An Old-Fashioned but Effective Method

What could be so urgent this late at night?

Zhang Yunlu withdrew her gaze and looked at the Red Jade in her hand. Her spiritual power had fully recovered, but that warm current continued to flow endlessly from her palm, spreading through her limbs and bones. She felt the exhaustion in her body ease considerably.

She flexed the hand that held her sword. The soreness had completely faded.

I'll practice a few more times! she thought.

There was still a red cord in the jade box. Once she threaded the Red Jade onto it, she could wear it around her neck.

Soon, the long sword was back in her hand. Spiritual light covered its blade, and as Zhang Yunlu recalled the sword moves, she swung the sword in her hand.

Compared to the moves that had still felt a little awkward before, this time they flowed together in perfect harmony.

Threads of warmth flowed through her body. The sword in her hand seemed to brush past like a gentle breeze; flowing clouds dispersed, and the blade quietly vanished, only to reappear in the next instant.

Whoosh!

A streak of white light shrieked out, traveling thirty feet before gradually fading away.

This was sword light, sharp enough to shave stone smooth as a mirror and pierce three inches into cold iron!

She had mastered the first move of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique!

She had actually done it?

Even Zhang Yunlu herself was stunned. She had still been so far from mastering it just moments ago.

She bit her lip and held the Red Jade at her chest. Even through her clothes, she could still feel its warmth.

So, did he deduce that I would get this Red Jade, and that's why he was certain I could master the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique by the day after tomorrow?

Did that also mean he knew where the Red Jade came from?

Zhang Yunlu's thoughts swirled. It took her a long while to calm down.

I'll ask him after school tomorrow!

She couldn't honestly say she didn't care about the truth behind her parents' deaths. She was sure her older brother felt the same way.

And now there was a way to investigate. It would be foolish not to seize it.

As for the risks...

Heh. If a cultivator of that level wanted to take something from her, could she and her older brother really fight back?

She was only at the Qi Refining stage, and her older brother was only at the Golden Core stage!

Having made up her mind, Zhang Yunlu put away her sword, picked up the jade box and the Spirit-Replenishing Liquid beside her, then turned and left the rooftop to go home.

After washing up, she went straight into her bedroom.

She lit a stick of calming incense. As a thin wisp of smoke curled upward, Zhang Yunlu climbed into bed and lay down with her eyes closed, still clutching the Red Jade tightly in her hand.

She soon fell into a deep sleep, but she did not dream until dawn.

In a strange, vast space shrouded in gray mist, Zhang Yunlu looked around in utter confusion.

Suddenly, a line of golden text appeared before her.

[All right, I admit this may be a little old-fashioned, but given your Root Bone and comprehension, this is the most suitable way for you to master the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique by the day after tomorrow]

[Enemy: Ninth-level Qi Refining sword cultivator, Flowing Cloud Sword Technique—minor mastery]

[Objective: Kill!]

"What???"

"What's this?"

"Am I dreaming right now?"

She had no time to react. The mist billowed around her, gathering in her hands to form a long sword.

It was cold to the touch, and its heavy weight proved it was real!

Wait!

Had he not meant the Red Jade after all, but this strange place?

A figure carrying a sword emerged from the gray mist. Dressed in black martial attire, its face impossible to make out, it radiated the spiritual power of a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator without restraint—on par with hers.

Gulp!

They really expected her to fight?

Without the slightest hesitation, the sword cultivator's phantom stepped forward, raised its sword, and reached her in the blink of an eye. Its glittering blade slashed toward her head.

Its actions made it perfectly clear that this wasn't a fight. It was a slaughter!

Clang!

Zhang Yunlu raised her sword to block and quickly retreated, but the sword chased after her like a shadow. She backed away several steps before the numbness in her right hand finally began to ease.

She suddenly fell backward. The sword in the phantom's hand cut off only a few strands of her hair, but its momentum carried it onward.

Seizing her chance, Zhang Yunlu thrust her sword straight forward. The situation instantly turned in her favor, and she was about to run the phantom through.

But the sword cultivator's phantom drew a short sword from its waist, its blade covered in spiritual light.

Clang!

It managed to block her strike!

"That's cheating!"

After shouting, she rolled to the side like a lazy donkey, scrambled to her feet, and immediately swung her sword!

The blade vanished for an instant, then reappeared. Its fearsome sword light stabbed toward the sword cultivator phantom's lower back, but the phantom had already regained its balance and dodged the attack with a simple sidestep.

Then it returned a strike, like a gentle breeze sweeping over floating clouds. Its blade also vanished for an instant.

Zhang Yunlu's instincts screamed. She hurriedly bent backward, dodging the oncoming sword light, but pain shot through her abdomen. When she turned around, white light filled her vision.

Minor mastery of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique—three streaks of sword light!

At the critical moment, Zhang Yunlu raised her right hand and... flipped the bird. In the next instant, her head burst like a smashed watermelon, dissolving into clouds of gray mist.

"You've got some bite."

In the villa, Xu Xing watched Zhang Yunlu's headless body fall. That last gesture of hers had been pretty amusing. At least she had lost the fight without losing her nerve.

"Her timing and judgment in the heat of battle are both excellent. She really should join our sword cultivator lineage."

"And she actually managed to master the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. That's a little surprising."

Zhang Yunlu had performed admirably.

Even amid a sudden, violent clash, she had stayed calm and made sound judgments. Though she had lost the initiative, she had quickly managed to turn things around.

The modern era was far more peaceful than it had been in the past, and conflicts of all kinds had become much less common.

As a result, cultivators like Zhang Yunlu, with a natural talent for combat, were easily overlooked.

Her Root Bone was a little lacking. Otherwise, even in the Sword Sect, she would have been an outstanding disciple worthy of studying under a Void Return elder.

"Very well. Since you have this kind of talent, I'll help you forge a Heaven-Forged Dao Foundation."

Once she had a Heaven-Forged Dao Foundation, her exceptional combat talent might even give her a chance to study under one of the four great elders someday!

In the next instant, the entire gray space seemed to hit fast-forward, and the scene blurred.

Xu Xing turned to look outside.

"Sure enough, you couldn't put your mind at ease and came looking. But that wasn't a very wise move." Someone was cautiously approaching the place. "Still, if you're so eager to meet me, I may as well give you a hand."

In the neighboring villa, someone was already on the verge of noticing. A vast, powerful Divine Sense gradually spread outward.

"Forget it. Since you want to see me so badly, I'll help you along."

Xu Xing raised his hand and gently tapped the space in front of him.

Vmmm—

An invisible ripple spread outward. By the time he had finished, that vast Divine Sense had already enveloped the entire residential complex.

It swept over the area but found nothing, and the Divine Sense had no choice but to withdraw.

Within the residential complex, Zhang Xiu cautiously approached his target.

As he drew near, a faint force tried to distort his senses.

It was a formation.

Before coming, Zhang Xiu had investigated. A formation of this level couldn't even stop a Qi Refining cultivator, let alone him.

Soon, he reached the wall and formed a hand seal.

Wall-Piercing Technique.

He walked straight toward the wall. The wall, which had the properties of a spell-sealing barrier, was as good as a decoration; he passed through it with ease.

Inside, the lights were off, leaving the place dim and gloomy.

Keep going. I can't waste time.

To save time, he passed through several walls in a row and reached the living room.

The living room was empty. Moonlight streaming inside made it considerably brighter.

"Breaking into someone's home is probably illegal, but I still have to say this."

The voice that suddenly reached Zhang Xiu's ears made his scalp tingle. A young-looking man had appeared on the previously empty sofa, smiling at him.

"Good evening."

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