Deep within the Sect, beneath Cangyun Peak, swirling mist drifted across a mountain stream, revealing a long valley.
The valley was narrow and utterly barren of vegetation. Sword Qi soared into the sky, swirling continuously, yet it remained terrifyingly silent, deterring anyone from daring to approach.
“This is the Sword Grotto!”
Lu Changsheng said, pointing ahead.
Ning Yuxin nodded thoughtfully.
As they looked on, before either could say another word, a series of untimely gasps sounded from nearby.
The onlookers were filled with shock, their eyes brimming with disbelief.
Lu Changsheng felt helpless, but there was nothing he could do.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was notoriously lazy. In his ten years at the Sect, he had only entered the Sword Grotto once.
However, when he entered the Sword Grotto back then, he had already reached the Seventh Level of Sword Dao. He originally wanted to find an opportunity for a breakthrough, only to discover this place was completely useless to him.
He had stayed there for a brief moment before coming out, and never returned.
There were even rumors circulating in the Sect that he had been so terrified by his single visit to the Sword Grotto that he cried and never dared to return.
Fortunately, despite his poor reputation, his relationships with others were quite good, and everyone got along harmoniously.
The two then stepped into the Sword Grotto.
Lu Changsheng said, “They just like to watch the excitement, ignore them. Now, let’s talk about your cultivation plan. First, take a Pill every day before you enter the Sword Grotto, then cultivate inside for two hours. Keep this up for a while, and you should be about ready to break through to the second level of the Sword Dao!”
Ning Yuxin nodded. Surprisingly, she did not doubt his words at all, feeling only a hint of confusion.
“Senior Brother, you seem so familiar with all of this. Why are you… like you are now?”
“Like what?”
“It’s just…”
Ning Yuxin wanted to elaborate, but decided against it. After all, those rumors were truly not suitable to be spoken directly to the person in question.
Lu Changsheng waved it off without a care. “Junior Sister, people all have their own ways to live. You can’t expect everyone to be like Eldest Senior Brother and single-mindedly pursue the Dao!”
“That’s true!”
Ning Yuxin nodded.
For example, she herself had absolutely no interest in the Sword Dao initially; she only took it up to get closer to her idol.
One did it to earn Spirit Stones, the other did it to get close to Zhou Qingyu-it could be considered each taking what they needed.
Following Lu Changsheng’s guidance, Ning Yuxin swallowed a Pill and stepped fully into the Sword Grotto.
Lu Changsheng stayed by her side, occasionally offering pointers. After all, this was his very first paying customer. As long as he provided good guidance, a steady stream of Spirit Stones would flow into his pockets.
For two consecutive days, he came here to accompany Ning Yuxin in tempering her Sword Intent.
Ning Yuxin was pleasantly surprised. The Sword Dao, which others found as difficult as ascending to the heavens, felt incredibly smooth to her. In just two days, she could clearly feel her Sword Intent growing.
Seeing that there were no further issues, Lu Changsheng did not linger and returned to Qingyun Peak.
The Pills had been refined by him. Taking them allowed one to better sense the presence of Sword Intent. As for enduring the grinding Sword Qi in the Sword Grotto-as long as a person was struck enough times, they would eventually learn it!
This was also the simplest and most brutal method.
However, just as he was humming a little tune, leisurely plotting how to keep earning Ning Yuxin’s Spirit Stones, someone called out to him.
Turning around, he saw a figure stomping toward him, glaring with puffed-up cheeks.
It was none other than Luo Xianling.
“Junior Sister Luo, what’s wrong?” Lu Changsheng asked.
Luo Xianling crossed her arms. “Senior Brother has been so busy these past two days. You haven’t even had time to come find me!”
“Have I ever gone looking for you?”
Lu Changsheng blurted out, causing the young girl to instantly explode.
“Lu Changsheng, you’ve changed! You were never like this before! Ever since that woman arrived, you’ve grown cold toward me, and now you even…”
As she spoke, her eyes gradually grew moist. It seemed she had caught wind of the recent rumors.
Lu Changsheng was dumbfounded and hurriedly said, “Junior Sister, if you act like this, people will misunderstand. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think I did something terrible to you!”
“If you don’t explain yourself clearly today, I’ll go back and tell my father that you’re bullying me!”
The young girl gave a stubborn snort and turned her head away, looking as if she were waiting to be coaxed.
However, after waiting for a moment, there was still no movement. When she looked back, Lu Changsheng had already bolted far away, vanishing into the mountain forest.
“Lu Changsheng!”
Luo Xianling stomped her foot in fury and hastily chased after him.
Back on Qingyun Peak, Lu Changsheng let out a long sigh of relief. He absolutely could not afford to provoke the Sect Leader’s precious daughter.
He was just thinking about finding a place to take a nap and calm his nerves.
When a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
“Junior Brother!”
The voice rang out, devoid of even a sliver of emotion.
Ye Tianyi stood before him, looking rather displeased.
“Senior Brother, you’ve emerged from seclusion!”
“When did you return?” Ye Tianyi demanded.
They had agreed to cultivate together, but when Ye Tianyi opened his eyes, this fellow was already gone.
He was clearly here to interrogate him.
Lu Changsheng explained, “I just got back this morning. I saw that you hadn’t awakened yet, so I came back on my own!”
“Really?” Ye Tianyi remained skeptical.
Lu Changsheng nodded with the utmost sincerity.
“Lu Changsheng, stop right there! If you don’t explain yourself today, I really will go tell my father!”
Luo Xianling had caught up, but the moment she saw Ye Tianyi, she snapped her mouth shut.
“Junior Sister, what is the matter?”
“Nothing!”
Afraid that his Senior Brother would drag him off to cultivate again, Lu Changsheng simply stated, “Senior Brother, the truth is, I broke through. That’s why I came back early. I plan to rest for a couple of days before I resume my cultivation!”
“Is that true?”
With a thought, Lu Changsheng released his aura-Spirit Accumulation Fourth Layer.
A smile immediately blossomed on Ye Tianyi’s face.
“Good. Reaching this realm at your age might not be astonishing, but it isn’t bad either. Keep working hard; your future holds promise!”
Hearing this praise, Lu Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had bought himself two days of peace.
Yet, Ye Tianyi immediately followed up with, “Perfect timing. In a few days, the beast tide will arrive. According to Sect tradition, anyone at the Spirit Accumulation Third Layer or above is qualified to fight against it. This will be an excellent trial for you. Make sure you prepare well!”
Lu Changsheng: “burly?”
That single sentence left him completely shell-shocked.
“I will go register your name!”
With that, Ye Tianyi turned and strode away.
Hearing all this, Luo Xianling looked at Lu Changsheng and pressed, “You still haven’t explained your relationship with that woman! Otherwise, I really will tell my father!”
Looking at her, Lu Changsheng let out a long sigh. Truly, before one wave could settle, another rose to crash down on him.
After a moment of thought, he stated, “I have absolutely no relationship with her!”
“Then why are you spending time with her every single day?”
At this point, Lu Changsheng seemed to make a grave decision.
“Junior Sister, it seems I have no choice but to tell you the truth.”
“What truth?”
“You might not know this yet, but my Master has gone missing!”
“I do know! My father told me a few days ago!” Luo Xianling replied.
Lu Changsheng leaned in and continued, “Actually, the Sect claims he is missing, but in reality… he was kidnapped!”
“What?! Kidnapped?”
“Exactly. But this matter absolutely cannot be leaked to anyone else, not even the Sect Leader. The reason I am helping Ning Yuxin cultivate the Sword Dao is, firstly, to play matchmaker for her and Eldest Senior Brother, and secondly, to earn some Spirit Stones from her to pay the ransom. I can’t just stand by and watch my Master suffer, can I? Keeping this a secret is also to protect the Sect’s reputation. You know how it is-the Sect is my home!”
By now, he could only completely abandon his conscience. Otherwise, he was genuinely afraid this girl would stir up some massive disaster.
Hearing this, Luo Xianling’s expression turned solemn, and she asked with profound worry, “How many Spirit Stones do you still need?”
“A lot!”
Lu Changsheng answered with the utmost seriousness. His plan was to shake off this Junior Sister first; that way, he would have a perfectly legitimate excuse to interact with Ning Yuxin in the future.
However, to his utter shock, Luo Xianling declared, “I’ll go get you the Spirit Stones!”
“I need a massive amount. What little you have won’t make a difference, so…”
“Don’t worry. My father has tons of Spirit Stones. I know exactly where he hides them. I’ll go steal them for you!”
“You’ll what?!”
Lu Changsheng froze, but she was already running off into the distance. For a moment, he was left completely at a loss, feeling a faint, dull ache of discomfort in his conscience!
…