Jingyang Lake, Qingliang Pavilion.
The pavilion is built on a high ground by the lake. The octagonal pavilion has a simple and ancient style and contains a stone table and stone benches.
The pavilion offers a panoramic view, with the vast expanse of Jingyang Lake stretching out before you, and distant mountain peaks also visible.
It was early August, and although it was already autumn, the weather was still very hot.
Zhang Qingning, the third young lady of the Zhang Household, came to the mountains to escape the summer heat and enjoy the lake, and also to meet her two good friends Leng Wuyou Yue Wuying.
This cool pavilion is located at the foot of Soaring Cloud Peak, which is the territory of the Lesser Yin Sect.
Outsiders are absolutely not allowed to get in.
Leng Wuyou held a very high position in the Lesser Yin Sect, and since he brought a few friends over for a visit, naturally no one dared to say anything.
Miss Zhang was quite impressive, bringing dozens of servants and maids with her, and preparing exquisite desserts, fruits, and tea.
The pavilion has also been redecorated, with expensive silks and carpets laid out.
"The cool breeze here makes it a first-class summer resort."
Zhang Qingning gently waved the round fan in her hand, her delicate face displaying a polite and elegant smile.
Leng Wuyou said with a smile, "You can come over every day. I don't have much to do, so we can keep each other company."
Leng Wuyou is only eighteen years old this year. Her eyebrows are like distant mountains, her eyes are like stars, and she has fair skin and a delicate figure. The black clothes with white collar Daoist robe she wears make her even more radiant.
Although her surname is Leng, she possesses the innocence and naivety of a young girl, which softens her stunning beauty considerably.
"But we can't come here every day..." Zhang Qingning shook her head. Although she liked to play around, she knew that coming here to play every day would annoy people.
It's fine if she comes alone, but dragging Leng Wuyou along to play will definitely displease the True Person of the Lesser Yin Sect.
Zhang Qingning then added, "I'll send someone to find Zhou Wuji and arrange to meet him at River Moon Tower tomorrow night. We'll meet behind the screen and see just what kind of extraordinary person this is, daring to forcibly seize your brother's precious sword!"
"Huh?" Leng Wuyou was somewhat surprised, but she immediately shook her head. "My brother is arrogant and likes to cause trouble. His cultivation is also mediocre, so it's normal for him to suffer losses."
Leng Wuyou sighed as she spoke, feeling quite helpless about her brother.
He was much older than her, but he acted without any sense of proportion and was even more immature than her.
She thought it was a good thing; losing a good sword was enough to make her brother heartbroken, but it didn't cause any real harm. It was a good lesson.
Zhang Qingning, however, was indignant. "How can that be? Bullying your brother is bullying you, and bullying you is bullying me!"
Leng Wuyou chuckled softly, then grabbed Zhang Qingning's hand and shook it affectionately. "Sister Qingning is the best to me..."
Yue Wuying silently gazed at the vast lake. She had never been one to talk much, nor did she particularly like Zhang Qingning's ostentatious and extravagant manner.
However, she liked Leng Wuyou's personality very much. Being with this female cultivator who was four years younger than her always made her feel happy.
For Leng Wuyou's sake, she could reluctantly become friends with Zhang Qingning.
Moreover, aside from being vain, flamboyant, and self-righteous, Zhang Qingning is otherwise quite good.
"What is Sister Yue thinking about now?"
Zhang Qingning's gaze fell on Yue Wuying, the most outstanding genius sword cultivator of the Wu generation in Yellow Dragon Upper Court. Her profile showed a clear jawline, a straight nose, slightly high cheekbones, and extremely thin lips. Her facial features were sharp and beautiful.
Yue Wuying's eyes were sharp as swords, radiating a keen edge even when she was deep in thought.
Her long, slightly messy eyebrows gave her a strong, unyielding air, as if she were unburdened by worldly constraints.
She was tall and slender, sitting with her back straight. The gray-white Daoist robe of the Greater Yin Sect made her appear even colder, like frost.
Zhang Qingning and Yue Wuying had met several times, and Zhang Qingning always felt that this female sword cultivator was very difficult to approach.
The more this was the case, the more she wanted to get closer to him. Being friends with such a cold-blooded swordsman gave her a greater sense of accomplishment.
Yue Wuying said calmly, "I've heard that Zhou Wuji is known as the Sword Lord Xiaoxiang, and his Swordsmanship is quite formidable."
"Such a thing is true?"
Zhang Qingning was somewhat surprised. She only knew that Zhou Wuji had an imperial title, apparently because Yunze had made a great contribution.
Leng Wuyou stared wide-eyed in confusion and said, " Sword Lord Xiaoxiang... that must be a nickname in the martial arts world, right?"
She then added with a hint of envy, "That name sounds nice, and it's quite impressive."
"Mm." Yue Wuying nodded slightly.
"To be called Sword Lord, Swordsmanship must be exceptional." Leng Wuyou, being a sword cultivator, became intrigued upon hearing this.
Zhang Qingning chuckled and said, "What kind of arrogant and presumptuous name is 'Sword Lord Xiaoxiang'? He dares to spread this around, he's truly courting death..."
Yue Wuying didn't want to say much, but seeing Zhang Qingning's expression, she felt she had to remind him as a friend, "The title of 'Sword Lord' is certainly not unfounded, though some people may have exaggerated it."
"As far as I know, this man has killed over two hundred people with his sword in the year since he first appeared."
"Most of them were unruly soldiers, including various Seventh Rank and Sixth Rank martial artists, etc."
"In the battle of Dream Marsh, we even killed a traitor to the imperial court, a Fifth Rank martial artist."
Zhang Qingning's beautiful face was filled with surprise.
Although her martial arts skills were mediocre, she was still Seventh Rank cultivator at the Divine Aperture, and through her exposure, she knew about some gang conflicts.
Let alone killing more than two hundred rebel soldiers and martial artists, even killing two hundred ordinary civilians would be extremely terrifying.
"Wow... that's amazing!" Leng Wuyou's mouth Leng Wuyou, her face full of amazement.
She originally wanted to say "brutal," but then felt it wasn't quite right, so she changed it to "fierce."
She doesn't like to speak ill of others, even behind their backs.
She asked curiously, "How do you know so much, Senior Sister?"
"I've heard that Zhou Wuji received Northern Emperor's Blessing; this is a momentous event. Not to mention the Northern Pole Sect, how many cultivators from various sects of Daoism have received divine blessings in the past few hundred years?"
Yue Wuying said, "The sect took this matter very seriously and sent people to inquire about Zhou Wuji's situation, only then did they realize how formidable this person was."
Leng Wuyou nodded. As a sword cultivator, she was well aware of the dangers of close combat.
Sword cultivators are neither at a disadvantage nor gain any advantage when facing martial artists.
Being able to kill Fifth Rank martial artist, regardless of what methods Zhou Wuji used, demonstrates his extreme skill.
"This person's Swordsmanship must be fierce and decisive, and his temperament must be strong and persevering. Once he raises his sword, he will not hesitate for a moment."
"Such a mindset is probably unmatched among the younger generation..."
Yue Wuying felt a pang of emotion. She considered herself to be someone who would never regret her sword strikes, but compared to Zhou Wuji, she was probably far inferior.
Leng Wuyou nodded vigorously in agreement. "I am far inferior to a true sword cultivator!"
As sword cultivators, they all understood Zhou Wuji's strength. Putting aside their cultivation levels, they were indeed far inferior to him in terms of temperament.
Seeing both of his friends praising Zhou Wuji, Zhang Qingning felt somewhat uneasy.
Just as she was about to speak, a servant came to report the news.
Zhang Qingning's expression darkened further. She said to Leng Wuyou, " Zhou Wuji has declined to attend the banquet."
Leng Wuyou, instead, comforted Zhang Qingning: "Forget it, forget it. This person is too formidable; I'm even a little scared listening to him. It's best if we don't deal with him..."
She then added, "Given this person's style, the fact that my brother was Wushang shows that the other party held back. My brother must have brought trouble upon himself. Humph, we'll teach him a lesson when we get back!"
Zhang Qingning was a little unhappy, but seeing her good friend say that, she didn't know what to say.
Yue Wuying remained silent, but her curiosity about Zhou Wuji only grew stronger. She wondered what kind of person he was and what kind of Swordsmanship he used.
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She couldn't help but look ahead at Upright Yang Peak, from where she was, she could only barely see a blurry, towering mountain silhouette.
At the same time, Zhou Wuji was also standing on Upright Yang Mountain looking at the lake view.
He was just idling around when he suddenly felt like going up the mountain to admire the lake view.
He'd been at Jingyang Upper Court for several months, and this was the first time he'd come up to see the lake.
Jingyang Lake is so vast that it stretches as far as the eye can see. Even from his vantage point, Zhou Wuji could only see the expansive blue-green lake surface merging with the distant mountains.
The lake expands and the mountains recede into the distance, truly a picturesque and tranquil place for spiritual cultivation.
Zhou Wuji knew that there were Soaring Cloud Peak of Lesser Yin and Yellow Dragon Peak of Greater Yin on the other side of the lake, but unfortunately, they were too far away.
Even with his powerful cultivation, and by fully activating his Six Yang Dharma Eye, he could only see something on the other side of the lake, and there seemed to be some people around it.
He suddenly became interested, and since there was no one around, he immediately activated his Big Dipper Star Eye to look into the distance.
The gaze cast by the Big Dipper Star Eye narrowed continuously, and amidst countless shifts in light and shadow, it finally locked onto a pavilion.
Three young women then appeared clearly in his mind.
A stunningly beautiful young girl, a sharp and aloof young woman, and an imposing heiress.
The wealthy young lady had the weakest aura and was not worth mentioning. The other two female cultivators, however, had deep and stable auras and were both extremely powerful sword cultivators.
Although Zhou Wuji had never met these two before, he immediately recognized them as Leng Wuyou and Yue Wuying.
The most outstanding unnamed geniuses of the Greater Yin and Lesser Yin generations!
Especially Leng Wuyou, her girlish appearance is so cute...
Zhou Wuji glanced at them twice and then looked away. He could only say that the two lived up to their reputation as geniuses; they were both very beautiful and had unique charm.
He was very willing to exchange ideas and discuss philosophy with such a genius.
Thinking about this, he regretted it a little. If he hadn't refused Zhang Dingyang, he might have been able to meet the two geniuses in person.
Zhou Wuji sat there until the sun set, watching the beautiful sunset paint the lake with crimson hues, before finally returning home, his enjoyment exhausted.
For the next few days, he spent almost Heavenly Capital by the lake, watching the sunrise and sunset, and observing the withering of the vegetation...
The Xiaoxiang Sword was originally formed by observing the changes in the weather and atmosphere of heaven and earth. His Xiaoxiang Sword has reached the level of Entering Sainthood, and he has become even more sensitive to the changes in the natural world.
Over the course of a few days, Zhou Wuji gained some new understanding of the Xiaoxiang Sword and felt that his Swordsmanship seemed to have made some progress.
This peaceful and tranquil life allowed his spiritual practice to progress naturally, making him feel fulfilled and comfortable.
He would only occasionally think of the True Person Zhihua had accomplished, of Wuming in the distance, and even of the appearance of that exceptionally beautiful young girl...
Zhou Wuji was sitting quietly in the pavilion on the mountaintop, lost in thought, when Yang Tie Ying rushed in, shouting, "Master, something terrible has happened!"
Zhou Wuji said irritably, "I'm fine, don't say such discouraging things."
Yang Tie Ying, however, was very anxious. "Master, please don't joke. The inspector from the Heavenly Master's Manor has arrived, saying that someone has reported you for misconduct and extortion..."
"Haha..." Zhou Wuji was not surprised but delighted, "Good heavens, they really cooperated, they came at the perfect time!"
As he spoke, he opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment in his sea of consciousness and selected a destiny of three ounces or so to transform into the Origin Profound Spirit.
When the purple light dissipated, his Water Mirror Technique had reached its perfect level.
Zhou Wuji laughed triumphantly, "Today is truly a good day! Hahahaha..."
Yang Tie Ying was completely bewildered, then his expression turned worried. Had his master taken the wrong elixir?!