Chapter 626: Revisiting Xuanjian City

Judging by the time intervals between the previous two batches of mission progress reports, your batch’s report will be out no later than the day after tomorrow.

Zhao Ruohan’s eyes flickered with spiritual light.

Because of that one glance, both of them understood they were both competing…

If that’s the case, there’s no need to hide it anymore.

After all, she had only just begun learning to integrate cultivation into daily life, and wasn’t yet skilled enough to do it as naturally as Chi Jiuyu.

Deliberately suppressing it would significantly reduce cultivation efficiency.

“There’s no point hiding it now.”

It’ll all come out eventually anyway.

“Of course there’s a point!” Chi Jiuyu snorted.

It’d be fine if my score wasn’t high among the third batch of Ascension Envoys.

But if my score ranks among the top of the third batch, and I reveal now that I’ve gone two full days without showing off, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?

Besides, if Xiao Zhao finds out, Xiao Ye and Xiao Xuanxuan will find out too.

Then, just maybe, just possibly, their performances might be better than mine.

And I just happened to be a bit too conspicuous during those two days.

Wouldn’t I look like a fool…

She didn’t want to be Xiao Yu the Fool again!

In short, due to a variety of complicated reasons.

Before the mission progress report comes out, she absolutely won’t reveal a single point of her Ascension score to anyone else!

Xiao Yunlu doesn’t count.

She’s my junior sister; she doesn’t fall under the category of “others.”

Hmm…

Mainly because she already heard about it from Master on the day I returned, and I can’t stop her.

“What point?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Chi Jiuyu answered with a phrase Xu Xing had told her several times before.

Zhao Ruohan raised an eyebrow.

You’re acting like a riddler now!

“Alright, alright, let’s drop this topic.”

Chi Jiuyu sat up from the sofa, picked up the sliced fruit platter from the coffee table in front of her, placed it on her lap, and tossed a piece of fruit into her mouth.

“Ain’t Dog Brother coming?”

Because she was curious how Dog Brother would react upon seeing Xiao Ye, she’d asked Xiao Zhao to bring him along this time.

But she was surprised when Xiao Zhao told her Dog Brother didn’t want to come…

“He’s not coming.”

Zhao Ruohan paused, then sat up from her recliner.

“He says he doesn’t know how to face it yet—he needs time to think.”

“Alright then.”

It was just an afterthought anyway; his absence won’t matter much.

The two chatted about other topics for a while longer.

Soon, after Zhao Ruohan challenged Chi Jiuyu to another match again, and Chi Jiuyu happily accepted, they ended the video call.

She placed the fruit platter back on the coffee table in front of her.

She stood up, stretched her neck, and turned to walk out.

She arrived at a custom wooden rack outside the cave dwelling.

On the rack sat several potted plants, each with leaves and branches emitting a faint glow, some even hanging fragrant spiritual fruits.

But the most peculiar and mystical was the one placed at the very top of the rack.

The Xuan Zhu fruit tree, its branches like crystal and glass, its leaves like sheep-fat jade.

Three Xuan Zhu fruits, glowing with white radiance like tiny lanterns, hung from the branches, swaying gently.

Originally, there had been only one Xuan Zhu fruit tree.

Until she met Lin Xuanxuan and Zhao Ruohan.

One was a genius alchemist from Jishi Valley, the other, due to her innate divine ability, loved cultivating unusual spiritual plants.

So Chi Jiuyu occasionally received spiritual plants sent by the two.

In return, she’d buy specialty items from the Sword Sect and mail them over.

Chi Jiuyu picked up the watering can beside her, poured a specially blended spiritual liquid from her storage ring into it, and began watering the Xuan Zhu fruit tree.

Watching the plump, round Xuan Zhu fruits swaying in the wind, she felt a pang of frustration.

Carefully calculating, she’d had this Xuan Zhu fruit tree for years since receiving it from the Spiritual Ancestor.

Yet after all this time, having poured in countless spirit stones, the tree hadn’t grown an inch…

Sigh~

At this rate, when would she ever achieve “Xuan Zhu fruit freedom”?

She’d originally planned to raise this Xuan Zhu tree, then use some of its fruits to feed fish.

But judging by the current situation…

She couldn’t even get enough for herself!

Thinking of this, she glanced at the nascent realm seed buried beneath the Xuan Zhu tree, radiating five-colored light.

Compared to before, the external five-colored radiance had dimmed considerably.

Yet inside, it had changed greatly.

Previously, the nascent realm seed had been filled with swirling, chaotic light—undifferentiated yin and yang.

Now, within it, a faint line seemed to stretch across, dividing it into two clearly distinct colors.

One side light and ethereal, the other heavy and grounded.

“Chaos first splits, clear and turbid separate, the Four Phases manifest, the Five Elements arise…” Chi Jiuyu muttered under her breath.

This was precisely the sign of the nascent realm gradually perfecting, advancing to its second stage.

At the current pace, it would take another decade or so for the realm to fully mature.

If her cultivation base improved during that time, perhaps even faster.

“The quality of what my aunt gave me is truly exceptional.”

Not all nascent realms undergo this process—only those of extremely high quality, with exceptionally complete internal laws, manifest such phenomena of world evolution during cultivation.

A decade or so…

Chi Jiuyu looked up at the horizon, seemingly sighing.

Counting the three years in the Martial Realm’s universe, she was nearly thirty years old—the top prodigy of all worlds.

She needed to act more composed and mature from now on.

Hmm…

I wonder what Xiao Yunlu is doing—maybe I should call her over to play a game later!

…

…

Meanwhile, in a city far from the Sword Sect’s main gate, on the edge of Jianzhou.

The same city where Xu Xing stopped after emerging from seclusion.

Xuanjian City.

At this moment, beside the road near the southern gate of Xuanjian City No. 3 Middle School.

Two figures walked side by side, with a third following behind.

It was Xu Xing, Bie Xuening, and Zhang Yunlu.

“Master, Auntie, is it really okay for us to just go out like this?” Zhang Yunlu whispered.

We didn’t even tell Sister.

Only bringing me along—if Sister finds out…

“She’s been busy these days,” Xu Xing said casually. “Looks like she won’t have time to come out with us.”

“Let’s visit your old school first,” Bie Xuening added. “The timing’s right—I’ll come back for you with your master.”

Wealth without returning home is like walking in brocade under the dark.

Besides, Xiao Yunlu is now my disciple—how could I miss the chance to show off?

If that rebellious disciple had this experience, he’d probably return every year just to show off!

“…Alright.”

If Master said so, what could she say?

Besides, her instinct told her she shouldn’t keep following Master and Auntie.

She’d just be in the way…

Cough!

Coincidentally, she’d missed last year’s school festival due to an emergency—this time, she’d treat it as a make-up visit.

After bowing respectfully, Zhang Yunlu turned and walked toward the Third Middle School of Xuanjian City.

Xu Xing and Bie Xuening also did not linger long, soon leaving the area.

……

……