At the center of Rosy Cloud Island, where spiritual energy was thickest, stood a cluster of pavilions.
They had been built along the mountainside, rising at staggered heights.
This was the heart of Rosy Cloud Island. Only cultivators at the Fifth-Level Qi Refinement or above could live here.
Halfway up the mountain, an elegant pavilion stood in silence.
The open ground before it was covered in fine threads of spiritual energy, woven through the air into a dense net.
Liu Yiyi formed a hand seal, spiritual energy surging at her fingertips.
She guided her Flying Sword through the net.
It sped up, slowed down, flipped, then thrust forward.
The blade skimmed past the threads. Cold light flashed, leaving barely a hair's breadth between steel and silk, yet it never touched a single strand.
A moment later.
Liu Yiyi lowered her hands. The Flying Sword traced an arc through the air and settled neatly into the sheath before her.
Just then, applause rang out.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister. Your Sword-Controlling Technique has reached Major Accomplishment."
Liu Yiyi turned and saw Qin Xiangbei walking over from the pavilion nearby, a gentle smile on his face.
She smiled faintly. "Without your guidance this past year, who knows when I would have broken through?"
Qin Xiangbei waved a hand and laughed. "You're treating me like a stranger, Senior Sister. The key was your talent. I only offered a few pointers."
"Your talent for controlling a sword is far greater than mine," Liu Yiyi said earnestly.
"You're already at the peak of Major Accomplishment, while I've only just reached it. We're worlds apart."
A trace of pride appeared on Qin Xiangbei's face.
He quickly suppressed it, though, and waved a hand with a show of modesty.
Stepping forward, he patted the storage pouch at his waist and took out a red dress-shaped magical robe.
The fabric was soft and smooth, with a faint spiritual glow flowing across it. It was clearly a fine magical artifact.
"Senior Sister Liu." Qin Xiangbei held the robe out to Liu Yiyi with both hands. "I prepared this especially for you to celebrate your breakthrough in the Sword-Controlling Technique. Please accept it."
A flicker of anticipation passed through his eyes.
A year ago, while chatting with an Island Patrol Guard, he had learned by chance that Liu Yiyi was the youngest daughter of Elder Liu of the Evergreen Sect.
Elder Liu, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
Because of her mother's death, Liu Yiyi had an awful relationship with her father. She had even refused to let him take her to the Evergreen Sect, choosing instead to cultivate alone in a small place like Rosy Cloud Island.
The daughter of a mighty Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.
Qin Xiangbei had formed a plan on the spot.
First, he had rented a house next to hers.
Then he had patiently guided her in the Sword-Controlling Technique.
All to win Liu Yiyi's heart and become Elder Liu's son-in-law.
Liu Yiyi stared at the dress, momentarily taken aback.
Then she waved her hands. "This gift is too valuable. I can't accept it."
In the cultivation world, a gift of clothing was never merely a gift.
It was a declaration of love.
Qin Xiangbei's smile did not falter. "Please take it, Senior Sister. You've helped me so much this past year. It's only a small token of my appreciation."
"I really can't."
Liu Yiyi shook her head, her tone firm.
All she wanted now was to focus on cultivation, reach Foundation Establishment, and place her mother's memorial tablet openly and honorably in the Liu Immortal Clan's ancestral hall.
Romance?
She had never considered it.
Qin Xiangbei pushed the robe toward her again. "Don't be so polite, Senior Sister. It's only a magical robe. I'm sure you'd look beautiful in it. Please, take it."
Liu Yiyi frowned slightly.
She cut him off. "Junior Brother Qin, I have no interest in romance right now. Please take your gift back."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say more.
But Liu Yiyi had already patted her storage pouch, taken out ten Spirit Stones, and held them out to him.
"This is your payment for guiding me in magic this month," Liu Yiyi said calmly. "We agreed on ten Spirit Stones a month."
Qin Xiangbei's expression darkened. He waved his hands. "Senior Sister Liu, there's no need to pay me for this month. Consider it—"
"Junior Brother Qin." Liu Yiyi interrupted him and looked him straight in the eye. "This was our agreement from the start."
Qin Xiangbei looked at her. Her gaze was cool and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
He took a deep breath and accepted the ten Spirit Stones.
Frustration gnawed at him.
Truthfully, he had never liked Liu Yiyi's baby face.
Her figure was decent enough, barely worth a look.
What he had wanted all along was to become Elder Liu's son-in-law.
He had thought his methods would easily win over a sheltered young woman who cultivated alone.
Who could have guessed the damned woman would be as stubborn as a stone that took neither oil nor salt?
Now she had rejected him outright, leaving him no opening at all.
Qin Xiangbei cursed inwardly, but he could not show it. He put the Spirit Stones into his storage pouch.
Seeing him accept them, Liu Yiyi's expression softened slightly. She changed the subject.
"By the way, has that turtle Wang Mengde still not left the island?"
At the mention of that name, Qin Xiangbei's anger flared.
"That damned turtle has hidden on the island for an entire year," he said through clenched teeth.
His eyes were full of venom.
With such a powerful Fishing Technique, Wang Mengde could have gone out to fish and earn Spirit Stones. Instead, he stayed holed up at home every day.
He had only gone out a few times to buy pills.
Something was wrong.
Something was definitely wrong.
His elder brother's death had to be connected to Wang Mengde.
Why else would he be afraid to go out to sea?
He had to have a guilty conscience.
Just then.
A Message Talisman against Qin Xiangbei's chest suddenly lit up, sending out a pulse of spiritual energy.
His heart stirred, and he hurriedly pulled the talisman from his robe.
A line of small characters appeared on it:
Wang Mengde has gone to sea, heading south.
Qin Xiangbei's pupils contracted slightly.
Then a cold smile tugged at his lips.
That damned turtle had finally come out.
Liu Yiyi had also seen the message on the talisman.
She stood. "Junior Brother, that turtle Wang Mengde has finally gone to sea. Let's go together."
Qin Xiangbei glanced at her. "There's no need, Senior Sister. I can go alone."
Liu Yiyi frowned and stepped forward, fixing her eyes on his. "Junior Brother, don't defy the immortal laws."
Qin Xiangbei nodded, his expression calm. "I know."
Liu Yiyi looked at him, wanting to say more.
But Qin Xiangbei had already summoned his Flying Sword and leaped onto the blade.
"I'll go ahead, Senior Sister."
As his words fell, the Flying Sword became a streak of light and vanished in an instant.
The Flying Sword stopped above a deserted stretch of Rosy Cloud Island's coast. Qin Xiangbei dropped lightly onto the beach.
He patted his storage pouch. A set of blue magical robes unfolded and wrapped around him amid flowing spiritual light, concealing most of his aura.
Next, he drew a pale yellow talisman from his robe.
An Invisibility Talisman worth a fortune.
He poured spiritual energy into it. The talisman burst into flame and became an invisible ripple that enveloped him.
Qin Xiangbei's figure gradually faded from the air until it disappeared completely.
A moment later, a sharp sword light shot into the sky.
Qin Xiangbei rode his sword straight up to the highest heavens. It pierced the clouds and climbed to a tremendous height.
He stopped in midair, narrowed his eyes, and used the Spirit Eye Technique with all his might to scan the south.
His Spirit Eye Technique had reached only Minor Accomplishment, but bolstered by the spiritual energy of the Sixth-Layer Qi Refinement Peak, his eyesight was still astonishing.
Sure enough, a tiny black speck was moving slowly across the sea far to the south.
He forced spiritual energy into the technique beyond his limits. His vision sharpened, revealing Wang Mengde's sampan spirit boat.
He hesitated no longer. The Flying Sword beneath his feet accelerated sharply and carried him higher still.
From far above, he raced silently toward the black speck.
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