Senior Sister Qin Is So Imposing

The Heavy Sword Technique's experience bar began jumping wildly.

A flood of insights into the Law Technique poured into Lu Yang's sea of consciousness, like water rushing through an opened floodgate.

How to compress and refine Spiritual Qi, how Metal Dao and Sword Dao intertwined and resonated, the slightest adjustments to each hand seal, the timing of every strand of Spiritual Qi released and drawn back—all became crystal clear in an instant.

When all five hundred points of Law Technique experience had been expended, the Heavy Sword Technique's level in the skill panel had undergone a tremendous change.

"Heavy Sword Technique" level 3 (225/300)

In just a few breaths, the Heavy Sword Technique had leaped straight from level one to level three!

Lu Yang opened his eyes, tightened his grip on the dark heavy sword, and activated the Heavy Sword Technique once more.

This time, the Spiritual Qi condensed much faster.

In just four breaths, a denser, sharper golden light burst from the blade, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Lu Yang brought the sword down.

A pale golden sword shadow tens of meters long flew from the blade. More ponderous and violent than the previous strike, it slammed into the stone wall.

After an earthshaking boom, a deeper, wider sword mark appeared on the wall.

Cracks spread in every direction from the mark, and broken rocks clattered down, kicking up clouds of dust as they hit the ground.

Lu Yang slowly breathed out a mouthful of turbid air. Looking at the shocking sword mark before him, he was filled with excitement.

The power of that strike had increased by at least fifty percent!

He checked the amount of Spiritual Qi remaining in his body, and the smile on his face deepened.

It had also consumed a full ten percent less Spiritual Qi than before!

Ten percent might not sound like much, but with the strike's power greatly increased and its consumption reduced, the difference in actual combat would be enormous.

He would continue studying it after he returned. Once he had trained the Heavy Sword Technique to its maximum level, the time needed to condense it should fall below a single breath.

When that happened, the Law Technique could play a tremendous role in actual combat!

Satisfied, Lu Yang was about to put away his sword and leave when he suddenly heard the sound of someone cutting through the air, approaching from a distance.

He turned to see a round-faced man in the white robes of an outer sect disciple moving lightly between the treetops. With a few leaps, the man landed not far from him.

Zhao Qingshan had been cultivating in his small building when he suddenly heard an earthshaking boom nearby. Driven by curiosity, he had come out to take a look.

He had followed the sound here, and the first thing he saw was the stone wall. His pupils abruptly contracted.

Two sword marks ran from top to bottom across the entire wall, one deeper and wider than the other.

Broken rocks lay scattered across the ground, and strong fluctuations of Spiritual Qi still lingered in the air.

Zhao Qingshan sucked in a cold breath.

Even with his Late Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't produce such destructive power with a full-strength strike!

The cultivator who had made those two sword marks was probably formidable indeed. In the outer sect, he would rank at least among the top five thousand.

His thoughts raced as his gaze swept over the figure standing before the wall.

When he saw what the person looked like, his mind went blank for a moment.

In all his years, Zhao Qingshan had never seen anyone so good-looking.

The young man stood in white robes amid the moonlight and scattered stones, with an ethereal, otherworldly bearing, as though all the beauty of heaven and earth had gathered in him alone.

Who is this?

How have I never seen him before?

Zhao Qingshan collected himself and leaped lightly over to Lu Yang. Plastering a warm smile on his face, he cupped his hands and said, "Zhao Qingshan greets you, senior brother! You look a little unfamiliar, senior brother. How come I've never seen you before?"

Lu Yang was taken aback when Zhao Qingshan addressed him as senior brother the moment he opened his mouth.

With a slightly peculiar expression, he said, "I only entered the outer sect today. By rights, I should be calling you senior brother."

"?????"

Zhao Qingshan's smile froze on his face, and a string of question marks popped into his head.

He only entered the outer sect today?

That means he just passed the assessment and is only at Mid-stage Qi Refining??

How is that possible???

He looked again at the two vicious sword marks on the wall, unable to believe it.

Could a cultivator who had just reached Mid-stage Qi Refining unleash a Law Technique with that kind of power?

The faces of several peerless geniuses in the sect flashed through his mind, but that didn't seem right either.

True peerless geniuses were all specially recruited straight into the inner sect. They never entered the outer sect at all.

That left the most likely explanation: this junior brother cultivated a Cultivation Method and Law Technique of an extremely high grade, and the quality of his Spiritual Qi far surpassed others at the same stage. That was why his Law Technique was so powerful.

That meant this junior brother had an extraordinary background.

Zhao Qingshan's smile grew even warmer. "I see. No wonder I haven't seen you around this area before, junior brother. May I ask your name?"

"Lu Yang."

His surname is Lu?

Zhao Qingshan quickly ran through the prominent clans surnamed Lu and the high-ranking sect cultivators in his head, but came up empty.

That did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm, however. "You've just joined the outer sect, Junior Brother Lu. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to me anytime. I've been in the outer sect for nearly twenty years. I wouldn't dare boast about anything else, but I certainly know my way around."

Lu Yang gave him a slightly surprised look.

Nearly twenty years—that was longer than both Lin Ying and Qin Nanyue had spent in the outer sect.

They were both in the southern district of Profound Metal Peak, so there was no harm in getting acquainted.

He nodded. "Then sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother Zhao."

"No trouble, no trouble. In that case, shall we exchange voice transmission marks?"

Lu Yang had no objection.

After the two exchanged marks, Lu Yang took his leave, put away his dark heavy sword, and returned to his small building.

He pushed open the door to the cultivation room, and dense Spiritual Qi washed over him.

He sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and felt the Spiritual Qi around him, more than twice as dense as it had been at the entry-level disciples' residence. Breathing a satisfied sigh, he closed his eyes and began circulating the max-level Heavy Sword Instruction.

Early the next morning.

Lu Yang arrived at the outer sect square.

Morning light shone through the sea of clouds onto the bluestone-paved square, where more and more people were gathering.

Almost every outer sect disciple passing by gave Lu Yang an extra look, their eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

Several senior sisters even walked up and struck up conversations with him, smiling brightly and speaking warmly as they asked in a roundabout way for his name and which peak he belonged to. Some even wanted to exchange voice transmission marks.

Lu Yang had already experienced all of this at the entry-level disciples' residence.

He handled it with practiced ease—smiling and polite, neither cold nor flirtatious, and giving no one any extra cause for hope.

Although these senior sisters were all quite pretty, they didn't meet the system's nine-point standard. Adding them would be pointless.

Besides, after spending so much time with two great beauties like Lin Ying and Qin Nanyue, his standards had risen with the tide. Ordinary beauty could hardly make his heart race anymore.

Yet no matter how distant he acted, a steady stream of senior sisters continued coming up to talk to him.

Lu Yang was starting to get a headache when a familiar voice came from nearby. "Junior Brother Lu!"

Lu Yang's eyes lit up at once, and he looked up.

Qin Nanyue and Lin Ying were walking side by side down the mountain path opposite him.

It was Qin Nanyue who had called out to him, her voice crisp and clear, with her usual spirited air.

The moment Lin Ying saw Lu Yang, the tips of her ears turned red.

The scene from the bedroom yesterday flooded into her mind unbidden, and her heart suddenly beat a little faster.

When she saw Lu Yang looking at her, she hurriedly lowered her head, her gaze darting about as though she had done something guilty.

Qin Nanyue didn't notice that anything was amiss with her close friend beside her.

She strode up to Lu Yang and looked him up and down, a flash of amazement in her eyes. "Junior Brother Lu... why does it feel like you're getting better-looking by the day?"

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Am I? Maybe it's because my cultivation broke through. Spiritual Qi cleansed my hair and marrow, so I'm in a little better condition."

Qin Nanyue gave him another skeptical look.

A breakthrough did improve one's appearance somewhat, but was the effect really so pronounced?

Why hadn't it worked so well for her?

She didn't dwell on it, though, and cast a cool glance at the female cultivators around them who were still looking Lu Yang's way.

When Qin Nanyue's gaze swept over them, their expressions shifted slightly, and they quietly retreated one by one like fallen leaves scattered by the wind.

Qin Nanyue's name carried far too much weight in the outer sect.

She was a direct descendant of the Golden Core Qin Household. That background alone placed her among the very top in the outer sect.

What was more, her own strength was formidable. She had held a firm place in the outer sect's top ten for years, and in the past two years had even shown signs of breaking into the top five.

She was also not yet thirty. At this rate, she was very likely to reach Foundation Establishment before thirty!

Though Qin Nanyue's talent couldn't compare to those specially recruited monstrous talents, she was still unquestionably a genius others could only look up to.

In Qin Nanyue's presence, these female cultivators naturally didn't dare behave presumptuously.

Seeing them retreat, Qin Nanyue gave a soft snort, withdrew her gaze, and turned to Lu Yang. "Let's go to the market."

Lu Yang smiled faintly and said from the heart, "Senior Sister Qin, you're so imposing."

Qin Nanyue folded her arms and lifted her chin slightly. Her tone was calm, but she couldn't hide a trace of pride. "The outer sect is a place where strength counts. As it happens, my strength is fairly decent."

"You're amazing, Senior Sister Qin."

The corners of Qin Nanyue's lips curved up involuntarily. Then she caught herself and shot him a sidelong glance. "You're praising me so much, junior brother. You're not planning to fleece me later, are you?" she said irritably.

Lu Yang put on a surprised expression, as though he had been found out. "You caught me? Senior Sister Lin, we have to feast on the rich later."

He turned naturally to look at Lin Ying. At his call, she gave a slight start, her mind still immersed in the suggestive images from last night.

She nodded slightly, her voice soft and delicate. "Mm..."

Only then did Qin Nanyue notice that something was off about Lin Ying today.

She frowned and tilted her head, studying Lin Ying's slightly flushed cheeks and evasive gaze. "Yingying, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lin Ying jolted and hurriedly shook her head with all her might. "No! I'm fine!"

If her close friend found out she had kissed Junior Brother Lu yesterday, she felt she would have to hide in her cave abode for a year before she dared face anyone again.