Chapter 96: Sword Sect!

Is this really Chi Jiuyu, the one who used to ride a tricycle?

Zhang Yunlu stared blankly, feeling she might need to reassess Chi Jiuyu entirely.

“In any case, you don’t need to worry about Xiao Yunlu—our sect will arrange everything for her.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Xiu sincerely bowed.

“No need to thank me—it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

How could this possibly be your duty? “Alright, Uncle, let’s head back!”

Chi Jiuyu, having just put on a show, was thoroughly satisfied—she’d worked hard to memorize all this precisely for moments like this! “Brother, I’ll come back to visit you,” Zhang Yunlu said too.

“Emm…”

How could she gently explain to Xiao Lu that she wasn’t actually a Golden Core cultivator, but a Soul Transformation cultivator, and was about to use the elder’s token to join the Dragon Elephant Qingtian Sect?

“Actually, I’m about to…”

In a blink, the three figures vanished from sight.

Huh? They’re already gone?

Uh… that’s fine.

Perfect—I can reorganize my words and explain everything clearly to Xiao Lu.

After all, she’s grown up now; there’s no need to keep hiding things from her—she’ll need to be cautious when traveling.

Back at the bedside, Old Jiang slept deeply, but his complexion was slowly improving.

His wrinkled skin was gradually smoothing out, and fine hairs were beginning to sprout on his bald scalp.

Huh? This pill can even regrow hair?…

…

On the other side, Xu Xing did not immediately return the two to the Sword Sect.

Instead, he brought them directly above Xuanjian City.

The massive realm resembled a red asteroid, hidden behind the sky’s veil.

“Uncle, are you going to put this away?”

“No, let’s settle the rewards first.”

Rewards?

Beside him, Zhang Yunlu paused—then the golden text reappeared before her.

【Third Trial Completed. Rewards will be issued based on performance within the realm.】

【Name: Zhang Yunlu】

【Realm: Qi Refining Ninth Layer】

【Rank: First】

【Reward: Thirty percent of the realm’s specialty, Tongxuan Grass】

【Note: Consuming Tongxuan Grass grants the realm’s buff for ten minutes; consecutive consumption enhances the effect.】

Soon, the golden text faded, replaced by a storage ring.

First place: thirty percent; second place: twenty percent; third place: ten percent; the rest of the trial participants received shares based on time spent in the realm.

The storage ring landed in her hand. Zhang Yunlu infused a trace of spiritual energy into it—inside, Tongxuan Grass lay neatly arranged in dense rows.

“Elder, I…”

“Take what’s yours—it’s what you earned through your own efforts, right, Uncle?” Chi Jiuyu grinned.

“Right.”

Maybe I should just keep you by my side as my mouthpiece from now on.

Xu Xing shook his head slightly and raised his hand.

The realm hidden behind the sky trembled, then shrank at a visible rate.

In mere seconds, the asteroid-sized realm shrank to a red bead the size of a thumb, piercing through the sky’s veil into reality.

“This one’s for you.”

Xu Xing tossed the realm-turned-red-bead directly toward Chi Jiuyu.

“Hey hey!”

Chi Jiuyu scrambled, summoning all her magic power, her spirit taut.

The realm-bead landed in her palm—its weight was nothing like she’d expected; it felt light as a plastic bead.

“Thought it’d be heavy,” Chi Jiuyu muttered, shaking the bead. “Uncle, you’re really giving me this entire realm?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? Sister sent you here specifically for this.” Hearing this, Chi Jiuyu felt a flicker of emotion—but then she remembered she was about to be punished, and the feeling vanished instantly.

“Enough. Back to the sect.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the three vanished again.

Below, in Xuanjian City, everyone looked up.

A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd.

That thing was finally gone.

Though they knew it was merely a realm created by some powerful elder for trials, posing no real threat,

the mere sight of a massive, asteroid-like realm hovering in the sky, as if ready to crash at any moment, had been oppressively unnerving.

In the city center square, Li Qingyang stared upward, frozen in place.

Beside him, Jiang Jing mirrored his expression. As a Nascent Soul cultivator with a specialized eye technique, and since Xu Xing hadn’t concealed his presence,

the figure who appeared in the sky and took the realm—was that Third Blade Brother?! Impossible—he’s just an external sect disciplinary officer!

I must’ve misseen him!

Jiang Jing’s expression was complex; she clutched a storage ring in her hand.

She knew full well—Nascent Soul cultivators’ vision rarely erred.

But… the childhood friend she’d once played with had suddenly become a supreme elder?

Jiang Jing turned to Li Qingyang, wanting one final confirmation: “Deputy Head, can you… hmm?”

But Li Qingyang’s reaction was even more extreme—he trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with uncontainable regret.

He staggered back two steps and collapsed onto his reclining chair.

“Damn it! I’m such a stupid pig—what the hell did I do?!”

Come on, it can’t be that bad? Jiang Jing stared, dumbfounded.

…………

The Sword Sect is one of the oldest and most powerful sects among humanity.

The sect’s main base lies in central Jianzhou, far from Xuanjian City; most cultivators take teleportation arrays scattered across regions to reach it, except for those with profound cultivation.

Zhang Yunlu had once planned to visit the Sword Sect’s main base after her college entrance exam—but fate intervened, bringing her here sooner than expected.

The towering mountain gate spanned the widest highway, crafted from white jade adorned with ancient, mysterious patterns.

At its peak stood two vermilion characters, bold and powerful—Sword Sect! Looking inward through the gate, one saw rolling hills, none too tall or steep, dotted with classical buildings, and occasional flashes of light darting in and out.

Four peaks rose slightly higher than the rest, each crowned with a unique statue.

A long sword, a chain-wrapped shackle, a bamboo scroll, and an ancient bronze cauldron.

These four peaks were the External Sect’s Swordbearing, Discipline, Teaching, and Alchemy Peaks.

Streams of light frequently passed between the peaks, and giant mystic mirrors floated among the mountains, broadcasting news.

“Here we are! That’s the Sword Sect’s external sect—most areas are open to the public; they make a fortune just selling entrance tickets!” Chi Jiuyu beamed with excitement.

As Zhang Yunlu listened, her gaze was drawn to the sky—a vast island hovered high above, wreathed in clouds of spiritual energy.

No—it wasn’t an island, but a continent, its area several times larger than Xuanjian City.

From below, its grandeur could only be glimpsed through gaps in the drifting mist.

Seven divine auroras flowed downward from its base, like magnificent waterfalls cascading from the heavens—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—each bearing lines of text.

Upon closer inspection, the text revealed individual names.

It was a ranking list, recording the Sword Sect’s cultivators from Qi Refining to Union Dao.

At the very top of the green aurora—the Nascent Soul list—was Chi Jiuyu’s name.

Top Nascent Soul cultivator of the age: Chi Jiuyu!

But she personally hated that color, so she didn’t boast about it during her explanation.

“That’s the internal sect—only internal sect disciples may enter. The Alchemy Pavilion, Teaching Tower, Discipline Hall, and Swordbearing Hall headquarters are all up there.”

“And above it lies the largest star-jump array in the entire Central Continent!”

“Once you reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll take you on my starship to explore the stars—it’s way more interesting than the Central Continent!”

First chapter.

Cold hasn’t improved; today’s same as before—tomorrow I’ll go get an IV.

So the remaining two chapters will be posted later.

(End of chapter)