She ran her fingers over the spirit-testing array disk given to her by Feng Qingping. Its edges still bore the marks of fresh polishing. The crystal at the center of the array disk could withstand a divine sense impact at the Foundation Establishment level, which was perfect for protecting an anomaly like her—someone who possessed a complete sea of consciousness while only being in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Meanwhile, the short dagger handed to her by Feng Weilan was even more ingenious. It appeared to be an ordinary blade of profound iron, but it actually required divine sense to nurture it before its true sharp edge could be unleashed. It provided her with a means of self-defense without drawing unwanted attention.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, Senior Sister." This time, she didn't use divine sense transmission. Her voice was slightly raspy, but it was more sincere than ever before.
Suisui suddenly fished out a small storage bag from between its ribs. Its bone claws fumbled clumsily for a long time before finally pulling out the bottle of foundation establishment pills. It tilted its head, its soul fire flickering, seemingly confused as to why the three of them had suddenly gone silent.
Feng Qingping sucked in a sharp breath. Her fingertips instinctively formed an isolation seal, only for her to suddenly realize they were within the sect grounds. Relaxing when she saw no one else was around, she asked, "Little Junior Sister, did... did you refine these?"
Li Nanzhu nodded. "Thanks to Suisui, I had an epiphany and refined them. It was also because of this that I managed to break through to Foundation Establishment in one go."
Upon hearing this, Feng Qingping couldn't help but laugh as she patted Suisui's skull. "It seems Suisui really is a little lucky star."
Suisui's soul fire danced joyfully; it was clearly very satisfied with the praise.
Feng Weilan's gaze fell upon the pills. A rare trace of approval appeared between his cold, stern brows. "Highest-grade foundation establishment pills. Truly a treasure."
Li Nanzhu naturally understood the value of these pills. The formula for the foundation establishment pill had long been lost to the cultivation world.
Even the Shenmu Sect, which specialized in alchemy, only possessed a few scattered pills today, each one incomparably precious. This bottle of hers was not only of exquisite quality but also a testament to her breakthrough.
Feng Qingping reached out to take the jade bottle, her fingertips lightly grazing its surface. A trace of emotion flashed in her eyes. "Those alchemy lunatics at the Shenmu Sect have poured countless resources into researching the pill formula for the foundation establishment pill, yet they haven't been able to restore it to this day." She looked up at Li Nanzhu with a beaming smile. "Little Junior Sister, if these pills of yours were to get out, I'm afraid they would cause quite a stir."
"More than that," Feng Weilan shook his head slightly. "If the outside world knew that someone could refine highest-grade foundation establishment pills..." He didn't finish his sentence, but all three understood the implications.
A light breeze swept through the medicine garden, causing Suisui's soul fire to suddenly shrink. Its bone claws trembled as it hurriedly stuffed the jade bottle back into the storage bag. It even patted its ribs in a conspicuous attempt to cover it up, as if that could erase the lingering scent of the pills.
Seeing this, Feng Qingping couldn't help but chuckle. "There's no need to be so nervous. Although our Five Elements Dao Sect has few members, we aren't exactly a place just anyone can barge into." She paused, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Besides, even if they did come knocking..."
Feng Weilan flicked his finger against the short dagger. The blade hummed like cracking ice. "Intruders shall be cut down."
Li Nanzhu felt a warmth in her heart. She knew her seniors were reminding her that the value of these pills far exceeded her estimates and that she had to be cautious.
At the same time, they were telling her that no matter what happened, the sect would always be her shield.
Feng Qingping teased again, "Speaking of which, our sect doesn't really have a use for these."
Li Nanzhu was startled for a moment, then smiled in realization. Indeed, though the Five Elements Dao Sect was small, everyone was at the Foundation Establishment stage or higher. This bottle of pills truly wasn't useful to them.
"However..." Feng Qingping tapped the jade bottle, her tone turning serious. "At the Wanbao Pavilion Auction a year from now, it's said that a rare treasure will appear." She gave Li Nanzhu a meaningful look. "If you used this pill as a stepping stone..."
Li Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat. Before she could answer, Feng Weilan interrupted coldly, "Too risky."
Feng Qingping shrugged. "It was just a suggestion. After all..." She suddenly reached out and pinched Li Nanzhu's cheek. "Our Little Junior Sister doesn't even know how to fly on a sword yet. If you actually got hunted down, would you rely on your legs to run?"
"Do you want to learn sword flying?" Feng Weilan suddenly asked.
Li Nanzhu: "..."
The topic shifted so quickly she didn't react for a moment.
Feng Qingping stifled a laugh. "Sixth Junior Brother is just worried about you."
Feng Weilan remained expressionless. "I just don't want her to hold us back when she's running for her life in the future."
Li Nanzhu: "..."
Although she was very tempted by the proposal, she looked hesitantly at her empty waist. "Fifth Senior Sister, can I borrow your spirit sword to try first?"
Feng Qingping blinked. "I don't use a spirit sword." Seeing Li Nanzhu's bewildered expression, she laughed and patted the ancient jade disk hanging at her waist. "My life-bound magic treasure is an array disk. It has been with me for as long as I can remember."
"But aren't the people of our Five Elements Dao Sect all supposed to be dual cultivators?" Li Nanzhu was somewhat confused.
"Dual cultivation doesn't necessarily mean using a spirit sword," Feng Qingping said with a smile.
Li Nanzhu felt a bit helpless and could only turn to Feng Weilan, who was wiping his short dagger. "Sixth Senior Brother..."
"Blade cultivator." With a flick of his wrist, the short dagger suddenly extended into a three-foot-long blade. The fire patterns flowing on the edge mirrored the cold light in his eyes. Seeing Li Nanzhu's eyes widen, he said calmly, "I usually just keep my edge hidden."
Only then did Li Nanzhu suddenly recall the original story's setting—this taciturn Sixth Senior Brother was indeed a blade cultivator! His life-bound magic treasure was a long blade, not a spirit sword. She had almost forgotten because he was always wiping that short dagger.
"Then how do you usually fly..."
"Ordinary spirit swords," Feng Weilan said tonelessly. "The ones kept in reserve by the sect."
Feng Qingping smilingly took out a shimmering silver spirit sword from her storage bag. "Use this to practice for now. But there's no need to rush. Eldest Senior Brother said he would keep an eye out for suitable sword-refining materials while traveling. Furthermore..." She lowered her voice mysteriously. "At the Sect Competition in six months, the first-place winner gets to enter the Sword Mound of the Sword Heart Sect to choose a spirit sword."
"The Sword Mound..." Li Nanzhu's interest was piqued. She remembered that this was the reward Cang Dongqing had received after winning the competition.
"That's assuming you can win," Feng Weilan said, heartlessly pouring cold water on her excitement.
"Sixth Junior Brother!" Feng Qingping shot him a reproachful look before turning to Li Nanzhu with a smile. "Don't listen to his nonsense. But before that..." She winked playfully. "You have to learn how to fly first."
The three of them went to an open clearing on the sect's back mountain. Feng Weilan briefly explained the essentials of sword flying: "Your spiritual energy must be steady, and your divine sense must be focused. The most common mistake beginners make is..."
Before he could finish, Li Nanzhu had already impatiently stepped onto the spirit sword. The result was a loud thud as she fell flat on her face.
"...haste," Feng Weilan finished the sentence without a change in expression.
Feng Qingping's shoulders shook as she tried to hold back her laughter. Suisui popped up out of nowhere, a giant question mark appearing in its soul fire.
Li Nanzhu climbed up, covered in dust. "A mistake, just a mistake..."
What followed could only be described as a disaster.
The first time, the spirit sword zoomed out thirty feet, but Li Nanzhu remained where she was, stumbling forward into Feng Weilan's arms. He picked her up by the back of her collar and dropped her back at the starting point.
The second time, she successfully stepped onto the blade, but due to an excess of spiritual energy, she and the sword crashed into the crown of an ancient pine tree, startling a flock of birds. Suisui hopped around under the tree to catch the falling spirit sword, its soul fire flickering in a wavy pattern of laughter.
The third time, she finally managed a wobbly ascent, but lost her balance when she looked down at her feet. She tumbled head-first into the medicine garden, leaving only her two legs kicking wildly out of the dirt. Feng Qingping laughed so hard her array disk slipped from her hand, while Feng Weilan silently turned away, his shoulders shaking suspiciously.
After three days of such chaos, Li Nanzhu was finally able to fly unsteadily. Although her speed wasn't fast and her altitude was limited, she at least didn't fall off every other second.
Just as Li Nanzhu was immersing herself in the experience of flying, the communication jade slips of both Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan suddenly lit up with a piercing red glow.
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