Chapter 63: Jiang Yinuo

Early morning.

Anyang Prefecture, Anyang Prefecture City gate.

Lu Li strode out.

Today, he was going out of the city to search for Spirit Cleansing Grass.

It is worth mentioning that Spirit Cleansing Grass is a type of spirit herb that is extremely difficult to preserve.

After being picked, it must be preserved using a specially crafted Spirit Tool, otherwise, its medicinal efficacy will be lost after only twelve hours.

Unless it is a large sect with deep financial resources, such as the Sword Sect, or the Shangbai Sect to which he belongs, they would only store a certain amount of inventory.

For a poor sect like the Qingyang Sword Hall, spending great effort to store spirit herbs is not worth the cost.

Moreover, Spirit Cleansing Grass is abundant in the wild, and transplanting it is very troublesome.

If one were to grow it oneself, it would not be cost-effective.

Therefore, for small sects like the Qingyang Sword Hall or rogue cultivators, when they want to break through a realm, they go to the wild to search for it themselves.

Then, they pick it and eat it on the spot.

After all, high-end, delicious ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods.

And Spirit Cleansing Grass does not even need cooking; it can be eaten directly.

It is juicy and delicious.

For different realm breakthroughs, the required Spirit Cleansing Grass is also different.

The realm division of the Tianxuan Continent, after the Initial Realm, has nine major realms, collectively referred to as the First Realm to the Ninth Realm from low to high.

Within each major realm, it is further divided into ten small grades, referred to as First Grade to Ninth Grade from low to high, as well as Perfection.

It is rumored that after reaching the Ninth Realm Perfection, one becomes a Dao Integrator.

That is an existence everyone dreams of; for ordinary people, they wouldn't even dare to dream of becoming a Dao Integrator in their sleep.

For example, when officially entering the path to begin cultivation, only the most ordinary Spirit Cleansing Grass is sufficient.

To break through the Initial Realm and step into the First Realm, one requires First-grade Spirit Cleansing Grass.

Subsequent realms follow the same logic.

Therefore, the Spirit Cleansing Grass Lu Li was going to search for this time was a first-grade spirit herb, in order to break the Initial Realm and step into the First Realm.

However, when he arrived at the city gate, he saw quite a few people gathered at the entrance and suddenly heard someone calling his name.

"Lu Li? Are you going out of the city?"

The voice was very pleasant, a crisp and melodious girl's voice.

Looking back, he saw a young girl wearing a red windbreaker standing prettily to one side.

The girl looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, about the same age as Lu Li.

Her legs were straight and slender, slim but not bony; they were very suitable for wearing white tube socks, which might have a slight constricting effect on the flesh.

The girl was dressed entirely in red, with a fiery red waistband that perfectly separated her upper body from her hips, further revealing an enviable leg-to-body ratio.

Lu Li recognized her; the girl was named Jiang Yinuo, the daughter of the Qingyang Sword Hall master, Jiang Yebai.

However, although she was Jiang Yebai's daughter, she did not cultivate in the Qingyang Sword Hall, but instead apprenticed under Daoist Yu Ying of the Moonlight Tower.

The reason was simple: when Jiang Yinuo broke through the Initial Realm, she awakened a Sword Spirit.

On the Tianxuan Continent, every person has a chance to receive the favor of the power of heaven and earth when breaking through the Initial Realm, thereby awakening a Spirit Rhyme.

This probability is not high, but everyone who awakens a Spirit Rhyme is equivalent to obtaining a permanent buff.

And for sword cultivators in Qingzhou, this corresponds to awakening a Sword Spirit.

Everyone's Sword Spirit is strange and varied; an Elder of the Sword Sect once obtained a Sword Spirit of 【Thunder and Lightning】.

She wore purple robes, and it was rumored that she could draw the Thunderous Extinction Sword from her chest.

With one sword strike, it carried the thunder of authority and pursued eternal extinction.

And Jiang Yinuo also awakened a Sword Spirit.

When she broke through the Initial Realm, a crimson phoenix-like bird condensed around her; that was the Vermilion Bird Spirit.

Ancient books record that this type of Sword Spirit is most suitable for cultivating Flying Swords.

The heritage of the Qingyang Sword Hall did not include Flying Swords, and the best Flying Sword heritage in the entire Anyang Prefecture was in the Moonlight Tower—the Southern Bright Sword Art.

Therefore, after Jiang Yinuo broke through the Initial Realm, she left the Qingyang Sword Hall and transferred to the Moonlight Tower to cultivate.

In fact, if it weren't for the extremely high compatibility between the Southern Bright Sword Art and the Vermilion Bird Spirit, the Sword Sect would have even taken Jiang Yinuo away to be a true disciple.

Even so, Jiang Yinuo becoming a true disciple of the Sword Sect was almost a certainty.

Once she steps into the Third Realm, she will head to the Sword Sect to launch an assault on higher levels.

Lu Li not only recognized Jiang Yinuo, but they also often played games together when they were young.

Although Lu Li had transmigrated and scoffed at games like playing house, when a cute-faced little girl with teary eyes wanted to be his wife, Lu Li still agreed.

Lu Li was just that kind and helpful.

Their relationship could be described as childhood sweethearts.

It just so happened that Lu Li's parents and Jiang Yebai were also good friends, and both sets of parents even half-jokingly asked Jiang Yinuo: "Yinuo, would you like to marry Lu Li as your wife in the future?"

And Jiang Yinuo's answer was to blush, stare at her toes, and then firmly say one word.

"Okay."

Seeing Lu Li's plain, unremarkable face again, Jiang Yinuo's heart still skipped a beat uncontrollably.

"He is that Lu Li?"

"He really looks more handsome than Duanmu... No wonder Senior Sister Jiang has always ignored Duanmu Xingfeng."

"But what is the use of being handsome? I look down on men who live off women the most."

"As a sword cultivator, one must look at strength."

"Xingfeng is already at the Second Realm Perfection; I heard Lu Li is still at the Initial Realm..."

"Keep your voices down.

Besides, is Senior Sister the kind of shallow person?"

Lu Li noticed that behind Jiang Yinuo, there were many other disciples.

And behind these disciples, a Flying Boat was parked.

Seeing that familiar Flying Boat, Lu Li recalled that before he began practicing the Qi Refining Art, he had also sat in a similar Flying Boat, following his master to collect Spirit Cleansing Grass.

It seems that this time, upon leaving the city, he happened to run into new disciples of Moonlight Tower collecting Spirit Cleansing Grass for their Entry.

And the person leading the team was Jiang Yinuo.

It makes sense; Jiang Yinuo's cultivation realm should be nearing Second Realm Perfection, and perhaps before long, she might even reach the Third Realm.

Such cultivation is sufficient to lead new disciples in collecting spirit herbs.

"Yes, I intend to go out of the city to find a stalk of Spirit Cleansing Grass.

Are you taking new disciples out to collect Spirit Cleansing Grass? It seems that in the time I haven't seen you, you have already become a Senior Sister of Moonlight Tower."

Lu Li smiled.

"You want to collect Spirit Cleansing Grass? Could it be that you are about to break through the Initial Realm?"

A clear joy flashed in Jiang Yinuo's eyes.

She still remembered that when they first began formal cultivation, Lu Li was the fastest to master the 'Qi Refining Art'.

Not only that, even while others were still searching and fumbling in the Initial Realm, Lu Li had already reached Initial Realm Great Perfection.

A stunning appearance plus peerless talent—no girl could resist such a combination.

But later, Lu Li suddenly specialized in Basic Sword Technique, and his cultivation realm and the like all stagnated.

When she awakened her Sword Spirit and entered Moonlight Tower to cultivate for a year.

She was stunned to discover that Lu Li was actually still at the Initial Realm Perfection.

The happy times spent together in childhood and the subsequent gap in their realms stirred deep emotions in Jiang Yinuo's heart.

Perhaps this is the mockery of fate; it was destined that there would be a world of difference between her and Lu Li.

The jokes they made playing house when they were little were destined never to be taken seriously.

Furthermore, Jiang Yinuo even felt a sense of loss, as if an idol had collapsed.

Compared to Jiang Yinuo's disappointment, there was someone whose situation was even more severe, and that was Zhou Tai of the Qingyang Sword Hall.

"Ouch, Spirit Cleansing Grass? After so many years, is Senior Brother Lu finally going to break through the Initial Realm?"

From behind Lu Li, Zhou Tai's voice drifted over.

He had once worshipped Lu Li very much, and he was also the first to follow Lu Li in practicing Basic Sword Techniques.

He was Lu Li's most fanatical fan.

But Lu Li had a system mission, and he did not... gradually, Zhou Tai underwent a transformation.

The more he had worshipped him back then, the more he despised him now—when a fan goes deep enough, they naturally turn into a hater.