First Match

The next morning, Ye Yun was woken by birdsong outside his window and found himself struggling to breathe. He opened his eyes to see a foot in a white sock pressing down firmly on his chest.

"So that's why I dreamt I couldn't breathe and almost suffocated last night. You're the culprit! Let's see my unbeatable tickle stick." Having found the source of his discomfort, Ye Yun didn't hesitate. He immediately deployed his ultimate move, the "Unbeatable Tickle Stick," and tickled the sole of Tian Ling'er's foot.

Ticklishness is a near-universal trait, and Tian Ling'er was particularly sensitive. Even through the sock, she reacted instantly. With a startled cry, she snatched her foot back like lightning.

Upon waking, Tian Ling'er saw Ye Yun pretending to be asleep beside her and knew exactly what had happened. Without a word, she pounced on him and started tickling him. Ye Yun immediately burst into laughter, squirming and wriggling like a caterpillar, as he was also extremely ticklish.

After a brief struggle, Ye Yun gave up. Without using any magic power, his nine-year-old body was no match for the fully grown Tian Ling'er. He quickly surrendered and begged for mercy.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, spare me! Senior Sister, I know I was wrong, I surrender!"

"Surrender? Dream on! You made me wait so long last night, and now you wake up and tickle me first thing in the morning, and you want to surrender now? It's not that easy. Take this!"

"Hahaha, if that's the case, hahaha, then it's a fight to the death!" Ye Yun declared, laughing, and stopped defending, launching a counter-attack instead.

"Hehehe, you little rascal, you dare fight back? I'll make sure you admit defeat today."

A few minutes later, Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er lay sprawled on the bed, panting heavily. Their clothes were slightly disheveled, but neither of them seemed to care. The upturned corners of their mouths indicated that they were both in good spirits.

They lay there quietly on the bed for an unknown amount of time. In a daze, Ye Yun heard Tian Ling'er's voice.

"Xiao Yun, wake up. It's time for us to cultivate. You promised me yesterday that you'd cultivate with me."

When Ye Yun opened his eyes again, he saw that Tian Ling'er was already up. Her slightly messy clothes were tidied, and she was standing by the bed, looking at him gently.

Ye Yun glanced out the window and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. He scrambled out of bed. He had slept in his outer clothes last night, so he only needed to tidy himself up. Another benefit of being a cultivator was not having to brush his teeth every day. Once one could channel spiritual energy, the impurities in the body would be slowly expelled until the body was pure. Any new impurities generated would be decomposed and expelled through the pores during breathing or sweating. This was also one of the reasons why cultivators in the Zhu Xian world, even with only one or two layers of cultivation, could live for decades without aging (most of Ye Yun's senior brothers' cultivation hovered around the third or fourth layer).

When Ye Yun and Tian Ling'er arrived at the dining hall, everyone else had already finished breakfast. Zhang Xiaofan had even washed his bowls and chopsticks and gone to cultivate. Fortunately, there was always a sufficient amount of breakfast prepared each day, so the two of them wouldn't go without.

The meals on the mountain were always simple. According to his master, Tian Buyi, this was a tradition passed down from Ancestor Qing Ye. He believed that cultivators should not pursue gluttony but should focus their minds on cultivation and demon slaying. As a result, the dining standards across the various peaks of the Qingyun Sect had remained largely unchanged for thousands of years.

After a simple breakfast, Ye Yun followed Tian Ling'er towards the back mountain. Tian Ling'er wanted him to accompany her in practicing spell techniques and combat moves, not magic power cultivation, which required a spacious area. The back mountain was perfect for this.

When speaking of practicing spell techniques and combat moves, there weren't many. Cultivators in the Zhu Xian world typically fought by forming hand seals to control magic treasures and attack each other. There weren't many individual moves or spells; most required the activation of magic treasures. However, techniques like Palm Thunder, Five Thunders True Law (also known as Thunder Law, which allows one to command lightning and is a prerequisite for cultivating the Divine Sword Thunder Control True Spell), and Five Elements Spell did exist. Otherwise, without weapons, wouldn't they be like toothless tigers?

Ye Yun had not yet refined his own magic treasure. Tian Buyi, seeing that he was still young and not having any suitable items in his inventory, ensured he learned everything he needed to, but he still lacked a personal magic treasure. Consequently, Ye Yun excelled at those Daoist arts that could achieve maximum power without the aid of magic treasures.

Tian Ling'er's magic treasure was the earth-attribute magic treasure Amber Zhu Ling, gifted to her by Su Ru. Although this magic treasure appeared delicate, it was actually extremely tough and heavy. Being struck by it was akin to being hit by a heavy iron hammer weighing dozens of pounds. Having used this Amber Zhu Ling since she began cultivating, it moved like a flexible giant snake in Tian Ling'er's hands. Sweeping, coiling, and entangling were all executed with effortless mastery, causing Ye Yun considerable hardship.

After being swept away by Tian Ling'er's Amber Zhu Ling once again, Ye Yun had to admit that although his cultivation realm was higher than Tian Ling'er's, without using magic treasures, he might not be able to defeat her. After all, Ye Yun himself had little to no combat experience. His slight advantage in magic power was completely nullified by the magic treasure Amber Zhu Ling.

"Senior Sister, be careful, I'm counter-attacking!"

As soon as he spoke, Ye Yun drew a sword finger across his left hand. The ordinary steel longsword he had discarded nearby suddenly vibrated, emitting a humming sound, and then shot up like lightning with blinding speed, heading straight for Tian Ling'er's back. But that wasn't all. As the longsword flew, Ye Yun used his mind for two purposes. His right hand lit up with specks of earthy yellow light, drawing trails in the air. These trails formed a mysterious rune in the sky. The moment this rune was completed, the ground beneath Tian Ling'er's feet began to shake violently, catching her off guard and causing her to stumble, nearly falling.

The moment Ye Yun spoke, Tian Ling'er had already become vigilant, constantly watching his movements. However, when she saw Ye Yun merely controlling that ordinary longsword to attack her, her vigilance dissipated significantly. The power of Ye Yun's ordinary longsword likely couldn't even pierce the Amber Zhu Ling, so she paid it no mind. Instead, she formed a hand seal, intending to use the Amber Zhu Ling to bind Ye Yun like a zongzi. As for Ye Yun's other hand's movement, Tian Ling'er mistook it for a sword art to enhance his flying sword and didn't pay it any attention.

Ye Yun hadn't expected Tian Ling'er to completely ignore his Earth Control Spell from the Five Elements Spell and instead focus on controlling the Amber Zhu Ling to attack him. However, after being hit several times, although it only hurt a little, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to retaliate now, would he? He changed his hand seal. The earthy yellow light in his hand instantly turned green, and he rapidly drew a mysterious pattern in the air. The moment this pattern formed, thick brown roots emerged from the ground beneath Tian Ling'er, who had just regained her balance, gradually entangling her feet. The ordinary longsword, taking advantage of Tian Ling'er's flustered state, dodged the Amber Zhu Ling's defense and arrived behind her.

"Senior Sister, you lost." As soon as Ye Yun said this, Tian Ling'er, with a displeased expression, stopped her hand seal. The roots retreated back into the ground, and the longsword flew back to Ye Yun's side.

Today is May 20th. May all book friends find their other half, and may those who have found them be happy and prosperous. Just a casual remark, considering the author is working hard to write even on 5/20, please give me some votes and collections to comfort my fragile heart!