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"They say Weak Water cannot even bear the weight of a mustard seed. It has no buoyancy at all—even a feather placed on it will sink." As Ye Qinghui spoke, he tossed a Talisman in to test it. Sure enough, the Talisman sank faster than lightning, then vanished without a trace.

Curious, Ye Qingchuan tossed a small stone into the river. It dropped straight into the water and dissolved completely, like sugar in boiling water.

[So amazing! So amazing!] Ye Zhenzhen clapped her little hands excitedly. What was weak about Weak Water? It could devour anything. It was clearly the mightiest ruler of all waters.

[I want water that powerful for myself.]

"We can't touch this water. How are we supposed to collect Weak Water to water the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree's seed?"

[We can use the plants growing nearby to hold it.] Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help opening her little mouth. I know this one! [If these plants can grow beside the Weak Water, that means it won't dissolve them.]

"Junior Sister, you're so clever." Ye Qinghui picked some leaves and fashioned them into a simple cone-shaped container, then carefully scooped up some Weak Water.

He took out the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree's seed and poured a drop of Weak Water onto it.

What would happen when the purest water in the world met the purest seed? Would it burst with dazzling divine light, sprout a wondrous shoot, or transform into a divine pill brimming with spiritual power? Everyone watched the Bodhi seed expectantly.

The jade-green seed bounced as though scalded by hot water, then spun at lightning speed within a halo of white light.

When it stopped, the seed had turned a dull gray and even gave off a burnt smell.

Ye Qinghui: ?

"Junior Sister, are you sure the Bodhi seed needs Weak Water?" He gazed at the seed in his palm, his heart aching. Its former radiance was gone, and it looked withered and lifeless. "I promised the Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree I'd give this seed to someone who truly needs it someday."

[It's only the first day. We have to keep at it for seven days.] Ye Zhenzhen's heart was pounding too when she saw the seed. What's going on? With my perfect memory, I couldn't have gotten the method wrong. Did the original author just write any old nonsense?

Forget it. There's nothing else to do. We'll have to treat a dead horse as if it might still live.

[We have to keep going. Persistence is the key to victory.]

Ye Qinghui: ...

He had intended to leave as soon as they collected the Weak Water, but Ye Zhenzhen wriggled like an eel again. [How can we leave so easily? It wasn't easy getting here. Wouldn't it be a shame not to take a few treasures while we're at it?]

At the word "shame," Ye Qinghui's temples began to throb. Surely Junior Sister wasn't planning to drain away their Weak Water too? This was no ordinary water. It was Kunlun Sacred Mountain's protective river.

Sure enough.

[Third Senior Brother, make a bigger container with those banana leaves. Let's take more Weak Water with us.]

Ye Qingchuan had also been studying the Weak Water. Since it was so powerful, it would be a shame not to take some back as material for his Talismans. He and Junior Sister hit it off at once. He picked more than a dozen banana leaves and made a huge, watertight vessel. After filling it with Weak Water, he sealed it with more banana leaves and a sealing Talisman, then placed it inside one of Ye Zhenzhen's Heaven-and-Earth Pearls.

Ye Qinghui marked the pearl that held the Weak Water. "This one holds only Weak Water. Don't mix it up with the other treasures, or we'll be in trouble."

[Third Senior Brother, you're so clever and thoughtful.] Ye Zhenzhen piled on the flattery as if it cost her nothing. She gazed longingly at the Weak Water river. [What a shame we can only take this little bit. If only we could take the whole river.]

[Weak Water is so powerful. It'd be a perfect weapon against bad people or the Devil Race. It's bound to come in handy someday.]

Ye Qinghui rubbed his forehead, his head aching. When would his worldly-ignorant junior brother and sister stop behaving like bandits?

With time running short and only three days left before the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament, they rode the Azure Luan back to Cloudsky Sect at breakneck speed, never stopping to rest.

By the time they returned to the sect, only one day remained before the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament.

At the sect entrance, they encountered two familiar figures: their martial uncle Ye Rufeng and his disciple Ye Qingyun. The two had just returned from an errand outside the sect.

Ye Qingyun looked flushed with success, but when he saw Ye Qinghui and the others return, his face showed unmistakable shock—and disappointment he couldn't hide. "First Senior Brother, you're finally back. Everyone was worried something had happened to you in the Illusory Forest."

Ye Qinghui and the others caught the look on his face at once. "What's this? You look like you were hoping something had happened to me."

"No, no, of course not. I'm delighted you made it back." Ye Qingyun hurried to deny it, but his "delighted" came out weak and flat. Inside, he felt as though he had fallen from the clouds into an abyss.

Ye Qingyun and his master had finally persuaded Sect Leader Ye Ruheng to let him compete in Ye Qinghui's place if Ye Qinghui failed to return before the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament. He had completely assimilated Ye Qinghui's Inner Core. An Inner Core born of an Innate Sword Bone was powerful indeed: his dantian felt full, and his cultivation had been advancing by leaps and bounds.

He and his master had just gone out to buy Spirit Herbs and Medicinal Pills, hoping to give his cultivation one final boost and make a stunning debut at the Immortal Sects Grand Tournament.

For all his careful calculations, he had never expected Ye Qinghui to return the day before the tournament.

"Qinghui, has your Inner Core recovered? Let your martial uncle test your strength." Shamelessly, Ye Rufeng drew his sword against his own junior and began sparring with Ye Qinghui.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Bodhi Tree's seed had been watered for only three days, so the Bodhi Spirit Pill had yet to form. Though Ye Qinghui's Swordsmanship was superb and he parried Ye Rufeng's attacks again and again, he had no Inner Core to lend spiritual power to his strikes. His Sword Qi carried almost no force, and before long, he was defeated.

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