavilion.

A woman dressed in beige sportswear, blindfolded with white cloth, and carrying a black-and-white Dao banner appeared in the crowd’s view.

Four large characters on the banner: “Fate and Fortune Rest With Me.”

Her attire was so striking that many turned to stare.

What the hell is this? Is this some kind of performance arranged by the Sword Sect?

She paid no attention to the gazes around her, instead looking up at the mountain path.

More precisely, she watched the two descending the path.

“Master Xiang?”

The next instant, the tourists nearby felt a blur before their eyes—they involuntarily turned away from the woman.

“What are you doing here?” A cold, sharp voice rang out.

“My elder brother has emerged from seclusion—I’ve come to offer congratulations,” the woman, whom Xu Xing called “Xiang Yuanjun,” smiled lightly.

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(End of chapter)