Chapter 90: Disciple Conference (Part 2)

Xu Qianyu spent some time looking at notes in her senior brother’s pavilion and ate a sugar figurine.
The atmosphere in Shen Suwei’s space was different from the fragrant, sweet scents of Zhaoyue Palace; it was clean and dust-free, with a very faint fragrance. However, the items on the table were arranged very orderly, and the space felt both empty and clean, which somehow made her feel quite comfortable. She leaned down on the table.

Seeing that she looked tired, Shen Suwei gently pressed his finger on her hair bun. “Shall I take you back?”
“No need, I can take a shortcut back.” Xu Qianyu sat up straight, lifted the window, and jumped out.
The curtain fluttered. Shen Suwei watched as she stepped on the lotus leaves and crossed the river, finally jumping onto the water platform of Zhaoyue Palace. It was indeed a “shortcut.”
At the door of Zhaoyue Palace, she attached two sound symbols, pressed down with a fire spell, and then clapped her hands, causing the lights in the room to illuminate naturally.

Xu Qianyu turned around in the light and waved at him from a distance, her eyes shining with bright joy.
Then she opened the door and went back.
The lotus leaves she had stepped on were still swaying gently.
Shen Suwei stood by the window.

The red string had been gifted to Xu Qianyu, leaving his pouch completely empty. Strangely, it brought a sense of lightness, as if years of pent-up emotions had been blown away by the wind, released into the cool night.
But the smile at the corner of his lips gradually faded, and his gaze flickered.
With his cultivation level, he could sense that Xu Qianyu’s consciousness was becoming increasingly powerful, yet she had consumed a lot of it today.
It seemed that each time she returned at night, it was not merely for idle chatter, but someone had been guiding her cultivation.

Xu Qianyu was his junior sister; she worked hard, and her internal skills had improved. He should be happy for her. As for where she received her guidance, everyone had their own opportunities—it was not his concern.

In the past, smoothly advancing in levels was something he would find exciting. However, because Xu Qianyu was hiding something from him, he felt an inexplicable discomfort and unease.
He believed he shouldn’t be so narrow-minded, leaving him somewhat confused.

---

The next morning, Xu Qianyu found that her senior brother had returned her ceramic pot to her window but had taken her watering can into the mustard seed gold bead, and she hurriedly said, “You took my watering can; how am I supposed to water the plants?”

Shen Suwei replied, “No need to water; you don’t have to worry about it. Just leave it there. If it doesn’t grow within ten days, it probably won’t grow at all.”
The system buzzed in her ear: “Indeed, you’ve been overwatering.”
Xu Qianyu was obviously unhappy. “If I’m not watering this, I have to water the orchids next door. Give me back my watering can.”

Shen Suwei asked, “Do you want to water the plants, or do you want to take good care of these flowers?”
If it were just about the watering, that would be another matter.
Xu Qianyu paused, blinking her long eyelashes as she looked at the wilted orchids. “Of course, I still hope they grow well.”

“Then it’s settled,” Shen Suwei said. “I’ll take care of them for now, and you can take over once they bloom.”
Xu Qianyu turned back and glared at him. “So, I can’t even touch them?”
There was a barrier on top of the ceramic pot; if she touched it, it would prick her. Xu Qianyu felt like all her rights to care for the plants had been taken away.

“Don’t touch randomly,” Shen Suwei turned around to look at her. “This plant is poisonous; it can scatter the soul.”
Both Xu Qianyu and the system were taken aback.
The system exclaimed, “Ah, that’s not right! This doesn’t match what I remembered!”
“It’s clearly a spirit herb; how can it be poisonous?”
“Help, help…”
Xu Qianyu coldly sneered to herself, knowing that Kexun was unreliable, but she maintained a calm expression on the outside. Thankfully, she hadn’t used it yet.

Shen Suwei noticed the change in her expression and casually asked, “Who asked you to grow the floating grass for Shenchong?”
Xu Qianyu replied, “A friend.”
Shen Suwei nodded and stopped asking questions.

Still unwilling to reveal the truth.
Well, that’s fine. After all, this restriction only targets Xu Qianyu, and she has already been informed of its attributes.
As for who gets poisoned, that’s none of his concern.
Once Shen Suwei left, Xu Qianyu hurriedly opened the dream shadow tube: “Master Uncle, the spiritual herb you wanted is poisonous and can disperse the soul. Are you sure you want it? What do you need it for? How do you plan to use it?”
Xu Qianyu shook him in front of the ceramic pot for a while, but the young man remained weak with his eyes closed, not having looked at it even once; the illusion was also pitifully faint.

“Forget it.” Xu Qianyu closed the dream shadow tube and placed a gathering spirit talisman on it.
From Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul, none of these were the original content of the dream shadow tube. Teaching her against the laws of heaven would likely exhaust a lot of spirit energy.
The system asked, “What do you plan to do?”
Xu Qianyu looked at the soil shimmering in the sunlight inside the ceramic pot: “It hasn’t even sprouted yet. Let’s grow it first before talking.”
She had a feeling.

If it’s a poisonous herb, it’s very likely prepared for Xie Yuzhen.
Is the time for revenge for that sword feud finally here?
As Xu Qianyu thought this, her heart raced, and the old injury in her chest throbbed painfully.
Yet amidst this pain, she felt for the first time the emptiness of a missing soul; it was like the moment in childhood when she had lost a baby tooth and her tongue inadvertently touched the gap left behind, bringing a moment of bewildered loss.

Aside from the pain, she should have felt a sense of richness. But now that was missing, leaving only the monotony of pain.
What kind of feeling was that?
Xu Qianyu’s pupils turned, her lips pursed, feeling a mix of irritation and confusion.

---

Inside Hua Qingyu’s pavilion, it was very dark.
A piece of talisman paper floated, enveloped in candle flames, with a dark red light flickering on the paper.

“A remnant of your soul, and you dare to leave your parasitic host to find me, not afraid of being extinguished?” The flowery green umbrella said, leisurely applying oil to the joints of its bony fingers with a small brush. It glanced at the four small characters “Floating Grass Shenchong” on the paper and paused.
“Have you thought it through?” Hua Qingyu murmured.
The air in the room seemed to stagnate. After a moment, a blood-red character slowly appeared on the illuminated paper: “Yes.”

“If you lose your body, you will become a ghost just like us from now on,” Hua Qingyu said. “Of course, becoming a ghost isn’t so bad; with your talent, maybe in a few hundred years, you can become a demon and enter the path as a demon. It’s just a pity that you’re at half-step Transcendence and will have to start all over again.”

“But why did you suddenly change your mind?” flower green umbrella asked. “Back then, you insisted on suppressing the Demon King with your own body, and no one could wake you up. You were quite stubborn.”
Wuzhen: “…”
“Who woke you up?”
Hua Qingyu looked down and saw a matchstick figure with ears drawn on the paper; it was indeed Xu Qianyu, and it couldn’t help but smile.

After finishing the left hand, it began on the right: “You must have been very lonely all these years. Why would a good person want to be a lock? You’re just asking for trouble.”
Once soaring freely across the Nine Provinces with the Wind-Driving Sword to slay the Dragon, now confined to a spot, unable to speak or move.
Being a ghost would probably be more enjoyable than being such a living dead.
Especially with Xu Qianyu bouncing around next to her; who wouldn’t envy that?
The red characters slowly wrote, “Fought a fight, lost.”

The handwriting was evidently upright, yet Hua Qingyu sensed some frustration and was greatly amused: “I really admire those who know to turn back after hitting a wall. Shen Suwei turned around, and I find it very pleasant. You human cultivators love to challenge and torture yourselves; it’s really painful to watch. That’s how it should be: if you can’t win, then run; if you can’t persevere, then give up.”
Wuzhen paused for a moment, and next to Xu Qianyu’s matchstick figure, a hesitant question mark appeared.

“Shen Suwei,” Hua Qingyu communicated with the soul effortlessly, “yes, he entered after you fell asleep, and you don’t recognize him. He is Xu Qianyu’s third senior brother. Xu Qianyu was brought into the sect by him; they seem to have a close relationship. That kid was once a wicked spirit entering the path; those who can endure too much are often a bit wicked. Even now, I can’t figure out what he’s thinking, so you’d better not provoke him.”
Wuzhen punctuated the statement.

Understood.
Hua Qingyu asked, “Do you want me to help you?”
The red writing responded, “Please.”
“Why should I?” Hua Qingyu blew on its bony fingers. “The reason I fished you out from the sea back then was out of kinship; you owe me a favor.”
The blood-red mark covered Xu Qianyu’s matchstick figure in red.
“Do you care about your face?” Hua Qingyu asked. “You let your disciples pay off your debts.”
Wuzhen fell silent, looking quite proud.

“Don’t hold too many expectations of us. At most, we’ll separate the souls and retrieve one to make a somewhat complete ghost, but sacrificing this body of yours doesn’t necessarily guarantee killing the Demon King,” Hua Qingyu said. “Back when our Wanfu Sect was still around, my master, Xuzong Daoist (Void Reverence Daoist), predicted that in the future, demons would only multiply. Among the demons, there would be exceptional figures who would unite the demon realm. Heaven favors things that are neither fully human nor fully not, and Xu Qianyu is already favored by heaven with a missing soul. That Demon King is an earthly creation and won’t easily die.”

“I’ll help you take an omen.” Hua Qingyu took out an old copper coin, “Heads, no demons in the world; tails, the Demon King sits high.”
The rusty copper coin buzzed as it hovered in the air, surprisingly landing upright on the paper, spinning round and round without landing on any side.
“Seems not so good,” Hua Qingyu hesitated. “Should we still kill?”

“Kill.”

Suddenly, many chaotic red scratches appeared on the paper, and the candle flames roiled. Hua Qingyu realized that Hua Liangyu had come out to cause trouble and quickly pressed the head of the white-clad female ghost resting on her shoulder back into the coffin.
The talisman paper had already been burned through by the candle flame, so the conversation had to end abruptly.
Wuzhen’s weak soul drifted back to Zhaoyue Palace, swiftly dove into Xu Qianyu’s tent, and began to absorb spirit energy in large gulps, directly burning the gathering spirit talisman.

Xu Qianyu felt very cold and, in a daze, wrapped herself tightly in her blanket.

The later matches of the disciple competition became extremely intense due to a free-for-all. A free-for-all means that the winners from various sects, regardless of faction, draw lots to compete against each other, resulting in an array of combat styles. There were many spectators, with all sorts of mounts and cloud vehicles arriving, filling the area with elders and their families.

Today, Xu Qianyu was facing Lin Shuyue, a disciple from the Tactical Law Palace.
Lin Shuyue wore a pink robe, floating in the air, with countless pale pink petals flying from her hands. It looked very ethereal, but each petal had sharp edges, resembling sharp weapons, spinning through the air dangerously.

Xu Qianyu quickly found herself surrounded by a wave of petals, her figure obscured from view.
The petal sea flowed like smoke, mesmerizing the eyes. She deflected one with her sword, only to have another rush in to take its place.
Disciples of the Tactical Law Palace could create formations, but as a swordswoman, Xu Qianyu could not break formations. However, she knew that formations and sword techniques that embody sword intent are similar; both must be approached as a whole and can only be broken as a whole.

She gripped her wooden sword, gazing at the approaching sea of petals.
If she tried to deal with them one by one, it would be futile. Yet she had no knowledge of formations and didn’t know where the formation eye was.
Xu Qianyu thought, as long as all the petals are knocked down at once, there will be nothing left to supplement; as long as her sword is fast enough to chop down all the petals in nearly an instant, she could break the formation.

A multitude of possible trajectories appeared before her, and with no time to think, as the petals drew near, she infused spiritual energy into her wooden sword and swung it out.
Outside, onlookers only saw a swirling gold light descending from within the cocoon made of petals, unaware of what the swordswoman was doing inside.
Moments later, the cocoon exploded!
Lin Shuyue, seeing the fragments falling like rain, was taken aback and acknowledged her defeat: “Though my Peach Blossom Formation is quite intricate, Junior Sister’s sword is too fast. It seems I don’t have the upper hand against a swordswoman who can forcefully dismantle it like you.”

Xu Qianyu returned the gesture of respect: “Senior Sister has given me new insights into sword intent.”
“The fourth disciple of the inner sect, swordswoman Xu Qianyu, ranked first, seventh overall.”
“The third disciple of the inner sect of Magic Palace, law cultivator Lin Shuyue, ranked eleventh.”
Both landed gracefully. Xu Qianyu caught a complete petal throwing dart and examined it closely: “So beautiful.”

As she spoke, she wiped it on her sleeve and tucked it into her bosom as a keepsake.
Xu Qianyu had two thin braids draped over her shoulders, her eyes like precious jewels, radiantly beautiful, and her whole being seemed wrapped in a layer of light, dazzling to behold. Lin Shuyue, looking at her from up close for a moment, was quite amazed. Before leaving the stage, she stealthily slipped a message butterfly into Xu Qianyu’s hand: “Come find me at the Tactical Law Palace later; I’ll give you something new.”

Xu Qianyu turned back in confusion, but Lin Shuyue had already lightly leaped down from the platform, disappearing into the crowd.
The later matches were a great opportunity for disciples of various factions to meet and make friends. After these rounds, Xu Qianyu had already received quite a few message butterflies and had given out many as well.
Feeling a bit proud and somewhat flushed, Xu Qianyu stored the message butterfly carefully.
Having descended from the platform, she gained some insights and flew off to chop the ice dragon over Taize Pond.

It wasn’t just her; this crystal-clear ice dragon had become a tourist attraction of the Penglai Immortal Sect, with many swordsmen practicing their swordsmanship and many law cultivators attempting to attack it with fire spells.
With her sword tip striking down, Xu Qianyu slid down the sword, creating sparks as it scraped along the dragon’s back. The ice dragon remained utterly unmoved. Xu Qianyu swung her sword two more times, then she sheathed it, sitting on the dragon’s tail to write a message butterfly, hearing light laughter from below.

Looking down, she saw Xu Binglai’s striking white hair shimmering brightly.
Xu Binglai was dressed in splendid robes, followed by two young disciples in white who helped carry his long white hair. Above him floated a radiant sunshade, and his eyes sparkled with a strange smile. He gestured, indicating she needed not come down, and stood beneath the ice dragon, looking up. “How did you break the formation just now?”
Xu Qianyu replied, “I just used one sword to cut all the petals to pieces.”
Xu Binglai nodded. “Which part did you start cutting from?”
Xu Qianyu was taken aback.
At that moment, she had indeed thought of countless trajectories, but there had been no time to consider, and she had just randomly chosen one: “I don’t remember; I started from the most convenient spot.”

Xu Binglai asked, “Have you learned basic talisman techniques? How do you draw talismans?”
Xu Qianyu knew very well that drawing talismans requires connecting with the energies of heaven and earth, needing precision at both the beginning and end points.

Could it be that swinging a sword is the same?
If she could borrow the power of heaven and earth, it would indeed enhance her strength.
Xu Qianyu wanted to talk to Xu Binglai again, but looking down, she saw the sect leader had already walked far away with the two young disciples.
Xu Qianyu closed her eyes, observing with her consciousness.

The world of consciousness was as brilliant as the Milky Way. Before her, the ice dragon’s golden veins flowed, and the spiritual energy in the sky sparkled like countless stars, thin in some areas and dense in others.
Among countless possible trajectories, Xu Qianyu chose one that went from the brightest area to the thinnest.
Gathering spiritual energy with her sword intent, the spiritual energy was wildly absorbed wherever the wooden sword passed, cascading down along the sword body.

The blade of the wooden sword suddenly glowed with golden light in the darkness, leaving behind a blazing trail.
The earth trembled.
As if slicing through the true dragon’s scales, Xu Qianyu was jolted awake by the ice dragon she was riding, opening her eyes to hear the booming dragon roar erupting around her, which took a long time to subside.

Under the dragon’s roar were the chaotic voices of many disciples:
“Heavens, did I just cut the dragon’s vein?”
“No, it was me who burned it with fire spells just now.”
“I think it was me.”
With no one around the dragon’s tail, Xu Qianyu’s heart raced as she jumped down.
She felt confident; she believed it was her who struck the blow. She just fell a little short, unable to break it completely.
Qianyu and Yu Chu bought some fruit ice bowls at the stalls set up by the law cultivator disciples to watch Ruan Zhuqing’s match.

To prevent the ice bowls from melting, there was a restriction on the box that required a hand seal to open. Yu Chu was sweating profusely and still hadn’t opened it. Xu Qianyu had already finished one bowl, snatched Yu Chu’s, and pried it open with her sword to continue eating.

Yu Chu widened her eyes, looking at her with a hint of grievance.
“Go buy another bowl,” Xu Qianyu said impassively, handing her a handful of spirit stones. “It’s too hot.”
With a tuft of hair raised in a pout, Yu Chu went off to buy another ice bowl. Meanwhile, on the stage, Ruan Zhuqing had also lost to Su Mingyu.

As they exchanged the disciple’s salute, the young man’s pale cheeks bore two sword scars, and he was still breathing heavily, clearly unwilling to accept the defeat.
Su Mingyu, standing tall and elegant, caught sight of Xu Qianyu and smiled slightly. “Junior Sister Xu.”

Xu Qianyu had just greeted him with a nod when her arm was abruptly pulled—Ruan Zhuqing was tugging her away with a cold expression. “Let’s go.”
The three of them sat on the steps by the pool, eating their ice bowls.
Xu Qianyu helped Yu Chu open the ice bowl container and said to Ruan Zhuqing, “What’s with you? It was just one loss to Senior Brother. Is there a need to be this upset?”
Ruan Zhuqing replied, “It’s not that I’m angry. It’s just that I’ve been here so much longer than him, and yet I still lost…”
“Isn’t that normal?” Xu Qianyu finished her ice bowl and set down the empty container.

Since Xu Qianyu rarely stayed to sit with him, Ruan Zhuqing’s mood lightened a little. After swallowing an entire bowl of ice, he spoke in a low voice, “Ever since Senior Brother joined, there’s been talk around the sect… that my talent wasn’t even enough to get into the inner sect. They say that Master took me in at first only because my family runs a spirit stone mine…”
“Well, they’re not wrong.” Xu Qianyu looked at Ruan Zhuqing’s pale face with a strange expression. “You are rich.”

She added, “I’m rich too. Being rich should give you more confidence. If my family ran a spirit stone mine, I’d flaunt it ten times more than I do now.”
Ruan Zhuqing thought to himself that if he were as diligent as Xu Qianyu, things would be different. But because he had previously overestimated his talent, he hadn’t focused on cultivation, which now left him lacking in courage and doubting himself. Softly, he murmured,

“I’m not like you.”

“How are you any different?”
Seeing her puzzled gaze, Ruan Zhuqing’s mood lifted for some reason. On an impulse, he said, “Qianyu, scold me.”
Without missing a beat, Xu Qianyu retorted, “Are you insane?”
He laughed, “Yes, yes, exactly like that.”
The constant resentment and suspicion he had been feeling finally lifted, leaving him much more at ease.

Xu Qianyu genuinely thought he had something wrong in the head.
After a pause, she added, “But the killing intent on your sword is stronger than Senior Brother Su’s.”
“Really?” Ruan Zhuqing quickly asked, “How can you see killing intent?”
“Just perceive it with your awareness. It’s like a flame—that’s the killing intent.”
Ruan Zhuqing and Yu Chu exchanged a confused look. Their awareness could only sense danger, not clearly “see” it like she described.

Xu Qianyu thought back to the many matches she had watched; the killing intent on everyone’s sword had always appeared rose-colored to her.
But for some reason, only Senior Brother’s sword bore a green flame.