Chapter 130: Chapter 65: Return to Kunlun, Concern from a Junior Female Fellow Disciple
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In fact, upon closer consideration, Ling Yunpo felt that the most suitable swords for Senior Sister An were indeed those of the Metal or Fire Systems.

The Metal System Flying Swords specialize in surprise assassinations, while the Fire System Flying Swords excel in ferocious and powerful attacks, both of which could maximize Senior Sister An’s combat experience and killing instinct.

Since Senior Sister An had chosen the Fire System, Ling Yunpo of course respected her decision.

“If you’re thinking about a Fire System Flying Sword, I do have a recommendation,” said the Green Duckweed Sword suddenly, “Has the Sword Master ever heard of the Flying Smoke Sword?”

“The Flying Smoke Sword?” Ling Yunpo mused.

“This sword was once wielded by a powerful being from the Intercepting Cult in ancient times. Originally a pair of swords, one was destroyed during the great war between the cults, leaving only one remaining,” the Green Duckweed Sword giggled, “This sword kills quickly and ruthlessly, sweeping through the air without any sword light, just a faint wisp of smoke, hence its name.”

“Sounds promising,” Ling Yunpo nodded, “But where is this sword now?”

“If my memory serves me right, it should be in the Southern Sea,” said the Green Duckweed Sword.

“The Southern Sea…” Ling Yunpo quietly took note.

However, now was not the time to search for the sword, as Qiu Changtian had just helped him avert a deadly calamity. Therefore, to close the “historical loop,” he himself had to take up the role of Qiu Changtian and help his past self avert that deadly calamity.

As for how to avert it, the future Qiu Changtian did not tell him (to avoid having to explain it all over again in the future), but instead let the future Kunlun Mirror record the “mission walkthrough,” and then forwarded it to his own Kunlun Mirror.

Thus, Ling Yunpo instructed the Kunlun Mirror:

“Ah Jing, load the file.”

The Kunlun Mirror indicated:

[Location one: Kunlun Taiqing Sect, Golden Ridge.]

[Identity: Qiu Changtian.]

[Mirror Flower Water Moon Template overlay, time-space travel in progress.]

In an instant of the world spinning around him, he had returned to Kunlun’s Golden Ridge, transformed into the figure of Qiu Changtian.

His experiences in the Demon Locking Tower were too bizarre and had occupied most of his mental effort, so upon returning to his identity as Qiu Changtian, he sat quietly in the Golden Ridge Cave Abode and carefully reviewed his experiences along the Kunlun storyline.

The current progress of this storyline was that he and Junior Sister Xu had stumbled upon the secret realm of the Western Queen Mother and, after escaping the predicament, informed the Ziwei Master.

Recently, the Kunlun Taiqing Sect seemed to be focused on developing this secret realm.

Moreover, Xu Yinglian had obtained a third of a spoonful of Mercurial Elixir Liquid from the secret realm, roughly equivalent to twenty years of arduous effort at the Refining Mansion Rank.

However, since she was currently at the Marrow Cleansing Rank, she was not yet able to consume it.

But the last time Master brought the two of us into the Western Queen Mother’s secret realm, I managed to obtain a Pure Yuan Qi Pill, so Junior Sister Xu should now be refining the medicinal power.

Alas, I haven’t finished my Pure Yuan Qi Pill, but I’ve already completed the Marrow Cleansing ahead of schedule, and even gained ninety years of power at the Refining Mansion Rank, leaving Junior Sister Xu far behind.

Tsk, I must keep this a secret for the time being, for if Xu Yinglian finds out, I fear she would be overcome with rage, and might even drop dead on the spot.

Qiu Changtian thus resolved that, before heading to the Demon Locking Tower, he absolutely had to avoid meeting Junior Sister Xu.

Little did he know, the Kunlun Mirror inwardly sneered: If you hadn’t been using her to boost your Synchronization Value all the time, would she have such a strong fixation on you?

Avoiding trouble with her would be simple. Just remove Mirror Flower Water Moon secretly, and no matter how much you show off, it’ll be futile to provoke her.

But I digress. In the past few days, aside from teaching scriptures, Qiu Changtian was meditating in his cave abode, keeping his door shut, causing his junior brothers and sisters to sense that something was amiss.

Consequently, Chen Zhen and Zhong Tianhuai, the two junior brothers, grew curious and paid Junior Sister Xu Yinglian a visit to inquire about their senior brother’s situation.

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“How should I know about Senior Brother Qiu’s matters?” Xu Yinglian had just finished refining the medicinal power of the Pure Yuan Qi Pill and was in a great mood, so she added another sentence, “If you want to know, just go ahead and ask him directly; there’s no need to worry too much.”

“How can we not worry?” Chen Zhen, who was also straightforward, said directly, “Sister, you and Brother explored a secret realm together, and the news has already spread throughout the sect.”

“What if Senior Brother is digesting the gains from his adventure and we rudely disturb him, angering him—what then?”

“You’re not afraid to disturb him with your rudeness, but you dare to disturb me, what’s the reasoning behind that?” Xu Yinglian was both amused and annoyed.

“Cough, if we’re to compare you with Senior Brother, of course we respect you but fear him,” Zhong Tianhuai immediately delivered a flattering remark.

“Hmph,” Xu Yinglian replied noncommittally.

With her Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, how could she be confused by these two’s flattery?

It was simply because Qiu Changtian was responsible for teaching the scriptures, and these two were too timid to ask too much, so they came to me for information instead.

However, speaking of which… Senior Brother has indeed rarely been seen lately, even the frequency of our music-playing sessions has decreased significantly.

Thinking of this, Xu Yinglian also became a little curious and decided to visit Qiu Changtian.

“Is Senior Brother there?” When she arrived at the entrance to Qiu Changtian’s cave abode, Xu Yinglian asked aloud.

After waiting for a while, Qiu Changtian slowly appeared from inside, his face stern as he spoke:

“Junior Sister, what brings you here?”

Xu Yinglian instinctively wanted to retort, “Can’t I look for Senior Brother without a reason?” But upon further thought, she realized that it would be too frivolous, so she explained:

“The junior brothers noticed that you haven’t been emerging these past few days, so they asked me to inquire about your situation.”

Qiu Changtian’s expression softened as he nodded and said:

“You all are concerned… But I am fine, I am merely refining the medicinal power of the Pure Yuan Qi Pill, which you should know about.”

“Of course,” Xu Yinglian nodded and asked, “How is Senior Brother’s cultivation progressing?”

“It has been greatly beneficial; it won’t be long before my Marrow Cleansing is complete,” Qiu Changtian intended to give her a heads-up to prevent any shock from his sudden increase in cultivation level in the future.

“Is that so?” Xu Yinglian wasn’t particularly doubtful, as she had been shocked by her ‘dog’ Senior Brother too many times, which made her develop the capacity to remain calm in the face of changes— even if Qiu Changtian one day claimed he was on the verge of Core Formation, she probably wouldn’t be too surprised, “Then I wish Senior Brother an early accomplishment of the Dao.”

The so-called “accomplishment of the Dao” refers to merging with the Dao and making rapid progress in cultivation.

Qiu Changtian smiled slightly, not wanting to delve further into his cultivation progress, and instead changed the subject to ask:

“How is Junior Sister’s practice going? If you have any questions about Marrow Cleansing or cutting the veins, you can consult with me at any time… Ahem, no, what I mean is we can discuss with each other for mutual improvement.”

Hearing him correct himself, Xu Yinglian laughed coldly:

“It’s very kind of you to be concerned, Senior Brother, but I don’t have the unparalleled talent of ‘Daoist Heart Clarity’ like you. Even if we compare the efficiency and speed of Marrow Cleansing, I probably can’t catch up to Senior Brother.”

Qiu Changtian was secretly surprised, thinking that his Junior Sister had suddenly lost her competitive spirit, only to hear Xu Yinglian’s tone shift as she continued:

“However, when it comes to the rank of Core Formation, what’s crucial is the Refining Mansion, not Marrow Cleansing. To form a Third Grade Golden Core, one must perfect the Purple Mansion for over two hundred years, but the lifespan of mortals doesn’t last so long, Senior Brother should think about what to do after advancing to the Refining Mansion Rank.”

Qiu Changtian discerned the implication behind her words and laughed:

“I already said last time that the Mercurial Elixir Liquid you obtained in the secret realm is your opportunity, I won’t compete with you for it.”

Xu Yinglian, frustrated, inwardly cursed her Senior Brother for his ingratitude, and then turned her head away in anger, gritting her teeth as she said:

“Senior Brother doesn’t need it, fine. Once I consume the Mercurial Elixir Liquid and my cultivation dramatically surpasses yours, it’ll be too late for you to regret it!”