Chapter 321

This was just a small island among the Ten Thousand Mountain Archipelago, named Nanjian, located on the south side of the archipelago, already deep into the sea, more than three hundred miles away from the coast.

This small island was not large. The north side of the island was the highest peak, rising more than ten zhang above the sea surface. The highest point could only accommodate two people standing. From here, one could overlook the surroundings, and the terrain was clear at a glance.

On the east side, there was a group of reefs that could block the wind and rain coming from the east. Behind the reef group, there was a depression where a lonely stone house was built, which was where Su Jing built his hut.

Liu Xiaolou had never properly been to sea and didn't quite understand the wonders of this Sword Hut. Seeing the stone house built here, he felt a bit strange. Wasn't this soaking in seawater?

When he arrived in front of the stone house, he indeed saw that under the urging of the strong wind and heavy rain, the sea waves surged into this depression wave after wave, pouring into the Sword Hut, forming echoing torrents with overwhelming momentum.

The Sword Hut was built with stones, but under the impact of wave after wave, it also seemed to be swaying and about to collapse.

Su Jing formed a sword incantation, and a sword light arrived in front of the Sword Hut, inserting itself in front of the door, with most of the sword body immersed in the sea waves. It was the Tide-Watching Sword he had been painstakingly honing.

He said "Open!" in his mouth, and the sea waves retreated rapidly in all directions with the Tide-Watching Sword as the center, revealing a reef flat depression with a radius of several zhang. A few shrimps and crabs were drilling into the holes in the reefs, and a few sea fish were flapping their tails, struggling desperately.

This Sword Hut was also where Lin Shuangyu practiced in seclusion. Long before Su Jing entered the sect, she often came here to practice, so she had long been accustomed to this. She went over and caught a few sea fish, and also used her five fingers to grab into several stone crevices and holes, instantly summoning the shrimps and crabs hiding inside, happily circling to a reef behind the Sword Hut to scrape scales and remove shells.

Su Jing dragged Liu Xiaolou toward the Sword Hut, sat down on the reef flat at the entrance of the Sword Hut, and greeted: "Brother-in-law, come!"

Liu Xiaolou poked his head in to look at the dim Sword Hut. It was very small inside, occupied mostly by a cramped stone bed. Apart from the bamboo hat and a few bundles hanging on the wall, there was nothing else.

He heard that most sword cultivators' cultivation was very austere, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

He also chose a clean spot on the reef flat in front of the Sword Hut door and sat down. Looking around, the flying sword inserted in front of the door was trembling faintly, erupting with an extremely strong force in all directions. In the slight buzzing sound, it supported a transparent and calm world, shielding the Sword Hut below. No matter how strong the wind and rain were outside, they could not invade this world.

The sea waves, layer after layer, splashed three zhang away, were all intercepted by this force, turning into thousands of broken flowers, blooming around the Sword Hut.

"Shisan, how many years have you been at Foundation Establishment?" Liu Xiaolou asked. When asking this question, he was actually a bit unwilling. In his heart, he had already admitted that the brother-in-law who was easily taken down by him with one move back then was already much deeper in cultivation than himself, just in terms of power, not to mention that he was still a sword cultivator—a sword cultivator who was incomparably fierce in attack.

"The winter before last, at that time on Beijian Island. After Foundation Establishment, I changed to Nanjian Island. This side is deeper into the sea, and the sea tide is also stronger," Su Jing replied.

He didn't ask when Liu Xiaolou reached Foundation Establishment, because in his eyes, his brother-in-law reaching Foundation Establishment was the most normal thing, so why ask more?

That bit of unwillingness soon vanished like smoke. Liu Xiaolou was genuinely happy for him, nodding and praising: "Shisan, you've grown up, stronger than brother-in-law. Brother-in-law is proud of you."

Su Jing said: "How is that possible? Brother-in-law's methods, I know..."

"What methods?" Lin Shuangyu had already cleaned the fish, shrimps, and crabs, wrapped them in a large palm leaf, and placed them in front of the two, sitting down herself: "Su Shidi Su hasn't eaten for a long time, right? Eat some quickly, today's blue flower crabs are quite fat! Daoist Liu, you try some too, have you eaten our South Sea blue flower crabs..."

As she spoke, she broke off a large crab leg and stuffed it to Liu Xiaolou: "Who were you talking about whose methods?"

Su Jing didn't know where he got a short sword from, skewering the fresh fish and eating it directly: "My brother-in-law's methods, they are very powerful!" So he told again about how he was not a match for him back then, was repeatedly taken down in one move, and later captured by the Gengsang Cave, almost dying, but was saved by his brother-in-law who bravely broke into the dragon's den and tiger's lair.

Liu Xiaolou felt quite embarrassed listening to his exaggerated parts. In fact, Lin Shuangyu had talked to Liu Xiaolou about these stories before. She had heard Su Jing say it many times, but at this moment, she was still listening with a smile, without the slightest impatience. While listening, she also placed the boneless fish meat into the palm leaf area near Su Jing, making it convenient for him to take food with his short sword.

After saying these, he added: "I told the family long ago that brother-in-law is different from others, but no one believed it. They all said brother-in-law had no hope of cultivation. So what if he's a loose cultivator? Can't a loose cultivator reach Foundation Establishment? How about it? He reached it, right? I wasn't wrong, right?"

Lin Shuangyu nodded and smiled: "Exactly..."

Su Jing added: "Has brother-in-law returned to Shenwu Mountain? If he returns, that bunch of people in the family will definitely regret it!"

Liu Xiaolou shook his head and smiled bitterly: "No, and I don't know who to see or what to say if I go back."

Su Jing said loudly: "Later, I will ask for leave from the teacher and go back with brother-in-law to see how wonderful the faces of those snobbish villains are!"

Liu Xiaolou naturally had self-knowledge. In front of the Su family of Shenwu Mountain, his Foundation Establishment really didn't count for much, especially the Fifth Sister who divorced him. She took the revitalization of Shenwu Mountain as her own responsibility, so what if he was Foundation Establishment? She was aiming for Golden Core within twenty years. Well, now there were only ten years left.

"Your Fifth Sister, how is her cultivation?"

Su Jing blinked and coughed: "She... in July the year before last, true qi condensed... um... but brother-in-law, it's fine. With your talent, true qi condensation is also inevitable, it's just a matter of time!"

In the three major realms of Foundation Establishment, true qi forming misty qi in the Qi Sea is the early stage; turning true qi into true liquid is the middle stage; true liquid further condensing, as viscous as honey, is the late stage. Su Fifth Sister's true liquid had already condensed like honey, which meant she had entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment. She was indeed the outstanding one of the Su family's younger generation.

And it was the year before last! No wonder the Su family had to recruit a son-in-law to keep this daughter back then. Looking back now, it was indeed an extremely wise decision!

Lin Shuangyu smiled and echoed: "That's the logic... sooner or later you will catch up with Su Fifth Sister..."

Su Jing shook his head and told Lin Shuangyu very seriously: "Lin Shijie, my Fifth Sister is a genius, no one can catch up, including you, Lin Shijie. Don't look at Lin Shijie now having similar cultivation to her, but within five years, she will definitely form a Golden Core."

This was a bit too direct. Liu Xiaolou felt a bit awkward listening from the side and wanted to help Lin Shuangyu smooth things over. Lin Shuangyu had been very caring to him along the way.

But Lin Shuangyu was not angry at all, still nodding with a smile: "Su Shidi is right, your Fifth Sister is indeed a heaven-sent talent!"

Actually, Liu Xiaolou really wanted to ask about Susu, but in front of his brother-in-law, asking about his ex-wife's maid seemed a bit inappropriate, so he held back and didn't ask. Besides, his brother-in-law's Lin Shijie was still by his side.

He just thought, that cute maid back then was also a big girl now. In most places, she should have been married and had children, right?

Of course, it should be different at Shenwu Mountain. After all, she was cultivated as Fifth Sister's helper. She should be practicing with Fifth Sister. I wonder if she has practiced to Qi Refinement Perfection? Is the Su family of Shenwu Mountain willing to seek a Foundation Establishment Pill for her?