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She never managed to sculpt her body, but she nearly pulled a muscle in her face instead—Ning Ning's expressions were always especially animated when she danced the Dance of Death.

Because she was tired.

So, all things considered, she ought to have been extremely reluctant to move. When Meng Jue offered to teach her swordplay, she'd rejected the idea from the bottom of her heart.

But she just couldn't resist. It was simply too tempting.

A cultivator's body was utterly different from the one she'd had in her previous life. Their bodies, steeped in spiritual energy, refined essence into qi, qi into spirit. Sword Heart, Sword Intent, and Sword Bone all gathered in the palm when she drew her sword. The instant Star Trace left its sheath, her blood roared with excitement throughout her body.

A Sword Cultivator's swings weren't mere movements made for the sake of "swinging a sword." They were more like an instinct from deep within, and as their stance shifted, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth filled the space around them like never before.

It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

So although Ning Ning, exhausted as a dog, cried, "I'm never practicing again!" she still took a brief rest before continuing to learn one move after another under Meng Jue's guidance.

Come on, she'd once been a woman who planned to conquer the college entrance exam.

Sword practice wasn't so different from studying. Everyone had different talents, and cultivation depended on hard work. It required finding a master and learning from them; some geniuses fell, while others climbed up from the bottom one step at a time.

And those major and minor exams—weren't they just like the secret-realm trials of the immortal sects?

She'd held her ground through mountains of history, geography, biology, mathematics, physics, and chemistry problems. Was she really going to be afraid of a sword technique she could learn without having to think much?

"Golden Snake Sword Technique originated in Miaojiang. It emphasizes unpredictable changes; a downward chop or a slanted thrust can defeat an opponent in an instant, without being bound by a fixed pattern. This move, Golden Light Snake Shadow, is the deadliest. By splitting the sword's image, you can create the impression of one person wielding a hundred swords. Watch closely."

After correcting her stance, Meng Jue released her shoulders and drew his sword to demonstrate.

As Ning Ning listened, she automatically pictured an English teacher delivering one of their classic classroom speeches: "You must remember this expression. Add an inverted sentence and a relative clause when you write, and don't be bound by fixed usage. By varying your sentence structures, you can include several kinds of advanced expressions in one essay and definitely get a high score."

How down-to-earth.

The Golden Snake Sword Technique had countless variations; there was no way to master it overnight. Fortunately, Meng Jue had achieved Sword Heart mastery and was one of the finest teachers of his generation. Ning Ning's body was also exceptionally gifted, and in less than three days, she had more or less mastered the technique.

Most importantly, following Senior Brother meant she got to eat meat!

That's right. Among all the impoverished Sword Cultivators, Meng Jue stood out like a crane among chickens: he was rich enough to afford meals in the dining hall.

"The Xuanxu Sword Sect? Poor?"

Meng Jue chuckled at that. He truly was a refined young gentleman, graceful as jade, his peach-blossom eyes shimmering like a river of stars. "Junior Sister, Xuanxu is the greatest sect in the sword world. Naturally, it won't skimp on funds. It's not the sect that's poor, but the people spending the money. Very few people in the whole sect pursue the sword as single-mindedly as Master does, giving everything he has to it."

Ning Ning tilted her head and thought it over. That was true.

Their laid-back sword-obsessed master flew all over the world every day. Whenever he saw a treasured sword or Sword Manual, he'd buy it without a second thought.

The original owner had been spoiled rotten and spent money without restraint; becoming penniless had been her destiny.

The junior brother was also a spendthrift, and, being a prince who knew nothing of ordinary life, he'd been swindled out of who knew how many Spirit Stones.

As for the Senior Sister she hadn't met yet, according to the original story, she was also a live-for-today drunkard, who treasured nothing in life more than swords, wine, and beautiful women.

So it wasn't the entire Sword Sect that was destitute. It was their eccentric Household of direct disciples.

Like gathers with like. A whole bunch of paupers had ended up together. That was something else.

After three days of practicing swords (and eating meat) with Meng Jue, Ning Ning received a Communication Talisman from her master, Tian Xianzi. He invited her to his residence to meet his newly accepted junior disciple.

That was the male lead, Pei Ji.

Holding the paper-crane-shaped Communication Talisman, Ning Ning leaned against the doorframe and kneaded it gently between her fingers. Her brows furrowed, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Everything before this had been small potatoes. The plot coming up wasn't going to be kind to her.

According to Tian Xianzi, a mountaintop was too desolate and the foot of the mountain lacked prestige. Building one's residence halfway up the mountain was the true path to the life of an immortal.

The book had never described his residence in detail, so when Ning Ning reached the halfway point of Yuheng Peak, she couldn't help but freeze.

At first glance, it was a beautiful garden-style building, with painted beams and carved rafters, vermilion pillars and jade-green balustrades. Untended spirit plants wound their way upward, their emerald leaves twining around the flying-dragon sculptures above the rooftops. The greenery lent the place a vibrant, flourishing air.

But look closer, and it was easy to spot something fishy.

The pearls in the dragon's eyes had been plucked out.

Some exquisite, ornate wood carvings had been pried off.

There were faint marks on the walls where paintings had once hung. As for the paintings themselves, they'd been taken down.

The vast hall stood completely empty, with no furniture at all. It was like a butterfly that had emerged from its cocoon, leaving behind nothing but a huge shell.

Ning Ning: ...

This person was truly poor.

She'd heard that he'd once tried to auction off his residence to the sect at an exorbitant price just to buy a Shangqing Sword. In the end, several other elders had joined forces to stop him, each chipping in some money, and only then had he finally given up.

After all, it wouldn't look good if word got out that Elder Tianxian of the grand Xuanxu Sword Sect was so poor he had to sell his house.

"Well, Ning Ning!"

The young man in a white robe sensed her presence at once. He turned around and waved with a grin. "I heard you grasped the Golden Snake Sword Technique in three days. Impressive! I'm glad I sold my pants to bring it back to the sect back then."

Who wanted to hear about him selling his pants? Had he come back naked?

Ning Ning felt like the entire Golden Snake Sword Technique had gone bad.

Whenever she thought of "Golden Light Snake Shadow," she couldn't help imagining her master flying through the air with the Sword Manual in hand, his leg hair fluttering in the wind.