Zhang Yunlu didn't think much of it. After washing up and changing into her school uniform, she went up to the rooftop, circulated her spiritual power, and formed a hand seal.
A faint spiritual glow lingered around her fingertips.
Before long, a wisp of faint purple qi was drawn out. It circled Zhang Yunlu once, then she swallowed it in one gulp.
The purple qi sank down into her dantian, already brimming with spiritual power.
"Done."
She released her hand, turned around, and went downstairs.
Since she had no vessel for storing materials used in cultivation techniques, she could only use her own body as a container.
Later, she would release the qi and draw down the moonlight to refine it.
Although Zhang Yunlu found the Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Method rather troublesome to practice, she couldn't deny how useful it was, so she had no intention of giving it up.
She didn't go back home. Instead, she headed downstairs and, as usual, bought some breakfast to eat on her way to school.
She hadn't gone far when Zhang Yunlu suddenly sensed something flash past her eyes. She looked up, but saw nothing.
There was only a middle-aged sanitation worker, controlling four brooms with telekinesis as he swept the street.
"Morning, Xiaolu," the man said with a smile.
"Morning, Uncle Ming," Zhang Yunlu replied.
She had once asked Uncle Ming why he didn't use a cleaning spell. It would clearly be faster and easier.
But Uncle Ming had said that doing it this way gave it more ceremony.
Um... Did even sweeping the floor need to be ceremonial?
After exchanging greetings, Zhang Yunlu continued on her way.
Uncle Ming watched her walk off, scratched his head, and muttered in confusion.
"What's gotten into that girl? Her smile's as cold as ice."
High in the sky, Li Fengping revealed himself, still shaken.
That was close. He'd almost run into her again.
He had come face-to-face with Zhang Yunlu twice. The first time, he had been following her, and she had beaten him into a pig's head.
That time, he'd gone looking for trouble himself. He accepted that!
But the second time, they had genuinely just happened to cross paths, and the head of the Law Enforcement Hall had detained him again.
Though it hadn't been long, he'd been on tenterhooks, every second stretching into an eternity. He'd even thought they were going to kill him to keep him quiet.
Nothing good had come of running into her either time. Better to steer clear.
Zhang Yunlu had no idea. Although she had grown considerably after her trial, she wasn't yet skilled enough to detect a Nascent Soul sword cultivator deliberately concealing himself.
Some time later, she arrived near the school and spotted someone unexpected outside the gate—Xiao Fan.
Hadn't he dropped out?
The question flickered through Zhang Yunlu's mind and was gone.
They weren't close, so she had no intention of going over to greet him. She walked straight through the school gate.
Students who passed by afterward all glanced at him.
Pity, regret, schadenfreude, annoyance—he drew all kinds of looks.
Word had spread throughout the school about why he had chosen a false Dao Foundation. Some people felt sorry for him, some took pleasure in his misfortune, and others thought Xiao Fan's choice was unfair to the other students, so they were hostile toward him.
Before long, there was hardly anyone left outside the school. Xiao Fan, who had hesitated for a long time, sighed.
"Forget it."
For more than a decade, he had practiced cultivation by the book, all so that he could get into a good school and then... keep practicing by the book.
Joining the Dragon-Elephant Heaven-Supporting Sect would be ideal. If he couldn't, he could come back and find a job after graduation.
So, after falling to the ninth level of Qi Refining, he had come near the school to see if he could return to class.
But when he actually got there, he hesitated again.
How was he supposed to explain his situation?
His false Dao Foundation had shattered, yet he was unharmed. Should he just say that it was all a fortuitous opportunity given to him by the mysterious "Confusion"?
Though he had little experience, he knew that would be incredibly stupid.
"I'd better go quit my job first."
He had no idea what to do for the moment, so he could only start by quitting his job. After all, he had fallen to the ninth level of Qi Refining and could no longer handle it.
"Let me tell you, Martial Uncle, my fish dishes are delicious. Even my master loves them."
Chi Jiuyu was wearing overalls over an orange T-shirt and a baseball cap today. She was proudly boasting to Xu Xing about her cooking.
In her right hand, she carried a large transparent tank filled with water. Two golden Spirit Fish swam inside.
"After I ate the nine fish my master gave me, she was so mad that she hung me up and beat me. In the end, I had to catch a few fish and cook them for her before she forgave me."
The intensity was the same, yet yesterday morning she had been half-dead, and today she was full of energy. She really did have a cockroach's ability to adapt.
And she'd said first thing that morning that she wanted to eat fish, then insisted on dragging Xu Xing along to buy some.
"Don't you have a storage ring? Why not put them in there?"
"These fish can't be kept somewhere dark." Chi Jiuyu lifted the tank and gave it a shake. The two Spirit Fish darted around in fright. "It affects the quality of the meat!"
"I thought the shopkeeper just said they were ornamental fish."
"What does he know? These fish are delicious!"
The two chatted as they walked, though Chi Jiuyu did most of the talking.
She seemed to have an endless supply of things to say.
After walking a while, they stopped at the roadside to wait for the light to change.
"Hey, everyone! I've arrived in Mystic Sword City. Give me a follow, and this afternoon I'll go find the ancient cultivator who's come out of seclusion!"
A breathtakingly beautiful female cultivator descended from the sky on seven-colored clouds. Her purple palace dress did little to hide her curvaceous figure, and every gesture brimmed with alluring charm.
The eyes of many passersby were drawn to her.
A phone floated beside her, livestreaming.
In Xu Xing's perception, wisps of vital essence and desire flowed out of the phone screen and into the sachet hanging from the female cultivator's waist.
So this was how cultivators from the Joyous Union Sect practiced nowadays?
"Martial Uncle!"
"What is it?"
"I'm telling Master when I get back!"
"..." Xu Xing paused. "What are you thinking? I was just curious about her cultivation method."
"She's just a Charm Cultivator from the Joyous Union Sect. I could take on ten of her kind!" Chi Jiuyu curled her lip in disdain.
At the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, the Joyous Union Sect had come in dead last.
But those people hadn't been the least bit disappointed. Instead, every last one of them had cheerfully recorded videos. They had absolutely no ambition!
As a sword cultivator with lofty ideals, she looked down on them for it.
Jiang Yujiu hadn't heard what they said, but even if she had, she wouldn't have cared.
You joined the Joyous Union Sect and still cared about something like that?
That just meant you weren't cut out to cultivate in the Joyous Union Sect.
Nowadays, because of their unique cultivation method, Charm Cultivators from the Joyous Union Sect had to keep chasing hot topics to maintain their popularity.
The logic was simple: popularity drew viewers, and viewers meant vital essence and desire.
So the entire Joyous Union Sect was fiercely competitive. If not for their Ancestor's rules—such as the ban on 18+ content—the sect's cultivators would probably have been even more outrageous...
There was no helping it. Vital essence and desire accompanied Joyous Union Sect cultivators throughout their cultivation journey. Things only got better after Dao Integration.
Before you continue