Those were their ancestors!

After Lan Yue left the Hidden Sword Pavilion, the inner disciples who had been eavesdropping overhead for ages finally dropped down, grinning and laughing so hard they nearly split their sides.

They had been stationed here for so many years, and it had been ages since anything this entertaining had happened. They really wished this junior sister could stay in the Hidden Sword Pavilion a little longer!

But no amount of regret would help. The Hidden Sword Pavilion was a Spirit-Sealing Ground. For a youngster who had only recently drawn spiritual energy into her body, staying here too long would hinder her cultivation instead.

"You were all up there?" Sitting upright in the Blood Pool, Xing Yue wiped the bloody streak from her face, her tone somewhat strange.

She had not sensed anyone's presence from the start. Their cultivation was clearly lower than hers, so how could they have concealed themselves so well?

It was truly strange.

"The sect master was up there too. He has the Hidden Sword Pavilion Token," Jiang Li explained.

When Yun Chong arrived, he had used the token to conceal everyone's presence right from the start.

The meteoric ore inside the Hidden Sword Pavilion had originally been a token left behind from the Ancient Battlefield. Later, the Southern Spirit Sect's founding master had fashioned it into a matching token.

It was a match for any top-tier Spirit Artifact in the Cultivation World.

At the mountaintop, several elders were still discussing the matter.

"Sect Master, the Silver Snow Ancient Sword is very likely an immortal sword. If we simply give it to Lan Yue, won't she have two Immortal Artifacts?" the Second Elder asked worriedly.

With just one Immortal Artifact, the girl had already made everyone afraid to provoke her.

If she gained an immortal sword with tremendous offensive power too, wouldn't she be able to swagger through the Cultivation World unchecked?

"Don't overthink it. Even if Silver Snow stayed in the Southern Spirit Sect, do you think we could control it?" Yun Chong, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. He had thought it through.

This ancient sword had never been something they could control. They had seemingly suppressed it beneath layer upon layer of restraints under the Blood Pool, yet it had flown out on its own without the slightest effort.

If the Hidden Sword Pavilion had not been such a special place, Silver Snow would probably have run off to who knew where long ago.

So what if it was an immortal sword?

Rather than keep it here as a headache, they might as well let the two Immortal Artifacts keep each other in check. Lan Yue was a disciple of the Southern Spirit Sect, after all. Wouldn't they still benefit in the end?

Yes, yes. There might occasionally be a few mishaps along the way, such as some gossip spilling out now and then, but the overall direction was right!

So compared to Silver Snow, Yun Chong was actually more curious about the Rusty Sword in his daughter's hands.

It could grow alongside his daughter's cultivation, so this Rusty Sword probably had an extraordinary origin. Even the rust on its surface was likely a deliberate disguise.

"All right, head back." He waved his hand, dismissing the elders.

They still had plenty to do. Someone had to watch over the sect at all times; they could not keep lingering here.

The elders stepped onto the Teleportation Array and vanished one after another. When Yun Chong turned back, however, he saw that one of them was still here.

"Elder Lu, why haven't you left?" Yun Chong raised an eyebrow, wondering whether the man was too ashamed to face anyone.

"Sect Master, you haven't released your Immortal-Binding Cord yet," Elder Lu said, his face dark.

He would have loved to leave!

The sect master: "..."

Yun Chong froze. He glanced at the Immortal-Binding Cord in his hand and finally released the man.

Although Elder Lu had eighteen successive cultivation partners, he had never done anything to betray the sect. Keeping him bound in the Hidden Sword Pavilion for this long already counted as using public authority to settle a private grudge.

But what could he do? The man was so old, yet he still bullied a little girl!

"Elder Lu, you should go back and properly sort out your personal relationships." Yun Chong narrowed his eyes and slowly put away the Immortal-Binding Lock.

At that, Elder Lu's expression became quite a spectacle.

After returning that evening, Lan Yue was just about to sleep when she suddenly heard the system chime.

Her heart jolted, and she immediately sprang up from bed. Every time she heard this sound, it meant she had gained energy from enjoying gossip, and she could raise her cultivation again!

[Lan Yue: Beginner gossip spectator

Cultivation: Qi Refining, sixth level

Current gossip seeds: 365

Convertible spiritual energy: 165

Convert into cultivation?]

[Note: This energy can be converted into cultivation. Other functions remain to be explored.]

"Convert, convert! Of course I'll convert!"

These gossip seeds represented the energy she gained from enjoying gossip and could be converted into cultivation.

What could possibly matter more than cultivation in the Cultivation World? Without sufficient cultivation, she would always be minor cannon fodder. She would not even be able to slack off if she wanted to.

So Lan Yue's current goal was to feast on all the gossip in the Three Realms, do her best to raise her cultivation, and make sure she could comfortably slack off!

Once those hundred-odd gossip seeds had all been converted, a faint pulse sounded, and her cultivation reached the seventh level of Qi Refining.

With that done, she lay down contentedly.

Early the next morning.

Spirit Moon Peak.

Lan Yue was dreaming. In her dream, a little creature whose appearance she could not make out gave her two mighty slaps, instantly jolting her awake.

To her surprise, her face really did feel cool after she woke, with the faint lingering sensation of contact.

Lan Yue: "????"

Who on earth had come to slap her while she slept? Who was so utterly shameless?

As her vision gradually cleared, she saw a silvery-white sword standing upright in front of her.

Silver Snow stood there quietly, looking perfectly well-behaved.

Lan Yue stared at the ancient sword for ages, but it did not so much as twitch.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, the silvery-white sword even moved closer on its own and nestled into her arms.

"It must have been a dream." Lan Yue rubbed her eyes. She figured she must have slept too long and started hallucinating.

What bad intentions could such an adorable kitten sword spirit possibly have? Even if it did have any, it only wanted to wake her up!

"Come on, come on! Let's practice Sword Flight. From now on, I'll have my own personal ride!" Brimming with excitement, Lan Yue hugged Silver Snow and ran outside.

The novel Road to Immortality had different rules from other cultivation novels. Even cultivators in the Qi Refining stage could practice Sword Flight. That was so much cooler than flying on a broomstick!

She was going to learn Sword Flight no matter what!

However, an hour later.

Lan Yue sat listlessly in the Morning Cultivation Hall, her eyelids battling to stay open.

She did not want to be this sleepy either, but after struggling with Sword Flight for two hours and falling off again and again, she was exhausted!

This Sword Flight technique really was not something humans could learn. Why was it so hard? Her balance had been pretty good when she rode a bicycle and such before, so why did she lose it every time she stood on a Spirit Sword?

Even an immortal sword could not save her!

[Lan Yue: System, tell me what's going on. Why can't I learn Sword Flight?]

[Silver Snow: Who are you talking to?]

[Lan Yue: The system, your other companion. But it doesn't like talking and rarely shows up.]

[Silver Snow: You actually have another Immortal Artifact! You-you-you have another Immortal Artifact!]

The childish voice was utterly shocked.

Hearing it made Lan Yue feel a little guilty, as though she were a cheating woman with a foot in two boats.

[Lan Yue: We're all good companions, good companions. You and the system are both my most precious darlings...]

It would have been better if Lan Yue had not tried explaining in her mind. The more she explained, the less she knew what she was even saying.

Then she felt a cool touch against her right cheek, and immediately afterward, the silvery-white sword vanished, slipping off to who knew where.

Feeling that familiar sensation, Lan Yue slowly widened her eyes.

So those mighty slaps she had felt while sleeping had not been a dream. This little rascal really had done it!

But no matter what she did, she could only rage helplessly, because Silver Snow had already fled.

[Lan Yue: Forget it. How can I waste such a lovely stretch of time? Let's enjoy some gossip instead.]

When that voice spread through the Morning Cultivation Hall, all the other disciples pricked up their ears.

At the front, the elder teaching the disciples about the Cultivation World's map felt rather helpless. Like any teacher faced with a troublesome student, he had a splitting headache.

What made it even more infuriating was that although this student indulged in gossip occasionally, she was not lacking in her studies at all. She could remember every bit of general knowledge about the Cultivation World he taught with perfect clarity.

That left the elder without even an excuse.

"Ahem. Today, we'll discuss the Four Cultivation Regions. Our Cultivation World is divided into four areas: the Eastern Region, Southern Region, Western Region, and Northern Region."

"These four areas, together with the Central Sacred Land, make up the present Cultivation World. We are currently in the Southern Region."

"In fact, the Four Cultivation Regions were originally connected to the Central Sacred Land, forming the Cultivation World together. Later, a great conflict broke out here. The Central Sacred Land disappeared during the fighting, and the four remaining continents gradually drifted apart, eventually forming today's Four Cultivation Regions."

"It took ten thousand years for them to assume their current form. From this, we can see how wondrous time is."

"Ten thousand years have passed, and once again, blue seas have become mulberry fields."

Just as the elder on the platform sighed, another inner voice suddenly rang out.

[Lan Yue: That's not right. How could they have slowly drifted apart with the passage of time? Weren't those four continents carried off by furious cultivators after all their loving and fighting back then? Apparently, they even drew a thirty-eighth parallel. I'm dying. It has all the flavor of elementary school brats squabbling.]

The elder on the platform had a breath stuck in his throat and could not recover for quite some time.

Those were their ancestors. Their ancestors!

How could she call their ancestors that!