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Immortal Venerable Wanghan had five direct disciples. Apart from them, Ethereal Peak also had a hundred or so registered disciples. It was time for the disciples to practice their swords, and the sword practice grounds were packed. Yet when a little girl appeared in a pale yellow dress, as fresh and tender as the first winter jasmine blooming in spring, everyone stopped in unison. Some rubbed their eyes.

Were they seeing things?

Wasn't that their little junior sister, Qiaoqiao?

Wasn't she holding a wooden sword meant for disciples?

Their little junior sister had actually shown up at the sword practice grounds. Had the sun risen in the west?

Under the disciples' gazes, Qiaoqiao walked to a corner of the sword practice grounds and began practicing the opening stance of the Ethereal Sword Technique.

A few disciples beside Qiaoqiao snickered. This little junior sister was still practicing the opening stance after ten years. She truly deserved her title as Ethereal Peak's most useless disciple.

She even had the nerve to come practice her sword. What a public embarrassment.

"Qiaoqiao."

On her fourth repetition, her eldest senior brother, Shen Ji, suddenly appeared before her in a blue robe, a longsword strapped to his back. His features were handsome, his bearing distinguished, and his arrival immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Eldest Senior Brother?" Qiaoqiao wiped the sweat from her forehead.

[Eldest Senior Brother hasn't come to silence me because of last night, has he?]

Shen Ji: ...

Did he look like some cold-blooded killer?

"Little Junior Sister, was that the Ethereal Sword Instruction you were practicing?"

"Yes."

[Is Eldest Senior Brother going to spar with me?] Qiaoqiao looked troubled. [That wouldn't be good. What if I can't control my Sword Qi and hurt him?]

Shen Ji: .

What sort of misunderstanding did she have about her own abilities?

"While meditating in seclusion, I studied the High Antiquity Broken Sword Chapter and comprehended a High Antiquity sword move called 'Slay the Star River.' This strike has boundless power. It depends on comprehension rather than foundations, so even beginners in the way of the sword can practice it."

"Once mastered, the might of this sword strike can sever the star river. High Antiquity sword moves are the bane of Devil Cultivators. If you encounter one in the future, you can use this move against them."

"Come with me. I'll teach you."

The disciples nearby were filled with envy when they heard him. That was a High Antiquity sword move! A legendary sword technique of tremendous power that ordinary disciples weren't even qualified to learn, yet their eldest senior brother was actually teaching it to her!

The disciples who had just mocked their little junior sister all felt their faces sting a little.

But hadn't their eldest senior brother always ignored this junior sister whose only ambition was to slack off?

Had not only their little junior sister, but their eldest senior brother also changed his ways?

Only Shen Ji knew that, if not for his little junior sister, he would have become the devil woman's puppet last night...

To repay his junior sister, he had racked his brains all night to come up with this sword technique, the most suitable one for her to practice.

"Junior Sister, watch closely."

Once they reached a secluded wood, Shen Ji raised his hand with effortless grace, and his longsword left its sheath.

His body was as agile as a

dragon

as he leaped up and cleaved downward through the air. His sword light blazed as though splitting the star river.

Qiaoqiao stared, spellbound.

"Little Junior Sister, did you understand?" He put away his sword and turned to ask her.

"I think... I didn't."

Shen Ji demonstrated again. This time, he performed it very slowly and explained the key points of executing the move, yet Qiaoqiao still looked as though she only half understood.

Qiaoqiao, who had learned just one sword technique in ten years on the mountain: [Damn it, why can't I understand it?]

Shen Ji: ...

"Why don't you try it once, Junior Sister?"

Holding her wooden sword, Qiaoqiao went through what Shen Ji had taught her. Her opening stance was limp and powerless, but halfway through the movement, a strand of Sword Qi suddenly surged out of her meridians, driving the wooden sword into a display of formidable might. The strike fell, leveling a large swath of the woods.

"Wow, it worked!"

Looking at the furrow the Sword Qi had cleaved before her, Qiaoqiao's eyes sparkled:

[As expected of me!]

[I knew it! I'm a genius of the sword!]

She had indeed learned it, and the power she unleashed was considerable. But recalling the strand of Sword Qi that had suddenly surged from her, Shen Ji wore a complicated expression. Little Junior Sister, wasn't this cheating...

"How was that, Eldest Senior Brother?" Her sparkling eyes looked at Shen Ji, brimming with expectation.

Under that clear, expectant gaze, Shen Ji's principles as her eldest senior brother were fed straight to the dogs. "Not bad. Your comprehension truly is remarkable, Junior Sister."

[Wow, Eldest Senior Brother praised me!]

[I'm so happy!]

Hearing her lively inner voice, Shen Ji unconsciously smiled faintly. "You're just not yet familiar with the move. You'll need more practice."

"Okay!"

[Once I've mastered this move, I can treat A Xue to a Devil Heart feast!] Her eyes shone, and she couldn't help swallowing at the thought of a Devil Heart feast.

Shen Ji's smile froze on his face.

Little Junior Sister, only Devil Cultivators ate one another's Devil Hearts. They were people of the righteous path!

Over the next few days, Qiaoqiao diligently practiced "Slay the Star River." As she thoroughly integrated the sword move, she also gained a new understanding of the Ethereal Sword Technique, and her sword cultivator experience bar shot upward.

Evening approached, and dusk closed in on all sides.

After finishing her sword practice, Qiaoqiao returned to Breaking Pear Courtyard as usual, hugging her wooden sword. The moment she stepped through the courtyard entrance, a layer of black mist suddenly shrouded her vision.

A sinister laugh sounded behind her. "Little girl, you injured me when I was off guard that day. You won't be so lucky this time!"

Qiaoqiao's mind jolted.

It was the Purple Baleful Intent Devil Woman!

Over the past few days, Elder Ning had led people in searching the entire sect without finding her. She actually hadn't fled, and was still intent on taking revenge on Qiaoqiao!

Within the black mist, Ziling's voice carried a chilling coldness. "Tell me, how about I dig out your heart, chop off your limbs, and then throw you in front of Shen Ji?"

An icy wind swept past her from behind, and Qiaoqiao suddenly felt a chill down her spine!

Thanks to her diligent practice over the past few days, the sword move had already become muscle memory. Almost without thinking, Qiaoqiao slashed back with her sword-Slay the Star River!

The girl in the apricot-colored dress leaped up, severing the star river with a single strike. The black mist was instantly cleaved apart!

Forced out of hiding beneath a tree, Ziling barely dodged the sword light. Blood spurted from her arm, and disbelief filled her face. "You-how is that possible?!"