Junior Sister Xu Wants to Accompany

Upon reaching Yuxu Peak, the Kunlun disciples finally landed their sword light, their faces filled with relief and lingering fear after surviving the ordeal.

"Senior Brother Qiu is truly amazing!" After a moment, someone spoke, their tone sincere. "If Senior Brother Qiu hadn't accompanied us this time, we would have been in grave danger!"

Everyone thought about it and agreed. Furthermore, Qiu Changtian hadn't gained much from this trip, so they quickly began to flatter and appease him, fearing he wouldn't be willing to join them on future missions:

"We will never forget Senior Brother Qiu's life-saving grace!"

"Senior Brother Qiu's righteousness reaches the heavens; we engrave it in our hearts!"

"Senior Brother Qiu's kindness is too great to repay; I am willing to pledge myself to you!"

"Get out, get out!" The female disciples present quickly pushed the one who spoke out of the circle, preventing her from continuing her outburst.

Qiu Changtian, with an awkward yet polite smile, dealt with the disciples' effusive praise.

Xu Yinglian, ignored by everyone, stood forlornly at the edge of the circle, gazing blankly at Qiu Changtian, who was surrounded by others, her thoughts unknown.

After returning to Golden Ridge, Qiu Changtian continued to cultivate his Lightning Magic for several days.

Combining his practical experience from the earth vein ruins, he had confirmed the biggest drawback of Jade Pivot Thunder:

Its power was too great!

The advantage of this lightning magic was its fast casting speed, high True Qi consumption, and extremely strong destructive power, making it a high-burst attack method.

However, precisely because its power was too great, he couldn't control its intensity or adjust its release freely.

In the earth vein ruins, the initial blast that blew off the ceiling almost smashed his own face with the flying debris.

When he blasted the passageway the second time, Qiu Changtian intentionally tried to control the power of the lightning magic.

To his surprise, he found he couldn't control it at all, which amused him.

Even when shrunk to the size of a palm-sized ball of lightning, or the smallest volume of an imperial seal, its power remained overwhelmingly immense.

If it detonated within a single step, the aftershock could even injure himself... Don't ask Qiu Changtian how he knew.

It was precisely for this reason that information about Jade Pivot Thunder needed to be kept as secret as possible.

If too many people knew about it, it would be easy to be targeted and countered.

For example, when the lightning shot out, the opponent could preemptively launch a Flying Sword.

Since the Flying Sword's speed far surpassed that of the lightning, they could detonate it prematurely simply by colliding with it the moment the lightning was unleashed, thus backfiring on Qiu Changtian himself... That would be truly disastrous.

Shouting "Jade Pivot Divine Thunder" and then exploding on the spot, covered in blood. If there were any onlookers, the synchronization value of his Invincible Persona would likely plummet.

In conclusion, Jade Pivot Thunder was suitable only as a trump card, and could only be used as such.

One morning, Qiu Changtian was, as usual, in his Cave Mansion, explaining the Nine Heavens Pure Micro Entrance True Words to his Junior Brothers and Sisters.

After the explanation, it was time for questions.

"Senior Brother Qiu," Yan Zhitui suddenly asked, "I heard you've been practicing a very powerful Daoist Magic recently. Could you tell us about it?"

"Ahem," Qiu Changtian coughed a few times, his mind racing.

First, the matter of Jade Pivot Thunder needed to be kept secret if possible.

Junior Sister Xu was too familiar with him to keep it from her; others didn't need to know.

Second, he couldn't refuse outright.

After all, an invincible persona shouldn't deliberately hide trump cards and be secretive.

After careful consideration, Qiu Changtian smiled and asked:

"Junior Brother Yan, let me ask you first: do you know what 'Two Arts and Two Methods' refers to?"

"'Two Arts' refers to Qi Refining Technique and Daoist Magic; 'Two Methods' refers to magic swords and magic treasures," Yan Zhitui said cautiously. "Am I correct?"

"That's right," Qiu Changtian nodded and began to explain to his Junior Brothers and Sisters:

"The Two Arts prioritize Qi Refining Technique because only Qi Refining Technique determines the most crucial cultivation realm."

"Without sufficient cultivation realm, even the most powerful Daoist Magic is merely a castle in the air."

"The Two Methods prioritize magic swords because magic swords have sealed Daoist Magic, which can be used upon refinement."

"If you don't borrow a magic sword and cultivate Daoist Magic yourself, it will undoubtedly take up your time for Qi refining."

"If Qi refining is slow, the cultivation realm will improve slowly, which in turn will affect lifespan extension."

"Ordinary people live only about a hundred years. Success in Marrow Cleansing can extend it to two hundred, Golden Core to eight hundred, Nascent Soul to five thousand, and beyond that is ascension to immortality."

"Compared to the time required for cultivation and advancement, the extended lifespan is quite insufficient, so..."

Before Qiu Changtian could finish, he heard Guan Zhan scoff and say:

"Therefore, rather than inquiring about some Daoist Magic, it's better to focus on refining Qi and improving cultivation."

"Senior Brother Qiu has a Clear Dao Heart and his cultivation progresses far faster than ordinary people. He only took half a day to open his Sea of Qi back then! That's why he had the leisure to study a Daoist Magic."

"Junior Brother Yan, how long did it take you to pass the Three Trials back then? A full half a month! How can you possibly be qualified to covet Daoist Magic?"

[Invincible Persona, Synchronization Value +1.]

"Ah, Junior Brother Guan, although he usually wears a frosty, icy expression and his words are often too blunt and merciless, he's actually quite likable."

As he was secretly pleased, Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai felt a bit indignant. Yan Zhitui, however, wasn't angry. He simply bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Guan. I have learned much."

"Junior Brother Guan's words are not wrong, but they are a bit too absolute," Qiu Changtian said with a smile. "If everyone intends to stay with the sect for life, then so be it."

"But if you plan to venture out for training and cultivate some Daoist Magic for self-preservation, it is also very necessary."

"After all, the Daoist Magic on a Flying Sword often aligns with the attributes of the Flying Sword itself. If you encounter an enemy whose attributes counter yours, and you have no other means to turn the tide, then it will be dangerous."

"Senior Brother Qiu speaks well!" Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai deliberately shouted.

Guan Zhan's expression changed slightly (feeling like he'd been slapped in the face). However, he had little experience with venturing out for training, and Senior Brother Qiu was already a king in this regard, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.

"Alright," Qiu Changtian said, clapping his hands. "In conclusion, for now, everyone should focus on Qi Refining to improve your cultivation. If you wish to increase your means of self-preservation, you can come out for training with me privately. I will observe your flaws and shortcomings in actual combat and provide targeted advice for improvement."

Everyone nodded their thanks, then rose and left one after another.

Only Xu Yinglian remained seated on the meditation cushion, still and unmoving.

Seeing that everyone else had left, Qiu Changtian smiled and said, "Junior Sister, what is it?"

"I want to cultivate a type of Daoist Magic," Xu Yinglian said concisely.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Changtian did not answer immediately. He pondered for a moment and then asked, "You saw that Senior Brother has mastered a type of Daoist Magic, so you wish to emulate Senior Brother?"

Xu Yinglian sneered and said, "If Senior Brother is worried that I will catch up to you, you can choose not to guide me."

Qiu Changtian laughed heartily.

"Junior Sister Xu, what kind of person do you think Senior Brother is? Hmm, with your aptitude, cultivating Daoist Magic is not a problem. However, the specific type of Daoist Magic you choose depends on your objective..."

"My objective is to surpass your Lightning Magic!" Xu Yinglian blurted out without thinking.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Qiu Changtian asked, torn between laughter and tears. "Can't you focus on 'perfecting yourself'?"

Xu Yinglian fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Didn't Senior Brother once say: On the path of cultivation, walking alone at the forefront is truly lonely. If I have Junior Sister by my side, then there will be no regrets?"

"If my strength is far inferior to yours, how can you let me accompany you?"

"Cough, cough." Qiu Changtian, accidentally pierced through his defenses by her clear and beautiful smile, quickly turned his head to compose himself, then said with a wry smile, "Yinglian, why are you suddenly confessing to Senior Brother? You startled me..."

"I'm not confessing to you!" Xu Yinglian jumped up directly, annoyed. "I just don't want to be left behind by you, I'd rather chase after you!"

Having said that, she realized there was still ambiguity, so she quickly corrected herself.

"Of course, catching up to you is the first step. The second step is to surpass you! And then... you will be the one left behind, Qiu Changtian!"

"Then I shall await it, Junior Sister," Qiu Changtian said with a smile.

Xu Yinglian gritted her teeth in anger.

The Kunlun Mirror, which had been observing the two, simply couldn't stand him bullying his Junior Sister like this. It quickly and secretly opened a corner of the Mirror Flower Water Moon.

It weakened his Invincible Persona while also releasing his true temperament.

Then, it canceled the mind control!

Seeing that her Senior Brother was completely unfazed by her provocation and even wore a playful, arrogant smile, Xu Yinglian trembled with anger for a moment, feeling as though her blood was about to rush to her head.

Suddenly, she noticed that her Senior Brother's temperament seemed to have changed.

He was no longer the aloof, arrogant, and cold "god" who was always looking down on her.

The gentle smile he now showed was more like that of a childhood sweetheart, a boy next door, filled with expectations for their future, making a warm promise with her to "surpass me, okay?"...

The blood rushing to her head suddenly receded, and her body began to feel strangely warm.

To conceal the slight, inexplicable flutter in her chest, Xu Yinglian turned her head and mumbled in a voice barely audible, "Hmph, just you wait, Qiu Changtian!"