Zhu Zhuyun's Test

At the back mountain, Ling Qianyue followed a familiar path to the bluestone stele.

He took the items from his bundle one by one and placed them before the stele, then cleared away the surrounding weeds and dead branches.

He knelt down, pressed his palms together, and silently spoke of the longing in his heart and the small details of his recent life. A gentle breeze passed by, carrying the fresh scent unique to the mountains and woods, as though it too were listening to his thoughts.

After a long while, Ling Qianyue slowly rose to his feet, packed up his things, and headed down the mountain.

As he neared the mountainside, he suddenly sensed something amiss. The feeling of being watched made him stop instinctively. He turned back, but saw only swaying tree shadows in the forest. Everything appeared normal.

Yet the vigilance in his heart did not fade. Instead, it grew stronger.

He summoned the Shattered Star Sword and used Star Concealment to hide the blade from sight.

"Zhanxing."

The sword tip traced the ground, marking the positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Within the sword guard, the Heavenly Mystery Star flickered faintly.

The star signs emerged. Several wisps of pale starlight circled the Heavenly Mystery Star, appearing and vanishing intermittently.

A trace of unease and restlessness shone within the Heavenly Mystery Star itself, but it was not the violent flickering that foretold imminent disaster. Rather, it was a subtle disturbance, like a breeze brushing over the surface of water.

The starlight was veiled by a thin mist.

"There is indeed danger, but it isn't fatal. It's more like a potential threat or hidden danger—someone watching from the shadows."

Ling Qianyue stared at the Heavenly Mystery Star in the sword guard, one brow lifting slightly as he understood the result of his divination.

"Tsk."

Ling Qianyue's gaze shifted. He changed direction and followed the mountainside toward the rear of the mountain.

He did not stop until he reached a mountain spring. Sitting on a rock, he looked over the empty surroundings and said, "You've followed me all this way. Aren't you going to come out and meet me?"

No one answered.

"Was I overthinking it? Am I too sensitive?" Ling Qianyue scratched his head, pretending to be unconcerned. He jumped down from the rock and spoke as he walked.

"Forget it, forget it. Come to think of it, the Zhu Family's eldest young lady was really easy to fool. She actually came home with me just like that. Heh, how stupid."

The moment his words fell, the forest seemed to undergo a subtle change.

A breeze swept past, rustling the leaves. Then, a figure slowly stepped out from behind a tree and entered Ling Qianyue's view. The person wore black, their face hidden beneath a hood, making their features impossible to see clearly.

A cold female voice rang out. "What a despicable provocation. You inherently wicked brat."

Ling Qianyue stopped and fixed her with a piercing gaze. "But it worked, didn't it? Let me guess—Zhu Zhuyun?"

The person suddenly fell silent. Only after a moment did she speak again. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise—"

As she spoke, she lowered the hood of her black cloak and revealed her true face.

The girl stood around 1.75 meters tall, with short black hair and skin as fair and smooth as mutton-fat jade. Her tight leather outfit accentuated her exceptionally curvaceous figure. She bore an eighty percent resemblance to Zhu Zhuqing, except her eyes were sharper and lacked Zhu Zhuqing's icy coldness. Instead, she carried more of the air of an older woman.

She was Zhu Zhuyun, seven years older than Zhu Zhuqing and now thirteen years old.

At that moment, she stood with her arms crossed, danger glinting in her eyes as she stared fixedly at Ling Qianyue, as though he were some blond punk who had stolen a treasure from her home.

"You've got some nerve. First, you lured my little sister away. Then, knowing I was following you in secret, you still dared provoke me into showing myself. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?

"You're nothing but a work-study student. Even if you've gained a little fame and many people at the academy think highly of you, I still have ways to make you disappear from this world."

"Heh." Ling Qianyue did not yield in the slightest as he met her gaze. "We're both smart people. Anyone can make threats. If you wanted to act, you would have done so long ago. Why waste so much breath on me? And why let Zhuqing come to my home, creating even more trouble?

"Zhuqing can't see it because she's caught up in it, but I see it clearly. You may be cold on the outside and warm within, Miss Zhu Zhuyun."

"Tsk."

At his words, Zhu Zhuyun narrowed her eyes. Ling Qianyue had laid everything bare and even directly exposed the truth she had always concealed, leaving her momentarily unsure how to respond.

The sight of Ling Qianyue's faintly smiling expression irritated her to no end. It was only because, when Zhu Zhuqing enrolled, her Soul Power Level had happened to be on the verge of a breakthrough. She had focused on intensive cultivation for a time and relaxed her watch over Zhu Zhuqing.

By the time she finished cultivating and turned her attention back, she discovered that Ling Qianyue had suddenly appeared beside her little sister.

Although it was a good thing for someone to offer Zhu Zhuqing emotional comfort during the darkest period of her life, the older Zhu Zhuyun naturally understood what the appearance of a boy at this time meant to Zhu Zhuqing.

If Zhu Zhuqing's cultivation speed and combat skills had not improved so rapidly after spending time with Ling Qianyue, she truly would have wanted Zhu Zhuqing to transfer schools.

But when she thought of Dai Mubai, who had recently begun indulging in debauchery and was gathering resources to prepare for his escape, helplessness and worry rose in her heart once more.

Compared to him, Ling Qianyue might be lowborn, but at least for now, he seemed genuinely sincere toward Zhu Zhuqing. That gave Zhu Zhuyun a slightly better impression of him.

Now, it seemed that this fellow was exceptionally intelligent as well, able to guess the truth behind many matters.

His talent was strong too. The latest information showed that he possessed a sword-type martial soul that had undergone a favorable acquired mutation. If he could display the talent to reach the Soul Douluo realm in the future, then with her mediation, her little sister's dead end might not be inevitable.

For all these reasons, Zhu Zhuyun had chosen to let Ling Qianyue and Zhu Zhuqing continue spending time together. A few days ago, she had even pressured Zhu Zhuqing at home, leaving her with no choice but to decide to return home with Ling Qianyue during the holiday.

Her purpose had been to use this time to thoroughly test this wicked brat who might become her brother-in-law. Yet she had never expected Ling Qianyue to flip the table and refuse to play along.

"Heh." Zhu Zhuyun clenched her palm. "You're very clever. I'm glad you were able to think of so much, but this smug attitude of yours makes this big sister very unhappy. Take a beating first!"

With that, she directly summoned her martial soul. The instant the Hell Spirit Cat possessed her, Zhu Zhuyun's figure became even more agile, and her hands turned into sharp claws.

Two yellow soul rings rose beneath her feet as the pressure of a Soul Grandmaster spread outward.

"If I get hurt, won't it be hard to explain things to Zhuqing?"

"Hmph. I'll watch my strength. Your big sister brought medicine for injuries. I guarantee I won't leave any scars. Stand still and behave!"

She had even brought medicine for injuries. So had she known all along that she would find him, or had she planned from the start to beat him up?

Was this the danger foretold by the Heavenly Mystery Star?

Damn it. Watching Zhu Zhuyun leap toward him, Ling Qianyue cursed inwardly at her lack of martial ethics.

The Shattered Star Sword revealed its true form in his hand. He swiftly assumed a stance, ready to meet Zhu Zhuyun's assault. Though he had no soul rings empowering him, he had no intention of admitting defeat easily with his exceptional talent and combat skills.

Seeing Ling Qianyue's movements, Zhu Zhuyun's lips curled slightly as she gave a faint nod.

"First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"