Gifts of Clothing, Learning the Sword; Shi Yan's Past

"The Third Elder's gift is truly unique."

Seeing her senior sister's serious evaluation, You Su could only laugh and hum twice in agreement.

"I can't possibly use all these treasures. Senior Sister, do you have any you like?"

A good junior is one who knows how to share.

Wangshu Fairy paused, her gaze sweeping over the eight treasures on the ground. Each one possessed a unique and wondrous use, but she didn't linger on them for long. She simply raised her head and shook her head.

"These were all given to my junior brother by the elders; I cannot accept them."

"What's mine is mine, Senior Sister's. Whatever Senior Sister wants, feel free to take it."

The senior student still shook her head.

Since entering the peak, Wangshu Fairy has always taken good care of him You Su has always wanted to repay his senior sister but has been unable to do so. He is a young man from a small town, and how could the gifts he could offer be worthy of his celestial senior sister? The congratulatory gifts sent by these elders have just added some substantial wealth to his collection.

His gaze swept over the gifts, but after thinking it over, he realized that none of them seemed to be of much use to his senior sister; they were practically useless.

In the end You Su's gaze settled on the expensive Snow Fox Fur. Although it was still autumn, the fur coat seemed to be covered with frost and snow, exuding a cool and refined elegance.

The Snow Fox Fur's ability to keep out the cold is largely useless to a senior sister at the Feather Transformation Realm, but the advantage of clothing is that it not only covers the body and keeps out the cold, but it can also decorate one's appearance.

"Senior sister, you can take this fox fur coat. I'm from a poor, remote place, so I can't wear it. This coat is so beautiful; it should be worn by a beautiful senior sister."

Upon Wangshu Fairy blinked twice and said, "But I've never taken off my mask, so how do you know how beautiful I am, Junior Brother?"

"Junior brother is still blind, so even if senior sister takes off her mask, I still can't see her face. But in my heart, senior sister is definitely beautiful."

You Su sincerely praised her, saying that just based on her figure and temperament alone, she didn't even need to show her face to be captivating.

The Wangshu Fairy seemed lost in thought, bowing her head in silence for a long time before finally raising her head again. She appeared quite excited and asked:

"Junior brother, are you really going to give it to me?"

"Of course, only Senior Sister is the most suitable for it," You Su said confidently.

"Thank you, junior brother. Then I'll take this Snow Fox Fur."

You Su smiled brightly, "Senior Sister, you don't need to be so polite."

Wangshu Fairy reached out and took the Snow Fox Fur handed to her by You Su, and immediately put it on.

She was tall and well-proportioned, wearing a snow-white dress as a base layer, and an additional fox fur coat as an embellishment, which added a touch of nobility to her already exceptionally beautiful temperament.

Wangshu Fairy twirled gently, like a lone snowflake falling from the heavens.

You Su stared, slightly lost in thought. To insist on focusing on the face beneath the mask was a desecration of this naturally beautiful sight.

Realizing his You Su quickly averted his gaze. Although his senior sister had seen what he looked like after his eyes opened, she didn't know that he could regain his sight in this state.

You Su suddenly realized something: the women he was close to all seemed to be exceptionally beautiful...

"Thank you, junior brother. I really like it, and I will wear it forever."

Wangshu Fairy stroked the downy hair on her neck and said sincerely.

You Su could tell that her senior sister wasn't trying to cheer her up. But why had her senior sister changed her attitude so drastically after she had just praised the fox fur coat, when she had clearly shown no interest in it?

He didn't seem to care too much about the issue, and smiled warmly:

"I'm glad you like it, Senior Sister."

You Su had only taken Wangshu Fairy's vow to wear it forever as a joke, and at that moment his pupils returned to normal.

Surprisingly, it was the senior sister who took her leave first. She smoothed the collar of her fur coat and walked towards her boudoir, turning back every few steps. You Su also returned to her room after putting away the rest of the treasures.

Wangshu sat in a chair, in front of a pure Glass Mirror. She placed her hand on the mask that covered her entire face, as if she wanted to take it off, but after hesitating for a moment, she gently put it down.

She then took out the congratulatory message she had secretly tucked inside her fox fur coat. The last four characters of the message read, "May be given to a good match."

Her eyes held a mixture of eagerness and doubt:

What does "perfect match" mean?

The next few days were spent in quiet cultivation, undisturbed by outsiders, not even the Third Elder.

You Su gazed at the mountains and forests behind the small courtyard, a complex feeling welling up inside him.

His Mistress didn't send him away, nor did she look for him again. However, his Mistress was in seclusion, and it was he who had disturbed her many times. It was only right that she didn't call for him.

But after what happened, You Su still felt a sense of loss. On one hand, he looked forward to seeing his master's Mistress again, but on the other hand, he was afraid that their relationship would become awkward. After all, it had been hard-won for his relationship with his Mistress improve, and he cherished it very much.

Therefore, he could only secretly be annoyed with himself, and even stopped practicing the Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art.

He can't afford to be in that situation again until his junior sister returns.

Besides meditating and reading, he also began to learn the Lotus Birth Sword Technique from his senior sister. Wangshu Fairy taught him without complaint, and she would wait outside You Su's door early every time before class started.

You Su felt guilty for delaying his senior sister's cultivation time and tried to dissuade her, but she shook her head and said that her junior brother should not worry, as her physique was special and she did not need to sit in meditation to cultivate qi.

You Su was truly envious upon hearing this, thinking that this was probably what a true genius was like, where one didn't need to draw upon the Mystic Qi, but rather it would eagerly be absorbed by them.

The Lotus Birth Sword Technique was Swordsmanship by Mistress at Jade Ring Pool when she broke through to the Void Glimpse Realm. As its name suggests, the sword moves are as intricate and orderly as intertwined lotus petals.

When You Su was learning the first nine moves, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu with the Mandarin Duck Sword. It wasn't that the moves were similar, but rather that the interconnected and ever-evolving logic was remarkably similar. His Mistress was his master's dao companion, so it's possible that she had also drawn inspiration from the Mandarin Duck Swordplay. Given this, You Su, who had thoroughly studied the Mandarin Duck Swordplay and possessed exceptional talent, didn't find it too difficult to master.

However, in the latter nine forms, the Lotus Birth Sword Technique begins to reveal its true essence, no longer pursuing form but rather meaning.

This is not a sword intent that Sword Cultivator comprehends on their own; it is the sword intent that comes naturally when this Swordsmanship is cultivated to its peak.

Sword intent can be considered a major threshold to becoming a top-tier Sword Cultivator, but not everyone can comprehend their own sword intent. The Swordsmanship created by these top-tier Sword Cultivator who have comprehended sword intent mostly have one thing in common: they can be used to express the sword intent of their creators by learning these sword Swordsmanship.

At the end of the Lotus Birth Sword lies the sword intent of the Lotus Sword Venerable.

Although the sword intent was broken down into the eighteen forms of the Lotus Birth Sword, it could not be comprehended overnight. You Su was not in a hurry and only practiced the first nine forms every day.

You Su also reviewed all the abilities he knew: the nearly perfected Mandarin Sword, the Don't Cower Sword Intent, the Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art, the first nine forms of the Lotus Sword, the Tai Sui Power that could be briefly unleashed, the Ruyi Wind-Controlling Technique Method, and a few other spells that weren't very useful.

Ironically, he once tried to learn these minor Technique Method in order to improve himself in a short period of time. Now that he thinks about it, perhaps focusing on swordsmanship was the best thing he should have done.

He looked at the book of Technique Method called "Six Yin Divine Movement Technique" that the First Elder had given him, and finally put it down.

Life on Lotus Peak was peaceful and easy. Spending every day with my senior sister felt like returning to the days when Chuyun City was filled with my junior sister.

He couldn't help but miss his junior sister more and more, wondering if she had safely returned to the snake clan and whether she had successfully received the inheritance.

Unfortunately, the deteriorating relationship between humans and demons has reached the point where private correspondence is no longer permitted. Only letters from important organizations such as merchant guilds, sects, and Lineage are accepted by the censors of the Divine Ark.

You Su had no choice but to give up. His experience of escaping death in Chuyun City was still vivid in his mind, but he was not questioned at all about the major event of Chuyun City resurrecting a malevolent spirit of the level of Ming Kun. It was as if the True God, Tai Sui, Dream-Eating Ghost and everything else had nothing to do with him.

Perhaps no one believed that a blind man at the Spirit Platform Realm would be involved in such matters, or perhaps his Mistress shielded him from all doubts.

Therefore, he cherished the tranquility of Lotus Peak even more. Just when he thought he would continue to cultivate silently and wait for his Mistress to emerge from seclusion, the Third Elder came to his door.

"Oh my! Little Wangshu is wearing new clothes? She looks even more beautiful now. Who gave you this expensive Snow Fox Fur? You have really good taste."

The Third Elder, his breasts full and round, was captivated by the elegant Fairy and couldn't resist reaching out to touch the fox fur coat.

Wangshu Fairy dodged away, not giving the Third Elder a chance to touch it, and proudly said:

"It was a gift from my junior brother."

Upon hearing that it was a gift from You Su, the Third Elder immediately rolled her eyes.

"Where did that poor kid get so many Spirit Stones to buy such fancy clothes? I think they must be fake."

"It was given to my junior brother by the Eleventh Elder, and then he gave it to me." Wangshu Fairy said seriously, not wanting the Third Elder to look down on her junior brother.

"Even if it's genuine, it's still autumn. Why are you wearing this Snow Fox Fur coat all the time? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

"Why should I care about others? Besides, no one but the Third Elder can go up Lotus Peak. I can wear it whenever I want."

The usually obedient Wangshu Fairy spoke with a hint of willfulness.

The Third Elder pursed her lips, unable to bear to criticize the girl's tenderness. Apart from the sword in the girl's hand, she had never seen Xiao Wangshu cherish anything so much.

It was clearly a gift from a stinky man; Wangshu was so easily fooled. Feeling a pang of jealousy, she couldn't help but mutter a few words:

"Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft."

"Third Elder... I'm still here..."

You Su awkwardly reminded him, not because the Third Elder had slandered him to his face, but because of the matter of wielding the sword...

The Third Elder glared at him, intending to criticize him further, but then, as if remembering something, he swallowed back the words he was about to say:

"I'm going to find your master, You Su. You should go down the mountain now; someone is waiting for you there."

Going down the mountain now? So... they're still trying to get rid of me?

You Su felt a chill and momentarily forgot to reply.

"I'll go with my junior brother," Wangshu Fairy said faster than You Su.

"Little Wangshu, you don't need to go. Just wait for your junior brother to come back at Lotus Peak. He's a grown man, how can he go everywhere with his senior sister? You don't want your junior brother to be looked down upon in the sect, do you?"

You Su didn't know what would happen, but she didn't want her senior sister to get involved, so she chimed in, "Senior sister, don't worry, the Third Elder wouldn't abandon me, would he?"

The Third Elder glanced back at You Su and said, "I'd love to get rid of you, but I'm afraid your master and senior sister wouldn't be able to bear it. Shi Yan is waiting for you down the mountain; he'll lead you to Bihua Peak. You wait for me there."

You Su was puzzled, but her anxiety subsided somewhat, and she bowed, saying:

"Yes, I'll go down the mountain right away."

You Su bowed to her senior sister again, then turned and left, Third Elder also entered the Immortal Forest.

Only Wangshu Fairy remained in place, stretching out her slender hand to rub the fox fur on her shoulder, her blue eyes filled with doubt.

Why couldn't I come with Master and the Third Elder when they were looking for Junior Brother? What exactly do they want with him?

You Su descended the mountain, his heart was filled with trepidation, much like the bumpy rocks on the path.

Once outside the mountain, a burly, dark-skinned man was already waiting. Upon seeing You Su, he excitedly shouted:

"You Su!"

The shout was so loud it seemed to pierce the clouds and split rocks. You Su was speechless. He was clearly only three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in front of him, so why was he shouting so loudly?

"Brother Shi," You Su replied.

"Aren't you from Lotus Peak? How did I become your senior brother? Don't be so polite, just call me Shi Yan." Shi Yan said cheerfully.

He had entered the sect earlier than You Su and was also older, but he didn't care at all.

You Su smiled wryly to herself, but she wasn't offended. She just felt that the other person was simple and honest, so she changed her words and said, "Then let's address each other by our names."

"That's only right. Let's go, the Third Elder asked me to take you to Bihua Peak."

Shi Yan spoke, he walked ahead. He was tall and fast, showing no concern whatsoever for You Su being blind.

You Su was stunned for a moment before immediately following, not feeling that the other party was being rude. On the contrary, she felt a sense of goodwill towards Shi Yan for treating her like a normal person.

As the two entered the square, more disciples appeared. Many people looked at You Su with eager eyes, and some even boldly greeted him, to which You Su responded with a faint smile.

"You Su, you're a big celebrity now! You're probably the most hardworking True Disciple in the history of the Xuanxiao Sect in reporting on battles," Shi Yan praised.

"It's simply to prevent Lotus Peak from being tarnished because of me."

Perhaps for other peaks, the reporting of True Disciple is just a process of letting everyone get to know the newcomer, but Lotus Peak, which only accepts one disciple every hundred years, is a special case, which is why You Su's reporting was fraught with difficulties. Fortunately, however, he got through it all safely.

"Well said! I will never let Bihua Peak be tarnished!" Shi Yan clenched his fists and made a solemn vow.

You Su was taken aback for a moment. Wasn't Shi Yan Outer Disciple? Outer Disciple were all taught through lectures, so where did this master come from?

He then recalled that the Third Elder had asked someone to lead him up the mountain; surely he should have his own disciples, so why was he looking for an Outer Disciple Shi Yan?

Could it be that the Third Elder has taken Shi Yan as his disciple?

"Shi Yan, have you become True Disciple of Bihua Peak?"

"Hehe! This is all thanks to you! Don't tell anyone, I prefer to keep a low profile, after all, it hasn't even been officially announced yet."

True Disciple can be those whom elders have chosen during their travels and brought back directly, or they can be selected from among the Outer Disciple of the sect.

Given the strength he displayed in the battle at Shi Yan, it's not surprising that he was chosen by the elders. However, You Su was rather surprised as to why it was the Third Elder who accepted him as a disciple. The pairing of master and disciple seemed rather incongruous.

"Congratulations! No wonder the Third Elder asked you to take me to Bihua Peak. You got it all yourself; it has nothing to do with me."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly:

Actually, losing to you is the best outcome.

What do you mean?

"After I entered the peak, my senior brother told me that as an Outer Disciple, I had challenged True Disciple for several years in a row, which had offended many elders. So even if I did win against a True Disciple with that one move, even if an elder took a liking to me, they wouldn't accept me. But I lost to you, and was instead taken in by the kind-hearted Third Elder."

"You've been challenging the True Disciple one after another just to be chosen by the elders and become True Disciple?"

You Su admired Shi Yan's straightforwardness. How could such a vast Xuanxiao Sect be nothing but fighting and killing, devoid of human relationships?

"Yeah, I've been getting beaten up the whole way here. I thought I was finally going to beat you up and get my revenge, but I still couldn't beat you."

Shi Yan spoke frankly, without a hint of blame.

"I'm only slightly better than you. Your Cultivation Method is very powerful; it can absorb the power of others and make it your own. Once you reach a higher level and can store more Qi, no one will dare to provoke you easily anymore. It's a pity that it's been exposed now, so others won't attack you easily anymore."

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Shi Yan charged straight at a nearby stone pillar, the impact so violent that it made a tremor. When Shi Yan raised his head again, a large bump had formed on his forehead, but he seemed unfazed by the pain, instead displaying a rather proud demeanor, and said:

"I used to think so too, but things are different now that I've become True Disciple. Before, I was poor, so I could only get stronger by being beaten. Now that I'm True Disciple, I don't need to spend money. The Third Elder specially prepared many Xuan Mystic Stone rich in Mystic Qi for me. I run into them every day and absorb the Mystic Qi from the Mystic Stone to get stronger. There's also a big waterfall on Bihua Peak. I sit under it and let the water hit me to get stronger! The Third Elder is really good to me!"

"..."

You Su sensed Shi Yan's excited tone and still felt that this cultivation method was too advanced, but since Shi Yan was enjoying it, he didn't say anything more.

However, neither of them knew the Third Elder's ulterior motives in taking Shi Yan as his disciple. The Third Elder disliked men but could not show it too obviously, so there were still some male disciples with extremely high talent on Bihua Peak.

Now that she has taken Shi Yan, who is incompatible with her, as her disciple, she wants to see men constantly "abused" in front of her. This makes her very happy and gives her great physical and mental comfort, which is why she spares no effort to find many things to help Shi Yan with his cultivation.

"Then why are you so insistent on becoming True Disciple?"

You Su was curious about what had sustained this burly man all this way.

To everyone's surprise, Shi Yan scratched his head and became hesitant, stammering and unable to explain himself clearly for a long time:

"I like Guifen from our village, but she has been taken in as True Disciple by Venerable Ye Qing of the Treasure Forging Sect. I don't want her to leave, but the Venerable said that at least True Disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect would be worthy of Guifen."

The celestial maiden of the Immortal Sect has the secular name Gui Fen, which is quite incongruous.

Venerable Ye Qing... that name sounds somewhat familiar.