Chapter 9

The first time she signed up for the sect, she created a huge crater in the back mountain. Then, after slacking off for two months, she somehow became a direct disciple. Shortly after that, she and another direct disciple burned down the library.

Truly a remarkable person.

Zhou Xingyun fell into deep thought. Had they recruited a little sister or brought in a disaster?

On the other side, Ye Qiao and Ming Xuan arrived at the forbidden area. This was where the founder of Changming Sect ascended, leaving behind many treasures, which is why it was designated as a forbidden area.

In the cultivation world, opportunities and dangers always coexist.

Ye Qiao simply wanted to copy some books and had no intention of seeking treasure beyond her capabilities.

The serene, picturesque environment was steeped in ancient mystery. Rather than a forbidden area, it seemed like a tranquil place ideal for cultivation, rich in spiritual energy, perfect for setting up a spirit gathering formation.

When they arrived, someone was already sitting inside.

The figure looked especially familiar.

Ye Qiao squinted and realized it was her dear third senior brother.

Xue Yu, seeing them enter, waved enthusiastically and leaned back, “Ah. What brings you two here?”

This was a forbidden area, typically used for punishing direct disciples with confinement. Normally, not just anyone could enter.

Ye Qiao replied, “Oh. I burned down the library.”

Xue Yu fell silent and looked at Ming Xuan, “And him?”

Ye Qiao answered, “Oh. He burned it down with me.”

Xue Yu wondered if his junior siblings had lost their minds.

After a moment of silence, he asked gently, “Do you have a grudge against the steward?”

Ye Qiao shook her head, “No. I was just playing with fire and accidentally burned the books.”

Xue Yu: “…”

Playing with fire?

Who in their right mind would play with fire at night?

“How about you?” Ming Xuan, recently transferred from the Herb Garden to the Three Flavors Bookhouse, was numb to it all.

He found that nothing good ever happened when he was with his little sister.

“What brought you here?”

Xue Yu, one of the few mild-tempered among them, often got punished alongside Mu Chongxi. Now Ye Qiao had joined them.

It was never lonely on the way to confinement.

Xue Yu calmly replied, “I made a few pills and gave them to some senior brothers, but the effects went wrong and poisoned them.”

Ye Qiao: “…” What kind of bizarre direct disciples are these?

Ming Xuan, already seated on the ground, urged Ye Qiao, “Little sister. Start copying. I can only leave once you finish.”

Ye Qiao reluctantly took out the ten or so memory stones from her mustard seed pouch, then clean paper. She focused her mind on the memory stones, closed her eyes for a moment, and started copying each symbol book page by page.

As she copied, her handwriting became more erratic and illegible, to the point where even her parents wouldn’t recognize it.

Seeing this, Xue Yu nudged his senior brother beside him, “What is little sister doing?”

Copying books?

Ming Xuan explained, “She burned about ten books from the third floor. To appease the steward, she promised to copy them all.”

Xue Yu was momentarily stunned. To copy them all.

If she had such a memory, what kind of prodigy was she?

Ye Qiao was absorbed in copying, her writing speed increasing. She summoned the spirit of cramming for exams, determined to keep going until she couldn’t anymore.

She spent an entire day copying books, astonishing her two onlookers with her speed.

As dawn broke, time ticked by slowly.

“Help me up. I can still study.”

Ye Qiao, who hadn’t moved all night, raised her head and exhaled slowly. Ming Xuan thought he saw a tiny ghost leave her mouth.

Life in the forbidden area became increasingly unbearable. Ming Xuan now entirely depended on her to finish copying so he could leave. He quickly massaged her shoulders, “Keep going, little sister.”

Half an hour later, Ye Qiao lay on the ground, “I’m done. Just let me die.”

She felt a headache and dizziness.

Ye Qiao touched her nose and saw blood on her hand.

She felt even worse.

Xue Yu, now worried, quickly massaged her legs, “Hang in there, little sister. We’re counting on you to get out of here.”

“I have some spirit-restoring pills. Take more to keep going.”

If she finished copying, he might also benefit and leave the forbidden area.

Copying ten or so symbol books in two days greatly strained her mind. Whenever she felt dizzy, Xue Yu would promptly offer a spirit-restoring pill.

Ye Qiao’s hand trembled as she took the pills.

Ming Xuan urged earnestly, “I believe if you try hard enough, we can live the life we want.”

Ye Qiao: “…” Thank you. You are such good senior brothers.

Ye Qiao took a deep breath, swallowed the pills, and continued copying. Her pen moved swiftly, her mind filled with various complex talisman, their uses, and how to draw them on magical artifacts.

Escape talisman, Vajra talisman, and four-direction array talisman swirled in her head.

After this experience, Ye Qiao could confidently say that no one understood talisman drawing better than she did.

“Damn it, boo hoo, I wouldn’t have wasted time if I had known this!”

Because copying the book required drawing the talismans, she rushed and drew them extremely quickly, each one completed in a single stroke, with flair and precision.

Ye Qiao discovered that her sea of consciousness seemed to have expanded.

Her original body’s spiritual root was impure, and her divine sense was weak. She used to faint after drawing only a few talismans.

But now she miraculously found that her sea of consciousness had widened, and she didn’t get headaches frequently, even without consuming divine pills.

Could copying books help refine the capacity of the sea of consciousness?

“Did you break through?” As Ye Qiao pondered, Ming Xuan paused his leg-crossing stance.

Ye Qiao then felt it, “It seems so.”

She had reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, just one step away from the Foundation Establishment stage.

She realized it wasn’t copying books that expanded her sea of consciousness, but rather her breakthrough, which naturally made it broader.

Ming Xuan was stunned, “Is breaking through this easy now?” It usually took at least three days of enlightenment to smoothly break through from the late stage to the peak of the Qi Refining stage.

Could it be that the more relaxed one is, the luckier they become?

Xue Yu propped his chin and thoughtfully considered, “Is it possible that junior sister broke through by comprehending talismans?”

Alchemists break through by refining pills, so it stands to reason that talisman cultivators break through by drawing talismans.

Ye Qiao had been crazily reading talisman books for two days, so this explanation made sense.

Ming Xuan was even more bewildered, “But isn’t she a sword cultivator?”

Could this really work?!

Xue Yu mused, “Have you ever heard of dual cultivation?”

“Isn’t that extremely rare?” Ming Xuan still found it hard to believe. Only a few highly insightful individuals could achieve dual cultivation. It was said that the founder of the Changming Sect dual cultivated in both sword and pill.

But not everyone is a founder-level figure.

Ye Qiao slapped his hand away, stopping their wild speculations, “Perhaps it’s just because the spiritual energy here is abundant.”

That was the only plausible explanation. Otherwise, could she really dual cultivate in sword and talisman arts?