The disciples eagerly awaiting their little junior sister’s triumphant return were disappointed.
The news they managed to scavenge was that little junior sister Xuan Yao had been severely injured in the Sword Tomb and was carried directly back to the main hall by Shifu Gu Monian for recovery. She hadn’t shown her face since.
After a long time spent inquiring about what sword little junior sister had obtained, they actually learned that little junior sister hadn’t acquired a Spirit Sword!
For a time, the number of mournful sighs was countless.
Truthfully, it was very common for Foundation Establishment cultivators to return empty-handed from their first trip to the Sword Tomb. Some disdained the Spirit Swords that took a liking to them to them, some weren’t deemed worthy by any Spirit Sword, some had high ambitions but low skill, temporarily not wanting a Spirit Sword and preferring to wait until they had advanced three more major realms before seeking a magical artifact, and still others set their sights on the same artifact in the Sword Tomb, fought fiercely, and ended up injured…
No one expected that Xuan Yao, with her outstanding natural talent, would not only fail to obtain one but also get injured?
At the same time, another explosive piece of news spread —
Xie Bing of Taixu Peak had obtained an Innate Artifact!
The Founding Master’s Innate Artifact, the Sanskrit Sound Sword!!!
Everyone was in an uproar!
How was this possible?
Over these ten thousand years, countless cultivators of Taixu Sect had attempted to enter the Sword Tomb and find the Founding Master’s treasure that guarded the sect. But, unfortunately, no matter how they searched, they couldn’t find any trace of it and could only return empty-handed.
This time, Xie Bing had entered as the least anticipated cultivator. As an Object Cultivator who had to flip through a book to use her techniques, everyone had overlooked her. At most, they thought she might find an auxiliary artifact similar to a brush. No one ever imagined she could obtain an Innate Artifact?
And a sword at that!
How could she use it???
She wasn’t a Sword Cultivator!
The excited crowd surrounded Taixu Peak so tightly that not even water could drain through. They all wanted to witness the birth of the Founding Master’s Sanskrit Sound Sword. But, alas…
At the foot of the mountain, Su Caiyi wore a worried expression and said, troubled, “My fellow Senior Brothers and Sisters, it’s not that I won’t allow you to enter. But Shifu is still in seclusion, and Senior Sister is injured. I truly have no way to let you in.”
“Xie Bing is injured? Could the Sanskrit Sound Sword be that powerful? Does acknowledging a master require it to kill the master first?”
A trace of awkwardness flashed across Su Caiyi’s face: “…You say Senior Sister Xie? Ever since she came out of the Sword Tomb, she vanished without a trace. I haven’t found her…”
Now, the surrounding cultivators split into two factions. One faction worried about the adorable little junior sister’s injuries. The other faction scoured the entire Taixu Sect looking for Xie Bing!
They had to see the legendary Sanskrit Sound Sword with their own eyes!
Just thinking about that legendary sword, with its awe-inspiring sharpness and magnificent, extraordinary grandeur, their entire bodies surged with hot blood.
What could be more stirring and shocking for a Sword Cultivator than to touch the Spirit Sword of their dreams?
Even if they could only touch that domineering, fierce sword once, even if they died, they would be content.
“Boom—!”
“Bang—!”
Another Cosmic Furnace exploded.
Lying on the sickbed at the edge of the room, Xie Bing wrapped her little blanket around herself tighter, and then tighter still.
She silently watched as, in the center of the main hall, a large gaping hole offered a view of the vast, starry sea above.
“I’m a patient. A patient cannot be startled.”
Xie Bing thought for a moment, and for the sake of her own life and safety, she added, “A physician cannot cause secondary harm to a patient.”
Senior Brother Yan Chengchi awkwardly wiped his soot-blackened face, “Rest assured, Junior Sister, I definitely won’t blow you up to death.”
Xie Bing: “…”
She couldn’t help herself: “Senior Brother Chengchi, did you kidnap me back here just to watch you play around with exploding alchemy furnaces? Is this some new hobby for the rich?”
Yan Chengchi’s expression became even more awkward: “Junior Sister, I’ll refine a pill for you right away.”
Yan Chengchi was the Head Disciple of Perfected Zang Chenghua of Starry Peak. Unlike others obsessed solely with the way of the sword, Starry Peak was more inclusive within Taixu Sect. Disciples could not only cultivate the way of the sword but also freely take up auxiliary studies as they pleased.
As the Eldest Senior Brother of Starry Peak, Yan Chengchi was not only obsessed with the sword, but even more obsessed with alchemy. Unfortunately, while his swordsmanship could be called divine, his alchemy was always hit-or-miss. In one year, who knows how many alchemy furnaces he had blown up. It was only thanks to Starry Peak’s vast wealth and deep pockets that he could afford such antics.
“It’s just a palm strike,” Xie Bing said gloomily, wrapping her patient’s blanket tighter and staring at Yan Chengchi. “This minor injury is nothing. Why don’t I just leave now?”
Yan Chengchi immediately declared righteously, “If Junior Sister leaves, it means you don’t trust me!”
Xie Bing: Ah.
When she came out of the Sword Tomb, she had sustained severe internal injuries and coughed up blood the whole way. The Frost Fire Poker carried her back into Taixu Sect, and just as she landed from the air, she ran into Yan Chengchi.
Yan Chengchi was good friends with Taixu Peak’s Eldest Senior Brother, Yin Juanzhi. Seeing Xie Bing injured, he dragged her straight to the Alchemy Room to treat her wounds without a second word.
The initial treatment was actually quite reliable. But afterward, Yan Chengchi announced he would refine a custom-made Perfect Great Tonic Pill for Xie Bing. Xie Bing then watched helplessly as Yan Chengchi blew up three alchemy furnaces in a row.
Xie Bing: “…”
She had mistakenly entered a den of thieves.
She simply sat down in quiet meditation. Two more hours passed, and the sky brightened. Gentle sunlight streamed through the hole in the great hall’s roof onto Xie Bing. A brilliant light shone before her eyes. Just as she was about to open them, the System’s broadcast suddenly chimed in her ear.
Her spirit jolted — the new week’s exam was coming!
[Preparing for exam… Time until exam: 23 hours 58 minutes]
[Exam specified material distribution locations: Scripture Library, Little Rest Pavilion]
[Exam Keywords: Romance and Dissoluteness, chrysanthemums, “One exhale from embroidered lips.”]
[Exam Reward: 1. Advancement from Foundation Establishment Layer 1 to Foundation Establishment Three Layer, one step to fulfillment, progressing step by step! 2. Night Glow Book, eye-protection mode available, everything you need!]
Xie Bing: “…”
Are these keywords serious?
Although they were a bit more emotionally evocative than the last set of keywords, not so cold and harsh, they were also far too easy to misinterpret, weren’t they?
Give me back my proper System!
Just as she was puzzling over the meaning of the keywords, another “Bang!” suddenly exploded in her ear!
Yan Chengchi: “Junior Sister! My refining is successful!”
Xie Bing silently looked at the wrecked tenth Cosmic Furnace on the ground. “…Congratulations.”
She looked at the Perfect Great Tonic Pill Yan Chengchi had refined in his hand. It was almost as large as her own palm!
Swallowing it would definitely choke her half to death.
This wasn’t a pill; this was a death sentence!
“Are you sure you want me to eat it like this?”
Yan Chengchi came closer. Condensing water into a sharp blade on his fingertip, he sliced the pill into dozens of small pieces. “Heh, I got too excited for a moment and forgot to cut it.”
Xie Bing felt it looked unreliable no matter how she looked at it. Gritting her teeth, she swallowed it. It dissolved as it went down her throat. A warm, nourishing Spiritual Energy followed her esophagus, transforming into a cozy, warm current, then slowly diffused outward, reaching toward her four limbs and hundred bones…
Xie Bing’s expression changed, and she immediately sat down cross-legged to regulate her breathing.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, she slowly exhaled and opened her eyes: “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
This Perfect Great Tonic Pill was indeed effective; it had actually healed more than half of her internal injuries!
“If Junior Sister takes another course, she will fully recover.”
“I wonder how many Spirit Stones I need to pay?”
Yan Chengchi gave a generous, forthright laugh: “No need to be so polite, Junior Sister-in-law. It’s free, as a gift to you. …No, Junior Sister, Junior Sister.”
“What ‘Junior Sister-in-law’?” Xie Bing frowned.
Yan Chengchi winked and raised an eyebrow: “You and my brother, you know, that, that, right…?”
Xie Bing: “…We have nothing going on.”
“I’ve heard all about it, people said someone saw you two bathing together. Don’t worry, we’re all family.” Yan Chengchi smiled like an innocent, naïve fool.
Xie Bing suddenly understood where her five-thousand Negative Reputation had come from…
It wasn’t just about being Xuan Yao’s vicious supporting female character; there was probably also the scandal with Eldest Senior Brother Yin Juanzhi involved, right? She had to know, Yin Juanzhi was the dream lover of the entire Taixu Sect. It would be a miracle if she wasn’t smeared to the ends of the earth.
“I heard Yin Juanzhi secretly watched you bathe, you two really have quite the romantic interest.”
Xie Bing: ?? Just what kind of rumors were these?
If Eldest Senior Brother heard this kind of thing, he’d probably kill her! Not to mention the “Devil Venerable”!
“If you ask me, you’re totally ordinary. I don’t even know how you got ahold of that arrogant sucker, Yin Juanzhi,” Yan Chengchi pondered deeply. “I still haven’t figured out why he would secretly watch you bathe.”
Xie Bing’s eye twitched. She said decisively, “No, there really is nothing between us. Senior Brother Yan, let’s change the subject.”
“Why,” Yan Chengchi said, a little aggrieved. “I went so far as to refine a Perfect Great Tonic Pill for you, and you still won’t tell me?”
Senior Brother, the furnace you are refining is not a Cosmic Furnace, it’s a Gossip Furnace, right!!
Unable to get any gossip from Xie Bing, Yan Chengchi sighed gloomily, “Brother Juanzhi has gone out on a mission again this time. He even swindled a bunch of pills from me before leaving. Who knows when he’ll be back next time. Looks like I won’t get to the truth.”
Xie Bing felt somewhat dazed. Taixu Sect all thought Eldest Senior Brother was away on a mission. Nobody probably imagined that Eldest Senior Brother had gone back to the Devil Realm instead.
As soon as Xie Bing stepped out of the Alchemy Room, she saw people surrounding the place. And there were quite a few of them.
Xie Bing frowned: “Are you all here to pick a fight too??”
Is the System setting her up? What’s this about converting to White Reputation? She was probably about to be killed by these people from the sect!
“No, no, no! Those arrogant and domineering people from Crimson Flame Peak, we’ve long been displeased with them!”
“Right! You were so awesome, you even made the people from Crimson Flame Peak cry! They swagger around tyrannically, they deserve a lesson!”
Listening to them chatter all at once, Xie Bing finally understood. So Crimson Flame Peak had mostly pure Fire Spirit Roots. They were hot-tempered and didn’t know how to hold back. Although they were the strongest combat force in the entire Taixu Sect, they also had the most enemies.
Not speaking out didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Those mild Wood-type Spirit Root cultivators and other moderate faction members had long held anger about this but dared not speak.
Xie Bing understood: The world has long suffered under their tyranny!
That person looked at Xie Bing flatteringly: “We only have one wish!”
“Right, one wish!”
“Just to be able to touch the Founding Master’s sword!”
“The Founding Master’s sword! What kind of awe-inspiring majesty must it possess? Without seeing it once, our hearts can’t rest easy!”
Xie Bing fell silent.
She silently took out the Frost Fire Poker.
The crowd still wore expectant faces: “Why are you taking that out? Where is the Sanskrit Sound Sword?”
Xie Bing was silent for a moment, then said awkwardly, “This is the Sanskrit Sound Sword.”
The crowd: “…”
“…This is a stick. How could it possibly be the Sanskrit Sound Sword that shakes the entire Cultivation World?”
An idol’s dream was shattered. As a Sword Cultivator, there was absolutely no way one could tolerate an idolized magical artifact turning into a fire poker. Even a frost-colored fire poker was unacceptable!
Xie Bing nodded gravely: “It is exactly this.”
The crowd took a step back, incredulous.
The fire poker shyly shrank back a step, too embarrassed to meet people’s gazes.
Looking at the crowd’s bewildered, dazed expressions, Xie Bing almost thought they were about to faint!
In the next second, the Frost Fire Poker, seeming to feel the humiliation as well, with difficulty strained itself for a long while. Unexpectedly, it began sparkling with tiny, scattered blue starlight in the air.
The faint light slowly drifted and scattered, captivating everyone so they couldn’t look away.
Everyone held their breath in concentration and watched. They only saw the fire poker slowly melt, laboriously turning itself into a puddle of iridescent, shimmering ice-blue liquid!
Xie Bing’s consciousness stirred, establishing a connection with the fire poker. She could vaguely hear the magical artifact calling out to her.
Xie Bing closed her eyes and sketched an image in the depths of her heart.
In the blink of an eye, the fluorescent blue liquid swiftly took shape, transforming into a crystalline ice-blue sword shimmering with sparkling light!
Everyone’s eyes widened wide; they could barely breathe: “A legendary Liquid Magic Weapon?!”
So cool!
This type of Innate Artifact only existed in legends. Ordinary Innate Artifacts would automatically transform upon acknowledging a master into the magical artifact most suitable for the host. Very few Innate Artifacts that failed their initial transformation upon acknowledgment would attempt transformation again later, and during that second transformation, there was a chance to become a “Liquid Magic Weapon.”
In other words, the artifact’s form wasn’t fixed and could completely change based on combat needs! While it sounded easy, the actual operability wasn’t high, and the probability was low. No one ever expected that, under such a coincidence of fate, a Taixu Sect loser like Xie Bing would actually turn the Sanskrit Sound Sword into a Liquid Magic Weapon?
Xie Bing still felt there was more to explore. With a slight thought, the Frost Spirit Sword immediately re-transformed into crystalline blue liquid, then into an iridescent, translucent blue brush!
Xie Bing reached out, and the brush landed in her palm.
“Can it transform further?”
For the time being, she couldn’t use any of these magical artifacts; her skill was flipping through books.
The Frost Brush seemed to think about it sheepishly, then transformed into a long Frost Hair Ribbon, gracefully landing upon her hair.
The Frost Hair Ribbon informed her that it was a Liquid Magic Weapon and could freely change shape! Once needed, it could transform into any shape at will.
Xie Bing: “Fine.”
She reached for it and conveniently used the Frost Hair Ribbon to tie up her long hair.
Her ink-black hair, accompanied by the frost-colored ribbon, softened even her usually hard, cold face, lending it a touch of gentle charm.
No one knew why, but looking deeply at Xie Bing’s face, the crowd suddenly birthed an illusion — they had thought Xie Bing only shared about eighty percent similarity in features with Xuan Yao, yet fell far short. Looking now, they were clearly not alike.
It was not merely the facial features, but even more so a spirit emanating from the core of her being. Although Xie Bing had faint dark circles under her eyes from years of insomnia, it didn’t detract at all. Her entire temperament was utterly unyielding and proud.
If Xuan Yao was an alluring dodder vine, then Xie Bing was that touch of frost upon winter pine needles.
No one resembled the other. It was more like they were equally matched, just with different kinds of beauty.
Xie Bing didn’t know what others were thinking. After she casually tied up the magical artifact as a hair ribbon, her heart suddenly stirred slightly.
At the same moment, a blade-sharp lightning bolt flashed across the sky. In the clear blue day, booming thunder crackled.
Heavenly phenomenon descended from the sky, a treasure was born into the world!!
The Cultivation World’s Armament Ranking List, updated.
The top three ranked weapons:
—Name: Hair Ribbon.
Attribute: Liquid Magic Weapon.
Holder: Xie Bing.
While the entire Cultivation World was shocked, they simultaneously drew a sharp hiss of cold air:
—Turning one of the top three Innate Artifacts into a hair ribbon?
A reckless waste of a divine gift!
That Xie Bing, right? What kind of family background does she have?
Does she own a Spirit Stone Mine or something? What, does she bathe in Spiritual Liquid?