Although Bixiao's voice was quiet, it still startled Yunxiao.
In an instant, Yunxiao's heart leaped into her throat.
Had she been found out?
How was she supposed to explain her Dao Companion?
She had forbidden Bixiao from finding a Dao Companion, yet she had one herself.
There was no way to explain that.
No!
Yunxiao immediately forced herself to calm down.
Bixiao only knew that she had gone out.
Besides, the place where she had met Lu Changsheng earlier was some distance from Three Immortal Island.
Bixiao might not even know that she and Lu Changsheng had done anything together.
"Lu Changsheng came to ask me about methods for cultivating Shangqing Divine Thunder. He's preparing for his fight with Dingguang Xian."
Yunxiao didn't even dare look at Bixiao, afraid she would notice the hint of panic in her eyes.
All she could do now was hope that Bixiao didn't know much.
"What? Lu Changsheng came? Where is he?"
Bixiao looked delighted.
"I know Shangqing Divine Thunder too! Let me teach him."
"He's already left."
Yunxiao's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
So Bixiao only knew that she had gone out, not that Lu Changsheng had come.
If she'd known, she wouldn't have said anyone had come.
"What? He already left?"
Bixiao looked disappointed.
She was nearly bored to death on Three Immortal Island.
Someone had finally come, and she hadn't even gotten to see him.
"Big Sister..."
Bixiao suddenly sidled up to her, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
"Say what you have to say."
Yunxiao knew her little sister all too well.
"Big Sister, you were the one who arranged this fight between Lu Changsheng and Dingguang Xian, weren't you?"
"So?"
Yunxiao asked.
"So this fight doesn't just represent him—it represents you too."
"If he loses, wouldn't that make you lose face as well?"
"How about I go to his cave and give his cultivation some proper guidance?"
Bixiao looked at Yunxiao expectantly.
"No!"
Yunxiao refused without a second thought.
Did Bixiao want to go out, or did she want to guide Lu Changsheng in his cultivation? How could Yunxiao not know?
Besides, even if Bixiao really wanted to guide Lu Changsheng, it wouldn't help.
Bixiao was barely competent in many of the Interception Sect's Mystical Abilities herself.
"You only recently broke through to Taiyi Golden Immortal. You need to go into seclusion and stabilize your cultivation."
Bixiao pouted.
"But..."
"There's no but. Do you still want to go watch the fight?"
Yunxiao had found the perfect way to rein Bixiao in.
"Fine, I'll go cultivate."
Bixiao had no other choice.
But just as she was about to leave, something caught her eye.
"Hmm? Big Sister, why did you change your Golden Hairpin?"
Yunxiao instinctively touched the Golden Flood Dragon Hairpin.
"I'd worn the old one for a long time."
"But I've never seen this hairpin before."
Bixiao sidled closer again, scrutinizing the Golden Flood Dragon Hairpin.
"It's actually a Houtian Lingbao?!"
"Big Sister, when did you get such a Magic Treasure?"
Yunxiao's heart jolted.
"Why do you care?"
"You only recently broke through to Taiyi Golden Immortal, and you lack Combat Experience."
"Let me help you with that."
At this, Bixiao shook her head like a rattle drum.
"No, no!"
She'd fought Yunxiao before, and every time she'd gotten a thorough beating.
She wasn't a masochist.
"I'll go cultivate."
As she spoke, Bixiao returned to her meditation cushion and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.
Yunxiao finally let out a sigh of relief.
She took off the Golden Flood Dragon Hairpin and examined it.
The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, and the corners of her lips lifted involuntarily.
A moment later, she put the Golden Flood Dragon Hairpin back on.
Now she could only hope that Lu Changsheng had some Trump Card that would let him defeat Dingguang Xian.
Of course, even if Lu Changsheng really couldn't beat Dingguang Xian, it wouldn't matter. She would find a way to get the Cultivation Resources promised in the bet.
At worst, she would take them from the other six attendants.
Lu Changsheng returned to his cave.
His trip to Three Immortal Island had gone as planned.
He'd raised his favorability a little and gained three Spirit Enlightenment Talismans.
He was already thinking about what to ask Yunxiao for after defeating Dingguang Xian.
He had indeed promised not to make an unreasonable request.
But between Dao Companions, there were plenty of requests that weren't unreasonable.
Lu Changsheng's thoughts began to wander.
A few breaths later, he forced himself to calm down.
For now, he had to focus on improving his strength.
First, he'd try the Spirit Enlightenment Talisman the system had rewarded him with.
As he took out the talisman, the system's voice rang out.
[Host detected using a Spirit Enlightenment Talisman. Which Divine Ability would you like to comprehend? [Available Divine Abilities: Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art, Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes, Indestructible Divine Thunder Body, and Shangqing Divine Thunder.]
"Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art."
As soon as Lu Changsheng made his choice, the Spirit Enlightenment Talisman in his hand disappeared.
A flash of Spiritual Light surged into Lu Changsheng's sea of consciousness.
His brow throbbed with pain, and his vision went black.
When his sight returned, he found himself standing in a barren wasteland.
What...
Before Lu Changsheng could recover, a blurry figure appeared high above him.
Hum!
A sword rang through the heavens, and a Spirit Sword appeared in the figure's hand.
The instant the Spirit Sword left its sheath, the entire world dimmed.
Then the figure swung its sword.
A dazzling blade of light shot straight into the skies.
It seemed to cleave an endless chasm through the entire firmament.
Lu Changsheng stared in shock.
One sword split the sky. Was this the Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art at the Perfection Realm?
In the next instant, the blurry figure turned into a streak of sword light and shot toward Lu Changsheng.
His vision went black again.
When he came to once more, insights into the Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art had appeared in his sea of consciousness.
Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art, Perfection!
He stepped out of his cave and soared into the sky.
A Spirit Sword formed in his right hand. He took a deep breath, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art!
He swung once, sending a formidable blade of light sweeping through the air.
But after that strike, Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow.
"System, this doesn't seem right."
For a moment, he suspected the system had tricked him.
His Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art was at the Perfection Realm too, but his strike was nowhere near as powerful as the one he'd seen in the illusion.
If the blurry figure's strike in the illusion could kill a Daluo Golden Immortal, or even a Quasi-Saint, then his own strike probably couldn't even kill a Taiyi Golden Immortal.
[The Host's Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art has reached the Perfection Realm, but the strength of a Divine Ability is also related to one's cultivation.]
Lu Changsheng understood.
That made sense.
It was just like a Magic Treasure: no matter how powerful a Divine Ability was, it still needed cultivation of the appropriate level to support it.
"Wait, are you calling my cultivation weak?"
Only after the words sank in did Lu Changsheng feel insulted.
[This system is merely answering the Host's question. With the Host's current Mysterious Immortal cultivation, you can only...]
"Stop!"
"Don't say another word."
Lu Changsheng was even more exasperated.
Couldn't it say something besides that his cultivation was low?
He'd better keep using the Spirit Enlightenment Talismans.
He used the second Spirit Enlightenment Talisman to comprehend the Indestructible Thunder God Body, making his physique even stronger.
As for the third Spirit Enlightenment Talisman, he didn't choose the Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes. Instead, he used it on Shangqing Divine Thunder.
He had thought the matter through carefully.
Of the several Divine Abilities he possessed, the Indestructible Thunder God Body focused on physical strength and leaned toward defense.
The remaining three—the Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes, Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art, and Shangqing Divine Thunder—were all offensive Divine Abilities.
With Ling Yun Jian at his disposal, improving his Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art was essential.
That left the Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes and Shangqing Divine Thunder to choose between.
After comprehending the Purple Heaven Spirit Sword Art, there wasn't much difference between the Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes and Shangqing Divine Thunder.
But Shangqing Divine Thunder had one advantage the Nine Heavens Thunder Eyes lacked.
It was a Jie Sect Divine Ability.
Just imagine: if he defeated Dingguang Xian with Shangqing Divine Thunder, how humiliating would that be for him?
Of course, Dingguang Xian was only a secondary concern.
The main goal was to attract Tongtian's attention.
The system's rewards were quite good, but there were conditions attached to earning them.
If he wanted to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible, he had to raise his standing in the Interception Sect.
Becoming one of Tongtian's Personal Disciples would be ideal.
So whether it was an Mysterious Immortal defeating a Golden Immortal or mastering Shangqing Divine Thunder in a short time, both were ways to attract Tongtian's attention.
After using the third Spirit Enlightenment Talisman to deepen his understanding of Shangqing Divine Thunder, Lu Changsheng took out the Yin Yang Spirit Merging Pill.
His Divine Abilities had been improved enough for now. Next came his cultivation.
He swallowed the Yin Yang Spirit Merging Pill and began cultivating in seclusion once more.
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