Chapter 20

It's late at night—what's so urgent?

Zhang Yunlu withdrew her gaze and looked at the red jade in her hand; her spiritual energy had fully recovered, yet that warm current flowed endlessly from her palm into her limbs and organs, easing much of her physical fatigue.

She moved her sword-holding hand; the ache had vanished completely.

'Do a few more reps!' she thought to herself.

Inside the jade box was a red thread; threading it through the red jade allowed it to be worn around the neck perfectly.

Soon, the long sword returned to her hand, its surface covered in spiritual light; Zhang Yunlu recalled the sword technique and swung the blade.

Compared to the earlier slightly stiff movements, this time the technique was perfectly smooth and harmonious.

Warm currents flowed through her body; the long sword in her hand felt like a breeze brushing past, clouds dispersing—the blade itself subtly vanished, then reappeared the next instant.

Shhh! A streak of white light shot out, racing three zhang before gradually fading.

This is sword aura—it can slice stone into a mirror and penetrate cold iron three inches deep!

The first form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Art—achieved!

It actually worked?

Even Zhang Yunlu herself froze; just moments ago, she had been so far from success.

She bit her lip, gripping the red jade at her chest; even through her clothes, she still felt its warmth.

'So… he deduced that I'd receive this red jade, and thus concluded I could master the Flowing Cloud Sword Art before tomorrow?'

Does that mean he also knows the origin of this red jade? Zhang Yunlu's thoughts churned; it took her a long while to calm down.

After school tomorrow, I'll ask! About the truth of my parents' deaths—she couldn't say she was completely indifferent, and she believed her brother felt the same.

Now there's a lead to investigate—ignoring it would be stupid.

As for the risk…

Hmph—if a cultivator of that level wanted to seize it, could she and her brother even resist?

She was merely a Qi Condensation cultivator, and her brother was only a Jin Dan! Having made her decision, Zhang Yunlu sheathed her sword, picked up the jade box and the Soul-Replenishing Elixir, and turned to leave the rooftop, returning home.

After washing up, she walked straight into her bedroom.

She lit a calming incense stick; as the slender smoke curled upward, Zhang Yunlu got into bed, lay down, closed her eyes, and clutched the red jade tightly in her hand.

Soon she fell into deep sleep—but she did not dream until dawn.

In a strange, boundless gray space, Zhang Yunlu stared around, bewildered.

Suddenly, a line of golden text appeared before her.

【Alright, I admit this might be a bit clichéd, but given your constitution and insight, this method is the most suitable to master the Flowing Cloud Sword Art before tomorrow.】

«??? »

【Enemy: Qi Condensation Level 9 Sword Cultivator, Flowing Cloud Sword Art Minor Mastery】

【Objective: Eliminate!】

What? What the hell?

Before she could react, the mist around her churned and coalesced into a long sword in her hand.

Cold to the touch, its heavy weight proved it was real! Wait—

Could he not have meant the red jade at all, but this strange place?

A figure wielding a sword emerged from the gray mist, clad in black combat gear, face obscured, Qi Condensation Level 9 spiritual energy fully exposed—equal to hers.

Gulp!

Is this really going to happen?

Without hesitation, the sword cultivator's shadow stepped forward, raised his blade, and in an instant was before her—the sharp edge slashing toward her head.

His actions made it clear: this wasn't sparring—it was slaughter!

Ding! Zhang Yunlu parried with her sword, quickly retreating; but the blade clung to her like a shadow—she retreated several steps, and only then did her numb right hand recover.

She fell backward instantly; the sword-wielding shadow's blade severed only a few strands of her hair, then continued forward due to momentum.

Seizing the opening, Zhang Yunlu thrust her sword straight ahead—the tide instantly reversed; she was about to pierce him through.

But the sword cultivator's shadow pulled a short sword from his waist, its blade covered in spiritual light.

Ding! He blocked the strike outright! "That's cheating!" she shouted, rolling sideways like a lazy donkey, rising swiftly and swinging her sword—the blade vanished for an instant, then reappeared, a terrifying sword aura stabbing toward the shadow's lower back. But the shadow had already stabilized, sidestepping effortlessly to avoid the aura.

He countered with a slash—like a breeze and drifting clouds, his blade vanished for an instant too.

Zhang Yunlu's alarm bells rang loudly; she arched her back sharply, avoiding the incoming sword aura—but pain flared in her waist; when she turned, white light filled her vision.

Flowing Cloud Sword Art Minor Mastery—three sword auras!

At the last possible moment, Zhang Yunlu raised her right hand—and gave a middle finger. The next instant, her head exploded like a burst watermelon, dissolving into clouds of gray mist.

………

"Kinda cheeky."

In the villa, Xu Xing watched Zhang Yunlu's headless body collapse—but her final gesture was rather amusing; she lost the fight but not her spirit.

"Her timing and battlefield judgment are excellent—she's clearly suited for the sword cultivator path."

"And she's even entered the Flowing Cloud Sword Art—that's somewhat surprising."

Zhang Yunlu's performance was outstanding.

In sudden combat, she remained calm and made sound judgments; even when caught off-guard, she recovered swiftly.

In this era, peace far surpasses the past; conflicts have dwindled greatly.

Thus, cultivators like Zhang Yunlu—with strong combat talent—are easily overlooked.

Her constitution is just a bit lacking; otherwise, even within the Sword Sect, she could have become a top disciple under a Return-to-Void elder.

"Well then, since you have this talent, I'll help you forge a Heaven-Born Dao Foundation."

Once the Heaven-Born Dao Foundation is established, paired with her exceptional combat talent, she may yet become a disciple of one of the Four Elders!

The next instant, the entire grey space seemed to have been pressed into fast-forward, the images all blurring.

Xu Xing turned his head to look outside.

"Sure enough, you still couldn't set your mind at ease and came looking, did you." Someone was carefully approaching this place. "But doing so is rather unwise."

In the villa next door, someone was already on the verge of noticing; a vast, powerful divine sense was gradually spreading out.

"Enough, since you're so eager to see me, I'll give you a hand."

Xu Xing raised his hand and gave a light tap before him.

Hum~ an invisible ripple spread outward, and just as he finished doing this, that vast divine sense had already enveloped the entire residential compound.

It swept a circle but found nothing; that divine sense could only withdraw again.

…………

Inside the compound, Zhang Xiu carefully approached his target.

Arriving nearby, a thin layer of power attempted to warp his senses.

This was a formation.

Before coming, Zhang Xiu had done his research; a formation of this level couldn't even block a Qi Refining stage cultivator, let alone him.

Soon, he arrived at the wall and formed a hand seal.

Wall-Penetrating Art.

Then he walked straight toward the wall; the wall, which had the property of forbidding magic, seemed like a mere ornament, and he passed through it with ease.

Once inside, because no lights had been turned on, it looked gloomy and somewhat eerie.

'Keep going, can't delay.'

To save time, he passed straight through several walls in a row and arrived at the living room.

The living room was empty, and the moonlight shining in actually brightened the place considerably.

"Trespassing on private property should be illegal, but I still want to say one thing."

The voice that suddenly reached his ears made Zhang Xiu's scalp go numb; on the sofa, originally empty, a young-looking man had suddenly appeared, watching him with a smile.

"Good evening."

Begging for favorites, begging for follows!! (End of chapter)