Affection +20

The next few days were rather dull and tedious.

Gu Yiyi was on her period and stayed home to recuperate, rarely coming out.

As for Xu Xinran, Qin Yi had no idea how Pine Cloud Peak had arranged things. He went several times but never ran into her.

He did not encounter Xiao Qingyu by the river again, either.

Five days passed like this. When he went to look for Xu Xinran again, he finally saw Xiao Qingyu along the way.

Compared to their last meeting, Xiao Qingyu looked somewhat more haggard.

As for why, Qin Yi had a fairly clear idea.

When he practiced swordsmanship with Xiao Qingyu, he had not only brainwashed her but also brought her an unprecedented sense of pleasure.

She could not possibly find that kind of pleasure and experience with another man.

Once that contrast formed in her mind, a woman's sensitive thoughts would inevitably start running wild. Once they did, conflicts between lovers could easily arise.

And things had indeed turned out just as Qin Yi had guessed.

Over the past few days, Xiao Qingyu had sought out Shangguan Qing to spar several more times. Once or twice, his patience could hold out, but by the third or fourth time, he no longer had that much patience.

Actually, Shangguan Qing's perspective was not exactly wrong. His primary focus was the Heavenly Secrets Sword Technique; what experience could she gain by sparring with him?

Only by sparring with someone who also practiced the Jade Pivot Sword Art could they verify their understanding against each other's, draw on each other's strengths to offset their weaknesses, and improve.

To Shangguan Qing, Xiao Qingyu's repeated invitations were simply unreasonable troublemaking.

There were now less than two short months until the Sword Debate for First Place. He himself had to hurry and stabilize his condition, lest someone snatch away his title of branch sword champion.

Yet at a time like this, Xiao Qingyu was being so inconsiderate. Gu Qingshuang had clearly agreed to practice swordsmanship with her, yet she insisted on coming to him.

If that was not unreasonable troublemaking, what was?

And so, that very morning, Shangguan Qing had given her a scolding.

Xiao Qingyu felt deeply wronged, because she had genuinely experienced pleasure and gained something from practicing with Qin Yi.

Yet when she sparred with Shangguan Qing, she never felt any pleasure.

She gradually came to believe that Shangguan Qing did not like her and was merely going through the motions.

That was why she could neither feel any pleasure nor gain anything.

In a fit of anger, she had turned and left, coming alone to the Heaven-Reaching River, where she had stood from morning until afternoon.

Her beautiful eyes had grown wet and dried again. Who knew how many times she had silently shed tears?

It was nearly dusk when Qin Yi came down the mountain.

As he passed along the riverside stretch of the road, he spotted her standing on the water in a daze.

At first, he did not greet her. Instead, he hurried past and went to the cave at the foot of Pine Cloud Peak first.

Last time, he had agreed with Xu Xinran that whenever she had time, she would come to this cave and wait for him, with their rendezvous set for after dusk.

After being pent up for so many days, he naturally wanted some intimacy first. Unfortunately, when he reached the cave, Xu Xinran was still nowhere to be seen.

Strange. Could they all be preparing for the Sword Debate for First Place, with no time for dates?

Given Xu Xinran's devotion to him, she would certainly come whenever she had time. Since she had not come, it meant she truly had neither the time nor the opportunity.

Qin Yi silently lamented the pity of it, then returned to the river.

When he came back, Xiao Qingyu had still not left. She stood upon the water like a wife-waiting stone.

"Junior Sister Qingyu, are you catching fish?" Leaning on the railing, Qin Yi suddenly cracked a joke.

Xiao Qingyu had been staring blankly at the water. Hearing this suddenly, she turned around, saw that it was Qin Yi, and immediately forced a smile. "Oh, Senior Brother Qin. I... I'm not trying to catch fish."

"Didn't you practice swordsmanship today?" Qin Yi asked her.

Xiao Qingyu shook her head. Today, she had neither the mood nor the right frame of mind. Practicing would have been pointless.

Qin Yi asked, "Something on your mind?"

Xiao Qingyu fell silent for a while. Rather than answer, she asked him a question instead. "Senior Brother Qin, you're going to participate in the Sword Debate for First Place, aren't you?"

Qin Yi said, "Mm, I probably will."

Xiao Qingyu murmured, "With your talent, Senior Brother Qin, you should be a strong contender for branch sword champion."

Qin Yi said, "You're quite good yourself, Junior Sister Qingyu. Your name will surely appear in the Jade Pivot Sword Art arena, too."

Xiao Qingyu shook her head forlornly and lowered it. "It won't."

Qin Yi asked, "Why so pessimistic?"

Xiao Qingyu said, "My swordsmanship can't improve any further for now. If I can't improve my swordsmanship, I have to raise my cultivation realm, but advancing in cultivation is even harder than improving martial techniques. I'm only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining right now. When the time comes, I definitely won't be able to compare to the other senior brothers and sisters."

Actually, that way of thinking was right, too. It counted as knowing her own limits.

From an objective standpoint, Qin Yi also thought that her swordsmanship was only upper-middle level among the Famous Sword Sect's younger generation.

Taking the title of branch sword champion would be considerably difficult.

But objectivity was one thing. When flirting with a girl, naturally, he could not argue from an objective standpoint.

"You're wrong to think that way. Within the Qi Refining realm, even someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining can defeat someone at the tenth level of Qi Refining. At the Qi Refining stage, cultivation realm isn't particularly important. Unless your opponent is at Foundation Establishment, you still have a fighting chance."

Qin Yi spoke reassuringly.

At the Qi Refining stage, if someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining could be considered to have a pistol, then someone at the tenth level of Qi Refining had a submachine gun.

In terms of power and lethality, the submachine gun was certainly better, but there was no denying that if the other person's pistol hit you, you would still be done for.

Thus, at this stage, the differences in strength were limited. Setting cultivation realm aside, the distinction between strong and weak actually depended more on proficiency and flexibility with swordsmanship.

The Foundation Establishment Realm, meanwhile, could actually be compared to a mortar.

That was an entirely different level. From far away, whether you had a pistol or a submachine gun, one shell could wipe you out. That was what it meant to suppress someone through cultivation realm.

"Among the current younger generation who practice the Jade Pivot Sword Art, are there any Foundation Establishment Realm experts?" Qin Yi asked.

Xiao Qingyu thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not anymore. Senior Sister Qingshuang's attainments in the Jade Pivot Sword Art are very high, but because of her status, she doesn't participate in the Sword Debate for First Place."

As the sect master's daughter, it made sense for her not to compete.

After all, it would be awkward for others to defeat her, but if they did not defeat her, they would be letting themselves down.

"Since there aren't any Foundation Establishment Realm experts competing, I think you can definitely take a branch sword champion title, Junior Sister Qingyu," Qin Yi encouraged her.

Xiao Qingyu felt a surge of emotion as she listened.

Even Shangguan Qing, her future Dao companion, had never encouraged him like this. Yet Qin Yi, whom she had met only twice, was willing to encourage her so.

Xiao Qingyu suddenly smiled. "It's actually quite strange. Although I haven't known you for long, Senior Brother Qin, you always feel like an old friend."

Qin Yi smiled as well. "What a coincidence. Actually, the very first time I saw you, Junior Sister Qingyu, I felt close to you, like family. Some things in the unseen workings of fate really are mysterious."

After feeling depressed all day, Xiao Qingyu now revealed a heartfelt smile.

[Affection +20]!

Qin Yi knew that his playing hard to get and his approachable manner had earned her affection once again.

Immediately, he struck while the iron was hot. "Junior Sister Qingyu, how about I spar with you for a few more moves?"