Borrow

"Having high comprehension isn't a bad thing, so why fret over it?" Ju Hua shook his head with a faint smile, and soon, he began practicing his sword art once more.

Practicing the various divine abilities and secret techniques left behind by predecessors is a shortcut to enlightenment; after all, having guidance to move forward is vastly different from having none.

Although Ju Hua's comprehension was now absurdly high, he did not reject the guidance of his predecessors. If there is a faster shortcut, why choose to walk a rugged mountain path?

By noon—

"Big Brother, come and have something to eat!" Zhuanshui Qiu's voice drifted over from afar.

"Coming!"

Ju Hua sheathed the Qiuhua Sword and turned to walk toward where Zhuanshui Qiu was waiting.

In truth, at Ju Hua's level, he had long since outgrown the need for food, but this was a gesture of his little sister's affection, and how could he let her down?

Moreover, Ju Hua did not mind spending more time with his little sister in between his sword practice and meditation.

"When does Big Brother set off?" After they had finished eating, Zhuanshui Qiu asked, feigning nonchalance.

In reality, she had already received the definitive news from Ju Hua yesterday, knowing he had been appointed as the lead general for the Zhuanshui Clan's upcoming expedition; she simply didn't know when he would be departing.

"Not for another half a year!" Ju Hua laughed. "Don't worry, little sister, I'll spend plenty of time with you during this period!"

"Will that affect your cultivation, Big Brother?" Zhuanshui Qiu asked with a hint of concern.

"Of course not!" Ju Hua laughed. "The path of cultivation emphasizes a balance of tension and relaxation! When it's time to cultivate, I focus, but when I'm with my little sister, my mind naturally relaxes, and I find myself making progress without even realizing it!"

"Big Brother is an Immortal, so you must be right!" Zhuanshui Qiu giggled.

"However, you must also work hard on your cultivation, little sister. Although I am a Loose Immortal, I can live for at least a million years, but you aren't even a Yuanshen Daoist yet, and your lifespan is only eight hundred years!" Ju Hua said with a serious expression.

"I know, I know. My Dao of Gentle Wind has already reached the Domain level; I could have broken through to become a Yuanshen Daoist long ago!" Zhuanshui Qiu said dismissively, then added:

"Oh, right, Big Brother, accompany me to the Library Pavilion today. I want to learn a more advanced movement technique." Zhuanshui Qiu suddenly requested.

"The Library Pavilion?" Ju Hua was slightly taken aback, but he nodded immediately.

This was his little sister's request, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. Besides, her mentioning the Library Pavilion reminded him that it was indeed time for him to borrow a new divine ability or spell to study.

Divine abilities and secret techniques are shortcuts to enlightenment. He had the Great Sorrow Sword Art for his sword path, so he didn't need to worry about that for now, but beyond the sword, he had also gained entry into three other Great Daos.

The Dao of Dripping Water and the Dao of Earthly Soil were fine as they were, but Ju Hua intended to delve deeper into the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Firstly, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was excellent for self-preservation. On the path of immortality, survival comes first; if one's life is lost, everything else becomes void!

Secondly, his current talent was ridiculously high; studying two Great Daos simultaneously would not hinder his progress. Perhaps the two Daos could even complement each other, allowing him to advance even faster.

These two reasons led Ju Hua to decide from the very beginning to delve deeply into the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"But my clan contribution points might not be enough!" Ju Hua frowned slightly. Although the Zhuanshui Clan possessed a Library Pavilion with a vast collection of Daoist texts, some powerful divine abilities and secret techniques were not available for casual borrowing; clan contribution points were the requirement for accessing them.

There were two ways to obtain clan contribution points. One was based on status; the Zhuanshui Clan granted different amounts of points to different people annually. For instance, a Loose Immortal could receive one hundred thousand points a year, while an ordinary clansman would be lucky to get ten!

The second way was by completing missions. The Zhuanshui Clan needed to develop, so there were a multitude of missions available, and the number of points earned varied according to the difficulty of the task!

Before his tribulation, Ju Hua had completed many missions to earn contribution points, and later, the clan had generously supported him with a large sum of points to help him survive the tribulation.

But likewise, in order to survive that tribulation, Ju Hua had exhausted almost all of those points. He was now effectively penniless!

"Do I have to go out and take on missions?" Ju Hua felt a headache coming on. Having just acquired such extraordinary talent, these next six months were critical for him, and he had wanted to go into seclusion! Moreover, six months wasn't enough time to complete any major missions, and the points earned from minor ones were far too few.

"Why is Big Brother daydreaming? Did yesterday's battle injure your soul?" Zhuanshui Qiu's voice suddenly rang in Ju Hua's ears.

"Zhuanshui Pingqiu doesn't have the ability to do that!" Ju Hua shook his head with a smile.

At that moment, a thought suddenly struck Ju Hua. Come to think of it, Zhuanshui Pingqiu, a Loose Immortal who had lived for a hundred thousand years, should be quite wealthy, right?

"Little sister, wait for me here. I'll be right back!" Leaving those words behind, Ju Hua vanished from before Zhuanshui Qiu in a flash.

A moment later—

"Brother Pingqiu, Zhuanshui Ju Hua has come to pay a visit. Please, show yourself!" Standing amidst the clouds, Ju Hua shouted toward a valley nestled between two cliffs.

Encased in Ju Hua's mana, his voice was carried steadily into the valley below, without a single trace of sound leaking outward.

Soon, a figure in white Daoist robes flew out from the valley below and rapidly arrived before Ju Hua.

The person was none other than Zhuanshui Pingqiu. Upon seeing that it was indeed Ju Hua, he felt seven parts suspicion and three parts irritation.

Zhuanshui Pingqiu was suspicious because he couldn't fathom what Ju Hua wanted this time, and irritated because he had already swallowed his pride and conceded defeat yesterday—yet Ju Hua was still hounding him!

Did he really think Zhuanshui Pingqiu was someone to be bullied?

"Brother Pingqiu, I trust you have been well!" Ju Hua bowed slightly.

"Brother Ju Hua, what brings you here?" Zhuanshui Pingqiu asked with a puzzled look. He had initially thought Ju Hua was here to cause trouble, but judging by the other's tone and demeanor, it didn't look like he was seeking revenge!

"I have long heard that you are one of the wealthiest members of our clan. I've been a bit short on funds lately, so I've come to ask for your assistance!" Ju Hua stated his purpose directly.

Hearing this, Zhuanshui Pingqiu's face darkened slightly. However, as an old Loose Immortal who had lived for a hundred thousand years, he was deep and calculating, so he didn't say anything unnecessary. He simply asked, "You want clan contribution points? How many?"

"Not too many." Ju Hua recalled the price he had paid to exchange for the Great Sorrow Sword Art and added, "A billion contribution points will suffice!"

"Brother, you must be joking. I have always been a spendthrift, and I've spent quite a lot recently to nurture my disciples. How could I possibly have that many contribution points to lend you?" Zhuanshui Pingqiu said, his expression unchanging.

"I can leave you an IOU. Within ten thousand years, I will return every single one of these contribution points!" Ju Hua smiled.

"An IOU?"

Hearing Ju Hua's words, Zhuanshui Pingqiu fell silent.