Chapter 35: The Goal of the Younger Generation

In the bedroom, Zhang Yunlu sat cross-legged on the bed, a dish of roasted spirit beans resting on the nightstand beside her.

She slowly flipped through the book “Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa” given to her by Zihuan Zhenjun, occasionally tossing a bean into her mouth.

“Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa” was an introductory technique of the Zi Huan lineage of the Taishang Dao Sect; though merely introductory, it was not weak.

Upon mastery, its wonders were boundless—it could reveal one’s own deficiencies, anticipate an opponent’s moves, and at advanced levels, sense hidden dangers in the void.

But since the book contained many professional terms not taught in school, she often had to search their meanings online.

After reading it three or four times straight, she finally grasped the general idea.

She closed the book and set it aside, rubbing her temples.

Huh~ She exhaled slowly, got off the bed, and stretched her body.

Are all cultivation methods for spellcasters this complicated?

She still felt sword techniques suited her better.

She opened her hand, and a long sword appeared in her grasp—three feet three inches long, ice-blue and crystal-clear, as if carved from crystal, radiating a faint chill.

For a moment, the temperature in the bedroom seemed to drop several degrees.

It was a high-grade magic treasure, one of the prizes she won for ranking first in the combat trial.

Though the other prizes were also excellent, she preferred this one most.

She infused a trace of spiritual power into it; the blade glowed faintly, and the sword beams it produced carried a hint of ice attribute.

If she had had this sword during the combat trial, could she have defeated Xiao Fan?

Zhang Yunlu simulated the scenario in her mind, but ultimately felt her chances were slim—pseudo-Foundation Establishment was still Foundation Establishment, and she had no way to counter his object-control technique alone.

If only a pseudo-Foundation Establishment phantom appeared during the trial for her to test against, she thought, as she pulled open a drawer on the nightstand and took out a jade box, removing the red jade necklace to wear around her neck.

Since combat trials forbade the use of combat-enhancing magic treasures, and she couldn’t determine whether this necklace counted, she’d simply left it at home.

She picked up the sword and stepped out of the bedroom.

Zhang Xiu sat on the living room sofa, seemingly lost in thought, and turned his head only upon hearing the sound.

“Xiao Lu, you… tried it?”

“Not yet. The ‘Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa’ is complicated—I doubt I can achieve any effect anytime soon.”

As for the more important reason, her sword technique was taught by Xu Xing; if she were to cultivate another method, she ought to inform him first.

“Mm, since it was given by a He Dao elder, caution is indeed warranted.” Zhang Xiu felt reassured. “Then what are you doing now?”

“I’m going to test this sword.” Zhang Yunlu spun a sword flourish.

After staring at the “Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa” until her head ached, she desperately needed to practice some swordplay to relax.

Besides, this was her new sword!

Even when you buy new clothes, you try them on.

“Don’t go too far, and don’t practice too long.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll stay right upstairs.”

She still planned to go to the rooftop; with the sun this strong at noon, no one would dare go up there.

Once the sun weakened, she’d find an excuse to go out.

…………

At three in the afternoon, Chi Jiuyu tossed and turned in bed.

She’d found a small program online that could recover deleted chat logs.

But recovery took time, so she left it running in the background and kept scrolling through posts on the spirit net.

【Why does the Hehuan Sect still have the most applicants every year, despite being looked down upon by practitioners of other paths?】

【Regarding the disappearance of Shenghuang Yuan, I have six hypotheses…】

She clicked open one—and the post’s content was only…

Future Sect Master of the Sword Sect: “Asshole!”

Scrolling further, Chi Jiuyu soon found a post that enraged her.

【Within a century, the Sword Sect will be utterly surpassed by the Taishang Dao Sect】, posted by—Quietly Cultivating Spell Technique, Xiao Zhao.

The post analyzed from every angle why the Taishang Dao Sect surpassed the Sword Sect.

“Bullshit!”

Chi Jiuyu sat up straight, her fingers blurring on the screen as she typed a long reply—then… 【You currently lack permission to comment on this post.】

Switch accounts!

No good.

Switch again! Still no good.

Fuck! All three of her accounts were blacklisted!

Chi Jiuyu flung herself backward, kicking her long legs wildly at the empty air.

You piece of trash, don’t let me run into you at the next Immortal Sect Grand Competition! Just as she prepared to post a retort, a notification popped up: her chat logs had been fully restored.

“Jiuyu, come down.”

Xu Xing’s voice suddenly echoed beside her ear, making her jump—her phone slipped and smashed into her eye.

Fortunately, she was a Nascent Soul cultivator; the pain meant nothing to her.

She snatched the phone off her face: “Coming, Master!”

Would Master have noticed she was recovering her chat logs?

…………

“Since he gave you the ‘Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa,’ practicing it won’t hurt.”

Xu Xing sat across from Zhang Yunlu; on the table between them lay the bound yellow-cover book given by Zihuan Zhenjun.

He did not open it—the technique had existed before his seclusion; perhaps improved, but its core remained unchanged.

“Will practicing this be inappropriate for me?”

“No. It’s merely an introductory method; many know it—even many in the Sword Sect practice it.”

Techniques and spells among major immortal sects were mutually exchanged.

Other sects often borrowed methods from the Sword Sect.

Many years ago, he had even transmitted some of his own created techniques and spells—only to see a large number of cultivators die from them.

Those who barely survived used their cultivation to oppress others, and he personally slaughtered them all.

“But if he gives you a more advanced foundational method, you can refuse outright—say you’re from the Sword Sect.”

Techniques, spells—they didn’t matter.

What truly defined a cultivator’s path was their foundational method.

Under his guidance, Zhang Yunlu’s entire foundation was built for sword cultivation; switching to spellcasting now would be a waste.

“Master! Why’d you call me down?!” Chi Jiuyu stomped in wearing flip-flops. “Huh? Isn’t this the winner of the morning combat trial?”

“I remember your name is Zhang Yunlu, right?”

Chi Jiuyu walked over casually and sat beside Zhang Yunlu, picking up the “Zi Yuan Guan Qi Fa” on the table.

“Isn’t this the stuff from that bunch of idiots at the Taishang Dao Sect—!”

She caught herself in time—in front of her master and a stranger, she had to mind her image.

“You’ve fought someone from this lineage before,” Xu Xing asked.

“Yeah, I met one during the last Immortal Sect Grand Competition’s top sixteen match—they were tough, took several of my swords without breaking!”

Zhang Yunlu studied her for a moment: “You’re Chi Jiuyu?!”

Chi Jiuyu raised an eyebrow.

“You know me?”

“Of course I do!” Zhang Yunlu’s voice held a trace of excitement.

The Alliance of Righteous Sects had published a ranking of cultivators under twenty-five.

Chi Jiuyu ranked second on it.

She had single-handedly wiped out an entire planet’s alien lifeforms while still at the Golden Core stage—her feat was even reported on television.

She won first place in her realm in two consecutive Immortal Sect Grand Competitions, hailed as the most gifted cultivator in a thousand years.

She was the goal pursued by nearly all young cultivators.

But now that she’d actually met her… why did she feel so strange?

Please collect and follow!! (End of chapter)