Chapter 134

Seeing her evasive attitude, Mu Chongxi touched the tip of his nose and nudged her, “I told you back then not to pick such a ridiculous name.”

I have been away from the world for a long time, day and night, without seeing you.

The elder responsible for filling out the names looked up at these and whispered to the person next to him, “The Changming Sect has quite a few spirit swords.”

In contrast, the five from the Wen Sword Sect don’t even have a life-bound sword.

He nodded and smiled, “The thing Ye Qiao has is quite interesting.” It looked odd; if she took it out during the competition, it would seem like an insult to her opponents.

It didn’t look like a sword but more like a rare spiritual tool.

*

After the team competition concluded, the group returned to the sect to prepare and set out for the individual competition venue in a few days.

The five who secured first place in the team competition received an unprecedentedly warm welcome upon returning to the sect. Everyone was swarmed with questions, especially around Ye Qiao, with both male and female disciples eagerly asking about the secret realms in the competition.

“I only watched the recorded footage before; you were amazing, Ye Qiao!”

“Your Ye Qiao is wildly impressive.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen the real deal from the competition.”

“How did you shoot with that spiritual bow? I was watching that match too and ended up hitting someone next to me out of excitement.”

“Is big-pot alchemy feasible? Can we give it a try?”

Seeing herself surrounded and then casually patting her hands while saying “Keep a low profile,” Ye Qiao was grabbed by Duan Yu, who tapped her on the head, saying, “Stop being cheeky.”

“Hey, be gentle, Elder! That’s a genius’s head.”

Elder Duan glared, “Genius or not, everyone needs a good beating. You bunch of troublemakers, go and cultivate.”

“…”

Ye Qiao was dragged away, and Ming Xuan waved at her, unable to contain his glee, “Travel safely.”

Duan Yu didn’t intend to hit her; he patted her shoulder and said, “In a few days, we’ll head to the Eight Great Families’ main venue. Behave yourself.”

“Also, remember that the individual competition is all about personal opportunity. Use whatever you have.”

“Try to get into the top ten. Even if you don’t get to choose a spirit sword from the sword cave, it won’t be a loss; the spiritual energy of the Wen Sword Sect is very strong.”

He added, “Let me see that little demon of yours.”

Ye Qiao pulled out Xiao Qi.

The little guy looked at him round-eyed for a few seconds, hiding behind Ye Qiao, somewhat shy.

“Uncle, do you want to play with me?” His voice was childish, and he tilted his head with a somewhat eerie aura.

Duan Yu commented, “This kid has a bad temper.”

Ye Qiao smiled slightly, “Just don’t play games with him.” Xiao Qi had a strong mimicry ability; after she tricked him into playing a game with him before, he became obsessed and often wanted to play games with people.

Duan Yu laughed, “That’s good. Compete well in the individual competition, don’t cause trouble, understand?”

Ye Qiao reiterated, “If I said I’ve always been an honest person, would you believe me?”

Duan Yu chuckled. Though he didn’t say it directly, his expression clearly showed he didn’t believe her.

He had a premonition that the individual competition would be quite lively.

After chatting, Xie Chuxue swaggered in, stretching and dragging out his words, “Hey, hey, hey, are you done chatting? I need to borrow your disciple. I need to talk to Xiao Qiao.”

With that, he hurriedly dragged Ye Qiao away.

Ye Qiao: “…”

Seriously? She just returned to the sect on the first day, and everyone’s already coming to find her?

Why not go look for Ming Xuan and the others?

Xie Chuxue indeed had something to discuss with her. He had also watched the fifth round of the competition and had to admit it was spectacular, making Ye Qiao the top contender for lightning tribulation in secret realms.

But that wasn’t the main point. He rushed Ye Qiao to the library, banged on the door loudly, and called out:

“Open up, open up, Manager Yu, I know you’re home. Stop hiding inside! Let us in quickly.”

Manager Yu: “…”

He opened the library door, closed the book, and looked at Ye Qiao with a complex expression. He remembered a year ago, the remarkable achievements of Ye Qiao and Ming Xuan. He hadn’t expected that in just half a year, the Changming Sect would achieve first place.

At that time, she had angrily declared that she hated talent-showoff people the most.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Xie Chuxue didn’t waste time with him; he looked down and examined the “Bamboo Shoot Sect” hanging at her waist. “Golden Core now?”

Ye Qiao didn’t understand what her junior uncle wanted to do. She nodded, and Xie Chuxue’s eyes narrowed slightly, his nonchalant demeanor turning serious. “When you advanced to Golden Core during the fifth match, I noticed something very interesting.”

“This sword of yours…” He paused, “It’s quite peculiar.”

As a talisman master, Xie Chuxue needed to find and observe the locations for formations, so his observational skills were sharp. He noticed that the “Duo Sun” on Ye Qiao’s waist had subtly changed shape after her advancement.

Though it was only for a moment, it was enough for Xie Chuxue to confirm that this object was indeed a spiritual tool.

He glanced around and pulled out an ancient book from the shelf.

Ye Qiao looked at him.

Xie Chuxue was reliable at critical moments but absurd when idle.

Seeing this, Ye Qiao joined him in the library to study.

“It’s within the range of a sword but not entirely.”

At first glance, Xie Chuxue thought it was a sword, but perhaps that was a preconception. If it were a spiritual tool, its form could be more than just a sword.

Ye Qiao also noticed its changes. After reaching Golden Core, its appearance and characteristics became clearer. In her hand, it bore the engraved seals, with a pure black color that was mysterious and ancient.

“What did you think it resembled at the time?”

Ye Qiao replied, “A staff.”

She felt it was like a staff.

Xie Chuxue said, “But when I first saw it, its aura was very much like a spiritual sword.”

He initially thought it was a strangely shaped spiritual sword.

“Now its appearance and aura resemble a staff,” Xie Chuxue pointed to Ye Qiao’s head and reminded her, “You should probe with your spiritual sense and try to change its shape.”

Ye Qiao covered her head. “But if it’s a spiritual tool, why would beasts like to rub against it?”

It was like catnip.

The beasts were crazily sticking to it.

Xie Chuxue made a gesture as if holding a gun, resting it on his chin in a thoughtful pose. “It should be a tool that changes its form continuously. There must be something inside supporting its transformation. Should we take it apart and study it?”

As he finished speaking, the “Duo Sun” in Ye Qiao’s hand moved slightly. If it had been able to transform, it would have bolted out.

Ye Qiao stopped him from this dangerous idea and obediently probed with her spiritual sense. Although her spiritual sense was strong, she felt obvious discomfort at this moment.

She tentatively imagined it as a sword.

“The aura has changed,” Xie Chuxue’s eyes widened in amazement.

“Can it become a pair of dual swords?”

Ye Qiao tried, using her enhanced spiritual sense after reaching Golden Core, and the motionless staff in her hand indeed transformed into two segments, showing subtle differences and resembling swords more than a staff.

“What about other forms? Like a bow or a scythe?”

Ye Qiao tried but found it unsuccessful.

“Try again when you reach the Nascent Soul stage,” he said with some regret. It seemed this spiritual tool’s transformation was limited to swords.

Such a spiritual tool might be useless to others. Mastering it was already challenging, let alone other forms, but it was just right for Ye Qiao. She knew a lot and had no restrictions; “Duo Sun” was perfect for her.

“If that’s the case, it feels like you don’t even need a sword,” Xie Chuxue muttered.

On the way back to her courtyard, Ye Qiao was still pondering how to change the weapon’s form while switching sword techniques during the competition.

Undoubtedly, both required spiritual sense and reaction speed.

……

The venue was within the Eight Great Families’ domain, and there was an unwritten rule among the Eight Great Families that no cultivator was allowed to fly a sword within their jurisdiction. Therefore, the five sects prepared to take a flying boat there.

Various sect robes, colorful and dazzling, gathered together, making it quite a sight.

“We should go stand with the Wen Sword Sect,” Zhou Xingyun refused other green and gold sect robes.

Xue Yu agreed, “Red and green are too glaring.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Ye Qiao waved and greeted the other sects.

Yue Qing Sect and Cheng Feng Sect stood together, one in blue and the other in yellow.

This scene made Ye Qiao’s lips curl up.

“It feels like these two sects together,” Ye Qiao looked at the blue and yellow robes and sincerely said, “Like Meituan and Ele.me.”

It made sense for these teams to be together.

Others glanced at her, not understanding what Ye Qiao was talking about.

It was quite puzzling.

Mu Chongxi swaggered over to the Wen Sword Sect, provoking Chu Xingzhi. He laughed, “Don’t be surprised if you don’t even make it into the top ten.”

Chu Xingzhi sneered, “That message is for you and Ye Qiao. Be careful in the individual competition.”

Ye Qiao, who was mentioned, felt a bit annoyed, “Is there something you want?”

Chu Xingzhi reflexively stepped back and huffed loudly, “I’m fine.”

Everyone briefly caught up, and each group boarded the flying boats to the Eight Great Families’ competition venue. The special treatment for direct disciples was evident. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the Eight Great Families’ managers, who showed them around the city, and even had fans welcoming them.

Mu Chongxi spat twice, accidentally spitting out a petal from his mouth, “Seriously, they really scatter petals for the individual competition?”

Xue Yu sneezed, “How annoying.”

So enthusiastic.

Ye Qiao pushed aside the petals in her pocket, feeling like she was walking down a red carpet, surrounded by a crowd of cultivators. Each passing direct disciple was appraised and commented on.

“Are ugly people not allowed to be direct disciples?”

“Yun Que is so pretty. Why is Song Han Sheng always so cold to her?”

Song Han Sheng’s male fans immediately shouted back in dissatisfaction, “Get lost.”

Ming Xuan tilted his head and whispered to Ye Qiao, “Song Han Sheng’s fans are quite enthusiastic, huh?”

Ye Qiao agreed, noting they were all men.

“I like the one with the staff hanging at her waist. Wow, she looks so beautiful.”

“That’s Ye Qiao.”

The other person immediately calmed down.

Ye Qiao. In the cultivation world, who doesn’t know about her reputation? It’s surprising that she has such an innocent-looking face.

“What about the one standing next to Ye Qiao? So strange.”

“That’s Ming Xuan. Don’t worry, there aren’t many normal people from the Changming Sect.”

After everyone disembarked from the flying boat, the Eight Great Families promptly sent their people to greet them.

The cultivators were astonished: “Hey, hey, hey, it seems that this time the reception is handled by many direct descendants of the Eight Great Families. Wow, they are really wealthy.”

A group of young ladies and young masters from noble families, riding on flashy mounts, descended gracefully from the sky, their grand entrance a bit exaggerated.

They leisurely dismounted from their mounts. Seeing that all the direct disciples had arrived, they gave a slight nod and said with a bland tone, “Follow us.”

Their haughty demeanor made Ye Qiao slightly sigh, “I noticed that Song Han Sheng has toned it down a bit.”

Because she noticed that these direct descendants really didn’t deign to look at people directly.

Ming Xuan was immediately excited and exposed his head, strongly criticizing, “Look, look!! I told you they were annoying.”

“So arrogant,” Mu Chongxi muttered.

Xue Yu agreed, “They’re all so arrogant, it’s like their parents don’t even recognize them.”

“……” The issue is, is it appropriate for the two of you from the Eight Great Families to say such things?

*

There are still about three thousand characters left, roughly six thousand words in total, but I can’t finish it now. I’ll post it tomorrow.