Dao Heart

"They still refused to let me go..." Hearing that the Su Family Cultivators were still waiting outside, Su Duanqiu's face instantly turned deathly pale.

At this moment, Su Duanqiu severed the last trace of familial affection she had held for the Su Family.

"Fellow Daoist, outsiders aren't allowed to approach the Jade Mist Sect's resource points, are they?"

"If I stay here for too long, I'm afraid I'll cause trouble for you all..." Su Duanqiu spoke hesitantly, still considering matters from someone else's standpoint.

She truly was a person of good character. No wonder she had been persecuted by her relatives.

This earned her Zhao Shanhe's favor.

After pondering briefly, Zhao Shanhe said, "That is no issue. You used the Dawnlight Protection Token, so it is reasonable for you to remain here. With that reason, even if a Sect Elder arrives, they will have nothing to say."

Hearing this, Su Duanqiu sighed in relief. She thought that using all her savings to exchange for the Dawnlight Protection Token before deciding to flee had truly been worth it.

Su Duanqiu cupped her hands. "This Junior Sister thanks the three Fellow Daoists. This Junior Sister is Su Duanqiu. How should I address you Fellow Daoists?"

"Zhao Shanhe."

Zhao Shanhe pointed at the two Junior Brothers beside him. "Wang Jue, and your clansman, Su Bai."

"Ah?" Su Duanqiu looked at Su Bai, her face pale. She racked her brains but could not recall when the Su Family had sent a male disciple to the Jade Mist Sect.

Had she not just escaped the tiger's den, only to enter the wolf's lair?

Wang Jue laughed. "Senior Brother Zhao is fooling you. Su Bai's Su comes from Yan Kingdom, a hundred and eight thousand li away from here."

A faint smile flashed across Zhao Shanhe's stern face before vanishing.

Su Bai also smiled slightly. Only then did he realize that although Senior Brother Zhao looked cold and aloof, he was actually quite the prankster.

Wang Jue then asked the question that Su Bai and Zhao Shanhe had both been dying to know. "Miss Su, why are your own clansmen hunting you down?"

That question struck straight at Su Duanqiu's sorrow. Her tears fell endlessly, like beads slipping from a broken string.

She wiped away her tears and slowly began her tale.

The Su Family was a cultivation lineage near Qingshan Spirit Plain.

They had once produced quite a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

But now the lineage had declined, and the strongest among them only remained at Qi Refining Great Perfection.

Without a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold down the fort, some of the Su Family's properties naturally drew covetous eyes.

The Su Family had no other choice but to ease the conflict by forging a marriage alliance with one of those cultivation lineages.

And since her parents had died in the lineage's battles, Su Duanqiu, with no one to protect her, naturally became the sacrifice for that marriage alliance.

"If it were merely an ordinary marriage alliance, then for the sake of the lineage, I would have agreed."

"But the man I was to marry cultivated a Dual Cultivation Method."

"If I truly married him, would I not become a cauldron and sooner or later die and Dao dissipate?"

"My parents had only me. If I died, how could I avenge them in the future?"

"Yet under the pressure of my uncles and elders, a mere Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivator like me had no power to resist. I could only pretend to agree in public, while privately, with the help of my friends, I purchased the Dawnlight Protection Token and waited for an opportunity."

"Last night, I finally found my chance and escaped the Su Family. I hurried all the way toward the Jade Mist Sect. Blessed by the Heavenly Dao, I encountered you Fellow Daoists..."

Though Su Duanqiu called them Fellow Daoist this and Fellow Daoist that,

in order to have Su Duanqiu advance to Late Qi Refining as soon as possible for the marriage alliance, the Su Family had given her considerable Cultivation Resources.

At twenty years old, Su Duanqiu possessed only an inferior Western Element Spirit Root, yet her cultivation had already reached Qi Refining Layer Six.

After hearing Su Duanqiu's account, Su Bai and the other two understood the course of events.

Su Duanqiu had made it sound simple, but her escape must have been a hair-raising ordeal.

Su Bai commented, "Sending a daughter away in marriage has been, throughout the histories of many dynasties, a sign of utter decline. It seems the Su Family is not far from extinction."

Zhao Shanhe and Wang Jue nodded in agreement.

Zhao Shanhe made the final decision. "Until the Su Family Cultivators leave, you may temporarily stay on Lake Heart Isle for a Period of Time."

He was the primary disciple in charge of Spirit Moon Lake's resource point. Since he had spoken, the matter was naturally settled.

Thus, Lake Heart Isle temporarily gained one more Female Cultivator.

The Thatched Hut had been empty anyway, so Su Duanqiu could stay there for now.

As for the sect, they would conceal it if they could. If they could not, the Dawnlight Protection Token would still provide a reasonable explanation.

Meanwhile, atop a small hill not far from Spirit Moon Lake,

the Su Family Three Cultivators sat cross-legged, quietly waiting for Su Duanqiu to emerge from Spirit Moon Lake.

One of the Su Family Cultivators said, "Third Uncle, if that bitch Su Duanqiu is accepted into the Jade Mist Sect, then wouldn't that..."

Su Family Third Uncle shook his head. "Hmph, keep dreaming. Su Duanqiu may have some Sword Dao Talent, but she only has a Western Element Spirit Root."

"A Western Element Spirit Root is a low-grade Spirit Root. The Cultivation Resources required to achieve anything with it are vast as the sea. Even the Jade Mist Sect absolutely could not support a disciple with such a poor Spirit Root."

"And it is not even the Jade Mist Sect's Recruitment Ceremony. Why would they make an exception to accept someone of unknown identity like her?"

Hearing Su Family Third Uncle's words, the Su Family Cultivator sighed. "If only that Sword Dao Talent had been given to me. I am a Three Spirit Root cultivator. With that Sword Dao Talent aiding me, joining the Jade Mist Sect and becoming a true disciple might not be impossible."

Su Family Third Uncle snorted and did not respond. This foolish nephew had started dreaming of eating swan meat again. Spell Talent was innate—could it simply be given away?

On Lake Heart Isle, Su Bai stared in astonishment at Su Duanqiu, who wielded a magic sword and continuously slashed out streams of Sword Qi.

Streams of Sword Qi howled from the magic sword in Su Duanqiu's hand, slashing toward the sky with astonishing aura before dispersing in midair.

Was this not Sword Qi that only Sword Cultivators who had reached a certain realm could unleash?

Su Bai remembered that even Zhao Shanhe, with his Qi Refining Layer Nine cultivation, had yet to condense Sword Qi.

Zhao Shanhe was also alarmed. He rushed out from the Thatched Hut and stared at Su Duanqiu with eyes full of shock.

This was already the second morning since Su Duanqiu had arrived at Lake Heart Isle.

Having risen early and found herself with nothing to do, Su Duanqiu cultivated the Sword Dao on Lake Heart Isle.

Whenever she slashed out a strand of Sword Qi, the circulation of Spiritual Power Within Body would be stimulated and accelerate. Only once her Spiritual Power was exhausted would she switch to meditative cultivation. This was Su Duanqiu's unique cultivation method.

A short while later, Su Duanqiu finished cultivating.

Zhao Shanhe rushed forward at the First Moment. "You are only at Qi Refining Layer Six. How can you condense Sword Qi?"

Su Duanqiu jumped in fright. Only then did Zhao Shanhe realize he had lost his composure somewhat. He took a step back and apologized.

Su Bai and Wang Jue, who were watching from the side, could understand.

Zhao Shanhe considered himself a Sword Cultivator and possessed Dual Spirit Root talent, so he was usually somewhat proud.

After all, not everyone had the courage to embark upon the path of a Sword Cultivator.

Today, he had suddenly seen a Female Cultivator whose cultivation was lower than his and who was younger than he was, yet had gone farther than him on the path of the Sword Cultivator. It was only natural that his Dao Heart would nearly collapse.