Ling Yunpo, You're Doomed!

"Qingping Sword?" Ling Yunpo frowned.

"That's right," Qingping Sword replied.

"A Jing!" Ling Yunpo ignored her and turned to ask the Kunlun Mirror, "Is what she's saying true?"

"What else could it be?" Qingping Sword said. "You tell me, don't you, Yao Yao?"

"What the heck is 'Yao Yao'?" the Kunlun Mirror protested.

"In the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West, there's a mirror on the Jade Pond stage. What's wrong with calling you 'Yao Yao'?" Qingping Sword said with a smile.

"If we're going by your logic, then I should call you 'Jian Jian'," the Kunlun Mirror retorted, unusually sarcastic.

"Sure, though it doesn't sound as nice as Qingping, it's fine with me," Qingping Sword said indifferently.

Seeing that the Kunlun Mirror didn't object, Ling Yunpo spoke again:

"Qingping, what's your rank? What are your attributes? What Daoist Magic do you possess?"

"Rank?" Qingping Sword asked in surprise. "Aren't I an Immortal Sword?"

"The Heavenly Stems Sword Forging Method only became popular about eight thousand years ago. By that calculation, you'd be considered Tenth Order," the Kunlun Mirror reminded him.

"Then I'm a Tenth Order Flying Sword!" Qingping Sword adapted quickly. "As for my Five Elements attribute, it's actually 'Heavenly River Water'."

"The current Five Elements system doesn't use Yin-Yang Five Elements anymore," the Kunlun Mirror said again. "Just say you're Water Element."

"Oh, oh, a Tenth Order Water Element Flying Sword then," Qingping Sword readily agreed. "As for my Daoist Magic, I'll keep that a secret for now."

"What do you mean 'keep it a secret'?" Ling Yunpo said, displeased. "You're my Flying Sword, there's no reason for you to keep secrets from me!"

"Listen here, young man," Qingping Sword reminded him. "I'm not your Flying Sword. I'm just playing with you because I'm bored."

Ling Yunpo:?

He turned to ask the Kunlun Mirror:

"A Jing, if I return this lowly servant to the Sword Pool now and get a proper Flying Sword, is it still possible?"

"Of course," the Kunlun Mirror replied. "And I strongly suggest you do so. She's not exactly easy to tame."

"Alright then," Ling Yunpo said, and walked out.

"Hey, wait up, wait up!" Qingping Sword cried out in distress. "I was just kidding! I've already pledged myself to you, how could I betray my Sword Master so easily?"

"One more chance. Whose Flying Sword are you?" Ling Yunpo asked coldly.

"Yours, I'm yours, okay?" Qingping Sword said in a coaxing, delicate tone. "Yao Yao and I both belong to Master Sword!"

"Don't drag me into this," the Kunlun Mirror, who had been watching, expressed her displeasure.

"Let's continue talking about the Daoist Magic," Ling Yunpo interrupted them.

"As for the Daoist Magic, you can't use most of it yet," Qingping Sword pretended to ponder for a moment. "How about you try this one?"

"This technique is called 'Green Mist Shrouding the Blue Peaks'. It transforms Water Element true essence into a dense mist that spreads for a thousand miles. Enemies within it will have their senses sealed, their movements slowed, and the power of all non-Water Element spells greatly reduced."

"To activate it, just chant 'Misty vapor, floating mirage,' either aloud or silently."

"Alright," Ling Yunpo nodded. "I'll try it first. If it doesn't work, you'll go back to the Sword Pool!"

"Nooo!" Qingping Sword began to whimper. "I don't want to leave Master Sword! Can't Master Sword give me a little trust? If Master Sword gets stronger, I'll provide more and better Daoist Magic too!"

"Qingping," Ling Yunpo said ruthlessly. "You must remember, it wasn't you who chose me, but I who chose you."

"It's not that the weak trust the strong and choose to follow them, but rather that the strong are superior beings to the weak, and thus the weak are compelled to follow them."

"Followers who are too weak will inevitably be left far behind by the strong. This applies to both you and me."

Qingping Sword: ...

"If you don't want to be unable to even keep up with my steps, then strive to become stronger," Ling Yunpo said finally, and walked out.

"Yao Yao, I'm starting to like him," Qingping Sword said to the Kunlun Mirror, avoiding Ling Yunpo's divine sense. "What should I do? He's the most interesting Sword Master I've ever encountered."

"Are you planning to take human form and fall in love with him?" the Kunlun Mirror asked.

"No, no, no, being human is boring. It's more fun to be a sword," Qingping Sword shook her head.

Ling Yunpo ignored their internal thoughts and walked straight out of the Taoist temple to the open space outside. He raised his sword finger with one hand.

His divine sense connected with the sword spirit, and Qingping Sword floated in the air, trembling slightly.

"Misty vapor, floating mirage," Ling Yunpo chanted loudly.

Instantly, boundless mist surged out of nowhere, engulfing the surrounding open space.

Ling Yunpo scanned his surroundings and found that all he could see was a vast expanse of white, like the endless static on an old, signal-less television screen.

He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, nor could he hear any sounds. The dense fog seemed to absorb all color and sound, leaving only pure, tranquil white in the world.

His body felt heavy. Ling Yunpo looked down and realized his clothes were inexplicably soaked.

Water dripped from the hem of his clothes. Ling Yunpo tried to mobilize his divine sense and circulate his Sea of Qi, but found his divine sense was blocked within half a meter of his body, and his true qi circulation had become sluggish.

He then connected his aura to Qingping Sword. The weight on his body immediately lessened, and his divine sense spread unimpeded through the mist.

Within this dense fog, every tiny water droplet could become an extension of his divine sense.

Ling Yunpo stopped circulating his true qi, dispelled the thick fog around him, then sheathed Qingping Sword and found a spot of shade to sit down, beginning to wait for Senior Sister An to return from outside.

At the same time, he was contemplating how to utilize the Daoist Magic on this sword to construct a flexible combat system.

For example, when sparring with fellow disciples from Shushan, he could conjure a dense fog to obscure the opponent's senses, then use Qingping Sword for a straightforward backstab.

Hmm, my idea is still a bit too conservative.

Since the thick fog suppressed the opponent's divine sense, they would definitely recall their Flying Sword to their side and stand ready.

For instance, if I brought two swords, I could deliberately hurl one from the front towards the opponent, while simultaneously controlling Qingping Sword to circle around for a backstab.

If the enemy reacted quickly enough to block the sword thrown from the front, they would surely miss the backstab from behind…

While he was thinking this, Ling Yunpo suddenly looked up and saw a short, stout, unfamiliar young man descend onto Green Snail Peak, his sword light ceasing.

"Ling Yunpo, Junior Brother Ling?" The other party's gaze fell upon him.

"That is correct. May I ask who you are?" Ling Yunpo asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Lou Zhizheng." The short, stout young man's gaze shifted, landing on Qingping Sword behind him.

Wow! This person's gaze is so disgusting! Qingping Sword exclaimed in his mind. Quick, hide me! I don't want him to see me!

"Is Senior Sister An here?" Lou Zhizheng confirmed.

"She has gone out," Ling Yunpo replied indifferently. "Senior Brother, you may enter the pavilion to rest until Senior Sister returns."

"No need." Lou Zhizheng raised his chin, speaking with a cold laugh in a certain arrogant, yet regretful, affected tone:

"Junior Brother Ling, do you know?"

"You are facing imminent disaster!"