◎Renowned across the land for reclaiming an entire desert◎
After obtaining a sufficient quantity of rmaid pearls, the cultivation of the Mirror Image Tree could finally begin.
Of course, while rmaid tears could substitute for demonic soil, they certainly couldn’t just bury the sapling directly in a chest full of pearls. So preparation was still required.
First, the pearls had to be ground into a powder with just the right granular texture.
Unlike ordinary pampas pearls, rmaid pearls were far more lustrous and radiant, warm to the touch.
In fact, when gently stroking the surface of a rmaid pearl, its crystalline, iridescent sheen gave the sensation of caressing human skin.
Grinding an entire chest of such pearls into powder gave Yan Luoyue the distinct feeling of committing an act of sheer extravagance.
This feeling only intensified when Chang Lili ntioned that, during the later stages of cultivation, one chest of pearl powder might not be enough—they might need to grind several more.
The processed pearl soil was placed in a wide-mouthed white jade tray.
According to Chang Lili, Mirror Image Tree seeds first needed to be sprouted in shallow trays before being transplanted into specially crafted clay pots.
Under the sunlight, the pristine white jade tray glead translucently, while the watered pearl soil shimred with dazzling radiance.
Once the seed was buried within, its value seed to multiply instantly, transforming into a priceless work of art—so much so that even Yan Luoyue herself felt the urge to shapeshift into her little turtle form and roll around in the pearl powder.
Pinching a handful of the fine powder and letting it sift through her fingers, Yan Luoyue noticed that even her palm seed to grow fairer from the brief contact.
Unconsciously, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.
—Why could rmaid tears replace demonic soil?
She had once asked Chang Lili this very question.
Chang Lili wasn’t entirely sure of the reasoning either, only saying that it was an ancient formula passed down among plant cultivators.
Given how prohibitively expensive rmaid pearls were, no one had ever conducted experints to verify the theory—making this Mirror Image Tree sapling possibly the first to enjoy such lavish treatnt.
As a cultivator, Chang Lili was naturally more focused on the plant’s growth, which was understandable.
But as a forr player of Convergence of Ten Thousand Realms, Yan Luoyue couldn’t help but wonder: What if the relationship was the other way around?
Perhaps it wasn’t that rmaid tears could replace demonic soil.
Rather, rmaids, being demons themselves, lived and died in the demon realm.
Over ti, the composition of demonic soil might have absorbed so of the properties of rmaid tears.
If this speculation held true…
With a complicated expression, Yan Luoyue dipped her fingers into the pearl soil and nudged the shallowly buried seed.
If the key factor in the Mirror Image Tree’s growth was the nutrients from the rmaid pearls, then planting the seed in pearl powder might be equivalent to burying a sapling in a sack of fertilizer.
…Would the excessive nutrients end up "burning" the seed to death?
Yan Luoyue rubbed the tip of her nose, unsure.
Fortunately, her notorious jinxing ability didn’t manifest this ti.
In just seven or eight days, a tiny sprout erged from the white jade tray.
That morning, Yan Luoyue and Chang Lili crouched on either side of the tray, marveling at the starkly black-and-white shoot.
It turned out that the Mirror Image Tree displayed its signature symtry even at the sprouting stage.
The tender shoot was cleanly divided into black and white halves, a sight so striking that Yan Luoyue privately suspected the plant harbored the soul of a reincarnated zebra.
As for Wu Manshuang… at this mont, the little snake was pacing alone under the eaves.
He had wanted to see the legendary Mirror Image Tree as well, but Yan Luoyue and Chang Lili had jointly barred him from entering.
It wasn’t that Yan Luoyue was being stingy.
It was just that, over the past few days, Chang Lili had uncovered one of Wu Manshuang’s hidden traits—
—To everyone’s shock, Wu Manshuang was a plant killer!
To help her disciples better understand the properties of dicinal herbs, Chang Lili had instructed them to start by familiarizing themselves with plant cultivation.
She gave Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang each a pot, planted with a "Chattergrass."
This particular plant was often the first lesson for novice cultivators: all it needed was a little water, sunlight, and patient affection to thrive.
The "patient affection" part stemd from its peculiar trait—it loved listening to people talk.
If soone rambled at it for about half an hour, the next day, they’d find the Chattergrass noticeably taller.
Given how hardy it was, Chattergrass held a status in the cultivation world roughly equivalent to succulents or cacti for gardening beginners.
Yet, despite its resilience, Wu Manshuang had managed to kill his overnight!
Chang Lili was utterly baffled.
She had seen people who could kill Chattergrass before.
But she had never seen anyone who could kill it in a single night!
Unable to fathom how, she asked Wu Manshuang, "Junior Brother Wu, did you… perhaps scold the Chattergrass last night when you were in a bad mood?"
For the plant to reincarnate overnight, the verbal lashing must have been on the level of "May your ancestral grave explode, you [expletive] plant!"
Wu Manshuang opened and closed his mouth, feeling as though his character had been called into question.
Yan Luoyue, who knew the little snake well, was certain he’d never do sothing like secretly cursing a plant.
So her question was: "Manshuang, did you accidentally spit on the Chattergrass while talking to it?"
Wu Manshuang: "???"
Even if it was Yan Luoyue making the accusation, he couldn’t let such an image-damaging claim stand!
Yan Luoyue added, "And with the hot weather lately, you might’ve had so mouth ulcers or bleeding gums…"
Wu Manshuang: "…"
Silently, Wu Manshuang covered Yan Luoyue’s mouth, signaling her to stop.
He even pulled out a piece of rmaid silk on the spot, fashioned it into a mask with his impeccable sewing skills, and wore it as proof of his innocence.
Chang Lili refused to accept this. The next day, she brought Wu Manshuang a pot of aquatic grass to cultivate.
"Go on, cultivate it. I refuse to believe anyone can kill aquatic grass!"
And then, Wu Manshuang delivered an ironclad rebuttal—yes, he absolutely could kill it.
That very night, the aquatic grass withered mysteriously, following in the footsteps of the ill-fated Chattergrass.
Chang Lili: "…"
Chang Lili was speechless with awe.
After so investigation, she finally discovered a pattern: Plants that Wu Manshuang ignored thrived just fine—like the weeds in his courtyard or the moss on the steps.
But the mont a plant caught his special attention, its mortality rate skyrocketed.
Among them, rootless plants like aquatic grass died faster than rooted ones like Chattergrass, while herbaceous plants died faster than trees.
At this mont, a mystery that had puzzled Chang Lili for seven or eight days was finally solved.
"No wonder the spiritual plants in the garden looked a bit wilted after Wu Manshuang visited the herb garden..."
Chang Lili sighed deeply and remarked to Wu Manshuang, "I know so people are born with constitutions that are naturally incompatible with plants. But this is the first ti I've seen soone as incompatible as you!"
Perhaps only plants with incredibly tough vitality—like thousand-year-old turtles or ten-thousand-year-old tortoises—could survive under Wu Manshuang's unique aura.
In contrast, Yan Luoyue's constitution was exceptionally harmonious with plants.
The nagging grass she had scolded grew so vigorously overnight that it practically burst its pot.
Any spiritual plant she tended to flourished with lush vitality.
Chang Lili was thoroughly impressed and entrusted Yan Luoyue with an important task: watering the fish-liver vine and octopus tree every day.
Of course, if Yan Luoyue got hungry, she could also snack on a few strands of fish liver while watering.
Yan Luoyue: "..."
This was outright sabotage of a child's interest in gardening!
This affinity (or lack thereof) for plants seed to extend to Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang's alchemy skills as well.
Yan Luoyue was naturally gifted.
There were inherent similarities between artifact forging and alchemy, and her mastery of fire control made mastering basic elixirs a breeze.
As for Wu Manshuang...
He was practically a fire-extinguishing prodigy in the world of alchemy.
After watching the little snake accidentally snuff out the spiritual flas in the furnace for the third ti due to various mishaps, Yan Luoyue couldn't help but intervene.
"Hey, Manshuang, why don't you try using this fla for refining?"
What she handed him was the glutton-grass pouch containing the ink-colored fla, "Lone Swan's Shadow."
Back when they were underwater with lanterns, Wu Manshuang had been holding onto this very fla—Mo Mo.
Given that, there was a chance Wu Manshuang and this offshoot of the "Crow's Cry Fla" might get along.
This ti, Wu Manshuang finally succeeded in refining a proper batch of pills.
As soone familiar with both Mo Mo and Wu Manshuang, Yan Luoyue couldn't help but cover her face halfway through the process.
This was the first ti in her life she had witnessed a refining session where "the fla led the person" instead of "the person leading the fla."
To put it in perspective, it was like your cat flushing the toilet for you at the crack of dawn and then generously dumping a heap of kibble into your lunchbox.
"..."
As for the quality of the final product...
Well... at least it had taken shape and looked like a pill!
After dissecting and examining the pill, Chang Lili sighed but said nothing.
Judging by the way she looked at Wu Manshuang, she might have concluded that this clumsy snake wasn't even worth cultivating.
Even Mo Mo's first act upon erging from the furnace was to pounce onto Wu Manshuang's face, claws and all.
The little bird-shaped fla angrily rolled from head to toe along Wu Manshuang's front.
Yan Luoyue initially tried to intervene but soon realized neither the snake nor the fla would actually harm each other, so she let them be.
With a laugh, she said, "Manshuang, I think Mo Mo really likes you."
This ink-colored fla was usually far more aloof than its pink counterpart.
Aside from stealing grass pouches, it barely acknowledged outsiders. Even Jiang Tingbai, who could weave heart-shaped pouches, only earned a silent drift-away from Mo Mo.
In contrast, its playful tussling with Wu Manshuang was a sign of genuine closeness.
Wu Manshuang flailed around like he was trying to catch a slippery, mischievous cat before finally managing to peel Mo Mo off.
"No," he said hesitantly, "I think it was just gathering steam to pick a fight with ..."
In short, Wu Manshuang's alchemy training was a spectacular failure.
...
By the end of the third month of their alchemy training, Yan Luoyue's mirror-image tree had finally grown enough to be transplanted into a clay pot.
Chang Lili dug up countless records on mirror-image trees and ticulously docunted the sapling's growth every day.
She told Yan Luoyue, "Your mirror-image tree is growing much faster than any recorded case in history."
According to existing records, mirror-image trees took months to sprout, with the shortest recorded ti being twenty-one days. Yet Yan Luoyue's tree sprouted in just seven.
The sa went for its growth rate.
Ordinary mirror-image trees took at least half a year, if not three or four, to grow enough for potting.
But Yan Luoyue's tree had managed it in just three months!
Yan Luoyue attributed this to the irreplaceable role of the rmaid-tear soil.
Chang Lili didn't dispute that, but she had another theory.
"Oh? There's another reason?"
"Mm." Chang Lili's gaze deliberately drifted past Yan Luoyue's shoulder for so reason.
"Look at the vibrant vitality of this mirror-image tree. If it keeps growing this well, it might outlive us all!"
Yan Luoyue: "?"
Wait a minute, that description sounded vaguely familiar...
Then, the alchemy girl added in a hushed voice, "So, isn't it possible that the tree's thriving because it takes after its owner...?"
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Chang Lili earnestly clasped Yan Luoyue's hands, stroking her knuckles with a mix of admiration and reluctance to let go.
"By the way, Junior Sister Yan, have you ever considered cultivating... yourself?"
Yan Luoyue: "...No, Senior Sister Chang, I have no such plans now, nor will I in the next hundred years. Please give up!"
Perhaps because of this conversation, on the night before leaving the alchemy peak, Yan Luoyue had a dream.
She dread she had turned into a seed, buried in the soil by Senior Sister Chang Lili.
As a seed, the darkness, dampness, and thin oxygen beneath the earth didn't feel oppressive—in fact, she found a strange contentnt in it.
Yet for so reason, the entire land was eerily silent, devoid of life beneath the soil.
Even for a seed that couldn't speak or express itself, this existence was unbearably lonely.
Yan Luoyue grew painfully slow.
It felt like an entire lifeti had passed before she finally broke through her seed coat and pushed out a tiny white tip.
The mont that tip erged, her sluggish, seed-like consciousness finally detected another presence in the soil.
Turns out, her neighbor was a large rock.
Its pitch-black surface was streaked with frost-like patterns.
Of course, dream-Yan Luoyue didn't know what frost was—after all, she was just a little seed.
The seed was still too young, its mind dominated by instinct.
It couldn't form thoughts, much less complex emotions—heck, it couldn't even conjure up a punctuation mark.
But the little seed tried very, very hard.
The tiny white sprout struggled upward, breaking through the soil. Its delicate root tendrils spread downward like octopus arms, entwining around every grain of earth they touched.
Among them, one particularly mischievous root veered off from its original path, growing sideways instead. This slender little tendril stretched farther and farther away...
No one could tell how much ti had passed—perhaps a thousand years, or maybe ten thousand. Ti held no aning in this tranquil patch of land.
After all, aside from the determined little seed itself, everything else in the world remained unchanged.
After what felt like an endless journey, the tip of that playful white root finally brushed against the frost-like surface of a stone.
At that mont, Yan Luoyue unconsciously held her breath.
She felt as though she was about to sprout for real—
"I grew it!"
A burst of laughter rang outside the window. In an instant, Yan Luoyue jolted awake from her dream.
She sat up abruptly, realizing it was nearly mid-morning, and daylight already flooded the room.
Rubbing the top of her head, half of Yan Luoyue’s consciousness still lingered in the dream.
Absentmindedly, she plucked a strand of hair, treating it like a plant tendril, and reached its tip toward the inkstone ornant on her bedside.
Midway through the motion, she suddenly chuckled at herself—Wait, had the dream confused her so much that she actually believed she was a seed?
After quickly dressing and tidying up, Yan Luoyue rushed out of her room.
There, in the middle of the herb garden, stood Chang Lili, dancing and jumping around a lychee tree.
"I grew it! I grew it!"
If one simply removed the word "it," the scene would be a perfect reenactnt of Fan Jin passing the imperial exams.
Yan Luoyue cleared her throat and approached. "Senior Sister Chang, what did you grow?"
Chang Lili grabbed Yan Luoyue’s hand excitedly, pointing at the "fruit" on the lychee tree.
"Look! This is the lychee tree my mother planted the year I was born—it holds special aning for . I crossbred it with a celestial vine, and today, I finally grew a..."
She didn’t need to finish. Yan Luoyue had already seen it.
Amid the dense foliage, a single dead fish’s eye hung from a branch, staring down at the two of them with a dull, eerie glow.
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Back in the Ying Kingdom, there was a famous dish called "Stargazing Pie."
She reckoned this lychee tree could be renad "Surveying the Land."
Chang Lili puffed out her chest proudly. "As expected of the tree planted when I was born—it’s so good, so determined... I haven’t failed the na my mother gave ..."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
No, she had a feeling that if the Peak Master of the Alchemy Peak knew about this, she might stuff Chang Lili back inside and give birth to her all over again...
Chang Lili gazed lovingly at the tiny dead fish eye.
"In a few days, when it grows as big as a lychee, I’ll pluck it. That way, when my mother finishes her seclusion, I can give it to her as a gift..."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Closing her eyes, Yan Luoyue patted Chang Lili’s shoulder solemnly.
"Does the Peak Master usually like lychees?"
"She loves them!"
"Then... for the sake of your mother-daughter relationship, at least don’t tell her the ‘fruit’ ca from this tree."
Yan Luoyue sighed. "Senior Sister, this is as far as I can help you."
......
Perhaps sensing the imminent risk of high blood pressure, the Peak Master of the Alchemy Peak remained in seclusion even on the day of the disciple competition.
In the two rounds of matches, Yan Luoyue’s bout was scheduled before Wu Manshuang’s.
Before the match began, the presiding official specifically inford Yan Luoyue that the Alchemy Peak’s duels had a ti limit.
If the fight exceeded half an hour, it would be declared a draw.
Yan Luoyue: "...Oh, alright."
Perhaps because the host was absent, Ji Qinghong didn’t attend the match either. Instead, he sent Jiang Tingbai to represent him in the audience.
Despite the precedent set by the Talisman Peak’s ticket-selling venture, the Alchemy Peak didn’t follow suit.
The mont Yan Luoyue made her first move, she understood why the Alchemy Peak didn’t sell tickets.
Frankly, it was too embarrassing.
...Ahem, what Yan Luoyue ant was that alchemists weren’t exactly the most combat-oriented cultivators.
As a craftsman cultivator and a turtle spirit, Yan Luoyue herself wasn’t particularly skilled in offense. Yet Senior Sister Chang Lili sohow managed to be even worse.
"..."
This reminded Yan Luoyue of another alchemist she knew—Yin Wangyou.
As a dual practitioner of dicine and alchemy, Yin Wangyou also had a certain stubbornness that sowhat resembled Chang Lili’s.
Of course, their most striking similarity was their equally underwhelming combat prowess.
With her reflective armor in hand, Yan Luoyue tore through a stack of talismans without hesitation.
As an alchemist, Chang Lili couldn’t craft rebound talismans.
After enduring a beating by chugging elixirs for a while, Chang Lili cheerfully raised her hand and surrendered.
At this point, barely fifteen minutes had passed since the match began.
In the audience, the other Peak Masters secretly breathed sighs of relief.
They exchanged polite smiles and offered their evaluations of the two disciples’ performances.
Being refined individuals, the Peak Masters all found sothing praiseworthy to say about both Yan Luoyue and Chang Lili.
In the next match against Wu Manshuang, Chang Lili lost even faster.
She fought valiantly, even using her techniques to accelerate plant growth.
However, Wu Manshuang’s offensive abilities were... unnaturally effective.
rely by removing his glove and brushing his fingers against a vine, the entire plant wilted limply to the ground. Soon, Wu Manshuang closed the distance to within three steps of Chang Lili.
The outco of the match was obvious.
After the competition, Jiang Tingbai, representing his master, exchanged a few modest words with the other Peak Masters.
Once the pleasantries concluded, Jiang Tingbai took both juniors by the hand.
With light steps, he led his proud junior brother and sister back to the sect on his flying sword.
As she boarded the sword, Yan Luoyue whispered, "Senior Brother, it seems like more Peak Masters attended today than usual."
Aside from the Alchemy Peak Master, who was still in seclusion, and Ji Qinghong, who had declined for unknown reasons, nearly all the other Peak Masters were present.
The last ti Yan Luoyue had seen so many Peak Masters gathered was... well, the last ti was during the Sword Peak’s competition, when she had fought against Junior Brother Yuan.
After learning their lesson from the ten-day-long talisman battle, most Peak Masters had either made excuses or outright fled during the Talisman Peak’s matches.
Yet now, for the Alchemy Peak’s competition, they had all returned?
Jiang Tingbai chuckled, first giving Yan Luoyue an approving glance. "Your observational skills are as sharp as ever."
Then he explained the reason.
It turned out the Peak Masters had gathered under the pretense of watching the Alchemy Peak’s matches to discuss preparations for the upcoming Sword Dao Conference.
The Sword Dao Grand Tournant, held once every twenty years, is a prestigious event dedicated to young swordsn under the age of thirty across the realm.
Though the path of a swordsman is often marked by hardship and poverty, it remains one of the most accessible avenues for young prodigies to rise to prominence.
This is because those who choose the way of the sword often carry an unyielding spirit within them.
In the vigor of youth, tempered by the discipline of sword cultivation, talents erge like awls piercing through a sack—unstoppable and undeniable.
In the world of Go, there’s a saying: "If one does not beco a master by fifteen, they will never achieve greatness in their lifeti."
Similarly, among swordsn, there exists a motivational adage: "If one does not break through to the Golden Core by thirty, they will accomplish little of note."
Of course, when it ca to troubleso affairs like the Sword Dao Grand Tournant, Ji Qinghong had always preferred to stay out of the lilight whenever possible.
Especially since "Sword Dao" happened to be Jiang Tingbai’s area of expertise.
Thus, Ji Qinghong simply delegated the responsibility to his eldest disciple and vanished into seclusion, embarking on a journey of leisure.
At this point, Jiang Tingbai rubbed his temples with a resigned sigh. "Regarding the judging panel for the Sword Dao Grand Tournant, our Four Pits Peak holds one seat. Shizun has entrusted with the role of judge."
Hearing this, Yan Luoyue looked up with concern. "Won’t Senior Brother feel too much pressure?"
Among the various peak masters, Jiang Tingbai was young and relatively inexperienced. Such a grand, world-renowned event was not typically a stage for soone of his standing.
Yan Luoyue worried that others might gossip behind his back.
Moreover, Jiang Tingbai’s temperant leaned toward quiet tolerance—even if he heard such remarks directly, he would likely refrain from drawing his sword and instead turn inward in self-reflection.
Noticing Yan Luoyue’s subtle concern, Jiang Tingbai smiled gently, his eyes curving with warmth.
"You’re right. I, too, feel that if my virtue does not match the position, I would be unworthy of sitting on that judging platform."
"...Which is why, a few days ago, I secluded myself in the Sword Pavilion."
At this, Jiang Tingbai lifted the hem of his sword robe slightly and crouched down to et Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang at eye level, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Well? Can you tell what’s different about now?"
"!!!"
Only after Jiang Tingbai pointed it out did Yan Luoyue scrutinize him closely.
She suddenly realized that her senior brother’s aura had grown far more razor-sharp than before.
Yet, during their earlier conversation, she had unconsciously overlooked this change.
It wasn’t that Yan Luoyue was indifferent to Jiang Tingbai.
Rather, this very "inconspicuousness" was a hallmark of his cultivation reaching a higher realm—a sign of profound refinent and restraint.
Wu Manshuang lifted his gaze. "Senior Brother’s previous cultivation was at the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, wasn’t it? Then now, you must be..."
"Mn." Jiang Tingbai nodded with effortless calm. "I’ve comprehended my third sword intent—'Pacifying the World.' I’ve now stepped into the Divine Transformation stage."
Thus, he had earned the right to sit on the judging platform of the Sword Dao Grand Tournant in Ji Qinghong’s stead.
In theory, the Sword Dao Grand Tournant had little to do with practitioners of artifact forging and formations like Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang.
But Jiang Tingbai believed that his junior siblings should broaden their horizons from a young age.
Even if the event wasn’t directly related to their crafts, exposure to such a gathering might spark new insights and cross-disciplinary inspiration.
More importantly, Jiang Tingbai had never forgotten that Yan Luoyue had been a lively little girl who adored excitent since childhood.
As for Wu Manshuang, though he had once lived in isolation, he seed to harbor a quiet fascination for bustling crowds and lively streets.
Given this, Jiang Tingbai wanted them to feel involved.
With that thought, he leaned down to et their eyes and smiled.
"When we return to the peak, will you two help with sothing?" Jiang Tingbai asked softly.
"Accompany in sorting through the peak’s treasure vault. We need to select a worthy prize to serve as Four Pits Peak’s contribution to the tournant’s rewards."
...
Outstanding artifact forgers were often exceedingly wealthy.
And Ji Qinghong had been a master of the craft for several millennia.
As a result, the treasure vault of Four Pits Peak was so vast that even Yan Luoyue found herself dazzled by its contents.
As for Wu Manshuang—well, the young man was practically a country bumpkin in comparison.
What surprised Yan Luoyue, however, was that Jiang Tingbai recognized most of the rare materials stored within.
"Shizun once considered guiding in dual cultivation—sword and artifact forging," Jiang Tingbai admitted after a mont’s thought. "I suspect it was because I was so poor at the ti that even Shizun couldn’t bear to watch..."
Reasoning that it was better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, Ji Qinghong had resolved to impart a practical skill to his disciple.
Alas, this plan lasted only half a year before being abandoned—due to Jiang Tingbai’s utter lack of manual dexterity.
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Taking advantage of Ji Qinghong’s absence, Jiang Tingbai shared a lighthearted jest with his junior siblings.
"In hindsight, I’ve reflected on the matter and concluded that the fault wasn’t entirely mine. After all, Shizun was taking on his first disciple at the ti. His teaching thods may have been... slightly unorthodox."
Wu Manshuang tilted his head curiously. "For example?"
Jiang Tingbai thought for a mont, then glanced at Yan Luoyue.
"For example, isn’t there a forging technique called 'Starry Sky'?"
Yan Luoyue nodded.
Jiang Tingbai continued, "Shizun’s exact words were—'If you truly can’t master this technique, then just close your eyes and stab randomly, like when you weave straw dolls. Even that would be three tis better than what you’re doing now.'"
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Even through the retelling, she could vividly picture Ji Qinghong’s faintly mocking tone and the sardonic curve of his lips.
Honestly, what kind of teaching thod was that?!
Jiang Tingbai clarified, "Actually, Shizun was mistaken. When I weave straw dolls, I don’t just stab randomly—I have a technique..."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
Wu Manshuang: "..."
This ti, the two juniors exchanged a glance, silently agreed to pretend they hadn’t heard a thing, and simultaneously turned their heads in opposite directions.
Though both disciples firmly believed that Ji Qinghong should be barred from teaching for his harsh words...
In this particular instance... he might not have been entirely wrong.
As they cataloged the treasures, Yan Luoyue took the opportunity to explain so of the rarer materials to Wu Manshuang.
"This is Mystic Frost Sand."
"This is Bell Heaven’s Nectar."
"This is... Hm? Senior Brother, this hairpin should be part of a pair, shouldn’t it? Why can’t I find the other one?"
Yan Luoyue picked up an exquisitely crafted golden peach-blossom hairpin.
The ornant was carved from pink and erald jade, set upon a golden stem and calyx.
Yet, to Yan Luoyue’s eyes, the most precious part wasn’t the jade itself—but the two or three tiny beads serving as the flower’s stans.
The beads were minuscule, semi-transparent, with a milky substance swirling inside, occasionally spiraling in slow motion.
Though seemingly unremarkable, they were treasures capable of housing fragnted souls.
In life-or-death situations, as long as reinforcents arrived in ti, the hairpin could preserve a sliver of one’s spirit, offering a chance at revival.
Jiang Tingbai blinked in surprise. "What? This is part of a pair?"
Though well-versed in many things, he knew little about won’s accessories.
When Yan Luoyue confird with a nod, Jiang Tingbai sighed with a wry smile. "Well, it’s been so long now..."
Noticing Yan Luoyue’s puzzled expression, Jiang Tingbai began to explain—
"You might not know this, Junior Sister, but back when I participated in the Sword Dao Tournant, our master once presented a hairpin just like this as the prize for the champion of our peak."
Yan Luoyue replied without hesitation, "Then the hairpin must have ended up in Senior Brother's hands. Why not make it a pair?"
Jiang Tingbai shook his head with a faint smile. "No, I only placed second in that tournant."
This truly surprised Yan Luoyue.
"Soone actually bested Senior Brother?"
Jiang Tingbai smiled lightly. "There is always soone better beyond the skies. In that duel, my sword intent was slightly weaker than his, so I conceded defeat wholeheartedly."
Yan Luoyue quickly asked, "Then who was he?"
Jiang Tingbai answered, "His na was Chu Tiankuo."
Yan Luoyue nodded. "A fine na!"
Jiang Tingbai's smile deepened. "And a man of great bearing. Brother Chu's sword intent was unrestrained and gallant, embodying the spirit of a young hero. Even decades later, I still recall him as a worthy opponent..."
As he spoke, a glimr of youthful brilliance flashed in Jiang Tingbai's eyes, as if reminiscing about his own days of roaming the sword world.
"Still, I have my own sword intent and do not envy his elegance. I have my own ranking and do not envy his first place."
With a teasing glance at Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang, Jiang Tingbai chuckled,
"At the ti, I only envied Chu Tiankuo for having two junior siblings who were utterly devoted—"
The young Jiang Tingbai had secretly wondered why he couldn’t have such fine junior siblings—even just one would do.
Yet he also knew, given his master’s temperant, the chances of ever gaining such adorable junior siblings were slim.
Yan Luoyue burst into laughter at this.
She generously promised, "If Sword Lord Chu attends this year’s tournant, Senior Brother can just take us along to show off."
Jiang Tingbai paused, his smile fading as he slowly shook his head.
With a sigh, he said, "If anyone from the Snow Domain cos to this tournant, do not ntion that na in their presence."
"Chu Tiankuo was once the beloved disciple of Master Song of the Snow Domain."
"But not long after that tournant, he succumbed to qi deviation, killing his own junior siblings and slaughtering half of Callia Town. He was expelled from the sect and has been missing ever since."
...
As the Sword Dao Tournant approached, Jiang Tingbai led Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang to greet the arriving sects.
Coincidentally, the first to arrive was the Twilight Sect, renowned for its unique cultivation techniques.
"Twilight" was the na of a flower—one more commonly known as the "Union of Joy."
In other words, the Twilight Sect’s primary cultivation thod revolved around dual cultivation.
It should be noted that the Twilight Sect’s techniques generally did not discriminate by gender...
Rumor had it that their most formidable and ruthless thod didn’t even discriminate by species.
aning, practitioners could absorb energy from n, won, plants, or even bodies of water.
Yan Luoyue: "!!!"
Jiang Tingbai transmitted his voice in warning: "The Twilight Sect’s current leader beca famous shortly after her ascension for absorbing an entire desert—stop, don’t ask how she absorbed a desert. Do I look like I’d know?!"
Rarely seeing Senior Brother Jiang so flustered, Yan Luoyue couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
Suddenly recalling sothing, she whispered, "Are they here to participate in the tournant? Or just to watch?"
Jiang Tingbai hesitated before answering tactfully,
"The Twilight Sect does have a branch called the 'Maiden Sword Style.' But their purpose in attending usually isn’t that."
"Well... they’re here to... procure materials..."
Yan Luoyue: "..."
It took her three seconds to grasp his aning before she burst into laughter again.
Jiang Tingbai gave her a reproachful look, lightly tapping her shoulder to signal her to compose herself, then led her toward the Twilight Sect’s delegation.
At the head of the group stood a female cultivator draped in sheer gauze.
Her skin was like snow, her lips painted a srizing red, and her enchanting eyes sparkled with unspoken mirth. Every gesture exuded an alluring charm.
"So it’s Sword Lord Jiang. What a long ti it’s been since the last tournant."
With a soft giggle, she corrected herself, "Ah, but now I should address you as Sword Venerable Jiang."
Jiang Tingbai returned the courtesy with a polite nod. "Titles are but superficial. Fellow Cultivator Yu may address as you please. The Guiyuan Sect has prepared a humble feast to welco your esteed sect after such a long journey."
The Twilight cultivator smiled coyly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, but her gaze lingered on Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang.
"Such adorable little ones. In another decade or so, they’ll surely grow into striking figures..."
Though she was likely jesting, Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang instinctively hid behind Jiang Tingbai’s sleeves.
Seeing Jiang Tingbai shielding his junior siblings protectively, the woman feigned offense.
"Sword Venerable Jiang, how cold of you. I’ve long heard that Demon Venerable Ji took in two fine disciples—surely these young friends are them. Won’t you introduce us?"
"Forgive my rudeness," Jiang Tingbai replied with an apologetic smile.
"But I couldn’t help feeling that introducing my junior siblings to Fellow Cultivator Yu would be akin to reciting a nu..."
Before he could finish, the woman erupted into laughter.
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