Junior Sister's Nickname is Grass Cutting Sword Immortal

About ten days passed.

On Kunlun's side, the matter of becoming Dao Companions with Xu Yinglian seemed to be settled.

The Junior Sister herself no longer objected, only practicing the Kunlun Sword Control Art outside her Cave Mansion day and night without rest.

She was determined to defeat her Senior Brother in swordsmanship!

Of course, being Dao Companions was ultimately just a relational status.

What truly mattered was that after becoming Dao Companions, one could legitimately propose Dual Cultivation...

This matter is set aside for now. As it involves Xu Yinglian's obsession and even inner demons, further arrangements will have to be made by the Ziwei Sect Master.

These past few days, Qiu Changtian calmly circulated his Qi Refining, enjoying this hard-won precious time without his Junior Sister's disturbance.

Periodically, he would use the Kunlun Mirror's time travel to return to the last save point at Shushan and continue lurking patiently as Ling Yunpo, feigning cultivation.

Unfortunately, after not showing off for many days, Qiu Changtian's invincible persona's synchronization value began to slowly decline.

One morning, Ling Yunpo finally "struggled" through the three trials and reported the good news to Senior Sister An.

"That's wonderful, Junior Brother!" An Zhisu said joyfully, "As far as I know, the fastest person on Shushan to pass the three trials took about seven days."

"You being able to enter the Qi Refining Stage within ten days proves your cultivation aptitude is top-notch. It's a pity Master is in seclusion, otherwise, he would surely be informed of such good news..."

"Senior Sister." Seeing that she was about to shed tears again, Ling Yunpo quickly changed the subject and asked curiously, "Someone on Shushan opened their Sea of Qi in just seven days, even better than me? Who was it?"

"It was me," An Zhisu said sheepishly. "Actually, whether it's three days faster or three days slower doesn't matter much. We Shushan Sword Immortals don't demand speed in Qi Refining; the most crucial thing is our core skill, the Sword Control Technique."

"I see," Ling Yunpo feigned reluctance. "It seems my breaking through three trials in ten days isn't considered outstanding aptitude..."

"No!" Seeing her Junior Brother's disappointed expression, An Zhisu quickly corrected herself. "The time taken to break through three trials can still reflect the quality of one's aptitude!"

"It's just that the difference between seven days and ten days isn't that significant..."

She stammered, then suddenly changed the subject:

"Oh, right! Since you've already mastered the Sword Control Technique, Senior Sister will take you to the Sword Pool to retrieve your sword!"

With that, An Zhisu cheerfully summoned her own Flying Sword and flew Ling Yunpo directly into the sky.

"Senior Sister, your Flying Sword is..." Ling Yunpo pretended not to have seen a Flying Sword before and asked curiously.

"This is my Destiny Sword Artifact, Tenth Order Water Element, named 'Shuangjiang'," An Zhisu explained.

Ling Yunpo hummed and asked again:

"What is Tenth Order? What is Water Element?"

"I was just about to explain it clearly to you, Junior Brother," An Zhisu said with a smile.

"Flying Swords, depending on the refining materials, environment, time, and even the refiner and the sealing techniques, can be divided into five elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth."

"Similarly, according to the refining materials and the sword refiner's power, following the Heavenly Stems Sword Forging Method, the ranks from lowest to highest are Gui, Ren, Xin, Geng, Ji, Wu, Ding, Bing, Yi, Jia. However, we generally use a ten-level designation, meaning First to Tenth Order."

"The First to Ninth Orders correspond to the nine realms within Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. If a Flying Sword's rank is higher than the Sword Immortal's, it can even be resolved through sealing. If the rank is lower than the Sword Immortal's, it's like a general's weapon not being handy enough, causing the Sword Immortal to be unable to unleash their full strength."

"As for the top-tier Tenth Order Flying Swords, they are 'Flying Swords that even Immortals can wield their power with,' hence they have the elegant nickname 'Immortal Sword'."

"I see," Ling Yunpo asked with a smile, though he already knew. "I wonder if I'll be fortunate enough to receive an Immortal Sword to use?"

"Flying Swords in the Sword Pool, Tenth Order Immortal Swords are very rare," An Zhisu hesitated for a moment, then comforted him. "But Junior Brother doesn't need to worry too much."

"The most exquisite part of our Shushan Sword Control Mind Method lies in 'Nourish Sword with Body'."

"As long as the Flying Sword itself isn't too low in rank, after you refine it into your Destiny Sword Artifact, it can be tempered as your cultivation increases, and may even have a certain chance to upgrade its rank."

Ling Yunpo nodded, but thought to himself:

Why not just get a Tenth Order sword directly, instead of getting a Ninth Order and nurturing it to Tenth Order?

What if it could even be nurtured to Eleventh Order?

Of course, judging by Senior Sister's words, the Flying Swords in the Sword Pool aren't just there for anyone to pick.

Perhaps some kind of test is required.

An Zhisu piloted her Flying Sword, taking Ling Yunpo to the sky above Sword Peak.

The Sword Pool was a pool of emerald green water.

Legend had it that every drop of water in the lake was actually transformed from a Flying Sword.

Shushan Sword Immortals were fierce and loved swords as much as their lives, even more so in the outside world.

Whenever they fought with other cultivators and won, they would often seize the opponent's Flying Sword and throw it into the pool upon their return.

Over time, this Sword Pool was formed.

Countless Flying Swords honed and fought each other within it. From the outside, it looked like a pool of spring water rippling, with waves arising spontaneously, moving without wind, a truly spectacular sight.

As for Shushan disciples who lacked swords, they only needed to stand near the Sword Pool, circulate the Shushan Sword Control Technique's mind method, and they could summon a willing Flying Sword from it.

As for whether the Flying Sword was good or bad, one couldn't be too picky.

An Zhisu landed her Flying Sword with Ling Yunpo, and they stepped onto the ground. Senior Sister An began to explain the history to her Junior Brother, recounting the origin of the Sword Pool.

Ling Yunpo listened with great wonder, clapping his hands in admiration.

As the two walked forward, a Shushan Disciple guarding the Sword Pool came over to verify their identities:

"Hold on, who are you..."

When the female disciple saw An Zhisu's face, she immediately gasped:

"You're! The Grass Cutting Sword Immortal..."

Before she could finish, the male disciple beside her pulled her behind him, shot her a stern glare to silence her, and then turned back, steeling himself as he said:

"Senior Sister An, are you here to retrieve a sword?"

"Why else would I come to the Sword Pool if not to retrieve a sword?" An Zhisu chuckled softly, "Unless you think I'm here to spar with you?"

The male disciple immediately turned pale with fear and said hurriedly:

"I made a mistake while practicing my sword the other day and injured my meridians, so I can't spar! Senior Sister An, please don't pick on me. That nickname wasn't created by my peak either; it was passed down from other peaks! The blame lies with whoever started it, Senior Sister An, please don't mistake me!"

"Listen to what this junior brother is saying," An Zhisu said, stifled laughter escaping her. "You are a Marrow Cleansing Stage disciple, while I am at the Abode Transformation Stage. My cultivation is a whole realm higher than yours, so how could I possibly spar with you? Wouldn't that be bullying the weak and violating sect rules?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Senior Sister An, are you here to retrieve a sword? Please, this way, this way." The male disciple felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and quickly bowed to let them pass.

An Zhisu walked forward calmly, with Ling Yunpo following behind her. The male disciple kept wiping sweat from his brow, while the female disciple hid behind him, her expression a mixture of shock and fear.

After leaving the two behind, Ling Yunpo strode forward a few steps and chuckled:

"I've truly seen Senior Sister's reputation now."

"What reputation is there?" An Zhisu shot him a look and said helplessly, "It's just that when Master went into seclusion in a hurry back then, all the peaks of Shushan targeted my Green Snail Peak, sending disciples to provoke us and demand spars every few days."

"After sparring so much, everyone got to know each other. It's not really a reputation."

"So that's how it is. Is this what they call 'strangers become friends through conflict'?" Ling Yunpo nodded. "But about that 'Grass Cutting Sword Immortal' the other disciple mentioned, who does that refer to?"

An Zhisu's face flushed with embarrassment. After a long pause, she mumbled:

"Who came up with that ridiculous nickname?"

"After Master went into seclusion, there were just too many people coming to challenge me to sword duels, and it was unbearable. To establish my authority, I had no choice but to harden my heart and hit a little too hard... How did it become 'grass cutting'?"

Ling Yunpo feigned sudden understanding and then sneered:

"I see. I imagine those who lost the spars, unwilling to accept defeat, spread rumors and slandered Senior Sister."

"Just hearing the name 'Grass Cutting Sword Immortal,' I thought Senior Sister had killed people like flies. Those who spread rumors and tarnish Senior Sister's reputation are truly detestable!"

"Killed people like flies? When did I ever kill indiscriminately?" An Zhisu gritted her teeth, her face flushed with anger.

"If the people who came to spar were polite, I would usually just touch them lightly."

"If they spoke arrogantly or showed malice, I would generally just break their Destiny Sword Artifacts, damage their cultivation, and teach them a lesson."

"Occasionally, when I couldn't hold back, I'd pierce their chests and bellies... I tried my best to save them afterward!"

"Senior Sister did the right thing," Ling Yunpo nodded. "Those who came to provoke with malice deserved to die! Hmm... so, how many died?"

"About... once or twice out of every twenty times, I might have slipped up." An Zhisu's voice grew timid.

Ling Yunpo:?