Her reaction left everyone present speechless.
Mostly, Lü Qingyi was being a little too obvious about shielding him.
But looked at another way, the fact that this fellow could get Lü Qingyi to shield him also meant there really was nothing wrong with him.
If there had been, he probably would not have made it to the gates of the Divine Firmament Sword Sect alive.
Since Lü Qingyi had chosen not to pursue the matter, everyone else naturally pretended not to have seen it, or simply ignored it.
Lü Qingyi stared at Ying Huaixu in silence for a long time...
In the end, Lü Qingyi could only say helplessly, "Since you know how to use that thing, I shouldn't need to explain what comes next, should I?"
Ying Huaixu nodded. "Right, I can head back on my own!"
Lü Qingyi nodded.
But then, still a little uncertain, she asked, "Do you know the rules?"
Although Ying Huaixu knew them, he hurriedly shook his head. "I really don't know those!"
Lü Qingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Every Outer Disciple can choose one movement technique and one sword technique. You can use your token to pick them out on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion!"
Ying Huaixu hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for telling me, Senior Sister!"
Lü Qingyi waved a hand, then stopped looking at Ying Huaixu.
Ying Huaixu went straight off to find his cave abode using the coordinates on his token.
Unlike with Ying Huaixu, Lü Qingyi carefully explained to Ye Ningshuang how to use her token, along with the sect's rules and procedures.
Once she had explained everything, Lü Qingyi suddenly scratched her head.
"I think I forgot to tell Ying Huaixu about some of the things he needs to watch out for in the sect!"
"Never mind. There's an introductory handbook in his cave abode. He'll probably read it!"
For Lü Qingyi, the most important thing right now was to nurture Ye Ningshuang properly.
Ye Ningshuang listened very attentively to the rules Lü Qingyi explained, committing them firmly to memory.
Only, her gaze kept drifting toward the direction Ying Huaixu had left in.
Lü Qingyi noticed it all, but said nothing.
After finishing her instructions, Lü Qingyi had the other disciples take Ye Ningshuang to her cave abode.
Lü Qingyi herself headed toward her own cave abode with a headache.
But before Lü Qingyi could rest, the sect master sent her a voice transmission.
"Come over first. We need to discuss Ye Ningshuang's cultivation plan going forward!"
Lü Qingyi could not help rolling her eyes.
"I'm truly doomed to a life of toil!"
Lü Qingyi once again made her way to the Sect Master's Hall, feeling helpless.
As soon as she arrived, she saw a middle-aged man already waiting.
Divine radiance enveloped him, and a golden wheel of manifestation shone behind his back.
With his noble robes and imposing expression, he looked extraordinary at a glance.
Yet the moment the middle-aged man saw Lü Qingyi, his face broke into a smile.
"Ah, Junior Sister! Thank you for all your hard work!"
Lü Qingyi sat down in her usual seat in the hall and picked up her teacup with practiced ease, taking a sip.
"If you know how hard I've worked, why won't you let me get some proper rest?"
The middle-aged man's face filled with helplessness.
"You know me. I would never do this if it weren't urgent!"
At those words, Lü Qingyi frowned.
The sect master really was that sort of person.
"What happened?"
The sect master's face was clouded with worry.
"The Cold Pool Secret Realm will open in less than three years. When that happens, Ye Ningshuang must enter it, whatever her cultivation level. In the past, that naturally wouldn't have been a problem. But the Grand Ancestor's prophecy has begun to come true, and the Cold Pool Secret Realm is already showing signs of collapse!"
"In other words, Ye Ningshuang must improve her cultivation as quickly as possible over these three years. At the very least, she needs to reach Meridian Opening within that time!"
Lü Qingyi was speechless.
"Her netherworld spiritual root may be capable of advancing, but until it does, she has a low-grade spiritual root, plain and simple. Someone with a low-grade spiritual root reaching Meridian Opening in three years? Do you think she can do it?"
The sect master sighed.
"That's why I asked you here to discuss her cultivation plan going forward. If Ye Ningshuang doesn't reach Meridian Opening, she won't even be able to protect herself in the Cold Pool Secret Realm. And we can't send people in to protect her with great fanfare!"
Lü Qingyi rubbed her brow.
"Then we'd have to force her cultivation up with rare natural treasures. But the risks are enormous. If things go wrong, Ye Ningshuang could even break down!"
The sect master shook his head. "We can't afford to worry about all that now. Otherwise, Ye Ningshuang won't be able to enter the Cold Pool Secret Realm, and that would go against the Grand Ancestor's arrangements!"
Lü Qingyi remained silent.
The sect master knew Lü Qingyi was displeased.
Lü Qingyi had always resented the Dao Ancestor's prophecies and the way he arranged other people's lives.
Now, for the sake of a so-called prophecy, Ye Ningshuang would have to endure suffering far beyond what most people could bear, with no regard for the cost. That disgusted Lü Qingyi to the core.
The fact that Lü Qingyi had not pointed at his nose and cursed him out was already a considerable courtesy.
But the sect master was helpless too.
"I know what I'm doing seems rather objectionable. But the Grand Ancestor's prophecies have never been wrong. I even secretly tried to erase the signs of collapse in the Cold Pool Secret Realm, but in the end, I couldn't remove them at all. Even when I erased them temporarily, they would reappear!"
"You know we can't gamble on these things. Besides, since the Grand Ancestor said Ye Ningshuang bears the heavenly mandate, perhaps what you're worried about won't happen to her!"
Lü Qingyi set down her teacup, then rose and said, "I'm a little tired. I'm going to rest. We can discuss this tomorrow!"
With that, Lü Qingyi flew away without looking back.
The sect master wanted to say more, but in the end, he could only shake his head helplessly.
"Why bother? Your divination is no weaker than the Grand Ancestor's. You should see things even more clearly. Why must you resist?"
"There's no point!"
Finally, the sect master sat down in his own seat and sank into thought...
Meanwhile, in the Divine Firmament Sword Sect's Inner Small World, a group of people were discussing the matter with smiles.
"I told you Junior Sister would never accept Eldest Senior Brother's approach!"
Someone else shook their head. "But she didn't reject it this time either, did she?"
The others found that rather novel.
"Ninth Junior Sister really is acting differently. Not only did she not refuse, she didn't even get angry enough to start cursing!"
An elegant scholar turned a page of his book, then said, "But there's one problem we have to solve: getting Junior Sister Ye to the Meridian Opening Realm in three years. That's something we must face. Eldest Senior Brother wasn't wrong either. We dare not gamble against the Grand Ancestor's prophecy!"
"The sect master's method may be extreme, but it's also our only option. We still need to talk Junior Sister around!"
At that, everyone fell silent again.
None of them dared try to persuade Lü Qingyi!
But they did not dare let the scholar, their Second Senior Brother, try either.
Those two could barely exchange a couple of words before coming to blows!
So everyone simply kept their mouths shut.
The matter was left unresolved!
Before you continue