Chapter 20

The journey back to the sect was not exactly smooth. Ye Qiao, who had just reached Foundation Establishment, was not yet proficient at sword flying. She fell several times, ending up covered in dust. She patted her clothes, stood up, and kept trying.

With Mu Zhongxi’s repeated guidance, Ye Qiao finally managed to get her balance, at least avoiding constant swaying and stumbling.

“Litte sister, do you know those direct disciples from Yueqing Sect?” After much hesitation, Xue Yu asked softly.

Yun Que had called her Second Senior Sister repeatedly, and it didn’t seem like a case of mistaken identity.

“Yes, I do,” Ye Qiao replied, her expression calm as if it were no big deal. “I’m an orphan. I was taken in by the Yueqing Sect’s sect leader and was an inner disciple there for a few years.”

She shrugged and smiled, “Later, my talent was so poor that even dogs despised me as useless. Moreover, the herbs I worked hard to gather were taken by my master and given to that new litte sister of Yueqing Sect. So, I left the mountain in a fit of anger.”

Xue Yu felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing this.

They had been prodigies since childhood, with parents who, though strict, treated them well. But how old was Litte sister? Fifteen? Not only was she neglected in Yueqing Sect, but the herbs she painstakingly collected were also taken away.

Ye Qiao spoke lightly, but it was not hard to see the bitterness in her story.

Xue Yu silently resolved to make more pills in the future and take good care of his litte sister. If Yueqing Sect couldn’t treat her well, Changming Sect would.

Ming Xuan awkwardly comforted her, “If they bully you again, just mention my name.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, he corrected himself, “No, mention the senior brother’s name instead; he’s more formidable.”

“Yes, yes,” Mu Zhongxi quickly added, worried she might be upset. “Who cares about being an inner disciple in Yueqing Sect? It’s much better to be a direct disciple in our Changming Sect. When the competition comes, we’ll blind their dog eyes with your brilliance.”

The three senior brothers kept chattering to comfort her wounded heart, making Ye Qiao laugh out loud, her heart warmed.

…

After returning to Changming Sect, Ye Qiao briefly reported the details of their training to Qin Fanfan. Upon hearing that Ye Qiao had reached Foundation Establishment, the drowsy sect leader jumped up in surprise.

“Foundation Establishment?”

He patted Ye Qiao’s shoulder vigorously, laughing with satisfaction, “Hahaha, I knew you could do it, girl.”

He seemed to have completely forgotten that he had initially sent these direct disciples down the mountain to get some peace and quiet.

Elder Zhao coughed lightly, also startled by the news.

Ye Qiao? The girl who often shirks her duties and dabbles in unorthodox methods?

“How many days did it take to reach Foundation Establishment?” Elder Zhao looked at Xue Yu, the most composed of the four.

Xue Yu held up one finger.

“Ten days?” Elder Zhao guessed.

“One day,” Xue Yu corrected. “To be precise, it took Litte sister less than a day to break through.”

“…”

This left not only Elder Zhao in stunned silence but also Qin Fanfan.

Qin Fanfan controlled his twitching expression. A day to reach Foundation Establishment?

The two exchanged glances, both realizing the gravity of the situation. Elder Zhao’s expression turned serious. “You all step out first. The sect leader and I have something to discuss.”

Ye Qiao nodded indifferently, feeling like she could use some rest back at her courtyard.

Once they had all left the hall, Qin Fanfan jumped up, anxiety evident in his eyes. “A day to reach Foundation Establishment, Old Zhao? Are those brats pulling my leg?”

Could their Changming Sect actually have a disciple who could reach Foundation Establishment in a day? Is that even reasonable?

Elder Zhao frowned. “You can trust Xue Yu. That child has no reason to lie.”

“I just can’t understand it. Is this girl really only a middle-grade spiritual root?”

“She absorbs spiritual energy quite quickly, sometimes even faster than her senior brothers.”

“Impossible,” Qin Fanfan immediately denied. “Her senior brothers all have top-grade single spiritual roots.”

“That’s why I find it strange,” Elder Zhao pondered, his hands behind his back. “The testing stone shouldn’t be wrong, but her talent can’t be that low. At least it should be high-grade.”

Qin Fanfan waved dismissively. “Fine, when we go to the Ask Sword Sect for the competition, let Ye Qiao test herself at the Sword Cave. Their testing stone can’t be wrong.”

—

In the few days back at Changming Sect, everyone was too exhausted from their training to cause trouble, much to the inner elders’ relief.

In fact, the main reason for the peace was that Ye Qiao had locked herself in her room, occasionally asking Xue Yu for materials. She was working on something and wanted to see if it would be successful.

After ten days of tinkering, consulting numerous books from the library, she finally gathered everything she needed. At that moment, she was sitting on a flat area in the back mountain with a pot and a bunch of materials typically used by artificers, constantly adding things to the pot.

“Litte sister!”

Just then, Mu Chongxi rushed in, “An elder from Chengfeng Sect has come to our sect. Master said we should behave today and not cause any trouble.”

Ye Qiao didn’t even flinch, responding absentmindedly, “Chengfeng Sect?”

“The sect you called the demon sect?”

Mu Chongxi nodded seriously, “Exactly.”

“What is their elder doing here?” Ye Qiao was puzzled.

Mu Chongxi sat down casually. “Since the competition is only half a year away, all the sects want to assess the strength of their disciples. Everyone wants to secure a good ranking. Knowing your enemy is half the battle.”

He glanced into Ye Qiao’s pot, a question mark practically visible above his head. “What’s that? Why does it smell so strange?”

Ye Qiao pushed him away. “I’m making something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called a bomb,” Ye Qiao said with a deep expression.

Mu Chongxi was baffled.

He always felt like a fool when Litte sister was tinkering with strange things.

“When will it be ready?” he asked. “Master will be showing the elder around soon.”

Causing any trouble would be problematic.

Moreover…

Mu Chongxi swallowed nervously, looking at the contents of Ye Qiao’s pot, feeling it didn’t look like something a normal person would make.

Is a bomb a new type of magic tool?

Ye Qiao nonchalantly hummed. “Don’t worry, it’s just a little thing.”

She had spent a long time researching various ancient texts to find something similar to gunpowder, combining it with modern knowledge. It had to work.

“Fourth Senior Brother,” Ye Qiao smiled sweetly, her voice clear, “just watch.”

Mu Chongxi felt a bit uneasy at her smile.

For some reason, he always had a bad feeling when he was with Litte sister.

Ye Qiao sat on the ground, tinkering for about half an hour before finally completing her task. She patted the dust off her clothes, stood up, and took a deep breath.

“Fourth Senior Brother, watch this.”

She shouted, “Thunder Clap!”

Then she threw the bomb into the distance.