Drink Less Wine [Thanks to Apple Sauce for the Sect Leader!]

Halfway up the mountainside.

Just moments before, Lingzhou Yue had decisively defeated Li Wuxie, her figure as swift as a sword, vanishing into thin air with a laugh, thus restoring Zongzhi Mountain's majestic presence.

The next moment, she sat cross-legged on the elder's Flying Stone, pouting her red lips and furrowing her brows, looking very unhappy.

True Person Yinyue asked, "What's wrong?"

Lingzhou Yue frowned as she looked down at the foot of the mountain, and said unhappily:

"Who put Spirit Severing Restriction on the Cliff Layer this year? Didn't they used monkeys, pythons, and rolling stones as obstacles before?"

True Person Yinyue said, "This is because we considered that the two of us might cooperate and take shortcuts when climbing the mountain together, so we increased the difficulty of the three levels. I remember that when Master Boyun proposed this at the Elder Council, you also nodded in agreement, didn't you?"

"Ah, this..."

Lingzhou Yue was completely bewildered, having no recollection of this incident.

True Person Yinyue put the stopper in the wine pot in her hand and forcibly put it back into her arms.

"Drink less wine."

Lingzhou Yue resisted the urge to drink and continued watching the two Sword Succession.

Since the difficulty of the third stage has increased, we can only hope that the two of them will cooperate more and not exhaust themselves in the first stage.

As soon as Sword Succession started, she frowned again, instinctively feeling overwhelmed.

Good heavens! You two not only refuse to cooperate, but you've also started competing! She clutched her forehead, on the verge of tears, and angrily berated them:

"You two are master and disciple, not brother and sister, so what are you competing for?!"

Beside him, True Person Yinyue slowly sighed, "Sometimes competition is also a form of cooperation."

Cliff Layer.

Thick clouds hung overhead, and Clear Mist drifted around us. All was silent except for the occasional rustling sound and the occasional tumbling of pebbles.

Chuyan wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, while swinging her sword like rain, using the Sewing Needle Sword Art to break through the details of the restriction.

As the restriction was being broken, he quickly took a step forward in a posture perpendicular to the cliff, and then continued to swing his sword to break the restriction in front of him.

The restrictions that had been lifted behind them quickly returned to normal.

Xiao Ran originally intended to follow behind and pick up the scraps while climbing the mountain, and then use his mortal-level Resonance Footwork to step on her shoulders and overtake her when he was about to pass the level.

Even if we fail, giving the little girl a massage and some Spirit Stone as compensation afterwards wouldn't be too bad.

Perhaps because the plan was too shameless, he suddenly realized that the restrictions on the cliff were the kind that could immediately regenerate themselves after being broken.

Its recovery time is set just right, allowing only one person to take one step forward after unraveling it before it quickly recovers.

Of course, he could also force his way in.

Just keep a negative distance from Chuyan.

However, as a teacher, the first priority should be to avoid harming one's students!

There are differences between men and women, and an order of seniority. Even when his Master was passing on his skills to him, he had to exert himself by using a high-level Mist Art to cover his body with holy light. In the end, he was so exhausted that he collapsed naked in his master's arms, which helped him grow...

Now that he himself is a teacher, he naturally needs to uphold the noble virtues of Master and maintain a proper distance from his students.

I don't need to specify a huge distance, but it can't be negative, otherwise it would truly fulfill Chuyan's words from back then—

This is putting children in an environment where they are without their fathers and are subjected to bullying.

Thinking this way, Xiao Ran still obediently reached out and climbed the mountain.

He could have used a mortal-level Resonance Movement Technique to ascend without consuming Spiritual Energy, but while it didn't consume Spiritual Energy, it did consume a great deal of physical strength, as evidenced by last night's incident.

He was exhausted and couldn't afford to give up at the first hurdle.

Hiking is still an option.

By Resonance Divine Sense, he can accurately find the best, least strenuous route.

Occasionally, when encountering a dead end, a flick of the fingertip creates several cleverly designed marks that allow for leverage, and the toes press against these marks as the foot slowly climbs upwards.

And so, like a gecko, Xiao Ran clung to the cliff, carving out a winding, crooked path.

Chuyan is taking one step at a time, walking upwards in a straight line.

Turning his head to look at Xiao Ran, he found that he was crawling crookedly, like a strange Wraith, with a very bizarre posture.

I was going to make fun of him, but in the blink of an eye, Xiao Ran had climbed far away and quickly disappeared into the vast fog.

Not only could she not see Xiao Ran, but her divine sense was also restricted by the surrounding Spirit Severing Restriction, making it impossible for her to perceive Xiao Ran's exact location.

The surroundings were shrouded in mist, making everything hazy and indistinct; nothing could be seen except for the cliffs.

There was complete silence; it was as if you could hear your own heartbeat.

She suddenly felt a little scared.

Only then did I realize that I had inexplicably become somewhat dependent on this guy.

She felt much more at ease when Xiao Ran was around; as soon as Xiao Ran left, she panicked and felt empty inside.

Could this be the sense of reliability that Master, just like how Grandmaster treated him? Thinking about it carefully, this guy's performance as a new teacher wasn't too bad. At least the Sewing Needle Sword Art he taught her was extremely exquisite and perfectly suited to her temperament and physique.

However, a competition is a competition. Just because her Master person doesn't mean she should hold back. Defeating her Master head-on is the greatest act of filial piety she can show.

Once she passes the test and defeats her Master, she'll have Master massage her shoulders and back, enjoying the treatment reserved for her Grandmaster. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Thinking this, she suddenly became more energetic, no longer afraid or nervous, and instead focused more intently on breaking the barrier with her sword.

One hour later.

Chuyan was drenched in sweat, exhausted, and her Spiritual Power was greatly depleted. She was on the verge of collapse, relying on the imagined service of her Master that was beyond her level to keep going. She thought that no matter how hard or tiring it was, Xiao Ran would help her relieve her fatigue.

Finally!

A fault-lined platform appeared ahead.

She used all her strength and gritted her teeth to climb up.

What I found was a circular stone path around the mountain, about ten feet wide, overgrown with grass, wildflowers, and thorns.

Looking around, he couldn't see his Master.

She forced a smile and chuckled softly.

"Hehe... I won... This disciple has won against Master..."

Suddenly, a gust of wind came from the west, carrying a faint aroma of meat.

Barbecue?

Chuyan frowned, gripping her slender silver sword warily. Dragging her tired, sweaty body, she followed the scent of meat westward.

After walking about a hundred feet, they spotted Xiao Ran! He was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, using eight small tree trunks to build a huge campfire, with a charred python skewered on a sword.

He was actually roasting a snake!

Two tree branches were stuck near the edge of the fire cliff, used to dry clothes.

He was wearing a new set of clothes.

Ten feet away, a pool was dug, surrounded by fresh soil, and steam was rising from the pool—it was warm water!

A newly dug warm spring!

In other words, this guy not only beat me by climbing the wall at an angle, but also killed a Golden Ringed Python that was blocking his way in an old checkpoint in a cave on the cliff. After climbing the steps, he dug a hot spring at the confluence of earth, Earthfire, and water veins, took a bath, cut down trees, roasted the python, and dried his clothes? Chuyan's eyes were glazed over. Her body had reached its limit, her waist went limp, and she slumped down in a duck-like position, sobbing softly in grievance.

"I lost again... Waaah."

Why say "again"?

I've been waiting for you for a long time.

Xiao Ran looked up.

The girl was soaked to the bone, her thin green dress becoming completely transparent, revealing her delicate, snow-white undergarments; white stockings clung to her slender legs, showing off their beautiful curves; her incredibly pure, loli-like face was fair with a rosy glow, delicate and alluring...

Ugh, this is unbearable to look at.

At this moment, Chuyan had regained some strength after sitting for a while. She gritted her teeth in humiliation, lowered her head, blushed, clenched her fists, and dared not look at Xiao Ran.

"You don't need to look at me with such pity. I keep my word!"

Xiao Ran smiled.

"Don't be discouraged. The elders have increased the difficulty of the first level this time. It's already quite good that you were able to climb up on your own. Go take a bath in the pool, change your clothes, and then come over and eat some snake meat to restore your Spiritual Power. With the snake meat, you won't need to Replenish Mana my lost energy. Just give me a back massage and a shoulder rub to help me relieve my fatigue."

As if she had heard some new knowledge, Chuyan's teary eyes rolled around, and she suddenly looked up.

What is Replenish Mana?