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In the end, she didn't manage to tone her physique, but she nearly pulled a muscle in her face—because Ning Ning's facial expressions were always exceptionally animated whenever she performed the "ballet of death."

She was exhausted.

So, all things considered, she was naturally extremely averse to physical activity. As for Meng Jue's proposal to teach her swordsmanship, she had rejected it from the bottom of her heart.

But she couldn't resist how incredibly alluring it was.

The constitution of a cultivator was worlds apart from her previous life. Her body, saturated with spiritual energy, refined essence into energy, energy into spirit, and spirit into the void. Sword Heart, Sword Intent, and Sword Bone would condense into a single palm the moment she drew her blade. The instant Star Trace left its scabbard, her blood would surge and clamor with excitement.

A Sword Cultivator's swing was not merely a movement made for the sake of "swinging a sword"; it was more like obeying an instinct from the depths of her soul. As her posture shifted, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth filled the space around her like never before.

It was not an unpleasant feeling.

And so, even though Ning Ning shouted, "I'm never practicing again!" while feeling as tired as an old dog, after a short rest, she continued to learn one move after another under Meng Jue's guidance.

Just kidding. She was a woman who had once intended to conquer the Gaokao.

Practicing swordsmanship was actually no different from studying. Everyone had different talents, and cultivation relied entirely on hard work. It was inseparable from the process of seeking a master and learning a craft; some geniuses fell, while others climbed up from the bottom step by step.

Not to mention those major and minor exams—weren't they exactly the same as the secret realm trials in the immortal sects?

If she could stand tall amidst the sea of questions covering history, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, and math, how could she possibly be afraid of this sword technique that didn't even require much brainpower to learn?

"The Golden Snake Sword Technique originates from the Miao frontier. It emphasizes unpredictability; whether a backhand strike or a slanted jab, one can defeat the enemy in an instant without being confined to a fixed pattern. This move, Golden Light Snake Shadow, is the most lethal. By splitting the sword's energy, it can create the momentum of one person wielding a hundred blades. Watch closely."

Meng Jue corrected her posture, pulled his hands away from Ning Ning's shoulders, and drew his sword to demonstrate for her personally.

As Ning Ning listened to his words, she automatically filled in the blanks with the classic quotes of her English teacher back in class: "You must remember this expression. When writing, add inversions and attributive clauses; don't be confined to fixed usage. By diversifying your sentence structures, you can include several advanced expressions in one essay, and you will definitely get a high score."

It was so relatable.

The Golden Snake Sword Technique was infinitely varied and certainly couldn't be mastered in a day or two. Fortunately, Meng Jue had achieved a perfect Sword Heart and could be considered the most outstanding teacher among his peers; Ning Ning's body was also exceptionally gifted. In less than three days, she had already managed to grasp the basics.

And the most, most, most important point was: following the Senior Brother meant she had meat to eat!

That's right, Meng Jue stood out from the crowd of destitute Sword Cultivators—he was a rich man who could afford the cafeteria.

"Xuanxu Sword Sect? Poor?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jue chuckled softly. He was truly a graceful gentleman, gentle as jade, his peach-blossom eyes bathing in the starlight. "Junior Sister, Xuanxu is the number one sect of the sword path; naturally, we wouldn't be short on funds. It is not the sect that is poor, but the people using the money—looking up and down the sect, there aren't many who pursue the sword path by exhausting everything they have like Master does."

Ning Ning tilted her head and thought about it. Oh, right.

Their devil-may-care, sword-obsessed Master was always flying around the world. Whenever he saw a precious sword or a sword manual, he would buy it regardless of the cost.

The original owner had been pampered and spoiled, spending money without restraint; becoming a pauper was her destined fate.

The Junior Brother was also a spendthrift ancestor, not to mention that as a member of the royal family, he was ignorant of the hardships of the world and had been swindled out of who knows how many spirit stones.

As for the Senior Sister she had yet to meet, according to the original text, she was a drunkard who lived only for the moment, valuing nothing in life more than her sword, her wine, and beautiful women.

It turned out that it wasn't the entire Sword Sect that was destitute, but rather their eccentric lineage of direct disciples.

Birds of a feather flock together; a whole bunch of paupers gathered in one place—it really was something else.

After spending three days practicing (eating) swords (meat) with Meng Jue, Ning Ning received a Communication Talisman from her master, Tian Xianzi, inviting her to his residence to gather and meet their newly accepted Junior Brother.

That would be the male lead, Pei Ji.

She held the paper-crane-shaped Communication Talisman in her hand, kneading it gently. Leaning sideways against the doorframe, Ning Ning frowned and offered a faint, fleeting smile.

Everything before had been minor skirmishes; the plot that followed would not be very kind to her.

According to Tian Xianzi, the mountaintop was desolate and the foot of the mountain lacked prestige, so building a residence halfway up the mountain was the true way to live like an immortal.

The book had never described the detailed appearance of his residence, so when Ning Ning arrived at the mountainside of Yuheng Peak, she couldn't help but freeze.

At first glance, it was a pleasing, garden-style structure with carved beams and painted rafters, vermilion pillars, and jade-inlaid railings. Unpruned spiritual plants spiraled upward, their emerald leaves entwining the stone-carved flying dragons atop the building, giving it a sense of vibrant, lush vitality.

But looking closer, it was easy to spot the trickery.

The pearls in the dragons' eyes had been plucked out.

Several exquisite and magnificent wood carvings had been pried off.

There were faint traces of hanging scrolls on the walls; as for the paintings themselves, they had been stripped away.

The empty, cavernous hall lacked any furniture, like a butterfly that had broken free from its cocoon, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell.

Ning Ning: ...

This man was truly poor.

She had heard that once, in order to buy a Shangqing Sword, he had actually tried to auction off this very house within the sect at a high price. In the end, the other elders had joined forces to stop him, each chipping in some money to satisfy him, and only then did he give up.

After all, for an esteemed Elder Tian Xianzi of the Xuanxu Sword Sect to be so poor that he had to sell his house—that would hardly be a good story to spread.

"Yo, Ning Ning!"

The young man in white robes easily sensed her presence, turning around to wave with a grin: "I heard you mastered the Golden Snake Sword Technique in just three days! The younger generation is truly formidable! It was worth me selling my pants back in the day to bring it back to the sect."

Who wants to hear about you selling your pants! So, did you come back naked that day?!

Ning Ning felt that the entire Golden Snake Sword Technique had been tainted.

Whenever she thought of "Golden Light Snake Shadow," she couldn't help but imagine her master holding the sword manual while flying on his sword, his leg hair fluttering wildly in the wind.