In the bedroom, Zhang Yunlu sat cross-legged on the bed. A plate of roasted spirit beans sat on the bedside table.
She held the copy of the Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method that True Monarch Purple Universe had given her and slowly flipped through it, occasionally tossing a bean into her mouth.
The Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method was an introductory technique of the Supreme Dao Sect, practiced by True Monarch Purple Universe's branch. Though it was only an introductory technique, that didn't mean it was weak.
Once mastered, it had all kinds of wondrous uses. It could reveal one's own shortcomings and help one anticipate an enemy's moves. At a higher level, it could even let the practitioner sense dangers hidden in the unseen.
However, the book was full of technical terms she'd never learned at school, so she still had to search the Spirit Net now and then to find out what they meant.
She read it three or four times in a row before she finally grasped the basics.
She closed the book and set it aside, then rubbed her temples.
Phew~
She let out a long breath, got off the bed, and stretched.
Were all spell cultivators' techniques this complicated?
She still felt swordsmanship suited her better.
She opened her hand, and a long sword appeared in it. The blade was three chi and three fen long, a translucent, icy blue, as if carved from crystal. A faint chill emanated from it.
For a moment, the temperature in the entire bedroom seemed to drop by several degrees.
This was a high-grade magical artifact, and one of the prizes she'd received for taking first place in the Dharma Combat Test.
The other prizes were quite good too, but this was still her favorite.
She infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy. A faint light glimmered along the blade, and the sword beams it unleashed would carry a hint of icy chill.
If she'd had this sword during today's Dharma Combat Test, could she have beaten Xiao Fan?
Zhang Yunlu ran through the scenario in her mind, but in the end, she still felt her chances were slim. A Pseudo Foundation Establishment cultivator was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator; she'd have a hard time even blocking his telekinetic arts.
If only a Pseudo Foundation Establishment phantom had appeared in the trial so she could test herself against it. As the thought crossed her mind, she rummaged through the bedside table, took out the jade box inside, and pulled out the red jade necklace, putting it on.
Since the Dharma Combat Test didn't allow magical artifacts that enhanced combat power, and she couldn't tell whether the red jade necklace counted, she'd simply left it at home.
Sword in hand, she walked out of the bedroom.
Zhang Xiu was sitting on the living room sofa, apparently lost in thought. He only turned around when he heard her.
"Xiaolu, did you... try it?"
"Not yet. The Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method is a little complicated. I'm afraid I won't get anywhere with it in a short while."
The more important reason was that Xu Xing had taught her the sword techniques she practiced now. If she wanted to cultivate another method, she ought to let him know first.
"Mm. Since it's a cultivation method from a Dao Integration senior, you should indeed be cautious." Zhang Xiu felt much more at ease. "So what are you doing now?"
"I'm going to try out this sword." Zhang Yunlu gave it a flourish.
Reading the Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method had given her a headache. She needed to practice her sword for a while and relax.
Besides, this was her new sword!
She tried on new clothes after buying them, after all.
"Then don't go too far, and don't practice for too long."
"Don't worry. I'll just be upstairs."
She still planned to go to the rooftop. It was the middle of the day, with the sun blazing. Surely no one would go up there.
Once the sun wasn't so strong, she'd find an excuse to head out.
At three in the afternoon, Chi Jiuyu tossed and turned on her bed.
She'd found a little program on the Spirit Net that could recover deleted chat logs.
The recovery would take some time, so she'd left it running in the background and kept browsing all kinds of posts on the Spirit Net.
[Why does the Joyous Union Sect recruit more disciples than any other sect every year, when cultivators from other professions look down on its practitioners?]
[Here are six theories about why Saint Emperor Abyss disappeared...]
When she clicked on it, the post contained only...
Future Sect Master of Sword Sect: "Dumbass!"
As she scrolled further, Chi Jiuyu quickly spotted a post that infuriated her.
[The Sword Sect will be completely surpassed by the Supreme Dao Sect within a century], posted by Xiao Zhao, who quietly practices spells.
The post analyzed the ways in which the Supreme Dao Sect was superior to the Sword Sect from every angle.
"Bullshit!"
Chi Jiuyu sat bolt upright. Her fingers tapped the phone screen so fast they blurred as she typed out a long reply. Then...
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Switch accounts!
No good.
Switch again!
Still no good.
Damn it!
All three of her accounts had been blocked!
Fuming, Chi Jiuyu fell backward and kicked wildly at the empty air with her long legs.
You piece of shit. Don't let me run into you at the next Immortal Sect Grand Competition!
Just as she was about to make a post to clap back, a notification popped up, informing her that the chat logs had finished recovering.
"Jiu Yu, come down. Quickly."
Xu Xing's voice suddenly rang in her ear, making her hand jerk. Her phone smacked right into her eye.
Fortunately, she was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. That little bit of pain was nothing to her.
She grabbed the phone off her face. "Coming, Martial Uncle!"
Could Martial Uncle have noticed she was recovering the chat logs?
"Since he gave you the Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method, there's no harm in practicing it."
Zhang Yunlu sat across from Xu Xing. On the table between them lay the yellow-covered, thread-bound book True Monarch Purple Universe had given her.
He hadn't opened it. This spell had existed before he went into seclusion. It might have been improved since then, but its core was still the same.
"Would it be inappropriate for me to practice this?"
"No. It's only an introductory method, and plenty of people know it. Quite a few people in the Sword Sect know it too."
The techniques and divine arts of the various Immortal Sects were, in fact, shared among them.
Other Immortal Sects also borrowed some of the Sword Sect's methods.
In fact, many years ago, he'd even passed on some divine arts and cultivation methods he'd created. As a result, a large number of people had died practicing them.
The few who had been lucky enough to master them relied on their cultivation to throw their weight around, so he'd personally killed every last one.
"But if he gives you a more advanced foundational cultivation method, you can refuse outright. Just say you belong to the Sword Sect."
Whether divine arts or spells, neither was what truly mattered.
What really defined a cultivator's profession was the foundational cultivation method they practiced.
Under his guidance, Zhang Yunlu's entire foundation had been prepared for sword cultivation. Switching to spell cultivation now would be a terrible waste.
"Martial Uncle! What did you call me down for?" Chi Jiuyu came in wearing flip-flops. "Huh, isn't this the top student from that school's Dharma Combat Test this morning?"
"I remember your name's Zhang Yunlu, right?"
Chi Jiuyu made herself at home, sat down beside Zhang Yunlu, and picked up the copy of the Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method on the table.
"Isn't this from that bunch of idiots at the Supreme Dao Sect—!"
She stopped herself in time. In front of her Martial Uncle, with an outsider present, she still had to mind her image.
"You've fought someone from this branch?" Xu Xing asked.
"Yeah. I ran into one in the round of sixteen at the last Immortal Sect Grand Competition. He was pretty tough. He took several of my sword strikes head-on!"
Zhang Yunlu studied her for a moment. "You're Chi Jiuyu?!"
Chi Jiuyu raised an eyebrow.
"You know me?"
"Of course I do!" There was a trace of excitement in Zhang Yunlu's voice.
The Righteous Alliance had compiled a ranking of cultivators under the age of twenty-five.
Chi Jiuyu ranked second.
Back in the Golden Core Realm, she'd gone alone and wiped out all the alien lifeforms on an entire planet. The incident had even been reported on television.
She'd taken first place among her peers in two consecutive Immortal Sect Grand Competitions and was hailed as the most talented cultivator in a thousand years.
She was the goal that most young cultivators pursued.
But now that Zhang Yunlu had actually met her... why did she seem a little strange?
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