Chapter 69: Liu Bo, You Just Wait

Just as she had passed through the barrier protecting Hanshan Peak, the sound of the peak crumbling inch by inch came from behind her; several rocks half a person's height could not withstand the immense pressure coming from the base and had already begun to fall.

As the Yin Ghosts being drawn into the underground river with the black water sensed the disappearance of the Ink Marrow, they swarmed out in a rush from beneath the gradually collapsing Hanshan Peak, beginning a carnival of their own.

Thanks to Sword Come and the Triangle Flag, there were now far fewer Yin Ghosts than in the previous few simulations, but they still caused some trouble for Wang Zhi at the bottom of the water; Ruan Xing felt as if she could hear Wang Zhi's roar.

Forget it, forget it, better hurry and slip away.

By the time she reached the exit of the Secret Realm, a crowd of Cultivators had already gathered; Ruan Xing let Sword Come conceal its form before approaching, and in a place where no one could see, Sword Come's eyes emitted a faint, ghostly light.

Ruan Xing charged straight toward the gate, and the moment she passed through the portal, she saw many Xuanbing Sect Outer Sect Disciples at the entrance, standing before her with anxious expressions.

She quietly instructed Sword Come via their mental link to take advantage of the chaos and leave quickly.

Just as things were in a complete mess both inside and outside the gate, Ruan Xing's sharp eyes spotted a female Cultivator she had interacted with in the simulation.

Ruan Xing remembered that she and several of her fellow disciples were Outer Sect Disciples of the Xuanbing Sect; back then, she had been a paid sparring partner for them, and during their breaks, she had inquired about the Xuanbing Sect's recruitment of disciples.

Like the Six Suns Study, as long as one had a Spirit Bone, one could enter the Outer Sect; there was no such thing as too many Outer Sect Disciples. One only needed to issue a cultivation formula and some starting cultivation funds to harvest a diligent and hardworking laborer. If an Outer Sect Disciple wanted to take a step further, they had to earn it themselves.

As the true core elite of the Sect, Inner Sect Disciples required extremely high talent and effort, unless they were lucky enough to be born into the Inner Sect.

Ruan Xing had originally obtained a Spirit Bone of average aptitude through a Luoqi Pill, qualifying her to enter the Outer Sect, and now, having undergone the transformation from the pool water at the peak, her aptitude was even better, so she had even less to worry about.

"Zhao Shijie!" Ruan Xing greeted her happily.

Zhao Fengchun looked left and right, then pointed at herself with a bewildered expression, "Ah? Me?"

"Yes, Zhao Shijie, don't you remember me?" Ruan Xing complained with a hint of feigned reproach, "And here I was thinking of you every day, planning to find you to hang out with after joining the Xuanbing Sect."

"Uh, this..." Zhao Fengchun said cautiously, "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is higher than mine, and you aren't my fellow disciple now, so calling me Shijie might not be very appropriate. Besides, I don't remember knowing you..."

"Oh, noble people are forgetful, aren't they? We met once before, and there was also Qin Shixiong; we had a pleasant conversation and hit it off immediately. Although my cultivation is higher than yours, you are older than me and entered the sect earlier. I feel close to you when I see you, so what's wrong with calling you Shijie? Can't we just address each other however we like?"

Ruan Xing's string of nonsense left Zhao Fengchun dazed; she couldn't even tell if Ruan Xing was truly enthusiastic or being sarcastic.

"Ah, er, is that so? I am truly sorry, Fellow Daoist, I really don't remember."

Zhao Fengchun looked full of apology, and Ruan Xing waved her hand magnanimously, "It's okay, Shijie, if you feel bad about it, just take care of me a bit more. Take me back to the Sect with you this time; I've been cultivating at home since I was little and haven't really been out, so I don't even know the way."

Ruan Xing's expression was pitiful, and seeing this, Zhao Fengchun's heart softened, "Well, alright then."

Ruan Xing secretly made a 'V' sign in her heart; although she had only spent a few days with Zhao Fengchun and the others in the simulation, Ruan Xing had already figured out the personalities of these people—they were all naive greenhorns with no social experience, and Zhao Fengchun was the easiest to fool among them, practically the kind of 'sweet, silly girl' that CEOs love most.

It was a pity this was a Cultivation novel, otherwise she could have snagged a female lead role.

The only one with a bit of vigilance was that Qi Refining Seventh Layer Qin Shixiong, but he wasn't around right now, which was perfect—she would fool Zhao Fengchun first.

Just as Ruan Xing wanted to chat a bit more with Zhao Fengchun, a disheveled and familiar figure suddenly emerged from the portal.

Wang Zhi looked around, and his gaze locked viciously onto Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing shrank back, hiding behind Zhao Fengchun, with only her little head poking out.

Although Zhao Fengchun found it strange, she still feigned composure and stepped forward, "Fellow Daoist, this is the territory of my Xuanbing Sect; do not cause trouble."

Wang Zhi sneered, "Liu Bo, you just wait!"

Having said that, he jumped onto his Flying Sword in a rage and left.

Zhao Fengchun patted her chest in relief and asked, "Fellow Daoist, is your name Liu Bo?"

"No, no, no, my name isn't Liu Bo," Ruan Xing shook her head like a rattle-drum, hurriedly denying it, "He must have mistaken me for someone else. How could a naive, cute, sunny, and cheerful little girl like me have a name like that? My name is Ruan Xing, 'Xing' as in 'three lives of good fortune'."

That name didn't seem very cheerful either... Zhao Fengchun bit her lip and said, "Alright, Fellow Daoist Ruan, my name is Zhao Fengchun, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Xuanbing Sect. I will tell Qin Shixiong about your situation later, but since such a mess has occurred in the Secret Realm, we might not be able to attend to you for the moment. How about you come with me for now?"

Ruan Xing nodded repeatedly, "That's easy, that's easy; I couldn't ask for anything more than to be accompanied by Zhao Shijie every day. By the way, where did Qin Shixiong go?"

"He went to find Xie Shixiong; Xie Shixiong is the main person in charge of this opening of the Secret Realm." Zhao Fengchun sighed, looking somewhat worried.

"Hmm? Xie Shijie? The head disciple of the Outer Sect? What happened to him?" Ruan Xing hurriedly pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

"He is considered our recognized head disciple; his cultivation is high, his talent is good, and he is humble and polite, so everyone likes him." Zhao Fengchun, having no ulterior motives, didn't think this was a secret and patiently explained it to Ruan Xing, "He joined the sect last year and is already at the Qi Refining Perfection realm. The Elders of the Sect Affairs Hall had him lead the Outer Sect Disciples to be responsible for this Cold Mountain Secret Realm, and after it was completed, they were going to reward him with a Foundation Establishment Pill to let him enter the Inner Sect. The Cold Mountain Secret Realm has never had an accident before; I'm afraid that this time, not only will Xie Shixiong's Foundation Establishment Pill be gone, but we will also be punished along with him..."

"How could they do that!" Ruan Xing said indignantly, "The Secret Realm having problems isn't your fault; if the portal failed, they should hold the person who maintains the portal Formation accountable."

Zhao Fengchun looked at her with a complicated expression, "The one who maintains the Formation... is Xie Shixiong."

"Er, pretend I didn't say anything." Ruan Xing shut her mouth.

The legendary Xie Shixiong soon arrived, and several other high-level Qi Refining Cultivators, including Qin Shixiong, flew over on their swords behind him.

He looked refined and had a gentle temperament, but at this moment, his face was serious as he gave orders in an orderly fashion to the others, "The Secret Realm is in danger of collapsing. Once the Cultivators inside have all come out, I will immediately cut off the portal Formation. You all should evacuate the other Cultivators first; if it truly collapses, this will prevent them from being swept into the Spatial Turbulence. Also, collect all the portal Wooden Tablets back in full. Those who have been in the Secret Realm for less than two days will have their full ticket fees refunded, and those who have been in for less than five days will have half their ticket fees refunded. If anyone refuses to accept this, tell them to come find me; I will reason with them personally."

"Yes!"

The disciples responded and spontaneously began to get busy; Ruan Xing also followed Zhao Fengchun to act, starting to evacuate the Cultivators who had set up stalls at the entrance of the Secret Realm.

Qin Shixiong saw the little runt following behind her and asked suspiciously, "Junior Sister Zhao, who is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, this is Fellow Daoist Ruan. We met once before. She is a Loose Cultivator and wants to follow us back to the Sect to join the Xuanbing Sect this time," Zhao Fengchun explained.

Qin Shixiong frowned, "Fellow Daoist, your cultivation is very high, even I cannot see through it. Just go to the mountain gate and join the sect; the Xuanbing Sect welcomes all Cultivators to join. We are busy with the Secret Realm affairs here and have no time to attend to you."

Ruan Xing raised a pure smile, "It's fine, I hit it off with Zhao Shijie and want to spend a few more days with her. Anyway, we will be fellow disciples in the future; what's wrong with me coming to help out in advance?"

Qin Shixiong was silent for a moment, "As you wish." Thinking about it carefully, there was really nothing on Zhao Fengchun worth plotting for, and with so many Xuanbing Sect disciples together day and night, surely no further complications would arise.

Ruan Xing was, of course, not plotting against Zhao Fengchun; she was plotting for this safety!

Following around the Xuanbing Sect disciples, she felt full of a sense of security. Although everyone was in the Qi Refining stage, there was strength in numbers. What Demon Cultivators feared wasn't being unable to win a fight, but that they couldn't finish killing everyone. As long as there were enough people around, she would always be safe.

Just like that, Ruan Xing stayed at the entrance of the Secret Realm with the Xuanbing Sect disciples for three days.

During these three days, she was inseparable from Zhao Fengchun day and night. Under her intentional guidance, her persona had now become the daughter of an ordinary low-level Loose Cultivator family, who only had a Qi Refining Formula and had cultivated diligently to Qi Refining Layer Nine, only then coming out to find a sect to seek the opportunity for Foundation Establishment and subsequent cultivation techniques.

Zhao Fengchun couldn't help but exclaim, "Fellow Daoist Ruan's Spirit Bone aptitude must be very good; to be at Qi Refining Layer Nine at only six years old, perhaps after you reach Foundation Establishment, the Peak Masters of the Inner Sect will all fight to take you as their disciple."

Having said that, she felt a bit dejected, "I joined the sect at thirteen, and now at sixteen, I am still only at Qi Refining Layer Four. I don't know when I will be able to reach Foundation Establishment."

"Three years to reach Qi Refining Layer Four, you are already very amazing! Wait another three years and you'll be at Qi Refining Layer Eight, and in five years you'll break through to Foundation Establishment!" Ruan Xing comforted her.

Zhao Fengchun burst into laughter upon hearing this, "It's not that simple. Cultivation isn't calculated by time. Forget it, let's not talk about this. I am curious, why did you start cultivating so young? After Foundation Establishment, one's lifespan extends to two hundred years, and the growth rate also slows down. If you reach Foundation Establishment now, you might maintain this physical size for at least several decades... Moreover, your body hasn't fully developed, and your Spirit Bone isn't fully mature either. Are your family members also Cultivators? Don't they know this?"

Ruan Xing had never thought about this before. She didn't actually care much about whether her Spirit Bone aptitude was good or not, since her cultivation was all provided by the Simulator anyway. Besides, she really hadn't paid attention to this matter, so she vaguely brushed past the topic, "Hmm... my family's aptitude is very poor. They haven't reached Foundation Establishment after decades, so they probably thought it was the same for me whether I started cultivating early or late."

"So that's how it is." Zhao Fengchun nodded, easily accepting this explanation.

"Junior Sister Zhao, it's time for us to set off back to the Sect," Qin Shixiong came over to remind the two.

"Mm, I have been ready for a long time, Fellow Daoist Ruan, let's go." Zhao Fengchun stood up.

The Light Gate at the entrance of the Secret Realm had already become dim, and a circle of Array Flags was inserted around it to prevent people from entering by mistake.

The disciples stood on the open ground in front of the gate and summoned their Flying Swords one after another.

"Junior Sister Zhao, your Sword Control Technique is not yet very proficient, let me take you." Qin Shixiong reached out his hand toward Zhao Fengchun.

Zhao Fengchun was a bit shy and gave a soft "mm" in response.

The Outer Sect Cultivators who came to the Secret Realm this time were all at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer or above; there were only three or four disciples at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer in total, and she was the only one who still needed someone to take her, so she felt a bit embarrassed.

"Hey, wait, what about me?" Ruan Xing asked, pointing at herself.

Qin Shixiong looked bewildered, "With Fellow Daoist Ruan's cultivation, your Sword Control Technique is naturally superb as well."

No, you want me to control a Sword by myself? What if I fall behind and it becomes dangerous, what if I get caught alone by a Demon Cultivator?

She could be certain that that insidious and cunning Demon Cultivator must be eyeing her covetously from a place not far away.

"I'm not proficient either," Ruan Xing said righteously, "I put all my heart into improving my cultivation, I don't know a single Magic Art."

Qin Shixiong was speechless, "Then what do you want?"

"Find someone to take me too," Ruan Xing said shamelessly, "I am also everyone's future fellow apprentice Junior Sister, it wouldn't be troublesome to take care of me, right?"

Junior Sister, what Junior Sister! If you enter the Outer Sect, all disciples below Qi Refining Layer Nine would have to be a head shorter, how stifling. Qin Shixiong wanted to retort, but suddenly a voice came from the front.

"It's not troublesome." Xie Shixiong drifted over on his sword, his voice gentle as he said: "Since you are a Junior Sister, it is only right to take care of you, let me take you."

Discordant voices from other female disciples immediately rang out in the surroundings.

"Wuwu, Xie Shixiong is so kind, he isn't even worried about being punished when he goes back, yet he still takes care of an uninitiated Junior Sister."

"Xie Shixiong is too gentle, I also want to ride on Xie Shixiong's Flying Sword."

"Just give up, Xie Shixiong has always been polite to his fellow sisters, if this little Junior Sister weren't so young, she wouldn't have received such an honor."

Ruan Xing originally wanted to agree immediately, but suddenly her heart stirred, and she said pitifully: "But I am only familiar with Qin Shixiong, I want to ride on Qin Shixiong's Flying Sword, Xie Shixiong, would you mind taking Zhao Shijie instead?"

She ignored the blue veins suddenly popping out on Qin Shixiong's forehead and gripped his sleeve tightly, expressing her desire not to leave his side.

The smile on Xie Shixiong's face froze for a moment, then he said: "That depends on whether Junior Sister Zhao agrees."

And Zhao Fengchun, eyes full of longing, said blankly: "Is that really okay, Xie Shixiong? I am willing!"

Qin Shixiong couldn't bear to look anymore; he turned his head, grabbed Ruan Xing, placed her on his Flying Sword, and was the first to form a seal and leave.

"Hey, wait, Qin Shixiong!"

Several disciples who had sparred with him before and were familiar with Qin Shixiong hurriedly urged their Flying Swords to follow.

Xie Shixiong stared at the backs of the few people in front, then suddenly beamed at Zhao Fengchun, "Junior Sister Zhao, please."

Amidst the envious or jealous gazes of other female Cultivators, Zhao Fengchun dizzily boarded Xie Shixiong's Flying Sword.

She couldn't help but feel secretly happy in her heart, Xie Shixiong is truly kind...

Qin Shixiong seemed to be sulking; the Flying Sword's speed was very fast, and Ruan Xing covered herself with a layer of Spiritual Power Shield to resist the gale, teasing: "What's wrong? Are you angry?"

"Shut up," Qin Shixiong said in a muffled voice.

"Do you like Zhao Shijie?"

"... I said shut up!"

Thanks to Feng Qing for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Professor Shi Lezhi for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20200530093008398 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20210208190203865 for the monthly ticket~(End of chapter)