So much for being on good terms—they were already eyeing our Sword Sect's position, Chi Jiuyu grumbled inwardly.
Among the Immortal Sects, the Sword Sect ranked first.
That was an undisputed fact in the Great Profound Realm.
Whether it was the strength of cultivators at the same level or the number of high-level cultivators, the Sword Sect far surpassed the other Immortal Sects.
The Joyous Union Sect came next. Ever since it had cleaned up its image, it had continued to grow. Though it had once suffered a devastating blow, it had quickly recovered.
Now it was the second-largest Immortal Sect, surpassed only by the Sword Sect. The power of horny people was truly beyond imagination.
But because of the cultivation world's hierarchy of contempt, people never included it when judging the strength of the Immortal Sects.
After that came the Supreme Dao Sect, once the perennial second-place sect and a dream destination for spell cultivators. Its Scripture Repository contained nearly every spell and divine ability in the Great Profound Realm.
It was home to countless talented and extraordinary people. Even the Spirit Net, which now covered the entire Central Continent, had been developed by the Supreme Dao Sect.
This really was the perfect era for the Supreme Dao Sect to thrive. It was no wonder some of its cultivators were getting ideas.
But in truth... none of that was very important.
"All right, help her rest for a while, then go take care of your own business."
When Xu Xing suddenly said that, Chi Jiuyu almost thought he'd discovered that she'd secretly restored the chat history.
She watched him for a moment, but after saying that, her Martial Uncle looked into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
Hm?
Chi Jiuyu followed Xu Xing's gaze, but didn't see anything.
She scratched her head.
She hoisted Zhang Yunlu onto one shoulder, picked up the book The Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method from the table with her other hand, and went inside.
At the same time, she felt her previously suppressed spiritual power and physical strength rapidly returning.
She hurried into the living room, set Zhang Yunlu down on the sofa, and casually tossed The Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method onto the coffee table beside her.
Once she'd done that, Chi Jiuyu dashed upstairs and ran into her bedroom.
Bang!
She shut the door and locked it.
Then she flung herself onto the bed, pulled out her phone, found the account with the sword-wielding Little Yellow Duck in the chat list, and opened it.
Sure enough, the deleted chat history had been restored. It had even stopped at the last message her master had sent her.
She scrolled down.
"/Blood-Dripping Cleaver"
"/Red-Faced Little Yellow Duck"
Her master sure had a lot of reaction images. The messages after those were from her Martial Uncle.
"It's me, Senior Sister."
"Junior Brother!"
Even through the screen, she could feel her master's excitement.
"Wait! Jiu Yu, are you pretending to be your Martial Uncle?"
Oh, right!
Chi Jiuyu was kicking herself. How had she not thought of doing this earlier?
"It really is me. Your disciple is right beside me. She also asked me to tell you that she was just joking earlier, so don't take it to heart."
A photo appeared. In it, she was looking at the arena.
When had he taken that? She hadn't noticed at all...
"It really is Junior Brother! When are you coming back? /Little Yellow Duck Clutching Its Heart"
Chi Jiuyu: "..."
Was this really her master?
And she'd just ignored the part where her Martial Uncle explained things for her?!
"It's not time yet, but it won't be long."
"Then let Jiu Yu stay with you. She's a little unreliable most of the time, but she's quick-witted when it counts."
"Mm. Could you please help me gather information about Saint Emperor Abyss, Senior Sister? I'm very interested in him."
"Mm-hm! But our sect doesn't have much information about him. I'll visit the Spirit Sound Workshop later."
"The Spirit Sound Workshop?"
"When Abyss first appeared before the world, a junior from the Spirit Sound Workshop was with him. The two of them seemed very close."
"Then I'll visit them myself once I'm back."
"Sounds good."
The two went back and forth. Apart from the beginning, the conversation between her master and Martial Uncle seemed perfectly normal.
The next message came from her master.
"Did you make any progress during this seclusion?"
"It went very well. You should have felt it, too."
You?
Who was the "you" she meant?
Then her master sent a voice message.
"Indeed. The moment you emerged from seclusion, we sensed the changes in the Great Profound Realm. Huo couldn't sit still and has already gone to your place."
The voice was cool and ethereal. It was hard to imagine that its owner's favorite reaction images were a set of adorable Little Yellow Ducks.
Chi Jiuyu was used to it and didn't find it strange. She was more concerned about something else.
Huo?
Huo? Huo? Huo?
Who was that?
Only the final message remained—the one where her master had asked her Martial Uncle to delete the chat history.
At dusk, Zhang Yunlu woke up. After exchanging a few words with Xu Xing, she got ready to head back.
Chi Jiuyu happened to be about to go out and find something to eat, so she offered to drop Zhang Yunlu off on the way.
"Can't you abstain from eating after reaching Foundation Establishment?" Zhang Yunlu asked, puzzled.
"Only idiots abstain from food. If you're alive in this world but don't even eat, are you really human?"
"Bring me a portion while you're at it," Xu Xing called from behind them.
"See? Even a powerful cultivator like my Martial Uncle still has to eat."
As she spoke, Chi Jiuyu tugged Zhang Yunlu toward the door.
"You're a local. You must know what Mystic Sword City's known for, right?"
"...I know a place that makes really good Duck Blood Vermicelli Soup."
Before meeting Chi Jiuyu, Zhang Yunlu had always thought she was the sort of cultivator who devoted herself wholeheartedly to bitter cultivation and never cracked a smile.
But after meeting her in person, she realized... maybe that wasn't quite the case?
"Then let's go. I'll ride, and you give me directions."
"Okay."
Zhang Yunlu felt a little excited.
What kind of vehicle would a legend like Chi Jiuyu drive?
A little over ten minutes later, Zhang Yunlu sat dazed in the back of a human-powered tricycle.
Honestly, she'd been thoroughly shocked when Chi Jiuyu pulled out the tricycle.
But since she'd already brought it out, Zhang Yunlu hadn't wanted to offend her by refusing.
The whole way there, she kept trying to convince herself.
She was riding in a tricycle pedaled by a legend of the younger generation herself. Plenty of people would jump at the chance.
"That's the place up ahead, right?"
With a flashy braking drift, the tricycle came to a steady stop in front of a tiny, crowded restaurant. Who knew how she'd managed that with a human-powered tricycle?
There were so many people that rows of tables and stools had been set up outside.
Because of Chi Jiuyu's dramatic entrance, everyone turned to look.
Zhang Yunlu: "o((⊙﹏⊙))o"
The little admiration and fond daydreaming she'd had left shattered completely in that moment.
"Wow, it's packed!"
Chi Jiuyu looked around for an empty seat. Zhang Yunlu climbed down from the back of the tricycle, numb with disbelief.
"Come on, why the long face? You're the third person to ride in my tricycle, after my master and Martial Uncle!"
"..."
Was I supposed to be happy about that?
What Chi Jiuyu didn't mention was that her master had hung her up and given her a beating for it.
In the corner, Li Fengping stared blankly at the two who had suddenly appeared. He was so shocked that his spoon slipped from his hand.
"L-Little Martial Uncle Ancestor?!"
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