After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Decision – News Brought by Shizun

Su Lingqing was somewhat surprised. She had always thought that it would take a long time for the spiritual beast egg to hatch.

After all, when she first obtained it, its vitality was weak. Even with the help of the spiritual spring water, it couldn’t be restored in a short time. She never expected signs of hatching to appear now.

She composed herself and replied via thought transmission: “I’m waiting for Shizun and will be back later. Since the spiritual beast egg has started to crack, what is the specific situation now? Is there any danger? Is the vitality still recovering?”

Ruozhu’s response quickly sounded in her sea of consciousness: “The vitality has been continuously recovering. There is no danger. Most of the spiritual spring water that filled one bamboo basin has now been absorbed. However, although the eggshell has cracked a fissure, it hasn’t continued. It’s estimated that it will take two more days to fully hatch.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble Ruozhu to look after it for the time being.”

“Okay, Master, rest assured! Leave it to Ruozhu!”

With the transmission ended, Su Lingqing continued with her meal.

In her memory, the spiritual beast egg’s shell was crimson red. The spiritual beast that hatched should be a furry, little ball of fiery red, right?

Su Lingqing was a little expectant. She really liked furry things.

Time passed by, little by little. After finishing her meal, seeing that Shizun had not yet returned, she took out the Flowing Light Sword again, went to the snowy ground, and continued to practice the five sets of sword techniques she had mastered…

As midnight approached, the girl, whose spiritual power was once again depleted, stopped practicing. She moved to sit cross-legged beneath the treasure umbrella, which still hovered in mid-air, emitting a gentle, spiritual glow. She inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, slowly recovering her consumed spiritual power.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Su Lingqing suddenly sensed something. She immediately opened her moist apricot eyes and looked into the distance.

Within her line of sight, a familiar figure approached from afar, robes fluttering, cloud-like sleeves dancing in the wind.

“Shizun!”

The moment she saw the approaching person, the girl’s calm eyes instantly lit up, brilliant as stars.

Su Lingqing quickly rose, lifting her skirt and rushing towards that cold, peerless, and ethereal figure…

The moment Ling Yunyue landed, she was embraced by her disciple, who rushed straight into her arms.

A smile blossomed on her face. She wrapped her arms around the girl and said softly: “A day has passed. Did Lingqing gain anything from your enlightenment?”

“This disciple can now condense Sword Qi.”

Her words were filled with joy, which stemmed from both the excitement of seeing Shizun again and a subtle pride in her own cultivation progress.

Shizun had said that very few cultivators in the Qi Refining stage could enter the Sword Qi Realm, and now she had successfully done it!

Ling Yunyue was both surprised and gratified to hear her disciple’s words.

Surprised that she had underestimated Lingqing’s talent, and gratified that her disciple had made initial progress in the Way of the Sword, now possessing a certain degree of self-preservation ability.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the girl in her arms seemed to have grown a little taller.

“Shizun, when Xin’er brought dinner, she brought news that the Heavenly Fire Sect from the Scarlet Flame Continent came to visit…”

Hearing this, Ling Yunyue nodded with a smile and replied: “That is true. The Heavenly Fire Sect’s purpose for this trip is a newly appeared secret realm.”

Su Lingqing observed Shizun’s expression, which did not seem to indicate anything bad. The slight worry she held in her heart completely dissipated, replaced by curiosity.

“Shizun, what is a secret realm?”

Ling Yunyue smiled and answered: “A secret realm is an independent space formed after the fragmentation of a minor world. Most are adrift in the void, but occasionally, a few are drawn into the realm by the laws of the major world, opening periodically. After a long evolution over the ages, many heavenly materials and earthly treasures exist within the secret realm. For cultivators, it is a rare opportunity.”

Su Lingqing mused: “Is that newly appeared secret realm related to the Heavenly Fire Sect?”

“Indeed. The secret realm appeared in the Scarlet Flame Continent, but it is currently unstable and might detach from this plane. The cultivators of the Heavenly Fire Sect came to borrow our sect’s spatial Dao artifact, the Scroll of Mountains, Rivers, and Society, to stabilize the secret realm and ensure it does not leave the Xuan Tian Realm.”

“Shizun once said that Dao artifacts are treasures that can only be wielded by cultivators in the Mahayana stage. They must be very precious.”

Ling Yunyue nodded with a smile: “That’s right. The default rule in the Xuan Tian Realm is that whichever continent the secret realm appears in, the cultivators of that continent control it, and other continents do not participate in the struggle. This time, the Heavenly Fire Sect sought help from our sect, offering ten entry slots into the secret realm as exchange for borrowing the Scroll of Mountains, Rivers, and Society. After some discussion, our sect agreed to lend the treasure. As for the number of slots, it will be determined by a combat trial between the disciples of the two sects.”

“What kind of combat trial?”

“A one-on-one arena match between cultivators of the same major realm, with a best-of-three format. Opponents are decided by drawing lots.”

“Then how many people will participate in the combat trial in total?”

“Our sect and the Heavenly Fire Sect will each field one hundred and twenty people, limited only to Qi Refining cultivators.”

“Why is that?”

“That secret realm is only accessible to Qi Refining cultivators, limited to under two hundred people. Although the Heavenly Fire Sect is the premier sect in the Scarlet Flame Continent, they cannot monopolize all the slots. After the arena matches, the winners will gain the opportunity to enter the secret realm.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue looked at the girl, who now showed a realization, and asked softly: “Is Lingqing interested in participating?”

“This disciple is only at Qi Refining Level Seven now. Since the entry slots to the secret realm are at stake, it would be more appropriate for Senior Sisters at Qi Refining Level Ten to participate.”

In all fairness, Su Lingqing was very interested in both the arena matches and the secret realm, but she couldn’t, for her own sake, occupy an opportunity that should belong to her Senior Sisters.

Ling Yunyue observed her disciple’s expression and immediately guessed her thoughts.

“Lingqing, do not overthink. The one hundred and twenty slots for the sect are not determined by cultivation level ranking. They also need to be decided through a combat trial. Tomorrow, at the Chen hour (7-9 AM), the Sect Master will announce this news to the entire sect. Those interested in participating can sign up then.”

Hearing this, a smile immediately spread across the girl’s face.

“So that’s the case. Then this disciple would like to sign up and try. Is the sect’s trial also a best-of-three?”

“No. The sect’s trial is ‘stop-at-the-point-of-contact.’ Each round is determined by a single match after drawing lots, until the top one hundred and twenty are decided.”

“This disciple understands. Thank you for informing me, Shizun.”

“Lingqing, remember this: in the sect’s internal disciple trials, you are constrained by sect rules and must not kill. However, after winning a spot, when fighting the Heavenly Fire Sect cultivators, you don’t need to be so cautious. The two sects have a prior agreement: life and death in the arena matches are left to fate.”

“Yes, this disciple keeps that in mind.”

Su Lingqing had anticipated this and was therefore not surprised.

The girl’s expression was calm, showing no fear or retreat. Ling Yunyue admired this disposition in her disciple, but she would not truly allow her to face danger.

No one could harm her disciple.

“Lingqing, hold out your right hand.”

The girl did not question Shizun’s intention but simply complied obediently.

In the next instant, Shizun’s long, jade-like fingers rested on her palm. A point of spiritual light condensed at the fingertip, quickly tracing patterns around it.

A subtle, almost imperceptible touch was transmitted, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation.

After a short while, a complex spiritual pattern was outlined on her palm, gradually fading into invisibility.

At the same time, Shizun’s gentle voice reached her ear.

“This is a protective talisman. If Lingqing encounters danger, the talisman will automatically activate, forming a solid defense to protect Lingqing. However, Lingqing, you must not rely on this talisman. During combat, you still need to exert your full effort. Do not disappoint me.”

“This disciple understands. I will definitely go all out when the time comes!”

The long, jade-like fingers resting on her palm slowly left. Su Lingqing retracted her right hand, gradually clenching her fist and hiding it in her sleeve. Her mind uncontrollably recalled the sensation of the touch just now, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

She knew she shouldn’t focus on such things, but she couldn’t control her heart.

To distract herself, she continued to ask about the combat trial.

“Shizun, when exactly does the sect’s trial begin?”

“It will begin the day after tomorrow at the Chen hour. The registration time is only tomorrow. Once missed, you lose this opportunity.”

“And when is it expected to end?”

“That depends on the number of registrants. There are over a hundred thousand Qi Refining cultivators in the sect. If everyone signs up, even fighting non-stop day and night, it would take at least a month or more. However, in my estimation, cultivators below Qi Refining Level Six generally won’t sign up, as this is not a major sect competition and there are no participation prizes.”

This was the first time Su Lingqing heard Shizun mention the approximate number of Qi Refining cultivators in the sect. The moment she heard it, she was utterly shocked.

She had always known that the Tianyan Sect was the premier sect in the Azure Profound Continent, but she hadn’t realized there were so many fellow disciples in the sect.

Thinking about it carefully, it was quite reasonable.

The territory covered by the sect’s influence had nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks alone, making it the veritable leader of the Daoist sects in the Azure Profound Continent.

With so many fellow disciples competing for one hundred and twenty combat trial slots, the difficulty was imaginable.

Su Lingqing knew that once she signed up, the arena matches would surely attract attention, simply because she was Shizun’s only disciple.

She would do her utmost and absolutely not disgrace Shizun!

Perhaps influenced by this strong conviction, the cluster of wood-attributed spiritual power related to the Enlightenment Divine Tree, which had settled in the girl’s dantian in Qingyun City, stirred again.

Rich spiritual energy surged out of the dantian, quickly flowing through all her meridians, completing a full circulation, and slowly returning to its original position.

Her pressure slowly increased as time went on, lasting for about a hundred breaths. Her cultivation successfully broke through to Qi Refining Level Eight.

The moment she advanced, the rich cluster of wood-attributed spiritual power returned to silence.

This unexpected change was the best possible outcome for Su Lingqing.

Ling Yunyue sensed her disciple’s cultivation advance and quickly guessed the reason.

The Enlightenment Divine Tree was mysterious and ethereal. Lingqing was the first person in the history of the Xuan Tian Realm to obtain this fortune. Although she was experienced and knowledgeable, she couldn’t help much in this regard.

Considering that any opponent was possible in the arena matches, Ling Yunyue decided to use the current opportunity to teach her disciple a new set of incantations.

“Among Dao cultivators, there are those who specialize in soul attacks, which can bypass defenses and directly strike the Sea of Consciousness. If Lingqing encounters a cultivator wielding a musical instrument, you can use the Soul Stabilizing Art to protect your Sea of Consciousness from attack.”

This incantation involved thirty-six true words and was an unpassed secret of the sect.

Ling Yunyue changed to transmitting the information secretly, simultaneously forming the required hand seals.

Su Lingqing concentrated on listening while meticulously recording the steps of the incantation Shizun performed. Afterward, she attempted it herself. After nine incense sticks’ worth of time, she finally achieved success.

As dawn gradually broke, the girl, who had not rested all night, paused her cultivation.

At that moment, snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Ling Yunyue walked to her disciple’s side, stretched out her long, jade-like hand, and slowly brushed away the snowflakes from the girl’s hair.

Su Lingqing looked up at Shizun. Their gazes met in mid-air, and everything was understood without words…