Azure Moon Lake, Water Ripple Technique

Lu Yang nodded in satisfaction and chuckled, "Then you should cultivate diligently from now on and strive to break through as soon as possible. If you need anything, just let me know."

Lu Qingtong nodded repeatedly, her delicate, pretty face full of affection. "Thank you, Young Master! Qingtong needs some heavenly materials and earthly treasures the Metal Dao Wind Dao. Absorbing these heavenly materials and earthly treasures will greatly benefit my cultivation."

Lu Yang nodded slightly. "No problem, I'll have someone find it for you later."

Hmm, it seems Li Ao should keep a close eye on the heavenly materials and earthly treasures of the Metal Dao Wind Dao.

With that, he turned and walked towards the door. "Come on, I'll take you to a guest room, and you can stay there to cultivate."

Lu Qingtong paused, her blue pupils blinked, and a reluctant expression immediately appeared on her small face.

She looked up at Lu Yang, her voice childish yet pitiful, her large blue eyes filled with grievance. "Young Master, can't Qingtong share a room with you?"

Lu Yang was speechless. "???"

Are you kidding me??

He considers himself a scumbag, but not a scumbag.

Although Lu Qingtong is his spirit beast, she is, after all, just a tiny little girl.

Should he let such a little girl live in the same room as him?

What's the difference between him and an animal?

He pinched Lu Qingtong's soft little face in an annoyed tone, and said sternly, "No, you can't have a room by yourself!"

Seeing Lu Yang's resolute attitude, Lu Qingtong let out a disappointed "Oh," and her little head drooped slightly.

Because the [Low-Level Spirit Beast Nurturing Card] nurtured Lu Qingtong, it was equivalent to inscribing a spirit beast contract within her body.

In Lu Qingtong's eyes, Lu Yang was her closest master.

However, she is different from the bodyguard puppet; she is an independent being with her own emotions and feelings.

She naturally hoped to spend more time with Lu Yang.

Lu Qingtong's inherited memories told her that as a spirit beast of its master, it should always serve its master.

She truly couldn't understand why the young master wouldn't let her get close to him.

However, through the Spirit Beast Mark between her eyebrows, she could clearly sense that the young master did not dislike her.

Although I'm still a little unhappy, I'm finally at ease.

Lu Yang led Lu Qingtong out of the cultivation room.

The corridors of the Flying Boat Palace were wide and quiet, with warm yellow lamps embedded in the walls on both sides, one every few steps, illuminating the corridors brightly and softly.

Lu Yang led the little girl, who was only one meter tall, down two flights of stairs and found a sunny guest room.

The guest rooms were decorated quite elegantly.

A rosewood bed, a low table, and a small incense burner in the corner, emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

The window faces the side of the airship; opening it reveals a view of the sea of clouds.

"This is it." Lu Yang looked around and nodded. "Just tell me if you need anything."

Lu Qingtong nodded obediently, standing at the door watching Lu Yang leave. Her blue eyes reflected his receding figure in the corridor until he disappeared around the corner of the stairs, at which point she gently closed the door.

Lu Yang returned to his study and continued his daily reading.

I was distracted by Ding Ran and Deng Qi's matter, and I haven't finished my daily reading task yet.

He took out the book and, by the soft light of the lamp in the room, quietly began to read.

The airship continued its steady journey through the sea of clouds, with the occasional soft, lingering sound of wind brushing past the cabin walls.

Qin Province.

Azure Moon Lake is under the jurisdiction of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

Azure Moon Lake is the largest inland lake under the jurisdiction of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

The entire lake spans thousands of kilometers and stretches as far as the eye can see.

The lake shore was covered with dense reeds, some as tall as a person.

When the evening breeze blows, thousands of reeds sway in unison, making a soft rustling sound, like the earth breathing gently.

The lake water was crystal clear Biqing, appearing even more secluded under the night sky.

The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the Milky Way, like a long, unfurled ribbon of broken silver, was reflected on the lake's surface, intertwining with the ripples to form countless shimmering scales of light.

The lake's surface shimmered with a blend of blue and silver light, resembling an endless tapestry of flowing radiance.

Occasionally, night birds would skim across the water's surface in the distance, creating ripples before quickly disappearing into the vast darkness.

At the end of Azure Moon Lake, the lake waters surge eastward along a wide river, eventually flowing into the boundless East Sea.

This waterway nourished most of eastern Qin Province and also gave birth to countless Water Dao Demon Beast.

Small demonic Demon Beasts at the Qi Refining Realm are often seen on the outskirts of the lake area, while it is said that a powerful demon at the Golden Core Realm dwells deep within Azure Moon Lake.

Some cultivators even claimed to have witnessed a giant serpent transforming into a dragon on a full moon night, stirring up storms across the sky.

The moonlight is perfect tonight, and the lake is calm and still.

Two figures were walking slowly in the moonlight outside the reeds by the lake.

Jiang Shiqing wore a light blue, narrow-sleeved long dress today, with pale silver water ripple patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem. As she moved, the hem swayed gently, like flowing water.

Her long, black hair was loosely tied up with a jade hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears and gently swaying in the night breeze. A silver silk soft armor belt was tied around her waist, with a small Storage Bag hanging from it.

She followed behind a middle-aged female nun, carefully searching for something along the edge of the reeds.

Jiang Shiqing's goal for this trip was the Jade-Scaled Snake.

The Jade-Scaled Snake is a relatively rare type of Demon Beast. When it reaches adulthood, its strongest members can reach the peak of the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage. It is highly venomous and proficient in Water Dao Law Technique, making it quite troublesome.

This type of Demon Beast is relatively rare under the jurisdiction of the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

Fortunately, Jiang Shiqing was Lu Yang's personal maid, and she still had some influence within the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect.

She contacted Mo Xianyun directly and asked her to help find the Jade-Scaled Snake.

Upon hearing that this was actually a task assigned by Lu Yang, Mo Xianyun immediately issued a sect mission, mobilizing her disciples to search for it.

Two days ago, someone finally brought back news that traces of the Jade-Scaled Snake had been discovered in the vicinity of Azure Moon Lake.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Shiqing immediately brought Wang Shiyi, Wang Shisan, and Wang Shiwu over.

She naturally had to do her best to complete the task personally assigned to her by her beloved young master as soon as possible.

However, she searched for a whole day by Azure Moon Lake but still couldn't find a trace of the Jade-Scaled Snake.

This left Jiang Shiqing quite frustrated.

The intelligence report said it was nearby, so why can't we find it?

Left with no other choice, she went to Azure Moon Lake Market and hired a Spirit Stone Rogue Cultivator with the local environment as her guide to try her luck in an area where the Jade-Scaled Snake was more likely to appear.

Not far ahead of her, the middle-aged woman in a plain-colored robe walked quietly.

Her steps were steady, clearly indicating that she was very familiar with the reed beds, and she would occasionally look up and warily glance around.

The night breeze by the lake made a few strands of gray hair on her forehead sway slightly.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, her gaze falling on the water's surface deep within the reeds ahead.

There, a piece of blue snakeskin floated.

The snakeskin gleamed with a faint, eerie green hue under the moonlight, half-submerged and half-floating on the water's surface, gently swaying with the ripples.

The middle-aged female cultivator's eyes lit up. She turned to look at Jiang Shiqing and lowered her Sound Dao, "Fellow Daoist Jiang! Do you see that over there? Those are the molted skins left by the Jade-Scaled Snake! There must be a snake's nest nearby!"

Jiang Shiqing looked in the direction she pointed, and a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.

Finally found it!

She had been searching for this Jade-Scaled Snake for quite some time!

She smiled slightly and said sincerely, "Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Wang."

This middle-aged female cultivator was named Wang Li. She made a living by catching spirit fish in the Azure Moon Lake area and was quite familiar with the terrain and environment of the lake.

The task issued by Jiang Shiqing offers a reward of one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones if the Jade-Scaled Snake is found.

This is quite a generous reward for the task.

After Jiang Shiqing posted the quest to find the Jade-Scaled Snake in the market, several other cultivators besides Wang Li also wanted to accept it.

Ultimately, Jiang Shiqing chose Wang Li.

The main reason is that all the other applicants are male cultivators. Even if Jiang Shiqing is hiring someone temporarily, she prefers to hire female cultivators and does not want to get too close to unfamiliar male cultivators.

Wang Li shook her head, glancing warily at the dark reeds around her. A hint of worry flashed in her eyes as she lowered her Sound Dao, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, are you really planning to provoke the Jade-Scaled Snake? There might be several snakes in its lair. Moreover, this snake is extremely venomous and proficient in Water Dao Law Technique; it's very dangerous."

Jiang Shiqing remained calm and said softly, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Wang doesn't need to lift a finger. Once we find the Jade-Scaled Snake's location, you can leave. As for the danger..."

She smiled gently, a corner of her light blue sleeve fluttering in the night breeze. "There will be no danger."

Wang Shiyi and the others are all hiding in the shadows.

The young master's task was for her to hunt the Jade-Scaled Snake alone, so she simply let Wang Shiyi and the other two stay in the shadows and follow her, without interfering with her search for the Jade-Scaled Snake.

With a Peak Nascent Soul and two Peak Golden Core experts protecting them from the shadows, what trouble could a mere Jade-Scaled Snake possibly cause?

Seeing Jiang Shiqing's confident demeanor, Wang Li had no choice but to nod.

She could tell that this fellow Daoist Jiang was no ordinary person.

The light blue dress she wore was clearly Supreme-Grade Spirit Artifact robe, and not only that, she also had several magical Law Treasures shimmering with spiritual light on her body.

Moreover, the task of simply finding the location of the Jade-Scaled Snake actually offers a reward of one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

It's easy to imagine that this Fellow Daoist Jiang must have an extraordinary background.

Although she's only at the Mid-stage Qi Refining, she must have some trump cards up her sleeve, right?

However, Wang Li paused, and finally couldn't help but remind him again, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, let's hurry. The reward you gave was quite substantial, and the Law Treasures you're wearing look rather valuable... you might attract the Bandit Cultivator."

Jiang Shiqing paused for a moment, then slightly curled the corners of her lips. "Bandit Cultivator?"

Putting everything else aside, the Jiang Household is, after all, a Golden Core Lineage. Back in Taibai Market, no foolish Bandit Cultivator a hand on a member of the Jiang Household family.

Not to mention now.

If any Bandit Cultivators dared to approach and see Wang Shiyi and his two companions lurking in the shadows, what would their reaction be?

Jiang Shiqing felt a faint sense of anticipation.

She had lived for over twenty years, always following the rules and being well-behaved; she had never experienced anything so exciting before.

Seeing Wang Li's worried expression, she chuckled and reassured her, "I'll be careful. Let's find the Jade-Scaled Snake first."

Having said that, Jiang Shiqing composed herself, formed a hand seal, and placed her slender white fingers in front of her chest.

A faint, ethereal blue light flowed subtly across his fingertips, appearing exceptionally cool and mysterious under the moonlight.

This is a minor Law Technique recorded in the "True Explanation of the Azure Waves," called [Water Ripple Technique].

Using their own spiritual power, they manipulate the water vapor scattered in the air, condensing it into invisible ripples that spread outwards, thereby sensing their surroundings.

Jiang Shiqing is only at the Qi Refining Realm and has not yet awakened her Divine Sense. She can only rely on these minor Law Technique for perception and exploration.

Fortunately, she had already mastered the basics of the "True Explanation of the Azure Waves," and was quite adept at using this Water Ripple Technique.

A faint blue light swirled around her fingertips for a few breaths, then transformed into a ring of barely perceptible transparent ripples, silently spreading in all directions.

Ripples penetrated the reeds, swept across the lake surface, and spread for hundreds of meters.

The swaying reeds along the way, the small fish swimming quietly beneath the water's surface, and the snails and clams lurking in the mud... all were reflected back by the ripples of the water.

A moment later, Jiang Shiqing's eyes suddenly lit up, and an excited smile bloomed on her pretty face, "Found it!"